SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Tiger Woods helped attract a record, raucous crowd to the Phoenix Open on Thursday, the first big event in a week that concludes with the Super Bowl.They didnt see much of a game — at least not from Woods.In his first appearance at the TPC Scottsdale in 14 years — and only his second tournament in six months — Woods couldnt hit the green with three chip shots and was near the bottom of the leaderboard until two key shots on the back nine salvaged a 2-over 73.It was the first time in his career that Woods shot over par in his first round of the year. And he already was nine shots behind Ryan Palmer, who opened with a 7-under 64 to build a one-shot lead when play was suspended by darkness.This is my second tournament in six months, so I just need tournament rounds like this where I can fight through it, turn it around, grind through it and make adjustments on the fly, Woods said.He was 5 over through 11 holes when Woods hit a 5-iron to a foot for a tap-in eagle on the 13th hole. After making it through the par-3 16th hole, where he twice had to back off shots when someone shouted as he stood over the ball, he hit his best drive of the day that bounded onto the green at the par-4 17th and set up a two-putt birdie.The fans didnt seem to mind. They were happy to see golfs biggest star at their outdoor party for the first time since 2001, back when Woods was No. 1 in the world and headed for an unprecedented sweep of the majors.The attendance was 118,461 — more than the Super Bowl will get on Sunday — and broke the Thursday record at the Phoenix Open by just over 30,000.What they saw was a player who suddenly has developed grave issues with his short game — particularly his chipping.Woods is working with a new swing consultant, Chris Como, who is not in Phoenix this week. He still has trouble taking his game from the practice range to the golf course, which is nothing new. But when he last played, at the Hero World Challenge, what stood out was a series of chips that he either stubbed or bladed.Two months later, nothing changed.The focus on Woods quickly shifted from a chipped tooth to simply his chipping.Woods twice chipped with 4-irons, which he called my old-school shots from Augusta. On two other occasions, one after a chip he knocked across and over the green, he opted for a putter. It wasnt a bad play, but it used to be rare to see Woods choose to putt from the fairway instead of chip.He attributed it to the change in his swing.Im just having a hard time finding the bottom, Woods said. Because of my old pattern, I was so steep on it that I have a new grind on my wedge and sometimes its hard to trust. Some of my shots were into the green with tight pins and either Ill flop it or bump it, one of the two. I chose to bump it.Palmer was 10-under par through 10 holes last week in the Humana Challenge and settled for a 61. He was 7 under through 12 holes on Thursday and then closed with six straight pars for a 64.That gave him a one-shot lead over Keegan Bradley, who made seven birdies in the morning, and Masters champion Bubba Watson, whose tee shot on the 17th hole rolled a few inches from the cup and settled 4 feet away.Woods was in the group ahead of him, and its customary for players to step aside when theyre on the 17th green to let the others hit their tee shots. Woods smiled when Watson approached and told him, Good shot.Watson also got caught up in the crowd, a benefit of playing so close to Woods.I could feel his crowd was really big, Watson said. You could feel it, the energy, even with the weather the way it was. People still showed up. People still had a blast. And obviously, Tiger created a lot of that.Bradley could sense it, too, even though he played on the opposite side of the draw. Bradley finished his round on No. 9 and hit what he thought was a great approach, except that he wasnt sure because no one was clapping. He turned to his caddie and asked him if it went over the green, or maybe even short of the green. And then he walked up to the green and saw it was 10 feet away. Thats when the light came on.Tiger was on the second green. No one was watching me, Bradley said with a laugh. Its just amazing to see the draw that Tiger has. Wow, there was a lot of people.They saw some good golf — just not very often from Woods.The crowd rose to its feet as Woods walked from the putting green to the first tee, and the anticipation began to build when the starter announced him as the winner of 79 PGA Tour events and 14 majors. He had 24 wins and five majors the last time he played.And then Woods sent his tee shot off the backyard wall of a house and back into the desert. He made the turn in 39 — his age.But he didnt have to chip again on the back nine, played better, hit two great shots (for eagle and birdie) and walked off with reasonable hopes of making it to the weekend. Woods hasnt played much of late from back injuries and recovery time. Even so, he made it clear that it could take time to heal — certainly quicker than getting his teeth fixed. Vapormax Flyknit 3 Canada . Viewers in the Canadiens region can watch the game on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt and listen on TSN 690. The Canadiens have won three in a row and four of their last five games and recently put the finishing touches on a 3-1-0 road trip. Vapormax 95 Sale . "This doesnt end anything," he said. "Weve got 10-1 in our last 11 games, and were going home in first place. We just have to keep playing the way we are right now. http://www.airvapormaxcanada.com/ . Subway workers in Rio de Janeiro, meanwhile, were holding an assembly to vote on whether they would strike to demand higher wages, threatening to disrupt transportation. By late Tuesday night there was no announcement of their decision. Vapormax Clearance Sale . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266. Cheap Vapormax Shoes . Louis Cardinals a hard-fought victory. The Colorado Rockies intentionally walked Yadier Molina with one out and runners on first and third to load the bases for Kozma.OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Redblacks lumberjack mascot finally has a name. The CFL expansion team announced Friday its mascot will go by the handle of "Big Joe Mufferaw." The Redblacks received a number of online suggestions from fans, most of whom wanted the CFL clubs mascot named after late Ottawa storyteller Bernie Bedores character. "Our fans spoke and we listened," said Jeff Hunt, the president of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the Redblacks. "We heard that fans loved the look of our mascot and hundreds said he had to be Big Joe Mufferaw. "We like that name too because it reminds us of our citys past and fits so well into the branding of our football team." Hunt said he connected with Bedoress family about using the name.dddddddddddd Bedore wrote several books aimed at youngsters that illustrated the tall-tale lumberjacking exploits of Big Joe Mufferaw. "Were delighted to continue dads legacy through a new series of books for kids," said Judy Bedore, the late storytellers daughter. "This initiative will bring Big Joe Mufferaw and the history of the lumber industry in our region into the hearts and minds of a new generation of young people for years to come." Big Joe Mufferaw was also immortalized in a famous song from Canadian country-folk legend Stompin Tom Connors. The Redblacks will kick off their inaugural season July 3 in Winnipeg, with their first home game scheduled for July 18 versus Toronto. ' ' '
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