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Ko parts with swing coach Oh before Mediheal Championship
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 13:08
DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko is in the market for a new swing coach.
Ko told GolfChannel.com Tuesday that she has parted ways with Ted Oh.
“We just mutually decided it was time,” Ko said. “We ended on good terms.
“I have a lot to thank Ted for. He gave me a really solid blueprint, simplifying my swing. I think he showed me a more efficient way, and I thank him for that.”
Ko and Oh shared an emotional moment after he helped her break through to win the Mediheal Championship at Lake Merced last year, ending Ko’s nearly two-year victory drought. They were both in tears hugging after she hit an epic 3-wood to 2 feet and made eagle to win on the first playoff hole. That’s also Ko’s last victory. She is defending that title without a coach this week.
Oh last worked with Ko at the ANA Inspiration, where she tied for 44th.
“Everyone was a little stressed out there,” Oh said. “It was time. I still love the girl, and we still talk.”
Ko finished last year strong, with a tie for second at the Buick Shanghai, a tie for sixth at the Swinging Skirts Taiwan Championship and a tie for fifth at the CME Group Tour Championship, but the consistency hasn’t carried over into the new year. Ko had a share of the lead on the back nine of the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in January, but collapsed on the back nine with two double bogeys and two bogeys to shoot 77 and finish seven shots back of Eun Hee Ji. She has picked up just one top-10 finish in her seven starts since.
Ball-striking hasn’t been sharp for Ko this season, especially off the tee. She ranks 128th in driving distance, 90th in driving accuracy and 52nd in greens in regulation.
Ko began working with Oh at the beginning of the 2018 season, after leaving Gary Gilchrist, who she worked with for nearly a year. Before that she was with David Leadbetter for three years, after leaving her childhood coach, Guy Wilson, at the end of 2013.
Ko is her own swing coach this week.
“I’ve had a couple coaches look at my swing, to get an opinion, but I’m not in a rush to make a decision,” she said.
Ko said scheduling was a challenge with Oh. She said she likes to work with her coach in off weeks and Oh has two young daughters at home in Torrance, Calif. He also works on tour with Ayako Uehara, Jing Yan and Muni He.
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Wells Fargo a perfect PGA tune-up? New schedule has players scrambling
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 14:00
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Masters in his rearview mirror, Justin Rose is excited about what he calls the next stage of the golf year.
Except in this case, objects might be closer than they appear.
Because while the next major is in two weeks, the first one ended only two weeks ago.
Still fresh for Rose is a Masters plan that went awry. For a five-month stretch, no one played better than Rose. He won twice, was runner-up twice and had a pair of third-place finishes over 10 tournaments that took him to No. 1 in the world. He took a five-week break to recharge, felt a little flat in his return during the Florida swing and then missed the cut at Augusta National for the first time.
There's no time to reflect.
The PGA Championship moving to May for the first time since 1949 is causing Rose and several other players to adjust their plans. The new schedule features a major a month, which doesn't allow players time to think, much less play.
''It is different, for sure,'' Rose said Tuesday at Quail Hollow. ''There was a big focus on Augusta, and then in some ways you had until the U.S. Open so you could forget about major championship golf for at least a few weeks.''
The Wells Fargo Championship figured to be a big winner in the compact schedule. The tournament typically had one of the strongest fields of May, and now that only four weeks separate the Masters from the PGA Championship, it would seem to be the perfect place to get geared up for the next major.
That hasn't been the case.
Missing from the field this week is Tiger Woods, who rarely missed Quail Hollow when his health was in good order. He said last week that winning the Masters for his first major title in 11 years took a lot out of him and he simply wasn't ready to get back to work just yet.
That means he will not compete between majors for the seventh time in his career. On two of those occasions, he won the next major - the 1999 PGA Championship in August and the 2008 U.S. Open in June, right before reconstructive knee surgery. He missed the cut at the U.S. Open in 2006, when he took off nine weeks to deal with the death of his father.
With only a month between majors, does a player risk losing form in such a short period of time?
''This seems like a leading question,'' Henrik Stenson said with a grin. ''Is there someone who's going to do this in particular? Someone who maybe won at Augusta?''
Maybe.
But it's not just Woods.
That schedule also fits Justin Thomas, the No. 5 player in the world who pulled out of Quail Hollow as a precaution because of a wrist injury. Bryson DeChambeau is not on the list to play next week in Dallas, meaning he also will go a month between majors.
Others are not too far removed.
Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, played at Hilton Head the week after the Masters and is likely to have three weeks off before the PGA Championship unless he decides to add Dallas at the last minute. Ditto for Francesco Molinari and Xander Schauffele.
Rose and Rory McIlroy are playing only at Quail Hollow between the majors, and Rickie Fowler appears to have the same plan.
Brooks Koepka is keeping a relatively busy schedule. He played last week in New Orleans with his brother, and Koepka has committed to playing next week in the AT&T Byron Nelson, mainly because he prefers to play the week before a major.
''It's what works best for you,'' said Stenson, who is keeping the busiest schedule of all. Because he was recovering from an arm injury late last year and did not make his first PGA Tour start until Mexico City in late February, the Swede is playing seven out of eight weeks.
''I like the schedule with us having one big event every month now,'' Stenson said. ''It gives the players a chance - if majors are your focus - to prepare more in the way you like, if you want to play the week before or you want to play the week after, whatever is your preference. It's something we'll get used to. It will be a year or so before we won't talk about how it was back in the day.''
Rose originally looked at the majors in 10-day blocks, meaning he would arrive early the weekend before to prepare, take off on Monday and then ease his way into the week. That didn't work out for him at Augusta because he felt he had been at the tournament site too long.
So it's back to the old way of thinking amid a new schedule. He plans a trip to Bethpage in the middle of next week, then will return home to the Bahamas to relax and head back to Long Island early during PGA week.
''My preparation going into the PGA has changed because of the run-up into Augusta,'' Rose said. ''So you're always adapting and always learning and trying not to make the same mistakes.''
Whether that plans works depends on the score. That much about golf hasn't changed.
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Ko gets plaque at Lake Merced commemorating epic shot, playoff win
Published in
Golf
Tuesday, 30 April 2019 14:22
DALY CITY, Calif. – Lydia Ko was reminded in a special way Tuesday of her epic finish at Lake Merced Golf Club last year, of the 3-wood she nearly sank for double eagle to set up her victory on the first playoff hole at the LPGA Mediheal Championship.
The club placed a plaque commemorating the shot in the exact spot she played it from in the 18th fairway.
Ko was given the honor of unveiling it in a ceremony.
Plaque-worthy ?#MEDIHEALChamp pic.twitter.com/dSdxDNsGFX
— LPGA (@LPGA) April 30, 2019
“This is where I’ll be buried,” Ko cracked during the ceremony. “By my greatest shot.
“I think every time I go by 18, I'll look at it and get a lot of great memories from it.”
It was a spectacularly clutch shot, setting up a 2-foot eagle putt.
“Obviously, this is probably the best shot I’ve ever hit under pressure,” Ko said.
That’s saying something. At 22, Ko has won 15 LPGA titles, two of them major championships.
Lake Merced was special to Ko even before she beat Minjee Lee in that playoff last year. At 17, Ko won her first LPGA title as a pro here, which was also her first title on American soil. She had the date tattooed on her right wrist. She won again here the following year.
“I love coming back here,” Ko said. “I always get good vibes. I love seeing familiar faces and seeing the volunteers and the members, in the years that I've come.
“I feel like they're family.”
She loves the golf course, too.
“The course has always been in great shape,” Ko said. “I think it's one of the toughest golf courses we play at. It really requires accuracy off the tee and really good putting, because the greens can get slopey and pretty quick.”
Of Ko’s three victories at Lake Merced, last year’s was the most emotional. It was the first time she remembered crying after a victory. It was her 15th LPGA title, ending a 21-month victory drought. It’s also her last victory.
“Obviously, I wish I had another win in the bag between then and now, but it's tough to win,” Ko said. “The girls are playing great and sometimes you feel like you played really good, but somebody plays better. All you can do is try your best and be positive and confident. It's really out of your hands from there.”
Ko has two top-10 finishes in eight starts this year.
“It's still only April and our season ends in November, so we've still got a long way to go,” Ko said. “Just got to stay patient and just believe in myself.”
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Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said Aaron Ramsey will not play for the club again because of a hamstring injury sustained in the Europa League quarterfinal second leg clash away to Napoli.
Ramsey's 11-year association with Arsenal will come to an end on June 30 when he will join Juventus on a free transfer.
And, speaking ahead of the semifinal first leg at home to Valencia, Emery confirmed Ramsey would be unavailable for selection for the remainder of the campaign.
"At the moment we are only in the semifinal, and secondly the prognosis is not OK for this date," Emery said.
"He is important for us. We cannot use him and the danger is always there for a forward player like that.
"We have players who can play [in that position], but he was in a good moment when he had this injury.
