THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019 The Boston Globe Sports C7
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE
North Division
WLPct.GB
Scranton/W-B.........64 51 .557 —
Buffalo .....................59 56 .513 5
Rochester................58 57 .504 6
Syracuse..................57 58 .496 7
Lehigh Valley..........54 58 .482 8½
Pawtucket...............50 64 .43913½
South Division
Gwinnett..................67 47 .588WLPct.GB—
Durham....................65 50 .565 2½
Charlotte .................6153.535 6
Norfolk.....................45 68 .39821½
West Division
WLPct.GB
Columbus................65 49 .570 —
Indianapolis............56 57 .496 8½
Toledo......................51 64 .443Louisville .................47 67 .41214½ 18
WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS
Indianapolisat Norfolk....................ppd.
Charlotte 12..................Scranton/W-B 2
Durham 2................................Syracuse 1
Buffalo7......................................Toledo 2
Louisville at Lehigh Valley...............7:05
Columbus4..........................Pawtucket 3
Gwinnett4............................Rochester 3
THURSDAY'SGAMES
Pawtucket at Columbus.................12:05
Indianapolis at Norfolk..Game1..12:05
IndianapolisatNorfolk...Game 2 ...TBD
Syracuseat Durham.........................7:05
Buffaloat Toledo...............................7:05
Charlotteat Scranton/W-B..............7:05
Gwinnettat Rochester.....................7:05
Louisville at Lehigh Valley...............7:05
PAWTUCKET STATISTICS
BATTING
Avg. AB RHHR RBI
Centeno......246 22423 55 334
Dalbec.........313 16 1500
De La
Guerra.........^29721935651337
GHernández.............-..216 36566 79 16 49
Lin............... .256 16419 42 220
MHernan-
dez...............322^1182238211
OHernan-
dez.............Ockimey.....206..218^110315155524 65 21 52^414
Owings........327 15623 51 10 31
RCastillo.....288 372 55 10714 54
Sturgeon.....280 24331 68 530
Witte ...........280 30439 85 640
PITCHING
W-LERA Sv. IP SO
Brasier...........0-0 1.500 6 6
ERamíreHart............... 8-4z......4-7 4.1903.53 07 105‚7 4 598
Houck............ 0-0 2.00 095
JSmith ........... 5-25.09 05 8‚ 62
Kelley ............ 5-3 1.38 852 49
Lakins............ 3-35.21 538 35
Poyner........... 2-53.47 54 6„ 56
Shawaryn..... 1-24.90 068 59
Stankie-wicz............... 5-64.30 0102„7 9
Sturgeon....... 0-04.50 022
Tapia............. 4-3 4.92 253 44
Velázquez.....0-0 4.0516„ 7
Witte..............0-0 27.00 010EASTERN LEAGUE
EasternDivision
Reading....................3018.625WLPct.GB—
Portland...................2323.500 6
Binghamton............23 26 .469 7½
x-Trenton.................2126.447 8½
Hartford...................1926.422 9½
NewHampshire.....1928.40410½
WesternDivision
WLPct.GB
Erie ...................Bowie ........................3413.723.......3113.705 —1½
x-Harrisburg........... 20 24 .45 51 2½
Altoona....................21 26 .447 13
Richmond................19 27 .41314½
Akron........................1828.39115½
WEDNESDAY'S RESULTS
Bowie at Trenton..................suspended
Altoona4........Richmond 3........(10 inn.)
Richmond1.........Altoona0.........(7 inn.)
Harrisburg4....Binghamton 2....(7 inn.)
Binghamton5....Harrisburg 4....(7 inn.)
Erie 10......................................Portland 4
Akron 2.....New Hampshire 1.....(7 inn.)
