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INDIANAPOLIS – Mi Jung Hur wanted to go wire-to-wire on the LPGA Tour for the first time, and she had the perfect formula Sunday at the Indy Women in Tech Championship.

She didn't make any mistakes at Brickyard Crossing.

No one came close.

Hur closed with a 4-under 68 for a four-shot victory, her second LPGA Tour title of the year.

"After the third round, I was talking about that wire-to-wire because I never had that before in my life and I really wanted to do it," Hur said on the 18th green after getting soaked by in a celebration. "And I did it. I'm so happy."

The 29-year-old South Korean became the sixth multiple winner on the LPGA Tour this season. Jin Young Ko, a double major winner this year, has four victories. No one else has more than two.

Nanna Koerstz Madsen birdied her last two holes for a 67 to finish alone in second, the only drama in the final round. It was a big deal to Koerstz Madsen, who moved from No. 70 to No. 44 in the Race to the CME Globe.

The LPGA Tour has four events remaining - all of them in Asia - before the top 60 qualify for the season-ending CME Globe Tour Championship in Florida.

Marina Alex, in her first appearance since her Solheim Cup debut, began the final round two shots behind. Alex did not make a birdie until the 16th hole, closed with another birdie for a 72 and finished alone in third.

Megan Khang (68), Sakura Yokomine (68), Bronte Law (70) and Maria Torres (72) tied for fourth. Torres opened with three birdies in four holes to get within one shot. That was her last birdie, and she lost ground with three bogeys that kept her from moving up more in the Race to the CME Globe. Torres was projected at No. 70.

The lead down to one, Hur rolled in a birdie on No. 4 and closed out the front nine with another birdie to stretch her lead to five shots as everyone around her dropped shots at Brickyard Crossing, the course that has four holes inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval.

Hur added a pair of birdies early on the back nine to put it away.

"MJ, when she plays good, she's on fire," Koerstz Madsen said. "So I wasn't really thinking that I could catch her. I was thinking she's going to go out and shoot 4 under or 5 under or something, so it was going to be really hard if I had to catch her."

Hur won the Ladies Scottish Open in August, ending nearly five years without a victory. Now she has two victories seven weeks apart, and Hur hopes she is not finished. Among those celebrating with her on the 18th green was her husband. She was married in January.

"Yeah, had two wins this year with my husband already - first one was in Scotland and this one," she said. "Hopefully, he is traveling more with me. There would be another good memory I can make."

LIVE: MLS Eastern Conference playoff race in focus

Published in Soccer
Sunday, 29 September 2019 15:07

Big Picture

It had rained pretty much constantly for two weeks in Colombo before Sri Lanka had left to Pakistan. After arriving in Karachi early last week, it had rained pretty much constantly for the first few days, forcing the abandonment of the first ODI. In a fortnight in which climate change has been in the news globally, perhaps it has been fitting that unstinting, unseasonal rains in both cities have also left their mark on the game.

Whether the rains are a result of a changing climate or not, they certainly have made Sri Lanka's unenviable position even worse. Already weakened by a slew of withdrawals, Sri Lanka have also been unable to train as they would like, both before they left for the tour, as well as since arriving in Pakistan. What's more, if there is extra moisture in the Karachi surface to aid seam bowling, this too, may play into the hands of their hosts, who have the superior seam attack.

ALSO READ: Ian Chappell on why cricket needs to take climate change seriously

Pakistan may be stepping out into a new era, under Misbah-ul-Haq. But they were always strong favourites in this series, against a team that still does not have a permanent coach. The rains have only made Sri Lanka's challenge more difficult.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWWL (completed matches, most recent first)
Sri LankaWWWLW

In the spotlight

There is no doubt Danushka Gunathilaka is a talented batsman. But he has, in the past three years, been on the end of too many disciplinary indiscretions, the most-recent of which was a broken curfew in the middle of a Test match last year. Gunathilaka was not picked for Sri Lanka's World Cup squad, partly because of that history. He needs more runs most to convince the selectors that he should be part of Sri Lanka's best starting XI when all players are available.