"For me it was a good experience to work with every player and with him especially, because he can transmit his energy and he showed me his heart is red with Arsenal.
"I wanted to enjoy with him. I said to him one month ago that I wanted to do something important in his last matches with us at the moment -- maybe he can come back in the future. It will not be with him on the pitch but he is still with us."
Arsenal, who are in a battle to qualify for the Champions League, face Brighton and Burnley in their final two Premier League fixtures as well as Valencia over two legs in the Europa League semifinals.
The Wales international, who is Arsenal's longest-serving player, joined from Cardiff in 2008.
During his time with the club he has won the FA Cup on three occasions, scoring the winning goal in 2014 and 2017.
Press Association Sport reported that Arsenal are in talks with Juventus over Ramsey's recovery and he is set to be fit in time for the start of preseason in Turin.
It has also been reported that Arsenal will hold a guard of honour for Ramsey and retiring goalkeeper Petr Cech after Sunday's match against Brighton at the Emirates, their final Premier League home game of the season.
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BARCELONA, Spain -- Liverpool CEO Peter Moore has told the club's supporters to behave after six fans were arrested in Barcelona on Tuesday following disturbances in the Catalan city.
Police sources confirmed to ESPN FC that six people were detained overnight, later confirmed by Merseyside Police, ahead of Wednesday's Champions League semifinal first leg between Liverpool and Barcelona at Camp Nou.
- Hunter: If Barcelona don't improve, Liverpool will be the kryptonite to their Superman
They were arrested after fights broke out on Plaza Reial, just off La Rambla, where hundreds of travelling supporters had gathered throughout the afternoon on Tuesday.
Images emerged on social media of the disturbances, with one video showing a fan tipping a bystander into the fountain in the middle of the square. Reports said Merseyside Police are looking to identify the man.
Police sources told ESPN FC that all of the arrests made so far were for public order offences.
CEO Moore himself took to social media to urge Liverpool supporters to treat the Catalan city with respect in the build-up to the game.
"We proudly sing that we've conquered all of Europe," he wrote on Twitter. "But let's treat this beautiful city with the respect that it deserves, and act in a manner that is befitting of LFC. By all means have a good time, but we are Liverpool, and as such, let's visit here with grace and humility."
Liverpool later added in a statement: "Liverpool Football Club is working with Merseyside Police and the authorities in Spain, who are endeavouring to identify those involved in the incident. Such behaviour is clearly totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the situation is ongoing other than to confirm the club will follow due process in any and all cases of this nature."
Supporters were eventually forced out of Plaza Reial by local police later in the evening in a bid to break them up into smaller groups. But some of the travelling support told the Liverpool Echo that they felt the police's force was unnecessary.
A police source told ESPN FC they were surprised by the behaviour of a selection of the English club's following, explaining that they hadn't expected it because of the excellent way Manchester United fans conducted themselves two weeks ago.
There will be increased policing and attention throughout Wednesday -- which is a bank holiday in Spain -- to avoid further problems before the game.
Liverpool are hoping to make the Champions League final for the second successive year, while Barcelona are targeting a first final appearance since 2015.
The second leg will take place next Tuesday at Anfield, with the winners facing either Tottenham or Ajax in June's showpiece at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.
Information from Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden was used in this report.
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Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas was rushed to hospital on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack during training but is now out of danger.
The former Spain international felt discomfort in his chest at the end of the morning training session and was taken to CUF Porto hospital.
Sempre Juntos!
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) May 1, 2019
Força Iker! ??⚪#FCPorto #IkerCasillas pic.twitter.com/EiUhdltbIO
Porto tweeted a message of support to Casillas followed by a statement confirming the goalkeeper is in a stable condition.
"Iker Casillas suffered a heart attack during a training session on Wednesday morning, at the Porto training centre in Olival," a statement read. "The session was brought to a prompt end to attend to the Porto goalkeeper, who is now at the CUF Porto Hospital.
"Casillas is well, stable and with the heart problem having been resolved."
Former club Real Madrid have also released a statement, wishing their former captain a speedy recovery.
"Real Madrid C. F. wishes to offer its full support to our beloved captain Iker Casillas," the statement read. "Iker Casillas has shown us how to overcome the most incredible challenges throughout his professional career, adding significantly to our club's successes.
"He's shown us that giving up has no place in our way of life and demonstrated time and again that staying strong during the hardest of challenges is the only path to victory.
"Real Madrid C. F. and all of madridismo look forward to seeing our legendary captain back in good health as soon as possible and we send him all the encouragement in the world."
