Big-hitter Johnson still the major target at Pebble Beach

June 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

California (Reuters) – Dustin Johnson was targeted by the game’s best players before the start of this week’s U.S. Open and he will remain firmly fixed in their sights for Sunday’s final round.

Sports

The long-hitting American, seeking his first major title, fired a sparkling five-under-par 66 in Saturday’s third round at Pebble Beach to move three strokes clear of a high-quality leaderboard.

Johnson birdied the last two holes to leave world number one Tiger Woods trailing by five and second-ranked Phil Mickelson by seven, two players who had specifically sought him out for practice rounds earlier in the week.

Woods and Mickelson were eager to watch the Pebble Beach expert in action, Johnson having won the last two PGA Tour events played at the picturesque coastal venue.

“The first time I walked out here, I loved the place,” Johnson told reporters after posting a six-under total of 207 with only two other players under par. “And I really enjoy playing golf here.

“Length’s an advantage at a lot of places but definitely here, especially if I’m hitting it in the fairway, because the ball is going a long way. I’m hitting it extra far.”

Johnson astonished Woods during a practice round at Pebble Beach on Monday when he struck a four-iron 226 yards into the wind to end up pin high at the par-three 17th.

BIG HITTING

“He doesn’t hit it short, that’s for sure,” Woods said with a laugh after matching Johnson’s 66 on Saturday. “I don’t know how many guys have that shot but I certainly don’t.

“He carried a four-iron 226 into the wind, and (caddie) Steve (Williams) and I are thinking: ‘Well that’s a two-iron, you got to hit a good two-iron.’ And Dustin just pulls out four-iron like it was nothing.”

Mickelson, who carded a 73 in the third round, played a practice round with Johnson on Tuesday and was not at all surprised to see his compatriot atop the U.S. Open leaderboard.

“He’s played good golf, exceptional golf,” left-hander Mickelson said. “It’s not an easy golf course, and he’s striking it very solid and putting well. That’s what you have to do to win an Open and he’s doing it.”

Johnson, a three-times winner on the PGA Tour who will celebrate his 26th birthday on Tuesday, felt confident about his chances of holding on at Pebble Beach to seal victory.

“I’m going to have to be really patient,” he said. “If I keep hitting like I’ve been hitting and putting it in the spots on the green, then I’m going to be tough to beat.

“You couldn’t ask for a better present. This is what I live for, this is what I practise for every day. This is what we play golf for is to have a chance to win the U.S. Open.”

(Editing by John O’Brien)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Top ranking still elusive for Mickelson after missed cut

May 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A week that began with Phil Mickelson eyeing the top spot in the world rankings ended prematurely on Friday when he missed the cut by a significant margin at the Colonial Invitational.

On an ideal day for scoring at Colonial Country Club, the American left-hander battled to a three-over-par 73 in the second round to languish near the bottom of the leaderboard.

Mickelson, who would have replaced Tiger Woods as world number one for the first time with victory this week, bogeyed three of his last seven holes to lie a distant six strokes off the projected cutline.

“I played terrible,” the four-times major champion told reporters after recording five bogeys and two birdies in calm, hot conditions. “The course is in great shape.

“There was no wind and there were a ton of birdies out there. And I didn’t make have many of them. I thought my game was sharper.

“This was a good barometer, though,” Mickelson said after posting a four-over total of 144. “This starts my run into the (June 17-20) U.S. Open. It tells me that I have a lot of work to do.”

Mickelson, who clinched his fourth major crown at last month’s U.S. Masters, had not missed a cut on the PGA Tour since last year’s Houston Open, a run of 21 events.

RUSTIER MICKELSON

“I thought I was playing really well,” the world number two said. “I had some good practice sessions at home. As it turned out, I’m a little bit rustier than I thought.

“I didn’t drive it very well. I didn’t hit many good iron shots. I’ll get home, get some practice in and see if I can get this thing turned around.”

Mickelson, a short game magician, has produced a glittering career resume including 38 PGA Tour titles but he has never topped the world rankings.

