Sports
Masters isn’t the same with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson missing from Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Tiger Woods is everywhere and nowhere at Augusta National this week.
In the wake of last month’s rollover car accident and DUI charge, the five-time Masters winner has stepped away from golf indefinitely and reportedly could be receiving treatment in Switzerland for an addiction to painkillers.
“He’s not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well,” fellow competitor Jason Day said. “He’s had 25 to 30-something surgeries, and when you’re going through that many procedures, it’s painful coming out of those procedures. I’ve had procedures done and I typically try and stay away from all that stuff because I just know that — painkillers, there can potentially be a downfall to it.”
Harris English, playing in his seventh Masters, said he took an interest in golf after watching Woods at Augusta in 1997.
“I know he’s going to get through this,” English said. “He has a big fight ahead of him. He’s a fighter. That’s what he does. He’s going to get through it and come out a better man and a better person. We hope to see him soon.”
This marks the first time since 1994 that neither Woods nor Phil Mickelson is playing in the Masters. Mickelson announced last week that he was pulling out of the tournament because of a “personal health matter” in his family.
In one sense, it’s the end of a storied era. But it might be more on the minds of the patrons than the other competitors in the field.
“With great respect to those two players, I hadn’t thought about it,” said Justin Rose, who lost to Rory McIlroy in a Masters playoff last year. “Yeah, they’ve both been obviously titans of the game for the last three decades. Clearly in a tournament like this, if you’re a past champion, you get an opportunity to come back — whether they’re 1,000 in the world or 500 in the world or whatever current rankings may be, their stature is way more elevated than that in the game of golf and always will be.
“Yeah, it’s always a loss to not have either of them in a field anywhere. To your point, I hadn’t noticed it yet. Therefore, we’re all kind of in our own lane, so to speak.”
Phil Mickelson tees off during the U.S. Open in June 2025.
(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)
Two-time Masters winner Bubba Watson said in the case of Woods, golf isn’t — and shouldn’t be — part of the discussion.
“I [couldn’t] care less about Tiger’s golf,” Watson said. “I’ve always been in his ear. I told him that I wanted to be here for his next major. I was here in ’19. We were in the champions locker and I made a lot of the champions come down to congratulate him. That was very emotional.
“I told him from Day 1 that we started hanging out back in ‘06, ‘07, somewhere in there, that I’m pulling for him as a human being — forget his golf.”
Woods, 50, was arrested March 27 on Jupiter Island, Fla., following a two-car rollover crash. Deputies said they found two hydrocodone pills in his pocket and noticed he was lethargic and sweating profusely. He recently underwent his seventh back surgery.
“When I look at that, I look at it and go, he’s just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles,” Day said. “It’s unfortunate. The only thing that I don’t understand is that it’s a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way as well. But when you’re the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything, and that’s probably why he’s probably driving a little under the influence.”
Day said it’s most important for Woods to know he has so many people pulling for him.
“It must be tough to be isolated the way he is normally,” he said. “He stays at home pretty much most of the time, doesn’t really get out too much just because of how popular he is as a person. And then when you’re at home, it’s just difficult. Sometimes you don’t have people around — loving people around enough — to be able to steer you in the direction that you need to.
“Golf misses him. We miss him here this week. It’s always better when he’s playing golf tournaments because we love having him around. So it’s a little bit sad to not have him here this week.”
Sports
Knicks crush Cavaliers in Game 2, take commanding 2-0 lead in series behind Josh Hart’s career night
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The New York Knicks didn’t need a historic comeback to take Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
Instead, it was a dominant victory in regulation, 109-93, as the Knicks take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series to Cleveland this weekend.
There was no hangover for the Cavaliers to begin the game, as they owned a 27-24 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Knicks found their way into the lead by halftime.
Josh Hart of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
It was the third quarter where New York started to pull away, getting the lead up to 18 points as the Madison Square Garden crowd went ballistic. The Knicks went on an 18-0 run at one point as well, which was reminiscent of Game 1’s fourth-quarter comeback.
However, Cleveland wasn’t letting off the gas despite the deficit. The Cavaliers cut the 18-point lead in half with around 8:30 left in the fourth quarter, as New York struggled to buy a basket.
KNICKS STORM BACK TO SHOCK CAVS IN GAME 1 AS JAMES HARDEN’S DEFENSIVE PLAY COMES UNDER SCRUTINY
But once OG Anunoby knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing, things were back to normal for the Knicks crowd.
Mikal Bridges, who had a stellar night on both ends of the floor, hit a wide-open three with 6:12 remaining in the fourth that got the lead back up to 13 for the Knicks, and they would coast from there.
Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks celebrates after making a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Jalen Brunson, the team’s All-Star point guard, was phenomenal in the comeback on Tuesday night, dropping 38 points. But Cleveland made their game plan known right away in this matchup, putting pressure on him to the point where he’d be giving up the rock in double-teams.
As a result, the Cavaliers were fine with Josh Hart taking shots instead. While the plan seemed to work in the first half a bit, Hart found his groove in the second and set a new career high with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-11 from three-point range. He also got on the board with seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Brunson tallied 19 points and dished out a playoff career-high 14 assists for New York. And once again, Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, playing efficiently for Mike Brown’s Knicks.
With the lead back up to 18 for the Knicks, all starters were pulled with under two minutes to play, as the crowd gave their squad a standing ovation for a job well done.
The Knicks shot 52% from the field and only saw 14 foul shots all game long, but they held the Cavaliers to just 39% shooting as a team. Cleveland also failed to capitalize on key free throws late in the game, as they were in the bonus with over nine minutes to play. As a team, they shot just 69% (22-of-32) from the charity stripe.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks dribbles against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden in New York City on May 21, 2026. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Evan Mobley also had 14 points in the first half, but he curiously didn’t take a single shot in the second half for Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell matched Hart’s 26 points, though he shot 8-of-18. James Harden also went 6-of-15 for 18 points.
With the win, the Knicks have now won nine straight playoff games.
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SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
(Games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
Semifinals
DIVISION 1
La Habra at Etiwanda
JSerra at Norco
DIVISION 2
Whittier Christian at St. Paul
San Clemente at Mater Dei
DIVISION 3
North Torrance at Great Oak
Riverside Prep at Dos Pueblos
DIVISION 4
Oxnard at Monrovia
Burbank Burroughs at Mission Viejo
DIVISION 5
Patriot at Grace
Covina at Northwood
DIVISION 6
Granite Hills at Irvine
Hesperia Christian at Arroyo
DIVISION 7
Ramona Convent at Faith Baptist
Cathedral City at Edgewood
DIVISION 8
San Bernardino at Workman
Capistrano Valley Christian at Arroyo Valley
Note: Finals May 28-30 at Bill Barber Memorial Park, Irvine.
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William Davis, the football player for the Sam Houston State Bearkats who transferred to the school after playing one year with the West Virginia Mountaineers, reportedly died from a gunshot wound to the chest.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia said it’s unclear whether it’s a homicide, and that the manner of Davis’ death is pending, according to TMZ.
Sam Houston State head coach Phil Longo released a statement on Sunday confirming the 22-year-old’s death.
William Davis participating in spring workouts at Sam Houston State. (Sam Houston State University)
“It is with heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of Will Davis,” Longo said in a statement. “Will was a beloved member of our Bearkat football family here at Sam Houston who touched the lives of everyone he knew.
“Will was an upbeat, positive, passionate young man who will be sincerely missed. Tanya, the kids and I are praying for Will’s family during this difficult time.”
Davis began his college career at Virginia Union, playing 19 games and recording five interceptions and one touchdown. Following the 2024 season, he transferred to West Virginia and played in one game for them.
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Former Western Virginia Mountaineers defensive back William Davis died in May 2026. (West Virginia University)
Davis graduated from West Virginia with a master of science in sports management in 2025. He was set to compete for a roster spot at Sam Houston State, and said the campus felt like home.
“Sam Houston felt like home from the moment I first set foot on campus,” he said, via Nilson Sports. “As a Virginia kid that had played every snap of football in my life within driving distance of home, it was important to me that I’d play somewhere where I fit seamlessly into the culture if I was going to be so distant geographically.”
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“The ability to play for Coach Dovonte Edwards, someone with experience playing in the NFL that can show me the blueprint of what it looks like to become the type of player who can achieve success at the highest level, was a motivating factor for me as well.”
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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