The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Amazing Grace opens five-shot lead at Dunhill
- Marathon: Shobukhova to seek fourth Chicago title in a row
- Greek swimmer wins 277,000 euros compensation for Olympic ban
| Amazing Grace opens five-shot lead at Dunhill Posted: 05 Oct 2012 06:13 PM PDT ST ANDREWS, Scotland: Branden Grace drew on playing an Old Course practice round with former British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen to extend his lead to five shots in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Friday. The 24-year-old South African, also with Oosthuizen's 2010 Open-winning caddy, Zach Rasego, now on his bag, carded a second round 67 at St. Andrews to move to 17-under par for the tournament. Grace had teamed with Oosthuizen on Wednesday and carried the information he gleaned into his second round on the famed Old Course in a display that included six birdies, including four in succession from the seventh hole, and only one bogey. "Playing a practice round with Louis on Wednesday this week on the Old Course definitely helped today," said Grace. "Louis gave me some lines off the tee which was very helpful, especially with the wind off the left. "The first six holes are not the easiest driving holes out there, and also having Zach on the bag is a really big help." Grace arrived in Scotland having won three events this year on the European Tour while he was successful in capturing last week's Vodacom Origins of Golf Final at Fancourt on the South African Sunshine Tour. It was also at Fancourt in January that Grace defeated US Open-winning compatriots Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in a play-off for the Volvo Champions title. And Grace intends to continue to draw on that victory heading into the final two rounds of the $5 million Dunhill. Sweden's Joel Sjoholm matched Grace's round of 67 on the Old Course to move into 12-under par as the Gothenburg-based golfer looks to win for a first time on the European Tour. The 27-year-old has had three top-10s this year including an eighth place in May's BMW International Open after heading into the final day just one shot off the lead. Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen is joint-second after matching Sjoholm's two-round total of 132. Germany's Martin Kaymer is the best-placed of the four Ryder Cup players competing this week after adding a round of 71 at Kingsbarns to move to three under par. "I'm very tired, and especially when you don't make the putts," he said. "It has been a little difficult to get motivated and I had that fantastic experience on Sunday, and I'm still very inspired. "I'm very motivated on one hand, but on the other, your body is just a little tired, and you have to listen to your body. "And with all the time changes and the party on Sunday night there, it is what it is. But it's just difficult to motivate yourself sometimes." After European captain Jose Maria Olazabal received a congratulatory Ryder Cup communication from the King of Spain, Kaymer said he did not expect a similar message from German Chancellor, Angela Merkel. "Of course, a few athletes were tweeting and e-mailing me, texting me but no, nothing from the German Chancellor," he said. "I'm sure she heard about it but she has better things to do." - AFP Leading and selected second round scores in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, Scotland on Friday (GBR/IRL unless stated, par 72): At Kingsbarns 138 - Oliver Wilson 67-71, Phillip Price 71-67 139 - Gonzalo Fdez-Castano (ESP) 70-69 140 - Thomas Aiken (RSA) 72-68, Mathias Gronberg (SWE) 74-66, Graham Delaet (CAN) 71-69 141 - Robert Jan Derksen (NED) 74-67, Colin Montgomerie 71-70, Ricardo Santos (POR) 72-69, Martin Kaymer (GER) 70-71, Paul Casey 72-69, Mark Foster 72-69, Gregory Havret (FRA) 67-74, Thomas Levet (FRA) 71-70 142 - Pat Perez (USA) 72-70, Steve Webster 70-72, Peter Hedblom (SWE) 74-68, Pariya Junhasavasdikul (THA) 73-69, Tjaart Van Der Walt (RSA) 72-70, Peter Hanson (SWE) 72-70, Michael Hoey 71-71 Selected 143 - Dustin Johnson (USA) 72-71, Ernie Els (RSA) 73-70 144 - Hennie Otto (RSA) 72-72, Rich Beem (USA) 70-74, Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 71-73, Paul McGinley 76-68, Padraig Harrington 71-73 145 - Charl Schwartzel (RSA) 75-70, Paul Lawrie 75-70, Darren Clarke 75-70 148 - Rohan Blizard (AUS) 75-73 At St Andrews 127 - Branden Grace (RSA) 60-67 132 - Joel Sjoholm (SWE) 65-67 133 - Anton Haig (RSA) 65-68 134 - Magnus A Carlsson (SWE) 66-68, Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR) 68-66, Graeme Storm 68-66 135 - Paul Waring 69-66 136 - Alejandro Canizares (ESP) 66-70, Lorenzo Gagli (ITA) 69-67 137 - Estanislao Goya (ARG) 69-68, Jorge Campillo (ESP) 68-69, Darren