12 -The Prince George Citizen - Wednesday, April 8,1998 AP photo Defending Masters champion Tiger Woods stretches before his practice round Tuesday for the 1998 Masters at the Augusta National golf Club in Augusta, Ga. Woods still the story on Augusta course MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Four-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens left after just seven pitches because of a strained right groin, and the Minnesota Twins took advantage of his absence to rout the Toronto Blue Jays 12-2 Tliesday night. Clemens (1-1) wound up as the losing pitcher in the shortest start of his career. His strain was described as mild by the Blue Jays, and his status was listed as day-to-day. Clemens, who went 21-7 with a 2.05 earned-run average and a league-leading 292 strikeouts last season as the American League’s top pitcher, hurt himself while CLEMENS warming up in the bullpen. Bob Tewksbury (1-1) gave up one run and two hits with no walks in seven innings. He retired his final 18 batters. Rugby squad by NEIL DAVIDSON Canadian Press An investment by Canada’s under-19 rugby team is paying dividends. The Canadian players, who each contributed $950 to help pay for the trip to the world championships in France, have bulled their way into the final four of the 32-country tournament — despite the fact they entered the event as the 14th seeds. The young Canadians, having already disposed of No. 3 Wales and No. 11 Chile, take on No. 2 France Thursday in Toulouse. The French juniors will be looking to add to the Five Nations title won on the weekend by their senior side. Canada’s win over Wales “sent shockwaves” through the established teams, according to an International Rugby Board release this week. “What they’ve done in France is nothing short of fantastic,” said veteran Australian coach David Clark, who is head coach and director of rugby at the Victoria-based Commonwealth Centre for Sports Development, home to Canada’s under-23 side. “It’s quite a milestone.” The 23-19 victory Saturday over Wales was followed by a last-minute 19-16 win Monday over Chile, a team that had been together for seven months compared to just three weeks for the Canadians. Some of the Canadian under-19 players in France will end up in Victoria playing for Clark. Victoria scrum half Ed Fairhurst, one of Canada’s stars in France, is due there in September. But the Canadian performance may also have long-term ramifications. “I think it will do wonders for the (Canadian) game. Absolute wonders,” John Billingsley, chief operating officer of Rugby Canada, said Tuesday from Ottawa. Clemens walked leadoff hitter Matt Lawton on five pitches and then fell behind 2-0 to Brent Gates before calling time. Manager Tim Johnson went to the mound and replaced Clemens with Robert Person. Person walked Gates, a walk that was charged to.Clemens. Both runners eventually scored in a four-run first inning, highlighted by Marty Cordova’s two-run triple. After Ed Sprague had a sacrifice fly in the Toronto second, the Twins added three runs in the bottom half. Lawton doubled home a run, Gates had an RBI grounder and Paul Molitor’s sacrifice fly made it 7-1. Molitor’s two-run single in the third put Minnesota ahead 9-1 and chased Person, who gave up seven runs, seven hits and four walks in 2 2-3 innings. David Ortiz doubled home a run in the Twins eighth. Shawn Green homered in the Toronto ninth. The showing — and subsequent publicity — may also help pay some bills for Rugby Canada, which is looking for a replacement for Canadian Club as its major national team sponsor. The sponsorship void has cut into Rugby Canada’s budget, which was around $2.5 million last year with $700,000 to $800,000 of that coming from sponsorships when Canadian Club was still on board. The economy ride was evident in November when — in an era when most top teams are fully professional — members of the national senior team on tour in Ireland received expenses and a golf shirt. Lipinski goes pro BALTIMORE (AP) — Tara Lipinski is turning her back on the Olympic Games, opting to turn professional so she can train less and spend more time with her family. The 15-year-old Olympic gold medallist will make her pro debut April 24 at Skate, Rattle ‘n’ Roll, a made-for-television event in Charleston, S.C. That show is not sanctioned, and once Lipinski skates there, she can forget about going to Salt Lake City in 2002 to defend the title she won in Nagano, Japan. “I think now, I’m going to go pro,” Lipinski said on NBC’s Today show. “And for one major reason, I think — I really miss being home with my dad. “I would love to go to the 2002 Olympics and try to win another gold,” she said, adding that she would feel “almost a litde greedy in doing that, especially to my parents, who have given up so much.” Richard Callaghan, Lipinski’s coach, said he was surprised at the timing of the decision to turn pro, but he understood it. turning heads AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The green jacket of the Masters champion hangs in Tiger Woods’ closet. The winner’s trophy sits in his living room. The closet, presumably, has space for many more coats and the living room undoubtedly can hold more hardware. Still, storage space could become a problem for Woods. Virtually everyone assumes he will win at Augusta National Golf Club many more times. And when play begins Thursday for the 62nd Masters it will truly be the beginning of Year II of the Tiger Woods Era. But it may also be the beginning of something else. It may be the beginning of an intensely competitive period in the major championships. If last year was the appetizer, then bring on the full course. If last year — with Woods, now 22, Ernie Els, 28, Justin Leonard, 25, and Davis Love III, 33, winning major championships — was the warmup let’s see the top banana. Bring in the main act. The only thing that was missing last year was a good, old fashion shootout among the young guns down the stretch on Sunday. “We haven’t really played well together in a major championship,” Els said Tuesday, speaking of his rivalry with Woods. “Maybe this is the start of it.” Woods is ranked No. 1 in the world and Els is No. 2, though they are virtually deadlocked. “But we’re two of 20 really good young players out there,” Els said. “So we’ll just see how we go.” There was Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones and Gene Sarazen in the 1920s followed by Sam Snead, Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan from the 1930s into the ‘50s. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player carried golf to unprecedented popularity in the 1960s. It is a sport that needs rivalries and right now it appears to be on the verge of some wonderful ones. Woods and Els are joined by Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk, Daw'd Duval and Lee Westwood as great players, the oldest of which is 28. None of them would be a surprise winner this week. “Right now there is a very large group of very good young players that are taking it to the hoop every week,” said Tom Kite, the 48-year-old who was the almost forgotten runnerup to Woods in last year’s Masters. “It’s fun to watch.” Asked what it would take to stop the young stallions from going to the hoop, Kite said: “You don’t have to be seven-foot-one, but you do have to make a few 20-footers.” Kite, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Nick Price and. Greg Norman are among those in the over-40 crowd who still have the talent and the belief in themselves to contend with the youngsters here this week. “We’re not dead and buried yet,” Faldo said. Still, this year’s tournament clearly revolves around Woods. There is a feeling that he could run away with it again. Asked if he could better last year’s record score, Woods said: “Who knows? Anything is possible.” But there is also the feeling that others will sprint with Woods if he tries to break from the pack. “Will he be in contention?” Els said. “Definitely, even if he doesn’t play well. The golf course just suits him that well.” “But I don’t believe it’s Tiger Woods against the field,” Els said. “I think it’s Tiger against the Augusta National golf course and it’s for the rest of the field to do the same.” COKE/SPRITE BARQ’S ROOT BEER, CREAM SODA 2 litre 33 Your Choice Plus N Deposit I Clemens, Jays pull up lame Prices Effective:Jiflonday, April 6Jo_Sunday,JVpril 12 WHAT CONVENIENCE IS ALL ABOUTl