Woods keeps busy schedule sans playing golf

ORLANDO, Fla. – Knee surgery has kept Tiger Woods away from golf since June. Off the course, he’s kept a busy schedule. Woods said Wednesday he has kept busy with his foundation, the design of three golf courses and fulfilling corporate sponsor obligations during the last month. He’s had time to take his daughter, Sam, to a Halloween party. “She dressed up as Tigger," Woods said in a monthly newsletter, referring to the Winnie the Pooh character. During the last month, Woods caddied for a contest winner at Torrey Pines, introduced his new golf course design in Mexico, raised $700,000 for his Tiger Woods Learning Center through his fourth annual block party, conducted a golf clinic during two corporate days with Nike and filmed a commercial with Derek Jeter for Gillette. As for playing golf? “The knee is progressing," Woods said. “I’m working hard every day and there have been no setbacks. I’ve actually started to do a little chipping and putting, but no full swings. That’s not going to happen until early next year." Maradona scouts Argentina players New Argentina coach Diego Maradona arrived in Madrid, Spain to assess the European-based players he hopes will help the country qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Maradona arrived at Madrid’s international airport on Wednesday to a throng of chanting fans. The 48-year-old Maradona said he felt “very good as new coach," but declined to speak at length to reporters, blaming fatigue from the long flight. Maradona’s first stop on his European tour will be Wednesday’s Champions League match between Real Madrid and Juventus. His first game in charge will be an exhibition against Scotland on Nov. 19 at Glasgow, ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Venezuela in March. PGA Tour berths still up for grabs The real story of the season-ending Nationwide Tour Championship in McKinney, Texas could play out a long way from the top of the leaderboard. While Brendon de Jonge looks to protect a nearly $40,000 lead and wrap up the money title in the four-day event starting Thursday, players such as Chris Tidland and Hunter Haas are locked in a battle for the bigger prize: a coveted spot on the PGA Tour. Tidland holds the final automatic qualifying position at No. 25 on the Nationwide money list. He sits just $469 ahead of Haas, who lives in Dallas and plays regularly at TPC Craig Ranch in the suburb of McKinney. “It could come down to one putt," Haas said. “I don’t know if playing there a lot is worth a touchdown to me, but it’s probably worth a field goal." There’s more money than usual to influence the standings. The $1 million purse and $180,000 winner’s check are season highs matched only one other time during the Nationwide season. There is no 36-hole cut because the top 59 money winners qualified for the first tour event at the course designed by Tom Weiskopf. Tidland barely missed getting his PGA Tour card in 2004. “I’m not a big scoreboard watcher," he said. “I know I’m No. 25, but don’t know how close the others are to me. I just have to keep playing my game." Benes selected in Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame Former pitcher Andy Benes, who won 155 games in 14 seasons in the major leagues, has been selected to the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Benes played at Evansville Central High School in Indianapolis and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1988 baseball draft out of the University of Evansville. He played with San Diego, Seattle, Arizona and St. Louis and was a 1993 All-Star. He retired in 2002 and works with the Cardinals’ broadcasting crew. Others to be inducted in January are Max Schumacher, president of the minor league Indianapolis Indians; Mike Frame, coach at Huntington University; Brian Dudley, coach at Wapahani High School; and John Oliver, a longtime supporter of youth baseball programs in northern Indiana. – AP