3B
SPORTS/The Charlotte Post
Thursday, May 29, 1997
^Tennis a match for Blakeney
Continued from IB
bles. They made a good combina
tion.”
Blakeney has improved every
year by refining the basics.
Under Davis’ tutelage, bis serve
has gone fi-om OK to blazing and
his returns pepper the court.
'That combination helped
Blakeney in his singles win,
where he kept Sharpe ofT-balance
with service aces and wirmers
from near-impossible angles.
“Tm serving the ball with a lot
more pace,” Blakeney said. “I
was just getting it in before. Now
Tm just hitting the ball with
more pace. Tm also getting the
ball in transition from the base
line to the net and moving oppo
nents from side to side.”
He’s also unflappable, an
attribute Blakeney relies on
when the stakes rise. No matter
the score or how important the
match, Blakeneys facial expres
sion rarely changes. He prefers
concentrating on the task at
hand and keeping opponents
guessing.
“That’s one of my strengths.
When you lose your cool, things
start to fall apart,” he said. “It’s
the type of person 1 am. Calvin
and my dad teach me how to
keep my emotions under control.
1 try not to let them see what’s
Tiger awesome at pro-am
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FAEMINGTON, Pa. - Tiger
Woods gave a crowd estimated
at 30,000 exactly what they
paid for Monday at the third
annual Mystic Rock Charity
Pro-Am.
Woods entertained a huge
part of that crowd for 18 holes,
shooting a 7-under-par 65 to
win the event. No prize money
was involved, but the pros were
paid appearance fees and their
expenses were covered.
Woods, who finished in a tie
for fourth Sunday at the
Colonial as he tried for his
third win in as many events,
beat Michael Bradley and
Senior PGA Tour player Jim
Thorpe by one stroke.
John Daly, who will come
back to the PGA Tour later this
week at The Memorial after a
two-month layoff for alcohol
rehabilitation, admitted to
being rusty and shot a 1-over
73.
“It was fun,” Woods said. “It
amazes me that in a one-day
event, this many people would
come out and watch. 1 think it
goes to show you that this part
of the United States needs a
PGA Tour event. People are
kind of starving for a tour
event here.”
Joe Hardy, the multimillion
aire founder of a chain of lum
ber yards, spent more than $20
million to develop the
Nemacolin Woodlands Resort,
including the championship
course designed by Pete Dye.
The 74-year-old foimder of the
84 Lumber chain is spending
millions more to attract stars
like Woods to show off his
course and attract a PGA tour
nament.
Over the first three holes.
Woods was constantly signing
autographs on the tees, mostly
for volunteers and marshals.
The teeing area became so con
gested that tournament offi
cials postponed more auto
graphs until Woods completed
his round.
“People have to realize that
I’m only 21 and I’m only
human and that sometimes 1
need my quiet time out on the
course,” Woods said. “Just like
1 have to realize that when I’m
out in public. I’m in the public
eye.”
Malone missing in Jazz section
Continued from IB
Monday - the first time in this
series he has avoided the print
media. He did so by bolting to his
4-wheel drive vehicle with more
determination than he showed
the previous day driving to the
basket.
On Sunday, however, Malone
acknowledged the ongoing
debate over his MVP selection.
“Michael never said he had any
problem with it,” Malone said.
“Some people didn’t like it that 1
got it, but a lot of the great play
ers acknowledged me when 1 got
it. That's what’s important to me.
“A lot of guys that are jealous,
they have nothing to be jealous
about. They’re jealous about the
way 1 play.”
Malone said he hadn’t heard
finm Jordan, but he didn't think
it was a big deal. He said the two
are not close fnends, althou^
they occasionally speak to each
other when the Jazz play the
Bulls during the season.
Jordan has been nothing but
complimentary about Malone’s
selection, although many people
suspect Jordan wants to play the
Jazz in the finals so he can prove
the voters wrong.
Malone simply wants to get to
the finals because he’s never
been there before. And he hasn’t
lost any admiration for Jordan
despite beating him out for the
MVP award.
“What he does every night,
everybody guns for him and he
comes out and stiU raises him
game, even after aU these years.
PHOTO/WADE NASH
NBA most valuable player Karl Malone has struggled In the Western
Conference final against Houston.
So 1 have a lot of respect for him.”
If Malone can lead the Jazz
past the Rocifcts - Grune 6 is
Thursday at Houston and Game
7, if necessary, is next Sunday
back in Salt Lake City - it might
finally bring closure to the MVP
debate.
Stock cars is new frontier for black team
Continued from 1B
Erving said there are many reasons why African
Americans have not been involved in racing over
the years. He says that might change with more
people of color becoming involved as owners and
team persormel.
“The economics have been a deterrent and then
maybe the personal interests,” he said. “So much of
the African American population in the country is
urban and...you don’t really have a whole lot of
tracks inside urban areas that have been able to
attract the young black kid to it.”
Washington, a star running back with the
Redskins’ in the early ‘80a, said the new team,
which will run Fords next season, will likely have a
white driver. Washington Erving has been in con
tact with some of NASCAR’s top pilots about taking
on their ride, as well as hiring top-flight people to
run the operation. Decisions will have to be made
quickly to have the team fuUy operational by the
season-opener next February at Daytona, Fla.
“If you can’t do it, you get somebody who can do
it. We are in that mode right now,” Washington
said. “We’ve got a Ust. 1 think you will be surprised
when we do name a driver.”
Although people of color won’t initially be relied
upon to staff the team, Washington Erving will ulti
mately try to move blacks and other minorities into
positions.
“We do want to provide opportunities for minori
ties with this program, and we fully intend to,”
Washington said, “but we want to do it in the con
text of having a successful team as quickly as pos
sible.”
going on inside.”
With the high school season fin
ished, Blakene/s attention turns
to the junior circuit. First is the
Tar Heel qualifiers, then the
Southern regional competition,
where the top 32 players move on
to the nationals. Blakeney’s goal
is to move up among the
America’s elite juniors before his
high school career ends. There’s
room for improvement, some
thing Blakeney’s worked on since
he was a skiimy seventh-grader.
“My ranking is OK, but Fd like
for it to be better,” he said. My
goal before 1 finish is to get into
the top 30. 1 guess 1 could get a
little better.”
Woods said that when he
turned pro last August, he was
n’t going to play in these types
of events. But the big paycheck
- Woods reportedly received
over $1 million to play in the
event for three years - and a
chance to combat leukemia
convinced him to come after he
had turned down several other
offers.
“Going back to when 1 was a
child, I used to go down to a
children’s hospital and speak to
cancer patients as well as
abused kids,” Woods said. “It’s
something 1 liked to do, loved
to do. Anjftime 1 can give some
thing back. I'm more than
happy to.”
Woods will return to south
western Pennsylvania for
another benefit, a skins game
in August for Arnold Palmer
that benefits a long-time
Palmer charity, the
Westmoreland County hospi
tal.
Woods will join a foursome
that includes Tom Lehman and
Davis Love 111 for the match on
Aug. 25 at Laurel Valley Golf
Club in Ligonier.
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