GOLF
Tiger Woods chose surgery to heal his ailing back over a quest for another green jacket, announcing Tuesday that he will miss the Masters for the first time in his career.
Woods said on his website that he had surgery Monday in Utah for a pinched nerve that had been hurting him for several months, knowing the surgery would keep him from Augusta National next week for the first time since he was a senior in high school.
The No. 1 player in the world is a four-time Masters champion.
“After attempting to get ready for the Masters, and failing to make the necessary progress, I decided in consultation with my doctors to have this procedure done, Woods said. “I’d like to express my disappointment to the Augusta National membership, staff, volunteers and patrons that I will not be at the Masters. “
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PRO FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Redskins made their biggest move yet of the offseason Tuesday night, adding three-time Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson less than a week days after the dynamic playmaker was released by the rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Jackson’s publicist tweeted that Jackson was signing with the Redskins following two days of meeting with coaches and officials.
Jackson set career-highs with 82 catches for 1,332 yards last season for the NFC East champion Eagles, but Philadelphia tried to trade him and then cut him last week amid reports of off-the-field concerns. Jackson issued a statement denying he was associated with street gangs.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - The doctor treating Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for cancer says Kelly will start chemotherapy and radiation next week.
The treatment plan was outlined Tuesday by Dr. Peter Costantino of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where the longtime Buffalo Bills star is being treated for a sinus cancer.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UConn and Notre Dame have been on a collision course all season for what would be an unprecedented national championship game.
Now the two unbeaten teams are each one victory away from a showdown in Music City. Standing in the way of that historic matchup are Maryland and Stanford.
The Cardinal dispatched North Carolina 74-65 Tuesday and will face the top-seeded Huskies in the Final Four in Nashville, Tenn. The Irish will play the Terrapins, who upset Louisville 76-73 in Tuesday’s early game. Both games Sunday are rematches from earlier in the season.
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Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford, Breanna Stewart of UConn and Odyssey Sims of Baylor are unanimous choices for The Associated Press women’s basketball All-America team.
The three are joined on the squad Tuesday by Maryland’s Alyssa Thomas and Notre Dame’s Kayla McBride.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - Notre Dame forward Natalie Achonwa will miss the Final Four with a left knee injury, a big blow to the national championship hopes of the Fighting Irish.
Coach Muffet McGraw said Achonwa tore her anterior cruciate ligament in Notre Dame’s 88-69 victory over Baylor on Monday night, calling it devastating for the senior but not for the title hopes of the Irish (36-0).
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Marquette found its replacement for Buzz Williams in Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching tree.
The Golden Eagles introduced Duke assistant Steve Wojciechowski as their next men’s basketball coach Tuesday, with Krzyzewski’s long-time right-hand man saying he wants to follow his mentor’s lead while bringing his new program to similar heights.
RUSTON, La. (AP) - Louisiana Tech hired Tyler Summitt, the son of former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, to take over the Lady Techsters.
The university has scheduled the formal introduction for the 23-year-old Summitt on Wednesday at noon.
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BASEBALL
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw won’t be ready to come off the disabled list when he’s eligible to be activated on April 14, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said Tuesday.
“This thing is going to take some time,” Mattingly said before the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres.
The Dodgers said that after consultation with Dr. Neal ElAttrache and a review of an MRI scan, Kershaw will be placed on a rehab that includes a submaximal throwing program for the next two to three weeks. He will then be re-evaluated by ElAttrache to determine when he can start throwing at increased velocity.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama welcomed the World Series champion Red Sox to the White House, praising their triumph on the field while hailing them as a symbol of their city’s “grit and resilience” in the wake of last year’s Boston Marathon bombing.
Not all of the ceremonial greeting was quite so serious. David Ortiz, Boston’s best-known player, presented the president with a Red Sox jersey emblazoned with “Obama” and the number 44 on the back, then promptly took a cellphone picture of himself and the chief executive. “What an honor, thanks for the #selfie @BarackObama” he quickly tweeted.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Los Angeles Angels hitting coach Don Baylor had surgery on his broken right leg after getting hurt while catching the ceremonial first pitch on opening day.
Baylor had a plate and screws inserted in his leg during 5½ hours of surgery at UC Irvine Medical Center.
Manager Mike Scioscia has no idea how long Baylor will be out of uniform.
NEW YORK (AP) - Mets closer Bobby Parnell has a partially torn elbow ligament after just 25 pitches this season and might need surgery.
The injury means 36-year-old Jose Valverde is likely to take over as closer for now in an already thin bullpen. Valverde, a three-time All-Star, has struggled with control in recent years.
NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Baseball says spring training games drew a record average of 8,078 fans, up 7.3 percent from last year’s 7,527.
The previous mark of 7,793 had been set in 2008.
SNOWBOARDING
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service says it supports one of the last U.S. ski resorts to prohibit snowboarding in a court battle over a ban that snowboarders call discriminatory.
The decision by the Alta ski area to promote a snowboarder-free experience to lure skiers and keep them safe is a rational rule that violates no constitutional rights, attorneys for the Forest Service said in court arguments filed this week.
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