Asked this week whether he was surprised the number one spot had eluded him since he turned professional in 1992, he replied: “I don’t know how to answer that.

“I would say 13 of those years were in Tiger years. It hasn’t been the easiest.”

Woods has been world number one for the last 259 weeks, and an overall total of 601.

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Ed Osmond; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

From nowhere to almost there for Karlsson

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Wentworth (Britain), May 23 (IANS) Robert Karlsson signed his second round card of one-under 70 and then figured that at three-over 145, he was going to miss the cut. The Swede based in Nice, Monaco, disappointed at finishing with a double bogey seven on the 18th that messed his round, took an afternoon flight from London to Nice.

He was almost home in front of his door, when he got a call that he was likely to make the cut right on the line at three-over. Realising that he was in with a chance to play the weekend, without even as much as saying ‘Hi’ to his wife in the house, he asked the same taxi driver to take him back to the airport.

With no direct flight to London, he took a flight to Paris and then after two hours of sleep, he hired a private jet to leave at 6 a.m. He reached just in time for the 8.55 a.m. tee off.

The 2008 European Number One birdied five of the first seven holes to turn in 30 and then picked further shots at the 12th, 14th and 16th for a stunning 62 at the tough West Course. That took him to tied second and just two strokes behind the leader Chris Wood.

From being nowhere, Karlsson now has the chance to pick up the winner’s cheque of 750,000 euros that could make him the first player to win a European Tour event after coming from the cut line.

Asked where he ranked the round, Karlsson just smiled and replied: ‘Probably the most unexpected.’

Rory McIlroy did just that in US recently while winning the Quail Hollow Open on the PGA Tour.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Australia’s Day wins Byron Nelson by two shots

May 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Australian Jason Day survived a final hole bogey to win the Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday.

Day carded a 72 to finish on 10-under-par 270 at the Four Seasons TPC, two strokes ahead of Americans Blake Adams, Brian Gay and Jeff Overton.

The 22-year-old Day was helped by Adams, who double-bogeyed the last after his second shot clipped a tree branch and ended in a water hazard.

“I wear my heart on my collar and I worked so hard to get to where I am today and this means a lot to me,” Day told reporters after becoming the youngest Australian to win on the PGA Tour.

Day seemed headed for a play-off when he pulled his four-iron approach shot into the water at the par-four 18th but got a huge reprieve when Adams also found the water when his second shot clipped a branch.

“I was disappointed that I hit it in the water and made it so hard on myself, but in the end I’m happy,” said Day, the 2006 Australian amateur champion.

Day’s first win took him longer than he expected but he said he had learned a lot.

“It was my own fault it didn’t come sooner,” he said. “I didn’t practice hard enough the first year. You give someone a really good contract deal, everyone is telling you you’re the best and it’s easy to slack off.

“I’ve been working very hard this year and last year and it’s finally starting to pay off, which is nice.”

Day began the final round two strokes clear of Adams but slipped out of the lead after carding three bogeys in four holes just before the turn.

However, he birdied the 11th and 12th to regain a two-shot advantage and came to the last with a one-shot cushion.

Adams blamed a poor tee shot for his costly double-bogey.

“I was fortunate I had a wide-open (second) shot but I had some overhanging limbs and the ball was sitting on hard pan,” he said.

“The ball shot up, hit a limb and threw it left, so I can’t beat myself up over it. It leads back to that three-wood (tee shot). If I hit a good three-wood, it’s a different story.”

(Editing Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Loss to Australia in T20 WC semi-final still hard to believe: Mohammed Hafeez

May 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Islamabad, May 20 (ANI): Pakistan all rounder Mohammed Hafeez and his other teammates are still shocked at their stunning defeat against Australia in the semi-final of the just concluded ICC T20 World Championship in Caribbean.

Hafeez told PakPassion.net that his fellow cricketers are still finding it hard to come to terms with having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

“We played so well, we gave absolutely everything and it was hard to believe at the end of the day that we actually lost. We were upset with the defeat and I believe that we should have won the match against Australia,” he said.

