Latest Sports Buzz |
- Julie Inkster Scores Major Upset At Sybase Match Play
- Willett’s Birdie Barrage Leads Elite At European PGA
- Bickering Bears: Urlacher, Sayers Trade Jabs Over Team
- Report: Redskins Wideout Moss Supplied HGH By Controversial Doctor
- Mystics Forward Curie Off To Sizzling Start
- Top Seed Soderling Ousted In Nice; Dementieva Falls In Warsaw
- Nationwide Wraps Up Two-Day Daytona Test Session
- Yanks Catcher Posada Out 3-4 Weeks Due To Foot Injury
- Dixon Leads Way As Teams Prepare For Indy 500
- Bowyer On Probation, Crew Members Suspended
| Julie Inkster Scores Major Upset At Sybase Match Play Posted: 20 May 2010 11:07 PM PDT Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Gladstone, N.J., United States (AHN) – Suzann Pettersen, the third ranked player in the world, came to the Sybase LPGA match play championship to close the gap between herself and the world’s top-ranked player, Jiyai Shin.
Inkster, the Hall of Famer, proved Thursday she is still be a tough competitor when it comes to match play. Inkster, the 35th-seed, pulled the upset of the first round when she holed an eight-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole to defeat the third-seeded Pettersen. Inkster, who will turn 50 in June, got off to a rough start and found herself two-down after two holes. “You gotta hang in there and I managed to hang in there,” she said afterwards. She never led in the match and found herself one-down standing on the 18th tee. The Hamilton Farms layout favors the longer hitters and Pettersen is one of the longer players on the LPGA Tour. It was her decision to layup and not go for the green in two at that final hole that may have cost her the match. Inkster, who was known for her aggressive play throughout her career, went for the green in two, chipped to 10 feet and holed the birdie putt to square the match and send it to sudden death. She then put it away with the birdie at the third. “I never led but it worked out for me,” Inkster said. Inkster was a match play star long before she turned professional. She won three straight U.S. Amateur Championships. Her experience served her well against Pettersen. “Every match is tough,” Inkster said. Pettersen was the only one of the top three seeds to fall in the first round. Top seeded Jiyai Shin of Korea defeated another Korean, Kyeong Bae, 3-and-2, second seed Ai Miyazato of Japan was an easy winner, 4-and-3 over Jeong Jang of Korea. Angela Stanford, the 10th seed, won 4-and-3 over Amy Hung, Christie Kerr, the highest seeded American (fifth) defeated Meaghan Francella, 4-and-3. Fourth-seed Yani Tseng advanced with a 2-and-1 win over Wendy Ward. Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Willett’s Birdie Barrage Leads Elite At European PGA Posted: 20 May 2010 11:05 PM PDT Tom Edrington – AHN Sports Reporter Surrey, United Kingdom (AHN) -t major tournament of the season would like the redesign he performed Ernie Els was hoping the 150-man field in the European Tour’s firs on the greens of the Wentworth Golf Club’s west course.
Willett was three-under through 15 but birdied the final three holes for his 66. It was good enough for a one-shot lead over Australian Richard Green. England’s Ross Fisher, a member at Wentworth, used his home course knowledge to shoot 67 and found himself two shots off the lead and tied with Steve Webster, Richie Ramsay and SSP Chowrasia. Luke Donald, an Englishman now living in Chicago, opened with 68 as did James Kingston and Nicolas Colsaerts. Story of this opening day was the lack of elite names at the top. This field represents the strongest of the season for a European Tour event with five of the world’s top 10 players competing. Els, ranked seventh in the world, used to live at Wentworth. He had the best showing of that group. Els fashioned a two-under par 69. Lee Westwood, now ranked third in the world, found himself tied with Paul Casey at 70, one under. Casey is ranked eighth in the world. One of the pre-tournament favorites, Ian Poulter, had a disastrous opening round. The world’s sixth-ranked player shot a seven-over par 78 and is in danger of missing the 36-hole cut. Rory McIlroy, recent winner of the Quail Hollow Championship, his first on the PGA Tour, had a rough first day. The Irishman finished with a three-over 74. McIlroy is ranked ninth in the world. Paddy Harrington, a three time major winner, would have found himself among the leaders had it not been for a triple-bogey eight at the par five 17th hole. He still managed to finish at even-par 71. This will be Harrington’s final tournament before he undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He injured himself playing soccer last December. Matteo Manassero, the young Italian who recently turned professional, joined Harrington at 71. The winner of this week’s championship will have a major leg up on the European Tour’s Race To Dubai. First place money for the winner is more than $1 million (750,000 pounds). Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Bickering Bears: Urlacher, Sayers Trade Jabs Over Team Posted: 20 May 2010 11:03 PM PDT Tom Spousta – AHN Sports AHN Sports Reporter Chicago, IL, United States (AHN) – A pair of bickering Bears have launched a nasty public feud over the state of Chicago’s NFL franchise, and Hall of Famer Gale Sayers and linebacker Brian Urlacher have gotten personal in their comments.
“Does it bother me? There are enough people throwing daggers at us right now. Why does one of our ex-players have to jump in? There are enough experts talking [expletive] about us, so why does a Bear, an all-time great, have to jump in? I just don’t like that.” Sayers apparently doesn’t like the current version of the Bears, who haven’t made the playoffs the past three seasons since losing to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI. The former Bears star from 1965-71 (his career was cut short by a knee injury while playing for those woeful Chicago teams) recently ripped quarterback Jay Cutler, wondered whether Urlacher could come back from injury and speculated coach Lovie Smith would be fired if the Bears don’t produce this year. The Tribune, of course, asked for Sayers’ reaction to Urlacher’s comments, and Sayers didn’t dodge the issue. “When I am asked a question, I have to answer it,” Sayers told the Tribune. “I don’t want anybody to think I am afraid to talk about the Bears. … Right now, the Bears are hurting. … “And Urlacher, how old is he anyway? He should know that himself, that he is on the downside of his career. “If somebody asks me, ‘How do you think the Bears are going to do this year?’ If I say, ‘Oh, they are going to win 14 ballgames,’ they know the Bears can’t win 14 ballgames. Why should I lie to the people? … Football people understand that.” Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Report: Redskins Wideout Moss Supplied HGH By Controversial Doctor Posted: 20 May 2010 11:01 PM PDT Tom Spousta – AHN Sports AHN Sports Reporter Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss is the latest athlete linked to a Canadian sports doctor facing accusations and criminal charges for smuggling and unlawful distribution of human growth hormone, according to multiple media reports.
Previously, the Buffalo News reported Moss had received treatment from Galea, joining Alex Rodriguez, Tiger Woods, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran among high-profile athletes who have worked with the controversial doctor. According to a criminal complaint filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, investigators were told a professional football player had asked Galea to treat him at a Washington-area hotel. The Post said Moss was that player. Rodriguez, Woods, Reyes and Beltran have denied receiving HGH or any performance-enhancing drugs from Galea. Galea’s attorney has said his client never supplied banned substances to athletes. William J. Hochul Jr., U.S. Attorney in Buffalo, was quoted as saying it’s unlikely the athletes linked to Galea will face charges. “At this juncture, any of the persons who are alleged to have used these substances are considered witnesses, and not targets,” Hochul told the Buffalo News. Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Mystics Forward Curie Off To Sizzling Start Posted: 20 May 2010 11:11 AM PDT AHN Sports Staff Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – Forward Monique Curie was off to a sizzling start after she carried the Washington Mystics to two consecutive wins at the start of the WNBA season.
Curie opened in emphatic fashion as she dropped 21 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and had 2 steals and 3 blocks in the Mystics' 72- 65 road win over the Indiana Fever Saturday. Currie followed with an encore performance Sunday, when she had 27 points and 5 rebounds to help the Mystics earn an 87-76 victory over the Minnesota Lynx. Curie, averaging 24 points, also showed flawless free-throw shooting, going 15 for 15. Acquired by the Mystics in 2007, she’s already proved a player to watch this WNBA season. Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Top Seed Soderling Ousted In Nice; Dementieva Falls In Warsaw Posted: 20 May 2010 10:41 AM PDT AHN Sports Staff Nice, France (AHN) – Sweden's Robin Soderling made another surprising early exit Wednesday, suffering a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 loss to Belgian Olivier Rochus in the second round of the 2010 Open de Nice Côte d'Azur.
After taking the first set 6-2, the top-seeded Soderling struggled with his shots and committed several miscues in the succeeding sets. Rochus capitalized on his opponent's erratic strokes and forced a decider with a 6-4 victory in the second set. Rochus finally completed an upset victory after jumping to a 4-0 advantage in the third set. Ranked 60th in the world, Rochus has already defeated a couple of top-10 players this season. Rochus made his presence felt in the tennis world when he upset world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Miami Masters in March. Soderling is experiencing a tough clay court season after being ousted early in Rome (3rd round) and Madrid (2nd round). Rochus's quarterfinal opponent will be Frenchman Richard Gasquet, who advanced into the final eight by beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-0, 2-6, 6-3. Meanwhile, world No. 6 Elena Dementieva also was stunned 5-7, 7-5, 7-5 by Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round of the 2010 Polsat Warsaw Open. Dementieva, the 2004 French Open finalist, continued to struggle on clay as she succumbed to the Bulgarian's aggressive style. Pironkova, 100th in the WTA world ranking, eventually lost her quarterfinal match to Alexandra Dulgheru 6-4, 7-5 Thursday. Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Nationwide Wraps Up Two-Day Daytona Test Session Posted: 20 May 2010 10:40 AM PDT Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter Daytona Beach, FL, United States (AHN) – The NASCAR Nationwide Series wrapped up its two-day test of its new car Wednesday at Daytona International Speedway.
“They drive similar. It's kind of a mix between the old car and what the COT (Car of Tomorrow) is,” said driver Kyle Busch. “It's right about where I expected it to be." After Erik Darnell shook down the No. 60 Roush Fenway Ford on Tuesday, Carl Edwards jumped in the ride and Joe Gibbs Racing's Joey Logano topped the Wednesday morning speed chart at 186.227 mph in the No. 20 Toyota. Michael Waltrip Racing's Trevor Bayne, whose car caught fire on Tuesday, was able to get his No. 99 Toyota Camry back on the track Wednesday. "We missed out on a lot of practice time yesterday in the draft, so we kind of started at square one today, where everybody else already had laps and kind of dialed their cars in," Bayne said. "I heard all the drivers in the garage, even Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, saying things are loose. I got out there and saw for myself, and they are sideways. So we’ve been working on it. I think we’re a couple steps behind just because we didn’t get that practice yesterday, but we’re dialing it in pretty good now." On the final day of the two-day test session, the teams experimented in the afternoon session with 18-to-20-car drafting packs. Fastest in the afternoon session was the No. 32 Toyota of Reed Sorenson, who turned a lap of 187.817 mph. Rounding out the top five were Kevin Harvick (186.928), Mike Wallace (186.170), Bayne (186.035) and Kyle Busch (186.027). "I think we've got a lot of adjustments left in the car,” said Joe Balash, NASCAR Nationwide Series director. “We had differing comments from the drivers as I've walked through the garage and talked to them. To some drivers, the cars are loose and to some they were tight during the drafting session. I think we're headed in the right direction with everything that we've got going on in the test session. We'll be ready when we get back down here in July." Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Yanks Catcher Posada Out 3-4 Weeks Due To Foot Injury Posted: 20 May 2010 10:38 AM PDT AHN Sports Staff New York, NY, United States (AHN) – New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada will miss 3-4 weeks due to a broken bone in his bottom right foot, the Yankees reported Thursday.
Posada, who has been hampered with several injuries this season, sustained a fracture when a foul ball hit his right foot during Sunday's 6-3 lost to the Minnesota Twins. Prior to the injury, Posada also missed three games with a strain right calf two weeks ago. Posada expressed his disappointment about his recent injury woes, but remains optimistic for a speedy recovery. “It’s hard no matter what,” Posada told NJ.com. “You see the team losing, you see the team struggling, you want to be out there. It’s tough, it really is.” Posada is averaging .326 with 6 homers, 15 runs and 14 RBI in 26 games with the Yankees. Francisco Cervelli, who's averaging .373 with 17 RBI and 9 runs, has been playing well in the absence of Posada. Veteran catcher Chad Moeller of Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre would likely replace Posada, who will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. . Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Dixon Leads Way As Teams Prepare For Indy 500 Posted: 20 May 2010 10:37 AM PDT Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter Indianapolis, IN, United States (AHN) – Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon topped the speed charts Wednesday as IZOD IndyCar Series teams prepared for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Today was similar to the last few days where we were running the car in race setup to find some mechanical grip and make it more predictable in traffic, and we were able to find some things,” Dixon said. “I know Dario (Franchitti) did the same, and his car looked pretty good in traffic, too. In the last 15 minutes, we tried to trim the cars out. Nothing too crazy, but just to see where we stand.” Alex Tagliani was third-quickest at 226.002 in the No. 77 FAZZT Race Team car as 35 drivers posted 2,282 laps in a six-hour session. Tony Kanaan turned a day-best 134 laps, while E.J. Viso was cleared to driver after his No. 8 PDVSA KV Racing Technology car made contact with the Turn 1 SAFER Barrier Tuesday. “I want to thank the Indianapolis Motor Speedway safety team and medical staff for the fantastic job they did getting me out of the car and providing the initial diagnosis and treatment. The safety and medical personnel at IMS and in the IZOD IndyCar Series are the best in the business,” Viso said. Hideki Mutoh jumped to fourth (225.926 mph) and Dario Franchitti (225.850) was fifth-quickest on his 37th birthday. Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
| Bowyer On Probation, Crew Members Suspended Posted: 20 May 2010 10:34 AM PDT Edward Lewis – AHN Sports Reporter Daytona Beach, FL, United States (AHN) – The “have at it” unwritten policy of driving didn’t apply to NASCAR’s Clint Bowyer as he was put on probation for a month by NASCAR for aggressive driving last weekend at Dover International Speedway.
The Monster Mile has long been known as an aggressive place, but Bowyer was apparently a little too aggressive while wheeling the No. 21 of Richard Childress Racing. In other NASCAR news, two crew members in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series were suspended indefinitely from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body's substance abuse policy. Clint Carter of the No. 46 team and Jeremy Wilbert of the No. 95 team were found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book. Copyright © 2003 – 2010 AHN – All rights reserved. |
Julie Inkster came to the scenic Hamilton Farms Golf Club happy to still be competing at age 49.| You are subscribed to email updates from LSB To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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