Woods-Manning prevail in star-studded match, raised $20m for charity

MIAMI -- Tiger Woods says while his surgically repaired back may never be 10-out-of-10 again, it won't stop him from being healthy and ready to go when the PGA Tour starts up again.

The 44-year-old Woods says he's been able to use the down time during the coronavirus pandemic to get himself in shape for an expected condensed fall golf season. 

"It is going to be interesting," said Woods during a four-man charity golf tournament in Florida on Sunday. "I am used to trying to peak for majors in April, May, June and July, forever. Now this (COVID-19) has changed everything. It is fluid. It is on the fly." 

Asked to rate how his back feels on a scale of one to 10, Woods said, "Well, let's just say 10 is not what it used to be." 

PGA stars Woods and Phil Mickelson and two NFL quarterback legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady squared off in an entertaining made-for-television charity golf event on Sunday that raised $20 million for coronavirus relief efforts.

The 18-hole match included nine holes of four-ball and nine holes of modified alternate shot, with on-course challenges for charitable funds. 

Woods, who paired with Manning, showed no rust as they held off a back-nine rally from Mickelson and Brady for a one-up victory in the 18-hole match play format.

Sunday's event, called "The Match: Champions for Charity," was a rematch of sorts for Mickelson and Woods, who faced off in a similar charity event last year in Las Vegas. It also marked a return to the golf course for the both PGA stars due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The PGA Tour is on hiatus until June 11, when the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial is scheduled to begin in Texas.

The charity match was the first competitive golf for Woods since the Genesis Invitational on February 16, where he shot weekend rounds of 76-77 to finish in 68th place at the Riviera Country Club course. 

He said the forced break has been refreshing and described his health as surprisingly good considering he has been taken out of his regular training regime. 

"It is nice to be at home training each and every day," Woods said. "I get some treatment on it and get onto a routine basically. 

"With this pandemic and everything that has happened, we (have) all been very careful and try to stay at home," he said.

Woods says he has enjoyed spending more time with his family and has added tennis to his workouts. 

"It has been good in that regard because I have been able to spend a lot of time with my kids. We had a lot of fun. This is the most amount of tennis I have played ever." 

The start of Sunday's match was delayed by rain that fell steadily throughout the majority of the round.

Woods helped offset the difficult playing conditions Sunday by taking advantage of competing on his home course, the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound. 

"I am just trying to hit it in the right spots. I kind of know this place," he told a television interviewer early in his round.

The entertaining match featured plenty of friendly banter and trash talking going back and forth between four of North America's biggest sport stars.

Brady, who recently signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after winning six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, made the shot of the day on the par-five seventh.

- Wardrobe malfunction -

Brady had been struggling for much of the first round, but his approach on No. 7 landed just past the hole before spinning wildly to the right and rolling into the centre of the cup.

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going," an obviously relieved Brady said of his first good shot of the day.

The shot was notable for another reason: it included a wardrobe malfunction. Brady also split his pants on the shot, resulting in a hasty costume change.

"There was so much torque on that swing," he joked.

The birdie also lightened the wallet of PGA golfer Brooks Koepka. When he saw Brady struggling early in the round, Koepka tweeted out a promise to donate $100,000 to charity if Brady could make a par on the front nine.

"Brooks owes me a little money," Brady said following his surprise birdie.

Agence France-Presse

Brady, Pats, dismantle Bills for eighth straight win

LOS ANGELES -- A fired-up Tom Brady notched another milestone NFL win on Sunday as the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots powered past the Buffalo Bills 23-3.

Brady connected on 21 of 30 passes for 258 yards as he notched his 27th career victory over the Bills. He broke Brett Favre's league record for most quarterback wins against a single opponent.

Brady also joined Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees as the only NFL quarterbacks with at least 65,000 career passing yards.

The Patriots improved to 10-2 -- their 15th straight seasons with at least 10 wins -- but it wasn't always pretty.

New England didn't score a touchdown in the first half for the first time this season and Brady's frustration boiled over with some choice words for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels after the Pats' first field goal.

Rex Burkhead rushed for two touchdowns. Tight end Rob Gronkowski caught nine passes for 147 yards but delivered an ugly late hit on Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White with the game well in hand in the fourth quarter.

White was evaluated for a head injury after intercepting Brady late in the fourth. Gronkowski drove his shoulder into White as he lay face down on the turf after the whistle.

