A ‘Drained’ Tiger Woods Pulls Out of Tournament

A frantic five-week run in which Tiger Woods won the U.S. Amateur, turned pro with golf’s richest endorsement deal and played 408 holes at 63 under par ended Wednesday when he withdrew from the Buick Challenge, saying he needed to rest.

“The past five weeks have been the most challenging of my life and at the same time the most physically and emotionally draining,” Woods, 20, said in a statement released by his agent.

“I came here fully intending to play in the Buick Challenge. I realized last night that I was actually mentally exhausted and that if I played I would be doing a disservice to myself and to those who came to watch me play.”

The Buick Challenge begins today in Pine Mountain, Ga., 70 miles southwest of Atlanta.

Woods has won $140,194 and is 128th on the money list, guaranteeing unlimited sponsor exemptions for 1997. He is within easy striking distance of the top-125 finish needed to earn his full-time PGA Tour card.

“I am going to rest for the remainder of this week,” Woods said.

Woods had committed to play in the Las Vegas Invitational next week and the Texas Open the week after.

Jurisprudence

Old Dominion basketball player Joe Bunn, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder last season, was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery after his former girlfriend, Holly Rivers, told university police that Bunn repeatedly punched her during an argument over a recent break-up early Monday. Bunn has dropped out of school.

Heavyweight Tommy Morrison, who last week announced his return to boxing, was scheduled for a hearing today in his hometown of Jay, Okla., on a misdemeanor charge of transporting a loaded .22-caliber pistol in his car.

Pro Basketball

The Phoenix Suns traded Elliot Perry to the Milwaukee Bucks for reserve Marty Conlon and a conditional first-round draft pick. . . . The Philadelphia 76ers signed forward Mark Hendrickson, the team’s second-round pick from Washington State. Terms were not disclosed. . . . The Miami Heat signed free-agent forward Ed Pinckney, an 11-year veteran who finished last season with Philadelphia. . . . Boston swingman Greg Minor suffered a stress fracture in his right foot while working out and will be sidelined six to eight weeks.

The New York Times reported that the 1998 NBA All-Star game will be held at Madison Square Garden. The 1997 All-Star game will be held in Cleveland on Feb. 9.

Tennis

Playing in his first tournament since winning the U.S. Open, top-ranked Pete Sampras struggled to a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 victory over German qualifier Alex Radulescu in the $1-million Swiss Indoors at Basel, Switzerland. Second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia, however, was upset, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, by German qualifier David Prinosil.

College Sports

The Miami of Ohio board of trustees voted to drop the Redskin nickname the school has used for 68 years.