Fowler reminds Tiger that it's tough out there

Rickie Fowler, who'd been saying for weeks that Tiger Woods was ready to return, indicated something about the state of his own game Sunday.

Fowler opened with seven straight birdies and shot an 11-under 61, winning the Hero World Challenge in Nassau, Bahamas, by four shots over Charley Hoffman (72).

Fowler had played four rounds with Woods before Thanksgiving and said Tiger was hitting it "way by" him.

"I think he sharpened me up a little bit," Fowler said with a grin. "I've gotten a little scared of how good he was playing at home."

Woods wasn't bad himself Sunday. Playing for the first time in 10 months because of back surgery, Woods closed with back-to-back bogeys but still shot a 68 to tie for ninth in an 18-man field.

"I'm excited," Woods said. "This is the way I've been playing at home.

"My expectations are we'll be playing next year. How many? Where? I don't know yet, but we'll figure it out."

The Gophers volleyball team will play its NCAA regional semifinal at 5 p.m Friday, the NCAA revealed. The opponent, USC, and site, Gainesville, Fla., had been revealed Saturday. The match will be streamed live on ESPN3.

Women's Alpine skiing: Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein won the women's World Cup super-G for her first victory at the traditional stop in Lake Louise, Alberta. Native Minnesotan Lindsey Vonn fell, as she did Friday in the season-opening downhill. Mikaela Shiffrin was the top American, in fifth.

Men's Alpine skiing: Marcel Hirscher of Austria won a World Cup giant slalom in Beaver Creek, Colo. American Ted Ligety, in second after the first run, slipped to seventh.

NCAA women's soccer: Jaye Boissiere scored in the 67th minute, giving Stanford a 3-2 victory over UCLA in the NCAA final in Orlando, Fla. Stanford won its last 22 matches of the season.

Premier League soccer: Manchester City matched the Premier League record for a single season with its 13th consecutive victory, beating West Ham 2-1 in Manchester, England.