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Bryce Harper signed a record-breaking $330 million contract with the Phillies as a free agent. Manny Machado signed a $300 million contract with the Padres as a free agent. Neither is a 2019 All-Star.

Tommy La Stella, traded in the offseason from the Cubs to the Angels for a player to be named later after hitting 10 career home runs in five major league seasons, is a 2019 All-Star. He's one of 31 first-time All-Stars -- almost half of the 64 players on the two rosters. La Stella will make $1.35 million this season -- or less than Harper will earn on average every 10 games over the life of his 13-year contract.

As they say: You can't predict baseball.

The reserves for the two All-Star squads were announced Sunday, and as always, there were some snubs, a couple of surprises and someone from every team, including the Orioles and Mariners. Let's go over the rosters and weigh where things went right and where things went wrong.

Remember the roster rules: The fans vote for the position player starters, the players vote for a backup at each position (including three outfielders) plus five starting pitchers and three relievers, the rosters consist of 20 position players and 12 pitchers, and -- as you know! -- every team must have a representative.

No Harper, no Machado. I wouldn't classify either one as a big snub, though I had named both to my personal All-Star team. In Machado's case, he was battling a crowded field at third base in the National League, and his recent surge at the plate -- he has hit .424 with 10 home runs since June 13 -- came too late to beat Anthony Rendon and Kris Bryant in the player vote. (Nolan Arenado is the NL starter at third base.)

Rendon: .311/.398/.630, 19 HRs, 58 RBIs, 3.2/2.6 WAR (FanGraphs/Baseball-Reference)

Bryant: .287/.398/.537, 16 HRs, 41 RBIs, 3.1/2.4 WAR

Machado: .279/.354/.519, 20 HRs, 56 RBIs, 2.4/2.5 WAR

Rendon deservedly makes his first All-Star team. In picking my team, I had Machado in a coin flip over Bryant for my final roster spot, but Bryant over Machado is perfectly reasonable, given that both players are proven stars.

Harper's case rested more on his making it as either the Phillies' lone pick or maybe squeezing in as a backup outfielder from a field that lacked any clear choices. J.T. Realmuto made it as the Phillies' rep as a third catcher behind starter Willson Contreras and Yasmani Grandal. The NL roster includes only the three outfielders the players voted in: Charlie Blackmon and David Dahl of the Rockies and Jeff McNeil of the Mets.

The numbers:

Blackmon: .337/.383/.653, 20 HRs, 56 RBIs, 2.1/1.8 WAR

Dahl: .317/.362/.552, 12 HRs, 51 RBIs, 1.4/1.4 WAR

McNeil: .348/.412/.5098, 6 HRs, 34 RBIs, 2.3/2.7 WAR

Harper: .250/.368/.471, 15 HRs, 59 RBIs, 1.8/0.8 WAR

Did Harper deserve to make it based on numbers? No, especially if you look at that Baseball-Reference WAR figure. Going with Realmuto over Harper (or Rhys Hoskins) is certainly reasonable.

Dahl is the surprise here, as the players apparently vastly underrated park effects in their voting. Why Dahl, for example, over Juan Soto (.297/.402/.534, 14 HRs, 52 RBIs)? Dahl has had some big, late-inning hits for the Rockies, but it's almost like the players just looked at batting average and ignored that Dahl plays for the Rockies.

The biggest NL snub: Max Muncy. Still, the NL roster is really good. Dahl is the only selection that stands as a surprise, and it's not like he's a bad choice. In fact, 18 of the top 21 NL position players in FanGraphs WAR made it on the roster, with the exceptions being Muncy (tied for sixth in WAR), Eduardo Escobar (17th) and Machado (19th).

Muncy ranks tied for fourth among NL position players in bWAR, which easily qualifies him as the biggest NL snub. But it's understandable that he just missed (unfortunately, he was also snubbed last season). He was considered a first baseman for the voting process, and Freddie Freeman won the fan vote, with Josh Bell and Pete Alonso as backups. Both are deserving selections, and Bell is the Pirates' lone rep. The other positions with two backups are catcher, third base and shortstop (Paul DeJong and Trevor Story). DeJong is the Cardinals' only rep. Story is currently on the injured list but is expected back this week, so there's no clear injury replacement path as of yet for Muncy.

