GOLF
Woods revels in wet
Tiger Woods enjoyed himself in almost serene conditions, carding a second straight six-under-par 64 to grab a two-shot second-round lead over Jeff Woodland at the Zozo Championship yesterday. On a day when spectators were not allowed on the premises due to what the PGA Tour said were unsafe conditions, Woods quietly went about his business in front in near-silence at the Narashino County Club in Chiba, Japan. Woodland shot 66 to stake out second place at 10-under, while Keegan Bradley and local favorite Hideki Matsuyama were two shots further back in a tie for third. The course dried remarkably well after being deluged with 150mm of rain on Friday. Taiwan’s C.T. Pan was in a share of 62nd after a second-round 75.
GOLF
South Koreans dominate
Lee Somi and Lee Seung-yeon had a share of the lead at the LPGA BMW Ladies Championship at home in South Korea yesterday. Lee Somi shot a 67 and Lee Seung-yeon 68 as they reached 13-under after the third round in Busan. Six other South Koreans were in the top 10, while Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling shot a 69 for a share of 72nd.
HORSE RACING
Fifth death at Santa Anita
A fifth horse has died at Santa Anita this fall, the 35th overall fatality since Dec. 26 last year at the Southern California racetrack. G Q Covergirl injured both her front legs on Friday on the training track. The five-year-old mare was euthanized on the advice of the attending veterinarian. Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Doug O’Neill, G Q Covergirl had six wins in 16 career starts and earnings of US$200,730. The training track has caused the fewest number of breakdowns. However, there have been three deaths on it since the fall meet began on Sept. 27, including one that was believed to be a heart attack. The other two fatalities occurred during races.
SOCCER
Ekambi scores brace
Karl Toko Ekambi scored a goal in each half on Friday as Villarreal beat Deportivo Alaves 4-1 to move closer to the top of La Liga. Ekambi opened the scoring with a shot from inside the area after a fast counterattack in the 13th minute. He added his second with a touch from close range in the 65th after Lucas Perez had equalized for the visitors with a neat bicycle-kick in the 50th. Gerard Moreno scored the third after another fast break in the 84th, and substitute Javier Ontiveros closed the scoring from a free-kick
SOCCER
Mainz defeat Cologne
FSV Mainz 05 beat Cologne 3-1 at home in the Bundesliga on Friday after the visitors were denied what looked a clear penalty. Cologne were trailing 2-1 and chasing an equalizer when Mainz defender Moussa Niakhate blocked Kingsley Schindler’s cross with his outstretched arm in the 63rd minute. Referee Frank Willenborg was advised to check on video replays, but did not award a spot-kick.
SOCCER
Sassuolo edge Verona 1-0
US Sassuolo beat Hellas Verona 1-0 on Friday in a matchup between two teams in the bottom half of the Serie A standings. Filip Duricic scored shortly after the break with a blistering long-range effort. Sassuolo moved up to 13th place, level on points with 15th-place Verona. Verona hit the post twice, first through Davide Faraoni a minute before Duricic’s goal and again two minutes after Duricic’s score by Valerio Verre.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
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