CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Out of golf for five months until the Masters, Tiger Woods is waiting only two weeks to tee it up again.
Woods announced Thursday he will play the Quail Hollow Championship, which begins April 29. It will be his first time playing at a tournament where tickets are sold to the general public since his downfall from a sex scandal.
Woods tied for fourth last week at the Masters, which has the most controlled gallery in golf. Weekly badges are secured months in advance, and fans fear losing them if caught showing poor etiquette. Woods received warm applause when he teed off in the first round, and the support was steady throughout the week.
Kym Hougham, tournament director for the Charlotte event, said he doesn’t expect Woods to run into problems from hecklers at Quail Hollow Club.
“I think our crowds are very respectful and they always have been. The players have always told us that,” Hougham said. “If there is inappropriate behavior, we’ll act on it swiftly. I’m sure that if Tiger didn’t feel we could handle it he wouldn’t be coming here.”
• K.J. Choi shot a 7-under-par 64 to take a two-stroke lead over Mike Weir and Greg Owen after the first round of the Verizon Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
• After struggling on the greens and finishing 20 strokes out of the lead in his Nationwide Tour debut, Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice had specific plans for his putter.
“I’m going to take it home, melt it down and I’m going to get rid of it,” Rice said after shooting a 12-over 83 in the Fresh Express Classic in Hayward, Calif. “It really let me down.”
The 47-year-old Rice, also the tournament host, was tied for 153rd with Brendon Todd in the 155-man field, two strokes ahead of last- place Brian Bateman.Dicky Pride shot an 8-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead.
• Cristie Kerr, Na Yeon Choi and Amanda Blumenherst each scored 13 points in their three six-holes matches to top the quarterfinal qualifiers in the inaugural Mojo 6 Jamaica LPGA Invitational in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Dunn returning for senior season
WACO, Texas — Baylor leading scorer LaceDarius Dunn is returning for his senior season.
The guard was a second-time all-Big 12 pick while averaging 19.6 points and 4.8 rebounds.
• Washington sophomore guard Elston Turner is transferring from the school.
• Rhode Island coach Jim Baron agreed to a one-year contract extension through the 2013-14 season.
Footnotes.
Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games cost Vancouver $553.1 million, and that doesn’t include the cost of taking over the $1 billion Olympic athletes village project after the primary financier balked.
• Fox will offer postrace coverage of NASCAR with an online program beginning after its broadcast of Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway.
• Dwayne De Rosario scored twice, including on an 81st-minute penalty, to give Toronto FC a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union.
The Associated Press
