Sports News Roundup: Wayward DeChambeau escapes with an opening 70; Silent Masters still special to players and more

Woods makes hot start to Masters title defence, Casey leads Defending champion Tiger Woods tied his best-ever opening round at the Masters and was three shots behind clubhouse leader Paul Casey on Thursday before play was suspended at Augusta National Golf Club due to darkness.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Athletics: Integrity Unit appeals decision to clear world champion Eid Naser

The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) has appealed against a decision to clear world 400 metres champion Salwa Eid Naser of committing an anti-doping violation by missing out-of-competition tests, it said on Thursday. The global athletics watchdog, which brought the initial case against the 22-year-old, said on Twitter that it would challenge the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Doping: U.S. warns WADA to mind its own business

The United States warned the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to keep out of its sovereign affairs on Thursday, refusing to remove the threat of pulling funding from the body unless reforms it demands are enacted. Both WADA and U.S. officials expressed the need for cooperation and dialogue during a virtual Foundation Board meeting but it was clear WADA is taking the threat seriously, saying it had prepared two budgets for 2021, one that includes U.S. funding and another that does not.

Wayward DeChambeau escapes with an opening 70

Bryson DeChambeau smashed his tee shots massive distances but found his share of trouble en route to a two-under-par 70 in the opening round at the Masters on Thursday. Deciding against using the 48-inch driver he had been tinkering with on practice days, DeChambeau instead stayed with the more standard 45.5-inch shaft that he wielded so brilliantly to win the recent U.S. Open by six strokes.

Golf: Westwood says Augusta gives 'older guys' a shot at major glory

Veteran golfer Lee Westwood said Augusta National rewards experience and that his busy schedule heading into this year's Masters puts him in prime position to capture his elusive first major title this week. The 47-year-old Englishman mixed five birdies on the front nine with a bogey on the back for a four-under 68 to sit three strokes back of leader Paul Casey in the darkness-suspended first round of the tournament.

Silent Masters still special to players

There is something uniquely different about playing in silence at Augusta National, even for professional golfers who have quickly adjusted to life without spectators since the PGA Tour resumed in June after a three-month coronavirus shutdown. Without the famous gallery roars that usually echo through the pines and are inextricably linked to many famous moments at the Masters, there was no way of guessing what was happening on other parts of the course in the first round on Thursday.

Champion Tsitsipas in Nadal's group at ATP Finals

Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas was placed in the same round-robin group as Rafa Nadal when the draw for the ATP Finals was made in London on Thursday. The Greek will also face Austria's U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem, who he beat in last year's final, and Russian debutant Andrey Rublev in the London group.

Amateur Ogletree has something to crow about at Masters

Amateur Andy Ogletree's Masters debut was relatively serene on Thursday, played without the fans that rocked Augusta National with roars he witnessed on TV as a kid growing up in Mississippi. "I can't imagine what it's normally like, with all the big crowds," the 22-year-old told reporters on Thursday. "But I definitely had a lot of nerves.

Woods makes hot start to Masters title defence, Casey leads

Defending champion Tiger Woods tied his best-ever opening round at the Masters and was three shots behind clubhouse leader Paul Casey on Thursday before play was suspended at Augusta National Golf Club due to darkness. Five-times Masters champion Woods, who had struggled for form in 2020, suddenly looked revived and in command on his familiar Augusta National stomping ground as he carded a four-under-par 68.

Red Sox P Rodriguez: Will be 100 percent by start of season

Boston Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez said Thursday that he will be fully recovered from a heart issue tied to his COVID-19 battle when the 2021 season commences. The 27-year-old Rodriguez missed the 2020 season due to his health issues, which included being diagnosed with myocarditis (heart inflammation) in July.

U.S. players send anti-racism messages before Wales draw

The United States men's team stepped on to the pitch for their first international match since February with personalised anti-racism messages emblazoned on their training jackets. Gregg Berhalter's team wore the jackets during the national anthems ahead of Thursday's friendly against Wales at Swansea and both teams took a knee before kickoff in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.