Triumphant return for Tiger Woods

MARANA, Ariz. (AP) -- Eight months later, Tiger Woods looked as though he had never been away.

Woods made a triumphant return to golf Wednesday in the Accenture Match Play Championship with a start that showed golf what it had been missing in the 253 days since he limped his way to an epic U.S. Open title.

Just past high noon in the desert, Woods fired an 8-iron into 5 feet for birdie. Then came a gentle fist pump when his 3-iron from 237 yards on the par-5 second settled 4 feet from the cup for eagle.

He closed out Brendan Jones of Australia with a 3-foot par on the 16th hole for a 3-and-2 victory.

"It felt like nothing had changed," Woods said. "Walking down the fairway, it was like business as usual."

Iowa DBs to transfer

IOWA CITY (AP) -- Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz says reserve defensive backs Lance Tillison and Diauntae Morrow plan to transfer.

Tillison, a native of Seffner, Fla., played in all 13 games last season, mostly on special teams. He had eight tackles and one interception in two seasons at Iowa.

Morrow, from Cleveland, made 12 tackles as a backup safety last season, his second with the Hawkeyes.

Tillison and Morrow would have likely faced an uphill battle for playing time next season. Six of the defensive backs listed on Iowa's final two-deep roster in 2008 have at least two years of eligibility left, including three starters.

Brewers' Gwynn could miss a month

PHOENIX (AP) -- Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. said Wednesday he could miss up to a month of spring training because of a right shoulder impingement.

Gwynn, who was injured during an offseason workout, is scheduled to throw for the first time on Thursday. He will undergo medical tests before a decision is made.

Gwynn, a Brewers draft pick in 2003, has played parts of three seasons in the majors. Last year, he hit .190 in 29 games with the Brewers and spent most of the season at Triple-A.

Iowa official named NCAA committee chair

DES MOINES -- The NCAA's Division I Women's Basketball Committee has appointed an Iowa athletic department official as chairwoman for the 2009-10 academic year.

Iowa senior associate athletic director Jane Meyer will lead the 10-person committee that runs the NCAA women's tournament. The group's main goal is to select at-large teams and determine seeding for the 64-team field.

The NCAA announced the appointment Wednesday. Meyer's term begins Sept. 1. The committee meets throughout the year to discuss the tournament and other women's basketball issues.

Meyer is in her fourth year as a committee member. At Iowa, she oversees all intercollegiate athletics facilities projects and operations.

Packers freeze ticket prices for '09

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Green Bay Packers will keep ticket prices the same in 2009.

The Packers didn't make an official announcement Wednesday because the club typically only comments when prices are raised, which last happened in 2007 and historically occurs in odd years.

The average ticket price is $63.39 and ranked as the ninth-best value in the 32-team league last season.

June 15 trial date set for Vikings' Williamses

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A federal judge has set a June 15 trial date for Vikings stars Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, who tested positive for a banned substance last year.

The players are seeking monetary damages in addition to having a four-game suspension from the NFL overturned. The players' union has said the league didn't properly inform the players that a supplement called StarCaps contained the banned diuretic bumetanide.

The suspensions would begin next season if they are upheld.

Bucs release Brooks

TAMPA, Fla. -- Derrick Brooks, one of the top players in Tampa Bay history, was cut by the Buccaneers Wednesday in a purge of the team's veterans.

"Right now, like all of you guys, I'm just trying to get a feel for it all, trying to come to grips with it," the 11-time Pro Bowl selection said by telephone. "I don't even know what to think."

Brooks was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year when Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl after the 2002 season.

Rams release Green

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams released veteran quarterback Trent Green and wide receiver Drew Bennett on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old Green, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, was in his second stint with the Rams. He played in three games last season, completing 38 of 72 passes for 525 yards with no touchdowns and six interceptions.

Stanford announces cuts

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford University announced Wednesday it will cut 21 positions in its athletic department because of the economic downturn, while keeping all 35 of its varsity teams and its coaches.

Stanford has one of the biggest athletic departments in the nation, but said the 13 percent staff reduction from administrative and service areas was necessary because of decline in endowment value and fewer contributions during the recession. The cuts will take effect next week.

Last month, Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby -- who held the same title at Iowa -- said he expected layoffs to deal with a projected $5 million in lost revenue over the next three years.

Dodgers make new offer to Ramirez

LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers made a fourth bid for Manny Ramirez on Wednesday, this time offering the enigmatic slugger a $25 million, one-year contract with a $20 million player option for 2010.

The player option came at the request of Ramirez's agent, Scott Boras, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations who requested anonymity because talks are ongoing.

Twins Bonser likely to miss entire season

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Minnesota Twins right-hander Boof Bonser is expected to miss the entire season after arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder detected partial tears in his labrum and rotator cuff.

Bonser will need six to eight months to recover, leaving little room for him to return before the end of the 2009 season.

Baseball wants joint bid

WASHINGTON -- Baseball hopes to submit a joint bid with softball in an effort to gain reinstatement to the Olympics for the 2016 Summer Games.

The presidents of the International Baseball Federation and the International Softball Federation are scheduled to meet Thursday in Orlando, Fla., to discuss baseball's idea. Because the sports are among seven competing for a maximum of two openings on the 2016 program, baseball argues that a joint bid would improve both its own chances and those of the women's sport.