Security enhanced in case Tiger is in clinic
JACKSON, Miss. — Police and hospital security patrolled the streets. Property owners asked for quiet. One business owner told of a photographer offering big money just to stand on his roof and snap pictures on the odd chance Tiger Woods appeared.
Whether or not Woods was in a Hattiesburg sex addiction clinic, neighbors made one thing clear Thursday: They want the paparazzi out.
One day after a celebrity Web site posted what it said were the National Enquirer's first photos of Woods since his Nov. 27 car crash — and they sure looked like golf's No. 1 player — authorities beefed up protection at the Pine Grove Behavorial Health and Addiction Services.
Most obvious was a 100-foot stretch of fence at the rear of the compound, which had been raised by 5 feet to some 13 feet. Hattiesburg police and officers from Forrest General Hospital, which owns the clinic, were cruising in marked and unmarked cars, and they approached reporters who showed up.
The heightened security — even though there has been no confirmation that Woods is even at Pine Grove — at least made sure photographers would not have the same view as the one who snapped pictures of the man who resembled Woods.
Weather postpones Bob Hope 2nd round
LA QUINTA, Calif. — Heavy rains forced the postponement of the second round of the Bob Hope Classic on Thursday, wiping out a day of competition at the tournament for the first time in 30 years.
The latest wave of Southern California's major rainstorms hit the Palm Springs area Wednesday afternoon and scarcely let up Thursday morning, with water pooling on greens and fairways. The area already has received 2 inches of rain this week — a rarity in the deserts east of Los Angeles.
The ducks loved it, but the players had no chance. With better weather in the forecast for Friday and the weekend, tournament organizers quickly decided to scrap Thursday's play.
The Hope Classic is the PGA Tour's only five-day, four-course event, giving the tournament extra time to make up Thursday's lost round. The tournament hadn't been interrupted by rain since the opening round of the 1980 tournament, which was suspended and completed the next day.
Cubs closing in on deal to stay in Arizona
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs are closing in on an agreement to keep their spring training home in Mesa, Ariz., for the next 25 years after the city proposed building a new $84 million facility that would include a 15,000-seat ballpark.
The Cubs received the proposal Thursday, and a decision is expected by the end of the month.
—Deseret News staff and wire reports