Hafeez denied there being any complacency on part of the players during the all important match, and stressed that the whole team was absolutely focussed on its job even after posting a challenging total of 192 for Australia to chase.

“The captain and coach told us to give our all till the very last ball of the match. There was absolutely no chance of us taking things easy or thinking we had already won the match. Against Australia you can never let your guard slip and that”s what the captain and coach emphasised to all of us,” he said.

Hafeez, however, did not take away any credit from Michael Hussey for producing a breathtaking innings of 60 off 24 balls, which saw the Kangaroos seal their berth in the final of the tournament.

“Hussey did not make any mistakes. To come in that late in the batting order and play an innings like that was just simply brilliant. It was a magical innings by Hussey, he played really well and he planned his strokes to perfection,” he said.

Hafeez, who has played 15 T20 internationals for Pakistan, also expressed the hope that he would be recalled in the one-day team for the upcoming Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

“The defeat to Australia is hard to take, but we all need to look ahead and to look forward to the Asia Cup. I hope I am given a chance in Sri Lanka and given the opportunity once again in the 50 over format of the game,” said Hafeez, who last played a 50-over match in October 2007 against South Africa in Lahore. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Students create racing motorcycle

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 18 (ANI): Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have presented the Moto Student Project, in which a group of University students and engineers have worked to design and develop a racing motorcycle prototype that will complete against university teams from all over the world.

The Moto Student competition is a challenge for university teams from Spain, Europe and the rest of the world to design and develop a racing motorcycle prototype with a small cylinder (125 cubic centimeters and 2 strokes). This test is a challenge for the students because within a period of three semesters they must test and demonstrate their creation and innovation capacity by completing a project under the same conditions required by industry, that is, working as a team, within a limited budget, with some minimum technical requirements and a closed calendar, as well as being touch with the most up to date technologies, sponsors and companies in the sector.

The UC3M team recently presented a prototype in its initial construction phase.

Technical Director, José G. Pérez Alonso, said: “This development phase to get it underway is going to be the most complicated but also the most rewarding because we have lots of ideas to test out on the motorcycle before presenting it for competition.”

The final competition, with its corresponding evaluation, will be held at the Ciudad del Motor (Motor City) in Aragón during the first part of next October, coinciding with the Campeonato de España de Velocidad (Spanish Speed Championship). The prize, which is for the top industrial project, is 6,000 Euros and a “stage” for the team members in industry companies or in the companies taking part in the competition.

Just as in any engineering project, the first step for the design of the prototype was observing actual models to understand the form and functioning of a racing motorcycle.

Once the concepts were clear and the line of work well-defined, brainstorming sessions began and the initial sketches were made. The second step consisted in creating a virtual prototype model with which to work out possible faults in its prior construction. For that purpose, material supplied by the competition organization was modeled by the students through 3D software design. After that, once all of the parts were assembled, they began the first dynamic virtual simulations and when they were able to have this virtual model totally ready, the actual prototype construction began. Soon its first sessions on the track will take place at the Circuito (Circuit) of Cartagena, where the team will evaluate the invention through a data collection system of its design.

The objective of the teams taking part in this competition, sponsored by the Moto Engineering Foundation, is that the manufacturing cost for the 500 motorcycle units designed totals 4,500 Euros, although the value of the prototype is higher. This must include the engine, rims and tires, the brake system for wheels, the front fender, and the back muffler. The rest of the components are optional, except for the chassis, and the swing arm which they design “The main challenge has been to start from scratch, choosing an innovative design, without the constrictions of a traditional approach, with the goal of being able to unify the technical solutions which we think can offer us a competitive edge, and which on the other hand, allow us to learn the most possible”, stated Pérez. And as result, in a nutshell, you have a different and original motorcycle.