Fichardt (RSA) 71-66, Simon Khan 68-69 138 - Gary Boyd 69-69, Shane Lowry 69-69, Matthew Baldwin 69-69, Bradley Dredge 69-69 Selected 139 - Edoardo Molinari (ITA) 71-68 141 - Jaco Van Zyl (RSA) 72-69 142 - Keith Horne (RSA) 70-72, Nick Cullen (AUS) 71-71 143 - Josh Geary (NZL) 70-73, Christiaan Basson (RSA) 71-72, Allan Versfeld (RSA) 74-69, Henrik Stenson (SWE) 73-70 144 - David Gleeson (AUS) 73-71, Richard Green (AUS) 71-73, Matthew Griffin (AUS) 72-72 145 - Mohd. Siddikur (BAN) 73-72, Kieran Pratt (AUS) 70-75, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 71-74, Adam Crawford (AUS) 71-74 148 - Himmat Singh Rai (IND) 74-74 153 - Ryan Haller (AUS) 78-75 At Carnoustie 132 - Thorbjorn Olesen (DEN) 63-69 135 - Danny Willett 66-69, Victor Dubuisson (FRA) 62-73, Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE) 64-71 136 - Alexander Noren (SWE) 64-72, Raphael Jacquelin (FRA) 69-67, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 65-71 137 - Richie Ramsay 65-72, Stephen Gallacher 67-70, James Kingston (RSA) 68-69, Jamie Donaldson 65-72, Pablo Martin (ESP) 67-70, Ashley Hall (AUS) 64-73, Lee Slattery 67-70 138 - David Drysdale 66-72, Michael Campbell (NZL) 67-71 Selected 141 - Brett Rumford (AUS) 71-70, Shiv Kapur (IND) 71-70 143 - Thomas Bjorn (DEN) 68-75, Andrew Dodt (AUS) 71-72, George Coetzee (RSA) 71-72 144 - Jbe Kruger (RSA) 71-73, Dylan Frittelli (RSA) 68-76 145 - Miguel Angel Jimenez (ESP) 73-72, Peter O'Malley (AUS) 74-71 147 - Matthew Zions (AUS) 74-73, Richard Sterne (RSA) 66-81 - AFP |
| Marathon: Shobukhova to seek fourth Chicago title in a row Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:57 PM PDT CHICAGO: Russia's Liliya Shobukhova will attempt to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive Chicago Marathon women's title in Sunday's 35th running of the event. Shobukhova, unbeaten in three Chicago starts, was unable to finish the London Olympic marathon in August due to stomach cramps but will be among the elite favorites in a field of 45,000 runners that will compete Sunday morning. "It was heartbreaking to withdraw from the Olympic Marathon after I had trained so hard and my preparation had gone so well," Shobukhova said. "But I am still very fit and in good health. I'm going to focus all my energy on a great performance at the Chicago Marathon." Shobukhova ran the third-fastest time in history last year to win in 2 hours 18 mins 20 secs. "There's no place that I feel more comfortable than when I am competing in Chicago," she said. "I love the course and appreciate the support from the fans. I'm especially motivated to win for the fourth time in a row." The Russian's rivals will include Kenya's Lucy Kabuu, who owns a personal best of 2:19:34, and Ethiopians Ejegayehu Dibaba, last year's runner-up in 2:22:09, and Weknesh Kidane, the 2003 world runner-up. On the men's side, Kenya's Wesley Korir, last year's Chicago runner-up and this year's Boston Marathon champion, will be a favorite. Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede, third in the 2008 Olympic marathon, and Kenya's Levy Matebo, whose 2:05:16 from last year in Frankfurt is the fastest time in the field, are also expected to contend for the men's title. - AFP |
| Greek swimmer wins 277,000 euros compensation for Olympic ban Posted: 05 Oct 2012 05:54 PM PDT ATHENS: The Greek Swimming Federation have been ordered to pay 277,000 euros to 100m freestyle swimmer Tonia Machaira for wrongfully excluding her from the Athens 2004 Olympics on the grounds she had failed a drugs test. Machaira filed a suit for one million euros eight years ago after she was banned from participating in her home Olympics by the federation. An Athens court decided on Friday to award the swimmer just over one-fourth of the amount she requested, deciding on 150,000 euros plus interest reaching 277,000 euros. "The bitterness remains the same," Machaira told NovaSport FM radio. "I wanted to participate in my third and final Olympics after a 20-year career but was denied this. I was always clean." International drug testing organization WADA confirmed that Machaira had not failed the anti-doping test, as suspected by the Greek federation. Machaira said that after the ban she walked through the streets of her native island Crete and everyone would look at her and make comments. "For four months I did not even leave my house. The federation even asked me to return my national team uniform. It was a disgrace," she added. Her lawyer Giannis Marakakis said: "The federation realized the magnitude of the blunder and tried to convince the sporting public that she was indeed doped. This was criminal behaviour which has remained unpunished." - AFP |
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