Tiger Woods had a less invasive surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon on Tuesday, which will keep him out of the Masters and leaves in question whether he can play in any other major championship the rest of the year.

Woods posted the development on his social media accounts without saying how long he expected to be out or any other details except that the surgery went well.

“As I began to ramp up my own training and practice at home, I felt a sharp pain in my left Achilles, which was deemed to be ruptured,” Woods said.

He said he had a minimally invasive Achilles tendon repair for a ruptured tendon that the doctor said went smoothly. Such surgeries involve smaller incisions, and the recovery time is quicker. But most recoveries take at least a month before someone can even put weight on their foot.

Dr. Charlton Stucken of the Hospital for Special Surgery in West Palm Beach performed the surgery and said in the post, “The surgery went smoothly, and we expect a full recovery.”

The Masters is April 10-13.

The British Open in July was the last time he played against top competition. He played with his son in the 36-hole PNC Championship in December. Woods also has played his TGL indoor circuit.

NFL

Vikings get compensatory pick after losing Cousins

Baltimore, Dallas and Miami were each awarded a league-high four compensatory picks in next month’s NFL draft based on their losses and signings in last year’s free agency.

Minnesota got an extra third-round pick, the highest given out Tuesday at No. 97 overall, for losing quarterback Kirk Cousins to Atlanta last offseason.

In all, 35 compensatory draft picks were awarded to 15 teams for the draft that will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 24-26.

Vikings’ former equipment manager honored

Three equipment managers will be honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Awards of Excellence for the 2025 class.

Tom Gray, Dennis Ryan and George Luongo were picked Tuesday as the equipment managers in the fourth class for the Awards of Excellence.

Ryan began his career as a teenager with Minnesota in 1975 as a part-time employee. In 1981, he became the NFL’s youngest equipment manager at 21 years old. He stayed with the organization for 47 seasons, accumulating a streak of 705 consecutive games worked until COVID-19 protocols kept him off the sideline.

high school hockey

Randolph resigns as Northern Lakes coach

After one season, Northern Lakes head coach Mike Randolph resigned, he confirmed in a phone interview with the Dispatch Tuesday, March 11.

Randolph guided the Lightning to a 20-10-1 record this season, which included their first state tournament berth since 2021 and their first state tournament win in program history.

He became the all-time winningest coach in Minnesota history when he won his 708th game in his first game as Lightning coach. He currently sits with 727 wins.

Randolph, 73, said the reason for resigning was that coaching Northern Lakes wasn’t ideal for his family.

Northern Lakes defeated Alexandria 4-3 to dethrone the Cardinals as the three-time Section 6-1A champions. For Randolph, it was his 19th state appearance. He coached Duluth East for 32 seasons, including 18 state tournament appearances and two state titles.

The Lightning lost to eventual state champions East Grand Forks 3-0 in the state quarterfinals.

basketball

Louisville, Bucks standout Bridgeman dies at 71

Junior Bridgeman, a basketball standout who led Louisville to a Final Four, starred for the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and then launched an even more successful career as a businessman with stakes in restaurants, publishing and the Bucks franchise, died Tuesday. He was 71.

Bridgeman was a popular fixture in Louisville after his playing days, and Mayor Craig Greenberg announced his death, saying the city had “lost a kind, generous and groundbreaking legend.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, praised his friend as a highly successful businessman and generous philanthropist who loved his alma mater and “the city he called home.”

According to media reports, Bridgeman suffered a medical emergency at a Louisville hotel during a fundraising event Tuesday.

College football

Gophers will have 17 players at NFL Pro Day

Seventeen Gophers football players will participate in the U’s Pro Day on March 19 at Athletes Village.

Five players were at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in early March: left tackle Aireontae Ersery, quarterback Max Brosmer, defensive end Jah Joyner, linebacker Cody Lindenberg, receiver Daniel Jackson and cornerback Justin Walley.

Eleven more teammates will join now them: cornerback Ethan Robinson, receiver Elijah Spencer, defensive end Danny Striggow, offensive lineman Quinn Carroll, offensive lineman Tyler Cooper, defensive back Jack Henderson, tight end Nick Kallerup, kicker Dragan Kesich, running back Marcus Major, running back Jaren Mangham and punter Mark Crawford.

All NFL teams have had a representative at the U’s Pro Day in recent years.

— Andy Greder

West Virginia’s Rodriguez bans TikTok dancing

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, like all football coaches, wants his players to show up on time, work hard and play their best.

Oh, and another thing: Don’t dance on TikTok.

“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he said Monday. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”

Making TikTok dance videos is a popular activity among high school- and college-age users of the social media platform.

Rodriguez is beginning his second stint as Mountaineers coach.

— From news services