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Masters imposes stunning penalty on 14-year-old
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — The Masters took a stunning turn for its youngest player ever, and it may cost 14-year-old Guan Tianlang a chance to play on the weekend at Augusta National.

The Chinese eight-grader was penalized one stroke for slow play late in the second round Friday, believed to be the first time such a ruling has ever been made at the Masters.

The penalty could hurt Guan's chances of making the cut, since he needed to be among the top 50 or at least within 10 strokes of the lead.

When Augusta National announced the decision, the youngster was tied for 57th. Marc Leishman was leading at 6 under — 10 shots ahead of Guan — with eight holes still to play.

Fred Ridley, the club's competition committee chairman, said Guan's threesome was first warned for being too far behind the group ahead of them at the 10th hole. The teenager went on the clock two holes later — an official imposes a 40-second time limit to play a stroke — and gave Guan his first warning at No. 13.

"In keeping with the applicable rules, he was penalized following his second shot on the 17th hole when he again exceeded the 40-second time limit by a considerable margin," Ridley said in a statement.

That turned what would have been a par into a bogey. Guan finished at 3-over 75 for the round, giving him a 4-over 148 total.

"I respect the decision," he said. "This is what they can do."

Augusta National spokesman Steve Ethun said there were no records of the penalty ever being assessed during the Masters.

The last player to be penalized for slow play at a major was Gregory Bourdy at the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits.

Augusta National spokesman Steve Ethun said there were no records of the penalty ever being assessed during the Masters.

"I know the rules pretty good," Guan said. "But I think my routine was pretty good, too. Just the wind changed. The weather, it was not a good day."

A rainy morning turned into a blustery afternoon, which sent scores much higher than they were in the opening round. Guan said it took him longer to judge distances and pick clubs because of the wind.

Nevertheless, Guan said his first Masters experience would not be dampened if he missed the cut because of a penalty.

"This is still a wonderful experience for me," he said. "I enjoyed this week so far. I think I did a pretty good job."

Leishman, a 29-year-old Australian with only one PGA Tour victory, kept up his solid play in the tough conditions, while others fell by the wayside.

That included Sergio Garcia, who was tied with Leishman at the end of the first round after both shot 6-under 66. The Spaniard soared to a 76 that knocked him back, but not out. He was four strokes off the lead.

Dustin Johnson surged to 7 under and the top spot on the board, before a dismal finish ruined his day. He laid up at the par-5 15th hole, then dunked his third shot in the water, leading to a double-bogey. He bogeyed the 17th, then took another double-bogey at the final hole to finish with 76.

Instead of leading, he was five shots back at 1-under 143.

Lost in the hoopla over Guan's penalty was Tiger Woods' charge toward the front. After opening with a 70, the four-time Masters champion birdied the fifth and seventh holes to get within two strokes of the lead.

Two other former winners were doing well, too.

Fred Couples, playing in his favorite tournament at age 53, birdied the final hole for a 71 that gave him the clubhouse lead at 139. Angel Cabrera birdied five of the last six holes for a 69 that put him another shot back at 140.

Jim Furyk was right in the mix at 5 under through 13 holes.

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Raging wildfires in South force evacuations in Tennessee
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Fires blaze on the hills above Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Tuesday morning. Bruce McCamish Photography | The Covington News

ATLANTA (AP) — Raging wildfires fueled by high winds forced the evacuation of thousands of people and damaged hundreds of buildings in a popular resort town on the border of the Smoky Mountains National Park as National Guard troops arrived early Tuesday to help overwhelmed firefighters.

Rain had begun to fall in some areas, but experts predicted it would not be enough to end the relentless drought that has spread across several Southern states and provided fuel for fires now burning for weeks in states including Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

The storms appeared to be taking aim at the nearly 28,000-acre Rough Ridge Fire in north Georgia and the nearly 25,000-acre Rock Mountain Fire that began in Georgia and then spread deep into North Carolina.

In Gatlinburg, Tennessee, officials said hundreds of homes and other buildings, including a 16-story hotel, were damaged or destroyed by flames. And preliminary surveys indicated that Westgate Resorts, with more than 100 buildings, and Ober Gatlinburg were both likely destroyed, according to a news release Tuesday morning.

Emergency officials ordered evacuations in downtown Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and in other areas of Sevier County near the Smoky Mountains while crews continue to battle the blaze, which also had crept to the edge of the Dollywood theme park. About 14,000 residents and visitors were evacuated from Gatlinburg alone, officials said.

No deaths have been reported, though several people were hospitalized with burns, emergency officials said in the news release.

Officials say there are about 1,200 people sheltering at the Gatlinburg Community Center and the Rocky Top Sports Park. Several other shelters have opened to house those forced from their homes. TV broadcasts showed residents streaming out of town just as rain started to wet roads.

Workers at an aquarium evacuated because of the wildfires were concerned about the thousands of animals housed there. Ryan DeSears, general manager of Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, told WBIR-TV the building was still standing and all workers had been evacuated late Monday. However, he said workers were anxious to return to check on the well-being of the 10,518 animals.

The rain forecast "puts the bull's-eye of the greatest amounts right at the bull's-eye of where we've been having our greatest activity," said Dave Martin, deputy director of operations for fire and aviation management with the southern region of the U.S. Forest Service.

The projected rainfall amounts "really lines up with where we need it," Martin said Monday. "We're all knocking on wood."

After weeks of punishing drought, any rain that falls should be soaked up quickly, forecasters said. It will provide some relief but won't end the drought — or the fire threat, they said.

Drought conditions will likely persist, authorities said. The problem is that rainfall amounts have been 10 to 15 inches below normal during the past three months in many parts of the South, authorities said.

"I think we racked up deficits that are going to be too much to overcome with just one storm system," said Mark Svoboda, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

"I would say it's way too early to say 'Yes, this drought is over,'" Svoboda said. "Does it put a dent in it? Yes, but we have a long ways to go."

The rain also brings danger because strong winds at the leading edge of the storms can topple trees and limbs that can kill and injure firefighters, he said.

In Mississippi, trees were reported downed Monday in nearly 20 counties across the state. Sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts of more than 50 mph were reported and more than 2 inches of rain fell in some areas.

Power outages peaked at more than 23,000 statewide in Mississippi. Powerlines downed by winds sparked grass fires in four counties, said Greg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

The storms moved across Alabama on Monday night and fell on Georgia during the overnight hours. High wind warnings were issued for mountainous areas in northern parts of Georgia.

In South Carolina, the stormy forecast was giving hope to firefighters battling a blaze in the northwest corner of the state. The South Carolina Forestry Commission hopes to contain the Pinnacle Mountain fire by the middle of next week.
More rain was expected Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
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Fuller reported from New Orleans. Associated Press writers Rebecca Yonker in Louisville, Kentucky; Jeff Amy in Jackson, Mississippi; Beth Campbell in Louisville, Kentucky; and Jack Jones in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.