Reading8.................................Hartford 5
THURSDAY'S GAMES
Erie at Portland..................................... 12
Akron at NewHampshire..............12:05
Bowie at Trenton...........Game 1...........5
Bowie at Trenton........Game 2........TBD
Richmondat Altoona........................6:30
Harrisburgat Binghamton...............6:35
Hartfordat Reading..........................7:10
PORTLANDSTATISTICS
BATTING
Avg.ABRHHRRBIChathamCurletta ..... .215233 33.....296 (^334389950334633)
DeLopez..... .1708 8715 18
Duran ..........261 22629 59 014
Hardy..........000 30000
JRivera........242 25630 62 530
Madden......2612 32625
Netzer.........245371 46 91 538
Osinski........2671 51403
Rei ...............167Tendler.......236 33142339 78 10 54 702
Wilson.........220127 24 28 415
PITCHING
W-LERASv. IP SO
Bazardo......... 3-14.090 22 24
DJimenez...... 4-43.72477‚ 64
DReyes.......... 6-93.630 124 94
Feltman......... 2-3 5.143 42 45
KentGorst............... 5-4.............. 2-6 5.033.36^2309 3„^42856
Lau................. 1-43.35 73 7„ 41
Leyer ............. 0-0 3.46 013 15
Mata.............. 2-45.28 03 0„ 36
McGrath........ 4-0 1.34 187 87
Wade............. 2-43.03 06 2‚ 43
Weems..........0-1 4.89 635 42
NY-PENN LEAGUE
StedlerDivision
WLPct.GB
Lowell.......................3021.588 —
ConnecticTri-City.................ut.............2526.490....22 28 .440 (^5) 7½
Vermont...................2229.431 8
McNamaraDivision
WLPct.GB
HudsonBrooklynValley........28 21 .571..................2822.560 —½
StatenIsland..........2723.540 1½
Aberdeen.................2824.538 1½
Pinckney Division
WLPct.GB
Batavia.....................31 21 .596 —
West Virginia..........2523.521 4
State College..........2526.490 5½
MahoningAuburn..............Valley.......20 30 .400....2228.440 108
Williamsport...........20 31 .39210½
WEDNESDAY'SRESULTS
Batavia6......Williamsport3......(7 inn.)
Batavia6......Williamsport3......(7 inn.)
HudsonValley at Brooklyn....cancelled
State College at Auburn..................ppd.
Tri-City3......................................Lowell 2
Connecticut 3.....Aberdeen0.....(5 inn.)
West Vrgnia11..Mahoning 9..(10 inn.)
Vermont14...................Staten Island 10
THURSDAY'S GAMES
Tri-City at HudsonValley.Game1.5:05
Tri-City at HudsonValley.Game 2.TBD
Williamsport at West Virginia........6:35
Connecticut at Brooklyn........................ 7
Vermontat Lowell.............................7:05
Auburnat Mahoning Valley............7:05
Bataviaat State College..................7:05
StatenIslandat Aberdeen...............7:05
LOWELL STATISTICS
BATTING
Avg.ABRHHRRBI
Arnold.........135 37 5515
Bandy..........149 74 61106
CampanaCannon.......213....216 (^102) 75 10 13 2216 211416
Cubillan..... .2887 31721010
Dalton .........200 65 10 13 19
Davis ...........3167 61224322
Decker.........238Diaz .............257 (^105) 74 11 (^17251952004)
Erro............. .3078 81127012
Flores..........179117 10 21 05
GJimenezGroshans... .2289....335155 22 285221 213214
LeGrant.......281 57 12 1615
Northcut.....201139 12 28116
SMiranda....100 10 2100
SuarezScott............2676.........229 1050916 162410211
PITCHING
W-LERASv. IP SO
BakerCellucci............. 0-0......... 1-0 6.2303.6008„ 5 84
De La Ro-
sa ................... 2-02.253^1211
Fernandez..... 3-0 1.553 29 27
HRequenaJackson......... 2-3.....4-1 3.2102.126 (^28171816)
KSanchez...... 2-1 3.68029‚ 30
Larez.............. 1-19.28010„ 6
Lucas............. 4-44.22042„ 37
MurphyPadron-......... 0-1 1.000 18 23
Artilles........... 6-12.000^5469
Ramirez......... 1-1 3.43039‚ 41
ScrogginsSong.............. 0-00.00...... 0-0 6.300 0510 127
Suero............. 1-34.001 27 17
YSantana...... 1-13.12043‚ 45
Zeferjahn...... 0-29.3508„ 13
THIS DATE IN BASEBALL
(^1988) in the 74-ye— The firstar history of Chicago’snight gamescheduled
Wrigley Field’s waspostponed with
the Cubs leadingthe PhiladelphiaPhil-
lies 3-1 afterbottomof the fourth inningheavy rains start. Philadeed in thel-
phia’sPhilBradley led off the game
witha homerun, but all numbers were
wiped out when the rain came.
