Friday’s Sports In Brief

GOLF

Tiger Woods ended all that speculation about his game by letting everyone see for themselves.

He said Friday he will play next week in the Masters.

Golf’s biggest attraction and four-time Masters champion played two practice rounds at Augusta National this week before a simple announcement on his website that he would end his two-month leave on the sport’s biggest stage.

“I’m playing in the Masters,” Woods said on his website. “It’s obviously very important to me, and I want to be there.”

Woods was last seen at a golf tournament on Feb. 5 at Torrey Pines. He hit a sand wedge some 30 yards over the green, duffed a chip coming back, bladed the next one too hard and made double bogey.

One tee shot later, he withdrew because of tightness in his lower back, saying that his “glutes didn’t activate” after a delay in cool, foggy weather.

Woods has played on two tournaments this year and completed just 47 holes. His short game was shockingly bad at the Phoenix Open, where he shot a career-worst 82 and missed the cut by nine shots. And he didn’t get out of the first round at Torrey Pines.

HOUSTON (AP) - Andrew Putnam made a late charge to pass three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson and take a one-shot lead after two rounds of the Houston Open.

The 26-year-old Putman, who made his PGA Tour debut here a year ago, birdied six of his final nine holes on the Golf Course of Houston’s front side for a 7-under 65. He was at 12-under 132.

Mickelson, who won the even in 2011, shot 67 for a share of second place at 133. He had gone into his post-round news conference assuming he’d be leading the tournament. Another late finisher, qualifier Austin Cook, matched Putnam for the day’s low scores with a 65 of his own to tie Mickelson.

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COLLEGE BASKETBALL

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Frank Kaminsky, the 7-footer who anchored Wisconsin’s run to a second straight Final Four, is the runaway choice as The Associated Press’ player of the year.

Kaminsky averaged 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 54.9 percent from the field and 41.5 percent from 3-point range as the Badgers ran up a 35-3 record and won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

“Frank the Tank’” is the first Wisconsin player to win the award, which started in 1961. He is the third from the Big Ten in the last six seasons, joining Ohio State’s Evan Turner in 2010 and Michigan’s Trey Burke in 2013.

Kaminsky received 58 votes Friday from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Duke freshman Jahlil Okafor received five votes and Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein and Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant had one each.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Shaka Smart finally received an offer he couldn’t resist.

Smart was introduced as the new basketball coach at Texas on Friday, leaving Virginia Commonwealth for the Longhorns after turning down several suitors, including UCLA, since taking VCU to the NCAA Final Four in 2011.

He also reportedly received offers from Southern California, North Carolina State, Maryland, Marquette, Illinois and Wake Forest over the years.

Smart, 37, said this job was different.

“To me, it was a no brainer,” said Smart, wearing a burnt orange tie to his first news conference at Texas. “I don’t want to take away from any other program, but there is only one University of Texas. There is unbelievable potential here.”

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BASEBALL

FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - Minnesota Twins pitcher Ervin Santana has been suspended for 80 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for the performance-enhancing substance Stanozolol.

MLB announced the punishment Friday. This is the third penalty for a positive Stanozolol test reported by MLB in the last eight days, following Seattle pitcher David Rollins and Atlanta pitcher Arodys Vizcaino.

Santana must sit out the first half of the season. This is his first season with the Twins after signing a four-year, $55 million contract. He’ll lose $5,901,639 of his $13.5 million salary this season.

Santana said in a statement released by the players’ union he “can’t pinpoint” how the substance entered his body.

NEW YORK (AP) - An arbitrator has ruled Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will not be disciplined by Major League Baseball for violating his treatment program.

MLB said Friday it disagreed with the decision.

Hamilton, the 2010 AL MVP, is subject to the treatment program for prior violations involving drugs of abuse.

He self-reported a new violation this year involving both a drug of abuse and alcohol, a person familiar with the case said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those details were not made public.

A four-person treatment board created by baseball’s joint drug program, which includes one lawyer and one medical representative each appointed by management and the players’ association, deadlocked 2-2 on whether Hamilton should be disciplined. That caused the need for an arbitrator to break the tie.

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TENNIS

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) - Novak Djokovic outserved 6-foot-10 American John Isner and won their semifinal Friday at the Miami Open, 7-6 (3), 6-2.

The No. 1-seeded Djokovic closed to within one win of his fifth Key Biscayne title. His opponent in Sunday’s final will be two-time champion Andy Murray, who defeated Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4.

Djokovic had 10 aces to nine for Isner and never faced a break point. Isner hadn’t lost serve in the tournament until Djokovic broke him for a 2-1 lead in the second set.

Djokovic broke again two games later.

A taut, one-hour opening set created plenty of drama for the capacity crowd. Isner held despite several long service games and erased the only break point he faced, but won only two of five points on his serve in the pivotal tiebreaker.

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SOCCER

SAO PAULO (AP) - A Brazilian soccer team suspended a player who confronted his team’s fans in the middle of a match because they were constantly jeering him.

Internacional said left back Fabricio has been suspended until next week because of his rant during his team’s 1-0 win over Ypiranga in the Rio Grande do Sul state championship on Wednesday. The first-division club said a decision will be made Monday on whether he stays with the team.

“We are all sad about what happened,” Internacional coach Diego Aguirre said. “It was very sad and ugly, something like that shouldn’t happen.”

Fabricio stopped playing midway through the second half and began making obscene hand gestures to fans near the sideline in the southern city of Porto Alegre. He was immediately sent off by the referee.