Casillas, 37, started his career with Real Madrid, where he spent 16 seasons and won the Champions League on three occasions as well as La Liga on five occasions before joining Porto in 2016.
He also captained Spain to two European Championships successes as well as the World Cup in 2010.
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Vijay Mallya set to lose ownership of Barbados Tridents
Published in
Cricket
Wednesday, 01 May 2019 05:59
Vijay Mallya, the Indian businessman, will lose ownership of Caribbean Premier League side Barbados Tridents ahead of the upcoming 2019 season. Damien O'Donohoe, the league CEO, has confirmed that talks are on with a number of prospective buyers, and new owners would be announced ahead of the player draft on May 22 in London.
Mallya, who earlier owned IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, is currently fighting to avoid extradition from the United Kingdom to India, where he is alleged to have committed bank fraud, with authorities trying to recover millions in unpaid loans.
His mounting legal and financial troubles have also impacted the Tridents, which he took ownership of in 2016, with players yet to be paid in full for the 2018 season that finished in September.
"That's obviously been a big headache for us … (but) that issue in relation to Barbados will be getting resolved in the next two to three weeks," O'Donohoe was quoted by Guyana Chronicle as saying. "We will also have a change of ownership which we hope to announce in two weeks' time and that's a very experienced owner who is going to come in, and it's something that we're obviously excited about and we're looking forward to a fresh start at the end of this month."
Recently, the Tridents' marquee player Dwayne Smith criticised the CPL over their handling of the matter of non-payment of salaries.
However, CPL chief operating officer, Pete Russell, expressed gratitude to all affected players for their professionalism and assured that the payments issue would be resolved shortly.
"We just want to put on record how grateful we are to the patience of the players. They've been very understanding," he said. "For us it's just the worst possible scenario where you've got to assess circumstances where an owner for whatever reason can't pay players is just not acceptable really. It's been a process we've had to go through and we're at the end of the process and it's all positive going forward."
Russell was also confident that lessons have been learnt and there wouldn't be a repeat of the situation. "Working with Cricket West Indies to make sure that in the future players' salaries are ring-fenced prior to the tournament so we know that money is sitting there, so the players are protected because we will not experience this again, under any circumstances."
The 2019 CPL will run from September 4 to October 12, after it was revised to ensure it didn't clash with India's tour of West Indies.
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Sunrisers target playoffs without Warner's magic touch
Published in
Cricket
Wednesday, 01 May 2019 07:49
Big picture
He came. He promised. He delivered. And now he has left. How will Sunrisers Hyderabad fill the David Warner-size hole at a time they need him the most?
It can't be easy to replace a man with 692 runs this season and maybe Sunrisers shouldn't try to. There will be a temptation to use Martin Guptill, the second highest run-getter in T20Is, but with Manish Pandey striking form, the better option might be to reshuffle the batting order to open with Kane Williamson and fill the fourth overseas slot with Billy Stanlake. With Sunrisers struggling a bit in the fast bowling department, Stanlake can slot in for Sandeep Sharma and add more firepower to the pace unit.
Thanks to their healthy net run-rate (0.709), a victory against Mumbai Indians on Thursday will help Sunrisers put one foot into the playoffs even if they lose their last game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. And as it happens, it will also put an end to Rajasthan Royals' hopes of making it to the top four.
For Mumbai, the equation is a bit simpler. A win would take them into the qualifiers and with 16 points from 13 games, they needn't even worry about net run-rate and other results. In Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock, they have a settled and in form opening combination, with the likes of Evin Lewis, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard to follow.
Although Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga conceded 92 from their eight overs in Mumbai's last outing, against Kolkata Knight Riders, both are experienced enough to put that behind.
In the news
With Warner having left for Australia, Sunrisers have a big decision to make. "We've got a few options, haven't we?" head coach Tom Moody said on the eve the match. "We are looking at those options at the moment. Guptill is the obvious one, being a world-class opener himself, a like-for-like replacement. But you know, there's also that option to consider looking at someone like Billy Stanlake at a venue like this."
Previous meeting
When these two sides met earlier in the tournament, Sunrisers were bundled out for 96 while chasing 137 as Alzarri Joseph picked up 6 for 12, the best bowling figures ever in the IPL.
