Tigers

TIGER WOODS is going to have to wait one more day to try to reclaim No. 1 in the world. Moments after Woods made a 10-foot birdie putt on the second hole, a vicious thunderstorm packing gusts that topped out at 62 mph interrupted the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla., and wiped out play until Monday. The storm dumped nearly 1 1/2 inches of rain on Bay Hill and formed small ponds in the fairways - there was even a fish in the middle of the 18th fairway.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Justin Rose started out as another guy in Tiger Woods' group Thursday at Bay Hill. He wound up in the lead. Rose put on a clinic with the putter and ran off four straight birdies late in his round for a 7-under 65, giving him a 2-shot lead after the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Woods had two sloppy bogeys from greenside bunkers. But he made enough key par saves and manhandled the par 5s to scratch out a 69, a reasonable start as he tries to win Bay Hill for the eighth time and return to No. 1 in the world.

IT'S MARCH MADNESS, Tattle readers, and what could be madder than an attractive blonde dating Tiger Woods ? Lindsey Vonn , the alpine ski racer who could pass for ex-wife Elin Nordegren 's more athletic sister, has made it official that her friendship with Tiger has blossomed into "dating," and that's brought out the comedians, the paparazzi and the oddsmakers. "The frenzy surrounding the terrible situation between Tiger and Elin Nordegren lasted for a long time," stated MyTop Sportsbooks.com spokesman Geoff Johnson . "And while it seems he has put his past behind him and gotten his game back on track, the public seems to remain skeptical.

AFTER A COUPLE of months of denying or avoiding the subject, golfer Tiger Woods and skier Lindsey Vonn have confirmed that they are indeed dating. It's hard to find any warmth and fuzziness about Woods being in a relationship - after cheating on his wife of 5 years with numerous women - but maybe he's a changed man. And you have to admit, the couple is intriguing. Having two world-class athletes, both at the top of their profession, dating each other is not an everyday occurrence.

PENN ERASED an 18-point deficit against Ivy League champ Princeton, but the Quakers fell short, 60-44, on Senior Day at The Palestra. Penn (16-12, 9-5 Ivy) finished third in the Ivy, its best record and best Ivy finish since the 2003-04 championship season. Princeton (22-6, 13-1) jumped out to a 22-4 lead as Penn was just 1-for-15 from the floor. But over the next 20 minutes, the Quakers outscored the NCAA Tournament-bound Tigers, 32-13, to take the lead. Sophomore Kara Bonenberger's putback gave Penn its first lead, 34-33, with 10:26 to go. The Quakers went up, 36-35, but then went scoreless over the next 4 minutes and Princeton scored 12 straight to go up 11. The Tigers pushed that lead to 56-40 with just 3:08 left.

TIGER WOODS is hitting his stride on a march to the Masters. Woods had full control of his game Sunday and never let anyone get closer than three shots until he had locked up his 17th World Golf Championship title. With a conservative bogey that didn't matter on the final hole, he closed with a 1-under 71 to win the Cadillac Championship at Doral, Fla. For the first time in 5 years, Woods has two wins before the Masters. It was 1 year ago at Doral that Woods withdrew after 11 holes in the final round because of tightness in his left Achilles' tendon, creating uncertainty about his health and whether he could ever get his game back.

DORAL, Fla. - Tiger Woods hit a tee shot that got stuck in a palm tree. That's about the only thing that didn't fall his way Saturday in the Cadillac Championship. Woods made seven more birdies on the Blue Monster at Doral, the last one from 15 feet on the 18th hole that gave him a 5-under 67 and a 4-shot lead over Graeme McDowell heading into the final round. Woods has made 24 birdies and taken only 74 putts through three rounds, both personal bests in his PGA Tour career. It put him in great position to win his 17th career World Golf Championship, and his first since 2009.

TIGER WOODS and Rory McIlroy faced off Sunday in match play, just like so many golf fans wanted to see. Only hardly anyone saw them. And it didn't even count. After both were eliminated in the first round of the Match Play Championship, No. 1 and No. 2 in the world played two rounds Sunday morning at The Medalist in Hobe Sound, Fla. "We thought we'd play our own Match Play final," McIlroy said Tuesday at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. They were done about the time Matt Kuchar was holding on for a 2-and-1 win over Hunter Mahan at Dove Mountain in Arizona.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - During batting practice at Bright House Field, it's not uncommon for balls to fly over the tiki bar in left field and crash onto vehicles parked outside the stadium. That kind of power is rare in games. But there was no mistaking it when Miguel Cabrera's bat met Jonathan Papelbon's fastball Monday in a 10-1 Detroit Tigers rout. Moments after Cabrera's swing, only a select few could see where the ball had rocketed. It whacked the top of a semitruck trailer, a security guard said, and bounced to the fence that serves as the outfield wall for a practice field at the adjacent Carpenter Complex.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Jonathan Papelbon has a job in the Phillies' bullpen, while Mike Stutes is trying to win his back this spring. Neither had encouraging starts in his Grapefruit League debut in the Phils' 10-1 loss Monday to the Detroit Tigers at Bright House Field. Papelbon couldn't even complete an inning. He allowed five hits and two walks to seven of the nine batters he faced in the fifth inning. Papelbon also served up close to 1,000 feet of home-run balls. After Detroit prospect Nick Castellanos turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 Detroit lead with a blast to center, reigning Triple Crown winner and American League MVP Miguel Cabrera annihilated a pitch for a three-run shot.