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1. Tigers vulnerabilityA good bit of soul searching and honest reflection went into Tiger Woods decision to skip last weeks Safeway Open with the rare admission that his game was vulnerable, causing the golf world to shutter.Now after more than a week has passed to allow all that to absorb, perhaps the good to come out of all of this is that Woods has finally allowed himself to lower his own expectations with a hint to the masses that they should follow.This comeback was never going to be easy, regardless of the time, place or state of Woods game. Two back procedures in consecutive months followed by no meaningful golf for six more? More than a years worth of professional golf events played without him? The lost practice time? The toll that it takes mentally?All of that adds up to a healthy dose of perspective as it relates to how Woods will look when he does come back, which he now hopes will be the Hero World Challenge in December. Nobody, himself included, can possibly expect to see any semblance of the Tiger who ruled golf for so long, and that apparently is sinking in with him.Of course, that wont stop us from wanting to see every bit of it, with comments and conjecture and analysis coming from every single angle. It is the downside to being Tiger, and perhaps the reason he is reluctant to return: He knows he is being judged by his past.But if Woods can lower his expectations -- still a big if -- then others should as well. Numerous observers, including players who have undergone back surgery, have commented that returning to any level of competitive golf, let alone the highest, is going to take time.So Woods first tournament back, whether it be the Hero World Challenge or some event in 2017, should not be viewed as some sort of referendum on his game and his future. Its only one tournament, and it might just be the beginning of what is a slow, frustrating process.2. Reinventing TigerIf you happened to catch any of the video that made the rounds last week from a clinic Woods conducted near Pebble Beach, it wasnt hard to notice a golf swing that looked serviceable but one that was far from full speed. You can make too much out of such a thing -- he was giving a clinic, after all -- but it does make you wonder if Woods can play the game differently than the way we are used to seeing.In other words, can he dial it back? Can he better manage his game and not be worried about distance? Can he be effective in that manner while perhaps lessening the physical toll?When Woods was seemingly at his lowest point during last years World Challenge -- unclear when a comeback might take place, if at all -- he addressed how he might reshape his game.If I dont hit it as far, hopefully hit more fairways, Woods said. Understand how to play more iron shots into the correct spots. Ive learned a few more shots around the greens in the past couple years. Implement those in my short game. Putting ... some of the things I was working on at the end of (2015) were starting to click. Its putting all those things together. The game is so fluid. Thats the thing I need to be aware of going forward.In essence, Woods was talking about reinventing himself. Whether he really believes that, or will seek to follow that path, is purely conjecture. It could be that is part of his game plan now as he attempts to return.3. The Tiger clinicHere is how Woods looked on Oct. 11 during a clinic he gave for his foundation at Monterey Peninsula Country Club.4. The Parnevik interviewJesper Parneviks quotes in which he said Woods was flushing it when he saw him earlier this year at The Medalist in South Florida appear in the November issue of Golf Digest. The magazine created a bit of a stir two weeks ago when its website excerpted those quotes in which Parnevik said Woods was flushing everything and that regarding his comeback something tells me this might be spectacular.It heightened the chatter as Woods sought to come back, but Parnevik said in an interview last week that he had seen Woods play in May and that the interview had taken place months ago. I thought his swing was great, Parnevik said. With all the injuries he had been through, his back, he looked really good. But I never saw him all summer. I wish I had more to update.The entire interview with Parnevik is now posted.5. The Phil pairingMuch has been made of Woods being grouped with Phil Mickelson for the first two rounds of the Safeway Open. Such an early-round pairing on the PGA Tour of the longtime rivals had been rare, and some saw it as another reason for Woods to withdraw: He didnt need to be shown up by Mickelson.None other than Mickelson himself squashed that theory. Last week during the Safeway Open, Mickelson acknowledged that he and Woods had spoken about the grouping during the Ryder Cup, and that Tiger was fully on board. He noted that the PGA Tour came to both parties and asked if it would be OK.And it should be pointed out that there would have been no shame in Woods shooting a higher scorer than Mickelson, as tough as it might have been for him to take: It occurred numerous times when they played together over the years.6. Long time comingThe World Golf Hall of Fame announced its latest inductees, who will officially become part of the Class of 2017, and