Likely XIs
Mumbai Indians: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 Evin Lewis, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Barinder Sran, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit Bumrah
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Kane Williamson (capt), 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Abhishek Sharma, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Billy Stanlake
Strategy punt
Hardik and Pollard have been taking apart bowling attacks in the death this season, but in Rashid Khan Sunrisers have someone who boasts a great record against both. Hardik has managed just 14 off 26 balls while getting out twice to the legspinner in three T20 innings, and while Pollard has got out just once to Rashid in eight innings, he has managed only 28 off 36 balls. Therefore, Sunrisers might consider saving Rashid for Mumbai's biggest hitters.
Despite going for plenty in their last game, Bumrah and Malinga remain Mumbai's best bet in the death. Together the two have 20 wickets with an economy of 9.2 in overs 16 to 20. The other Mumbai bowlers have 12 wickets at an economy of 11.7.
Stats that matter
Sunrisers have played six matches in Mumbai, winning one and losing five.
Yusuf Pathan has scored 84 runs off 62 deliveries off Malinga in T20s, without getting out even once.
Sunrisers have the best run-rate (9.3) in the Powerplays in IPL 2019. Warner and Jonny Bairstow had a lot to do with that and both of them have left the team. On the flip side, their run-rate of 9.1 in the overs 16 to 20 is the worst among the eight teams this season.
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Dhoni back, Capitals bowl but Rabada misses out with stiff back
Published in
Cricket
Wednesday, 01 May 2019 07:35
Toss Delhi Capitals opt to bowl v Chennai Super Kings
Shreyas Iyer called correctly and Delhi Capitals elected to bowl at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
At the toss, Iyer said he was mindful of the dew, but MS Dhoni felt it wouldn't set in as much because of cloudy conditions in Chennai. Dhoni added that he would have batted had he won the toss, so both captains got what they wanted.
With both sides guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, the focus has shifted to a battle for the top two slots. For the record, Capitals will also look to post their first win in Chennai since 2010.
They will have to do so without Kagiso Rabada, who missed out because of a stiff back. This meant an opportunity for Trent Boult, who has warmed the bench for a majority of the season. Ishant Sharma's ankle niggle meant J Suchith, the Karnataka allrounder, got his first look-in. Suchith was signed mid-season as a replacement for the injured Harshal Patel.
Dhoni returning from fever meant Dhruv Shorey had to make way. Ravindra Jadeja and Faf du Plessis also came back, meaning there was no place for M Vijay and Mitchell Santner.
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Harbhajan Singh, 11 Imran Tahir
Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Colin Ingram, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Chris Morris, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 J Suchith, 11 Trent Boult
Danyal Rasool is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Danny61000
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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It is an image which seems to have taken forever to appear, probably for Jofra Archer, and most certainly for England cricket fans.
And even though the sight of the country's newest match-winning prospect in full England kit has arrived quicker than some expected, not least the man himself, images of him posing for official squad photos ahead of Friday's ODI against Ireland show a man who looks ready for business.
Barbados-born Archer, who recently became eligible to represent England after the ECB's qualification period was reduced from seven years to three, is poised to make his debut after being included in the squads for the one-off ODI against Ireland on Friday, a T20I against Pakistan on Sunday and five ODIs against Pakistan.
He was left out of England's preliminary World Cup squad but the upcoming matches present an opportunity to press his case for inclusion in the final squad, which needs to be finalised by May 23.
Archer's supporters speak of his incredible talent, most recently showcased in his exploits for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. For his part, Archer described the speed of his elevation to the England squad as overwhelming.
"I've worked pretty much all my life for this moment and I just want to tackle it and put my best foot forward," he said upon his selection. "Hopefully I get a chance to play and do myself justice." But he also stated he did not "want to step on anyone's toes".
Archer's potential call-up for the World Cup has sparked debate among the squad's incumbent fast bowlers. Some with reservations have argued that bringing a new player into a well-established set-up could destabilise the side, or be harsh on any player who misses out, having helped England become the top one-day side in the world.
However, Alex Hales' expulsion from all England squads - including for the World Cup - in the wake of his ban for using recreational drugs has dominated the agenda in the build-up to Archer's debut, and has also led to three more players - Ben Duckett, Dawid Malan and James Vince - being included in the squads for the Ireland and Pakistan series.
While Hales' 21-day ban will have been served well before the World Cup, the ECB this week decided to withdraw him from their squads, citing a need for "creating the right environment within the team and ensuring that there are no unnecessary distractions".
Hales has not been a first-choice player in England's white-ball squad for some time, but was seen as someone who could enhance the depth of the squad, particularly amid injuries to key and fringe players alike. His omission has opened the door for another face to appear in the England line-up, meaning that Archer won't be alone in pressing his claims for a World Cup berth.
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