KAPALUA, Hawaii – The PGA Tour is beginning a new year by announcing a 10-year deal with Sentry Insurance as title sponsor of the Tournament of Champions, making Kapalua the home of PGA Tour winners through at least the end of the next decade.

The extension means Wisconsin-based Sentry will be the longest-running sponsor since the winners-only event moved to Maui in 1999.

Sentry, a business-focused mutual insurance company, for years dealt directly with customers instead of leaning on a national advertising campaign. Chairman and CEO Pete McPartland described it as a quiet brand until it became title sponsor of the winners-only PGA Tour event that starts each year at Kapalua.

Three years into a five-year contract, Sentry signed a new deal for 10 years.

Along with donating all net proceeds of the tournament to local charities, McPartland said the company donated to the United Way and created scholarships on Maui.

Xander Schauffele is the defending champion when the tournament starts Thursday.

WILTON, N.Y. – Dottie Pepper paid off all outstanding school lunch debt for a few dozen elementary students in upstate New York, just in time for the new year.

More than 50 students at Dorothy Nolan Elementary School in Saratgoa Springs had their lunch debt wiped out by the LPGA legend, the Times Union reported Monday.

“It’s debt that didn’t need to be sitting there, burdening people,” Pepper said. “I just thought it’s been a really good year for my husband and I and if we can make it a little easier for families that didn’t have much on the holidays."

She added, “It was just a good thing to do."

Around 18% of students at the school district are eligible for free lunch and another 2% are eligible for reduced lunch prices, according to state education department data.

The current CBS Sports broadcaster declined to say how much she donated to erase the lunch bills at the Saratoga Springs City School District elementary school.

Both Pepper and her sister attended the elementary school and her grandfathers sat on the board that established the school.

“Our district is pleased to be able to accept many generous donations throughout the school year. These donations are reflection of the wonderful community that we live in," Superintendent of Schools Michael Patton said.

KAPALUA, Hawaii – Lush green grass, Pacific blue horizon.

That much about the Plantation Course at Kapalua hasn't changed for the 34 winners on the PGA Tour last year who have assembled for the Sentry Tournament of Champions. Fifteen players are competing for the first time and won't notice the $12.5 million refinement project by designers Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.

Dustin Johnson did.

''It's definitely a little harder,'' said Johnson, who has been playing every morning as the sun climbs over the horizon and is done with 18 holes before the breakfast buffet has been cleared. ''The greens are firmer because they're new. The greens are firm and the fairways are soft. I think it will play more difficult.''

What really got his attention was the third hole, which for 10 years has been a driver and a wedge. With a new tee some 30 yards farther back, and facing a stiff trade win, Johnson blasted driver and reached for a 6-iron.

''I knew it was longer and that I'd have longer in,'' Johnson said. ''I didn't think I'd have that far. It's a difficult green with wedge to get it close. With a 6-iron, it's not that much fun.''

This refinement was not all about length.

The Plantation Course had grown old enough that it lost its speed from so much thatch in the grass. The idea was for this course to play fast. That would make it more difficult for elite players to control their shots, and make it easier for resort guests who found the course too long because the ball wasn't rolling as far as it once did.

The entire course was grassed with a new strain called ''Celebration Bermuda.'' The greens were redone with TifEagle Bermuda, with some ridges and plateaus added to create more hole locations and restore some shot-making value. Missing on the wrong spot of certain greens becomes more penal.

''Instead of having one gradual slope, now it's kind of turned into shelf,'' Justin Thomas said. ''And you have to maybe focus a little bit more on being on the correct side of the shelf, or the correct side of the hole.''

The course re-opened two months ago. The first big test is the Tournament of Champions.

Because the grass is new, and with ample rain over the last month, the fairways remain relatively soft. That should change over time, but there have been enough examples during practice to let players know what to expect.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele hammered a drive on the downhill, 667-yard closing hole and was surprised to see it hop out of a pitch mark instead of bouncing forward. The pitch mark was 8 feet behind where his ball finished.

''If it firms up, it's going to be awesome,'' said Kevin Kisner, who needs some roll to play a 7,596-yard course at par 73.

