South Korea's Joo Mi-kim returns to defend her LPGA SBS Open title here this week against a strong field of challengers led by Mexico's Lorena Ochoa and Australian Karrie Webb.
Kim outlasted Mexico's Ochoa and fellow Korean Soo Young Moon with two birdies in a sudden death playoff last year to claim her first LPGA tour title.
"I came back here hoping that I will be in the same position on Saturday night after the round as last year," said Kim, adding that getting that early win was a big confidence booster for the rest of her 2006 season.
PHOTO: AP
"I think it took a lot of pressure off of me," she said. "I enjoyed the season throughout the year just because I had a win at the beginning of the year."
She'll have her work cut out repeating that pattern this year.
Ochoa, 25, won six tournaments to claim last year's Player of the Year title. She finished the season with 20 top-10 finishes in 25 starts.
Also in the field is 20-year-old Julieta Granada, who became the first player in women's professional golf to win a US$1 million first prize when she captured the season-ending ADT championship in November.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
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