No.8 seed Baghdatis advances at Winston-Salem 22 Aug 2011 07:01 PM PDTEDISON, New Jersey (AP) - J.B.Holmes has withdrawn from The Barclays as he prepares to have brain surgery. Holmes has been diagnosed with structural defects in the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance.
He has been dealing with vertigo-like symptoms since May and has gone to several specialists.Doctors discovered last week he has Chiari malformations.
Holmes is to have the operation Sept.1 at the Johns Hopkins University Hospital.He says brain surgery sounds scary, but it's a low-risk procedure and he should be able to return to competition about three months after the surgery. No.8 seed Baghdatis advances at Winston-Salem 22 Aug 2011 07:00 PM PDTBaghdatis was the first seeded player to take the court at the final men's warmup tournament before the U.S.Open.The 16 seeded players, including No.1-seeded Andy Roddi*k, received first-round byes.
"I was able to find a solution to get by and win.That's the most important thing," Baghdatis said.
Qualifier Kei Nishikori of Japan beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in the first round.
Also in the opening round, Israel's Dudi Sela defeated Italy's Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-2; Belgium's Steve Darcis topped Portugal's Frederico Gil 3-6, 6-3, 6-4; France's Julien Benneteau won a matchup of qualifiers by defeating Brazil's Ricardo Mello 6-1, 6-3; and Argentina's Carlos Berlocq advanced when Austria's Andreas Haider-Maurer retired with Berlocq leading 7-5, 4-1. 22 Aug 2011 06:44 PM PDTWoods failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs that start this week in New Jersey for the top 125 players in the standings, meaning he is ineligible for tour events until October.He said on his website Monday that he might add a tournament in the Fall Series.
"Right now, I'm looking at my options," Woods said.The Fall Series begins in Las Vegas on Sept.29.It is followed by the Frys.com Open in San Martin, California, before moving to the East Coast for the final two weeks - the McGladrey Cla*sic in St.Simons Island, Georgia, and concluding with the tournament at Disney on Oct.20-23.
Woods won Las Vegas for his first PGA Tour victory in 1996.He also won Disney that year.
Woods said he wants to be part of the Presidents Cup team in Australia the week before Thanksgiving, although he will to have to rely on being one of two captain's picks.
"I've had some conversations with U.S.captain Fred Couples, and we'll see how it goes," Woods said."Of course, I want to be on the team.It's always fun to play for your country, and we did pretty well two years ago in San Francisco.I'm just going to keep practicing and try to get better.It's Freddie's call, and he can make any choice he wants."
Woods is to play Aug.31 in upstate New York, a one-day exhibition to support the charity of longtime friend Notah Begay.
Still to be decided is a full-time caddie.Woods used childhood friend Bryon Bell at the Bridgestone Invitational and the PGA Championship, where he missed the cut for only the third time in a major.
"I haven't decided on a new caddie yet, but am definitely thinking about it a lot," Woods said."There's a few guys I'm looking at, but it all depends on timing.At this point, I'm in no hurry to make a decision."
He said the two things he is looking for in a caddie are experience and "a person I'll have fun with."
Woods fell to No.36 in the world Monday, his lowest ranking since Nov.17, 1996.
News: Samuel Kohan, PhD, Psychoanalyst Video
