ST. LOUIS — Tiger Woods is chipping and putting again, and he hopes to play in the Memorial in two weeks. But even if Woods, who had surgery on his left knee April 15, can’t compete until the U.S. Open beginning June 12, he doesn’t expect the same result as his last layoff during a season.
Two years ago, Woods didn’t play for nine weeks while coping with the death of his father. He returned to competition in the U.S. Open at Winged Foot and missed the cut for the only time in a major.
“That was a totally different mental situation than I am now,” Woods said Monday. “Even when I came back for the Open, I probably wasn’t ready to play yet. I was eager to get back and play and be in a competitive environment, but I wasn’t ready to deal with all the things you have to deal with inside the ropes. . . . And it showed, and I played terrible.
“This time around, it’s totally different. Everything in my life is doing great.”
Taylor murder suspects won’t face death penalty
MIAMI — Prosecutors said they will not seek the death penalty against four people charged with murdering Redskins cornerback Sean Taylor because the accused shooter was a minor when the crime was committed.
That means the four suspects could get a maximum of life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder after a trial scheduled to begin Aug. 25.
• Robbie Gould became the highest-paid kicker, agreeing to a five-year, $15.5 million contract extension with the Bears that includes a $4.25 million signing bonus. The deal runs through 2013.
Footnotes.
Brandon Dubinsky scored three goals and the Americans scored three times in each period to wrap up their qualifying round at the world hockey championships with a 9-1 victory over Norway in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Americans next play Wednesday against Finland, which lost to Canada 6-3 in a matchup of unbeaten teams.
• Daniele Bennati won the 137-mile third stage of the Giro d’Italia and Liquigas teammate Franco Pellizotti held on to the overall lead — one second ahead of Christian Vande Velde of Boulder- based Slipstream/Chipotle.
• The World Anti-Doping Agency said it might seek $1.3 million in court costs from Floyd Landis if the cyclist fails to win his appeal of the decision that stripped him of the 2006 Tour de France title before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
• Bill Rankin, a basketball star at UCLA during World War II and after, died Sunday in Balboa Island, Calif., after a long fight with Parkinson’s disease. He was 84.
• BYU running back Manase Tonga is academically ineligible and will miss the 2008 football season.
• Georgia’s Chris Griesen completed a touchdown pass to Troy Bergeron with 13 seconds left, then found his receiver again for the go-ahead two-point conversion to give the Force a 63-62 win over the Philadelphia Soul in Atlanta.
• ESPN will add Hannah Storm to its “SportsCenter” lineup in August when it will supplant nine hours of taped programming in favor of live sports news.
• Sprinter Asafa Powell (chest) resumed training and should be in good health in time for the Olympics.
Denver Post wire services