All the bunkers were rebuilt with drainage. Some were moved to tighten the landing area, such as on the 16th and most noticeably on the par-5 fifth. It appears to be in the middle of the fairway, but it narrows the landing area. For now, that might not be an issue because the fairway is soft enough it's hard for anyone to reach it.

The biggest change, at least for the players who have previously played this winners-only event, are the sharpened slopes on some of the greens and the length, mainly on Nos. 3, 4, 9 and 10.

''Another one they renovated they didn't make shorter. I've yet to see that,'' Kisner said with a grin.

Kisner hit 3-iron into a strong wind on the 409-yard third hole. On the ninth, playing the new tee, he hit driver and a 3-wood that barely reached the second portion of the fairway. That wasn't just because he doesn't hit it a country mile. J.B. Holmes, one of the longest hitters, said he barely cleared the steep slope to get back to the fairway.

Holmes wouldn't expect that tee to be used dead into the wind.

''They can set it up and make all the changes look terrible, or they can set it up and make it look good,'' he said. ''Overall, I think they did a good job.''

Holmes had a few complaints, such as the severity of the 13th green and the length on No. 3, saying the green wasn't designed for the club required into the wind.

Then again, no one is ever happy with change, especially on the PGA Tour.

''I've seen a redo on some golf courses and was like, 'What the hell were they thinking?' It's not like that here,'' Holmes said. ''I think they made the shots more challenging.''

Either way, it's the hardest event on the PGA Tour to play – winning is the only criteria. It's on the west end of Maui with endless views of the Pacific and the occasional splash of a humpback whale. There's no cut. Last place gets $64,000.

''You never complain about being in Kapalua,'' Kisner said.

Struggling Aston Villa picked up their second away win of the Premier League season, securing three vital points in a 2-1 win at Burnley on New Year's Day, their first league win at Turf Moor since 1936.

Villa thought they had taken an 11th minute lead through a diving header from Jack Grealish but a VAR review found that Wesley's heel was marginally offside during the move and the goal was overturned.

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It was Wesley who did open the scoring though in the 23rd -- the impressive Grealish finding him in the box and the Brazilian swivelled and fired past Nick Pope to give Villa a deserved lead.

Burnley were unusually sloppy in defence and lacking their usual spirit of work-rate and it was no shock when Grealish doubled Villa's lead four minutes before the break, finishing off a lovely passing move with a confident curling finish.

Sean Dyche made a double substitution at the break with Jay Rodriguez and Johann Gudmundsson introduced and that had the desired effect with the Clarets much more positive.

Rodriguez and Chris Wood both missed good chances before Wood finally found the target with a back post header from an Ashley Westwood cross in the 80th minute but Burnley were unable to force an equaliser.

Villa's former Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton injured himself attempting to keep out the goal and was carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

Burnley have now lost six of their last eight games and head into a tough run of games where they will face Chelsea, Manchester United, Leicester City and Arsenal.

The win takes Villa, who had lost eight of their last eleven games, out of the bottom three and Grealish, whose class shone throughout, said they had responded to facing up to their situation.

"We had a long meeting during the week and there were some home truths said and it showed today. Burnley is one of the toughest places to come in the league and thankfully we got the win," he said.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche was nonplussed by his team's first half display.

"Disappointing result but the frustration is we didn't turn up today until halftime. You can't give any team a two-goal headstart and it wasn't through excellent play, it was from our mistakes," he said.

"With the quality of chances we created we could've nicked something out of the game but you can't give teams that headstart."

On the morning of Jan. 4, 2000, Bill Belichick began one of the biggest days in his professional life on a treadmill in the New York Jets' weight room. There was nothing unusual about that; he was among a handful of coaches who liked to work up a sweat before attacking the daily grind of the NFL.

What happened next, though, was hardly routine.

After his workout, Belichick -- still in his Jets warm-up suit -- was spotted leaving the building in an overcoat, carrying a briefcase.

