fwmm 3B SPORTS/The Charlotte Post Thursday, January 16, 1997 Woods wins third professional golf tournament m nme Goes over $1 million mark after beating Tom Lehman Continued from IB no pressure on him,” he added, clearly disgusted with his own poor shot. “I hit it a little hi^ on the dub face. The wind cau^t it and it went in the water.” Woods, who said he played con servatively all week because he was rusty lack of competi tion, got better with each round. He opened with a 70, foDowed it with a 67 and then shot a 65 on Saturday when he dosed with four consecutive birdies to tie Lehman and get in the playoff. Lehman was equally briUiant, putting together roimds of 66,67 and 69. Both players were clearly dis appointed that Simda/s antid- pated showdown was washed out. Friday night, Lehman was voted player of the year by PGA Tbur members and Woods was voted rookie of the year. Td rather have played,” Track is Cavs’ claim to fame Woods said. “You don’t want any thing given to you. You want to earn it.” Woods’ sensational shot helped ease the disappointment of the highly antidpated but washed- out final-roimd matchup. And it gave Woods yet another opportu- nily to show his remarkable abil ity to rise to any challenge. “I go out there trying to win each and every tournament,” Woods said. And at times it seems like he might be able to do just that. In his nine tourna ments as a professional, he has finished six times in the top five. Asked if he was smprised by winning a third time so quickly. Woods shook his head slowly and said: “No, only because it is what I set out to do — win eveiy tournament.” At times it seems like the only thing Woods can’t control is the weather. He never saw his win ning shot. “I lost it in the air because of the clouds and the rain,” Woods said. “A rain drop hit me right in the eye when I looked up.” 'The surprisingly large gallery huddled under umbrellas in the cold rain told Woods where the ball ended up, erupting in a huge roar, many shaking their heads as if asking, “What else can this kid do?” Woods’ next chance to strut his stuff will be at the Phoenix Open in two weeks. Continued from 1B enough at North Rowan to have attracted many athletes, blessed with lots of talent, who set lofty goals, and are willing to work hard enough to achieve those goals. Without a combination of those three things, we don’t get it done.” Amazingly, the Cavaliers’ reputation has gotten around, and this small community is making large strides in track. North has won nine Rowan County titles in a row, five con ference championships, eight invitational titles, two section al titles and seven regional titles. The Cavaliers also won state indoor titles in 1990 and ‘91, and three outdoor titles in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Steele, who has been coach for 11 years, has coached 78 individ ual athletes who have won state titles, three All- Americans, two honorable mention All-Americans and won the Sportsmanship Award three times in the 1990s. Athletic achievements are not the main focus of Steele’s teachings, though. He has a keen awareness of the bridge between track and field. “Your success in the class room is very important,” he said. “Hopefully, many of our athletes will use their track and field talents to further their education. The NCAA regulations have made it more difficult to qualify for an ath letic grant. So, therefore, ath letes must study and prepare themselves to take the ACT or the SAT from the time they enter the ninth grade.” North’s success is the result of many individuals, Steele said. Not only do athletes con tribute, the community has a hand in making the Cavaliers among the best. “A lot of hard work goes into what we do,” he said. Drink Coca-Cola and Enter the “There has been an effort to finance this program, parents have been great, and together, we put a lot of pride into this track and field program.” Hornets quietly improved team Defense has played a major role in Charlotte’s turnaround Continued from 1B play has become infectious. “It’s a collective mind set that everybody wants to play defense, you know quickly, first and foremost, not like, ‘Oh damn, we got to play defense’ but everyone wants to play defense and they’re enjoy ing it,” Mason said. The Hornets are enjoying it so much, they roared off to the best start in franchise history at 12-9, before a tough 87-82 loss in Chicago on Dec. 14. Despite some bumpy spots where players have had public exchanges with Cowens over decisions and personnel, they’re still enthusiastic. “We’re looking forward to doing a lot of firsts here, you know this team has really come together, the cama raderie is good, the mental aspect is good and we believe in the defense and that’s what’s going to do it for us,” said Mason, who has blown up at Cowens as well as his team mates. The Hornets are above .500, despite spending nearly two weeks away from home, on a grueling seven-game road trip followed by a five-game West Coast trip. Playing on the road helped the team bond, says center Vlade Divac. “I think that road trip of two weeks helped us to know each other, to see what’s going on here,” he said. “Basically we know our goal, how far we can go. We have no fear of playing against the best teams in the league.” Charlotte has played solid basketball of late, posting wins over first-division teams like Seattle, New York, Detroit and Indiana. They also have wins over the L.A. Lakers and Washington. Veteran forward Dell Curry was surprised to learn the Hornets were off to the best start in franchise his tory but knows there’s room to improve. “You always feel you can play better and have a better record but with our schedule,” he said. You have to be pretty much pleased with what we’ve done so far and putting in a new system with new players, so I think we’re happy with it but you always make room for improvement.” Center Matt Geiger, who has been sidelined with a bad back, feels great about the Hornets quick start. It’s not too early to start talking play offs in the very competitive Eastern Conference, so the Hornets will need every win they can get. “It definitely puts you in a position to establish yourself, which is something you want to do,” Geiger said. “You want to try and get in the playoff hunt early and stay in there all season and try and maneuver your way as high as you can, so it’s good to get a good start.” The Hornets could be even better, if they hadn’t blown leads and lost at the L.A. Clippers and come up flat in Toronto. If Muggsy Bogues’ injured knee allows him to contribute and Geiger’s absence is minimized, the Hornets could improve their standing in the East. “When you win you have fun, ijio, question,’! laughed Diyac. ^ Panthers prepare for next year Continued from page IB choices were injured for much of the year, both should be healthy in time for the start of next season. Not only would that give them a fresh start, but it would add depth to the Panthers’ growing youth movement. “It will be like having two drafts in one year,” Capers said. 'The Panthers will need all the help they can get. 'Their success this season will trans late into a tougher schedule for 1997, including regular-season games with the Cowboys and Packers. “I know that we’ll be back,” Capers said. PHOTO/WADE NASH Carolina receiver Willie Green, (left) trying to defend against Green Bay comerback Tyrone Williams, retook his starting position from injured rooke Muhsin Muhammad late in the season.