Three Dodgers starting pitchers make it: Hyun-Jin Ryu was the easy choice and probably is the leading candidate to start the game, and Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler also made it. That makes the Dodgers just the fifth team in 20 years with three starting pitchers to make the All-Star Game:

2018 Astros (Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton)

2011 Phillies (Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee)

2011 Giants (Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong)

2010 Yankees (CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, Phil Hughes)

Good job, Dodgers!

The NL pitching staff works for me. I had 10 of the 12 picks on my roster, with the only differences being Caleb Smith over Sandy Alcantara as the Marlins' rep and Cole Hamels over Mike Soroka. Soroka, with his 9-1 record and 2.13 ERA, is having a terrific first half, so no argument there. Hamels landed on the IL after we ran our rosters on ESPN.com, so Soroka would have been my next choice.

Biggest AL snub: Xander Bogaerts. While 18 of the top 21 NL position players by FanGraphs WAR made the league's roster, in the AL, only 11 of the top 21 made it. This is mostly the result of two factors: position crunch (too many of the best players at the same positions) and needing a player from all those bad AL teams.

We end up with three DHs on the AL roster (Daniel Vogelbach is the Mariners' rep) and two backup second basemen (La Stella and Royals rep Whit Merrifield) but no Xander Bogaerts, who entered Sunday ranked second in FanGraphs WAR among AL position players and tied for 12th in Baseball-Reference WAR.

Francisco Lindor beat Bogaerts as the backup shortstop. Yes, Lindor missed time, but he's obviously one of the best players in the game, and considering that the All-Star Game is in Cleveland, I'm glad he made it. Bogaerts is having a better season than teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez, who made it as backups, but I'm fine with those two being on the team, given that they're having good seasons and are two of the biggest stars in the game.

Other AL snubs, based on FanGraphs WAR, include Marcus Semien (seventh), Rafael Devers (eighth), Max Kepler (11th), Gleyber Torres (13th), Byron Buxton (14th), Yoan Moncada (15th), Brandon Lowe (17th), Hunter Dozier (18th) and Tommy Pham (19th).

Pham versus Austin Meadows: Speaking of Pham ... this is interesting. Pham has been vocal about the All-Star selection process, perhaps aware that he might end up on the short end of things. A couple of weeks ago, he complained that the big-market teams have an advantage in the voting. That's true, though it's worth noting that no Red Sox made it this year as starters, and they're the defending World Series champs (Bogaerts wasn't even one of three finalists at his position). Also, players from the Twins, Rockies, Brewers and Diamondbacks got voted in as starters.

Pham later suggested that the rosters should be determined by a combination of games played, wRC+ (weighted runs created) and WAR. "Those three things should determine the position player All-Stars," he said. "wRC+ is an important stat offensively and neutralizes park factors. WAR is your overall contributions. I think those three things should be the determining factors which determine All-Stars."

Part of Pham's concern is that making an All-Star team can factor into the arbitration process. Pham had a good case as one of the three backup outfielders -- not as good as that of Betts or Joey Gallo, but I had him on my team. Instead, his teammate Meadows beat him in the player vote:

Meadows: .291/.366/.516, 12 HRs, 41 RBIs, 2.0/1.8 WAR

Pham: .284/.384/.468, 13 HRs, 35 RBIs, 2.2/2.5 WAR

Pham was the better choice, especially because Meadows had no track record heading into this season, other than as a prospect. It's pretty easy to see what happened: Meadows got off to that booming start, and that lingers in the mind more than a hot May or hot June. So Pham lost out (though Kepler probably has a better case than Pham anyway).

The new-look AL pitching staff. Blake Snell, Corey Kluber, Chris Sale and Trevor Bauer finished first, third, fourth and sixth in the 2018 Cy Young voting, but none of them made it, due to performance and/or injury (though Sale ranks second in FanGraphs WAR, thanks to excellent peripherals). No arguments about Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole or Mike Minor making it, and Lucas Giolito's emergence has been one of the best stories of the season. Marcus Stroman makes it as the Blue Jays' rep (and is having a solid season), and Shane Greene makes it as the Tigers' rep (he has an 0.87 ERA, though he has allowed five unearned runs in addition to three earned runs).

Lance Lynn leads AL pitchers in FanGraphs WAR and ranks third in Baseball-Reference WAR, but his ERA is 4.00, so the players overlooked him. I was also surprised that Jose Berrios didn't make it. He's 8-4 with a 2.89 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 112 innings. Twins teammate Jake Odorizzi made it instead. He's 10-3 with a 2.73 ERA but has thrown just 85 innings and was nowhere near as good as Berrios last season. (Again, this is probably more about the timing of when the players vote. Odorizzi had a 1.92 ERA on June 9.)

Orioles rookie John Means is probably the biggest "who is he?" All-Star in a long time. An 11th-round pick in 2014 out of West Virginia, he had one major league appearance last season and a 3.72 ERA in the minors. Baseball America did not include Means among the Orioles' top 30 prospects -- he turned 26 in April, old for a prospect, and he doesn't light up the radar gun -- and the Orioles don't have a great farm system.

He made the Baltimore roster out of spring training as a reliever but was soon moved into the rotation. Now he's 7-4 -- almost a third of Baltimore's 24 wins -- with a 2.50 ERA, and he ranks fifth among AL pitchers in Baseball-Reference WAR. I have no idea how the rest of his career will turn out. Maybe he just had the best two months he'll ever have.

But John Means will always be an All-Star.

Dutch athlete clocks 8:18.49 at Stanford on Sunday as Laura Weightman goes No.2 on UK all-time lists with 8:26.07

A high-quality women’s 3000m at the Pre Classic saw Sifan Hassan and Konstanze Klosterhalfen run inside Gabriela Szabo’s European record as Laura Weightman, in fifth, enjoyed a spectacular PB to go No.2 on the UK all-time rankings behind Paula Radcliffe.

Hassan produced a powerful last lap to clock 8:18.48 as the Romanian Szabo’s 2002 mark of 8:21.42 fell. But with 8:20.07 the US-based German Klosterhalfen also beat the old record, whereas third-placed Letsenbet Gidey also ran a fast time with 8:20.27 – the Ethiopian having earlier forced the pace in the closing stages before being overhauled by Sifan just before the bell.

Genzebe Dibaba, the world 1500m record-holder from Ethiopia, was fourth with a PB of 8:21.29. In fifth, Weightman improved her best from 8:43.46 to clock a huge PB of 8:26.07. It means she moves above Laura Muir, Zola Pieterse, Yvonne Murray, Jo Pavey, Eilish and Liz McColgan on the UK rankings, whereas only Radcliffe has run quicker with 8:22.20 set in the same race as Szabo in Monaco in 2002.

Weightman also took a number of big scalps. They included world cross country champion Hellen Obiri, the Kenyan finishing sixth in 8:27.27, while Almaz Ayana, the world 10,000m record-holder, finished last in her first race since 2017.

“I didn’t think I was going to run 8:18 – that’s a nice time,” said Hassan, who added that she only began her summer season in earnest a fortnight earlier.

The meeting was staged at Stanford, California, rather than its usual venue of Eugene due to the redevelopment of Hayward Field ahead of the 2021 IAAF World Championships. Fine, sunny conditions helped produce a series of good performances and these included the men’s 100m where Christian Coleman ran a world lead of 9.81 (-0.1) to beat Justin Gatlin (9.87) as Britain’s Zharnel Hughes equalled his season’s best of 9.97 in third.

British eyes were also on Laura Muir and Dina Asher-Smith but it was not quite their night as they lost their respective races.

Faith Kipyegon took the women’s 1500m in 3:59.04 from Muir (3:59.47) as Shelby Houlihan finished strongly for third place in her first race of the summer.

Asher-Smith, meanwhile, was beaten by an inspired Blessing Okagbare in the women’s 200m as the Nigerian stormed to a 22.05 (1.9) win as Olympic champion Elaine Thompson was second in (22.21) and Asher-Smith third in (22.42).

A lively meeting saw plenty of surprise results, too. Darlan Romani of Brazil was a shock winner of the men’s shot with 22.61m ahead of Ryan Crouser’s 22.17m while Tom Walsh was third.

Romani became the first non-American to win the shot at this meeting and his throw was also a Diamond League record.

A competitive Bowerman Mile was won by Timothy Cheruiyot in a world outdoor lead of 3:50.49 from Ayanleh Souleiman (3:51.22), Filip (3:51.28) and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (3:51.30). Behind, Olympic champion Matt Centrowitz was fifth, world indoor record-holder Samuel Tefera eighth after clashing with Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the final bend and Yomif Kejelcha an underpar 13th.