"I said to myself, 'That is one of the strangest things I've ever seen. There's something up,'" former Jets public relations director Frank Ramos recalled of Belichick's unusual garb and oddly timed exit.

Something was up.

A few hours later, Belichick delivered one of the most stunning announcements in sports history. Moments before he was to be formally introduced as the Jets' coach, he famously scribbled on a sheet of loose-leaf paper that he was resigning as the "HC of the NYJ." He handed it to team officials and conducted a 50-minute news conference that went over like fingernails on a chalkboard.

What happened that day forever changed the Jets, the New England Patriots and the NFL. Twenty years later, it still evokes a variety of reactions from those involved -- anger, laughter, bewilderment, vindication and paranoia.

Some harbor conspiracy theories, believing Belichick was in cahoots with the Patriots before quitting on the Jets and his mentor, Bill Parcells. That he briefly left the building with a briefcase triggers images of clandestine and improper activity.

On some level, Belichick's departure is still shrouded in mystery. Some people, mainly in the Belichick camp, refuse to this day to talk about what they know. Responding to ESPN's interview requests, they acted as if they were being asked to snitch on a mob boss.

"Doubt I'll touch that one!" one longtime Belichick confidant said in a Facebook message to ESPN.

Former Jets president Steve Gutman, who followed Belichick at the podium during the infamous news conference, sounded like a witness under cross-examination when questioned about Belichick's resignation. Parcells, whose complex relationship with Belichick began in 1979 with the New York Giants and became the subject of an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, recounted the day ever so carefully, as if walking barefoot near shattered glass.

In a way, that's just what it is.

Everybody knows the epilogue -- Belichick has become a six-time Super Bowl champion in New England, the Jets continue to wallow as an also-ran -- but there's more to the story. Here's a closer look at the 48-hour period that changed everything, through the eyes of those who were there:

On Sunday, Jan. 2, the Jets finished the 1999 season with an 8-8 record, defeating the Seattle Seahawks for their fourth straight win. With speculation swirling about his future, Parcells called an impromptu staff meeting at 9 a.m. Monday.

Bill Muir, Jets offensive line coach: "I can remember after our last game, we were all sitting in the office and the secretary came down and said Bill [Parcells] wanted to see everybody in the staff room. We all went in, we were sitting around the table. Bill comes in and he sits down and he says, 'Last night, after the game, I submitted my resignation to Steve Gutman. Due to a previous contractual commitment, Bill Belichick is now the head football coach.' He basically got up and left the room. It was pretty abrupt."

Parcells: "He was under contract to be the coach of the Jets if I wasn't there. That's just the way it was."

Gutman: "He had a contract and it was all set."

Muir: "[Parcells] left and, obviously, there's stoned, stunned silence in the room. I remember distinctly, Bill Belichick said, 'You guys probably figure I knew that, and that this was the logical conclusion, but I'm hearing it for the first time just like you.'"

In his book about the 1999 season, titled, "The Final Season," Parcells says he informed Belichick the day before the last game that he was "pretty sure" about retiring. He quotes Belichick's response as, "I've been waiting a year [to take over]."

Parcells told ESPN recently: "No, I don't remember that. I'm sure we talked about something at that point, but I don't remember the conversation."

Ramos, Jets public relations director: "On Monday, I had gone to Parcells early in the morning and gave him my idea how [his farewell news conference] would go. He would announce he would no longer be coaching, but would still be the executive in charge of the football operation, and that he would introduce Belichick to be the next football coach.

"It would be like a perfect pass, one coach to another. And [Parcells] said, 'Why don't you go talk to Bill about it?' So I did, and he wanted no part of it. Belichick said to me, 'No, let Bill have his day. He deserves the day, let him have that. I'll do it tomorrow.' I said, 'That's not how it should be. Bill has had a lot of big days and doesn't really need another big day. This would be a very smooth transition.'"

Carl Banks, Jets director of player development: "Given the history of that relationship -- I mean, the Giants' situation before -- it doesn't surprise that Belichick didn't want to be in the room for some kind of formal baton passing."

