A federal judge won’t order the state of Georgia to reopen voter registration for November’s elections in the presidential battleground state.

Masters chairman Fred Ridley says Augusta National sustained a lot of damage from Hurricane Helene, just like the rest of the area.

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene has brought climate change to the forefront of the presidential campaign.

Vice President Kamala Harris has handed out meals, embraced a shaken family and surveyed Hurricane Helene’s “extraordinary” path of destruction through Georgia.

Power is still out for well over 1 million people in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina five days after Hurricane Helene tore down trees and destroyed much of the electric grid.

Rescuers are scouring the mountains of western North Carolina for anyone still unaccounted for since Hurricane Helene’s remnants caused catastrophic damage across the Southeast.

Maine's secretary of state says independent presidential candidate Cornel West can appear on the ballot in Maine.

A former warehouse assistant for the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia has pleaded guilty to transporting millions of dollars' worth of stolen Masters tournament memorabilia and historic items, including one of Arnold Palmer’s green jackets.

Tiger Woods is the only player on a five-member subcommittee that will be negotiating with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf.

The PGA Championship field next week at Valhalla includes everyone from the top 100 in the world.

Players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour in the divide with Saudi-funded LIV Golf are starting to find out how much that loyalty could be worth.

Scottie Scheffler has never been one to celebrate.

Maine is joining a multistate effort to elect the president by popular vote with the governor’s announcement that she’ll let the proposal become law without her signature.

The famed stretch of holes known as Amen Corner at Augusta National proved pivotal in the final round of the Masters on Sunday.

Tiger Woods finished the Masters on Sunday wtih a 16-over 304, his highest 72-hole score ever in a career that spans three decades.

Gnomes, those quirky statues people often have in their gardens, are flying off the shelves at Augusta National.

The Masters began after a weather delay of 2 1/2 hours on Thursday, though the heaviest of rains that were expected overnight had missed Augusta National.

Golf has a ratings problem.

Inflation may be driving up food cost around the country, but patrons generally won’t see those increases at Augusta National.

An effort to amend the Maine Constitution to enshrine the right to an abortion is coming up short.

Lottie Woad of England is the Augusta National Women's Amateur champion with a stunning finish at the home of the Masters.

Rory McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world, talks Masters, course changes at Augusta, and mentality entering his third start at the Valero Texas Open.

Maine voters will decide the fate of eight statewide ballot measures in a referendum election Tuesday.

How it got out of his possession was accidental, according to an article.

Groups opposed to Maine's new law expanding access to abortions won’t attempt to nullify the new statute through a so-called People’s Veto referendum.

The Maine House has voted again to allow later abortions in some circumstances, putting the proposal one final vote away from going to the governor for her signature.

Police say a man confessed to killing four people, including his parents, and then firing on motorists on Interstate 295, just days after being released from prison.

Will Zalatoris is out for the rest of the PGA Tour season after back surgery.

Jon Rahm slipped into the green jacket on Sunday to wrap up a memorable Masters.

Phil Mickelson returned to Augusta National on Tuesday for a practice round ahead of the Masters.

Jon Rahm looked nearly unbeatable just a month ago.

Rose Zhang is the Augusta National Women's Amateur champion, and it was a lot harder than she imagined.

Chipotle is closing a Maine store that had been leading efforts to unionize the chain.

Lee Westwood has requested a release to play the first event of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational series in Britain next month.

Tiger Woods is at Southern Hill three weeks before the start of the PGA Championship.

Bryson DeChambeau says surgery on his left wrist has been successful.

Scottie Scheffler can play in the Masters forever now.

Cameron Smith's hopes of winning his first major vanished on the 12th hole during the final round of the Masters.

Golf’s hottest rivalry not so long ago has cooled off considerably.

Tiger Woods’ second round at the Masters on Friday seemed like a constant ride from one end of the success spectrum to the other.

Of all the 6,576 shots that were officially struck at Augusta National on Day 1 of the Masters, only one truly mattered.

Tiger Woods played the first round of the Masters on Thursday.

Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods will put his surgically repaired right leg to the test as he begins his pursuit of a sixth green jacket.

As tradition dictates, there is now very bad news to report about Canadian golfers Mike Weir and Mackenzie Hughes.

The home of the Masters is making an effort to reach a younger generation of golfers as the tournament nears its 100th birthday.

In addition to the storyline of it likely being Tiger Woods' first tournament since a car accident, this year also marks the 25th anniversary of his first Masters and major tournament win that forever changed the game of golf.