ALSO READ: This tour a precursor to December Test series, says SL coach Ratnayake

The days when Sri Lanka's batsmen could consider themselves among the best players of spin are long gone. As the likes of Imran Tahir have repeatedly proved, this generation of Sri Lanka batsmen have a particular weakness against legspin. In the five games he has played against them so far, Shadab Khan has excellently exploited this weakness, taking 10 wickets at an average of 16.3 - his best against any major nation. With the current Sri Lanka top-order batsmen being essentially the second string, perhaps Shadab has an opportunity to improve on those numbers.

Team news

It is difficult to predict Sri Lanka's XI, but Nuwan Pradeep may get a game owing to his experience. Lakshan Sandakan is the only specialist spinner in the squad, but with the likes of Shehan Jayasuriya and Wanindu Hasaranga (both spin-bowling allrounders) around, perhaps he will not be required, especially if seam movement is expected.

Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Lahiru Thirimanne (capt.), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Avishka Fernando, 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), 5 Oshada Fernando, 6 Shehan Jayasuriya, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Isuru Udana, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Batsman Asif Ali played only two World Cup matches, but may get an opportunity here. Left-arm seamer Usman Shinwari, who last played an ODI in March, could also get a game.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Haris Sohail, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt.) (wk), 6 Asif Ali, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Usman Shinwari

Pitch and conditions

There is only a 10% chance of rain on Monday, which should mean a match of some sort will be possible. Bright sunshine over the weekend has also helped dry the ground, which had been seriously waterlogged on Friday.

Stats and trivia

  • Pakistan have won their six most-recent (completed) matches against Sri Lanka - a streak that goes back to 2017

  • Gunathilaka has played only five ODIs since the start of 2018, but averages 46.50 through that period

  • Shadab has never gone wicketless against Sri Lanka. All five of his matches against them were in the UAE

  • Babar Azam is ranked third on the ICC rankings for ODI batting, while Imam-ul-Haq is joint 11th with Australia's Aaron Finch. To find the best-ranking Sri Lanka batsman involved in this series, you have to go all the way down to No. 80: Avishka Fernando

Singapore 181 for 9 (Manpreet 41, David 41, Burl 3-24) beat Zimbabwe 177 for 7 (Williams 66, Chakabva 48, Mahboob 2-20, Prakash 2-34)

When Tony Munyonga cut teenager Sidhant Singh for only a single in the game's final ball at the Indian Association Ground in Singapore, history was made as the hosts beat a Full Member for the first time in international cricket.

In a rain-hit 18-over contest , Zimbabwe fell four short of the 182 target despite Sean Williams' 66, to lose their first game of the tri-nation series that now sees both teams (and the other side Nepal) tied on two points each.

Singapore's captain Amjad Mahboob was understandably proud of his team at the presentation: "I just spoke to my boys, 'Just do your best, just fight until the last ball; just don't care about the result and just give your best and see the result came in our favour. Yesterday we lost. Yesterday I didn't play [against Nepal who won the game by nine wickets]. Just today I came and I told the boys pre-game that to play to our potential. To not be scared. We are a young side and it's a great feeling to beat a Test nation. We are very happy."

It seemed victory was Zimbabwe's when Williams was at the crease. He had struck five sixes and as many fours in his 35-ball stay, but fell in the 16th over with Zimbabwe still 19 away from the target. Only four down, they were still favourites to cross the line with Ryan Burl and Richmond Mutumbami in the middle, but a double-wicket over from medium-pacer Janak Prakash - which cost only seven runs - turned the scales in Singapore's favour.

With the big-hitting Burl gone and Zimbabwe's lower order suddenly exposed, Mahboob brought back fast bowler Sidhant for the game's final over, and he delivered, conceding only five when Zimbabwe needed 10.

"I've been around for a while now and getting myself that close and not finishing the job is very disappointing for me and I take that to heart," Williams said. "Obviously because I'm a leader of the side and I've got to be the one that stands up and finishing the job."

Zimbabwe's innings was given an early impetus by their opener Regis Chakabva, who struck 48 in 19 balls. Chakabva was brutal, in particular, on Vinoth Baskaran, taking 18 runs in just one over. That put Zimbabwe ahead of the net run-rate early and with No. 3 Williams for company, the duo added 41 for the second wicket. Williams switched on big-hitting mode against Tim David, whacking him for 24 runs in the 12th over. And yet somehow Singapore stayed in the game with three tight overs that saw both set batsmen dismissed. Thereafter, it was a matter of holding their nerve, which they did, conceding only one boundary in the final two overs to complete a remarkable win.

