Bad back can’t keep Tiger out of contention
A common phrase this year — “Tiger’s back” — took on a new meaning Friday at The Barclays in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Tiger Woods felt a twinge in his lower back when he awoke and experienced pain throughout the second round at Bethpage Black. He overcame a bogey-bogey start, struggled in the task of retrieving the ball from the cup and stayed well within range of Nick Watney and Sergio Garcia, who shared the lead going into the weekend.
“Must have slept funny on it,” Woods said. “Soft beds at the hotel, and woke up this morning with it stiff. As I warmed up, it got progressively worse, and then you saw what happened on the golf course. It hurt all day.”
He managed a 2-under 69, an effort that left him three strokes off the lead.
More impressive were Garcia and Watney. Garcia made bogey on the third hole with what he called his worst swing of the week and atoned for that with a tee shot on the par-5 fourth that restored his momentum and sent him to a 68.
Watney went eagle-birdie on the par 5s on the front nine and then survived a roller coaster of birdies and bogeys on the back nine that gave him a 69. They were at 8-under 134.
Teen star Lydia Ko shot a second consecutive 4-under 68 for a share of the lead with Chella Choi in the Canadian Women’s Open in Coquitlam, British Columbia.
Sky’s skid at nine after OT loss
The Sky lost its ninth game in a row when Riquina Williams keyed a rally by the host Tulsa Shock that overcame an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter en route to an 81-78 overtime.
Williams scored eight of her 22 points in the final 3:17 of regulation and her long jumper with 46.4 seconds left in overtime sealed the game for the Shock (4-18). Courtney Vandersloot led the Sky (814) with 23 points. Shay Murphy added 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Majerus takes leave of absence
Saint Louis basketball coach Rick Majerus, 64, is taking a leave of absence for at least the upcoming season. The university said assistant coach Jim Crews will direct the team as interim coach, and that a decision hasn’t been made for the 2013-14 season.
Marquette coach Buzz Williams announced the dismissal of assistant Scott Monarch, and Williams will serve a one-game suspension as part of self-imposed sanctions for recruiting violations the school reported to the NCAA.