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 Twitter posts from two different handles -- one being longtime golf
writer Robert Lusetich -- suggest that Woods' back rehabilitation is
not going well and his condition has worsened.
Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, refuted that information in a
statement Monday.
"The tweets that appeared this weekend about Tiger's health are
ridiculous and absolutely false," Steinberg said in the statement.
"It's reprehensible that every few months someone makes something up
and it's treated like a real story. Tiger continues to work on his
rehabilitation and we will have an accurate update at the
appropriate time."
According to the Twitter handle Secret Tour Pro, Woods was eyeing a
return to golf in May at the Players Championship in Florida but
that plan has been scrapped due to the lack of progress with his
health.
Lusetich had this to say in a tweet: "I'm told #TigerWoods condition
worsened. He can't move well; painful to sit. Sits in car with seat
fully reclined. No forseeable return. Sad."
Just last Friday, Steinberg told ESPN there was no update on Woods'
status. The golfer hasn't played competitively since last August.
---New Zealand teenager Lydia Ko increased her hold as No. 1 in the
world in the Rolex Rankings released Monday after a second-place
finish over the weekend.
Haru Nomura of Japan fired a 7-under 65 on Sunday to beat Ko by
three strokes and win her first LPGA tournament in the Women's
Australian Open. Nomura moved up 19 spots to No. 48.
The 18-year-old Ko has a Rolex average of 11.41 points as the top
five spots did not change.
South Korea's Inbee Park (9.87) is No. 2, followed by Americans
Lewis (7.24) and Lexi Thompson (6.50), and South Korea's Sei Young
Kim (5.70).
TENNIS
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic needed just 66 minutes to defeat Tommy
Robredo 6-1, 6-2 in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis
Championships.
It was Djokovic's first match since winning his 11th Grand Slam
title at the Australian Open last month. He dropped just seven
points on his serve while breaking Robredo four times.
He will play Malek Jaziri in the second round, where Djokovic will
be seeking his 700th career match victory. He is 13-0 to start this
season.
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In other first round matches, Canada's Vasek Pospisil beat Lucas
Pouille 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Pospisil will next play Marcos Baghdatis, a
7-6(2), 6-2 winner over No. 5 seed Viktor Troicki.
Jaziri beat Mikhail Youzhny 6-4, 6-1 and No. 6 seed Feliciano Lopez
battled past fellow Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Villanova remained No. 1 for the third straight week in the
Associated Press men's college basketball poll released Monday.
The Wildcats (24-3) received 45 first-place votes from the 65-member
national media panel. Second-ranked Kansas (23-4) received the other
20 votes.
Oklahoma (21-5) and Virginia (21-5) are tied for third, followed by
Xavier (24-3), Michigan State (22-5), North Carolina (22-5), Iowa
(20-6), Arizona (22-5) and Maryland (23-5) to round out the top 10.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Tennessee's struggles have caused the traditional powerhouse program
to fall out of the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time
in 31 years.
Tennessee began its streak of being part of the Top 25 on Feb. 17,
1985 but it ended Monday, two days after a 57-56 loss to lowly LSU
(9-18). The Lady Volunteers were ranked for 565 consecutive weeks.
Tennessee (16-11) dropped two of three games last week and is just
6-8 over their last 14 games.
Top-ranked Connecticut takes over the longest streak with 428
consecutive weeks. The Huskies are 26-0 this season. Notre Dame
(25-1), South Carolina (25-1), Baylor (27-1) and Ohio State (23-4)
round out the top five.
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