Woods' Play Makes Point In Black And White

Tiger Woods insisted he never thought about the social significance of what he was doing. To him, it was just another golf course, another tournament, another victory.

But by becoming a winner at Shoal Creek Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., the African-American teenager proved once more that this sport is not for whites only.

"I just went out and wanted to play well," the Stanford freshman said after his two-shot victory in the Jerry Pate National Intercollegiate tournament helped the Cardinal win the team competition. "The significance to me is our team won, and I also happen to be the individual champion. That's what we came to do. We play to win."

Four years ago, Shoal Creek founder Hall Thompson sparked a furor when he said his all-white club wouldn't be pressured into accepting African-American members before the PGA Championship. Eventually, one black member was admitted.

Yesterday, while three black activists protested at the front gate, Woods finished with a 25-foot birdie putt up a steep incline for a three-round, 10-under-par total of 206.

"You're a great player," Thompson said to Woods as he walked off No. 18 following a 5-under 67. "I'm proud of you. You're superb."

Basketball

Corliss Williamson of NCAA champion Arkansas heads the list of preseason candidates for the men's Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year award. Niesa Johnson of Alabama heads the list of women.

Boxing

Larry Holmes, 44-year-old former champion, will fight Oliver McCall for the WBC heavyweight title on Jan. 21, according to a longtime Holmes aide.

"Larry signed for the fight on Monday, and McCall has agreed to it, I know that," said Dick Lovell. He said no site has been selected..

Holmes, who will be 45 on Nov. 3, was WBC or IBF heavyweight champion in 1978-85. McCall won the WBC title with a surprising knockout of Lennox Lewis Sept. 25 in London.

Tennis

Boris Becker, upset by Richey Reneberg in the first round of the U.S. Open, played far better in beating the Texan 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 in the second round of the $1.72 million Stockholm Open in Sweden.

Also advancing was No. 11 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who beat Guy Forget, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

-- Defending champion Natalia Medvedeva of Ukraine upset Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, 7-5, 6-4 in the first round of the Nokia Grand Prix in Essen, Germany.

Martina Hingis, 14, needed only 49 minutes to dispatch Caroline Vis of the Netherlands 6-1, 6-0.

Soccer

University of Portland forwards Tiffeny Milbrett and Shannon MacMillan were named finalists for the women's college player-of-the-year award by the Missouri Athletic Club Sports Foundation. College coaches chose 10 finalists and will vote for the winner, to be announced Jan. 9.

Bowling

Doug Kent won all eight of his matches to finish with a 344-pin lead after the qualifying rounds of the PBA's Greater Rochester (N.Y.) Open. Kent averaged 256 for the eight games to finish with a 242 average.

-- Tish Johnson of Panorama City, Calif., went only 4-4 during match play but held the lead after four rounds of the $75,000 Delaware Open in Claymont. She led Marianne DiRupo by 163 pins.

Deaths

Roy Helser, a standout pitcher for the Portland Beavers for a decade and later a successful baseball coach at Linfield, died yesterday at his home in McMinnville, Ore. He was 83.

Mr. Helser was a member of the Beaver team that won the 1945 Pacific Coast League pennant.

He coached at Linfield, his alma mater, for 21 years, winning 14 Northwest Conference championships and the NAIA national title in 1966.

He also was head basketball coach and assistant football coach at Linfield for several years. He left coaching in 1969 to become Linfield's athletic director. He retired in 1972.

- Seattle Times news services