Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2018)
Page 2B SPORTS East Oregonian Tuesday, March 13, 2018 Golf Casey wins at Innisbrook as Woods comes up short by a putt By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Right when Paul Casey felt he was a winner in the Valspar Champion- ship, he looked up at the TV and saw a scene that was all too familiar. Tiger Woods, red shirt blazing on Sunday, holed a 45-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole at Innisbrook that pulled him to within one shot of the Casey’s lead. Moments later, Woods settled over a birdie putt from just inside 40 feet that would have forced a playoff. “I loved his putt on 17. That was amazing,” Casey said. “I thought he was going to hole the one on 18.” Not this time. Not yet. A long victory drought on the PGA Tour ended Sunday, just not the one most people — Casey included — were expecting. Casey rallied from five shots behind. He ran off three straight birdies early on the back nine, closed with a 6-under 65 and won by one shot when Patrick Reed had a 45-foot putt roll back to his feet on the 18th hole, and Woods came up a few feet short of a birdie putt on the final hole. After Woods signed for a 1-under 70 — his first time since August 2013 that he tied for second with all four rounds under par — he worked his way toward Casey to congratu- late him on his first PGA Tour title since the Houston Open in 2009, a span of 132 starts. “It’s the only time he’s congrat- ulated me immediately after a victory,” Casey said. “Normally, it’s the other way around. That’s some- thing special. Just really cool. I’m sure he was disappointed he didn’t get the victory. I actually thought he Tiger effect leads to NBC’s best golf TV rating since 2013 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods was one shot away from a chance to win, and the PGA Tour had its largest televi- sion audience in five years. NBC Sports Group says the final round of the Valspar Championship earned a 5.11 AP Photo/Mike Carlson Tiger Woods lines up a putt on the 13th hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship on Sunday in Palm Harbor, Fla. was going to win today before the round started. I thought it was just teed up beautifully for him. I said a couple times, ‘If I don’t win this thing, I actually want Tiger to win it.’ “I’m glad it’s this way.” Woods opened with a two-putt birdie to briefly tie for the lead. That was his last birdie until he revved up the raucous crowd with his long birdie on the 17th, giving him his best chance to win since his back problems began not long after his most recent victory, the Bridgestone Invitational in August 2013. This was his fourth PGA Tour event since returning from his fourth back surgery. He is getting better with each tournament, though he didn’t feel sharp with his irons on Sunday and played too often to the fat of the greens. “I had a good shot at winning this golf tournament,” Woods said. “A couple putts here and there, it could have been a different story.” Two shots behind going to the back nine, with Casey running out of birdie chances, Woods failed to birdie both par 5s. He pulled a wedge into the left rough on No. 11 and three-putted from 80 feet on No. 14. He failed to make a pair of birdie putts from the 15-foot range. And then he showed up with one big putt, looking very much like the Woods of old who lingers long enough to make his opponents worry. Casey, who finished at 10-under 274, goes up to No. 12 in the world with what he called one of the most rewarding of his 16 victories world- wide. “Probably more satisfying, the fact that it was on a week where Tiger played some good golf and got to see some amazing stuff and hear the roars and it just was a great week — the