Woods unsure of repeat as captain
Ernie Els has made it clear he will not be returning as International captain for the Presidents Cup next year.
Tiger Woods was a little more vague.
Woods, captain of the U.S. team that won at Royal Melbourne for the eighth straight time, says he spoke with Els while boarding the charter to leave Australia in December. Els gave his International team identity and purpose, and it nearly pulled off a victory until a Sunday rally by Woods and the Americans.
For the Americans, Woods was the third captain in as many cups, following Jay Haas in 2015 and Steve Stricker in 2017. Complicating matters is that the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup now work together with a similar group of captains and assistants to build continuity. Still on the horizon for Woods is a Ryder Cup captaincy.
“I’m struggling with the same issues,” he said of a decision to repeat, “because as an American, we have two Cups we’re involved in, not just every other year. So the responsibilities on an American are a little bit more.”
The tour is likely to decide on the next two captains in the spring. WOODS STUDYING PREMIER GOLF LEAGUE DETAILS >> Woods said Tuesday he had been approached by the Premier Golf League (PGL) and was gathering more information about a concept that could be a more lucrative alternative to the PGA Tour.
The British-based World Golf Group last month unveiled plans for a new global tour it hopes to launch in 2022 that would consist of 18 yearly tournaments — each with prize money of $10 million — and feature 48 of the game’s top players.
Woods, speaking to reporters at this week’s Genesis Invitational in Pacific Palisades, said he had been briefed on details of the PGL.
WNBA
MVP DELLE DONNE RE-SIGNS WITH CHAMPION MYSTICS >> Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne signed a four-year contract to stay with the Washington Mystics after leading the team to its first league championship.
In addition to winning a title and MVP honors, Delle Donne was a member of the all-WNBA first team for the second year in a row and made her sixth consecutive All-Star appearance.
The 6-foot-5 forward averaged 19.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists last season while making 51.5% of her field-goal attempts, including 43% on 3-pointers.
NFL
OWNER SAYS CAM NEWTON’S FUTURE DEPENDS ON HEALTH >> Panthers owner David Tepper remains noncommittal on Cam Newton’s future with the organization, saying it will largely depend on how the quarterback recovers from foot surgery.
“Listen, I’m not a doctor,” Tepper said Tuesday. “I said it a million times, is he healthy? He’s not a doctor. So there is a lot of different things that can happen. Tell me that and then we can talk.”
The 31-year-old Newton missed 14 games last season with a Lisfranc injury. He had surgery on Dec. 11.
The Panthers are in a rebuilding mode, and the team could save $19 million under next year’s salary cap if they trade or release the 2015 league MVP.
COWBOYS HOPE TO EXTEND QB PRESCOTT BEFORE TAG >> The Dallas Cowboys hope to sign quarterback Dak Prescott to a long-term extension before the window to use the franchise tag closes on March 10, NFL Network reported.
Per the report, the Cowboys will use the tag on Prescott if no deal can be completed by then, but they would prefer to complete an extension beforehand.
Prescott and the Cowboys will have until July 15 to work out a longterm extension. Otherwise, he would play out 2020 on a one-year deal and again head toward free agency in 2021.
College athletics
NCAA’S EMMERT PRESSES SENATE FOR ‘GUARDRAILS’ ON ATHLETE PAY >> NCAA president Mark Emmert urged Congress put restrictions on college athletes’ ability to earn money from endorsements, telling a Senate committee federal action is needed to “maintain uniform standards in college sports” amid playerfriendly laws approved in California and under consideration in other states.
The NCAA last fall said it would allow players to “benefit” from the use of their name, image and likeness and is working on new rules it plans to reveal in April. Under the NCAA’s timeline, athletes would be able to take advantage of endorsement opportunities beginning next January.
Meanwhile, more than 25 states are considering legislation that would force the NCAA to allow players to earn money off their personal brand in a bid to address inequities in the multi-billion-dollar college sports industry. California passed a law last year that gives broad endorsement rights to players and it will take effect in 2023. Other states could grant those rights as soon as this year.
Wrestling
US WRESTLERS COMPETE IN CUBA DESPITE FRAYED RELATIONS >> Two dozen athletes from the U.S. flew to Cuba despite rising tensions between the countries to participate in the island’s most important Greco-Roman and freestyle annual wrestling competition.
The athletes came from states including New York, Minnesota and Wyoming and included several Olympians.
“We’re down here to compete in one of the greatest sports in the world,” said Robby Smith, a 2016 Olympian from Danville.
The visit comes several months after the U.S. government imposed major restrictions on educational and recreational travel to Cuba as President Donald Trump continues to roll back Obama-era efforts to restore normal relations.
A total of 14 countries are participating in the Granma Cup and Cerro Pelado competition in Havana, among them Canada, Honduras, Argentina and Hungary.