Golf
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tiger Woods is pulling out of his next two tournaments because of ongoing back problems.
Woods said on his website Friday that his doctors have advised him not to play so he can continue treatment on his back. He withdrew after a 77 in the first round in Dubai with what he described as back spasms.
Woods was scheduled to play at Riviera next week in Los Angeles for the first time since 2006. He also was to play the Honda Classic the following week near his home in Florida.
Woods was out of golf for 15 months while recovering from three back surgeries. He was 15th in an 18-man field in the Bahamas in December, then missed the cut at Torrey Pines.
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Brandt Snedeker made three straight birdies in slightly calmer conditions for a 3-under 68 that left him one shot behind the leaders when the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am finally concluded Friday.
The round resumed after a one-hour delay because of overnight rain that saturated the three courses, though the wind wasn’t as severe.
Snedeker is a two-time winner at Pebble. He was at Monterey Peninsula and finished up on the front nine.
Rick Lamb, Seung-Yul Noh and Joel Dahmen shared the lead according to par. They all shot 4-under 68 at Spyglass Hill and finished on Thursday.
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Olin Browne had eight birdies in a nine-hole stretch and shot a 9-under 63 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Champions Tour’s Allianz Championship.
Browne birdied Nos. 17-2 and 4-7 on The Old Course at Broken Sound Club in the round that began on No. 10. He birdied all four par-5 holes in the bogey-free round.
NBA
NEW YORK – Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan banned Charles Oakley from the arena Friday, though said he was open to reconciling with the former Knicks forward.
In an interview with ESPN Radio’s Michael Kay, Dolan also confirmed a report that he had fired the Garden’s security chief, two nights after Oakley was forcefully removed from his seat and arrested at a Knicks game. Dolan said the firing of the security head stemmed from more than just the handling of the incident.
The Knicks said Oakley was “abusive” Wednesday even before reaching his seats in the first quarter, and on Friday distributed a witness report featuring more than a dozen witnesses who described his behavior and their interactions with him. Dolan said Oakley even used racial and sexual overtones and that games must remain safe for fans, so he was enforcing the ban.
NEW YORK – James Dolan says he won’t fire Phil Jackson or stand in the way if the Knicks president wants to trade Carmelo Anthony.
Dolan said Friday during an ESPN Radio interview that Jackson will be allowed to finish the remaining 2 1/2 years on his five-year contract if he chooses.
The Madison Square Garden chairman says the 71-year-old Jackson deserves more time to improve the team, which has missed the playoffs the previous two years and entered its game against Denver with a 22-32 record. Dolan says he promised Jackson full autonomy when he hired him and plans to honor his commitment to stay out of the way.
That includes with Anthony, whom Jackson has been critical of this season.
Associated Press
