GOLF
Ko says money can wait
New Zealand schoolgirl sensation Lydia Ko, 15, has said the financial rewards for her astonishing success can wait — for now. Ko opens the defense of her NSW Open title in Sydney this week, a victory which opened the floodgates on a record-breaking season last year. At 14 she became the youngest player, male or female, to win a professional tournament and after turning 15 the youngest ever winner on the LPGA Tour at the Canadian Open. “When I went to prize givings and people say what I have done for that year it was like ‘Oh my God I actually did that?’” Ko told Australian media on yesterday. Ko was also the leading amateur at the British and US Opens, rounding off a remarkable year by winning the individual title at the world amateur championship. “I think I was meant to be the richest sportswomen in New Zealand and it would have been great to have that money,” Ko said. “But especially after the NSW Open, because I knew that I wasn’t going to get any money anyway, I didn’t really have interest. I didn’t know how much it was until the media said ‘you could have got US$300,000 at the Canadian Open.’ That could have been a nice house.” Ko insisted she will turn professional when the time is right. “There’s no point in me going in there when I don’t think I’m ready and I’m not that confident,” she said. “I think there will be a point in time where I think it’s the right time.”
TENNIS
Tsonga risks gender storm
France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has risked igniting a gender relations storm by provocatively suggesting female players are more “unstable emotionally” than the men. Tsonga, speaking after he bowed out of the Australian Open quarter-finals against Roger Federer late on Wednesday, was asked why the women’s game does not have a settled top three or four like the men. “You know, the girls, they are more unstable emotionally than us. I’m sure everybody will say it’s true, even the girls,” he said, to laughter in the press room. “No? No, you don’t think? But, I mean, it’s just about hormones and all this stuff. We don’t have all these bad things, so we are physically in good shape every time, and you [women] are not. That’s it.”
SOCCER
Korean star set to join QPR
South Korean international Yun Suk-young is set to join English Premier League side Queens Park Rangers, his K-League club said yesterday. Chunnam Dragons said the defender would soon leave his team’s training camp in Thailand for a medical in London. “He is expected to sign a contract with the QPR if he passes the test,” it said in a statement. Yun would be the 11th South Korean player to join the Premier League. South Korean veteran Park Ji-sung is already with QPR. Yun, 22, was an integral member of South Korea’s Olympic squad that won the bronze medal in London last year.
FOOTBALL
Socks prove costly
Frank Gore will pay closer attention to his socks for the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers running back was fined US$10,500 by the NFL on Wednesday after he wore his socks too low in Sunday’s NFC Championship game at Atlanta, a uniform violation. It marked the second time he was fined this season. “Yeah, I’ll be cool. It’s all good,” Gore said. “I was wrong. Next time I’ll do better.” Gore says he was so focused on winning the game and getting the 49ers back to a Super Bowl at last that he did not give his uniform all the attention he should have. “When you’re playing, you don’t think about it,” Gore said. “You’re trying to win.”
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
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