The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Perry and O'Hair win Shootout
- Jamieson wins inaugural Mandela Champs
- Thien How-Wee Kiong eye top four finish in Shenzhen
| Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:21 PM PST NAPLES (Florida): Kenny Perry and Sean O'Hair birdied five of the last six holes in the final-round scramble on Sunday to win the Franklin Templeton post-season golf event by one stroke. The duo combined for a 12-under 60 to finish at 31-under-par 185. O'Hair won this event for the first time, while Perry won for the third time with his third different partner and at 52 became the oldest winner in the event. He won with John Huston in 2005 and Scott Hoch in 2008. "All three have been different," Perry said of his Shootout victories. "John and I were pretty even partners, and then the year Scott and I won, I played fantastic that week. ... This year, my roles have been reversed, and I was complementing Sean." O'Hair added: "I think that was kind of the best thing about this was just we had a ton of fun, just like being a kid enjoying what you're doing." Hosted by Aussie great Greg Norman, the tournament features 24 golfers playing in two-man teams in a mixed-format of modified alternate shot, better ball, and scramble. Perry and O'Hair, who led by two strokes going into the final round, will share US$750,000 of the US$3mil total purse. South Africa's Rory Sabbatini and American Charles Howell threatened with a back-nine surge that included an eagle on a par-four, but even combining for a final-round 57 they came up short on 186. "We played really well and gave ourselves a lot of opportunities," Sabbatini said. "We put a good number up there and that's all we can really do. We had a lot of fun and Charles hit the ball fantastically." Jason Dufner and Fiji's Vijay Singh finished third at 28 under. - AFP |
| Jamieson wins inaugural Mandela Champs Posted: 09 Dec 2012 04:20 PM PST JOHANNESBURG: Scott Jamieson of Scotland won his first European Tour title at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Championship at the Royal Durban Golf Club Sunday as the world peace icon underwent medical tests. The 29-year-old beat England's Steve Webster and Spaniard Eduardo de la Riva on the second hole of a play-off. They were tied for the lead at seven-under 123 after the tournament was reduced to 36-holes with heavy rain washing out the first two days. "To get your name on any European trophy is a fantastic achievement," the 29-year-old said, "but it's a little more special when it's for someone like Nelson [Mandela]," he added while holding an unusual trophy sporting colourful miniatures of Mandela seated with an open book and surrounded by small children. The proceeds of the tournament will got the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. Meanwhile in the capital Pretoria the 94-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate, after whom the tournament was named, spent the night in hospital for medical tests. President Jacob Zuma found him "comfortable, and in good care" during a hospital visit. Jamieson, having finished the first round outside the top 40 with one-over-par 66, fought back on Sunday to card eight-under-par 57 on the way to his maiden European Tour title. Play was much swifter in the reduced tournament co-sanctioned by the European Tour and South Africa's Sunshine Tour - the first time in ten years that two days were cut. Waterlogged conditions also delayed play the Thursday and Friday in the 2002 Portugal Open. "I knew I had to get off to a fast start after a really mediocre round yesterday," said the Glaswegian. "I really had to get up and down to save par at ten and then I chipped in on eleven, which really got me going." "I built up some momentum from there, made three birdies in a row on the par threes, which doesnt happen often," he added. Having finished tied in the lead with Webster and De la Riva, he had to wait five hours before the play-off to see if any of the late-starting players caught up. "I was pretty nervous for the playoff. But that's why we play, we want to get in that situation and that's what I kept telling myself. The other guys would have been nervous too, so it's just a case of who plays the best golf," Jamieson said afterwards. De la Riva bogeyed the first play-off on the 18th hole, while Webster lost a stroke on the second to hand the on-par Scotsman the title. He hoped the victory would help him to more successes this season. "The goal is to try to break into the top-100 in the world rankings and get into the US PGA in August... There is also the US Open and British Open qualifier as well," he said. Overnight leaders Tim Clark from South Africa and Dane Morten Orum both shot one-under par 64 on the last day to finish third. Their total of six-under-par 124 was tied with those of Germany's Maximilian Kieffer and Englishman Matthew Nixon. - AFP |
