GOLF
OneAsia to hold US qualifiers
The OneAsia golf circuit is to hold a qualifying school in California next month to cater for the growing number of Asian golfers based on the US west coast, the tour said yesterday. The final stage of the US Q-school would take place at the Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, the tour said in a statement. There is also to be a final-stage school in Malaysia the following week. “As we enter our fifth season, there has been phenomenal interest in OneAsia from around the world and we feel that holding one of our Q-School tournaments in the United States will satisfy that demand,” OneAsia’s chairman and commissioner Sang Y Chun said in a statement. “With our tournaments all offering a minimum purse of around US$1 million, it is hardly surprising that interest in OneAsia has spread outside the region. In just four years we have become a major golf brand with international recognition,” he said. Chun said holding a qualifying tournament in California made sense as more Asia-Pacific players are going to college on the US western seaboard. It also offers facilities generally unavailable in Korea and northern China during the winter.
SOCCER
Benzema wins French award
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been voted the best French soccer player this year, winning the award for the second consecutive year, the Spanish club said on Tuesday. Former France international Zinedine Zidane presented the 24-year-old with the trophy at Real’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Benzema won the award, organized by France Football, ahead of Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in voting carried out by a panel of former winners, including Zidane. The former Olympique Lyonnaise striker scored 21 goals in La Liga last season, helping Real win the title, as well as seven in the Champions League where they lost to Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
SOCCER
Suso gets fine over tweet
Liverpool midfielder Suso has been fined £10,000 (US$16,285) for posting a tweet about teammate Jose Enrique. The Spaniard last month posted a photo of Enrique having his teeth whitened and wrote on Twitter: “This guy is gay ... he does everything except play football.” He deleted the tweet, then re-posted the picture with a new comment: “I dunno what to say.” The English Football Association says Suso admitted at a hearing to a charge of acting “in a way which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute in that the comment was posted on his Twitter account and included a reference to a person’s sexual orientation and/or disability.”
FORMULA ONE
Chilton to race for Marussia
Max Chilton has been named as a race driver for Formula One team Marussia for next year, becoming one of four Britons on the grid next season. The England-based team, which did not win a point in this year’s campaign, has promoted Chilton from his position as reserve driver to partner with Timo Glock. The 21-year-old Chilton said on Tuesday: “Instead of a standing start, I am already up to speed and at ease with the people, the culture, the systems and of course, the 2012 package.” Chilton has come through Marussia’s young driver program, with the team saying: “His development has been rapid in all aspects.” Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta are the other British drivers in F1.
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
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
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just
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