GOLF
Ernst wins Portland Classic
Austin Ernst won the LPGA Tour’s Portland Classic in Oregon on Sunday with a par on the first hole of a playoff against South Korea’s I.K. Kim. It was the first professional victory for the 22-year-old Ernst, who shot a 5-under 67 in the final round to get to 14-under at Columbia Edgewater. Kim, the leader after the first and second rounds, carded a 68. Ernst pulled into contention with a 5-under 31 on the front nine, highlighted by a chip-in eagle at the par-5 fifth. Kim made four birdies and no bogeys. South Korean’s Ryu So-yeon Ryu and Chella Choi tied for third at 12-under. Ryu, last month’s Canadian Open winner, shot 70, while Choi had a 68.
GOLF
Otto claims Italian Open
Hennie Otto of South Africa held on to claim a second Italian Open victory by two shots on Sunday, while Stephen Gallacher came up just short of an automatic Ryder Cup spot after finishing third. Otto, who won the event in 2008, shot a 4-under 68 to finish with a 20-under total of 268 and hold off David Howell, who surged up the leaderboard with a 63 to finish second. Howell opened with an eagle and added seven birdies to beat Gallacher (65) by one shot. Gallacher needed a top-two finish to dislodge former US Open Champion Graeme McDowell from the automatic Ryder Cup places for Europe’s team. It was only the 38-year-old’s Otto’s second tournament since his recovery from two back operations. Europe captain Paul McGinley is to announce his three wild cards today. “It was a tall order, but I am proud of myself the way I have played,” Gallacher said.
SOCCER
Fans riot in Malaysia
Six people were arrested after soccer fans rioted and torched a police car in Malaysia before being dispersed by tear gas and baton-charges, an official said yesterday. Local media said about 2,000 people were involved in disturbances on Saturday after Sarawak’s team were knocked out of the Malaysia Cup when they drew 1-1 with rival state Perak. Five policemen suffered minor injuries after stones and broken bottles were hurled at them, while some fans were also hurt and needed medical attention. Sarawak Football Association president Sudarsono Osman said that the incident, which lasted for about two hours, took place despite the presence of 400 police. He said supporters in the eastern state were taking revenge for being targeted by Perak fans during last week’s 2-0 away game. Sudarsono also said Sarawak were expecting punishment from the Football Association of Malaysia. “Definitely, they will take action,” he said. The national body and police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
GOLF
Henley leads Deutsche Bank
Russell Henley made five birdies in a seven-hole stretch on Sunday and had a 6-under 65 to take a one-shot lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Massechusetts. For the second straight week, a FedEx Cup playoff event is wide open going into the final round. This one includes Rory McIlroy. The world’s No. 1 player had a 64. McIlroy was two shots off the lead at the TPC Boston heading into the Labor Day finish. Jason Day (69) and Chris Kirk (64) also were two behind. Ten players were separated by four shots. Henley won the Honda Classic in a four-man playoff earlier this year. He was at 12-under 201. Billy Horschel birdied his last three holes for a 67 and was to play in the final group with Henley.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was