SPORTS SECTION E
NFL
‘Boys win, Page 5
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2017
Fleetwood tops leaderboard By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
T
ommy Fleetwood may have several reasons to celebrate here in the Bahamas if he continues the torrid pace he set on the course on day one of the Hero World World Challenge. Fleetwood leads the field of 18 elite PGA Tour members when he shot a 66 (-6) yesterday at the Albany Golf Course. He birdied holes No. 3, 4, 7, 9 14 and 15 on the afternoon. “I played really well, got off to a nice start. The first five holes I hit a lot of good shots and felt like I had a good rhythm and a couple birdies early on. Just carried on really. The front nine, 4 under on the front nine is a good start to the day,” he said. “Just played solid. I didn’t make a bogey and
TOMMY FLEETWOOD, of Britain, tees off from the first hole yesterday during the Hero World Challenge golf tournament at Albany Golf Club in Nassau, Bahamas. (AP Photo/Dante Carrer) really good par to finish the round off. But yeah, generally to make birdies on most of the holes, the
reachable par 5s and just played solidly all day. It was nice being out there, it’s a good atmosphere.”
Fleetwood plans to marry his fiancé Clare Craig at the resort on Tuesday, but for now his focus remains on the tournament. “Clare’s in charge and she has picked out the venue, so it’s like ceremony, then dinner and then party at our villa. Yeah, I’ll make sure I know come Tuesday morning where I’m going. We’re not going to see each other Monday night, so it looks like might end up playing golf Tuesday morning and then going to the wedding.” Fleetwood entered with two international victories this season at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the HNA Open de France, but said he continues to adjust to the course as the event unfolds. “When we got here this morning it was really blowing, so it was a strong wind and obviously that makes the course a little bit
one from fusion surgery on his lower back on April 20. Given it was his fourth surgery in three years, coupled with a DUI arrest in the summer that exposed the struggles Woods was having with pain medicine, a day like this seemed a long way off. Woods said he appreciated the moment Thursday morning. “I was in my head thanking all the people who have helped me in giving me a chance to come back and play this round
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 5
SEE PAGE 5
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer
TIGER Woods tees off from hole 16 yesterday during the Hero World Challenge golf tournament at the Albany Golf Club in Nassau, Bahamas. (AP Photo/Dante Carrer) penalty drop to get back in play and wound up making bogey. But it was solid enough that Woods was far more interested in the leaderboard than the fact he felt strong physically. “It was not only nice to get the first round out of the way, but also I’m only three shots out of the lead,” he said. “So to be able to put myself there after not playing for 10 months or so, it was nice to feel the adrenaline out there.” He was tied for eighth in the 18-man field of this
holiday exhibition that awards world ranking points but does not count as official on any tour. Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar were at 67, while Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose and Kevin Chappell were at 68. The buzz was back. Johnson noticed it when he was on the practice range and noticed a crowd around the putting green. “Tiger must be there,” Johnson said. “Because there’s 40 people instead of four,” he added.
Golf Channel added an hour of coverage, and Twitter came alive with people curious about the latest return. That included Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors’ two-time MVP who played a Web. com Tour event in August. “The wait is over. The wait is over,” he tweeted . Michael Phelps said he was “pumped to be watching” Woods on TV again. This event doesn’t draw big crowds, but most of them were with Woods to see how he would fare in this latest comeback, this
By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net ANTICIPATION continues to build for one of the marquee sailing events of the year, featuring international and local sailors. The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources, in conjunction with the Star Sailors League, will host the second annual Best-ofThe-Best Regatta at the Montagu Bay foreshore December 7-10. The regatta’s aim is to showcase the best of the best in each sailing class - A, B and C - and also help to catapult Bahamian sloop sailing into the international arena. The event promises a family atmosphere complete with amenities traditionally associated with Bahamian regattas. Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources Renward Wells, whose portfolio includes responsibilities for regattas, outlined the impact that he expects the regatta will have. “Last year’s event established the bar for what regattas could be in The Bahamas and by every measure, we are on pace, by far, to surpass the standard set in our event, he said. “We are confirmed to have more than 50 boats participating in the A, B and C classes. We have done our best to ensure that the level of participation lives up to the name ‘Best of the Best.’ I have spoken to quite a few of the boat owners and captains and will continue to talk to them as we prepare for what may well be the most competitive weekend of sloop sailing in the history of The Bahamas. I fully anticipate this will be a clash of the champions come next Thursday.” The regatta will also bridge the gap between sports tourism and local sports development, with the inclusion of the Star Sailors League which has hosted the finale of its circuit in the Bahamas for the past three years. “Speaking of champions, I am pleased that we will also be hosting the yearend race event for the Star Sailor’s League as well. Sailors from around the world have begun arriving and training in Montagu Harbour for what too will be a very competitive race. As a fellow Olympian and a proud Bahamian, I am particularly pleased that we will be hosting a number of Olympic gold medallists and world champions
