World No. 1 Lee Westwood handed out a six-and-five mauling to Denmark’s Anders Hansen on the opening day of the Volvo World Match Play Championship on Thursday.
The 38-year-old Englishman carded six birdies in eight holes from the fourth to leave Hansen trailing and he was delighted to have completed his day’s work on the 13th.
“The less holes you can play are obviously to pay dividends down the road and down the tournament,” Westwood said.
Compatriot Luke Donald, the world No. 2, was also in impressive form, defeating Ryan Moore of the US four-and-three.
Donald said he would like to take on Westwood in tomorrow’s final.
“I would love to play Lee,” Donald said. “There’s more satisfaction when you can take down the No. 1 player in the world.”
Elsewhere, Northern Irish pair Graeme McDowell, the US Open winner, and Rory McIlroy enjoyed opening wins.
McIlroy saw off Retief Goosen of South Africa by one hole by chipping in at the last, while McDowell defeated Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, also of South Africa, three-and-one.
The day’s other three winners were Kaymer, who overcame South Korea’s Yang Yong-eun two-and-one, and Spanish duo Alvaro Quiros and Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Quiros saw off Paul Casey six-and-five and veteran Jimenez overcame Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa by the same score.
The match between Ryder Cup teammates Ian Poulter and Francesco Molinari was halved, with the Englishman sinking a five-foot birdie putt on the last.
MADEIRA ISLANDS OPEN
AFP, MADEIRA, PORTUGAL
England’s Chris Gane mastered 50kph winds to card a five-under 67 for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Madeira Islands Open on Thursday.
Gane edged out France’s Francois Delamontagne and Lloyd Saltman of Scotland.
Gane said he owed his success to compatriot Tom Whitehouse, who was two-over on Thursday.
“Golf’s a very bizarre game — I felt pretty low after the final round last week and I had about seven hours to kill before my flight, so I spoke to Tom Whitehouse and he agreed to have a look at me hitting a few balls,” the leader said. “He gave me a lesson for about 45 minutes and it’s changed everything.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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