BAHAMAS - Tiger Woods proved he could be competitive again after playing some of the best golf of his comeback with a final-round four-under 68 to tie for ninth at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas on Sunday.

BAHAMAS - Tiger Woods dazzled in his much-anticipated return from injury on Thursday at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas where the former world number one flashed his vintage fist pump and did not seem troubled by his troublesome back.

Group A
Russia, a lowly 65th in FIFA's rankings, will be reasonably confident of making progress to the last 16 after being drawn against Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Uruguay.
The hosts will face the Saudis, ranked 63rd, in the tournament's opening match where a win will be essential. Uruguay will be favourites to top the section with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani forming a fearsome attack although Egypt, back at the finals for the first time since 1990, boast Liverpool's prolific forward Mohamed Salah.

Group B
European champions Portugal and Spain meet in Sochi to kick off the group and while that is not the start either side would have wanted, they both should still make progress with Morocco, qualifiers for the first time since 1998, and Iran, managed by Carlos Queiroz, the other sides involved.
Spain will be keen to make up for their flop in Brazil four years ago when they failed to survive the group stage while for Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo it could be his last chance to make a real impression at a World Cup.

Group C
Perhaps not a 'group of death' but 1998 champions France will have to be on their toes if they are to avoid an early flight home with 10th-ranked Peru, a dangerous Denmark and Australia keeping them company.
With players such as Antoine Griezmann and Olivier Giroud in attack and Paul Pogba powering up the midfield Les Bleus should win the group with the other three scrapping for runners-up spot. Peru have qualified for the first time for 36 years.

Group D
Argentina made a meal of qualifying for the World Cup but were saved by a superb Lionel Messi hat-trick in their final game against Ecuador. Messi will be the key man as they navigate a group containing Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria.
Iceland, sensations at Euro 2016 where they knocked out England to reach the quarter-finals, are the smallest nation by population ever to qualify but cannot be taken lightly while Croatia boast creative talents such as Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic.

Group E
Five-times champions Brazil will be heavy favourites to win the group, leaving Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia in a battle to join them in the knockouts.
Costa Rica showed they can cause an upset at the 2014 tournament when they won a group that included England, Italy and Uruguay, while Serbia eased through a testing qualifying campaign.

Group F
Defending champions Germany are unlikely to fear a group that also features Mexico, Sweden and South Korea.
Sweden will be buoyed up after knocking out Italy in the playoffs, showing the sort of defensive mettle that can bring success in tournament football. Mexico are World Cup stalwarts who have reached the last 16 in the previous six editions.

Group G
Belgium are the highest ranked team in the group that also features England, Tunisia and Panama. Roberto Martinez's side, however, have not beaten England in their last 11 meetings and only once in their history.
England, who failed to get out of their group in 2014 and were knocked out by Iceland at the last European Championship, will have fond memories of beating Tunisia in the 1998 tournament, when manager Gareth Southgate played centre back.

Group H
Poland, spearheaded by Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski and ranked seventh in the world, cruised through qualifying and will fancy their chances of topping a group that includes Senegal, Colombia and Japan.
Senegal, with Liverpool's Sadio Mane in attack, will believe they have the firepower to reach the knockouts, while Colombia boast 2014 Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez.

LONDON- - Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge will seek to complete a hat-trick of London Marathon victories next year after missing the 2017 event to focus on his Breaking2 sub-two hour bid, organisers said on Thursday.
The 33-year-old Kenyan won the 2015 race and finished eight seconds outside Dennis Kimetto's world record time of 2:02:57 to triumph again 12 months later, but he did not defend his title this year to instead focus on the Nike Breaking2 project.
In that event he ran two hours and 25 seconds, though that time is not an official world record due to aspects of the event not satisfying IAAF criteria..
The former 5,000 metres world champion's official best marathon time of 2:03:05 set in London in 2016 is the fourth-fastest in history. He came close to the world record again in Berlin this year, clocking 2:03:32 in damp conditions. .
As always, questions about a potential world record were top of the agenda as Kipchoge held a conference call with journalists on Thursday. The last six world records were set at Berlin, with London last producing one in 2002 when Khalid Khannouchi ran 2:05.38.
"First of all I race to win but London is a good course, world records can be broken here. Remember last year I missed it by a few seconds so London is truly a place to break a world record," he said.
"Berlin was difficult because the weather was not good but my time showed I was in the right shape. As ever with marathon running, everything needs to come right on the day.
"I know that I have the world record in me so we will have to wait and see what happens."
Although most of the rest of the elite field is yet to be announced one name already inked in is that of Briton Mo Farah, having his second attempt at the distance but first after stepping away from his track career.
Farah ran 2:08.21 in 2014 and would need a major improvement to challenge for the title next year.
Kipchoge, who has won all but one of the marathons he has raced since stepping up from the track in 2013, said he expected a strong showing from the home favourite.
"It does take time to make that switch but I’m sure Mo will be successful. Mo is a legend and has responded to all sorts of pressure before," he said.
"It’s great he will be racing the London Marathon next year because I’m sure that will make the atmosphere even more special."