For some patrons at the Masters, the fear of missing out is real.

If the motivations for Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas this week at the Masters are similar it shouldn’t come as much surprise.

The boxes weren’t flying off the shelves.

This Masters is all about Tiger Woods to start the week.

Collin Morikawa will try to compete at Augusta on his terms as the world's third-ranked player begins his third Masters.

Tom Watson is returning to the first tee at the Masters as an honorary starter.

Recent leaf-peeping seasons have been disrupted by weather conditions in New England, New York and elsewhere.

The PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic will have some spectators this summer at Detroit Golf Club.

Rory McIlroy is back at Quail Hollow, the course where he won his first PGA Tour event.

Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel birdied six of their final eight holes Saturday to shoot a 9-under 63 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of the Zurich Classic.

The PGA Tour is awarding a $40 million bonus pool to the top 10 players who move the needle in golf, regardless of how they perform inside the ropes.

Hideki Matsuyama is the first Japanese player in a green jacket.

Hideki Matsuyama has made history as the first male golfer from Japan to win a major championship.

Hideki Matsuyama delivered a masterpiece at the Masters.

The third round of the Masters is over, and Hideki Matsuyama has a four-shot lead over Xander Schauffele, Marc Leishman, Justin Rose and Will Zalatoris.

Justin Rose was down, then up, and finally level at the end of Day 2.

Justin Rose didn't get the memo that Augusta National was playing a little easier Friday at the Masters.

Justin Rose still has the lead at the midway point of the Masters, but his perch looks a lot more precarious.

Justin Rose shot 65 on a day when only a dozen players managed to break par at the Masters.

Justin Rose picked one of the toughest days at Augusta National for his lowest score in the Masters.

Brooks Koepka’s surgically repaired knee wasn’t the problem in the opening round of the Masters.

The applause started when Lee Elder’s golf cart began moving toward the first tee.

Only a dozen players managed to break par in the opening round of the Masters.

Don't expect a repeat of Dustin Johnson's record-shattering 20-under win as the Masters tees off.

No one needed to see the colorful blooms at Augusta National to realize this will be a much different Masters than the last one.

Dustin Johnson didn’t feel like his Masters victory was less significant last fall because no fans were at Augusta National to see his win and celebrate with him.

Rory McIlroy visited Tiger Woods recently and got a look at Woods' trophy case.

Bryson DeChambeau let his bravado get the best of him the last time he was at Augusta National.

Brooks Koepka is swinging the club fine, a good sign going into the Masters.

Herman Keiser won a green jacket after the Masters went four years without being played because of World War II.

More than hosting the first major of the year, Augusta National has become a 10-day celebration at the home of the Masters.

The Masters features only six players, three of them amateurs, who have never played in the Masters.

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)AUGUSTA, Ga. – The record score at Augusta National wasn't all that set Dustin Johnson apart from other Masters champions. No other Masters champion was allowed to keep his green jacket for only five months before it was time to try to win it again. Augusta National is blazing with pink and red and purple azaleas, accented by the white blooms of dogwood. Ad“I think it will be back to feeling like a normal Masters,” Johnson said. Augusta National had no choice but to keep the spectators away in November because of the pandemic, just like the other majors last year.

Virginia State Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta, front, looks at the vote tally board during a vote on a death penalty abolition bill at the Senate session at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, Va., Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. AdEven last year, death penalty abolition bills in the General Assembly went nowhere. Historically, Virginia has used the death penalty more than any other state, executing nearly 1,400 people since its days as a colony, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. Since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976, Virginia, with 113 executions, is second only to Texas. Michael Stone, executive director of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, called the vote to abolish capital punishment a landmark moment in the state's history.

Migrants stand on the deck of the Ocean Viking rescue ship, in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021. A rescue ship with 422 migrants aboard, some of whom tested positive for COVID-19, is heading to Sicily. (Hippolyte/SOS Mediterranee via AP)ROME – A rescue ship with 422 migrants aboard, a small number of whom tested positive for COVID-19, was headed to a port in Sicily on Sunday. AdEight of the rescued migrants have COVID-19, according to tests administered by the crew, and were being isolated on board despite the difficulties of crowded conditions on deck. “But although strict COVID-19 mitigation protocols apply on board the Ocean Viking, this is a vessel of 69 meters (228 feet) in length,” Albera said.

