in.Burger said the selfless standard set by the teams best players enabled a guy whos not even on the depth chart to be elected a captain at on

CARMEL, Ind. -- One way for Tiger Woods to temper expectations as he makes his return to competitive golf is to lower his own.And that typically has not worked too well.Woods might rather share a day on his yacht with Sergio Garcia than admit he would show up to a golf tournament with anything less than winning on his mind.But considering the two back surgeries he underwent last fall (and three overall), the year he spent without competitive golf, and the issues that were apparent in his game before he shut it down in 2015 ... all of that tends to build up a big heap of perspective.And Woods seemed to show that Wednesday when he announced that he hopes to return next month at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, as well as participate in the Turkish Airlines Open in November and the Hero World Challenge in December.My rehabilitation is to the point where Im comfortable making plans, but I still have work to do, Woods said in a statement. Whether I can play depends on my continued progress and recovery. My hope is to have my game ready to go.Woods hedged, which is unlike him. He let the world know he plans to come back at those tournaments, but with conditions. If hes not yet ready to go, he wont. And the fact that he has acknowledged that he still has work to do is a good sign.Unlike just about any other player in golf, Woods cannot return in peace. He cant show up and hope to just play tournament golf, work his way around, get comfortable again. There are no minor-league rehab starts in golf, no closed-door scrimmages.There are not any tournaments, period, where Woods could go to hone his skills without every shot, every hole, every round being documented.I dont think you guys [in the media] allow for expectations to be lowered, said Mark Steinberg, Woods agent. Regardless of what he shoots or how he plays, itll be analyzed in every way.Steinberg is correct. Undoubtedly, every shot Woods hits in Napa will be noted. Even if he were to return in Turkey, the media would show up and television would show every swing. Its simply the world Woods lives in, the one he all but created with his excellence.But Woods cant worry about any of that. Saying hes looking to build back his game, stroke by stroke, tournament by tournament is the only way to execute this return.Its not going to be a straight pathway to success, said Woods longtime friend and Golf Channel analyst Notah Begay. I mean, lets be honest.The fact that he hopes to play a European Tour event as well as his own World Challenge is also a good sign. The latter event doesnt have a 36-hole cut, so it provides an opportunity to play more rounds. It gives him one tournament a month with plenty of time to rest, recover, reassess.And if Woods is healthy -- still a big concern -- and able to practice and prepare properly, then playing tournaments is the logical next step in the process of becoming competitive again.People are going to expect him to go out at Napa and play well and its going to take time, said Rory McIlroy at the BMW Championship. Its a process, and sometimes you have to take the bigger picture and take the longer view of things, and thats what Tiger started to do with his injury. And Im sure hes sort of thinking, Play at Napa, but the long-term goal is if he can get himself ready for the Masters next year, then thats where he wants to be.That sounds like a reasonable goal, but even that might be asking too much. Woods needs to first start putting rounds together. He then needs to make cuts, turn 73s into 69s, perhaps even start contending. How long will that take? Depending on his back, his swing, his short game ... the possible answers are wide-ranging.And then there is the other element that Woods brings to a tournament. I think I missed the buzz he creates, McIlroy said. He brings an aura and an atmosphere that no one else in golf can bring. I missed that part of it, for sure.All of that, of course, creates pressure, which not even Woods is immune to. And it is another situation he will need to control.Jason Day has sought advice from Woods over the past year or so and they communicate frequently. Although Day didnt know Woods was coming back before anyone else did, he wasnt surprised.Their conversations suggested that Woods was getting closer.I think the hardest thing for him is just to try and get the rust out and really get back to game-ready sharpness, which is obviously a difficult thing to do, Day said. Although were expecting big things from him, I dont expect too much from him, even though he is Tiger Woods.Its hard to say that, because hes been out of the game for a while. Even though hes one of the greatest of all time, its very difficult to kind of get that sharpness back.The players know that. And deep down, Woods knows that, too. Its just never been part of his makeup to approach tournament golf that way. Perhaps that is why hes won 79 PGA Tour events, 14 major titles and more than $100 million in prize money. His approach has served him well.Hes the one who knows what his body has gone through and to get back to the point of playing competitively, Steinberg said. As a group, we have big-picture talks, of course we do. But hell have his own expectations. And you kind of have to go with that.The hope is that Tiger manages those expectations -- just as everyone else should. Ed Reed Jersey . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Clarence Moore Jersey .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom-miles-boykin-jersey-large-1573d.html . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Michael Jackson Jersey . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Authentic Custom Ravens Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When Ohio State announced its seven captains, the names were familiar and fairly predictable. Except for one: Joe Burger.Those who havent studied Ohio State games closely over the past three seasons probably havent heard of Burger, a senior backup linebacker who walked on and finally earned a scholarship this summer thanks to his work ethic, gritty determination in practice and relentless effort on special teams.Coach Urban Meyer loves guys like Burger. Great student, wonderful attitude, a charismatic natural motivator respected by everyone. Now Burgers teammates have recognized his effort by voting him a captain alongside the teams six returning starters from last season.As good a guy as there is, Meyer said.Burger is a Cincinnati product who had scholarship offers from other big schools -- including Saturdays opponent, Bowling Green -- but decided to walk on at Ohio State instead. Hes played in 34 games over the past three years and has a grand total of three tackles. His biggest play as a Buckeye was last year when he brought down Indiana punter Erich Toth for a 3-yard loss on a fake punt attempt. Ohio State was trailing by 7 at the time and eventually won the game 34-27.Burger said being elected captain was humbling.My name was on the sheet, but I had no idea how it was going to turn out, he said of the vote. When I heard coach Meyer call my name, it was just one of those feelings that you really cant describe. Im forever grateful to my teammates, and Im blessed to be around such a great group of people every single day.ddddddddddddAnd you get the idea he means it.Middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan said Burger is a team leader, regardless of how often hes on the field. His role this year again will be special teams.Ive learned a lot from Joe Burger myself as a linebacker, just the leadership traits he has on and off the field, said McMillan, who is also a captain. He comes in day in and day out and always does what hes supposed to do. Some guys are physically more gifted than him, but he always finds a way to win.Burger said the selfless standard set by the teams best players enabled a guy whos not even on the depth chart to be elected a captain at one of the most elite programs in the country.Besides Burger and McMillan, the other captains are quarterback J.T. Barrett, offensive linemen Pat Elflein and Billy Price, defensive end Tyquan Lewis and cornerback Gareon Conley.I think they kind of set the standard and said hey, we respect the people who work hard, we respect the people who come in every day with a smile and make others around them better, Burger said. So I think those guys are instrumental in allowing this opportunity for my teammates to select me. I think it sets a great example that you dont have to be a superstar on the field in order to be a leader.---Follow Mitch Stacy at http://twitter.com/mitchstacyFor some of his other recent stories: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/mitch-stacy ' ' '