Loaded golf fields for Asia events now in Vegas, California

Dustin Johnson leads the top five players in the world who have committed to play the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, the start of a two-week stretch of relocated Asia events that includes Tiger Woods returning to California.

The CJ Cup typically is held in South Korea, followed by the Zozo Championship in Japan. Both events were moved to the western U.S. because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fields were expected to be stacked with the Masters just two weeks after those events.

The CJ Cup is Oct. 15-18, with the Zozo Championship at Sherwood a week later.

Based on the announcements Monday night, Woods is likely to play only one time before finally getting a chance to defending his Masters title on Nov. 12-15.

Woods is the defending champion at what this year is called the Zozo Championship at Sherwood. He returns to Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks where he won his unofficial World Challenge five times.

Still to be determined is the field for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas, which precedes the CJ Cup. The full field for that event is not set until Friday. U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau won the regular Las Vegas event two years ago. He has committed to the CJ Cup, but was not among the early commitments to Sherwood.

Johnson will be joined at Shadow Creek by DeChambeau, defending champion Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.

Johnson, Rahm and McIlroy also are playing the Zozo Championship, along with Phil Mickelson, who also required a sponsor exemption.

College

99-YEAR- OLD FORMER CAL FOOTBALL, RUGBY PLAYER, DIES >> Robert Stott Shoemaker, who played football and rugby at Cal in the early 1940s and flew P-38 fighter planes in Europe during World War II, died in the South Bay after a bout with pneumonia. At 99 years old, Shoemaker was among the oldest former Cal football players before his passing on Saturday.

NHL

LIGHTNING TO CELEBRATE STANLEY CUP WIN WITH BOAT PARADE >> The Tampa Bay Lightning are not going to let the COVID-19 outbreak get in the way of celebrating their Stanley Cup triumph as the team announced plans on Tuesday for a socially-distanced boat parade and fan rally.

Unlike typical Stanley Cup parades where players pile into vehicles that slowly wind through streets lined with hundreds of thousands of people, the Lightning will instead have a boat parade on the Hillsborough River today.

Fans of the Lightning are encouraged to safely gather along the Tampa Riverwalk, following proper social distancing guidelines, including the wearing of face coverings.

Following the parade, there will be a free fan rally at the 65,000- seat home of the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers

where socially distant pod seating will apply, with groups available for up to six people.

College football

COACH SAYS NOTRE DAME MAKING CHANGES AMID OUTBREAK >> Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said his program will change protocols after 18 players tested positive for COV ID - 19. Kelly told ESPN that doctors linked the outbreak to a pregame meal before the game against South Florida on Sept. 19 and a player vomiting on the sidelines during the game.

A news release from the school issued on Monday said that over a six-day span last week, the school performed 273 tests on football players, with 18 positives. Now, the Fighting Irish have a total of 25 players in isolation and 14 quarantined because of their close contact with a person who tested positive.

Kelly said the team ate together for the first time since the start of summer practices before the USF game — and won’t be doing so again.

WNBA

ACES ADVANCES WNBA FINALS >> League MVP A’ja Wilson had 23 points and 11 rebounds, Angel McCoughtry added 20 points and the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces held off the No. 7 seed Connecticut Sun 66- 63 to advance to the franchise’s second WNBA Finals.

Las Vegas will play Friday against Seattle, which advanced to its second championship series in three seasons on Sunday after sweeping Minnesota.