This industrial engineer leads a very capable group of students with a great deal of interest in making this adventure work. Yolanda Colás Escandón is one of them, and she is very excited to be able to wrap up her studies with this kind of work. “It has been a great challenge, and I have learned many things, not only from the motorcycling point of view, but also from the engineering perspective”, said Colás, who is one of the coordinators of the project, which is under the direction of the Full Professor Juan Carlos Garcia Para, in charge of the MAQLAB project. “This project is now consolidated and it is producing very interesting concrete results. In addition, we are nearing completion of a spin-off at the UC3M Science Park (Leganes Tecnológico) to launch this development, which will be called LGNTech Design”. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Florida cops taser drunk golf fan of Woods

May 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 8 (ANI): Florida cops had to taser a drunk fan of ace golfer Tiger Woods after he refused to stop his heckling during the The Players Championship.

Travis Parmelee, 36, of Jacksonville, was charged with disorderly intoxication and for resisting arrest, officials said.

Security guards at the Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, told Parmelee to stop yelling several times before calling in the sheriff, who asked his deputies to make an arrest, The Daily News reports.

Captain Dave Messenger said the officers attempted to calm Parmelee down, but when he became more combative, had to tasered him.

Captain Messenger said Parmelee had been drinking.

Meanwhile, Woods made the cut after the second round of the Players Championship, shooting a 70 the first round and a 71 the second round. He is nine strokes back from the lead. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

England batsman will be heading for disaster emulating ‘crazy’ Morgan: Flower

May 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, May 6 (ANI): England coach Andy Flower has warned his players that they would be heading for disaster if they try to copy Eoin Morgan’s unorthodox shots.

Left-hander Morgan top-scored in England’s two rain-affected first-round matches against West Indies and Ireland in the World Twenty20.

England will take on Pakistan in the first match of the Super Eights phase today and Morgan will play an important role in it.

Flower said batsmen such as Michael Lumb, Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen could be heading for disaster if they attempt to emulate some of Morgan’s outrageous strokes.

He has a unique style, partly attributable to the stick control he learned playing hurling as a schoolboy, Flower said.

“You saw what happened when Luke Wright tried one of those shots against West Indies. It didn’t work. Paul Collingwood was hit on the head attempting one, though Colly is normally not bad at that sort of stuff,” The Sun quoted him, as saying.

“I wouldn’t want Eoin to be a benchmark. Everyone has to play to his own strengths and weaknesses. We have a variety of batsmen and they pose a lot of questions to the opposition,” Flower said.

Captain Collingwood is another of Morgan’s fans and reckons he is becoming the perfect T20 batsman.

“Morgs is a very versatile player. He obviously has the power and can play all the shots but has a good mind too. That’s what you need from your No.5, someone who can read situations and adjust,” the paper quoted him, as saying.

England is grouped with Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa in the Super Eights and must win two of those matches to ensure making the semi-finals. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pampling checks out Woods’ problem swing

May 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Rod Pampling was in the TPC Sawgrass locker room when another player asked him if he wanted to play nine holes in preparation for this week’s Players Championship.

The amiable Queenslander readily accepted Monday’s offer. After all, you would be a fool to turn down any chance for a practice round with a bloke who has won 14 major championships.

“I was getting some medicine from the doctor and (Tiger Woods) just walked past and we traded some comments,” Pampling said ahead of Thursday’s first round.

“Then he (Woods) said are you going to play nine holes? I said yep and he said let’s go. It was not planned.”

Pampling used to play quite often with Woods, thanks to his friendship with caddie Steve Williams, who once worked briefly for the Queenslander, before picking up the slightly higher paying gig with Woods.

Even though Woods last week played perhaps the worst round of his life, a second round 79 to miss the cut by eight strokes in Charlotte, Pampling nonetheless was delighted at the chance to pick the world number one’s brain.

“I asked what he was working on. He’s still working on stuff, although I don’t think he’s hit as many balls as he normally would lately. Obviously he’s got a lot of stuff going on in his personal life,” Pampling said.

“Besides his driver, everything else is pretty solid. He stood up on the first hole and smashed it (down the middle).

“He only hit one bad drive (at the par-four fifth). That was the only one you’d say was the way right one.

“Other than that it was pretty solid. I liked his ball flight. It was a little lower ball flight than he used to hit.”

Cracks in the armour

Pampling expects Woods to bounce back with a much better performance this week, but others are not so sure.

Woods tied for fourth at last month’s Masters in his first event back after a nearly five-month break tending to his personal problems.

But some, including Geoff Ogilvy, thought Woods got the job done with smoke-and-mirrors at Augusta, and were not surprised he struggled in Charlotte.

Frank Nobilo, a former tour pro who is now an astute analyst with The Golf Channel, is not impressed with Woods’ swing.

“I think he got through Augusta on some great memories. It was not until really Saturday that you started see the pressure,” Nobilo said.

“Pressure causes cracks, I don’t care who you are.

“His whole career he’s feared the ball that goes left, not unlike Ben Hogan.

“I know there’s a truck-load going on off the course, so it’s hard for him to focus and I think he uses a lot more emotional energy getting around than he used to, because of the way he plays these days. He can’t just play by mechanics.

“When you feel everything is going to go right but you know you might hit it left, every swing you make, you feel like you’re trying to save it. As soon as you relax a bit that hook or pull comes back.”

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Regular aspirin use raises risk of Crohn”s disease by 5 times

May 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 4 (ANI): People who take aspirin regularly for a year or more could be increasing their risk of developing Crohn”s disease, says a new study.

The study by University of East Anglia (UEA) will be presented for the first time at the Digestive Disease Week conference in New Orleans.

Crohn”s disease is characterized by inflammation and swelling of any part of the digestive system. This can lead to debilitating symptoms and requires patients to take life-long medication. Some patients need surgery and some sufferers have an increased risk of bowel cancer.

Though there are likely to be many causes of the disease, previous work on tissue samples has shown that aspirin can have a harmful effect on the bowel.

To investigate this potential link further, the UEA team followed 200,000 volunteers aged 30-74 in the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Italy. The volunteers had been recruited for the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) between 1993 and 1997.

The volunteers were all initially well, but by 2004 a small number had developed Crohn”s disease. When looking for differences in aspirin use between those who did and did not develop the disease, the researchers discovered that those taking aspirin regularly for a year or more were around five times more likely to develop Crohn”s disease.

The study also showed that aspirin use had no effect on the risk of developing ulcerative colitis – a condition similar to Crohn”s disease.

“This is early work but our findings do suggest that the regular use of aspirin could be one of many factors which influences the development of this distressing disease in some patients,” said lead researcher Dr Andrew Hart of UEA”s School of Medicine.

“Aspirin does have many beneficial effects, however, including helping to prevent heart attacks and strokes. I would urge aspirin users to continue taking this medication since the risk of aspirin users possibly developing Crohn”s disease remains very low – only one in every 2000 users, and the link is not yet finally proved.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Quiros beats Morrison in playoff to win Spanish Open

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros claimed his fourth European Tour victory when he defeated Britain’s James Morrison in a sudden-death playoff for the Spanish Open title on Sunday.

Both players had finished a stroke ahead of the Real Club field on 11-under-par 277, Quiros carding a closing two-under 70 and Morrison coming from six strokes behind the third-round lead with a 67.

A safe par on the first extra hole, the 18th again, earned Quiros the first prize of $440,000 dollars after Morrison found water with his approach to double-bogey.

The pair had finished a shot ahead of the overnight leader, Britain’s Mark Foster, and Alejandro Canizares of Spain and Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin.

Foster led by three strokes overnight and was still ahead by two at the turn but the Englishman’s putter betrayed him over the closing holes.

Quiros’s win was reward and justification for supporting his home championship instead of warming up at Quail Hollow for next week’s Players Championship in the United States.

(Editing by Clare Fallon;

To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Slow starts by Randhawa and Kapur

April 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Seville (Spain), April 30 (IANS) Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur had a rather unhappy start with rounds of 73 and 77 in the opening round of the Open de Espana at the Real Club de Golf.

Randhawa’s 73 placed him tied 75th here Thursday while Kapur’s 77 placed him 133rd — and he was in danger of missing the cut.

Argentina’s big-hitting Ricardo Gonzalez made a superb return to the venue where he won the 2004 Open de Sevilla. The 40-year-old fired a seven under par 65 to lead former English amateur champion Paul Waring by one after the first round.

