GOLF
Woods in strong group
Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson have been grouped together for the first two rounds of next week’s US Open at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. The three, all winners of the Masters after Watson triumphed at Augusta National in April, will start on the ninth tee at 7:33am on June 14 and from the first hole at 1:18pm on June 15. Players normally start their rounds from the first and 10th tees, but tournament officials decided to send players off on the first and ninth holes for logistical reasons, as the ninth tee is closer to the clubhouse. Defending US Open champion Rory McIlroy was also put in a star-studded group alongside world No.1 Luke Donald and Lee Westwood. Louis Oosthuizen, who was beaten by Watson in a playoff at the Masters, was paired with last year’s US Open runner-up, Jason Day, and last year’s USPGA runner-up Jason Dufner. Three of the sport’s rising stars, Ryo Ishikawa, Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, were also paired together. Ernie Els, a two-time US Open champion, will tee off alongside Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 winner, and Angel Cabrera, who won the following year.
RUGBY UNION
Cooper, Beale face probe
Wallabies playmakers Quade Cooper and Kurtley Beale face a disciplinary investigation by the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) after local media reported they had been involved in a scuffle outside a Brisbane bar early yesterday morning. The two injured backs were involved in a brawl with security guards at the Victory Hotel in the early hours of the morning after being evicted from the venue, the Daily Telegraph said. The ARU has launched a probe into the incident, a spokesman said, while declining to provide details. The incident comes as the Wallabies prepared for their series-opening Test against Wales in Brisbane today. Neither Cooper nor Beale were named in the match-day 22, as they both continue their recovery from injuries.
OLYMPICS
Swimmers ‘sorry’ about guns
Controversial Australian swimmers Nick D’Arcy and Kenrick Monk apologized yesterday for posting a photo of themselves posing with high-powered guns on the Internet, saying it was just “a bit of fun.” The pair have been blasted as “foolish” by Australia’s Olympic authorities and could face sanctions, although whether their places on the London Games team are under threat remains unclear. “If anyone’s been offended I deeply apologize. It was never the intent, it was never supposed to be offensive,” 200m butterfly star D’Arcy, 24, said on his arrival back in Australia from the US. It was in the US, where they had been competing at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix, that the swimmers posed in a gun shop, with D’Arcy brandishing a pistol and Monk holding two shotguns crossed over his chest.
CRICKET
Free house for Tendulkar
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar has been offered a free five-bedroom house in the center of New Delhi as a perk of his new post as a member of parliament, reports said yesterday. Tendulkar was sworn into the Upper House this week, claiming a seat reserved for distinguished figures in Indian public life. He has been offered a colonial-era bungalow with large lawns on one of the smartest streets in the capital, the Press Trust of India agency reported, adding he would be provided with 24-hour security and two escort vehicles. It was unclear whether Tendulkar would accept the offer.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite