MIAMI — Tiger Woods had the crowd roaring, but rookie Corey Conners held his nerve to stay one stroke ahead of the former world number one after three rounds of the Valspar Championship.

Woods, playing his fourth US PGA Tour event since returning in January from spinal fusion surgery last April, fired a four-under par 67 that left him tied for second on eight-under 205 alongside former US Open champion Justin Rose of England and American Brandt Snedeker.

They’re chasing Conners, who carded a 68 for 204 to maintain the lead he has held since the first round.

But once again Woods was the center of attention, and after years of battling injury he gave his fans what they wanted to see.

“The environment was incredible,” Woods said of the boisterous gallery that followed him. “People were into it… it’s been incredible.”

“I’ve played myself right there into contention, so it should be a fun Sunday,” said the 14-time major champion, who is chasing an 80^th US PGA Tour title.

The 42-year-old, who has spoken of playing with a “new body” after the fusion surgery, swung with a clubhead speed measured as the fastest in the field.

His sharp short game was on full display when he chipped in for birdie from 30 feet away in the greenside rough at the par-four ninth, his ball rolling neatly into the middle of the cup.

“Nine was good,” Woods said. “It rolled in just like a putt, which was nice.

Woods hasn’t been in this good a position to add to his total since he finished tied for 10^th at the Wyndham Championship in August of 2015, and he hasn’t lifted a trophy since the 2013 World Golf Championships Bridgestone Invitational.

After his birdies at the ninth and 10^th, Woods was tied with Conners for the lead.

He couldn’t convert birdie opportunities from within eight feet on his next two holes, and his lone bogey of the day at 13 saw him briefly drop three behind Conners — who had just made his sixth birdie of the day at 12.

Woods responded in style, blazing a drive 327 yards at the par-five 14^th to set up a birdie that put him back at eight-under.

CONNERS RELAXED
Conners bogeyed 16 to see his lead shrink.

But he got up and down for par from a bunker at 17, and when his ball moved slightly on the 18^th green he stayed calm, consulted a rules official and finished out with a par.

“I tried to get relaxed as early as possible and fortunately got off to a good start and kind of settled me down nicely,” Conners said. “Kept things pretty solid throughout the round.”

Woods will play in the penultimate group on Sunday alongside Snedeker who also carded a 67 while Rose fired a five-under 66 — highlighted by an eagle at the 11^th — to reach eight-under.

Rose said his eagle “ignited things” for him. He rolled in a 20-foot birdie at the 12th and added another at 15.

“I putted really, really well on the back nine,” Rose said. “Every putt I had I thought it was going to go in.”

But even playing in a different group, Rose was aware of the electricity surrounding Woods.

“We’ve been hearing it all week,” Rose said. “I think two or three times on the golf course our paths crossed, there’s a lot more fuss going on the periphery.” — AFP

THE Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) welcomed a new partner for the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup after it inked a partnership deal with Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI) last week.

In ceremonies held at the Solaire Resort and Casino on Friday, March 9, officials of both the PBA and Honda, along with executives of Cignal TV and some local basketball stars, formalized their banding together in presenting the next conference of the local professional hoops league which will begin next month.

Through the partnership, the two groups hope to draw from each other’s strengths as brands in forwarding their respective thrusts as organizations.

“Basketball has been a part of the Philippine culture and the Filipinos’ love for the sport is nothing short of amazing. We hope that through this partnership, HPI can extend its support to Filipino talents, especially in the PBA league,” said HPI President Daiki Mihara at the partnership launch.

“We want to expand our sizeable foothold in the Philippines as a market leader in the motorcycle industry, by innovating technologies that improve the quality of life. We also see the value of partnering with institutions like the PBA especially that our motorcycles appeal to the young and active fans of the league,” added the HPI official.

As part of the deal, Honda will be the title sponsor of the Commissioner’s Cup with the company’s branding and “The Power of Dreams” campaign prominently featured during broadcast of games.

These are apart from other planned activations by Honda throughout the duration of the tournament which are designed to further enhance fan experience. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

THE National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) will hold the Mindanao leg of the 2018 National Age Group Chess Championships set March 23-25 at the Baywalk Hotel in Mati City, Davao Oriental that will serve as a qualifying tournament for the ASEAN Chess Championship in Davao City this June.

Organized by Chess Events Internationale, the three-day event will be divided in 10 categories — the 20-and-Under for girls and boys, 18-Under for girls and boys, 16-Under for girls and boys, 14-Under for girls and boys, 12-Under for girls and boys, 10-Under girls and boys and 8-Under girls and boys.

“We are honored to have been given the chance to host this event, which is the very first of its kind to be held here in our city,” said Mati City Mayor Carlo Rabat.

The winners of each divisions will advance straight to the ASEAN Chess Championship where FIDE Master titles and International Master norms are at stake.

Cash prizes and medals will also be up for grabs for the top 10 finishers in each category.

PBA LEGEND Marlou Aquino has been proving to become the most seasoned “Kuya” among the members of the Bulacan quintet, which continued to roll in the ongoing MPBL-Anta Rajah Cup.

The Ligo Sardines-backed Bulacan Kuyas walloped the Valenzuela Classic-Yulz, 92-83, to extend their winning streak to four on Saturday night at the Olivarez Sports Complex in Parañaque City.

Now the hottest team in the tournament put up by Senator Manny Pacquiao with former PBA MVP Kenneth Duremdes serving as commissioner, Bulacan’s four straight wins catapulted the squad in a three-way tie for second places along with its victim and the Quezon City Capitals-Royal Manila, all carrying 5-3 win-loss records.

“We’re now rediscovering our winning attitude,” said Bulacan coach Chris Baluyot, who guided the Kuyas to the preseason championship. “It would be difficult to have a losing skid, but our winning mentality in the preseason is back.”

JR Taganas and Stephen Siruma both played a career game in leading the Kuyas to their latest triumph.

The hard working, beefy front-liner finished with 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Mr. Siruma contributed 17 markers.

Mr. Aquino, the 6-foot-9, former Rookie of the Year, played quality minutes anew, scoring six points and blocking two shots.

Bulacan’s victory overshadowed Parañaque’s second win in a row.

The Gamboa Coffee-backed Patriots edged the Imus Bandera-GLC Truck and Services, 79-77, for their first home win.

The breathtaking, down-the-wire encounter that saw both teams exchanging leads six times had to be decided until the final buzzer sounded.

Orly Daroya’s tip-in had to be reviewed by game officials, but in the end, decided to nullified the basket as it came a split second late, allowing the Patriots to escape with the win. The loss was the sixth in eight games for the Bandera, who are now on the brink of elimination.

The Patriots got a big lift from ex-PBA players Harold Arboleda and Juneric Baloria in snapping the Bandera’s two-game run.

Mr. Arboleda, who played briefly for the NLEX Road Warriors in the PBA, came away with a double-double performance of 12 points and 15 rebounds, allowing the Patriots to notch their second consecutive win to forge a tie for sixth to seventh places with the Navotas Clutch-Big J Sports with the same 4-4 win-loss record.

Mr. Baloria, who played alongside Mr. Arboleda with the Perpetual Help Altas in the NCAA, contributed only five markers, but his go-ahead three-pointer in the 1:42 mark of the final period put the Patriots on top, 78-77.

Parañaque head coach Aric del Rosario, who used to handle Messrs. Arboleda and Baloria in the NCAA, was happy to see his old wards stepping up big.

The two hard-fought wins of Parañaque, according to Mr. Del Rosario, was a product of hardwork. — Rey Joble