Waring has yet to record a top five finish since coming through the 2007 Qualifying School, but a month ago in Malaga he knocked four strokes off his best round on The European Tour with a 62.

The group in third place on four under includes England’s Simon Dyson and Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, both back in action three weeks after missing the cut at The Masters Tournament.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Coach Flower, skipper Colly say Morgan key to winning 20-20 World Cup

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Apr.24 (ANI): Left-hand Irish batsman Eoin Morgan has said that he will never stop playing his amazing cocktail of unorthodox hits, dabs and deflections, and that is the reason why head coach Andy Flower believes England can win this year’s Twenty20 World Cricket Cup in the Caribbean.

“People talk about a new brand of batting, but really it”s knowing your strengths, the reverse sweep and some other shots are part of my game. I think it goes back to when I first played for Middlesex in one-day cricket,” The Sun quotes Morgan, as saying.

“I was about 18 and couldn”t seem to clear the boundary. I started practising some new strokes and I found it came quite naturally,” he adds.

Morgan also has skipper Paul Collingwood’s vote of confidence.

Collingwood said: “Eoin”s rise in the past year has been exceptional and he can do things with a cricket bat that are amazing.”

Flower is so excited by England”s batting power he thinks they can win their first global tournament after 35 years of trying.

Flower said: “Winning the tournament is our target – it”s as simple as that. We have a more aggressive batting line- up than in any competition in the past. We could really hurt the opposition.

“Morgan is an extraordinary cricketer in many ways – he”s not a big bloke but he hits the ball incredibly hard and times it beautifully. He can play a variety of roles. He can be the man who hits it out of the ground, but he”s also played a couple of innings for us where he”s knocked the ball around solidly in the middle-order. He can adapt to situations very well.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Malaysia’s ‘whip-for-drinking-beer’ model a free woman now

April 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Kuntan (Malaysia), Apr 23(ANI): Former Malaysian model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, whose caning sentence for drinking beer in public had been converted into a community service one, is now a free woman.

She completed her three-week community service at the Tengku Ampuan Fatimah Children’s Home at Alor Akar about 10 kilometres from here, and was released on Thursday, The Star reports.

Kartika, a mother of two, was sentenced by the Kuantan Syariah Court in July last year to six strokes of the rotan and a fine of RM5,000 for drinking beer in December 2007 at a hotel.

Her case had attracted both local and international attention, following which the Sultan of Panang, Sultan Ahmad Shah, used his discretion to spare the mother-of-two from the canning sentence.

Kartika had earlier said that she wanted to get a job after her community service and focus on her children – one of whom was afflicted with cerebral palsy while the other had a heart condition. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Major leap for Kim after scintillating Masters finish

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Anthony Kim delivered his best finish in a major at the Masters on Sunday, soaring into third place with a sizzling run on the back nine a day after being frustrated by his driving.

The 24-year-old American fired a sparkling seven-under-par 65, matching the lowest score of the week, after battling to a 73 in the previous round.

“It was a very good round,” Kim told reporters after covering the back nine at Augusta National in five-under 31 to finish at 12-under 276, four shots behind the triumphant Phil Mickelson.

“I was happy that I hung in there and gave myself an opportunity today where if I shot something silly low, I would have a chance to win this golf tournament.

“I was very frustrated, just because I feel like I’m doing all the right things,” Kim added, referring to his wayward driving in Saturday’s third round.

“I feel like my swing is coming along and I get out there and I still can’t find the fairway. It was very frustrating yesterday but I was happy at least get it around at one over because I felt like it could be quite a few strokes over par.”

EXTRA JOLT

Kim clinched his third PGA Tour title in a playoff at last week’s Houston Open and he felt that gave him an extra jolt of momentum for the opening major of the year.

“I definitely gained a lot of confidence after last week,” he said. “The attitude I had, the mindset I was in last week, really helped me this week.

“I’ve gotten over a little hump in my golf career when I felt like things were stalling. If I can just get my ball striking to where it was, I’m going to be at a different level.”

