Tiger gives fans a thrill in first round at Riviera
The scene was similar to the last time Tiger Woods played against the world’s best. Fans packed onto every balcony on every level of the Riviera clubhouse Thursday, all straining for a rare sight of golf’s biggest star.
Woods had them cheering even louder at the end.
He put on a show in his first competition in seven months, closing with three consecutive birdies for a 2-under 69 in the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles, leaving him five shots behind leaders Max Homa and Keith Mitchell.
Homa and Mitchell shot 64. Jon Rahm opened with a 65 as he bids to return to No. 1 in the world.
More golf
Sami Valimaki carded a bogey-free 8-under 64 to share the lead with Martin Simonsen after the opening round of the Thailand Classic in Chonburi, Thailand.
Pro football
A grand jury in Nevada indicted New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara, Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Chris Lammons and two others on two criminal counts in connection with an alleged beating at a Las Vegas nightclub last February. Kamara was arrested Feb. 6, 2022. Police say he told officers he punched a man after he thought he had done something to someone in his group and was trying to run away.
Soccer
Mallory Swanson scored two first-half goals and the
United States beat Canada 2-0 in a SheBelieves Cup match in Orlando, Fla. In an earlier match, Debinha scored off a pass from Marta in the second half and Brazil defeated Japan, 1-0.
• Riverhounds SC signed first-year pro Langston Blackstock to a one-year deal. Blackstock is a 6-foot-2 forward who played at NCAA Division II Clayton State. In his senior season, Blackstock led the Peach Belt Conference in scoring with 15 goals.
• Aiming to become one of the few women in world soccer politics to win an election against men, Norwegian Football Federation president Lisa Klaveness is running for a seat on UEFA’s executive committee. While the 20-member committee has one seat designated for a woman, no woman has ever been elected to a seat open for men.
Colleges
An Indiana jury found the NCAA not liable in the death of a former Grand Valley State quarterback whose widow accused the college sports governing body of failing to warn college athletes about the risks of head injuries while playing football. A Marion County jury agreed Wednesday with the NCAA’s arguments that Cullen Finnerty’s death did not result from a concussion he suffered while playing for the Michigan college or smaller blows to the head during his playing days in the early 2000s, but from other health problems and addictions, ESPN reported.