Jennifer Kupcho on Saturday struck a blow for gender equality and entered golf history books when she was crowned Augusta National women’s amateur champion by firing a five-under-par 67 in the final round for a four-shot win over Maria Fassi.
Following the first women’s competitive round played at Augusta National, it was a double celebration for Kupcho as she hoisted the silver and gold Tiffany-designed cup at a club that just seven years ago did not have a single female member.
“You are now part of history of Augusta National along with all the great Masters champions who have been right here in this Butler Cabin,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said as he presented Kupcho with her trophy in the same location where the Masters champion is presented with the winner’s green jacket.
Kupcho’s elation was mixed with relief as she struggled with a migraine and blurred vision from the eighth through 11th holes that threatened to scuttle her title hopes.
Showing why she is the world’s top-ranked amateur, the 21-year-old carded birdies at 15, 16 and 18 along with a brilliant eagle on the par-five 13th that wiped out Fassi’s two-stroke lead.
ANA INSPIRATION
Reuters
Ko Jin-young on Saturday surged from behind to earn a one-stroke lead over Kim In-kyung that could have been higher were it not for some late trouble in the third round of the ANA Inspiration in California.
The 23-year-old carded a four-under-par 68 on the Mission Hills course in Rancho Mirage to reel in overnight leader Kim in the first women’s major of the season.
Ko reeled off six birdies in her first 10 holes and surged to a four-stroke lead until disaster struck at the 14th hole.
Ko dropped two shots and gave renewed hope to her pursuers, who had been watching helplessly in the proverbial rearview mirror as Ko threatened to run away with it.
However, world No. 5 Ko, imbued with self-belief on the back of recent hot form that has taken her to the top of the LPGA money list, displayed composure beyond her years to keep a positive attitude.
“I’m not robot,” she said. “I’m human. I don’t think about bad things.”
Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling was in a nine-way tie for 50th place at four-over-par.
Additional reporting by staff writer
SANYA CHAMPIONSHIP
AP, SANYA, China
Sanya Championship officials yesterday said that 28-year-old Malaysian golfer Arie Irawan died in his hotel room from “apparent natural causes,” and that the PGA Tour Series-China had canceled the tournament’s final round.
The PGA Tour Series-China said Irawan had on Friday missed the 36-hole cut in the tournament at the Sanya Yalong Bay Golf Club, adding that the coroner’s report had not been completed.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB