Continental Europe took the early initiative against Great Britain and Ireland as the Seve Trophy began under cloudy skies yesterday.
Jose Maria Olazabal’s team were three up in the five pairings with only the Scotish team of Paul Lawrie and Stephen Gallacher leading for GB and Ireland with one match all square.
Sam Torrance’s bold decision to send out former British Open winner Lawrie with fellow Scot Gallacher in the first pairing was paying early dividends as they took on European vice captains Thomas Bjorn and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
However, the Europeans, who are bidding to end a run of six straight defeats, were looking strong elsewhere on Saint-Nom-la-Breteche.
Mikko Ilonen immediately hit a rich vein of form on the front nine as his four birdies helped the Finn and his Danish rookie partner Thorbjorn Olesen take charge against the English team of Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Wood.
However, Fleetwood’s birdie at the par four 11th pulled them back to one down before Olesen restored their two-shot lead with a fine birdie at 13.
Dutchman Joost Luiten was having a sparkling debut as he and Gregory Bourdy, the only Frenchman in the side, shared six birdies over the first 10 holes to take a commanding lead of three up against Jamie Donaldson and David Lynn.
Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts used his experience to steady the nerves of rookie partner Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano with a birdie at the opening hole, and the team were one up with eight holes to play.
Finally, in the battle between Italy and England it was the team of Matteo Manassero and Francesco Molinari who took the inital lead before Ryder Cup star Paul Casey and Simon Khan pulled it back.
It was Bourdy’s first taste of a major team tournament.
“Its the first time I’ve played the Seve Trophy. Like Miguel [Angel Jimenez], it’s a big honor to be in the team and I’m very proud to be in that team because it’s in the name of Seve,” he said.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set