World record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech front-ran to a 3000m steeplechase victory in a world lead of 8:55.58 and there was drama behind as world champion Emma Coburn fell on a barrier entering the back straight mid-race before getting up to finish a fine second in 9:04.90.

Caster Semenya returned to racing with a commanding win in the women’s 800m in a meet record 1:55.70 ahead of Ajee Wilson.

Another high-quality performance came from Rai Benjamin in the 400m hurdles as he took the win in style in a world lead of 47.16, well clear of runner-up Kyron McMaster.

In the men’s pole vault, Mondo Duplantis beat Sam Kendricks in an enthralling clash with a best of 5.93m.

Marie-Josee Talou won the women’s 100m in 11.02 (0.3) as a strong field failed to put up a challenge, epitomised by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce – the Jamaican sprints legend finishing eighth in 11.39.

Most exciting finish of the day, meanwhile, came in the men’s two miles when Joshua Cheptegei, the world cross-country champion from Uganda, held off the fast-finishing Paul Chelimo of the US to win in 8:07.50 as Selemon Barega of Ethiopia wound up a close third.

Elsewhere, Mariya Lasitskene was in imperious high jump form again with a 2.04m win, Orlando Ortega took the men’s 110m hurdles in 13.24 (0.3), Lijiao Gong of China won the women’s shot put with 19.79m and Mike Norman was the only man to break 45 seconds in the 400m as he clocked 44.62.

Where and when is it?

The action will take place at the Geelong Arena located in North Geelong. South-west of Melbourne, the port city of Geelong is the second-largest city in the state of Victoria and played host to last year’s event.

Tuesday 9th to Wednesday 10th of July sees the unseeded entries take to the tables for the two-day qualification tournament with the seeded players joining the successful qualifiers in the main event from Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th July.

All-star cast on show

Many of the world’s biggest names will be on display at the 2019 Australian Open including World champions Ma Long and Liu Shiwen.

World no.1s Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng will also be present, as will the likes of Tomokazu Harimoto, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Ding Ning and Mima Ito. Take a look at the full singles entry lists below:

10 times Down Under

Making its ITTF World Tour debut in 1996, the Australian Open has welcomed the world’s finest players on nine occasions – in just under a couple of weeks’ time, the event will be played out for a tenth!

In recent years the Australian Open has produced a range of eye-catching stories: three years back in 2016, Japan swept all six titles up for grabs and one year later Vladimir Samsonov won his 27th ITTF World Tour men’s singles title, a record at the time.

Last year in Geelong, China celebrated success in both singles categories with Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen claiming the titles. Korea Republic’s Lee Sangsu took home two trophies, partnering Jeoung Youngsik and Jeon Jihee to men’s doubles and mixed doubles gold respectively, while the women’s doubles prize went to Japanese teenagers Hina Hayata and Mima Ito.

Can I still grab tickets?

Yes! Tickets are still available – you can either grab a single session pass or why not treat yourself to an all sessions pass? There is also a VIP all sessions pass option if that takes your fancy.

Purchase your tickets for the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour Platinum Australian Open below:

Tickets

Korea Open: 5 things to know

Published in Table Tennis
Sunday, 30 June 2019 11:30
Xu-perman returns 

Xu Xin is having a moment: the 29-year-old achieved the triple crown of table tennis in Sapporo, becoming only the second player ever to capture men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the same ITTF World Tour stop. Xu joining a club so exclusive that only one other player – Korea’s Jang Woojin, who achieved the treble at this tournament last year – is a member.

The ‘Cloudwalker’ descends on Busan targeting the world #1 position currently occupied by his doubles partner Fan Zhendong, while Jang returns to the place of his greatest triumph hoping for a repeat performance. 

Pairs of aces

For all his tenacity elsewhere, Xu has been most effective in mixed doubles, winning three of the five World Tour contests, partnering with Liu Shiwen in Hungary and Doha and most recently with Zhu Yuling in Japan. For Korea, he’s back with Liu. 

If there’s one pair with the potential to play spoiler, it’s Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching, victorious at the China and Hong Kong Opens. Lin and Cheng have yet to face off against Xu in a World Tour final this year. 

Meanwhile, fresh from a golden run at the European Games in Minsk, Germany’s Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Solja will be looking to continue their success. 

