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.”
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
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
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
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care