the big question is what took so long for Ian Woosnam? The Welshman will join Davis Love III, Lorena Ochoa, Meg Mallon and writer/broadcaster Henry Longhurst.Woosnam was part of Europes Big Five along with Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Bernhard Langer and Sandy Lyle. All contributed to the European Ryder Cup resurgence. All won major championships. And all are in the Hall of Fame -- with Woosnam finally joining the others. He had 59 worldwide wins, including 29 on the European Tour, and won the 1991 Masters.7. The PGA Tours Asia SwingA new event in South Korea next fall will bring to three the number of events being staged in Asia as part of the official PGA Tour schedule. This weeks CIMB Classic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and next weeks WGC-HSBC Champions in China have been officially part of the schedule for the past few years, and now a third option is set to come on board.The Associated Press reported that the PGA Tour will announce the details next week and it is in keeping with the tours desire to enter the Asian market. What will be interesting to see is how the event fits into the already diverse fall schedule that sees the tour this year go from Napa, California, to Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai (with an opposite event in Mississippi) to Las Vegas, to Cancun, Mexico, and then to Sea Island, Georgia.8. This seems kind of cruelDavid Howell hit a pretty good shot during the second round of the British Masters last week on the par-3 13th, one that appeared headed toward the hole.9. Quote of the WeekLeave it to Phil Mickelson to sum things up when asked last week if he expected to be a player on the 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup team, when he will be 48 years old.Its been 22 years since there have been 10 Americans that have been able to beat me [to make the team] so I dont know why it would stop now, he said. I plan on being on the team in France and absolutely one of my goals is to play in France because Ive never been on a winning Ryder Cup team over in Europe. I want to win a Ryder Cup over there and I want to be part of that as a player. Malik Beasley Nuggets Jersey . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Denver Nuggets Jerseys . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-jarred-vanderbilt-nuggets-jersey/ . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Allen Iverson Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Thomas Welsh Nuggets Jersey . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. South Africa came through their first outing with the pink ball without any problems in their tour match at the Adelaide Oval. In preparation for their first day-night Test, South Africas batsmen spent 133.5 overs facing the pink ball and their centurion Quinton de Kock explained that it was not as tricky as they thought it would be.I didnt find any difference, de Kock said. I am not one to overthink it. A ball is a ball. I just play the way I should be playing in that situation, its no difference to me.De Kock warned spectators not to read too much into the performances. It doesnt bother me whether I score a duck or a hundred. To me a warm-up game and a net is the same thing. When it comes to game time and focus time, I like to contribute where I can, he said.De Kock only batted in the first innings and scored 122 of 103 balls. Hashim Amla (51), JP Duminy (97) and Rilee Rossouw (77 in the second innings) also got comfortable, but openers Dean Elgar and Stephen Cook, and the captain Faf du Plessis did not capitalise on their starts. They will have a second opportunity to get their eyes in, when South Africa play another day-night practice match in Melbourne before the third Test, which will be played with the pink ball.For de Kock, the two things that stood out were not different from what he faces in any other game. Early on, I found it a little difficult but I think that is part of any cricket, white ball or red baall, he said.ddddddddddddI also found the outfield quite slow. Normally, you play on a square back home so its easier to hit the boundaries. With a drop-in pitch, hitting boundaries was a bit harder.De Kock also played down the difficulty of batting during the twilight period, when natural light is replaced by artificial light. I thought it was quite nice during the twilight period, actually, he said.That period was also when South Africas bowlers found it best to use the pink ball. It seems to nip around when the lights come on but not so much during the day, fast bowler Kyle Abbott said. There was a bit of grass on this wicket. Not a huge amount of swing, just a bit more nip off the surface.Abbott joked that the South African team thought they had not seen that much grass on a surface in the last seven years, and that he would not mind if a similar amount was left for the Tests, albeit of a slightly greener variety.The ground staff may have to do something like that because the pink balls reputation for early deterioration remains. After 15 overs or so, it [the ball] started to peel, Abbott said.South Africas five quicks bowled in short spells and took two wickets each to end their first warm-up successfully. Tabraiz Shamsi, the only spinner, bowled only three overs without any wickets. ' ' '