The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Bradley wins PGA in playoff after rousing comeback
- Indonesia and India a force to be reckoned with in doubles
- Super Dan shows he’s still Lin and mean with remarkable victory
| Bradley wins PGA in playoff after rousing comeback Posted: 14 Aug 2011 06:38 PM PDT JOHNS CREEK, Georgia (AP): Keegan Bradley won the PGA Championship after staging an amazing comeback to force a three-hole playoff and beat Jason Dufner at Atlanta Athletic Club. Bradley trailed by five strokes after making a triple bogey on the 15th hole and Jason Dufner appeared to have the title wrapped up, but Bradley rallied and Dufner collapsed. The leader put his tee shot in the water at 15, setting up the first of three straight bogeys. Bradley made birdies at 16 and 17, going to the final hole suddenly tied for the lead. Both players made par on the 72nd hole, but Bradley won the three-hole playoff by a single stroke. He tapped in for par at the 18th hole and lifted the Wanamaker Trophy. "I can't believe it," Bradley said. " In the playoff, Bradley made a 4-foot birdie at the 16th hole to gain the upper hand. Dufner nearly holed out from the fairway with his approach, then missed a 6-foot birdie try. Bradley was in command when Dufner three-putted the 17th for a bogey, going to the final hole with a two-stroke edge. Dufner rolled in a 20-footer for birdie but it didn't matter. Bradley two-putted from 18 feet for the win, tapping into the final hole from about a foot away. The players were tied at 8-under 272 at the end of regulation. "A lot of experience to be gained from that," a dejected Dufner said. The 25-year-old Bradley, the nephew of LPGA Hall of Fame member Pat Bradley, won the PGA in his very first appearance at a major championship. Dufner was denied his first tour win. Going to the playoff, the U.S. was assured of breaking its longest drought the modern era, having gone six straight majors without winning since Phil Mickelson captured the 2010 Masters. Anders Hansen of Denmark closed with a 4-under 66, but finished one stroke out of the playoff at 273. Robert Karlsson of Sweden, David Toms and Scott Verplank tied for fourth at 275. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Indonesia and India a force to be reckoned with in doubles Posted: 14 Aug 2011 06:23 PM PDT IT won't be an easy ride for Malaysia at the upcoming SEA Games in Jakarta and the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow if the strong showings of Indonesia and India in the doubles department are concerned. Back-up shuttlers Bona Septano-Ahsan Mohd of Indonesia made heads turn here at the Wembley Arena with their surprise semi-final finish. They lost 19-21, 17-21 to South Korea's Ko Sung-hyun-Yoo Yeon-seong in the semi-finals but they showed great potential and will be the Indonesian pair to watch out for. Their emergence should be a warning to Malaysia's national back-up coach Tan Kim Her, whose job is to build a solid team for the future. His players like Lim Khim Wah-Goh Wei Shem, Mak Hee Chun, Tan Wee Kiong, who have yet to make their mark in big events like Bona-Ahsan, will be tested at the SEA Games in Jakarta in November and hopefully, they will come good. In the women's doubles, the breakthrough performances of Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponnappa of India showed that the girls were more than just making up the numbers in the team. On Saturday, the duo showed no fear of the fifth seeds, Chinese pair Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei and fought hard before going down 14-21, 16-21 in the semi-finals. It was the first time that India's women shuttlers had come that far in the world meet. And they now appear as the favourites to defend the gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. Doubles coach Pang Cheh Chang have young and potential players like Vivian Hoo-Woon Khe Wei and Ng Hui Lin-Ng Hui Ern coming through but they must have the right match temperament to make it big. Currently, they are overlooked as just bystanders in the women's doubles competition. These players are expected to take over the mantle when seniors Chin Eei Hui-Wong Pei Tty slow down after next year's Olympic Games. Said national coach Rashid Sidek: "In the Commonwealth Games, we will take part in the mixed team events and it is important to have good women players coming through if we hope to win a gold medal." Meanwhile, South Koreans Sung-hyun-Yeon-seong's good run in the world championships also showed that they were getting better than their seniors Lee Yong-dae-Jung Jae-sung. The second ranked Sung-hyun-Yeon-seong, who defeated Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in the quarter-finals on Friday, reached the final but their seniors Yong-dae-Jae-sung, a two-time World Championships runners-up, crashed out 18-21, 14-21 to Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng of China on Saturday. Related Stories: |
| Super Dan shows he’s still Lin and mean with remarkable victory Posted: 14 Aug 2011 06:22 PM PDT CHINA's Lin Dan took of his shirt to reveal his rippling musles before running around the court in sheer joy. After lying low throughout this week, he was in the mood for celebration - especially after beating world number one Lee Chong Wei 20-22, 21-14, 23-21 in remarkable fashion. The sensational come-from-behind win – especially after trailing 12-16 and 18-20 in the decider – saw Lin Dan winning his fourth world title, a first by a player in the world series. It was his 17th win over Chong Wei over 24 matches since they first crossed swords in 2004. It was also Lin Dan's second win over Chong Wei this year after the victory at the US$1.2 mil South Korea Open final in Seoul. And when asked about his victory, Lin Dan said that he wanted to quickly end the game because he did not have much time to go sight-seeing in London and had wanted to buy gifts for his wife Xie Xingfang. "The match was going too long and I wanted to just win it. Fortunately, I did not make as many mistakes as Chong Wei did towards the end," said Lin Dan. "This is my first visit to London and I have not had time to do some sight seeing. I want to buy clothes for my wife," he said in a packed press conference, which drew laughter. When asked about the way he celebrated the win yesterday, he said: "Yes, I was a bit emotional. Chong Wei played well and I have to work hard to get back into the game after the first game defeat." "I am glad that we (Chong Wei and I) were able to give the fans a great badminton show. I saw a lot of quality matches from men's singles players in this world meet. "I am a badminton ambassador and it is my responsibility to maintain the interest of the the badminton fans," said the 28-year-old Lin Dan. When asked about his Olympic Games preparation, he said: "This win here has put me in the right track for my Olympic Games preparations for next year at the same venue. I am happy and pleased with everything that has taken place here," he added. Related Stories: |
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