Kim began Sunday’s final round seven strokes off the lead and vaulted into contention with an electrifying birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie run from the 13th.

His sizzling burst ended when he rammed in a 25-foot uphill birdie putt at the par-three 16th to lie one off the pace at 12 under.

Asked if he had a particular target in mind, he replied: “I really didn’t. I knew I was coming from pretty far back and Phil’s obviously playing great.

“I just tried to make as many birdies as possible and fire at a couple flags. I grinded, I hung in there and I’m proud of the way I stuck it out.”

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If only Aussies could putt

April 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Geoff Ogilvy and Adam Scott would be in contention at the Masters if they did not have to putt.

They do not hand out green jackets for hitting greens in regulation, however, which is why another Masters will pass without an Australian victory.

Ogilvy and Scott could only lament similar tales of woe after struggling on the greens in the third round at Augusta National.

Ogilvy did not drop a shot, but squandered several golden birdie chances for an ultimately unsatisfying 3-under-par 69 that left the Victorian 11 strokes behind leader Lee Westwood, in equal 16th place.

And Scott, who described his second round putting performance as the worst of his life, was not much better as he carded 72 to trail by 12 shots.

“It’s been an incredibly frustrating week with the putter,” Ogilvy said.

“I holed three birdie putts and the longest was four feet maybe.

“I missed at least five or six that were less than 10 feet, so it was a day that could have been really, really special.

“I made a couple of good (par) saves, so that makes up for a couple (of the misses but) you can’t get it done around here putting like that.”

Ogilvy is usually an excellent putter and it is true that several of his shortish birdie chances were most difficult downhill putts that he had to tap defensively.

“Putting is unexplainable,” he said, preferring not to over-analyse.

“If you try hard to fix something it usually goes the wrong way.

“Some weeks you hole them, some weeks you don’t. I’m doing all the same things I do when I do make them. They’re just not going in.”

Meanwhile, nobody who made the cut has had more putts than Scott, who admitted he putted like an amateur.

He was 3-under for the round after 13 holes, until he missed a short par putt at the 14th that took the wind right out of his sails.

He missed another short one from 1.5 metres at 15, barely touching the hole, and yet another dropped shot at the last completed a miserable hour.

“It’s really smoke and mirrors, just false hope,” said Scott.

“It’s just so frustrating to play this well and putt so poorly, especially here, because it’s magnified.

“It’s hard to read (the break) when you don’t know how hard you’re going to hit it. My rhythm is off in my stroke and my confidence is down.

“I’ve missed so many putts now that I’m finding it hard to see them going in.

“I thought I was playing good enough to be in contention and I certainly am.”

“Thirty-five putts yesterday and probably a few less today – that’s pitiful.”

As Scott left the scoring hut, he almost bumped into leader Lee Westwood, who was walking from the ninth green to the 10th tee.

Westwood has had eight fewer putts than Scott.

As the saying goes, you drive for show and putt for dough, not to mention a green jacket.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate bar a day cuts risk of stroke and heart disease

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 31 (ANI): Here’s some happy news for chocolate lovers: A bar of the sweet treat can slash your risk of heart disease and stroke by 39 per cent, according to an expert.

Dr Brian Buijsse believes a 50g treat has the greatest effect, reports The Sun.

To reach the conclusion, Buijsse studied nearly 30,000 people aged 35 to 65 in Germany.

His eight-year research found that even one small square can help. But if it was increased by 6g, there were 85 fewer heart attacks and strokes per 10,000 people.

Dark chocolate containing 70 per cent cocoa is considered best.

Dr Buijsse said: “Given the promising health effects of cocoa, it is tempting to indulge in more chocolate.

“But we should make sure we are eating as part of a healthy and balanced diet.

“Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food – such as snacks – in order to keep body weight stable.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Experts stub out bizarre ‘healthy smoking’ claim

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A Sydney businessman has claimed in an opinion piece for Indonesia’s Jakarta Times that scientists have shown cigarettes can be good for people.

Murray Clapham’s piece was published just as the Indonesian Government is considering introducing anti-smoking legislation.