Ramos: "In my head, I thought there's something amiss here. When Bill Parcells runs something, he runs it. For him to not to want to say this is how it's going to be done, and to leave it to me to talk to Belichick ... I thought it was really strange."

Muir: "I remember later [on Monday], we were all sitting around waiting for Bill [Belichick] to call a meeting. Word came down the hall there won't be any meeting today. See you tomorrow. We all went home and we came back the next day."

Belichick did find time Monday to meet with Jets contract negotiator Mike Tannenbaum to discuss the team's salary-cap situation. Monday ended with Parcells' emotional farewell in the team auditorium. (His retirement from the NFL would be short-lived, as he returned to coach the Dallas Cowboys in 2003.) Earlier in the day, the Jets had received a fax from the Patriots, requesting to speak with Belichick about their head-coaching vacancy.

The Jets, who denied permission that day, scheduled a news conference for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to introduce Belichick, who was first seen at 6 a.m. in the weight room on his fateful day. Belichick jogged on the treadmill alongside safety Kevin Williams, whom he later referenced in his rambling resignation speech. At the time, Williams was on injured reserve, recovering from a life-threatening bacterial infection that had left him in a coma for two weeks.

Williams: "I was just walking on the treadmill -- they wouldn't let me jog or anything yet -- and [Belichick] came in and did his run. He was kind of sad. You could tell something was on his mind. We could see outside over the fields, and he said something like, 'All you can keep doing is working hard.' It was kind of philosophical, like, 'You can work as hard as you can work and sometimes it seems like it ain't good enough.'"

Banks: "I was one of the last people who spoke with [Belichick] prior to that announcement. He was down in the gym, working out on the treadmill. I literally walked up to him and I said, 'Congratulations, do you need me to do anything today?' He just kind of looked at me and said, 'No, I won't need anything. Thanks, Carl.' He gave no indication. I mean, it was as straight face as you could get."

Then, according to Ramos, Belichick slipped out of the building briefly and suspiciously in his overcoat.

Ramos: "I told Steve Gutman about it. I said, 'This is really unusual. You can't believe what I just saw.' He said, 'Gee, I have no idea what that means.'

"Obviously, he had gone to make a phone call off the property, or something like that. Maybe he had a contract in hand. My feeling was, he had a contract in hand on Saturday. I don't know that to be true, but that was my feeling, that he already knew that Parcells was going to retire as football coach and that he and [Patriots owner Robert] Kraft had already put together a package."

Victor Green, Jets safety: "When I got done lifting, I went up to Belichick's office and gave him a Tiffany paperweight for his desk, a congratulatory gift. It was so nice. It was like a snow globe, shaped like that. It was crystal. He took it, he thanked me. It was like nothing went down or was going down."

Dan Henning, Jets quarterbacks coach: "[Belichick] called a meeting and we sat around, and he talked about what we were going to do for the next six weeks, like going to the Senior Bowl. Which was fine. He was the head coach. Business as usual. That's the way I saw it."

Parcells (from his book) : "From what I learned later, Belichick was not the same guy on Tuesday that he was on Monday. He was visibly nervous. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking in the coaches' meeting, which he called to an early halt."

Muir: "I remember leaving the room and calling my wife and saying, 'I think I need to go look for a job.'"

Mary Grace Tranchina, executive assistant to the coaching staff: "The coaches' locker room was right across from my office and [Belichick] came out of the locker room freshly showered, but disheveled as could be. Like, I don't know, it was strange. Looking back now, it makes sense now, but I never knew."

Muir: "I left the building to go get a haircut. I came back in the building and everybody was glued to their TV. I said, 'What the hell is going on?'"

Henning, hired by Parcells, not Belichick, walked to Parcells' office to discuss his job status. He wondered if Belichick would retain him.

Henning: "[Parcells] said, 'Sit down, you may not have to do anything.' I said, 'What are you talking about?' He said, 'Watch the TV.' So I was sitting in there with Bill, watching the TV, when Belichick had the press conference and resigned. I said, 'How did that all happen?' He said, 'Well, you know, he apparently has something going with another team.' Obviously, New England."

Parcells: "[I found out] that day, I guess. He came in and had a piece of paper in his hand and said he was resigning the job."

Gutman: "Two words: Surprise and disappointment."

Parcells: "I don't know [if I was surprised]. I was just disappointed, I guess."

Gutman: "I found out that minute -- as he walked into the press conference."

Ramos opened the news conference this way: "At this time, I'd like to introduce Bill Belichick, who has an announcement to make." Belichick walked to the podium, giving a friendly hello as he sauntered past a reporter in the front row. With his shirt collar and tie knot askew, Belichick looked as if he had speed-dressed for the occasion.

Marvin Jones, Jets linebacker: "I remember watching the press conference with his wrinkled suit."

Williams: "I remember getting off the treadmill and going in the training room, and we were sitting in there talking, and it came across the screen, across ESPN, that he resigned. I just saw him! I could tell he had something on his mind, but he didn't say anything about that. He acted on instinct. He made up his mind, I guess, down there, and he went upstairs and did what he had to do."

Banks: "I was on the Belt Parkway [in New York], driving home. I was listening to it on the radio and it was like, 'Wow, I had no idea. I just talked to him.'"

Sal Paolantonio, ESPN reporter: "I was close to the center of the room [during the news conference], right in front. I could see everybody's faces. I could see Steve Gutman and he was ashen-faced, like somebody just told him that he lost his dog. Belichick walked up to the podium and he looked unhinged. He looked like he was extremely upset and I didn't know what the heck was going on."

Keyshawn Johnson, Jets wide receiver: "I was standing along the wall in the back of the room. I was blindsided. I was like, damn, how did that happen? He writes it on a [loose-leaf] napkin and basically says he's resigning. At that point, I'm walking down the hallway. I'm asking questions to assistant coaches, like, 'What are we going to do?' They didn't have any answers. It kind of got out of control."

Tranchina: "I was in the back of the auditorium ... and my jaw was to the ground."

Henning (who was watching in Parcells' office): "[Parcells'] reaction was like he was watching game film, trying to understand everything that was going on. Bill had responsibilities on both ends of it. Here's a guy that worked for him, he worked with for years and years. He knew there was going to be a tremendous outcry from both ends."

Parcells: "I don't recall too much. Your mind is on other things at the time when that was going on. I don't have a real clear recollection of that."

Gutman: "Surprise and disappointment. I keep saying the same thing because that's what it was."

After a 25-minute opening statement, followed by a Q&A with reporters, Belichick yielded the podium to Gutman and left the auditorium. Gutman told the reporters in attendance for the news conference: "We should have some feelings of sorrow and regret for him and his family. He obviously has some inner turmoil."

Ramos: "You could tell by his speech, Steve was really, really angry."

Belichick (in the ESPN documentary): "Essentially, the problem I had with the whole arrangement eventually was, when all this transpired, there was no owner. Mr. [Leon] Hess passed away before the '99 season. There were two potential owners, and that was [Woody] Johnson and [Charles] Dolan. I hadn't spoken with either one, but I had issues with both. It wasn't Mr. Hess anymore, which was the original agreement. ... That whole ownership configuration at that time was a major factor in my decision."

(Belichick declined ESPN's interview request for this story.)

Parcells (in his book): "His excuse about things changing with the death of Mr. Hess was weak."

Keyshawn Johnson: [The Parcells-Belichick relationship] soured. Yeah, you could tell there was some sort of -- I don't know -- tension. I think he did it because he didn't want Parcells hovering over the top of him, trying to control what he wanted to do with the team. They're boys now."

Parcells: "[Belichick has] kind of told me what his feelings were on it. Not quite then, but after that. It took a little while. That gave me a little different point of view. I was disappointed. I'm sure I told him that, and that was that. That's the way life is. It doesn't always go the way it's supposed to."

Paolantonio: "It's almost like a guy who, at the last minute, says, 'I can't marry this girl. It's not going to work for me and I know I'm going to upset a lot of people. I'm going to upset this woman, I'm going to upset her family, and everybody close to her. I paid for the tuxes and the flowers and the dance hall, everything, but this isn't the right thing for me to do.'"

