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NAPA, Calif. -- The comeback is on hold, along with a sobering admission from Tiger Woods. His game is vulnerable and not yet ready for competition. And perhaps not for prime time viewing, either.How much this has to do with Woods own insecurities about his game and how it might look are all part of the complex package you get when dealing with someone who was so stunningly good for so long and who is now faced with being far away from those dizzying heights of greatness.After a lot of soul-searching and honest reflection, I know that I am not yet ready to play on the PGA Tour or compete in Turkey, Woods said on his website. My health is good, and I feel strong, but my game is vulnerable and not where it needs to be.That Woods, 40, would be so blunt as to his own deficiencies right now is jarring, even knowing that the 14-time major winner has been through a significant amount of pain and a slow rehabilitation from two surgeries late in 2015.It was Woods, after all, who opened up the door to this return, saying more than a month ago that he hoped to be back this week at the Safeway Open but also noting that he had a lot of work to do in that period to get ready.The Ryder Cup -- where he was a vice captain in Minnesota -- and Hurricane Matthew near his South Florida home didnt help from a preparation standpoint. Neither was a Tiger Woods Foundation event on Monday and Tuesday a couple of hours down the road from here at Pebble Beach, where he was the host of a big fundraiser.And yet with all those distractions, Woods officially committed to the Safeway Open on Friday -- only to pull out three days later.The timing is odd and has led to numerous conspiracy theories about his motives. It certainly is not helped by the lack of information about his rehabilitation, his practice routine or how much golf he has played.Notah Begay, Woods long-time friend who also works as an analyst for Golf Channel, said Monday that the golfer had only begun hitting drivers in earnest six weeks ago. And yet Woods agent, Mark Steinberg, said way back in April that Woods had worked that club back into his practice routine at that point.He was hitting drivers during a clinic, a full-out practice session and a five-hole outing when he opened up his Bluejack National golf course design in Houston later that month, but the information about his practice pretty much dried up afterward. Woods said in June that he had yet to put multiple days of golf together.There are no physical complications at all, Steinberg said Monday. I dont know if its mental or just (his) golf game. He hasnt played competitive golf in 14 months now. As hes worked at his game of late, he just felt it wasnt up to the quality necessary to compete right now.Why Woods felt his game was OK on Friday but not on Monday is just another in a long line of mysteries surrounding the golfer, who has endured three back surgeries and four knee operations in a career that used to routinely see him rebound from layoffs, maladies and even arthroscopic procedures.But the back surgeries have been a different deal. Throw in his well-documented chipping woes from early in 2015 and it shows just how many pieces have to be put back together.Woods said that his first holes of golf came in April -- eight months after he had tied for 10th at the Wyndham Championship. Even there, Woods had swing issues that needed to be addressed, and they werent magically going to be cured when he first picked up a club again.So there were the physical problems to overcome, a work-in-progress swing and short-game issues, just to start. Then came the ability to practice and play regularly. Throw in the mental side of putting it all together and we have perhaps what has never been associated with Woods -- fragility.Those seven days at the Ryder Cup didnt help his preparation, but they certainly were a boost to his competitiveness.It gave him even more energy: Man, I want to be back in the locker room, Steinberg said. It lit even more of a fire for him. But when he realized that his game just wasnt there, it was very frustrating.Steinberg said Woods felt he didnt believe it was appropriate to make his return at the Turkish Airlines Open, a European Tour event. It was out of respect for the PGA Tour that he is skipping that tournament abroad next month, not some doom and gloom scenario that keeps him from being ready then.Of course, there are other PGA Tour events after that and before the Hero World Challenge in December in the Bahamas, where Woods hosts the annual tournament for his foundation.Perhaps he sees a softer opening for himself in the Bahamas. Woods has a home in the resort community of Albany on New Providence in The Bahamas and knows Albany Golf Course, one that is relatively benign. The tournament features just 18 players, but it was at the same event -- one he has won five times -- played in Orlando two years ago where he tied for last.The good news is Woods now has another two months to prepare. Hell have the various corporate and foundation duties that take up his time, but there should be plenty of room for repetitive rounds of golf, recovery and practice.The next step then is tournament golf, ugly or not. At some point, Woods needs to jump back between the ropes, take a few hits and learn to cope with the game on a level he made look so easy for so long.If not December, then when? Josh Jacobs Youth Jersey . Despite the cost, effort and an improved steroid test, its possible that very few -- if any -- positives will be detected, Dr. Richard Budgett told The Associated Press in an interview. "We just dont know what the results from Torino will be," Budgett said. Art Shell Raiders Jersey . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. https://www.raiderssportsgoods.com/Womens-Jerry-Rice-Inverted-Jersey/ . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Isaiah Johnson Jersey . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Jack Tatum Youth Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. Newcomers dont take long to impact college basketball -- not in this world of one-and-dones and transfers. Over a two-week span, we will look at the top five newcomers in each of the 10 biggest conferences. Next up is the Pac-12.Within the scrum of the 2015-16 season, the Pac-12s entry of seven members to the NCAA tournament pool seemed surprising by seasons end.The turbulence in the league kept the race hot until Oregon subverted the field late and won both the league and tournament titles. The Ducks alone advanced beyond the first weekend in the NCAA tournament. Yet the conference salvaged its rep by securing three of the top 10 slots in the NBA draft (Cals Jaylen Brown, Washingtons Marquese Chriss and Utahs Jakob Poeltl), and four within the first round (the San Antonio Spurs picked Washingtons Dejounte Murray at No. 29).The league will again boast some of the most talented players in America within its pool of newcomers.Lonzo Ball, UCLA BruinsIts not clear how coach Steve Alford, who is undoubtedly on the hot seat, will balance the minutes between?Bryce Alford?--?his son and the teams ambitious veteran point guard -- and Ball (No. 4 in the?2016 class per RecruitingNation), a 6-foot-6 prodigy point guard whose major in Westwood should be NBA future.It is clear, however, that Balls production will factor into UCLAs decision about its head coachs future. The hot-seat talk that boiled late last season simmered as UCLAs fuming backers remembered the load of incoming talent that would soon reach the Westwood campus. Balls versatility, size and skills will be added to a UCLA program that could contend for the Pac-12 title a year after missing the postseason.Hes not worried about minutes or lineups, either. Ball recently told ESPN.com that the Bruins have a championship mindset now that theyve battled and bled together in summer pickup runs (and an upcoming trip to Austrailia). Thats a great sign and the right attitude. Yet, Ball didnt come to UCLA to play a backup or secondary role. Hes a leader, distributor and finisher. Thats the combo that could elevate the program again. Hes a star. He knows it. His team knows it. And soon, the rest of the country will, too.Markelle Fultz, Washington HuskiesSince he arrived in Seattle in 2002, coach Lorenzo Romar has developed nine players who were selected in the first round of the NBA draft, including two in June. Fultz (seventh in the 2016 class per RecruitingNation) is an early contender for the top spot in next summers draft.?Michael Porter Jr., the Washington commit ranked fourth in the 2017 class per RecruitingNation,?should extend Romars streak in 2018.The 6-4 Fultz will lead a squad that lost its top three scorers from last season but returns multiple players from a team that featured 11 underclassmen in 2015-16. Hes a big, explosive, athletic point guard who will leave early if he, as expected, delivers a season filled with big numbers and a flurry of highlights.Markelle is a dynamic guard, Romar told the Seattle Times after Fultz signed with the program in November. Theres not anything he cant do on the basketball floor. He can go up and jump over the top of you and dunk it. He can dunk on a 6-10, 6-11 guy. He can really pass the ball. Hes gotten now to where he can shoot the bball really well.ddddddddddddT.J. Leaf, UCLA BruinsIf Alford shows up to UCLAs midnight madness wearing a How do you like me now? shirt as he rolls out his new recruiting class, who could be mad at him? A disgruntled fan flew a Fire Coach Alford! banner over his campus this summer. He responded to the backlash by returning a year of his contract extension. Now he has Ball and Leaf, the 6-9 power forward ranked 13th in the freshman class by RecruitingNation, and multiple veterans.The Leaf-Thomas Welsh frontcourt will rival any unit in the Pac-12. Welsh is a sturdier interior presence. Leafs athleticism is his best asset. Hes the type to windmill a dunk, take his man off the dribble or pivot in the lane and score on a hook. Hell challenge, block and alter shots on the defensive end. A UCLA defense that plummeted to 140th in adjusted efficiency per KenPom.com last season needs an agile big man to solve its greatest challenge: pick-and-roll defense. Leaf will help there. Hell give Alford and Ball a target for alley-oops and entry passes, too.Ray Smith, Arizona WildcatsYou could argue that other Arizona newcomers belong in this spot. All three five-star recruits (Lauri Markkanen, Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins) deserve consideration. All three could end the season as the Pac-12s most productive newcomer. But Smith has an advantage: time.When Smith (No. 29 in the 2015 class per RecruitingNation) tore his ACL in his right knee before last season -- he sat out his senior year of high school because of a torn ACL in his left knee -- Arizona lost a prospect who would have helped coach Sean Millers program in 2015-16. That didnt happen.But that loss will help both Miller and Smith in 2016-17. He has spent a year in the program and learned the system. Hes not na?ve to Millers persistent demands, and he has added weight to his 6-8 frame. Thats why talk of a lottery pick isnt crazy. The most important newcomer on Arizonas roster could be the redshirt freshman who lost a year in 2015-16 but should help the Wildcats fight for the Pac-12 championship in 2015-16.Shannon Evans, Arizona State Sun DevilsYes, coach Bobby Hurley lost Savon Goodman (9.6 points, 6.4 rebounds per game) and Andre Spight (6.6 points) this offseason. But their decisions to transfer did not disrupt his plan to turn Arizona State into a basketball power. He signed the No. 16 class in the country per RecruitingNation. Its a group thats anchored by three top-100 prospects.Those youngsters will help next season. But Evans, who transferred from Buffalo before the 2015-16 campaign, is the Arizona State newcomer to watch. He made 38 percent of his 3-pointers and 80 percent of his free throws in 2014-15. He also scored 15 points (5-for-9 shooting) in a first-round loss to West Virginia in the NCAA tournament that year.His postseason experience and maturity will help an ASU squad that will rely on its incoming freshman and demand a greater contribution from?Tra Holder. The new faces are part of Hurleys?rebuilding plans. Evans, who has two years of remaining eligibility, gives his former coach at Buffalo additional time to develop those young talents. ' ' '