buzz, everything about it,” Casey said. Reed, who closed with a 68, had a better chance at winning than Woods, and the disappointment was clear. He tied for the lead with a birdie on the par-5 14th, and he hammered a tee shot on the uphill 18th that left him a wedge to the green. He thought he flushed it. He twirled his club. But the ball came down the slope, leaving him about 45 feet away up the ridge. The first putt, which had to travel across a section of the fringe, was so short that it rolled all the way back to his feet. Reed used a wedge for the next one and came close, though it was never on line. “It happened to be unfortunate it got around the corner of the green where I was on the green, had to go over the fringe, through about 7 feet of fringe and back on the green, and I thought I could putt it,” Reed said. “I gave it extra because I knew it was going to either pop or come out slow. I just didn’t hit it hard enough.” Woods played conservatively with an iron off the 442-yard, uphill closing hole on the Copperhead course. From 185 yards, his 7-iron overnight rating, up 190 percent over the previous year and the highest-rated PGA Tour broadcast since Woods won The Players Championship in 2013. That doesn’t include the majors. Golf Channel’s two-hour window before the NBC telecast Sunday earned a 1.65 rating, its highest-rated coverage for the lead-in window since it began in 2009. came up some 40 feet short, and his birdie putt to force a playoff was 2 feet short. Next up for Woods is the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next week, which he hasn’t played since winning five years ago. He is an eight-time winner at Bay Hill, and the euphoria over his return is sure to reach even higher decibels. “I felt very comfortable. My game was quite solid this entire week,” Woods said. “As a whole I felt very good about what I did this week.” Corey Conners, the Canadian rookie who started the final round with a one-shot lead, fell back quickly after opening with a bogey on the easiest hole at Innisbrook. He shot 77 and tied for 16th. Justin Rose, among six players who had a share of the lead at some point in the final round, had back-to-back bogeys on the back nine and never atoned for his mistakes. He closed with a 72 and finished three shots behind. That left Casey the winner, finally. Woods has to wait at least another week, with the next stop at a golf course Arnold Palmer built and Woods used to own. NASCAR Harvick channels anger in Phoenix, races to 3rd straight win By JOHN NICHOLSON AP Sports Writer AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kevin Harvick knows how to get around ISM Raceway — and channel his anger. He needed both skills Sunday to drive away with his third straight NASCAR Cup Series victory and record-extending ninth at the mile oval southwest of the Phoenix. “I’m 42, done this for a long time,” Harvick said. “Any time you can reach out and grab motivation, for me, that’s just a piece of the puzzle.” The California driver sarcastically tagged “Happy” is at his best when he’s mad, so much so that former crew chief Gil Martin used to try to rile him during races. Current crew chief Rodney Childers didn’t have to say anything. Not after Harvick and the Stewart-Haas Racing team were penalized Wednesday for technical violations last week at Las Vegas on the No. 4 Ford. “Everybody just came here mad, chip on their shoulder, wanting to do exactly what we did today,” Harvick said. “That’s the type of determination and grit that you want in a race team. There’s nothing better to be a part of than some- thing like that. “Actions speak a whole lot louder than all the words I can say this week, tweets that you can send out. Parking that thing in victory lane is the most powerful thing, most powerful message you can send, and says the most about our organization and our team.” After saying Friday he would jump up and down on the back of the car if he won, Harvick completed his burnouts and pulled over next to his crew to celebrate. He playfully patted the back window and pointed at it in a nod to social media photos of his buckled rear window in Las Vegas. “I made it very clear to pat my window and thank it for doing its job,” he said. Harvick got in front of Kyle Busch on the last series of pit stops in the 312-lap race. Busch’s team dropped the jack and had trouble with the right rear tire on the stop with 53 laps left, allowing Harvick — who pitted three laps earlier — to slip ahead. Martin Truex Jr. “I needed a little bit of forward drive there at the end,” Elliott said. “I was turning pretty good and just had a hard time putting the power down.” Stewart-Haas racing had all four drivers in the top 10 for the first time. Clint Bowyer was sixth, Aric Almirola seventh and Kurt Busch 10th. “That’s probably what I’m most proud of,” owner Tony Stewart said. The Busch brothers won the opening 75-lap stages. Kyle held off Harvick in the first. Kurt stayed out during a caution and swiped the second in a one-lap shootout. NO APPEAL Stewart said Sunday he won’t appeal the penalties for the Las Vegas infractions. “How many appeals have you seen overturned?” he explained. Inspectors at NASCAR’s research and development center in North Carolina found Harvick’s car violated a rule requiring rear window support braces to hold the glass rigid, and another requiring the right rocker panel extension to be aluminum. Harvick was penalized the seven playoff points he earned for winning the Las Vegas race and its first two stages. He was docked 20 regular points and the team lost 20 owners’ points. Childers was fined $50,000, and car chief Robert Smith was suspended two races. Harvick regained the points lead Sunday, moving 12 ahead of Kyle Busch. And with the victory, the No. 4 was headed back to the R&D facility. BY THE NUMBERS Harvick began the winning streak at Atlanta after crashing and finishing 31st in the season-opening Daytona 500. He’s the first to win three straight Cup races since Joey Logano in 2015. Harvick broke a tie with Kyle Busch with 14 NASCAR national-series victories at the track. In 31 Cup starts in Phoenix, Harvick has 15 top-five finishes. He has one Xfinity win and four Truck victories at the track. The victory also was the milestone 40th of Harvick’s Cup career. UP NEXT Sunday, March 18, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Friday, March 16 At Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C. #8 Creighton (21-11) vs. #9 Kansas State (22-11), 6:50 p.m. #1 Virginia (31-2) vs. #16 UMBC (24-10), 9:20 p.m. At Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn. #2 Cincinnati (30-4) vs. #15 Georgia State (24-10), 2 p.m. #7 Nevada (27-7) vs. #10 Texas (19-14), 4:30 p.m. MIDWEST REGIONAL Thursday, March 15 At PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh #7 Rhode Island (25-7) vs. #10 Oklahoma (18-13), 12:15 p.m. #2 Duke (26-7) vs. #15 Iona (20-13), 2:45 p.m. At INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan. #1 Kansas (27-7) vs. #16 Penn (24-8), 2 p.m. #8 Seton Hall (21-11) vs. #9 N.C. State (21-11), 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 16 At Little Caesars Arena, Detroit #3 Michigan State (29-4) vs. #14 Bucknell (25-9), 7:10 p.m. #6 TCU (21-11) vs. #11 Arizona State-Syra- cuse winner, 9:40 p.m. At Viejas Arena, San Diego #4 Auburn (25-7) vs. #13 College of Charleston (26-7), 7:27 p.m. #5 Clemson (23-9) vs. #12 New Mexico State (28-5), 9:57 p.m. WEST REGIONAL Thursday, March 15 At INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, Kan. #6 Houston (26-7) vs. #11 San Diego State (22-10), 7:20 p.m. #3 Michigan (28-7) vs. #14 Montana (26- 7), 9:50 p.m. At Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho #4 Gonzaga (30-4) vs. #13 UNC Greens- boro (27-7), 1:30 p.m. #5 Ohio State (24-8) vs. #12 South Dakota State (28-6), 4 p.m. Friday, March 16 At Spectrum Center, Charlotte, N.C. #7 Texas A&M (20-12) vs. #10 Providence (21-13), 12:15 p.m. #2 North Carolina (25-10) vs. #15 Lip- scomb (23-9), 2:45 p.m. At Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tenn. #1 Xavier (28-5) vs. #16 N.C. Central-Tex- as Southern winner, 7:20 p.m. #8 Missouri (20-12) vs. #9 Florida State (20-11), 9:50 p.m. Boston 67 43 16 8 94 226 172 Toronto 69 40 22 7 87 228 197 Florida 67 34 26 7 75 205 212 Detroit 69 26 32 11 63 180 211 Montreal 69 25 32 12 62 175 219 Ottawa 68 24 33 11 59 186 236 Buffalo 69 22 35 12 56 165 224 Metropolitan Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Washington 69 39 23 7 85 209 202 Pittsburgh 70 40 26 4 84 229 211 Philadelphia 70 35 24 11 81 205 205 Columbus 70 37 28 5 79 193 195 New Jersey 69 35 26 8 78 204 208 Carolina 69 30 28 11 71 184 212 N.Y. Islanders 69 30 29 10 70 222 245 N.Y. Rangers 70 31 32 7 69 201 224 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central GP W L OT Pts GF GA Nashville 68 44 14 10 98 222 173 Winnipeg 69 41 18 10 92 229 182 Minnesota 69 39 23 7 85 216 198 Dallas 69 38 25 6 82 198 180 Colorado 68 36 24 8 80 215 202 St. Louis 69 37 27 5 79 191 182 Chicago 70 30 32 8 68 199 207 Pacific Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 69 45 19 5 95 235 187 San Jose 69 37 23 9 83 203 189 Los Angeles 69 38 26 5 81 200 173 Anaheim 70 34 24 12 80 195 193 Calgary 70 34 26 10 78 197 206 Edmonton 68 30 34 4 64 193 221 Vancouver 70 25 36 9 59 183 228 Arizona 68 22 35 11 55 163 219 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. ———— Monday’s Games Vegas 3, Philadelphia 2 Washington 3, Winnipeg 2, OT Columbus 5, Montreal 2 N.Y. Rangers 6, Carolina 3 Ottawa 5, Florida 3 St. Louis 4, Anaheim 2 San Jose 5, Detroit 3 Los Angeles 3, Vancouver 0 Tuesday’s Games Boston at Carolina, 4 p.m. Dallas at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Ottawa at Tampa Bay, 4:30 p.m. Winnipeg at Nashville, 5 p.m. Colorado at Minnesota, 5:30 p.m. Edmonton at Calgary, 6 p.m. Los Angeles at Arizona, 7 p.m. Lap length: 1.00 miles (Start position in parentheses) 1. (10) Kevin Harvick, Ford, 312 laps. 2. (7) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 312. 3. (3) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 312. 4. (6) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 312. 5. (1) Martin Truex Jr, Toyota, 312. 6. (19) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 312. 7. (22) Aric Almirola, Ford, 312. 8. (15) Daniel Suarez, Toyota, 312. 9. (9) Erik Jones, Toyota, 312. 10. (23) Kurt Busch, Ford, 312. 11. (13) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 312. 12. (11) William Byron, Chevrolet, 312. 13. (4) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 312. 14. (17) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 312. 15. (25) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 312. 16. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 311. 17. (18) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 311. 18. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 311. 19. (5) Joey Logano, Ford, 311. 20. (21) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 311. 21. (20) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 311. 22. (16) David Ragan, Ford, 311. 23. (29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Ford, 311. 24. (26) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 311. 25. (30) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 311. 26. (8) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 310. 27. (36) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 310. 28. (27) Darrell Wallace Jr, Chevrolet, 309. 29. (24) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 309. 30. (28) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 309. 31. (34) D.J. Kennington, Toyota, 309. 32. (31) Michael McDowell, Ford, 308. 33. (35) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 306. 34. (32) Gray Gaulding, Toyota, 304. 35. (37) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 292. 36. (14) Paul Menard, Ford, accident, 189. 37. (33) Corey Lajoie, Chevrolet, engine. Hockey Auto Racing AP Photo/Rick Scuteri Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Kevin Har- vick (4) passes Kyle Busch (18) on lap 131 during a NA- SCAR race on Sunday in Avondale, Ariz. “We lost the race on pit road today,” Busch said. “But we’ve won races on pit road, too.” Harvick got around Chase Elliott — the first car with four fresh tires after the pit stops — and took the lead with 22 laps left when Ryan Newman finally made his last stop. Busch didn’t seriously challenge Harvick after that, finishing 0.774 seconds back. The two had a series of entertaining battles, with Harvick also dueling Elliott and Denny Hamlin. “When you have Kyle Busch sticking his finger out of the window with his thumb up talking about having fun and sending messages on the radio, you know everybody is having fun,” Harvick said. Fun, and stressful for Childers on the pit box. “Man, it was a heck of a battle,” Childers said. “To sit down there in the corner and watch these guys race like that was like my short track days.” Elliott was third, followed by Hamlin and pole-sitter SCOREBOARD Local slate PREP BASEBALL Tuesday Umatilla at Touchet (WA) (DH), 2 p.m. Joseph at Weston-McEwen, 3:30 p.m. Dufur at Riverside, 3 p.m. Southridge (WA) at Pendleton (DH), 3:30 p.m. Hermiston at Ridgeview, 4 p.m. Heppner at Pilot Rock, 4:30 p.m. Thursday Mac-Hi at Weston-McEwen, 3:30 p.m. Friday Heppner at Irrigon (DH), 11 a.m. Umatilla at Portland Christian (DH), 3:30 p.m. Pilot Rock at Riverside, 4 p.m. Saturday Pendleton vs. Curtis (at Hanford), 11 a.m. Stanfield at Tri-City Prep (WA) (DH), 11 a.m. La Salle Prep at Hermiston, Noon Mac-Hi at Touchet (WA) (DH), Noon Pendleton at Hanford (WA), 2 p.m. PREP SOFTBALL Tuesday Umatilla at Touchet (WA) (DH), 2 p.m. Stevenson (WA) at Riverside (DH), 2 p.m. Ridgeview at Hermiston, 4 p.m. Pendleton at Hanford (WA), 4 p.m. Friday Enterprise at Heppner (DH), 1 p.m. Irrigon at Pendleton Freshmen (DH), 3 p.m. Umatilla at Portland Christian (DH), 3:30 p.m. Hermiston at St. Helens, 4 p.m. Pendleton at Hillsboro, 5 p.m. Saturday Tri-Cities Prep (WA) at Echo (DH), 11 a.m. Hermiston at Hillsboro, Noon Pendleton at St. Helens, Noon Enterprise at Weston-McEwen (DH), Noon PREP TRACK AND FIELD Tuesday Hermiston at Hood River, 3:30 p.m. Friday Riverside at Ontario Icebreaker, 3:45 p.m. Saturday Mac-Hi, Weston-McEwen at Sweeney Invitational (ID), 10 a.m. Irrigon at Richland T&F Jamboree), 11:30 a.m. PREP TENNIS Tuesday Umatilla vs. Stanfield/Echo, 3:30 p.m. Hanford (WA) vs. Hermiston, 4 p.m. Thursday Umatilla vs. Weston-McEwen, 3 p.m. Hermiston at Southridge (WA), 3:30 p.m. Stanfield/Echo at Riverside, 4 p.m. COLLEGE BASEBALL Saturday BMCC vs. Prairie Baseball Acad. (DH), 11 a.m. COLLEGE SOFTBALL Friday BMCC vs. Wenatchee Valley (DH), 2 p.m. Saturday BMCC vs. Yakima Valley (DH), 12 p.m. EOU at University of Providence (DH), 2 p.m. COLLEGE TRACK AND FIELD Saturday EOU Team Challenge 1 at Hermiston, all day Basketball NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division W L Pct x-Toronto 49 17 .742 x-Boston 46 21 .687 Philadelphia 36 29 .554 New York 24 43 .358 Brooklyn 21 46 .313 Southeast Division W L Pct Washington 38 29 .567 Miami 36 32 .529 Charlotte 29 38 .433 Orlando 20 47 .299 Atlanta 20 47 .299 Central Division W L Pct Indiana 39 28 .582 Cleveland 38 28 .576 Milwaukee 36 31 .537 Detroit 30 36 .455 Chicago 23 43 .348 WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division W L Pct Houston 53 14 .791 New Orleans 38 28 .576 San Antonio 37 30 .552 Dallas 21 46 .313 Memphis 18 49 .269 Northwest Division W L Pct Portland 41 26 .612 Oklahoma City 40 29 .580 Minnesota 39 29 .574 Denver 37 30 .552 Utah 37 30 .552 Pacific Division W L Pct Golden State 51 16 .761 L.A. Clippers 36 29 .554 L.A. Lakers 30 36 .455 Sacramento 21 47 .309 Phoenix 19 49 .279 x-clinched playoff spot ———— Monday’s Games Houston 109, San Antonio 93 Milwaukee 121, Memphis 103 GB — 3½ 12½ 25½ 28½ GB — 2½ 9 18 18 GB — ½ 3 8½ 15½ GB — 14½ 16 32 35 GB — 2 2½ 4 4 GB — 14 20½ 30½ 32½ Oklahoma City 106, Sacramento 101 Portland 115, Miami 99 Tuesday’s Games Indiana at Philadelphia, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Washington, 4 p.m. Dallas at New York, 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma City at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m. Toronto at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at New Orleans, 5 p.m. L.A. Clippers at Chicago, 5 p.m. Orlando at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Detroit at Utah, 6 p.m. Cleveland at Phoenix, 7 p.m. Denver at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. NCAA Men’s Tournament First Four at Dayton, OH Tuesday’s Games No. 16 LIU-Brooklyn vs. No. 16 Radford, 3:40 p.m. (truTV) No. 11 St. Bonaventure vs. No. 11 UCLA, 6:10 p.m. (truTV) Wednesday’s Games No. 16 NC Central vs. No. 16 Texas South- ern, 3:40 p.m. (truTV) No. 11 Arizona State vs. No. 11 Syracuse, 6:10 p.m. (truTV) First Round EAST REGIONAL Thursday, March 15 At PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh #1 Villanova (30-4) vs. #16 LIU Brook- lyn-Radford winner, 6:50 p.m. #8 Virginia Tech (21-11) vs. #9 Alabama (19-15), 9:20 p.m. At American Airlines Center, Dallas #3 Texas Tech (24-9) vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin (28-6), 7:27 p.m. #6 Florida (20-12) vs. #11 St. Bonaven- ture-UCLA winner, 9:57 p.m. Friday, March 16 At Little Caesars Arena, Detroit #2 Purdue (28-6) vs. #15 Cal State Fuller- ton (20-11), 12:40 p.m. #7 Arkansas (23-11) vs. #10 Butler (20-13), 3:10 p.m. At Viejas Arena, San Diego #4 Wichita State (25-7) vs. #13 Marshall (24-10), 1:30 p.m. #5 West Virginia (24-10) vs. #12 Murray State (26-5), 4 p.m. SOUTH REGIONAL Thursday, March 15 At American Airlines Center, Dallas #3 Tennessee (25-8) vs. #14 Wright State (25-9), 12:40 p.m. #6 Miami (22-9) vs. #11 Loyola of Chicago (28-5), 3:10 p.m. At Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho #5 Kentucky (24-10) vs. #12 Davidson (21-11), 7:10 p.m. #4 Arizona (27-7) vs. #13 Buffalo (26-8), 9:40 p.m. NHL EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GP W L OT Pts GF GA Tampa Bay 69 48 17 4 100 253 191 NASCAR Cup Series TicketGuardian 500 Results Sunday At ISM Raceway Avondale, Ariz. Golf PGA TOUR Valspar Championship Sunday Results At Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead Course) Palm Harbor, Fla. Purse: $6.5 million Yardage: 7,340; Par: 71 Final Top 10 Paul Casey 70-68-71-65—274 -10 Patrick Reed 71-69-67-68—275 -9 Tiger Woods 70-68-67-70—275 -9 Sergio Garcia 70-72-69-65—276 -8 Justin Rose 70-69-66-72—277 -7 Rory Sabbatini 70-71-67-69—277 -7 Jim Furyk 70-73-69-66—278 -6 Branden Grace 73-68-68-70—279 -5 Jason Kokrak 72-67-72-68—279 -5 Trey Mullinax 72-68-69-70—279 -5 Upcoming Schedule March 15-18 — Arnold Palmer Invitational, Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge, Orlando, Fla.