Tennis
ATPROGERSCUP
atMontreal
Singles second round
6-3, 6-4.;MarinCilicRafael(14)Nadal (1) def. Dan Ev-def.JohnMillman,
ans, 7-6 (6), 6-4.; Guido Pella def. Radu
Albot, Moldova, 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (2).; Rich-
ard Gasquetdef. Kei Nishikori (5), 6-7
(6), 6-2, 7-6 (4).; Roberto(10) def. Diego Schwartzman,Bautista6-2, 7-5.;Agut
DaniilMedvedev (8) def. KyleEdmund,
6-3, 6-0.; Cristian Garin def. John Isner
(12),Denis Shapovalo6-3, 6-4.;Dominiv, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.; Hubertc Thiem(2) def.
Hurkacz def. Stefanos Tsitsipas (4),
6-4, 3-6, 6-3.; Gael Monfils(16) def. Ilya
Ivashka, 6-3, 7-6 (6).; AdrianMannarino
def. Borna Coric (11), 6-2, 6-1.; Felix Au-ger-Aliassimedef.Milos Raonic (17),
6-3, 3-6, retired.; Karen Khachanov (6)
def. StanWawrinka, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2.;
Fabio Fognini (7) def. Tommy Paul, 7-6
(3), 6-3.
WTA ROGERS CUP
at Toronto
SinglesSecondRound,
AnettKontaveit(16) def. Carla Suar-
ez Navarro, 7-5, 3-1 retired.;Dayana
Yastremska7-5, 7-5.;Karolinadef.Victoria Azarenka,Pliskova (3) def. Ali-
son Riske, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 6-2.; Elina Svitoli-
na (6) def. KaterinaSiniakova,6-3, 3-6,
6-3.;Belinda Bencic(11)def. Julia Go-
ergesdef. Jenn, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.; Simonaifer Brady, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 95).;Halep (4)
Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Zhang Sh-
uai, 6-4, 6-3.; Jelena Ostepenkodef. An-
astasiaPavlyuchenkova,6-2, 2-6, 6-4.;
Biancana, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5.; NaomiAndreescudef. DariaOsakaKasatki(2) def.-
TatjanaMaria, 6-2, retired.;Serena
Williams (8) def. Elise Mertens, 6-3,
6-3.;Vekic,Svetlana7-6 (4), 6-3.; Iga Swiatek def.Kuznetsovadef. Donna
CarolineWozniacki (15), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
NFL
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE
WEEK 1
THURSDAY’S GAMES
New Englandat Detroit....................7:30
NY Jets at NY Giants..............................7
Indianapolis at Buffalo.......................... 7
Jacksonvilleat Baltimore.................7:30
Tennesseeat Philadelphia...............7:30
Atlantaat Miami................................7:30
Washingtonat Cleveland.................7:30
Houstonat Green Bay...........................8
Carolinaat Chicago................................8
Denverat Seattle..................................10
LA Chargers at Arizona....................... 10
FRIDAY’SGAMES
TampaBay at Pittsburgh.................7:30
Minnesota at NewOrleans...................8
SATURDAY’SGAMES
LA Rams at Oakland..............................8
Cincinnati at Kansas City......................8
Dallas at San Francisco.........................9
Transactions
BASEBALL
USABaseball:NamedJoe Girardi
managerof the 2019 Premier12 team.