That Singapore made 181 for 9 was courtesy their wicketkeeper, No. 5 Manpreet Singh and allrounder David. Both struck 41 each, in 23 and 24 deliveries respectively, to lift Singapore to a challenging total. Singapore had earlier added over 60 in the Powerplay thanks to their openers Rohan Rangarajan (39) and Surendran Chandramohan (23) but Burl's two wickets in his opening spell pegged Singapore's progress in the middle overs.

It was then that David and Manpreet added a quickfire 38 for the fourth wicket, and when the former was dismissed in the 13th over, the latter hit the accelerator. Singapore added 59 off the last five overs, and that late burst, eventually, was the difference between the two sides.

Williams, though, felt the game slipped away from Zimbabwe a little later on. "We lost Tino Mutombodzi there," Williams said. "We were actually planning on going in that [14th] over. That could've been a turning point in the game and then we just lost a clutter of wickets again. Obviously having Timycen [Maruma] injured early on in the game wasn't great for us. But, look, these things happen. The outfield and the weather conditions happen and we've got to deal with that and come up with some better plans and better mental conditions to win the game."

Cricket returning to Karachi, Yay! But where are the fans?

Published in Cricket
Sunday, 29 September 2019 10:47

One-Day Internationals returning to Karachi after 10 years. A washout denying fans a chance at watching any cricket on Friday. This city prides itself as the most cricket-mad city in the country. Tickets should have been snapped up, right? Wrong.

ESPNcricinfo understands only around 20% of tickets have been sold yet. Anecdotal evidence made it clear that the uptake wasn't as swift as the PCB might have been hoping. It was made official when they announced ticket holders for the abandoned first ODI could attend either of the two remaining games. Moreover, the same applied to ticket holders for the second ODI; common sense would suggest if either of the games were anywhere near full houses, that would have been impossible to guarantee.

It isn't that Karachiites have fallen out of love with the game, though with demand much higher for the T20s in Lahore despite higher prices, there are suggestions the ODI game might be harder to market in Pakistan despite fans having limited opportunities to see any international cricket.

The series was beset by several obstacles before it got off the ground, which hindered PCB's advertising campaign well ahead of time. The on-off nature of the series would have put Ross and Rachel - of TV show Friends fame - to shame; it is easy to forget just over a fortnight ago, the Sri Lankan government said they had received credible information of a terror threat to the Sri Lankan team.

The PCB received a nod from Sri Lanka Cricket only a week before the first ODI, making it a bigger challenge for PCB's marketing department to put campaigns together for a series on paper hadn't taken off until that point. Similarly, selling tickets that may have had to be refunded was tricky. It is understood that the provincial government hasn't assisted with advertising and marketing the series like they did for the PSL final and the three T20Is they hosted against West Indies in 2018.

Then there was the squad Sri Lanka actually sent for Pakistan. With 10 top players pulling out citing security concerns, Sri Lanka's squad is, to put it mildly, far from full-strength. When the West Indies played three T20Is in Karachi last year, some players chose not to tour, resulting in heavily one-sided games. The prospect of the same occurring during this ODI series cannot be ruled out, and may well have played a part in so many fans choosing to stay away.

The coup de grace was provided by Karachi's weather. A city that sees very little rain, and almost none at this time of year, was pounded all week by heavy downpours that might have made Sri Lanka's players feel they were still at home.

Karachi's roads are famously unprepared to handle rainwater and facilities at the ground, while decent, were no match for the forces of nature they had to unexpectedly reckon with. With the weather forecast suggesting, accurately after all, that Friday would see yet more rains, there was little incentive for fans to get their tickets, and consequently not many subjected themselves to braving the heavy security and dark skies to turn up on match day.

There are a number of reasons for sluggish ticket sales, but Pakistan needs fans to turn up. Especially if the whole idea of bringing cricket back is to avoid the ugly spectacle of high-quality cricket being played in front of near-empty stands in the UAE, and to give the nation's cricket-deprived fans an opportunity to watch their team play. Much of what's happened to suppress demand isn't the PCB's fault, but as they will know all too well, it is very much their problem.

Jaguars' Ramsey (back) inactive for Denver game

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 29 September 2019 13:02

DENVER -- Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was declared inactive because of a back injury and will not play against the Denver Broncos.

Ramsey had battled an illness and the back injury this week, and he spent several days away from the team for the birth of his second child in Nashville.

This is the first game that Ramsey will miss since the Jaguars drafted him at No. 5 in 2016.

It has been an eventful two weeks for Ramsey, who asked the team to trade him after being chastised by Jaguars executive VP of football operations Tom Coughlin following the Jaguars' 13-12 loss at Houston on Sept. 15. Ramsey got into a sideline shouting match with coach Doug Marrone in that game after Marrone refused Ramsey's request to challenge a completion to DeAndre Hopkins.

Ramsey played against Tennessee on Sept. 19 but did not practice Monday because of an illness. He also missed Wednesday's practice with a back injury, which created its own drama. Three hours after Marrone said he didn't know when Ramsey suffered the injury, the team released a statement saying Ramsey actually did report back soreness to the team's medical staff during the fourth quarter of the game against the Titans.

Earlier Wednesday, Marrone had said he thought the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback would be able to play against the Broncos, "if he has the ability to play."

On Wednesday night, the team announced that Ramsey would return to his hometown for the impending birth of his second child and released a statement from Marrone that Ramsey "will return to the team when he's ready."

Alabama jumps to No. 1 after Clemson close call

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 29 September 2019 12:21

Alabama is No. 1 in the Associated Press college football poll for the first time this season, replacing preseason No. 1 Clemson after the Tigers had a close call.

Alabama received 29 of 61 first-place votes Sunday from the media panel as the Tigers' one-point victory at North Carolina gave the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank the first shake-up at the top this season. Clemson slipped to No. 2 and received 18 first-place votes.

The last time a No. 1 team won but dropped was Ohio State on Nov. 7, 2015, after the Buckeyes beat Minnesota 28-14 at home. It had happened 74 times previously since the poll started in 1936.

No. 3 Georgia received four first-place votes. Ohio State moved up to No. 4 and received seven first-place votes. LSU was No. 5, and Oklahoma sixth. No. 7 Auburn received three first-place votes.

At the other end of the rankings, No. 24 SMU is ranked for the first time since the program received the so-called death penalty for NCAA rules violations in 1987 and did not compete for two seasons.

POLL POINTS

Alabama has now been ranked No. 1 at some point in each of the past 12 seasons, extending its own record. The second-longest streak belongs to Miami, which had seven consecutive seasons with an appearance at No. 1 from 1986 to 1992.

This is the 119th time Alabama has been No. 1, the most of any school since the AP poll started in 1936, and the 88th time it has been top-ranked under coach Nick Saban since he took over in 2007. Only Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Southern California have more total appearances at No. 1 than Alabama has under Saban.

IN

SMU's appearance in the rankings is historic, considering where that program has been. After returning from the death penalty in 1989, the Mustangs managed just one winning season (6-5 in 1997) over the next 20 years.

The program had an uptick under June Jones from 2009 to 2012, going to four straight bowl games and topping out at eight victories. There has been only one winning season since. Under second-year coach Sonny Dykes, the Mustangs are playing their best ball since the Pony Express days of Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the early 1980s. SMU is not a national championship contender, but the Mustangs head into the second month of the season looking like a team that should push for an American Athletic Conference crown.

The Mustangs (5-0) are off to their best overall start since 1983, are 3-0 on the road and are 10-4 in their past 14 games overall.

• No. 22 Wake Forest also ended a long run of being outside the rankings. The Demon Deacons (5-0) are ranked for the first time since Oct. 18, 2008. Wake's Top 25 drought was the third longest among Power 5 schools, behind Indiana (last ranked in 1994) and Purdue (2007).

The next three longest streaks of being unranked among Power 5 conference teams are Kansas (2009), Illinois (2011) and Rutgers (2012).

• No. 20 Arizona State returned to the rankings after beating California at home on Friday.

• No. 21 Oklahoma State is ranked for the first time since the final poll of 2017.

OUT

• Cal took a big tumble, from No. 15 to out of the rankings, after its first loss.

• USC is out again after losing at Washington.

• Kansas State had a one-week stay, falling out after losing at Oklahoma State.

TIE

Texas A&M is barely hanging on in the rankings. The only two-loss team to be ranked -- the Aggies lost to Clemson and Auburn -- is tied with Michigan State for the final spot in the rankings.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC -- 6 (Nos. 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 25).