  
"There is no room in this league for that type of crap," Bills safety Jordan Poyer said, and Gronkowski himself was apologetic after the game.

"I was just really frustrated at that moment," Gronkowski said. "I don't really believe in those type of shots."

The Bills lost for the fourth time in five games. Making matters worse, Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was carted to the locker room with a knee injury early in the fourth quarter.

The Minnesota Vikings also notched an eighth straight win, downing the Falcons 14-9 in Atlanta.

The Ravens notched a big win in Baltimore, where Joe Flacco threw two touchdown passes and Alex Collins ran for a two scores in a 44-20 victory over the Detroit Lions.

The Ravens boosted their playoff hopes with a third straight win, but will make their stretch run without cornerback Jimmy Smith, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury.

- Garoppolo pilots 49ers to win -

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, making his third career start and first for the 49ers, came away with a 15-14 victory over the Chicago Bears after veteran kicker Robbie Gould booted his fifth field goal of the game with four seconds remaining.

The field goal capped a 14-play, 86-yard drive directed by Garoppolo and gave the 49ers their first away win of the season.

In Green Bay, Aaron Jones rushed for a 20-yard touchdown with 5:59 left in overtime to lift the Packers to a 26-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The New York Jets beat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31 on Josh McCown's touchdown plunge from a yard out with 2:10 left to play.

The Chiefs lost for the sixth time in seven games and are now tied atop the AFC West with the surprising Los Angeles Chargers, who beat the Cleveland Browns 19-10.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL round-up: Brady seizes all-time win mark, Cowboys clinch playoffs berth

LOS ANGELES -- Tom Brady piloted the New England Patriots to a 26-10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, his 201st NFL triumph breaking the all-time record for wins by a quarterback.

"We're in the locker room with a walking legend," Patriots cornerback Malcom Butler said after Brady threw for one touchdown pass in the victory that took the Patriots to 10-2 for the season.

He broke out of a tie with now-retired Peyton Manning for number one on the all-time wins list, including regular-season and post-season contests.

"He has the most wins in quarterback history in the NFL, but he still comes to work like he hasn't accomplished anything," Butler added of Brady -- who might have passed the milestone sooner but for his four-game Deflategate suspension to start this season.

The record put Brady in the spotlight, but the Pats defense also came up big, holding the Rams to 25 yards of offense in the first half -- the fewest yards ever allowed by New England in a half.

It was the kind of performance New England needed as they adjust to life without star tight end Rob Gronkowski, who will miss the rest of the season after back surgery this week.

LeGarrette Blount, who turns 30 on Monday, romped 43 yards for a touchdown on a fourth-and-1 on New England's first possession.

Brady hit Chris Hogan with a 14-yard TD pass in the second quarter and Stephen Gostkowski kicked four field goals.

Three of Gostkowski's field goals were from 45 yards or more -- a welcome sign that he has broken out of the slump that has seen him miss four field goals and three extra-points this season.

"It's a start, it's one game," Gostkowski said. "Every week is a different challenge."

   

- Sweet homecoming for Chiefs' Berry -

Kansas City safety Eric Berry, riding on the emotion of his return to his hometown of Atlanta, produced a spectacular display that included a game-winning interception return in the Chiefs' 29-28 victory over the Falcons.

Berry, who beat Hodgkin's lymphoma, had a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first half, then picked off an attempted conversion pass in the fourth quarter and raced 99 yards for what proved the deciding two points.

"The last time I came home during the season it was to get chemotherapy," said Berry, who handed his touchdown ball to his mother in the stands.

"This time it was to play a game, so I was thankful for the opportunity. I take pride in a lot of things people take for granted. I cherish everything that comes my way."

- Redskins loss puts Cowboys through -

The Dallas Cowboys -- who notched their 11th straight win on Thursday -- officially became the first team to clinch a playoff berth when NFC East rivals Washington dropped a 31-23 decision to Arizona.

In Oakland, Derek Carr threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns as the Raiders roared back with 29 unanswered points to beat the Buffalo Bills 38-24.

The Raiders won their sixth straight and improved to 10-2 -- their best start since 2000.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had a big day, throwing for 381 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-6 blowout win over Miami that snapped the Dolphins' six-game winning streak.