Officeof the Commissioner+:Sus-
pendedCincinnati minorleague OF Na-
te Scantlin (Billings-Pioneer) 100
gamesfor a drugfollowingof abusa thirde; Detroitpositiveminortest
league1B Reynaldo Rivera(West
Michigan-MWL) 80 gamesandSS
PavinParks(GCL Tigers) 52 games af-
ter bothne, a performance-enhancingtested positivefor Trenbolo-sub-
stance; and Washington minorleague
P StevenFuentes(Harrisburg-EL) 50
gamesaftertestingpositivefor hep-
taminol,a stimulant.
Baltimore(AL):PlacedOF DJ Stew-
art on the 7-day IL. Reinstated P John
Means fromthe 10-dayIL.
Chicago(AL):Optioned P Dylan Cov-
ey to Charlotte (IL).
Chicago(NL):Signed C Jonathan Lu-
croy. Optioned C/INF Taylor Davis to
Iowa (PCL).
bergerCincinnatito a minor(NL):leaguSignede contract.P BradBox-
Cleveland (AL):Placed OF Jordan Lu-
plowStamets outrigonthe 10-ht to Columbus (IL). Re-day IL. Assigned SSEric
calledOF GregAllenfromColumbus.
Sent P Dan Otero to Columbusfor a re-
hab assignment.
Detroit(AL):Optioned P David McK-
ay and P Matt Hall to Toledo (IL). Sent
OF ChristinStewartto Toledo for a re-
hab assignment.
Houston(AL):Sent P RyanPressly to
CorpusChristi (TL)for a rehab assign-
ment.
KansasCity(AL):PlacedPDanny
Duffyon the 10-dayIL, retroactive to
Sunday. Recalled P Jake Newberry
fromOmaha (PCL).
Miami(NL):Placed INF Miguel Rojas
on the 10-day IL. Selectedthe contract
of INF Devenleans (PCL). MarrerofromNewOr-
Minnesota(AL):Optioned P Cody
Stashak to Rochester(IL). Recalled P
Kohl Stewart from Rochester.
NewYork(AL):RecalledP Chance
AdamsfromScranton/Wilkes-Barre
(IL).
Seattle(AL):Reinstated2B Tim
Lopes fromthe 10-day IL.
TampaBay(AL):SentPJoseAlvara-
do to Durham(IL) for a rehab assign-
ment.
Texas (AL):Optioned P Locke St.
Johnto Nashville (PCL).ReinstatedP
ShawnKelley from the 10-day IL.
off waiversToronto (AL):fromClaimed P Zack GodleArizona (NL). Desig-y
natedP DavidPaulino for assignment.
HellicksonWashingtoto the GCLn(NL):SNationentPals for aJeremy
rehab assignment.
BASKETBALL
LA Lakers (NBA):Promoted Nina
Hsieh to head trainer.
FOOTBALL
Dallas (NFC):Waived-injured WR
LanceLenoir andOT Derrick Puni.
SigneTEMadrcusOTJuwaLucas.nnBushell-Beattyand
Detroit (NFC):Signed OL Joe Dahl on
a contractextension through 2021.
Houston (AFC):SignedQB Jordan
Ta'amu. WaivedC D.J. Coker.
IshmaelIndianapolis (AFC):on IR. Signed RB Aca'CedricPlaced WR Steve
Ware.
BattlTampaeandBayDL(NFCStevie):Signed S JohnTu'ikolovatu.
PlacedOL Mike Liedtkeon IR. Waived
QB Vincent Testaverde.
SOCCER
Mls :Fined Houston F AlberthElis for
of simulation/embellishmentduring
an Aug. 3 match against Chicago. Is-sued an additional gamesuspension
(twogamestotal)andan additional
undisclosedfinetoLAGalaxy MEfrain
Alvamatch againrezforviolst Portlanentcondud.ctinaJuly 27
Columbus(MLS):TransferredD Gas-
ton Sauro to Deportivo Toluca (Liga
MX-Mexico).
D.C.United (MLS):Acquired F Ola
KamarafromShenzhen(Super
League-Chition money.na) with targetedalloca-
LaGalaxy(MLS):Traded MEmman-
uel Boatengto D.C. for targetedalloca-
tion money. Traded general allocationmoney to Orlando City for targeted al-
locationmoney.
KrkicMontreon a 1{-year contracal (MLS):Signedt. M Bojan
NewYork(MLS):Added F Josh Sims.
SanJose (MLS):Traded M Anibal
Godoyto Nashvilleforgeneralalloca-
tion money,effective Jan. 1.
McDonoVancouver (MLS):ugh to CharlotLoanedte (USLC).D Brendan
COLLEGES
Ncaa:Named Middle Tennesseese-
niorassociateathleticsdirectorand
senior woman administrator Diane
Turnhamdirector of athletchair and Duke seniorics for administdeputyra-
tion/legalaffairs and chiefof staff Ni-
na King vicechair of the Division I
Women’s Basketball Committee.
Lsu-Alexandria :Named Kolby Cart-
er coordinator of athletics operations.
women’sSaint Ansetennislm :coach.NamedMatt Tiberii
Shenandoah :PromotedBruceCam-
eron to associate head baseball coachand RickCroushore to pitchingcoach
andrecruitingcoordinator.
Soccer
MLS
EASTERNCONFERENCE
WLTPts. GF GA
Philadelphia........127 6424637
Atlanta.................129339 41 29
New York............D.C. United..........1194...97937 41 3436 32 31
NY City FC .............9 4835 37 27
Montreal..............1012333 3444
NEWENGLAND.....99633 34 41
ToronOrlandoto FC..........City..........8115...910532 38 4029 32 33
Chicago..................610927 35 35
Columbus...............714425 25 37
Cincinnati..............517217 23 55
WESTERNCONFERENCE
Los Angeles FC...163452 61 23
Minn. United .......1175San Jose...............117538 39 3038 40 34
Seattle..................117538 35 31
LA Galaxy ............1210137 30 34
Real Salt Lake.....109434 33 31
FC Dallas................996Portland.................99433 31 2831 35 33
Houston..................911330 32 36
Kansas City ...........79728 36 41
VancouverColorado................6125.............511924 25 4223 39 48
NOTE: Three points for victory, one
point for tie.
THURSDAY’S GAME
Houstonat NewYorkCity FC..............7
Scoreboard
YYY
THU
8/8
FRI
8/9
SAT
8/10
SUN
8/11
MON
8/12
TUE
8/13
WED
8/14
LAA
7:10
NESN
LAA
7:10
NESN
LAA
4:05
NESN
LAA
1:05
NESN,TBS
CLE
7:10
ESPN,NESN
CLE
7:10
NESN
CLE
1:10
NESN
DET
(exh.)
7:30
Ch. 4
SEA
4:00
NBCSB
Homegamesshaded For updatedscores:bostonglobe.com/sports
On the radio,unlessnoted:RedSox,WEEI-FM93.7;Patriotsand Revolution,WBZ-FM98.5
ON THE AIR
BASEBALL
7 p.m. NY Yankees at Toronto MLB
7:10 p.m. LA Angelsat BostonNESN
LITTLELEAGUEBASEBALL
1 p.m. NewEnglandsemifinal:N.H.vs. R.I. ESPN
PROBASKETBALL
7 p.m. WNBA: Indiana at Washington CBSSN
10 p.m. WNBA: Phoenix at Los Angeles ESPN2
PROFOOTBALL
7 p.m. Exhibition: NY Jets at NY Giants NFL
7:30 p.m. Exhibition: NewEngland at Detroit Ch. 4
10 p.m. Exhibition: LA Chargersat Arizona NFL
GOLF
10:30 a.m. LPGA: Ladies ScottishOpen Golf
2 p.m. PGA: Northern Trust Golf
4 p.m. US Women’s Amateur FS1
GYMNASTICS
8 p.m. US Championships(men) NBCSN
HORSE RACING
1 p.m. Saratoga Live NBCSN
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
8 p.m. PFL 6 preliminarybouts ESPN2
OLYMPIC SPORTS
10 a.m. Pan AmericanGames ESPNU
3 p.m. Pan AmericanGames ESPNU
7 p.m. Pan AmericanGames ESPNU
TENNIS
8 a.m. RogersCup Tennis
noonRogersCup ESPN2
Baseball
Kevin Durant, in his first interview sincerupturinghis
Achilles’ tendonin Game5 of the NBA Finals in June, said he
does not hold the Golden State Warriors accountable for the
injury. “Hell, no. How can you blame [the Warriors]?Hell,
no,” Durant told Yahoo Sports. “I heardthe Warriorspres-
suredme into getting back[after he had missednine playoff
gameswith a strained calf]. Nobodynever said a word to me
duringrehabas I was comingback.It was only me and
[trainer]Rick[Celebrini] working out every day. Rightwhen
the series started, I targeted Game 5. Hell, nah. It just hap-
pened. It’s basketball... Nobodywas responsible for it. It
was just the game.We just need to move on... becauseI’m
going to be back playing.’’