Mr Clapham is an Australian businessman working across Asia, who also sits on the fundraising board of the Victor Chang Foundation.

He said he set up the foundation with the Australian surgeon and pioneer of the heart transplant to bring Asian doctors to train in Australia.

Mr Clapham says his support for smoking has little to do with employment or revenue, but that is a bonus.

“If you read the article, I say in there that there may well be some other causes, in relation to some of the chronic diseases which are impacting on our health, that we don’t attribute to smoke,” he said.

“But I’m also saying that the smokes that we smoke today are very, very bad for us.”

The Australian Government’s Department of Health lists smoking as a risk factor in Australia’s three killer diseases – strokes, heart disease and lung cancer – and says it is responsible for 20 per cent of all cancer deaths.

The chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, Anne Jones, says the article is bizarre.

“There is no substance, no accuracy, no evidence that is correct in the claims of Mr Clapham,” she said.

“It’s a bizarre claim by somebody using the Victor Chang name, because he is a director of a fundraising foundation associated with Victor Chang.

“And the timing is very, very bad because Indonesia is losing millions of people a year from smoking.

“The government has been very slow to act and they’re finally about to consider some legislation that could decrease the loss of life. And then this article comes out in a prominent Indonesian newspaper.”

A spokeswoman for the Victor Chang Institute says the foundation is a completely separate body, and overwhelming data shows that smoking is harmful to your health.

A spokesman for Dr Alan Farsworth, a cardiac surgeon and fellow director of the Victor Chang foundation, says Mr Clapham’s views are not representative of the foundation.

The spokesman went on to say that Mr Clapham was not a clinician and his findings were contrary to Western science and medical research.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chocolate bar a day cuts risk of stroke and heart disease

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

London, Mar 30 (ANI): Here’s some happy news for chocolate lovers: A bar of the sweet treat can slash your risk of heart disease and stroke by 39 per cent, according to an expert.

Dr Brian Buijsse believes a 50g treat has the greatest effect, reports The Sun.

To reach the conclusion, Buijsse studied nearly 30,000 people aged 35 to 65 in Germany.

His eight-year research found that even one small square can help. But if it was increased by 6g, there were 85 fewer heart attacks and strokes per 10,000 people.

Dark chocolate containing 70 per cent cocoa is considered best.

Dr Buijsse said: “Given the promising health effects of cocoa, it is tempting to indulge in more chocolate.

“But we should make sure we are eating as part of a healthy and balanced diet.

“Small amounts of chocolate may help to prevent heart disease, but only if it replaces other energy-dense food – such as snacks – in order to keep body weight stable.” (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Seo claims huge La Costa win

March 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hee Kyung Seo has romped to her first US LPGA tour victory, spearheading a dominant South Korean showing in the inaugural Kia Classic at La Costa.

Seo, an 11-time winner on the Korean LPGA Tour, was playing on a sponsor’s exemption.

She started the day with a five-shot lead, and posted a 2-under-par 70 for a 12-under total of 276 and a six-stroke victory over compatriot Inbee Park.

Park climbed up the leaderboard with a 65 for 282.

South Koreans Jee Young Lee and Jiyai Shin shared third place on 283, along with Taiwan’s Candie Kung.

Lee and Shin both carded 70s, while Kung turned in a 72.

With the victory, Seo has the option to join the LPGA Tour or remain as a nonmember for the current season, then join next season. She said she’ll probably finish the season on the KLPGA Tour and think about it in the offseason.

Her standing on the KLPGA money list last year had already insured her spot in the first LPGA major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco next week in Rancho Mirage.

Meanwhile, American Michelle Wie was set back by her latest rules gaffe.

Wie was penalised two strokes for grounding her club in a hazard after hitting out of the water near the 11th green.

That gave her a double-bogey seven and she finished with a 72 and was tied for sixth on 284 along with China’s Shanshan Feng (72), Britain’s Catriona Matthew (67) and American Morgan Pressel (68).

Wie was informed of the penalty by LPGA Tour rules official Doug Brecht a few holes after the infraction occurred.

-AFP

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts