
I Dig Sports
I do: Wie ties the knot with West in big Beverly Hills ceremony
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 11 August 2019 06:58

Michelle Wie got married in style Saturday to Jonnie West in a ceremony and reception at a private home in Beverly Hills, Calif.
West is the director of basketball operations for the Golden State Warriors and son of NBA great Jerry West.
“She was so happy, and she looked so radiant,” said David Leadbetter, her long-time coach. “It’s a great new chapter in her life.”
Leadbetter was among the estimated 150 or so guests at the wedding. His daughter, Hally, was one of the bridesmaids. And, yes, of course, Jerry West was there, as was Golden State warriors star Stephen Curry. LPGA pros Danielle Kang, Jessica Korda, Marina Alex, Alison Lee and Alison Walshe were also among the guests, as were World Golf Hall of Famers Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon.
“I’ve known Michelle since she was 13, more than half of her life,” Leadbetter said. “So, it was quite emotional, seeing her get married. She’s going to be a great wife and I’m sure at some time a great mom, in the future.”
While Wie has a home in Jupiter, Fla., she’s expected to make her new base in San Francisco, where her husband is based.
And about Wie’s golf?
“She has no thoughts about retiring,” Leadbetter said. “She’s very determined to keep playing.”
After missing the cut with recurring pain in her ailing right hand at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in mid-June, Wie announced she was going to take the rest of the year off. She had surgery last fall to repair an avulsion fracture, bone chips and nerve entrapment in the hand. She struggled with pain in her four starts this year.
“She’s getting various treatments and just looking to give it more rest,” Leadbetter said. “Hopefully, she’ll be able to get back working on her game toward the latter part of the year, to get ready for next year.”
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Hur closes with 66 to run away with Ladies Scottish Open
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 11 August 2019 08:30

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland - Mi Jung Hur won her third LPGA title with a brilliant final round at the Ladies Scottish Open on Sunday.
The South Korean carded a closing 5-under 66 in wet conditions at The Renaissance Club to finish at 20 under, four shots ahead of compatriot Jeongeun Lee6 (70) and Thailand's Moriya Jutanugarn (71).
After playing the first eight holes in 1-over par, Hur had four straight birdies starting on the ninth and also birdied Nos. 16 and 18 to come home in 31 to secure her first win since 2014.
''Honestly I don't like links courses but after this week I love it,'' Hur told Sky Sports. ''It was really tough today with the rain but my caddie Gary is from Scotland and he helped me a lot on the course.''
Hur shot a 62 in the second round, taking just 24 putts.
Lee6, a newcomer to links golf, won the U.S. Women's Open in June in South Carolina.
Overnight leader Jutanugarn had been trying to follow her sister with a Ladies Scottish Open victory after Ariya Jutanugarn won last year at Gullane.
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Koepka, DeChambeau talk slow play: 'No issues' after face-to-face chat
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 11 August 2019 09:20

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – A day after making an impassioned defense of his pace of play, Bryson DeChambeau took his message to at least one high-profile opponent of slow play Sunday at The Northern Trust.
According to various sources, prior to his final round at Liberty National, DeChambeau told Brooks Koepka’s caddie Ricky Elliott that if Koepka had a problem with his pace of play he should tell him directly.
Before teeing off for the final round the two were spotted talking.
“I mentioned his name once. I don't think I've come at him. I just talked about slow play, and obviously he feels I'm talking about him every time,” said Koepka, who added that he hoped to continue the conversation later on Sunday. “It was fine. No issues.”
DeChambeau, who became the focus of the slow play conversation this week after a video surfaced of him taking more than two minutes to hit an 8-foot putt on Friday, said he was pleased with the conversation but didn’t think anything else needed to be said.
“[Koepka] said a lot of things about slow play out in the public, and you guys have asked him that and he has the right to say things just as I do,” DeChambeau said. “I have heard him talk about slow play before and he has mentioned my name before, and I just wanted to clear the air. He's got respect for me; I have respect for him. So, no issues.”
DeChambeau said he hadn’t spoken with any other players about this week’s slow-play debate but he did spend a good amount of time on social media Saturday evening explaining his side of the conversation to fans.
