The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Swedish amateur tied for lead at Nordea Masters
- Golf: Florida-based Kelly Tan claims her maiden international amateur title
- Webber and Alonso seek to break Vettel’s dominance
| Swedish amateur tied for lead at Nordea Masters Posted: 21 Jul 2011 06:27 PM PDT STOCKHOLM (AP) - Swedish amateur golfer Robert Karlsson was on top on the leaderboard with countryman Alexander Noren and Jaco Van Zyl of South Africa after they shot 5-under 67s in Thursday's first round of the Nordea Masters. The 22-year-old Karlsson, one of only three amateurs in the tournament, made seven birdies and one double-bogey on the 7,603-yard (6,952-meter) Bro Hof Slott course - the longest on the European Tour this year. Karlsson said the lead took him by total surprise. "We had set no goals aside from just having fun," Karlsson said of his caddie. "I hadn't really expected this when I stood by the tee this morning. It feels really good. I started to feel more and more comfortable with the shots and then it just kind of flowed. It felt like I was in the moment the whole time. I wasn't thinking either back or forward, I was just in the moment." Noren made eight birdies, one bogey and a double-bogey, while Van Zyl holed six birdies and a bogey. Dustin Johnson, who shared second place in the British Open on Sunday, hit a 73 while fellow American Bubba Watson shot a 71. Local favorite and defending champion Richard S. Johnson hit a 70. The tournament changed its name to Nordea Masters from Scandinavian Nordea Masters this year. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Golf: Florida-based Kelly Tan claims her maiden international amateur title Posted: 21 Jul 2011 04:46 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Florida based Kelly Tan claimed her maiden international amateur title when she won the Mazda Malaysian Ladies Amateur Open at the Mines Resort and Golf Club yesterday. Kelly, who had to settle for the runners-up spot in last year's tournament, carded a three-under 68 in yesterday's final round to clinch the title by six strokes with a total score of five-under 208. Kelly had birdies on the second, seventh, 12th, 15th and 17th holes but bogeyed the fourth and sixth holes on the front nine but it was still a very consistent day for Kelly. It proved to be a great day for Malaysian golfers as they took the top four positions in the individual event. On Wednesday, Malaysia won the team title. Nur Durriyah Damian finished second after coming through from fifth place to finish with a four-under-67 for a three-day total of 214. Overnight leader Imam Ahmad Nordin, who led by two strokes going into the final round, failed to sustain her form and could only managed a one-under 70 yesterday. Fourth place went to 2009 winner Michelle Koh Lay Sia who was a stroke behind after carding a one-under 70 in her final round. For Kelly, the win made up for the disappointment of missing the title last year. "I played great today. Last year it was a bit disappointing to lose in the play-off but I've learnt a lot over the past year, especially in terms of mental preparation and it has paid off," said the 18-year-old lass. Kelly also pledged to do her best to bring back the gold medal for Malaysia in the upcoming SEA Games in Indonesia in November. "Two years ago, I was a bronze medallist. If I'm in the team again this time around, I will definitely try my best to win the gold for Malaysia," she added. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Webber and Alonso seek to break Vettel’s dominance Posted: 21 Jul 2011 04:34 PM PDT NUERBURGRING: Mark Webber of Red Bull and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso are hoping past success at the Nuerburgring will give them an edge over championship leader Sebastian Vettel at Sunday's German Grand Prix. In 2009, Webber won his first Formula One race - after 132 starts - at the Nuerburgring, starting from pole position and finishing almost 10 seconds ahead of Vettel for a Red Bull 1-2. Alonso, who notched his first victory of the season two weeks ago at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, has won twice at the circuit, in 2005 with Renault and in 2007 with McLaren-Mercedes. Still, Vettel will be racing at home in Germany and he has won six of the nine races so far this season and has an 80-point lead over Red Bull team-mate Webber, with Alonso another 12 points behind. "For some, it may create some pressure or raise the expectations, but I don't really feel it," Vettel said about racing at home. "In fact, it may give me an extra push, maybe I can get a tenth (of a second) more here and there, which could be decisive on the track." Vettel, the defending F1 champion, won five of six races to start the 2011 season, has started all nine races so far from the front row - including seven pole positions - and has yet to finish worse than second this year. At the season's midway point - the 10th of 19 races - he has six victories and has been second three times. But Ferrari have been having greater success lately and it's no longer just the McLaren team of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button who are challenging Red Bull for the team title. "I think Ferrari has taken a great step forward in the last couple of races and at Silverstone they were even, if not faster," Vettel said. "We have to be realistic. It's important to realise it and accept it." Red Bull lead the constructors' standings with 328 points, ahead of McLaren with 218 and Ferrari with 164. Ferrari have won 15 times at the Nuerburgring and team principal Stefano Domenicali said Alonso's victory in Britain was a significant boost for the Scuderia. "That victory in Silverstone was an important moment in this season," Domenicali said. "We know that Ferrari cannot be happy with winning just one race so far this season, but it was important for the morale of everyone in the company." Domenicali added that he would give Ferrari a "negative score" for their performance during the first three months of the season. "But I would say the last part of the first half of the year was better, because although we only took one win, we were competitive enough to have won more, but for various circumstances," Domenicali said. Hamilton and Button both have 109 points, the only other drivers with more than 100 beside the top three. Hamilton has won a German GP, but that was in 2008 at the Hockenheim circuit, the track which lately has been alternating with the Nuerburgring in hosting the race. At the track set among the Eifel mountains in western Germany, the Brit has had little luck, finishing ninth in 2007 and just 18th in 2009. "The current circuit may be less epic than the original 14-mile layout, and certainly a lot safer, but it can still bite you," Hamilton said. "The weather can turn in a matter of moments - you can have all the seasons in one afternoon." Button highlighted the deep heritage of the track inaugurated in 1927 - although the current Grand Prix layout was built in 1984, with some later alterations. "This is a race I'd really like to win," said Button whose best finish at the circuit was third in 2004. "To be able to say you've won at the Nuerburgring is a major achievement because it's such a historic and challenging location." Despite pressure from McLaren and Ferrari's resurgence, Webber could well be the source of Vettel's biggest headaches. The Australian has not always accepted Vettel's dominance easily. He was warned by his team not to challenge Vettel in the closing stages of the Silverstone contest - fearing a collision would put both out of the race - but Webber admitted to ignoring the order. — AP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
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