GOLF
David Lingmerth takes lead
American Jason Dufner provided the fireworks, going birdie-eagle-ace, but it was fast-finishing Swede David Lingmerth who seized the lead in the second round of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio, on Friday.
Lingmerth, who had missed the cut in four of his past five starts on the PGA Tour, has produced superb form at Muirfield Village so far and four birdies in his final seven holes earned him a seven-under-par 65 and top spot on the leaderboard. Lingmerth piled up seven birdies in a bogey-free display and signed off with a three-foot birdie putt at the par-four 18th to post a 12-under total of 132. That put him a stroke in front of former PGA Championship winner Dufner, who birdied the 14th, eagled the 15th and holed out with a six-iron at the par-three 16th on the way to a roller-coaster 67.
GOLF
Kinhult keeps share of lead
Amateur golfer Marcus Kinhult of Sweden held on to a share of the lead of the Nordea Masters after a four-under 68 in the second round on Friday. The 18-year-old Kinhult made his only bogey of the day on the sixth hole, but bounced back with a birdie on the seventh. He is tied with fellow Swede Jens Dantorp (68) on nine-under 135. The duo was two shots clear of countryman Sebastian Soderberg (70) and Germany’s Maximilian Kiefer, who bogeyed the final two holes to settle for a 69.
BASEBALL
Fan badly hurt by broken bat
A fan was seriously injured by a piece of a broken baseball bat that flew into the stands during the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s game on Friday. The woman, who was struck in the face, was rushed from the field on a stretcher and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, The Boston Globe reported. The incident took place in the second inning when A’s batter Brett Lawrie shattered his bat on a hit and a large chunk flew into the second row between home plate and the dugout where the woman was sitting with a man and a boy. The game was stopped while medical personnel attended to the woman. She appeared to be bleeding heavily while she was wheeled off the field and into a tunnel on the stretcher, the Globe said.
SOCCER
Japanese duo exit Wanderers
Japanese duo Yojiro Takahagi and defender Yusuke Tanaka have parted ways with Australia’s Western Sydney Wanderers, the club said yesterday. Midfielder Takahagi and defender Tanaka joined last year’s AFC Champions League winners during the January transfer window. “Yojiro and Yusuke were complete professionals during their time with the Wanderers and I thank them for their time here in Western Sydney,” club CEO John Tsatsimas said. The Wanderers finished second-last in Australia’s A-League last season with just four victories and also made an early exit from the AFC Champions League.
FOOTBALL
‘Kickalicious part 2’ released
“Kickalicious” is back, with another trick-shot video and an unwavering pursuit of a job with an NFL team. Havard Rugland has released another YouTube video showing him making kicks all over Norway. Rugland’s first video, released in 2012, earned him notice and helped get him signed by the Detroit Lions in 2013. He was released late in training camp that year. His recent video, Kickalicious part 2, is sponsored by Pepsi Max. Rugland says the video “is a huge upgrade.”
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
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
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two