“Everybody says not to respond to people on social media, but I'm not about to let my reputation be known as a slow player,” he said. “I just don't appreciate that. I think it's unfortunate because people don't see what I do day-in and day-out, high-fiving the kids, saying thank you to the fans and volunteers out there, and they just look at all the negative stuff.”
Koepka, who publicly criticized DeChambeau for slow play earlier this season, added that it might help the situation if more players discussed pace of play candidly like he and DeChambeau.
“Everyone out here [is] probably a little bit more afraid of confrontation than in other sports. I think you see that,” Koepka said. “There's always been some confrontation on a team. Sometimes it helps and you figure out what the root of the problem is, and start working on it.”
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'Recent incidents' move PGA Tour to review its pace-of-play policy
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 11 August 2019 10:05

Responding to what it describes as "recent incidents about pace of play," the PGA Tour has announced plans to review its current pace-of-play policy, including the possibility of expanding fines and penalties to players in groups that are not out of position.
Pace of play has been a lingering issue on Tour this year, from J.B. Holmes' deliberate victory at Riviera to six-hour rounds at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. This week it was Bryson DeChambeau who was in the spotlight after a video went viral showing him taking 2 minutes and 20 seconds to hit an 8-foot putt during the second round of The Northern Trust.
The video sparked social media outrage that included input from fellow Tour players and caddies, and it seems to have led to some swift action in Ponte Vedra Beach. According to a statement released Sunday, the Tour hopes to leverage its proprietary Shotlink technology to create a comprehensive pace report for each Tour player.
"We know that the individual habits of players when they are preparing to hit a shot can quickly become a focal point in today's world, and our players and fans are very passionate about this issue," said Tyler Dennis, the Tour's chief of operations. "We are currently in the process of reviewing this aspect of pace of play and asking ourselves, 'Is there a better way to do it?' We think technology definitely plays a key role in all of this and we are thinking about new and innovative ways to use it to address these situations."
At root is the issue that DeChambeau's much-discussed putt would not, on its own, merit a penalty under the Tour's current guidelines. To incur a penalty, a player's group must first be deemed to be out of position. At that point, an individual would receive a warning the first time he exceeded the allotted time limit (either 40 or 50 seconds), and would only be penalized for a second such bad time.
The Tour doles out undisclosed fines beginning with a player's second bad time of the season, even if he didn't get penalized, and similar fines are handed out the 10th time a player's group has been deemed out of position in a season. But moving forward, the Tour "could consider adding" language aimed at cracking down on slow players even if their group is not out of position.
DeChambeau spoke out against his critics Saturday, reiterating his position that elements like how fast a player walks in between shots should also be factored when calculating individual pace of play.
"When people start talking to me about slow play and how I'm killing the game, I'm doing this and that to the game, that is complete and utter you-know-what," DeChambeau said.
Justin Thomas, who played with DeChambeau during the first two rounds in New Jersey, conceded, "I like Bryson as a person, but he's a slow golfer."
But the answer to the issue may not simply be expanded ShotLink data. Former world No. 1 Justin Rose added that aspects like increased crowd size and noise, as well as the amount of media members following a group inside the ropes, can have an adverse effect on any attempts to accurately gauge pace.
"The crowds are a lot bigger here and a lot more vocal, and there's a lot more movement and distraction, I think,which obviously creates the atmosphere that we want to play in front of," Rose said. "You can't have it both ways. You can't have it fun and rowdy out here yet expect guys to hit shots on a clock through situations where the environment isn't ready for them to play."
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Reed captures Northern Trust for first win since '18 Masters
Published in
Golf
Sunday, 11 August 2019 10:39

For the second time in the last four years, Patrick Reed has captured the first FedExCup playoff event. Here's how things ended at Liberty National, where Reed won The Northern Trust by a shot for his first win since the 2018 Masters:
Leaderboard: Patrick Reed (-16), Abraham Ancer (-15), Jon Rahm (-14), Harold Varner III (-14), Adam Scott (-13), Jordan Spieth (-12), Rory McIlroy (-12)
What it means: Reed started the day with a one-shot lead, and despite a wobbly start that included three bogeys over his first six holes he managed to get things back on track thanks to a bogey-free back nine. It's the highlight of a clear trend for Reed, who won this event in 2016 when it was at Bethpage and who entered with five straight top-25 finishes dating back to June. Reed struggled in the wake of his Masters win, going nearly eight months without a top-10 finish and making a much-publicized instructor switch this spring. But he's now back in the winner's circle for the first time since last April, and he'll start the BMW Championship behind only Brooks Koepka in the points race.
Round of the day: Six years after winning a playoff event here, Scott made the day's big move with a 6-under 65 that took him into fifth place. The Aussie carded seven birdies against just a lone bogey for his lowest score of the week by three shots, and after moving to 14th in the points race he's assured of a trip back to the Tour Championship for the first time since 2016.
Best of the rest: Kevin Tway won the first event of the season back in November in Napa, and he matched Scott's 65 to tie the low round of the day. Tway managed to stay bogey-free around Liberty National while moving up nearly 40 spots in the standings, but after a slow start to the week his sterling close still only left him in a tie for 24th and with more work to do in Chicago in order to make the Tour Championship.
Biggest disappointment: While one former Masters champ thrived, another stumbled. Danny Willett appeared in position to crack the top 70 in points and earn a trip to Medinah in the process, but it all came apart for the Englishman during a final-round 75. Willett played his first five holes in 4 over, made only one birdie and despite a top-25 finish he ended the week 85th in points and well shy of a BMW berth.
Top-70 bubble: Varner (102nd to 29th), Troy Merritt (72nd to 59th), Wyndham Clark (90th to 68th) and Joaquin Niemann (74th to 70th) all moved inside the number and will play next week in Chicago. Conversely, the season is now over for Sergio Garcia (65th to 72nd), Danny Lee (66th to 73rd), Matthew Wolff (70th to 74th) and Kevin Streelman (68th to 75th).
Quote of the day: "To feel like I've been playing some solid golf and finally have it kind of pay off, and for it to come out as a victory, it's been a while. It's been a little too long, honestly." - Reed
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Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez scored in his 10th consecutive MLS game on Sunday to set a league record in his team's 2-1 win over New York City FC.
Martinez, who overcame an adductor injury to face New York City FC, headed home in the 42nd minute to give United a 1-0 lead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to break the consecutive-games scoring record he shared with Portland's Diego Valeri.
Martinez had tied Valeri's record last season before scoring in nine straight games again ahead of Sunday's game.
With the goal, Martinez also set the MLS record for the most combined goals in three-straight MLS seasons with 69, taking him past the record he shared with the New York Red Bulls' Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Martinez added a second goal from the penalty spot in the second half to take his tally to 20 goals this season, with 15 of those coming in his last 10 matches.
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Paris Saint-Germain's star-studded attack brushed off the absence of Neymar as Edinson Cavani, Kylian Mbappe and substitute Angel Di Maria all got on the scoresheet in a comfortable 3-0 home win over Nimes in their Ligue 1 opener on Sunday.
The champions left the 27-year-old Brazil forward out of their squad as he continues to be linked with a move away from the French capital, and PSG fans on the terraces waved banners containing messages to signal their displeasure with him.
Derogatory chants in Spanish rang out amid rumours of a Barcelona return, or a Real Madrid switch, and banners were flown that took direct aim at the wantaway Brazilian.
Neymar did not play after Thomas Tuchel and sporting director Leonardo both publicly admitted that a mixture of fitness problems and the ongoing question over his future dictated that he could not feature.
The German tactician also addressed the €222 million man's situation in a pre-match interview with Canal+.
"It is very difficult, but it is a challenge (coping with Neymar rumours)," he said. "I love Neymar and I always want to play with him, with Kylian -- everyone.
"That is the reality. We must find solutions without Neymar. It is not a personal thing and it is possible that he stays.
"Now, it is between Neymar and PSG, as well as the other club that wants to buy him or not. That is the situation."
Tuchel then joked that losing Neymar this summer would disrupt his sleeping patterns because of his decisive nature -- when fit.
"I have no news on Neymar's future! He is a super decisive player -- he has been super decisive for us," he said before smiling. "If we lose him, perhaps I will not sleep too well at home."
Tuchel also called for realism over the fact that if Neymar goes, PSG will not be able to replace with a similar player, as his ability is unique.
"It is not possible to lose Neymar and find another guy who does the same things as him. It is not over -- we need to be realistic."