The Chicago Bears blew out the San Francisco 49ers 26-6 at snowy Soldier Field. Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick was sacked five times and completed just one pass for four yards was benched in the fourth quarter in favor of Blaine Gabbert, but that didn't stop San Francisco from falling to an 11th straight defeat.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NFL: Teams fit, raring to go for Super Bowl 50

Teams fit, raring to go for Super Bowl 50

Larry Fine, Reuters

The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos gathered at Levi's Stadium for team pictures on Saturday after proclaiming themselves fit and raring to go for Super Bowl 50.

Carolina had a key question mark heading into the final week's preparation for Sunday's National Football League title game in Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis, who broke his right arm in their conference championship two weeks ago against Arizona.

Head coach Ron Rivera said he expected Davis, who had a dozen pins inserted in his forearm after having surgery the day after the NFC clash, to start after practicing fully this week.

Three Panthers players on the injury report - Davis, defensive end Jared Allen (foot) and running back Mike Tolbert (knee) - were all full participants in Friday's practice and all officially listed as probable for the Super Bowl.

Denver had three players limited in practice on Wednesday, but all 53 practiced fully on Friday for the second straight day, including safeties T.J. Ward (ankle) and Darian Stewart (knee), and guard Louis Vasquez (knee). All will start Sunday.

Broncos top-ranked defense set for ultimate test

Jahmal Corner, Reuters

It took a blowout loss in the Super Bowl two years ago for the Denver Broncos to transform from an offense-heavy attack to a defensive juggernaut better suited to winning the championship Vince Lombardi Trophy.

When the Seattle Seahawks routed Denver a 43-8 in that Super Bowl game they also gave the Broncos a reflection of everything they were not and needed to become: young, fast and physical.

Denver's defense has since fully realized that vision, and cemented their status by swarming Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and New England's Tom Brady to set up a clash with the Carolina Panthers in the Feb. 7 NFL championship game.

"They are the No. 1 defense on the planet, and everyone says defense wins championships," Broncos running back C.J. Anderson said of his defensive unit. "They have embraced it all season."

Panthers defense has been a turnover machine

Tim Wharnsby, Reuters

The Carolina Panthers defense may not allow the fewest points or lead the NFL in sacks, but their ability to force turnovers has been a key factor behind their remarkable run to the Super Bowl.

This strength was on full display when the Panthers punched their ticket to Sunday's Super Bowl with a 49-15 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.

All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly and Co. harassed Arizona for four interceptions and three fumble recoveries, a trend the Panthers defense started in the regular season when they led the NFL with 24 picks and 15 fumble recoveries.

But now the Panthers will be staring down a Denver Broncos offense led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning on the NFL's biggest stage.

The 39-year-old quarterback may not be as capable as he was in his prime, but the Panthers and head coach Ron Rivera will not take Manning lightly.

"I know he is very special," said Rivera, who was defensive coordinator of a Chicago Bears team that lost to Manning's Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl nine years ago.

"He is one of those guys that is going to have a storied career. He's going end up in the Hall of Fame. Everything he does is about winning."

Manning chases crowning glory

Rob Woollard, Agence France-Presse

Whether he wins or loses on Sunday, Peyton Manning has already assured himself a place in American football's pantheon of greats.

But if the veteran Denver Broncos quarterback manages to mastermind an upset over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 it will be the crowning achievement of a career that once looked to be in terminal decline.

Manning, 39, faced a bleak future in 2011 when neck surgeries left him struggling to throw properly, forcing him to miss the entire season with the Indianapolis Colts, who eventually cut him in March 2012.

Yet Manning went on to relaunch his career successfully with the Broncos, enjoying a vintage season to lead Denver to the Super Bowl in 2014, where they lost heavily to the Seattle Seahawks.

This season Manning has fought through adversity once more to reach his fourth Super Bowl, where he is chasing a second championship ring to book-end the one he collected with the Colts in 2007.

"There is no question it's important to me, it's very personal to me," Manning said this week when asked to reflect on his tumultuous season. "No question this season has had some unique challenges."

Dual threat Newton rewriting records despite critics

Rob Woollard, Agence France-Presse

Cam Newton may divide opinion with his carefully choreographed touchdown routines but a consensus is rapidly building that the Carolina Panthers star may be the greatest dual threat quarterback the sport has ever seen.