Green: "He probably doesn't have the Tiffany paperweight anymore because it had 'Jets' on it. [Laughs.] He probably gave it away to someone at this point."

Paolantonio: "I hope somebody has that piece of paper [the "HC of the NYJ" resignation]. I hope when he goes into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it's part of the Bill Belichick exhibit. It should be an important part of his historical documents. It's akin to having Richard Nixon's letter of resignation."

Alas, the paper apparently is lost. No one knows what happened to it. What they do remember is a certain newspaper headline.

The next morning, a Jets staffer clipped the New York Post back page and posted it on the bulletin board in the coaches' wing. It screamed, "Belichicken!" It stayed up for 24 hours, drawing laughs from Belichick's former colleagues.

A legal battle ensued between the Jets and Belichick, who tried -- unsuccessfully -- to void his contract with the team. It revived the so-called Border War between the Jets and Patriots, who clashed in 1997 when Parcells escaped his New England contract to join the Jets.

This time, Parcells and Kraft -- bitter rivals --- negotiated a compensation package. The Jets traded the rights to Belichick for a 2000 first-round pick, along with late-round swaps. Then linebackers coach for the Jets, Al Groh was named New York's head coach for the 2000 season.

The Patriots said they did everything by the book, but some wonder if they had reached Belichick through back channels.

Parcells: "I'm not answering that."

Gutman: "I just don't know, I just don't know."

Banks: "Well, [Belichick has] always been a step ahead, put it that way. There may have been some communications going on."

Henning: "Did he have a verbal deal? I don't know whether he had a verbal deal, but I know they had conversations. Things like that don't happen without having conversations. Let's not kid ourselves. This type of thing happens every day in our business."

Muir: "In retrospect, when I thought about it and put pieces to the puzzle together, I think there was a pre-arrangement between Kraft and Belichick. [Parcells] got wind of it and he knew if he retired or resigned, Belichick would be required by contract to be the head coach of the Jets.

"That explains [the] promptness of the resignation; it was to snare Belichick into the contract and screw Kraft. I do think Parcells was going to retire anyhow, but the promptness in which it was done was to try to get the rabbit in the snare trap."

Williams: "Belichick is one of the greatest ever. I knew it then. Everybody who was there knew it then. He's a genius at this game of football."

Jones: "It was like letting air out of a tire."

Green: "I don't want to say I felt betrayed because that's still his life, but I felt sadness because I felt like I was losing a mentor in Belichick. I always asked him questions about football. One time I asked him, 'How can I be better?' He said, 'First of all, I want you to move to the front of the meeting room.' From that moment, I sat in the front every single day. Even when he left, I always sat in the front of the class."

Banks: "I think Bill would've done a great job with the Jets and, yes, I think it would've changed the course of history."

Ramos: "Hindsight tells you it might have been the most important press conference in Jets history and New England history, based on the information that came from the press conference. Who knows what would've happened had Belichick taken over as head coach of the Jets? No one will ever know."

Tranchina: "I remember [Belichick's] very first Super Bowl with the Patriots. I said, 'I'm not watching it.' I went home to my one-bedroom apartment, drank a glass of wine -- a couple of glasses of wine -- and watched 'Sex and the City.' That was the first Super Bowl I didn't watch ... and then the second Super Bowl I didn't watch ... and the third ... Every one he was in, I couldn't watch it. I was so mad."

Gutman: "He's a successful coach, probably the most successful coach in the history of the league. I don't know what else to think of it. ... No [regrets]. You can't live that way, no."

Muir: "You have to give him credit. It took a lot of balls."

Parcells: "Obviously, I had a high regard for him. I'm happy he's done well. I'm the one who introduced him to the New England people (in 1996, when he hired Belichick as a Patriots assistant). I'm glad it worked out for him."