Tiger Woods returns with solid round and good start at Albany NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — Tiger Woods looked a lot better in his return to golf than he did when he left. Playing for the first time since his fourth back surgery, Woods returned from a 10-month layoff with a 3-under 69 on a breezy Thursday in the Bahamas that left him three shots behind Tommy Fleetwood after the opening round of the Hero World Challenge. “For me, I thought I did great,” Woods said with a smile. And in a sign that he was ready to get back into the mix, he was far from satisfied. Unlike a year ago, when Woods ended a 15-month hiatus from his ailing back, he didn’t show any fatigue at the end of his round or make any big numbers. His only regret was playing the par 5s at Albany Golf Club in 1-over par with two bogeys that stalled his momentum. Coming off a 25-foot birdie putt on the par-3 eighth, Woods hit a 3-wood that rolled up on the green and then down a slope about 30 feet from the pin. It took him four shots from there, starting with a chip that didn’t reach the green and his first expletive loud enough for television to pick up. After his best shot of the day — a pitching wedge he hit low from 95 yards that settled a foot behind the hole for birdie on No. 14 — he sent a drive well to the right into the native dunes. Woods had to take a
2ND ANNUAL BEST-OF-THEBEST REGATTA GOOD TO GO AT MONTAGU
Rockets and Resistance get wins in night league basketball By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE New Providence Basketball Association continued league play Wednesday night with wins for the Rockets in Division I and
Cavs, Page 5
the Resistance in Division II. On the heels of his appearance with the men’s national team in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers Monday night, Livingston Munnings stepped back into NPBA play and powered the Rockets to a 103-70 win over the Leno Regulators. Munnings finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. Barry Carter posted another double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, Eugene Bain added 16 points and nine rebounds, Selwyn McKenzie scored 15 and Lerecus Armbrister added 13 points and five steals. Kenneth Pratt was the lone bright spot for the Regulators and the only player to score in double figures with 29 points and nine rebounds. He scored the first five points of the game, but the
Rockets responded with a 17-0 run to take control. Tomeko Moxey’s three pointer was the last field goal of the run to take a 17-5 lead, before Pratt ended his team’s nearly seven-minute drought with a layup. The Regulators closed the quarter with a run of their own and trimmed the deficit to just four headed into the second. They would go on to outscore the Regulators by 12 in the quarter and take control for good. Lyndrick Storr’s layup brought the Rockets’ lead back to 10 early in the second and they continued to dominate throughout. McKenzie’s three pushed the lead over 20 for the first time, 41-19 with just over four minutes left to play in the half. They took a 51-35 lead at the break and 78-54 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Rockets outscored the Regulators by 21 from beyond the arch, had a 10-point advantage on points in the paint and their bench also outscored their counterparts by 14. The Caro Contractors Resistance got a combined 45 points from Kamal Murphy and Qyemah Gibson in a 94-88 win over Eagle’s Nest. Murphy’s only blemish on his night was two missed free throws attempts as he shot a perfect 10-10 from the field en route to his 24 points. Gibson scored 21, Shaquille Outten added 16 while Cormado Seymour added eight points and 10 rebounds. Troy Trembley led Eagle’s Nest with a game high 26 points and eight rebounds, Bradley Altidor scored 21 and Janaldo Joseph chipped in with 12. Eagles Nest led 18-9 early in the first quarter before the Resistance
closed the period on a 16-0 run. Outten’s jumpshot as time expired gave them a 25-18 lead after one. The run continued in the second and reached as much as 26 unanswered points when they opened on a 10-0 spurt to take a 35-18 lead on Gibson’s jumper. Bradley Taylor’s score sparked a 13-point run to get back into the game. Uriah Rolle’s jumper made the score 31-35 with 8:48 left to play in the period. The Resistance took a 45-40 lead at the half. The lead reached as much as 14 in the second half and Eagles Nest was unable to come within less than three possessions. In tonight’s matchups at the AF Adderley Gymnasium, the Resistance return to action when they face Elites Basketball Club and in Division I, the Island Game Pros take on the JD’s Seafood Shockers.