Big Ten -- 5 (Nos. 4, 8, 12, 14, 25).

Pac-12 -- 4 (Nos. 13, 15, 17, 20).

ACC -- 3 (Nos. 2, 22, 23).

Big 12 -- 3 (Nos. 6, 11, 21).

American -- 2 (Nos. 18, 24).

Mountain West -- 1 (No. 16).

Bears QB Trubisky ruled out with shoulder injury

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 29 September 2019 15:27

CHICAGO -- Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has been ruled out of the remainder of Sunday's home game against the Vikings with a left shoulder injury.

The Vikings knocked Trubisky out of the game on the Bears' sixth offensive play of the afternoon when Minnesota defensive end Danielle Hunter sacked the 25-year old quarterback for a 10-yard loss.

On the play, Trubisky's body twisted and his left shoulder hit the ground violently as Hunter pulled him down, causing the quarterback to fumble the ball. Minnesota's Everson Griffen scooped up the fumble, though a defensive holding penalty on Vikings safety Anthony Harris gave the ball back to Chicago.

Trubisky immediately went to the blue injury tent before being escorted back to the locker room for further medical attention.

Veteran backup Chase Daniel replaced Trubisky and tossed a first-quarter touchdown pass to Bears running back Tarik Cohen.

The second overall pick of the 2017 draft, Trubisky started all 12 games as a rookie after taking over for ineffective Mike Glennon in Week 5 but missed two games last year because of a right shoulder injury.

Trubisky finished last season with respectable numbers in head coach Matt Nagy's system, passing for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions (95.4 quarterback rating) as Chicago went 12-4 and won its first NFC North title since 2010.

But Trubisky struggled to begin the 2019 season.

After lackluster performances versus Green Bay and Denver, Trubisky got back on track in the Bears' victory over the Redskins last Monday night, throwing for a season-high 231 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Trubisky had completed 2 of 3 passes for nine yards at the time of his injury on Sunday.

The Bears signed Daniel, who played under Nagy in Kansas City, to a two-year deal prior to the 2018 season that included $7 million in guarantees. Daniel will earn $6 million in 2019.

Daniel, 32, appeared in five games with two starts for the Bears last season.

Mahomes' TD streak ends but Chiefs move to 4-0

Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 29 September 2019 14:50

DETROIT -- Patrick Mahomes failed to throw a touchdown pass on Sunday for just the fourth time in his career. His streak of throwing at least two TD passes is over at 14 games, one short of the NFL record.

That sounds like a recipe for failure for the Chiefs, who in the absence of three injured offensive starters have been asking for even more from the NFL's reigning MVP. But it worked out for them on Sunday, as they came back from behind to beat the Detroit Lions 34-30 on Darrel Williams' 1-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left.

The Chiefs also scored a controversial 100-yard touchdown on a fumble return to go ahead 20-13 in the third quarter. Lions running back Kerryon Johnson fumbled near the Chiefs' goal line on the play, but most players on the field believed Johnson was down before the ball came out. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland alertly picked up the ball, and with no Lions in pursuit, ran the length of the field for the TD.

Peyton Manning still holds the NFL record for consecutive games with multiple TD passes at 15. Mahomes had only three previous career games without a TD pass -- two in the regular season and once against Indianapolis in last season's playoffs.

However, Mahomes did become the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to lead his team to multiple 4-0 starts before his 25th birthday. He finished 24-of-42 for 315 yards Sunday.

The Chiefs played without injured wide receiver Tyreek Hill, running back Damien Williams and left tackle Eric Fisher.

LeBron's high school jersey up for auction

Published in Basketball
Sunday, 29 September 2019 11:51

AKRON, Ohio -- A sweat-stained jersey LeBron James wore while playing Ohio high school basketball and during his first Sports Illustrated magazine cover shoot as a teenager in 2002 is being auctioned.

The online auction listing says the gold mesh jersey from the NBA star's days with the St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish in Akron features green lettering with the word "Irish" and No. 23, the same number he'd later wear for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Goldin Auctions says James gave the jersey to its current owner, an unidentified seller who attended the school.

The auction house says 5% of the proceeds will go to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The auction runs until Oct. 19. Early bidding reached $37,000.

James now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

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