Jones: "He and [then Jets personnel executive] Scott Pioli and all those guys went up there to New England. I would see him at pregame and say, 'Why the f--- didn't you bring me with you?'" [Laughs]

Vinny Testaverde, Jets quarterback (1998-2003): "Years later, when I went to New England, toward the end of my career, a person whose name I won't reveal said someday we'll sit down, have a beer and talk about how the whole thing went down. To be honest, I never had an interest in knowing the story. Maybe some things are meant to be kept a secret."

Birthday girl leads all-Egyptian top four
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Egypt’s Raneem El Welily has retained the World No.1 spot after the PSA Women’s World Rankings for January were released today.

El Welily, who celebrates her 31st birthday today, has now held top spot for 14 consecutive months and won five PSA Tour titles during 2019.

The Alexandria-born shot-maker leads an all-Egyptian top four which features four-time World Champion Nour El Sherbini (No.2), British Open champion Nouran Gohar (No.3) and Nour El Tayeb (No.4). France’s Camille Serme stays at No.5.

There are no changes in the rest of the top 10 either, with New Zealand’s Joelle King (No.6), America’s Amanda Sobhy (No.7), England’s Sarah-Jane Perry (No.8), Wales’ Tesni Evans (No.9) and Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy all featuring.

Annie Au stays at No.11 ahead of Joshna Chinappa (No.12), Alison Waters (No.13), Salma Hany (No.14) and Victoria Lust (No.15).

Yathreb Adel (No.16), Olivia Blatchford Clyne (No.17) and Nele Gilis (No.18) also feature in the top 20, where the only change sees Joey Chan (No.19) and Nadine Shahin (No.20) swap places.

French player Elise Romba is the biggest riser on the women’s tour, moving up 103 places to reach No.176 courtesy of a last 16 finish at the Monte Carlo Classic. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Egyptian Menna Walid enjoys a rise of 96 places, and she now sits at a career-high No.187 ranking.

PSA Women’s World Rankings Top 20 – January 2020.

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER 

Pictures courtesy of PSA  

World champion Tarek Momen climbs back into top three
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Peru’s Diego Elias will start 2020 at a career-high ranking of World No.6 after the PSA Men’s World Rankings for January were released today (January 1).

The 23-year-old moves up a place and overtakes Simon Rösner after the German’s quarter-final points for the 2018 CIB Black Ball Squash Open expired at the end of December.

Meanwhile, World Champion Tarek Momen returns to the world’s top three, ousting Black Ball Open winner Gawad, who drops down a spot to No.4.

Ali Farag and Mohamed ElShorbagy complete an all-Egyptian top four, with the former beginning the New Year as the World No.1 for the first time in his career.

Elsewhere, the younger ElShorbagy brother, Marwan, rises a spot to No.8, switching places with compatriot Mohamed Abouelghar. Colombia’s Miguel Rodriguez completes the top 10.

Fares Dessouky (No.11) Joel Makin (No.12) and Saurav Ghosal (No.13) are unchanged, while Gregoire Marche leapfrogs Zahed Salem to move back up to a joint career-high ranking of No.14.

Omar Mosaad stays at No.16, while Mazen Hesham moves up a place to No.17. English trio James Willstrop, Adrian Waller and Daryl Selby round off the top 20, with Mostafa Asal dropping out.

The biggest movers on the men’s tour were Pakistani pair Noor Zaman and Faizan Khan, who rise 232 and 194 places, respectively. Zaman has reached a career-high ranking of No.300 after appearances at the Pakistan International and Rangers Championship, while Khan now sits at No.428 after he reached the last 16 of the Rangers Championship.

PSA Men’s World Rankings Top 20 – January 2020 .

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER. 

Pictures courtesy of PSA 

While some trends in the hockey world will surely continue in 2020, others will undergo a transformation. Get caught up on all of it right here:

The 2020 NHL Winter Classic between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators is set for Jan. 1, 2020, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. While it's the first Winter Classic to feature two teams from the American South, the league has been staging these every year since 2008 (save for 2013, as the game was cancelled due to the lockout). In other words, there's a lot of history and trivia, both big and small, to celebrate.

Studied up on all the past game-winning goals, locations and Ilya Bryzgalov quotes? Come test your knowledge with our quiz on all of the Winter Classics past: