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SPORTS Wednesday, November 29, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3B Golf Tiger Woods set for return to golf after 10-month absence Golfer says he’s on the ‘other side’ of pain, loving life By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods says he is on the “other side” of too many years relying on pain medi- cation to cope with his back surgeries, which led to his arrest on a DUI charge six months ago that he attributed to a bad mix of prescription drugs. “I’m loving life now,” he said Tuesday. Woods is making yet another return to competi- tion this week at the Hero World Challenge, an 18-man event with no cut at Albany Golf Club. It’s his first tour- nament in 10 months and his first time competing since fusion surgery in April, the fourth operation on his back. Early indications are that Woods is in a much better spot than when he returned a year ago in the Bahamas. According to those who played with him in recent weeks, his swing looks faster and more fluid, and Woods Woods appears to be happy and healthy. Woods reached a low point on Memorial Day when he was arrested in the middle of the night after Florida police found his car parked awkwardly on the side of the road about 15 miles from his home, with Woods asleep behind the wheel, the engine running and a blinker on. Toxicology reports revealed that Woods had two painkillers (Vicodin and Dilaudid), a sleep drug (Ambien), an anti-anxiety drug (Xanax) and the active ingredient for marijuana in his system. He went through an in-patient treatment program to deal with prescription medication, and last month pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge that allowed him to avoid jail time. “I’ve come out the other side and I feel fantastic,” Woods said. “A lot of friends have helped me. I didn’t realize how bad my back was. Now that I’m feeling the way I’m feeling, it’s just hard to imagine that I was living the way I was living with my foot not working, my leg not working and then the hours of not being able to sleep at all because of the pain.” Woods attributed the Memorial Day arrest to “trying to go away from the pain.” “I was trying to sleep, which I hadn’t done in a very long time because of the things I’ve been dealing with,” he said. “So as my back improved, I’ve been able to start sleeping again because I don’t have the nerve pain going down my leg. I don’t have my leg twitching all over the place. I don’t have these issues anymore.” Woods hasn’t won since the 2013 Bridgestone Invi- tational, his 79th title on the PGA Tour that leaves him three short of tying Sam Snead’s record. That might have been the last time he had reasonable health. There were small signs of back pain a week later at the PGA Championship, and what followed were three surgeries and a stop- and-start schedule. Woods had his first back surgery, a microdiscectomy, a week before the 2014 Masters. Since then, there have been four occasions where he returned either from back surgery or from taking time off to let his injuries heal. The fourth surgery was to fuse two discs in his lower back. That was more about the quality of life than trying to win a golf tournament. The fact that Woods is even playing his holiday exhibi- tion just over seven months after surgery, and six months after that embarrassing arrest, feels like a bonus. “I missed playing golf for fun,” Woods said. “I hadn’t done that in two years. I played nine holes here and 18 holes here, and then I have to take three days off because my back was killing me.” Woods returned from a 15-month layoff a year ago at the Hero World Challenge, and while he finished 15th in the 18-man field, he made 24 birdies, raising hopes. He never spoke of being in pain last year, or even at Torrey Pines in January. He then flew to Dubai and withdrew after a 77, citing back spasms. The difference this time, Woods said, is that he doesn’t feel pain, and he thinks now he can take on any shot. He said when he looks back on his performance last year in the Bahamas, it seems as though he were in slow motion. “I didn’t realize how bad my back had become and how much I was flinching and just how slow I was,” he said. “I didn’t realize it because it’s been a slow, degrading process. I thought I had some speed, thought I was playing halfway decent, shot some good scores, but now I’ve looked back on it and man, I didn’t even have much at all.” He’s not sure what he has now. The tournament starts Thursday. It will be the first time since Feb. 3 in Dubai that Woods has to count every shot. “I’m just looking forward to getting through these four rounds and having an understanding — a better understanding — of where I’m at,” he said. College Football USC enjoys rare rest before Pac-12 title game rematch with Stanford By DAN GREENSPAN Associated Press LOS ANGELES — While the Pac-12 North was being decided in Seattle, Pac-12 South champion Southern California was enjoying an overdue day off. Tight end Tyler Petite went to the Bay Area to see his girlfriend. Tight end Daniel Imatorbhebhe watched rivalry games play out across the country. Quarterback Sam Darnold was flipping back and forth between Notre Dame-Stan- ford and the Apple Cup, where Washington’s 41-14 win over Washington State gave the 14th-ranked Cardinal the division title and a spot in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night against the rested 11th-ranked Trojans. USC will be the first team from a Power 5 conference to play in a conference championship game after a bye week since Oklahoma and Auburn in 2004. It wasn’t intentional. The Pac-12 has to accommodate USC and Stanford’s rivalry Pac-12 Championship Stanford USC Cardinal Trojans (9-3, 7-2) (10-2, 8-1) • Friday, 5 p.m. (ESPN) • at Levi’s Stadium games against the Fighting Irish and a nine-game confer- ence schedule. But it could have created a problem if the Cougars had won the Pac-12 North since Washington State would have lost a day of preparation traveling to Santa Clara, California, and exacerbated the disparity. The Cardinal only have a short bus ride to Levi’s Stadium to worry about, and Stanford head coach David Shaw has no issues facing a recharged USC team. “If anybody in the country deserved it, it’s them. I mean, going 12 straight weeks without a bye, especially in this conference playing nine conference games and Notre Dame, it’s brutal,” Shaw said. USC spent much of the season hindered by injuries, AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File In this Oct. 21, 2017, file photo, Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold scrambles during the second half of a game against Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind. but its break came when the team is largely healthy. Outside linebacker Porter Gustin (toe) will not play in the Pac-12 title game, USC head coach Clay Helton said, but the rest of the roster is good to go. Gustin missed eight of USC’s last 10 games after he was injured against Stanford on Sept. 9 and has a “better opportunity” to play in a bowl game, Helton said. For Petite, the bye week gave him more time to recover from a shoulder injury. Imatorbhebhe was happy to set aside the mental grind of the game for a few days. “Just got to rest,” Imatorbhebhe said. “It was awesome. My mind needed it as well as my body, so it was cool.” But the time in front of the television reminded USC how difficult it will be to beat Stanford twice in the same season. Three turnovers in the fourth quarter allowed Stanford to pull away from the Fighting Irish for a 38-20 win. Darnold stopped watching early in the second half to get dinner and was initially surprised by the late separation. “My dad texted me the final score and I was just like, ‘Whoa.’ So I went back and watched the highlights and they were just really phys- ical. We’re preparing really hard for that type of game and it’s going to be really fun,” Darnold said. Darnold’s two intercep- tions were the only signifi- cant mistakes on offense in a 42-24 win over Stanford as USC ran for 307 yards and threw for 316 yards. Petite believes the passing offense is better than it was in the second week of the season because of the development of receivers Tyler Vaughns and Michael Pittman Jr. Neither the redshirt freshman Vaughns nor the sophomore Pittman caught a pass against Stan- ford, but are now reliable options. “With the receivers kind of coming into their own, Tyler really stepping up and Pitt really stepping into his role, too, and just gaining Sam’s trust, I think that was the biggest thing,” Petite said. They should free up Deontay Burnett, who had nine receptions for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the first meeting at the Coli- seum. However, Stanford is allowing an average of 195.25 yards passing over its last eight games, intercepting 12 passes while giving up seven touchdown passes. Stanford had won three straight in the series, including a 41-22 triumph in the 2015 Pac-12 title game, prior to this season. Bye or no bye, USC has not forgotten those losses. “We would have been excited to play Wazzu or Washington, too, but we do have an extensive history against these guys. They beat us three times in a row and that score’s not really settled, so I know we are really fired up to go and compete against them again,” Imatorbhebhe said. FAAETEETE: Bulldog players overwhelmingly thankful for their head coach Continued from 1B His Bulldogs responded the following year by going .500, finishing 5-5, also ending the 2016 season in the first round (a 12-7 loss to St. Helens). All the while the team was working out some kinks. Senior offen- sive lineman Beau Blake attributes some of the team’s difficulties to the attitude even he admits he had. There was some division, he shared the week leading up to the state championship game, that didn’t allow the team to play to their full potential. That’s where Faaeteete comes in. The 2017 season proved to be different, in many ways. Hermiston was preparing to play its last season as a member of the OSAA, as it will be joining the WIAA starting with the 2018-19 school year. The Bulldogs no longer had a first-year starting quarterback at the helm, and the talent of the roster grew exponentially from efforts in the weight room. The goal remained the same: to get to the state championship game and raise the first place trophy after 48 minutes of play. But there was a different feeling in the air. Just ask Blake. “He’s gotten better and it comes more natural to him,” Blake said of what he’s seen from Faaeteete over the last three years. “When he first started out you could tell that he had a lot of stress but now it’s all natural to him and he’s getting into his groove — his coaching groove. “He’s a positive energy,” Blake added. “He’s always wanting you to do better, and he always tries to pick you up. He’s so knowledgeable about stuff and he’s been able to make a great team out of his energy and his coaching staff. It’s amazing what he’s done.” That groove helped, as the Bulldogs wrapped up their best season under Faaeteete. And as far as his players go, they have nothing but praise for their coach. “I want to thank him,” Blake said. “He is the best, I love him to death. He’s so great. I just want to thank him for all he has done. He’s helped me so much, he’s helped this whole team and this program and I’m very proud of him for all he’s done.” Said fellow senior Joey Gutierrez: “Thank you for pushing us and never letting us get down on ourselves, all those hard hours even though it sucked, it finally payed off and just hats off to him for keeping us all together and getting us here.” ——— Contact Alexis at aman- sanarez@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4542. Follow her on Twitter @almansanarez. SCOREBOARD Local slate PREP BOYS BASKETBALL Wednesday Pendleton at Baker, 7:00 p.m. Riverside at White Salmon (WA), 7:00 p.m. Thursday Irrigon at Stanfield, 7:30 p.m. Touchet (WA) at Griswold, 7:30 p.m. Friday Stanfield vs. TBD, Sherman Tournament, TBD Umatilla vs. TBD, Vernonia Tournament, 1:30 p.m. Riverdale vs. Umatilla, Vernonia Tourna- ment, 4:30 p.m. Grant Union vs. Culver, Sherman Tourna- ment, 4:30 p.m. Pilot Rock at Echo, 4:30 p.m. Irrigon at Weston-McEwen, 4:30 p.m. College Place (WA) at Riverside, 5:00 p.m. Mountain View vs. Hermiston, Wilsonville Invitational, 5:30 p.m. Eagle Point vs. Pendleton, Wilsonville Invitational, 7:00 p.m. Enterprise at Ione, 7:30 p.m. Saturday TBD vs. Pendleton, Wilsonville Invita- tional, TBD TBD vs. Hermiston, Wilsonville Invita- tional, TBD Riverside at TBD, McLoughlin Tourna- ment, TBD Heppner vs. TBD, Beau Classic, TBD Irrigon vs. TBD, Ione Basketball Bonanza, 1:00 p.m. TBD at Ione, Ione Basketball Bonanza, 2:30 p.m. Echo at Condon/Wheeler, 3:30 p.m. Umatilla vs. TBD, Vernonia Tournament, 5:30 p.m. PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL Wednesday Baker at Pendleton, 7:00 p.m. Thursday Irrigon at Stanfield, 6:00 p.m. Touchet (WA) at Griswold, 6:00 p.m. Friday Sherman at Stanfield, TBD TBD vs. Griswold, McLoughlin Tourna- ment, TBD Weston-McEwen at Irrigon, 3:00 p.m. Umatilla at Riverdal, 3:00 p.m. Pilot Rock at Echo, 3:00 p.m. College Place (WA) at Riverside, 3:30 p.m. Heppner at Chemawa, 4:30 p.m. Enterprise at Ione, 6:00 p.m. Griswold at McLoughlin, 6:30 p.m. Wilsonville at Hermiston, 7:00 p.m. Saturday TBD vs. McLoughlin, Mac-Hi Tournament, TBD Riverside vs. TBD, Mac-Hi Tournament, TBD TBD vs. Griswold, Mac-Hi Tournament, TBD Umatilla vs. TBD, Vernonia Tournament, TBD Heppner vs. TBD, Beau Classic Tourney, TBD Stanfield vs. TBD, Sherman Tournament, TBD TBD vs. Irrigon, Ione Basketball Bonanza, 1:00 p.m. Summit at Pendleton, 2:30 p.m. Lewiston (ID) at Hermiston, 5:45 p.m. Riverdale vs. TBD, Vernonia Tournament, 7:00 p.m. TBD at Weston-McEwen, Ione Tourna- ment, 7:00 p.m. COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL Wednesday EOU vs. Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), NAIA National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, 3 p.m. Thursday EOU vs. Viterbo (Wis.), NAIA National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, 3 p.m. COLLEGE WRESTLING Friday EOU, Battle of the Rockies in Grant Falls, Mont., TBD Saturday EOU, Battle of the Rockies in Grant Falls, Mont., TBD COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL Friday BMCC at the Walla Walla Classic in Walla Walla, Wash., TBD Saturday BMCC at the Walla Walla Classic in Walla Walla, Wash., TBD EOU at Southern Oregon, 6 p.m. Sunday BMCC at Clackamas CC, 1 p.m. COLLEGE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Friday BMCC at Linn-Benton CC, 6 p.m. Saturday BMCC at Portland CC, 2 p.m. EOU at Southern Oregon, 4 p.m. Football NFL Week 13 Schedule Thursday Washington at Dallas, 5:25 p.m. Sunday Tampa Bay at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Atlanta, 10 a.m. San Francisco at Chicago, 10 a.m. Detroit at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Denver at Miami, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Jacksonville, 10 a.m. Houston at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Kansas City at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. New England at Buffalo, 10 a.m. Cleveland at L.A. Chargers, 1:05 p.m. Carolina at New Orleans, 1:25 p.m. L.A. Rams at Arizona, 1:25 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Oakland, 1:25 p.m. Philadelphia at Seattle, 5:30 p.m. Monday Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 5:30 p.m. Boston 22 10 8 4 24 60 66 Montreal 25 10 12 3 23 60 81 Ottawa 22 8 8 6 22 67 74 Florida 24 10 12 2 22 72 83 Buffalo 25 6 15 4 16 55 85 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Columbus 25 16 8 1 33 72 60 N.Y. Islanders 24 15 7 2 32 89 76 New Jersey 24 14 6 4 32 78 74 Washington 25 14 10 1 29 74 75 Pittsburgh 26 13 10 3 29 74 90 N.Y. Rangers 25 13 10 2 28 82 77 Carolina 23 10 8 5 25 68 70 Philadelphia 25 8 10 7 23 70 78 NCAA Week 13 Top 25 Results No. 6 Auburn 26, No. 1 Alabama 14 No. 3 Clemson 34, No. 24 South Carolina 10 No. 4 Oklahoma 59, West Virginia 31 No. 5 Wisconsin 31, Minnesota 0 No. 7 Georgia 38, Georgia Tech 7 No. 21 Stanford 38, No. 8 Notre Dame 20 No. 9 Ohio State 31, Michigan 20 No. 10 Penn State 66, Maryland 3 No. 17 Washington 41, No. 13 Washing- ton State 14 No. 16 Michigan State 40, Rutgers 7 No. 18 LSU 45, Texas A&M 21 No. 19 Oklahoma State 58, Kansas 17 No. 20 Memphis 70, East Carolina 13 No. 22 Northwestern 42, Illinois 7 Fresno State 28, No. 23 Boise State 17 Top 25 Schedule Friday No. 14 Stanford at No. 11 USC, 5 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday No. 16 Memphis at No. 12 UCF, 9 a.m. (ABC) No. 10 TCU at No. 2 Oklahoma, 9:30 a.m. (FOX) No. 6 Georgia at No. 4 Auburn, 1 p.m. (CBS) No. 7 Miami at No. 1 Clemson, 5 p.m. (ABC) No. 8 Ohio State at No. 3 Wisconsin, 5 p.m. (FOX) Pac-12 Schedule Friday No. 12 Stanford at No. 11 USC, 5 p.m. (ESPN) GF 84 76 80 76 67 72 73 GA 63 68 64 63 69 74 71 GF 81 73 61 70 68 65 67 66 GA 66 57 51 76 73 73 81 98 Basketball Hockey NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Tampa Bay 24 17 5 2 Toronto 26 16 9 1 Detroit 25 10 10 5 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division GP W L OT Pts St. Louis 24 17 6 1 35 Nashville 24 15 6 3 33 Winnipeg 24 15 6 3 33 Chicago 24 12 9 3 27 Dallas 23 12 10 1 25 Minnesota 24 11 10 3 25 Colorado 22 11 9 2 24 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts Vegas 22 15 6 1 31 Los Angeles 25 14 8 3 31 San Jose 23 13 8 2 28 Calgary 24 13 10 1 27 Vancouver 25 11 10 4 26 Anaheim 24 10 10 4 24 Edmonton 25 10 13 2 22 Arizona 27 6 17 4 16 ———— Tuesday’s Games Tampa Bay 2, Buffalo 0 N.Y. Islanders 5, Vancouver 2 Columbus 3, Carolina 2, SO Florida 5, N.Y. Rangers 4 San Jose 3, Philadelphia 1 Los Angeles 4, Detroit 1 Chicago 3, Nashville 2 Edmonton 3, Arizona 2, OT Toronto 4, Calgary 1 Dallas at Vegas, late finish Wednesday’s Games Ottawa at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Tampa Bay at Boston, 4:30 p.m. Anaheim at St. Louis, 6 p.m. Winnipeg at Colorado, 6:30 p.m. Pts 36 33 25 GF 88 92 70 GA 62 78 74 NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Boston 18 4 Toronto 12 7 Philadelphia 11 8 Pct GB .818 — .632 4½ .579 5½ New York 10 Brooklyn 7 Southeast Division W Washington 11 Miami 10 Charlotte 8 Orlando 8 Atlanta 4 Central Division W Detroit 13 Cleveland 14 Indiana 12 Milwaukee 9 Chicago 3 10 .500 13 .350 7 10 L 9 10 11 13 16 Pct GB .550 — .500 1 .421 2½ .381 3½ .200 7 L 6 7 9 9 16 Pct GB .684 — .667 — .571 2 .500 3½ .158 10 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct GB Houston 16 4 .800 — San Antonio 13 7 .650 3 New Orleans 11 9 .550 5 Memphis 7 12 .368 8½ Dallas 5 16 .238 11½ Northwest Division W L Pct GB Portland 13 8 .619 — Denver 11 8 .579 1 Minnesota 12 9 .571 1 Utah 9 11 .450 3½ Oklahoma City 8 11 .421 4 Pacific Division W L Pct GB Golden State 15 6 .714 — L.A. Clippers 8 11 .421 6 L.A. Lakers 8 12 .400 6½ Phoenix 8 14 .364 7½ Sacramento 6 14 .300 8½ ——— Tuesday’s Games Cleveland 108, Miami 97 Phoenix 104, Chicago 99 Washington 92, Minnesota 89 Utah 106, Denver 77 Milwaukee 112, Sacramento 87 Wednesday’s Games Oklahoma City at Orlando, 4 p.m. Phoenix at Detroit, 4 p.m. Washington at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Charlotte at Toronto, 4:30 p.m. Miami at New York, 4:30 p.m. Indiana at Houston, 5 p.m. Minnesota at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Brooklyn at Dallas, 5:30 p.m. Memphis at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Golden State at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. NCAA Men’s Basketball Top 25 Tuesday No. 21 Xavier 76, No. 16 Baylor 63 No. 2 Kansas 96, Toledo 58 No. 8 Wichita State 112, Savannah State 66 Purdue 66, No. 17 Louisville 57 Wednesday Pennsylvania at No. 4 Villanova, 4 p.m. (FS2) Michigan at No. 13 North Carolina, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN) Louisiana Tech at No. 24 Alabama, 5 p.m. Incarnate Word at No. 15 Gonzaga, 6 p.m. Belmont at No. 23 TCU, 6 p.m. No. 10 Miami at No. 12 Minnesota, 6:15 p.m. (ESPN2) No. 1 Duke at Indiana, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN) Women’s Basketball Top 25 Tuesday No. 23 Marquette 92, Loyola-Chicago 30 No. 18 Texas A&M 98, Prairie View A&M 70 No. 1 Connecticut at Nevada, 6 p.m. (CBSSN) No. 10 Oregon 87, Hampton 45 UC Riverside at No. 7 UCLA, 7 p.m. Wednesday No. 25 Villanova at Princeton, 2:30 p.m. No. 3 Notre Dame at No. 22 Michigan, 3 p.m. No. 15 Maryland at Virginia, 4 p.m. Louisiana at No. 6 Mississippi State, 5 p.m. No. 13 Florida State at Iowa, 5 p.m. Rice at No. 18 Texas A&M, 5 p.m. No. 16 Stanford at San Francisco, 7 p.m. Soccer MLS Playoffs Conference Championships Eastern Conference Tuesday: Toronto 0, Columbus 0 Nov. 29: Columbus at Toronto, 4:30 p.m. Western Conference Tuesday: Seattle 2, Houston 0 Nov. 30: Houston at Seattle, 7:30 p.m. MLS CUP Dec. 9: at highest seed, 1 p.m. Golf PGA Tour HERO WORLD CHALLENGE Site: Nassau, Bahamas Course: Albany GC. Yardage: 7,267. Par: 72 Purse: $3.5 million (Winner’s share: $1 million) Television: Thursday-Friday, 9:30-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 9-11:30 a.m. (Golf Channel), 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 8-10 a.m. p.m. (Golf Channel), 10 a.m. -1 p.m. (NBC) Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama