SAN DIEGO (AP) Tiger Woods is more confident than ever that his return to the PGA Tour will be different this time.

It’s not so much how he plays, but rather for how long.

”I have no more pain in my back,” Woods said Wednesday.

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That wasn’t the case a year ago. Woods was coming off the longest break of his career following two back surgeries when he played the Hero World Challenge and showed promise by making 24 birdies against an 18-man field with no cut. But then he missed the 36-hole cut at Torrey Pines, and lasted one round in Dubai before withdrawing with back spasms.

Fusion surgery on his lower back followed two months later, and now Woods is on the same track as he was last year – with one exception.

”I was trying to manage the disk and the vertebrae,” Woods said after his pro-am round in the Farmers Insurance Open. ”But it’s all finished now. It’s fused, and the quality of life is infinitely better than it was last year at this point.”

He..

GREAT ABACO, Bahamas (AP) Adam Svensson of Canada closed with a 4-under 68 for a one-shot victory Wednesday in the Bahamas Great Abaco Classic on the Web.com Tour.

Svensson began the final round one shot out of the lead and seized control when Willy Wilcox took a triple bogey on the 11th hole. Even with a bogey on the par-3 17th, Svensson held on to win by one shot over Sungjae Im of South Korea, who shot 69.

Rhein Gibson of Australia had a 67 and finished third.

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Wilcox made seven straight pars after his triple bogey and shot 73 to tie for fourth.

Svensson finished at 17-under 271. It was the first professional victory for the 24-year-old Canadian.

SAN DIEGO (AP) Tiger Woods is more confident than ever that his return to the PGA Tour will be different this time.

It’s not so much how he plays, but rather for how long.

”I have no more pain in my back,” Woods said Wednesday.

Article continues below …

That wasn’t the case a year ago. Woods was coming off the longest break of his career following two back surgeries when he played the Hero World Challenge and showed promise by making 24 birdies against an 18-man field with no cut. But then he missed the 36-hole cut at Torrey Pines, and lasted one round in Dubai before withdrawing with back spasms.

Fusion surgery on his lower back followed two months later, and now Woods is on the same track as he was last year – with one exception.

”I was trying to manage the disk and the vertebrae,” Woods said after his pro-am round in the Farmers Insurance Open. ”But it’s all finished now. It’s fused, and the quality of life is infinitely better than it was last year at this point.”

He..

As if we hadn't already lost all faith in humanity, there was horrible news from an Iowa cornfield of all places earlier this week. The baseball diamond from the popular movie/American treasure “Field of Dreams” was vandalized. Somewhere, the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson shed a tear.
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The movie site's Facebook page posted photos that showed muddy tire tracks left by vandals savages who drove a truck over the hollowed ground. Located in Dyersville, people still come year-round for tours, although the field is officially open from April 1-Oct. 31. Look away if you can't bear to see a cherished piece of your childhood treated like trash:
We can't fathom why someone would do such a thing to to this historic landmark, either. Seriously, who vandalizes a place called “Field of Dreams”?! We hope they're caught. And we hope they get a lifetime ban from something they love.
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Hannah FoslienMINNEAPOLIS, MN – AUGUST 17: Glen Perkins #15 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians in game one of a doubleheader on August 17, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Indians defeated the Twins 9-3. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)There's been a few over-hyped, overblown and over-emotional retirements in sports in recent years. Derek Jeter, Kobe Bryant and David Ortiz instantly come to mind. Sure, they all had great careers, but the farewell tours, the gifts, the commercials and everything else that went into it was a bit much.
Lost in the pomp and circumstance of those was a truly emotional goodbye for Glen Perkins, three-time All-Star and former closer of the Minnesota Twins, a franchise he spent his entire 12-year career with. After his three consecutive all-star years from 2013-2015, Perkins pitched just 10 games between 2016 and 2017, with his final eight appearances coming after he returned from a 16-month abse..

From Father’s Day to Opening Day, Joe Montana’s birthday to the 4th of July, there’s no shortage of alpha-dog holidays to celebrate in America. At least once a month, some new calendar-validated excuse to break out the grill, crack a couple of cold ones, and embrace your inner-dude-cliche comes calling, and this January that occasion is Burns Night—AKA the manliest holiday you’ve never heard of.
First held in 1801 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Scottish poet Robert Burns’ death, Burns Night is a boisterous, red-faced celebration with three simple tenants. The first is poetry, vociferously recited, often in kilts. If you’re already headed for the door, just hang on, because we know the next two will interest you:
Scotch—good scotch, bad scotch, any scotch—and meat—a Scotsman’s preferred method of soaking up all that scotch.
Let’s Just Get This Out Of the Way: That meat is going to be haggis, a sort-of Scottish version of meatloaf made of sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lu..

HONOLULU (AP) — The question was as much rhetorical as it was cynical.

Matt Kuchar was playing alone on a slow Monday in Shanghai last fall, holding court on all things golf in between shots when the topic turned to Tiger Woods. Out of the game for nine months, Woods had just begun to post video of his swing.

Woods was still a week away from announcing he would return to competition in the Bahamas after recovering from a fourth back surgery.

“Do you think guys today believe they could have taken on Tiger at his best?” Kuchar asked.

He didn’t offer an answer, perhaps knowing that just like comparing generations, there are no answers, only speculation.

Besides, what could anyone say?

“You’d be stupid to say you couldn’t. You’d be doubting yourself,” U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka said. “I watched it growing up. I knew exactly how good he was. I wish I could have played against him. I think it would be cool to compare yourself to it.”

The question now is whether it’s too late to ..

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) A few days after finishing tied for third in his comeback tournament, Rory McIlroy’s expectations are on the rise.

The 28-year-old Northern Irishman ended his injury-plagued 2017 season early, but he shot 18-under last week and finished only four shots behind champion Tommy Fleetwood at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

McIlroy has a busy schedule ahead of the Masters, and next up is the Dubai Desert Classic. He is a two-time champion at the tournament, with his first win in 2009 also being his first professional win.

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”No complaints about last week,” McIlroy said. ”If anything, I could have driven it a little straighter on the last day and given myself some more shots from the fairways to attack some pins, but really happy with how everything went and looking forward to getting back out there this week.”

McIlroy said he exceeded his expectations in Abu Dhabi and found some positive signs in his game.

”I know that my..