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LEICESTERSHIRE, England – Jonathan Rea launched himself into the World Superbike championship lead with a victory Saturday at Donington Park.
Kawasaki’s Rea took the lead early on and never look back as he romped to a 76th career win. The victory, combined with a crash by Ducati rider Alvaro Bautista, allowed Rea to move into the championship lead for the first time this season.
A blistering opening lap by Rea allowed him to build a lead of a second over polesitter Tom Sykes, followed by Lean Haslam, Loris Baz and Bautista.
Rea continued to set a scorching pace at the front, essentially making it a race for second behind him. On lap six disaster nearly struck for Bautista, who nearly crashed in turn two only to recover and remain on his bike.
After eight laps Rea had a comfortable lead of seven seconds as Sykes continued in second, followed by Haslam, Baz and Bautista.
The wet conditions soon began claiming victims. The first was Jordi Torres, who crashed on wet grass at the exit of turn six. He was followed closely by Sandro Cortese, who crashed at the entry of turn six.
Finally it was Bautista’s turn. He also crashed in turn six in spectacular fashion, ending his race and effectively handing the championship lead to Rea as long as he finished the race.
Rea held serve and earned the victory, with Sykes finished second from the pole ahead of Haslam in third. Baz settled for fourth, with Alex Lowes taking fifth following Bautista’s crash.
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HOHENSTEIN-ERNSTTHAL, Germany – Marc Marquez scored his 57th premier class pole during MotoGP qualifying on Saturday at the Sachsenring.
Marquez eclipsed his own qualifying record at the German track, resetting it with a 1:20.195 lap to earn his 10th-straight pole at the Sachsenring.
“I am riding very well and since FP1 I have felt good here,” Marquez said. “We’ve just been trying different tyres and some different things on the bike to see how it compares. Even in qualifying we tried some different things to keep understanding more. We have everything in place for tomorrow but the Yamaha riders are very fast, (Maverick) Viñales and (Fabio) Quartararo are very fast so we will have to keep an eye on them. The pole was possible today but we will have to see if the win is possible tomorrow.”
Marquez will be joined on the front row two Yamaha riders – Petronas Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo and Monster Energy Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales. Quartararo was .205 of a second off the pace set by Marquez.
Alex Rins qualified fourth for Suzuki, followed by the Pramac Racing Ducati of Jack Miller and LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow.
The remainder of the top-10 included Franco Morbidelli, Pol Espargaro, Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami.
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The Buffalo Sabres have signed free-agent center Marcus Johansson to a two-year, $9 million contract, the team announced Saturday.
Johansson, 28, has battled injuries in recent seasons. He was traded by the New Jersey Devils to the Bruins at the trade deadline in February and played only 10 regular-season games in Boston after suffering a lung contusion on a hit by the Carolina Hurricanes' Micheal Ferland.
After posting only a goal and two assists in those 10 games, Johansson bounced back with four goals and seven assists in 22 playoff games, forming a dynamic duo with Charlie Coyle on Boston's third line.
Johansson is coming off a three-year, $13.75 million contract that he signed with the Washington Capitals. His best season with the Capitals was 2016-17, when he had 24 goals and 34 assists in 82 games.
After a trade to the Devils, he played in only 29 games the next season and 58 last season.
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Rock misses eagle try at last but settles for 60, Irish Open lead
Published in
Golf
Saturday, 06 July 2019 04:39
Robert Rock was inches away from the second 59 in European Tour history.
The 42-year-old Englishman had 35 feet left for eagle from the fringe at Lahinch Golf Club's par-5 18th hole, but missed just left. Instead, Rock tapped in his sixth straight birdie, 11th of the day, to shoot 10-under 60 in Saturday's third round of the Irish Open.
"Once the tee shot [on 18] found the fairway and we were walking up, I had a little glance at the card to check the par because I thought, 'Is it 70 or is it 71?' And it was nice to see it was 70 and an eagle would do it," said Rock, whose 60 set an Irish Open and Rolex Series record. "Hit quite a good shot in, not quite what I had in mind, but it was close enough to give me a thought of it, and yeah, hit a decent putt. Glad I didn’t leave it short."
Rock, who shot 7-under 29 on the back nine, is 13 under for the championship and leads Rafa Cabrera Bello (63) and Eddie Pepperell (66) by a shot entering Sunday's final round. Second-round leader Zander Lombard (67) is two back.
He is the 21st player in European Tour history to shoot 60 or better. England's Oliver Fisher remains the only player in that group to break 60. Fisher shot 12-under 59 at last year's Portugal Masters.
Coincidentally, Rock's caddie, Gary Tilston, is the twin brother of Guy Tilston, who was Fisher's caddie in Portugal.
Rock entered the week ranked No. 333 in the Official World Golf Ranking and hasn't notched a top-10 finish in his past 21 worldwide starts. Instead, he's made more of an impact recently on the teaching side. He serves as the instructor for several players, including world No. 24 Matt Wallace.
