IN BRIEF Woods 5 back of leader Finau
Tiger Woods was back on the PGA Tour for the first time in five months Thursday and saw Muirfield Village like never before.
The Dublin, Ohio course was practically empty.
Woods opened with a 10-foot birdie and there was silence. He finished with a 15-foot birdie for a 1-under 71, leaving him five shots behind Tony Finau in the Memorial.
“Got off to almost an ideal start and got a feel for the round early,” Woods said. “I just didn’t make anything.”
He left that to Finau, who finished with seven birdies over his last 10 holes. Finau leads Ryan Palmer by one stroke.
Colleges: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference suspended fall sports, becoming the third D-I league to postpone its football season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following fellow FCS conferences the Ivy League and Patriot League, the MEAC announced it will try to make up the schedule for those sports in the 2021 spring semester. The MEAC is comprised of 11 historically black colleges. Also, the Mid-American Conference will delay the start of its fall Olympic sports, including men’s and women’s soccer and women’s volleyball, to Sept. 3. The conference football season is also scheduled to begin that day.
NBA: The Pelicans said top overall draft choice Zion Williamson left the club to attend to an urgent family medical matter. Williamson intends to rejoin the team in the Orlando, Florida area for the season restart, but the club didn’t specify when he would be able to return or whether he’ll miss any of the club’s eight remaining regular-season games. Upon his return, Williamson will have to quarantine again for at least four days.
NHL: Parts of Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta were flooded early Thursday night, but the Oilers said the damage wouldn’t affect plans to use the arena as hub when the season resumes Aug. 1.
Tennis: Serena Williams plans to make her return to competition next month at the Top Seed Open, a new hardcourt tournament in Kentucky that begins play Aug. 10. It will be the first action for the 38-year-old Williams since playing for the U.S. in the Fed Cup in February.