Woods disappoints in return to tournament play
Tiger Woods’ return to tournament competition didn’t start nearly as well as his last one ended.
Woods had a chip roll back into a hazard for a triple bogey Thursday, leading to a 1-over 73 that left him eight shots behind world-traveling Patrick Reed and late-entry Patrick Cantlay in the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas.
Reed didn’t show any sign of fatigue in his travels from Dubai to Hong Kong to the Bahamas in successive weeks. He birdied three of his last five holes for a 7-under 65. Cantlay, who was added to the field when Webb Simpson withdrew, birdied five of his last six holes for a 65.
Woods was never under par at any point and was one of just three players in the 18-man field who were over par.
Women’s hockey
The United States and Canada are renewing the top rivalry in the sport. The only countries to win Olympic titles will play three games between Feb. 12 and 17. The first two games will be in Canada — Feb. 12 in London, Ontario, and Feb. 14 in Toronto. The third game is Feb. 17 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The U.S. ended Canada’s run of four consecutive Olympic gold medals with a 3-2 shootout victory at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Baseball
The Padres have agreed to a two-year contract with free-agent starting pitcher Garrett Richards. The 30-yearold right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in July and is not expected to pitch this season. When healthy, he has been effective. Richards has a 3.15 ERA with 1.17 walks and hits per innings pitched over his past 86 starts, dating to the beginning of the 2014 season. That includes a 3.66 ERA and 1.34 WHIP in 16 starts in 2018.
Olympics
After finding it difficult to sell the 2026 Winter Olympics, the IOC finally has two countries that are all in: Sweden and Italy. It’s Stockholm, the capital of Sweden and the selfdescribed capital of Scandinavia, up against a joint Italian bid of Milan — a global fashion capital— and the ski resort of Cortina d’ Ampezzo. The IOC expects to pick the host city in June.