Candie Kung (龔怡萍) of Taiwan and South Korea’s Jeong Jang beat Annika Sorenstam and Angela Stanford 3 and 2 yesterday to help Asia split the six opening alternate-shot matches in the Lexus Cup, Sorenstam’s final LPGA Tour-sanctioned event before she retires.
Sorenstam, set to end her Hall of Fame career next week in the Ladies European Tour’s Dubai Ladies Masters, is the International team’s playing captain.
The teams will play six best-ball matches today and the competition will conclude tomorrow with 12 singles matches.
PHOTO: EPA
“They make it look very easy,” Sorenstam said.
“I thought we played quite well, just one or two mistakes. We’re going to regroup. The momentum of some of our players was great and hopefully they can rub it off on the rest of us. I’m pretty happy. I’m just going to gather the troops and go from there,” she said.
The Asian teams of Taiwan’s Yani Tseng (曾雅妮) and Lee Seon-hwa, and Kim Song-hee and Park In-bee, opened with victories on the Singapore Island Country Club’s Bukit Course.
PHOTO: AFP
Kim and Park beat Helen Alfredsson and Christina Kim 3 and 2, and Tseng and Lee held off Suzann Pettersen and Natalie Gulbis 2 and 1.
The International teams of Cristie Kerr-Karen Stupples, Paula Creamer-Nicole Castrale and Katherine Hull-Nikki Campbell won their matches.
Kerr and Stupples beat Sarah Lee and Choi Na-yeon 2 and 1, Creamer and Castrale edged Asian captain Pak Se-ri and Ji Eun-hee 2-up, and Hull and Campbell beat Namika Omata and Mayumi Shimomura 3 and 1.
Asia won 15-9 last year at The Vines in Perth, Australia, for its second straight victory. The International team won the inaugural matches 16-8 in 2005 at Tenah Merah in Singapore, and Asia won 12.5 to 11.5 at Tenah Merah in 2006.
“We’ve struggled the last two years so we want that cup back,” Gulbis said.
■ WORLD CUP
AFP, MISSION HILLS, CHINA
The flamboyant Spanish duo of Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal surged to a four-shot lead after the second round of the Omega World Cup yesterday.
The pair, who started the day two strokes off the pace after a 64 in the first round of fourballs, combined magnificently in the trickier foursomes (alternate shot) format to fire a stunning 63.
It gave them a two-day total of a 17-under-par 127. Germany, the first round leaders, and Australia are tied for second place on 13-under, while pre-tournament favorites Sweden lie in fourth, a further stroke adrift.
Spain was out of the blocks quickly with three birdies and an eagle in the first five holes. Further birdies at the seventh, 10th and 11th put them on course to break the World Cup foursomes record of 61 set by the Argentinean team of Angel Cabrera and Ricardo Gonzales in 2005. But an uncharacteristic bogey at the par-five 15th, the Olazabal Course’s signature hole, where Jimenez stubbed a chip, put paid to the chance.
Germany, represented by in-form Martin Kaymer and US-based Alex Cejka, recovered from a lackluster first nine holes to card three back-nine birdies for a 69 and remain in the title hunt with 36 holes to play.
Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson, the two highest world-ranked players in the tournament at sixth and 12th respectively, gave Sweden a boost with a determined 67 to stand well placed going into the weekend.
“There’s still a long way to go, and hopefully we can reel the Spaniards in,” said Stenson, a two-time Ryder Cupper.
Colin Montgomerie’s hopes of defending his World Cup crown with fellow Scot Alastair Forsyth are but all over after they slumped to a 73. The duo is placed 17th on three-under-par.
Taiwan’s Lin Wen-Tang (林文堂) and Lu Wen-Teh (呂文德) had a round of 75 for a two-day total of 143.
■ AUSTRALIAN MASTERS
AP, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
First-round co-leader Tim Clark of South Africa shot a 2-under 70 yesterday at Huntingdale to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Australian Masters.
Clark had a two-round total of 7-under 137, a stroke ahead of Australians Anthony Summers, who shot 68 yesterday, and Michael Sim, who had a 66.
One stroke further back at 5-under 139 was a group of seven players, including former winner Robert Allenby, who picked up five shots on the back nine for a second-round 66. Another in that group was Australian Aaron Townsend, who had a second-round 64 after completing his first round yesterday morning with a 75.
John Daly shot a 73 Friday after an opening 76, but his 5-over total meant he missed the cut. He plans to stay Down Under for another week and play in next week’s Australian PGA at Coolum in Queensland state.
“I had a couple of eagle opportunities and hit horrible putts, and three-putted one of them,” Daly said.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care