Korea’s Baek Seuk-hyun set a new course record of six-under-par 66 to open up a one-shot lead after the opening round of the inaugural US$300,000 Handa Faldo Cambodian Classic yesterday.
The talented 21-year-old produced matching halves of 33s in the Asian Tour event at the Angkor Golf Resort, while Ireland’s Niall Turner overcame a double- bogey to card a fine 67.
Thailand’s 16-year-old newcomer Rattanon Wannasrichan showed he was a rising star with a bogey-free 68.
He was joined by countrymen Chawalit Plaphol and Atthaphon Prathummanee, the Philippines’ Elmer Salvador, Australian Paul Donahoo, South Korea’s Kim Hyung-sung and the US’ Berry Henson.
After finishing 51st on the Order of Merit last season, the burly Baek, who is seeking his first Asian Tour victory, overhauled his golf swing after ending last year ranked a lowly 92nd, with 54 percent of fairways hit.
“It was quite windy and I was just playing fairways and greens, fairways and greens. Suddenly, my putting was good and my irons just went to the pins. I missed some putts, but I’m happy with my score,” Baek said.
Taiwan’s Hsu Mong-nan carded an even-par 72, while Lu Wen-ten shot a two-over 74. The other Taiwanese players were way down the leaderboard.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later