The 6ft 5in (1.96m), 250lb (113kg) Panthers signal-caller has electrified the National Football League since his professional debut in 2011 with a potent passing and rushing game that all too often has left opponents -- and records -- in its wake.

When the 26-year-old dived over for the 43rd rushing touchdown of his career against Tampa Bay last month, he equalled his childhood hero Steve Young's long-standing all-time record for a quarterback.

But while legendary San Francisco 49er Young's mark was compiled in 169 games across 15 seasons, Newton equalled the record after only 78 games in his fifth season in the NFL.

Newton has been the driving force behind the Panthers' relentless march to Sunday's Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos, leading his team to a 17-1 record while becoming the first quarterback in history to throw for more than 30 touchdowns and rush for 10 more in a single season.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Broncos beat Patriots to reach Super Bowl

Peyton Manning out-gunned great rival Tom Brady as the Denver Broncos behind a ferocious defense edged the defending champion New England Patriots 20-18 on Sunday to book their place in Super Bowl 50.

During the buildup to the AFC championship game in the Mile High City, the spotlight was fixed on Manning and Brady, the two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks who were meeting for the 17th, and perhaps final time on the gridiron.

But it was the Denver defense that stole the show, intercepting Brady twice and making two crucial fourth down stops late in the fourth quarter to snuff out potentially game tying scoring drives, including one with just 2:18 on the clock.

The Patriots, however, would not quit and with 12 seconds left to play Brady hit Rob Gronkowski with a four yard touchdown pass.

Needing a two-point convert to force overtime, the Denver defense again dug in forcing Brady to make a hurried incomplete pass to clinch a spot in their record-equaling eighth Super Bowl.

Manning, who had been plagued by injury and questionable form all season, turned in a performance worthy of a five-times NFL Most valuable player, tossing a pair of first half touchdowns to Owen Daniels.

The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals clash in the NFC championship game later on Sunday with the winner advancing to the Super Bowl in Santa Clara on Feb. 7 to face the Broncos.

(Editing by Andrew Both)

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Manning denies 'garbage' doping report

LOS ANGELES -- Five-time NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning Saturday branded allegations in an upcoming Al-Jazeera documentary that an Indianapolis anti-aging clinic supplied him with human growth hormone as "complete garbage."

"The allegation that I would do something like that is complete garbage and totally made up," Manning said in a statement issued through the Denver Broncos to US media. "It never happened. Never. I really can't believe somebody would put something like this on the air. Whoever said this is making stuff up."

Neither the NFL nor the Broncos commented on the allegations, which are included in an Al-Jazeera investigative report due to air on Sunday, which was shared in advance with The Huffington Post.

According to The Huffington Post, in the report titled "The Dark Side" British hurdler Liam Collins went undercover to expose the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports.

As part of his probe Collins met with Charles Sly, a former pharmacist at the anti-aging Guyer Clinic in Indianapolis, where Manning once played for the NFL's Colts.

Sly said he mailed HGH to Manning's household in 2011, sending it to Manning's wife, Ashley to avoid a link to the sports star.

However, in a follow up interview with Al-Jazeera, Sly recanted the allegation, saying they were "absolutely false and incorrect".

The NFL collective bargaining agreement ratified in 2011 banned the use of HGH. However, the league did not begin testing for the substance until 2014.

Manning missed the 2011 season because of multiple neck surgeries, and joined the Broncos as a free agent prior to the 2012 campaign.

The 39-year-old is one of the icons of the NFL whose clean-cut image has made him the most marketable player of his generation, earning around $12 million a year from endorsements according to Forbes.

Manning hasn't played since November 15, as he battles a torn plantar fascia in his left foot.

The allegations linking Manning to possible use of a banned drug are the biggest bombshell in a report that according to the Huffington Post also implicates other NFL players as well as some Major League Baseball players.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

WORLD SPORTS WRAP: Papelbon suspended, Broncos win again

Broncos tame Lions to make it 3-0 for season

The Denver Broncos have failed to reinvent themselves as a run-first team this season, yet their old Peyton Manning formula and a ferocious defense have them atop the NFL.

When new head coach Gary Kubiak arrived in Denver he vowed to emphasize the ground game to take pressure off his aging quarterback, but thus far his vision has not materialized.