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Solskjaer hails United's 'risk and reward' football
Published in
Soccer
Sunday, 11 August 2019 13:30

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United's 4-0 demolition of Chelsea is proof that cavalier attacking football is back at Old Trafford, according to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United occasionally rode their luck against Frank Lampard's side, but eventually ran out comfortable winners thanks to two goals from Marcus Rashford and one each from Anthony Martial and summer signing Dan James.
Solskjaer has made a point of employing a more attacking style after supporter criticism of the football under both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho and the Norwegian insists he is happy for his team to take risks in the search for goals.
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"As we said to the boys before the game, we have found the way we want to play and a way we believe in," Solskjaer told a news conference at Old Trafford.
"You've just got to go out and do the same. We took risks but that's the way here. You have got to go for it. It's risk and reward and today we were rewarded."
United went in at half-time a goal up thanks to Rashford's 18th-minute penalty, but were fortunate to see both Tammy Abraham and Emerson hit the post when presented with good chances.
Solskjaer admitted his team had been "lucky" to keep their lead before a clinical second half that saw Rashford, Martial and James score three times in 16 minutes.
"You take a win because it's about points," said Solskjaer. "The performance in the second half was very pleasing, that was the big plus.
"Coming into half-time we were a bit lucky. They pinned us back and created chances, but we settled a few nerves [in the second half]."
Paul Pogba was key to United's second-half performance after setting up Rashford's second and a debut goal for James after a driving run through midfield.
He has been linked with a move away after saying publicly he wants a "new challenge" but Solskjaer insists he could not be happier with the Frenchman.
"He's a top, top lad and such a pro," said Solskjaer. "He loves playing football and when he gets onto that pitch he grows more. He's a World Cup winner, he's come so far in his career and there's no point letting yourself down.
"He lost it a couple of times but it doesn't matter -- get on the ball and play."
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Solskjaer has another good start; Lampard chastened
Published in
Soccer
Sunday, 11 August 2019 13:30

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was renowned for finishing well during his playing days, but the Manchester United manager is beginning to develop a reputation for impressive starts.
Solskjaer won his first eight games as caretaker boss last season, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, and despite supporters' concerns that United had not done enough in the transfer window to challenge for a top-four finish, he saw his team make a rampant start to the new Premier League campaign by inflicting a 4-0 hammering upon Chelsea in Frank Lampard's first game as manager.
His early promise last season ultimately fizzled into a dismal run-in that saw United win just two of their last 12 games, but the early momentum was enough to secure him the top job on a permanent basis and restore some sense of positivity around Old Trafford.
Momentum is a big word in any professional sport, and Solskjaer has plenty in the bank after this stunning start to the season, which could carry his young team a long way.
For the first time in months, United played with verve, ambition and a carefree sense of enjoyment; even Paul Pogba, who made clear his determination to leave this summer, performed as though he was happy to be where he was rather than sulking in a bid to go somewhere else.
But while Solskjaer has given himself a crucial springboard ahead of the trip to Wolves on Aug. 19, Lampard will find that nobody wants to be on the flip side. No Chelsea manager has had a worse debut since Danny Blanchflower suffered a 7-2 defeat against Middlesbrough in December 1978. There can be no hiding place for Lampard.
"We made four mistakes, and they put them away," he said. "It is a reality check for us all. We are Chelsea. We don't want to come here and lose 4-0. It wasn't a 4-0 game for long periods, but we need to accept it."
Next up for Chelsea is Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup clash against Liverpool in Istanbul, a game that has become more important because of the need to slam brakes on any negative momentum before the visit of Brendan Rodgers' ambitious Leicester City to Stamford Bridge next Sunday.
Having spent 13 years at the club playing under several managers, Lampard knows Chelsea well enough to understand that a juggernaut going in the wrong direction can be difficult to stop. He needs to find a way to win quickly, even though Eden Hazard has gone to Real Madrid, while N'Golo Kante, Antonio Rudiger and Willian are not fully fit.
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Lampard simply has to get on with it after a bruising experience at Old Trafford, where he won last season with Derby in the Carabao Cup. His second visit as a manager was a bruising experience because he faced a home side that played with pace, energy and hunger.