He failed to make it through Final Qualifying for The Open on Tuesday, but now is in position to earn his ticket to Royal Portrush another way.
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Johnston discusses mental-health struggles in blog post
Published in
Golf
Saturday, 06 July 2019 05:01
Andrew 'Beef' Johnston has become well known for his gregarious personality out on tour, but the 30-year-old recently revealed a different side to himself in a blog post for the European Tour.
In the post, Johnston, who shot into prominence with a win at the 2016 Open de Espana and a top-10 finish at that year's Open Championship, details some of the personal struggles he's dealt with in the years since.
After breaking up with a long-term girlfriend, splitting with a swing coach and having his flat broken into in 2018, Johnston writes: "I was angry. I was wound up. I just thought it was the golf. I didn't [realize] what was happening. It felt like every week was really tough. I was fighting. I was trying to practice more, do more, and I didn't [realize] that I was just slowly burning myself out."
After after a T-27 finish at the Nedbank Challenge last November, he didn't even retrieve his clubs from his locker. "I went straight back to the hotel and just cried," he wrote.
It was a similar story when he nearly walked off the golf course a few weeks later at the Australian PGA: "I hit two bad shots, and I couldn't mentally handle it at all. I had no idea what was going on. I was so angry, so wound up, which is really unlike me. I came off there and cried. I knew then that something wasn’t right."
Johnston would break up with his caddie a short while later, believing it was unfair to the continue the partnership in light of his struggles.
After some time off from competition, he began working with a sports psychologist and starting thinking about how his life changed back in 2016, given his sudden surge of popularity, particularly in the United States.
"You've got to remember, I'm a normal geezer from Finchley," he wrote. "Next thing, I see a poll over in America asking fans, ‘Who are you looking forward to seeing more?’ I was above Tiger Woods.
"I was thinking, 'What is going on? To get your head around that is very tough, and then came the pressure I put on myself to perform."
Johnston says he's now learning how to how to process his desire to please his fans without it becoming a burden.
He also recently announced that he and his fiancee, Jodie Valencia, are expecting their first child.
"With Jodie, we're constantly together, so to have your best mate with you all the time is wicked, and golf is just a small part of it at the end of the day. I didn't [realize] that before," he wrote.
"As long as you've got your family and friends and you're healthy, they are the most important things, and we are so lucky to be able to do this as a job. It comes with demands, but every job does. It's just a learning curve."
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John Daly will be walking his way around Royal Portrush.
The R&A, in a statement released Saturday, denied the 1995 Open champion's request to use a golf cart at the year's final major.
"We appreciate the difficult John is facing and have full sympathy for him as this is clearly a serious, long-term condition," the statement read. "Having considered all of the relevant factors, the Championship Committee has decided to decline his request."
"We believe that walking the course is an integral part of the Championship and is central to the tradition of link golf which is synonymous with The Open. We must also ensure that, as far as possible, the challenge is the same for all players in the field."
The statement adds that the sloping terrain of the Dunluce Links is not suited for carts, that the club does not permit cart use, that the R&A did not come to this decision lightly, and that Daly will always be welcome at The Open.
Daly, who suffers from osteoarthritis in his right knee, was permitted the use of a cart earlier this year at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, where he missed the cut following rounds of 75-76.
Last year, Daly withdrew from the U.S. Senior Open when he was similarly denied a request to ride. In response, he vowed to never play another USGA event.
But he will be at Portrush in two weeks. In a statement of his own, Daly tweeted, "While I trust the R&A's decision was made with good intentions, I could not disagree more with their conclusions."
Per Daly, he will soon require knee replacement. But, he writes, "Before that time comes my plan is to give it a shot in 2 weeks at Portrush. Fingers crossed I can make it thru the pain."
Daly has not played the weekend in a major since the 2012 PGA Championship, missing 10 straight cuts at The Open and PGA Championship.
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LYON, France -- While one of the biggest stars remaining in the Women's World Cup continues to insist she will be available for Sunday's final between the United States and the Netherlands, the outlook for another sounded less promising a day ahead of kickoff.
U.S. star Megan Rapinoe said her hamstring won't prevent her from playing. Dutch counterpart Lieke Martens, according to her coach, is a day-of-game decision with a foot injury.
As she has since missing a semifinal win against England with a hamstring strain earlier in the week, Rapinoe indicated Saturday that she is making progress. With five goals in four games, she is one behind teammate Alex Morgan and England's Ellen White for the overall tournament lead.
"As of now I'm expecting to be ready for tomorrow," Rapinoe said. "I feel good. That's all I can really say right now."
Martens didn't speak with the media Saturday, but Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman sounded less than optimistic about her availability. Martens was replaced at halftime of a semifinal win against Sweden.
"She's preparing for the game tomorrow," Wiegman said. "We're not sure if she can start, but we're working on it. I don't know the outcome yet. We'll decide tomorrow morning."
Photos from the Dutch training session Saturday showed Martens sitting on the sideline at times while the rest of the team went through drills on the field.
Martens is arguably the best player on the Dutch team. She won the Golden Ball as the tournament's most outstanding player when the Netherlands won the European Championship in 2017. She was also named FIFA's player of the year that year. She led Barcelona to the UEFA Women's Champions League final this past season and has been linked to a potential move this summer to Olympique Lyon, Champions League winner the past four years.
Martens scored both goals in a 2-1 Netherlands win against Japan in the opening knockout round of the World Cup, her only goals of the tournament.
Wiegman said nothing will change the way the Dutch approach Sunday's game, her team still intent on playing aggressive soccer and possessing the ball.
U.S. coach Jill Ellis also said no players have been ruled out, with midfielder Rose Lavelle the biggest question mark other than Rapinoe. Lavelle left the semifinal with a hamstring issue but said Friday that it was precautionary and she would be fine.
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LYON, France -- Despite a proposal announced on Friday by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to invest $1 billion in the women's game over the next four years and double prize money at the Women's World Cup in 2023, U.S. captain Megan Rapinoe said women soccer players are not respected equally by their sport's international governing body.
"It certainly is not fair," Rapinoe said of the gap in prize money awarded at the men's and women's World Cups. "We should double it now and use that number to double it or quadruple it for the next time. That's what I mean when we talk about, 'Do we feel respected?'"
FIFA doubled the 2015 prize money for the Women's World Cup to $30 million in 2019 and raised the amount awarded to the winning team to $4 million. At last year's men's World Cup, France received $38 million for winning the title from a $400 million purse, and earlier this year, FIFA announced it would raise the men's pool to $440 million for 2022. That means that while the women's purse will increase to a proposed $60 million in 2023, the gap between the men and women will increase the next time around.
"Earlier in the year, a quote came out that I said, 'FIFA doesn't care about the women's game,' and that's what I mean," Rapinoe said. "If you really care about each game in the same way, are you letting the gap grow? No. Are you scheduling three finals on the same day? No. Are you letting some federations play two games in the four years between each tournament? No, you're not."
At one point in Saturday's news conference, Rapinoe broke out in song when asked what can be done to ensure that the momentum gains made at this month's Women's World Cup continue into the future.
"Money, money, money, money," Rapinoe sang. "Money from FIFA, money from federations, money from advertisers, sponsors, rights holders, TV, all of that. Investing in infrastructure, training programs, academies for women, in coaching for women. I don't think you get to the point of having an incredible business by running it on a budget that is one dollar more than it was last year. You have to make big upfront investments and really bet on the future."
This is not the first time Rapinoe has criticized FIFA for its decision to schedule two men's tournament finals on the same day as the final game of the Women's World Cup. The WWC final between the United States and Netherlands will kick off at 11 a.m. ET in Lyon, France, on Sunday. Then, at 4 p.m. ET, the Copa America men's final will take place in Rio de Janeiro, followed by the CONCACAF Gold Cup men's final in Chicago at 9 p.m. ET.
In making these scheduling decisions, FIFA has taken a "rising tides" defense, saying that playing all three finals on the same day will boost attention for each event, an argument Rapinoe said is lacking.
"It's terrible scheduling for everyone," Rapinoe said. "It's a terrible idea to put everything on the same day. In every way. Obviously, there are two other finals going on, but this is the World Cup final. This is, like, cancel everything day. The World Cup final is set so far in advance, it's actually unbelievable [this happened]. No, we don't feel the same level of respect that FIFA has for the men.
"I mean, we're making a [men's] World Cup in Qatar happen [in 2023]. That shows you the kind of care [FIFA] has about the men's World Cup, considering all the issues that are happening there."
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Here's the last round-robin game of World Cup 2019: Australia v South Africa, at Old Trafford. Catch all the live updates and analyses here. (If the blog doesn't load for you, please refresh your page.)
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Afghanistan set up maiden Test face-off with West Indies in India
Published in
Cricket
Saturday, 06 July 2019 04:41
Afghanistan are set to play their maiden Test against West Indies on November 27 in their adopted home country India. This game is part of a full tour that also includes three T20Is and three ODIs.
The two sides have only ever played in 10 internationals, eight of those held in the Caribbean. West Indies lead Afghanistan 5-4 in the head-to-head, their most recent victory coming in the World Cup.
The one-off Test would mark Afghanistan's third appearance in the longest format. They were beaten on debut by India in 2018 but came up trumps against Ireland in 2019.
According to the FTP, West Indies are scheduled to stay in India even after their series against Afghanistan so they can play the hosts in a series that includes three T20Is and three ODIs.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, would be coming into their series against West Indies having Bangladesh in a one-off Test and a T20I tri-series that also features Zimbabwe.
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