The Broncos defeated the Detroit Lions 24-12 on Sunday and improved to 3-0 despite rushing for just 41 yards on the night. -- Reuters

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Nationals suspend Papelbon four games for Harper fight

The Washington Nationals on Monday suspended relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon for four games without pay a day after he grabbed teammate Bryce Harper by the neck during a dugout altercation in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The move means Papelbon, acquired from the Phillies in a July trade, has played his last game of the season in a Nationals uniform. The team also said Papelbon dropped his appeal of a separate three-game suspension issued by Major League Baseball (MLB) for hitting Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles with a pitch last Wednesday. -- Steve Ginsburg, Reuters

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Spieth claims PGA of America's player of year honors

Jordan Spieth added further accolades to an already stellar campaign on Monday when he was named winner of the PGA of America player of the year award and the Vardon Trophy for the lowest scoring average.

The 22-year-old American is the second youngest to capture both awards in the same year, following Tiger Woods who was 21 when he accomplished the feat in 1997. -- Reuters


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Sharapova's return from injury cut short by arm trouble

Maria Sharapova's return from injury after an almost three-month break was cut short on Monday after the world number three suffered an arm injury at the Wuhan Open in China.

The Russian, who missed the entire U.S. hardcourt season with a leg injury, was into a deciding set against Czech player Barbora Strycova when she called for the trainer.

Despite playing on for another couple of games she quit while leading 7-6(1) 6-7(4) 2-1. -- Reuters

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Super Bowl blowout leaves Manning legacy in question

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey - Peyton Manning confirmed his Hall of Fame credentials with another record-breaking season but his standing among the truly great quarterbacks remains uncertain after his Denver Broncos suffered a humiliating 43-8 Super Bowl loss on Sunday.

After collecting his fifth National Football League most valuable player award on Saturday, Manning's place in the Canton, Ohio shrine is assured but the heavy loss against the Seattle Seahawks has left a cloud over his legacy.

With one Super Bowl win in three attempts, his historical impact will be left for others to debate in the coming years but on Sunday, the only thing on Manning's mind was where it all went wrong.

"I think we played a great football team," the 37-year-old Manning told reporters. "We needed to play really well in order to win and we didn't come anywhere close to that.

"We weren't sharp offensively from the get go."

It was hardly a Hall of Fame worthy first quarter for Manning, who watched the opening snap sail over his head for a safety to put Denver in an early hole.

Manning, who tossed for a record 5,477 yards during the regular season, completed just two passes for five yards and an interception that the Seahawks turned into a touchdown and a 15-0 first quarter lead.

"The turnover on the first play of the game to give them a safety is not the way you want to start a game," Manning added. "For whatever reason, we couldn't get much going after that.

"Give Seattle credit, they are an excellent football team and they caused a lot of our mistakes.

"At the same time we just didn't play well."

The Denver offense managed just 11 net yards in a miserable opening quarter but the misfiring continued into the second when Manning was picked off by Seattle's Malcolm Smith, who returned the ball for a 69-yard touchdown.

The half ended with the highest scoring offense of all-time held scoreless by Seattle's top ranked defense and in a shocking 22-0 hole.

MOUNTING PRESSURE
The situation soon went from grave to terminal when Percy Harvin returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown, handing Manning an insurmountable 29-0 mountain to climb.

Manning tried, going to the air and completing 34-of-49 pass attempts for 280 yards, but it was not nearly enough to erase the deficit.

"We got behind early and never could make a run to catch up," he said. "We knew they were an excellent defense. They executed better than we did.

"Certainly to finish this way is very disappointing. It is not an easy pill to swallow, but eventually you have to."

Thirteen times Manning has taken teams to the playoffs but he has hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy just the once, a championship less than little brother Eli, who has twice led the New York Giants to NFL titles.

Two seasons on from missing a year due to neck surgeries, Manning produced a campaign for the ages, setting single season marks for touchdown passes (55) as well as yards.

With the Broncos tipped as Super Bowl favorites right from the start of season, Manning had been under mounting pressure to prove he can also get the job done when it counts and turn his record-smashing campaign into another Super Bowl title.

Manning continued to rewrite the record book at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, setting a Super Bowl record with 34 completions, but a second ring once again slipped through his fingers as Seattle's ferocious defense left the Broncos quarterback under pressure and flustered.

"He's disappointed like all of us but he had a tremendous year," Denver head coach John Fox added. "I told him he had a great season, a record-breaking season and he just came up a little short tonight." (Editing by John O'Brien)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com