A tight race at the top

A small spread separates women’s world #2 Liu Shiwen, #3 Ding Ning and #4 Zhu Yuling, while #1 Chen Meng maintains a fairly tenuous lead over Liu. While Chen leads in points, it’s #5 Wang Manyu who has most consistently appeared in late round play on the tour this year, etching victories against Liu in Doha and Chen in China, as well as a semi-finals appearance at the Hungarian Open. 

The player who has emerged as the biggest threat to the top four’s dominance is China’s Sun Yingsha, who surprised Liu and everyone else in taking the Japan Open two weeks ago, though she had served warning by making it to the semis in Doha in March as well. Sun is currently ranked #18, but another sunny performance would raise her stock significantly.

China doubles down 

What happens when you put the #1 and #3 singles players together? Generally, you get a pretty good pair out of it. That’s what China is banking on with Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin. Both have been on fire in singles competition, with Fan establishing himself as the most consistent points-earner on the circuit and Xu coming out on top at the last World Tour stop in Sapporo. 

Yet the Chinese coaches hesitated to enter the 2017 world champion duo in early season competitions, preferring to rely on Ma Long and Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan, who took the Hong Kong Open. But when Fan and Xu finally took the floor together, they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Germany’s Benedikt Duda and Qui Dang, a feat they’ll try to replicate in Korea.

Shifting forces in women’s pairs

As usual, China has been absolutely dominant in women’s doubles play for the first half of the year, and nobody has stood in the winner’s circle more than Wang Manyu, who with Zhu Yuling or Sun Yingsha has already seen action in four of five finals and won two of them.

What she hasn’t done yet in 2019 is pair with Chen Meng, who with Liu Shiwen defeated Wang and Sun at the Japan Open. They will however now have the chance to team up in Korea, as China once again shifts its doubles teams, seeking the ultimate combination of stars.

Laying down the law, Faiza Mahmoud

Published in Table Tennis
Sunday, 30 June 2019 12:16

Faiza Mahmoud started playing para table tennis in 2001. She became African champion in 2007, later she competed at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games; then also in 2012 in London and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

“I was encouraged by one of the national coaches in Egypt, Nasr Ahmed, to embrace table tennis fully. I was taken through the basics. A few years later I became national champion and went to conquer Africa in 2007 to qualify for my first Paralympic Games in China. In the parliament, there is a quota for outstanding sportsmen and sportswomen; I was considered ahead of others from Cairo to fill the post. So, I must admit that it was table tennis that aided my going to parliament. Since I became a lawmaker, it has not been easy combining with table tennis. However, this never stopped me from following my passion and that is why I am working hard to ensure I make it to the next Paralympic Games in Japan.” Faiza Mahmoud

First place in the group for Faiza Mahmoud, the no.2 seed, in the corresponding group, it was the same outcome for Nigeria’s Chineye Obiora, the top seed.

Meanwhile, in group organised women’s singles events, in class 6-8, the Egyptian duo of Hanna Hammad and Zaki Dalia ended the day unbeaten as in class 10 did Nigeria’s Faith Obazuaye and Egypt’s Reda Abdelaal.

Play in the individual events concludes on Monday 1st July.

2019 Para African Championships: Latest Results and Draws

Top seeds fall, tension mounts in Alexandria

Published in Table Tennis
Sunday, 30 June 2019 12:42

In group organised events, in class 1 Eslam Raslan beat colleague and top seed, Walid El-Sayed (6-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6) to end the day unbeaten; similarly in class 5 Ayman Zenaty accounted fellow Egyptian Hassan Tolba (11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7).

Surprises, in class 6, Ibrahim Hamadtou was beaten by compatriots Mahmoud Abdelmagid Bashir 11-7, 11-4, 11-3) and Faraq Hassan Ali (9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-3).