COLLEGES
Former MSU dean gets 1 year in jail
A formerMichiganState University deanwith oversight
of now-imprisonedsports doctorLarry Nassarwas ordered
to serve up to a year in jail after beingconvicted of neglect of
duty and misconduct in office that stemmed from claimsthat
the deansexuallyharassed students.William Strampel,71,
was sentencedin a Lansing, Mich., courtroom, nearly two
months after the College of Osteopathic Medicine’s ex-dean
was convicted of thosecharges... Clemson’s nationalcham-
pionship footballprogram was flagged for eight secondary
NCAAviolationsduringa yearlong periodfromJuly 2018
through June. The school’s athletic departmentreleased a
summary of the infractions. None of the violations werecon-
sidered major and all issuesaboutthe penalties were re-
solved, according to the school... Tennessee’sEmmitGood-
enwill missthe entire footballseasonwitha torn anterior
cruciate ligament in his rightknee, leaving the Volunteers
withouttheirmost experiencedplayer on a defensiveline
that has no returning starters.
BASEBALL
Girardi to manageTeam USA
Four-timeWorld SerieschampionJoe Girardiwill man-
age Team USA at an Olympic baseball qualifying tournament
in November, hoping to guidethe squad to a spot at the 2020
Summer Games in Tokyo. While he couldguideTeam USA in
the Olympics if it qualifies, he's also likely to attract interest
frommajorleagueteamsthat wouldwanthim to manage in
2020... Two players in the Detroit Tigers system and two
other minor leaguers were suspended after testing positive
for banned substances. Washington Nationals pitcherSteven
Fuentes, with Double-A Harrisburg, was suspended 50
games. Detroit shortstopPavin Parks, with the rookie-level
Gulf Coast LeagueTigers, was suspended 52 games. Tigers
first basemanReynaldoRivera, with Class A West Michigan,
was penalized 80 gamesand Cincinnati outfielderNate
Scantlin, withrookie-level Billings of the PioneerLeague,
was banned 100 games.
TENNIS
Williamsadvances at Rogers Cup
Serena Williamswon her first match since losing the
Wimbledon final,beatingElise Mertens, 6-3, 6-3, in the sec-
ond round of the Rogers Cup tennistournament in Toronto.
She will faceEkaterinaAlexandrova— a 6-4, 6-3 winner over
ZhangShuai— in the third round. Wimbledon championSi-
monaHalepbeat qualifierJennifer Brady, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5),
to advance along with second-rankedNaomi Osakaand
third-rankedKarolina Pliskova.Victoria Azarenkawas elim-
inated, losing, 7-5, 7-5, toDayana Yastremska. Men’s top-
seedRafael Nadalopenedhis Rogers Cup title defensein
Montreal, beatingDaniel Evans, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, in a second-
roundmatch delayed by rain three times.
SportsLog
Durant doesn’t blame Warriors for injury
FIRST HOLE
(TV: Thursday, 2-6 p.m., Golf Channel)
7:10 a.m.:Michael Thompson, Adam Schenk, Brian Harman
7:21 a.m.:Emiliano Grillo, Vaughn Taylor, Cameron Champ
7:32 a.m.:Rafa Cabrera Bello, Ian Poulter, Ryan Moore
7:43 a.m.:Billy Horschel, Si Woo Kim, Adam Hadwin
7:54 a.m.:Lucas Glover, Brandt Snedeker, Phil Mickelson
8:05 a.m.:Shane Lowry, Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner
8:16 a.m.:J.B. Holmes, Kevin Na, Collin Morikawa
8:27 a.m.:Luke List, BrandenGrace, WyndhamClark
8:38 a.m.:Scott Brown, Danny Willett, Sepp Straka
8:49 a.m.:Aaron Baddeley, Carlos Ortiz, Peter Malnati
Noon:Tyrell Hatton, BrianStuard, Cameron Smith
12:11 p.m.:Kevin Streelman, Jordan Spieth,Matthew Wolff
12:22 p.m.:DylanFrittelli, Graeme McDowell, Adam Long
12:33 p.m.:Kevin Tway, Jason Kokrak, Nate Lashley
12:44 p.m.:Justin Thomas, Bryson DeChambeau, Tommy Fleetwood
12:55 p.m.:Justin Rose, Marc Leishman, RickieFowler
1:06 p.m.:Xander Schauffele, Gary Woodland, Patrick Cantlay
1:17 p.m.:Chris Stroud, Brice Garnett, Mackenzie Hughes
1:28 p.m.:SamRyder, Kyoung-Hoon Lee, Scott Stallings
1:39 p.m.:PattonKizzire, Martin Laird, Aaron Wise
1:50 p.m.:Sebastian Munoz, Pat Perez
10THHOLE
7:10 a.m.:Joaquin Niemann, Matt Every, Kiradech Aphibarnrat
7:21 a.m.:Bubba Watson, Troy Merritt, Charley Hoffman
7:32 a.m.:PatrickReed, Louis Oosthuizen, Max Homa
7:43 a.m.:Scott Piercy, J.T. Poston, Tiger Woods
7:54 a.m.:Chez Reavie, Charles Howell III, Tony Finau
8:05 a.m.:Dustin Johnson, Webb Simpson, Jon Rahm
8:16 a.m.:BrooksKoepka, Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar
8:27 a.m.:Talor Gooch, Kyle Stanley, NickWatney
8:38 a.m.:PatrickRodgers, Cameron Tringale, Harold Varner III
8:49 a.m.:Kelly Kraft, Jonas Blixt, Andrew Landry
Noon:Jhonattan Vegas, Russell Henley, Chesson Hadley
12:11 p.m.:Sergio Garcia, Danny Lee, Abraham Ancer
12:22 p.m.:Joel Dahmen, Byeong HunAn, Keegan Bradley
12:33 p.m.:Andrew Putnam, Jim Furyk, Jason Day
12:44 p.m.:C.T. Pan, Rory Sabbatini, Keith Mitchell
12:55 p.m.:SungKang, Hideki Matsuyama, Corey Conners
1:06 p.m.:Sungjae Im, Ryan Palmer, Francesco Molinari
1:17 p.m.:Roger Sloan, Bud Cauley, J.J. Spaun
1:28 p.m.:Russell Knox, Denny McCarthy, Ryan Armour
1:39 p.m.:Matt Jones, Brian Gay, Nick Taylor
Thursday’s NorthernTrust tee times
Woods not sure if back up to par
ByDougFerguson
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
JERSEY CITY, N.J. — Tiger Woods
is plenty rested going into the FedEx
Cup playoffs.
Whether he’s ready is day to day.
Woods stopped hitting full shots on
the back nineof Liberty National on
Wednesday during his pro-amround
for The Northern Trust, a precaution-
ary move during a year in which he re-
peatedlyhas said he can’t always pre-
dict how his back is going to feel.
‘‘Just feeling stiff, beingsmart about
it,’’ Woods said. ‘‘As I said to you guys all
year, this is how it is. Somedays I’m
stiffer than others. Yesterday I was out
therehitting it great. Today I’m stiff.
Hopefully, I’m not that way tomorrow.’’
He also didn’t sound overly con-
cerned.
Woods is willing to accept that a 43-
year-old backthat has gone through
four surgeries in the last five years is
not going to feel like it once did. He also
looked back to the spring, when he took
an extra week off in March, and then
chippedand putted when he arrived at
Augusta Nationalfor nineholes.And
by the end of the week, he was the Mas-
ters champion.
As much as Woods has triedto take
timeoff, he can only hope as he faces
the busiest part of the year.
The NorthernTrust beginsthe lu-
crative FedEx Cup playoffs, starting
withtwo tournaments with$9.25 mil-
lion purses, ending at the Tour Champi-
onship for the top 30 players compet-
ing for the $15 million prize.
Woods is at No. 28, the lowest posi-
tion of the four major champions, pri-
marily becausehe hasn’t played all that
much. Since he won a fifth green jacket
at the Masters,he has played just four
times, three of them majors.
Now he faces three straight weeksif
he gets to the Tour Championship, a
goal for reasonsotherthana shotat
$15 million.Woods completed his re-
markable comeback last yearat East
Lake by winning for the first timein
five years, a big momentfor him and
for golf.
But he has to play well to get there.
Points are quadrupledfor the play-
off events to add volatility. That means
Pat Perez, who earned the 125th and fi-
nal spotin the postseasonby two
points,couldwin this weekand move
to as high as No. 2 in the standings.
The top 70 advance next weekto
Medinah for the BMWChampionship,
and the top 30 make it to the Tour
Championship. Woods soundedas con-
cerned about getting to East Lake as
what it wouldtake to reachthe FedEx
Cup finale.
‘‘If you’re missing cuts, who cares?
You’re takingweekendsoff and a cou-
ple extra days of rest,’’ he said.‘‘But I’m
trying to get myself whereI’m in con-
tention,where it takes a toll on you,
and that’s what I wantto feel. I wantto
feel that type of tiredness where I have
a chance to win. That’s a good feeling.’’
PGAchampionBrooksKoepkais
the No. 1 seed and coming off his third
victory of the season at the FedEx St.
Jude Invitational, his first World Golf
Championship title. Koepka has estab-
lished himself firmly as No. 1 in the
world, which guaranteesnothing over
the next three weeks. Only two players
who started the FedEx Cup playoffs at
No. 1 wound up winning — Jordan Spi-
eth in 2015and Woods in 2007 and
2009.
For Woods, it was a different level of
uncertainly the last time he was at Lib-
erty National. He was an assistant cap-
tain in the 2017Presidents Cup, still re-
coveringfroma fourth surgery that
fused his lower back. He was asked if he
could see a scenario in which he would
not return to competitionand Woods
replied: ‘‘Yeah, definitely. I don’t know
what my future holds for me.’’
He started full swingsa few weeks
later, played in his holiday event in the
Bahamasat the end of the year, was
contending in March and won in Sep-
tember. It was an aggressive return for
someone who had completed just seven
rounds in the previous 27 monthsbe-
fore coming back.
Woods first worked his way backin-
to the top 50 to become eligiblefor
World Golf Championships.He made
sucha strongpushat the end of the
year that Woods played eighttimesin
11 weeks.
‘‘I learneda lot last year by playing
too much,’’ Woods said. ‘‘Coming back
frommy procedure and not really
knowing what to expect, I pushed it
pretty hard — vowed I would never do
that again.I’ve cut backthe schedule
quite a bit, and that’s the challenge now
... We’ve got a morecondensed season,
and it’s trying to figure out how to stay
sharp,practice and also have my back
feeling good all the time. It’s a chal-
lenge.’’
Liberty Nationalis a course he has
played well. He was a runner-upto
Heath Slocum in 2009 and Adam Scott
in 2013.It was the 2013event where
Woods first started feeling back
spasms,droppingto his kneesafter
someshots on the back nine. He had
thefirstoffourbacksurgeriesseven
months later.
He returnsas the Masters champi-
on, No. 5 in the world and not entirely
sure what his back will allowhim to do.
MIKE LAWRIE/GETTYIMAGES
TigerWoodsis ranked28th,thelowest of thefourmajorchampions,as
theFedExCupplayoffs start Thursday withtheNorthernTrust.