| Thien How-Wee Kiong eye top four finish in Shenzhen Posted: 09 Dec 2012 05:27 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttlers Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong are the lowest ranked men's doubles pair at the BWF World Super Series Finals, which begins in Shenzhen tomorrow. But the duo plan to ruffle some feathers and make the top four, at least, in the US$500,000 tournament. Thien How-Wee Kiong are one of the eight qualifiers for the Tour's season finale. The others are compatriots Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong; Japan's Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa; China's Hong Wei-Shen Ye and Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng; South Koreans Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang; Danes Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen; and Thailand's Bodin Isara-Maneepong Jongjit. All the qualifiers have won Open titles – either a Super Series or a Grand Prix Gold in their careers – except for Thien How-Wee Kiong. And all of them are currently ranked in the top 10 in the world expect for world No. 15 Thien How-Wee Kiong. The 23-year-old Wee Kiong admitted that they were ranked outsiders but that, he said, won't stop them from trying to create a few upsets. "Thien How and I only paired up in April, so to have qualified for the Super Series Finals together with Koo and Tan is a bonus for us. We do not want to waste this chance by playing below par," said Wee Kiong. "We'll be thrilled to reach the semi-finals, although it means we'll have to beat at least two higher ranked pairs." The draw, to be conducted tomorrow, will see the eight pairs divided into two groups of four each. The top two pairs from each group will then meet in the crossover semi-finals. Wee Kiong acknowledged that the last-minute entry of four-time world champions and reigning Olympic gold medallists Cai Yun-Haifeng would make the men's doubles competition very challenging. The Chinese pair, who won the final leg of the Tour at the Hong Kong Open last week, received a lucky break when fourth qualifiers – Hirokatsu Hashimoto-Noriyasu Hirata of Japan – withdrew. This enabled the first reserves – Cai Yun-Haifeng – to make the cut. "Without them, the men's doubles race would have been more open. Cai Yun-Haifeng are the most consistent pairs and will surely be the ones to beat in this tournament," said Wee Kiong. Malaysia's other qualifiers for the Finals are Lee Chong Wei, Liew Daren and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying. Except for Thien How-Wee Kiong, all the other Malaysian shuttlers have tasted success in the Super Series Tour at least once. The qualifiers Men's singles: 1. Lee Chong Wei (Mas), 2. Chen Long (Chn), 3. Kenichi Tago (Jpn), 4. Hu Yun (Hkg), 5. Daren Liew (Mas), 6. Boonsak Ponsana (Tha), 7. Du Pengyu (Chn), 8. Hans-Kristian Vittinghus (Den). Men's doubles: 1. Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong (Mas), 2. Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa (Jpn), 3. Hong Wei-Shen Ye (Chn), 4. Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang (Kor), 5. Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen (Den), 6. Bodin Isara-Maneepong Jongjit (Tha), 7. Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong (Mas), 8. Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng (Chn). Women's singles: 1. Li Xuerui (Chn), 2. Juliane Schenk (Ger), 3. Wang Shixian (Chn), 4. Saina Nehwal (Ind), 5. Tine Baun (Den), 6. Sung Ji-hyun (Kor), 7. Eriko Hirose (Jpn), 8. Ratchanok Intanon (Tha). Women's doubles: 1. Shizuka Matsuo-Mami Naito (Jpn), 2. Eom Hye-won-Jang Ye-na (Kor), 3. Tian Qing-Zhao Yunlei (Chn), 4. Wang Xiaoli-Yu Yang (Chn), 5. Duanganong Aroonkesorn-V. Kunchala (Tha), 6. Christinna Pedersen-Kamilla Rytter Juhl (Den), 7. Misaki Matsutomo-Ayaka Takahashi (Jpn), 8. Pook Lok Yan-Tse Ying Suet. Mixed doubles: 1. Xu Chen-Ma Jin (Chn), 2. Chan Peng Soon- Goh Liu Ying (Mas), 3. Tantowi Ahmad-Lilyana Natsir (Ina), 4. Zhang Nan-Zhao Yunlei (Chn), 5. Sudket Prapakamol-T. Saralee (Tha), 6. Joachim Fisher-Nielsen-Christinna Pedersen (Den), 7. Yoo Yeonseong- Jang Ye-na (Kor), 8. Mohd Rijal-Debby Susanto (Ina). |
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