Similarly, in class 10, Alabi Olufeni accounted for South Africa’s Theo Cogill (4-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-4); in class 4, Isau Ogunkunle overcame Egypt’s Mohamed Sameh Eid Salah (11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-1, 11-7), a performance that attracted the attention of Olalekan Okusan, the ITTF-Africa Press Officer. He spoke to Isau Ogunkunle

“In 2011 when I first played against Mohamed Sameh Eid, he defeated me 3-0 but after the match he came to me to comfort and encouraged me not to give up. Since then we have been friends and we communicate with each other regularly. He became my idol in the game. I was in school in 2005 when I lost my father and it was difficult for me to continue schooling, so I dropped out. I decided to embrace shoemaking as a vocation. In 2010 I started playing table tennis. I will not allow this chance to slip my hand, I am hoping to make to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in Japan. I know it is a big hurdle but I am ready to go through it and fulfill my dream of competing at big stage.” Isau Ogunkunle

Defeats for leading names but not in the remaining men’s singles classes where the most prominent ended the day with defeat. In class 2, it was success for the host nation’s Kamal El-Rashidy, as it was in class 3 for Nigeria’s Ahmed Owolabi Koleoso. Few problems foe Ahmed Owolabi Koleoso but for the no.2 seed, there was defeat; Egypt’s Aly Mohamen was beaten Mamdouh Taman, also from Egypt (5-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-6).

Meanwhile, in the men’s singles standing classes, in class 7, Egypt’s Ahmed Sayed and Abousteit Abdelnoniem, the top respective top two seeds ended the day unbeaten, as in class 8 did Nigeria’s Victor Farinloye and the Ivory Coast’s Kouame Kouadio. Similarly in class 9, also from Nigeria, it was success for Tajudeen Agunbiade and Francis Chukwuemeka; a situation that applied also in class to the no.2 seed, Egypt’s Abdelrahman Abdelwahab.

Play in the individual events concludes on Monday 1st July.

2019 Para African Championships: Latest Results and Draws

Canes get Reimer in goalie swap with Panthers

Published in Hockey
Sunday, 30 June 2019 11:09

The Carolina Hurricanes have swapped goalies by acquiring James Reimer in a trade with the Florida Panthers.

Florida acquired goalie Scott Darling and immediately placed him on waivers with the intention to buy out the remaining two years of his contract. The Panthers also acquired a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft in the trade made Sunday, a day before the start of the NHL's free-agent signing period.

Reimer helps address the Hurricanes' immediate need at goalie with co-starters Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney eligible to become unrestricted free agents.

Reimer, 31, had a 13-12-5 record and a .900 save percentage in 36 games with the Panthers last season. Overall, Reimer has a 144-120-19 record in 338 games, including stops in Toronto and San Jose.

For Florida, the trade amounted to the team freeing up space under the salary cap in dealing Reimer and buying out Darling's contract.

The Panthers do have a need at goalie with Roberto Luongo retiring after 19 seasons on Wednesday. Florida, however, is considered the front-runner to sign Columbus starter Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency.

Darling, 30, had a 2-4-2 record in his second season with Carolina last year. He was unhappy over being demoted to the American Hockey League and had been granted a leave of absence in February. He has five years' experience and a 54-42-18 record in 126 games with Carolina and Chicago.

Beating Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia and the rest of the European Tour stars to capture the Andalucia Masters was nothing compared to the obstacles that Christiaan Bezuidenhout has faced in his short, difficult life.

The 24-year-old’s improbable journey to European Tour winner actually began with a freak accident in South Africa. In a blog post in March for the tour’s website, Bezuidenhout detailed how, when he was 2 years old, he picked up a Coke bottle and took a swig, only to learn that it’d been contaminated with rat poison. He was rushed to the hospital, and his stomach was pumped, but the poison still ravaged his nervous system and created a few lifelong challenges.

Among them was a severe stutter. At an early age, his stammering led to anxiety and depression, the darkness so deep that he feared answering the phone or introducing himself or getting called on in school, knowing that his classmates would stare and laugh at the kid who couldn’t spit out the answer. As a junior, the quality of his golf spoke for itself, but he’d still dread having to address the tournament organizers and fans and volunteers after each of his many victories.

When he was 14, a doctor prescribed him beta blockers to treat the anxiety and allowed him to “enjoy my life again.” But that relief was temporary. In 2014, while playing the British Amateur, Bezuidenhout learned that he’d tested positive for the beta blockers, even though he said that he’d filed the proper paperwork for his medication. His two-year ban was later reduced to nine months, but the suspension was devastating to his self-esteem and reputation. He was labeled a drug cheat.

“It felt like my life was over. ... I was inconsolable,” he said. “However, I eventually turned this into energy to help me come back stronger.”

So strong that he won his first mini-tour start back by seven shots.

So strong that he became the 2017 Sunshine Tour Rookie of the Year.

So strong that he retained his European Tour card in 2018 and then posted five top-15 finishes this season before his blowout victory at Valderrama, where on the final day, staked to a huge lead, he stared down Rahm, head to head, to collect his first tour victory.

He celebrated with hugs and a champagne shower before a TV interviewer approached, that familiar dread returning. Bezuidenhout collected himself and answered the two questions as articulately as possible.

“R-really pleased ... with the way ... that I played,” he said. “To finish it off, it’s-it’s unbelievable.”

So much in Bezuidenhout’s life will change now. His bank account added a few more zeroes. He earned job security for the next few years. And he now has a spot in next month’s Open Championship, held at Royal Portrush, where he was playing five years ago when he received the news that he’d been suspended.

But in Northern Ireland, he won’t be seen as the former drug cheat or the stutterer or the guy who accidentally drank rat poison.

He’ll just be Christiaan Bezuidenhout, European Tour winner, challenger for the claret jug.

U.S. star Rapinoe wrecked my watch - Neville

Published in Soccer
Sunday, 30 June 2019 13:00

LYON, France -- England Women manager Phil Neville hailed U.S. star Megan Rapinoe as "world class" and said he knew of her competitiveness to his own cost after she inadvertently destroyed his watch during a game last year.

Rapinoe has been one of the stars of the Women's World Cup, scoring all four goals in the U.S.'s two knockout matches to help them into the semifinals.

She and her teammates now face England in Lyon on Tuesday, and Neville said he knew how hard it would be to curb her influence.

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"I remember in my first SheBelieves [Cup match against the U.S. last year] when there was a ball bouncing on the touchline and I went to catch it and her studs came right through my Apple watch," he said. "She's not paid me back for that.

"What I liked about that was that she didn't say sorry, she just got on with it.

"She's a winner. I like the individuality in her, both on and off the field, and I think she's a world class footballer."

Neville praised the work Rapinoe has done to promote equality off the field, but focused on Tuesday's game as he challenged his players to keep the threat of her and Crystal Dunn down the left at bay.

The manager has hinted that England right-back Lucy Bronze could be played as a makeshift midfielder -- a ploy he used against the U.S. in the SheBelieves Cup.

"It might be Rachel Daly up against Rapinoe," Neville said. "You never know, as Daly did really well in SheBelieves against her, and the ability of Lucy Bronze to step into midfield is why we did that. We have a decision to make there, as Rachel's in fantastic form.

"If you think about the left-hand side of the USA and the right-hand side of England, I don't think you'll get many better left and right sides in women's football.

"The U.S. are the reigning champions and the ones everyone wants to beat."

Neville backed Bronze to win this year's Ballon d'Or, saying: "I do believe she's the best player in the world because she's unique in everything she does.

"Her athleticism, ability to defend one vs. one -- she's fearless in everything she does. She always rises to the big occasion.

"We've seen a player that's developed a lot in the last 18 months and, even though she plays full-back and sometimes in midfield, the qualities she possesses make her one of the most outstanding players in the world.

"Even though she plays at full-back, that needs recognising. When we do ballots and polls, sometimes defenders are special as well and we have a few."

Soccer

Watkins spoils Moyes return as Everton lose again

Watkins spoils Moyes return as Everton lose again

The second coming of David Moyes failed to inspire Everton on Wednesday as they lost 1-0 at home to...

Ange rails at Spurs' 'unacceptable' derby showing

Ange rails at Spurs' 'unacceptable' derby showing

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAnge Postecoglou said he hopes his Tottenham players are hurting af...

Rice after Arsenal derby win: Could have scored 10

Rice after Arsenal derby win: Could have scored 10

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsArsenal midfielder Declan Rice has praised the attacking performanc...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

OKC's Hartenstein (calf strain) out at least week

OKC's Hartenstein (calf strain) out at least week

EmailPrintOklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein will miss Thursday's matchup of the two te...

Sources: Suns get Richards in trade with Hornets

Sources: Suns get Richards in trade with Hornets

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Charlotte Hornets are trading center Nick Richards and a second...

Baseball

D-backs have 'potential' for title run with Burnes

D-backs have 'potential' for title run with Burnes

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- Even though it had been nearly three weeks since ace rig...

SS Peña, 17, nets $5 million bonus in Mets deal

SS Peña, 17, nets $5 million bonus in Mets deal

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- Elian Peña, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic who...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

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