(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)A double row of chain-link fencing circles the Arizona State Capitol. National Guard troops in camouflage and flak jackets and heavily armed state troopers were stationed at state capitals across the U.S. in advance of protests planned for Sunday. Details were vague, but demonstrations were expected at state capitols beginning Sunday and leading up to Biden taking the oath of the office Wednesday. Sections of temporary fencing that encircled many state capitols were locked together in Sacramento with handcuffs. National Guard troops patrolled the California Capitol and streets of downtown Sacramento on Saturday.

FILE - Dustin Johnson waves after winning the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., in a Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, file photo. Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, the club intends to allow a limited number of spectators for the Masters on April 8-11, provided it can be done safely, given the coronavirus pandemic. Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley said Tuesday the club intends to allow a limited number of spectators for the Masters on April 8-11, provided it can be done safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ridley said holding the Masters with only essential personnel made the club confident in its ability to stage a major championship with limited fans. For the Augusta National Women's Amateur and the Drive, Chip and Putt Finals, limited patrons would be allowed, most likely family members.

55 after closing with a 77 in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai to drop to a tie for 23rd. That he accumulated the most world ranking points (463.54) was no surprise. Johnson received credit for the victory with the staggered start based on the FedEx Cup (he tied for third in world ranking points). DIVOTSDustin Johnson earned an average of 25.75 world ranking points in his 18 starts worldwide in 2020. That's more than the total ranking points Tiger Woods earned (19.08) in the nine tournaments he played.

Democrats need a Georgia sweep to force a 50-50 Senate and position Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tiebreaking vote. Highlighting the importance of the race, Biden plans to visit the state next week to campaign for Ossoff and Warnock. “Let them steal Georgia again, you’ll never be able to look yourself in the mirror,” Trump told rallygoers. “I want you to be confident about your vote," Pence said. “That’s just not Georgia to me," said Davis, 57, who helped run her late husband's medical business.

On the heels of shooting 67, 68 and 69 over the first three rounds, Smith finished with a 15-under total that would've been good enough to win most years. “It would have been cool to do that and win,” Smith said “I would take 15 under around here for the rest of my career. Smith, playing up ahead in the next-to-last threesome, brilliantly scrambled for birdies at the seventh and ninth holes, leaving him two behind at the turn. “I wouldn't say I brought my best stuff, especially my longer stuff,” Smith said. Unfortunately for Smith and Im, Johnson was even better.

12 in the final round on Sunday, plunking three balls into Rae’s Creek in front of the green on Augusta National’s signature par 3. And the carnage at Amen Corner dropped him from 3 under to 4 over for the tournament, with only a late string of birdies saving him from his matching his worst Masters round ever. “You just have to turn around and figure out the next shot,” said Woods, who followed the debacle at No. Woods said he misread the wind on that shot when it shifted after his two playing partners already had hit. 12, Woods was propelled to his fifth Masters title when four contenders dumped their shots into Rae’s Creek.

___12:20 p.m.Dustin Johnson has made the turn in the final round of the Masters with a two-shot lead over Cameron Smith. That broke a stretch of 33 consecutive holes without a bogey going back to the second round. The Masters leader three-putted from just off the front of the green at the par-3 fourth hole in the final round. The final round of the Masters began with another weather delay, this one only 10 minutes because of fog. Johnson is the 16th player to lead by four shots or more going into the final round at Augusta National.

Tiger Woods remains in the mix with one birdie and seven pars to complete a 71, leaving him four shots behind. As the sun broke through the clouds when the second round ended, it revealed a Masters that even without spectators was shaping up to be as exciting as always. Rahm joined the lead pack at 9-under 135 with a wedge to 5 feet for birdie on the par-5 13th to resume his second round, but the next par 5 meant just as much. The cut was at even-par 144, a Masters record and a reflection of how rain has affected this Masters in November. That included Woods, who won his fifth green jacket last year by coming from behind for the first time in a major.

Bryson DeChambeau watches his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)AUGUSTA, Ga. – After struggling to make the cut at the Masters, Bryson DeChambeau said he's just not feeling well. “Not good, to say the least,” DeChambeau said after finishing up his second round Saturday morning, before heading back out to play the third. I don’t know what was going on, a little something weird.”DeChambeau played 12 holes in the second round Friday before play was halted by darkness. “I just feel kind of dull and numb out there, just not fully aware of everything, and making some silly, silly mistakes for sure,” DeChambeau said. DeChambeau barely made the cut after bogeying the final two holes of the second round.

He quickly distanced himself from the pack with an eagle on the second hole, then followed with birdies on Nos. Mickelson drove into a batch of pine trees, then actually went backward when his second shot ricocheted off one of the trees. ___12:30 p.m.Dustin Johnson eagled the second hole at Augusta National to move into the lead alone in the Masters. On the 575-yard, par-5 second hole, Johnson followed a 363-yard drive with an approach that ended up 3 feet from the pin. ___8:10 a.m.Vijay Singh has withdrawn from the Masters because of illness after completing 10 holes in the second round.

The green jackets who run the Masters knew moving the tournament from April to November meant ceding some control. The scoring average for Round 1 — which wasn’t wrapped up until Friday morning — settled at 71.41, the lowest ever at the Masters. His tee shot found a muddy stretch well left of the fairway, but after a search he couldn’t find the ball. He bogeyed the next two holes, turning the rest of his round into a desperate rescue effort. Afterward, Rahm, one of his playing partners, was asked whether he was involved in the search for DeChambeau’s wayward tee shot at the third.

Langer, a two-time Masters champion and ageless wonder, gets to play two more rounds. He became the oldest player to make the 36-hole cut at the Masters, topping the record by Tommy Aaron in 2000 by 33 days. Tiger Woods constantly cites Langer and Fred Couples as examples of Masters champions who can find their way around the course and post good scores. When golf returned from the pandemic in June, Langer teed it up twice on the PGA Tour because the 50-and-older PGA Tour Champions had not resumed. Langer still decided to check on the policy on Tuesday night during the Masters Club dinner for past champions.

What two days have shown is that Masters experience only goes so far on a soft course with rye grass that isn't grown in quite the way it usually is in April. Another Masters rookie, Sungjae Im (70), was in the group another shot behind that included Patrick Cantlay (66), who contended for the green jacket last year. “You have to really throw all the past knowledge out the window this week, as weird as it is,” Thomas said. Johnson quickly became the first player this week to reach 10 under with three birdies around Amen Corner. The two-time Masters champion shot 68 in the morning on a long, soft course.

The opening round was delayed nearly three hours at the start by heavy rain, and with limited daylight in November, there was no way to complete the round. Greg Norman still holds the record for lowest opening round, a 63 in 1996, the year he lost a six-shot lead to Nick Faldo in the final round. There were 53 rounds under par in the 92-man field and 24 rounds in the 60s, both Masters records for any round. The previous mark was 47 rounds under par in the second round of 1992 (83-man field). This is his fifth Masters, and not only his lowest score, but the first time he has shot par or better in the opening round.

Play has been suspended in the second round of the Masters, with 48 players yet to finish. While the second round won’t be completed until Saturday morning, Langer is assured of getting through. Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Cameron Smith and Abraham Ancer all have a share of the lead after finishing the second round at 9-under 135. ___11:50 a.m.Dustin Johnson is pulling away from the field in the second round of the Masters. The second round is underway at the Masters, and the first round hasn't quite finished up yet.

Five-time and defending champion Tiger Woods dropped a turn-back-the-clock round of his own, relying more on experience than current form to post a 68. “There is a sense of ease when I come here, just because I understand how to prepare for this golf course,” Woods said after hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens. Small wonder, then, that Woods flashed a wide grin when asked what was most encouraging about the round. “This golf course, as much as I’m trying to attack it, it can bite back,” he said. Still to be determined is how much firmer the greens and the rest of the golf course will get.

Defying his lackluster form not to mention a history of slow starts at these hallowed grounds, Woods shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 on Thursday in the opening round of the Masters, a tantalizing display by the defending champion in his quest for a record-tying sixth green jacket. Woods hasn't played much this year, returning warily from a five-month layoff to play a half-dozen tournaments leading up to the Masters. It was only the second time he's broken 70 in the opening round at Augusta, matching the 68 he shot to begin the 2010 Masters. More telling, it was his first bogey-free round in a major championship since the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine. “I got off to a fast start today, which is good, but I think everyone is,” Woods said.

Paul Casey matched his lowest score at the Masters with a 7-under 65, giving him a two-shot lead among half the field fortunate to play in perfect scoring conditions. It was the fifth hole, which he bogeyed all four rounds last year when he won the Masters. He was joined by Xander Schauffele, a runner-up to Woods last year, who had seven birdies in his round of 67. The delay was the last thing the Masters needed with limited daylight hours leading to the two-tee start. The loudest cheer — applause, certainly not a roar — came for Nicklaus and Player hitting tee shots so early that they couldn't see where they landed.

Jack Nicklaus waves after hitting a ceremonial first ball before the first round of the Masters golf tournament Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)