It is true that Chelsea went close to opening the scoring when Tammy Abraham hit the post and later, at 1-0, saw Emerson Palmieri strike the woodwork, but the story of United's winning performance was twofold, as Solskjaer was vindicated for giving young players a chance to impress and for working hard on the squad's fitness in preseason.
"The fitter you are, the more you can do," he said. "It's as simple as that. The boys have been working hard, but this is still the start. We can still get some hard work in."
United's outfield starting lineup had an average age of just under 24, and that showed at times, with a rawness in midfield and up front, where the partnership of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial offered more pace and movement than any forward line that included Romelu Lukaku, who was sold to Inter last week.
It was not until the second half, with Chelsea chasing the game, that the qualities of Rashford, Martial and Pogba truly came to the fore. Meanwhile, the presence at the back of Harry Maguire, the world's most expensive defender at £80 million, made a huge difference to United's solidity, with right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka also improving the defensive unit.
The beauty of momentum is that, when it is in your favour, good things happen; confidence flows and players perform as their talent suggests they should. For example, Pogba's long-range pass to Rashford to set up United's third goal -- some 95 seconds after Martial had made it 2-0 -- was the French midfielder at his best.
And with nine minutes remaining, Pogba showed his quality again as he broke forward before releasing substitute Daniel James to score. The debutant's goal, like those it preceded, was celebrated by all 10 outfield players as a group. To cap the occasion, goalkeeper David De Gea kept a clean sheet in the league for the first time since February.
This was Day 1 for both teams, and it is true that the score flattered United as much as it was harsh on Chelsea, but Solskjaer has positive momentum, which must be harnessed to ensure there is no repeat of last year's false dawn. As for Lampard? He was shown the size of the task he faces.
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Glamorgan kept winless as Mark Stoneman fifty sets up Surrey chase
Published in
Cricket
Sunday, 11 August 2019 10:24

Surrey 155 for 3 (Stoneman 53) beat Glamorgan 152 for 6 (Ingram 41) by seven wickets
Glamorgan's abysmal season in the T20 Blast continued at Sophia Gardens where they were beaten by Surrey with six balls of an entertaining game remaining. The home team were some 30 runs short of a competitive total, with their top order batsmen - apart from Colin Ingram - again failing to lay foundations.
Despite losing Aaron Finch in the first over, the other batsmen contributed for Surrey, Man-of-the-Match Mark Stoneman top-scoring with 53. Surrey moved on to five points, some way adrift of the qualification spots, while Glamorgan remain bottom without a win in this season's competition.
With Surrey needing to score at seven-and-a-half runs an over, Ruaidhri Smith, playing his first Blast game of the season after injury, gave Glamorgan the perfect start by dismissing the dangerous Finch with the final ball of the opening over.
Will Jacks and Stoneman soon settled, however, with Jacks the more aggressive, and the second-wicket pair had taken Surrey to 70 for 1 by the halfway stage. After adding 82, Jacks then surrendered his wicket by edging to the wicketkeeper from a wild heave.
Stoneman was the next to go, caught on the long-on boundary after scoring 53 from 49 balls, with Smith taking his third wicket. Surrey required a further 46 from the remaining five overs, then 19 from two, but de Lange was struck for 21 by Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes to secure victory, Pope finishing things with his second six.
Glamorgan, who were put in, were soon in trouble, stumbling to 34 for 3 in the 6th over, which included the wicket of Australian batsman Shaun Marsh, playing his first game since breaking his arm during the World Cup. Marsh was out third ball, giving Imran Tahir a return catch, then the club's second overseas player Fakhar Zaman, who has contributed only 100 runs from six innings at an average of 16, poked a simple catch to short third man.
Much depended on Ingram and Chris Cooke. After adding 27, Cooke, who had been dropped earlier in his innings, holed out on the mid wicket boundary. Surrey's fielding was sloppy throughout with Finch letting a ball go through his legs for four, with others dropping three catches.
Ingram, who has also experienced a disappointing tournament by his standards, revived the innings by scoring 41 from 33 balls, which included two sixes, but with 5.3 with overs remaining Ingram was deceived by Tahir, giving Foakes a simple stumping.
Glamorgan were indebted to Dan Douthwaite and Graham Wagg at the end of the innings - Wagg striking three sixes in his unbeaten 36 - but the total still turned out to be below par.
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