Sports

With the Tour’s best playing their best, suddenly, everything feels familiar

Published

4 years ago

June 13, 2020

FORT WORTH, Texas – The low hum was impossible to ignore. About 100 yards short of Colonial’s 15th green and across Mockingbird Lane towered a grandstand complete with signage and filled to capacity.

As Corey Conners approached his tee shot, the sound coming from “Mockingbird Deck” was like that of any corporate hospitality tent along PGA Tour fairways before the world was changed by COVID-19. When Conners’ tee shot dropped within 5 feet of the cup, the well-appointed deck erupted with cheers.

For a moment nothing had changed.

Of course, we all know everything has changed, at least in the short term. Other than a similar grandstand set up outside of the property wall just off the 16th tee, Colonial was eerily quiet for the second consecutive day, with cheers and fans being the first sacrifice of the Tour’s return-to-competition plan.

No fans will be the status quo for at least the first five Tour events back; and even when the gates are reopened at Memorial, it will be at reduced occupancy.

Without galleries, the first 36 at Hogan’s Alley have been surreal. No one has felt the silence more than Harold Varner III, who easily admits he’s very much a people person.

“I wish there was some fans tomorrow. I like that a lot,” Varner said. “I mean, when it comes to being around the guys, it’s very normal. But when it comes to fans and spectators, it’s not normal at all.”

McIlroy (63) ties lowest round on tour this season at Colonial

Still, after two days in the Texas heat, it’s the competition that’s proven the story. Testing protocols, social distancing, and tournament bubbles have conspired to upend the normal day-to-day of tournament life, but the action between the fairway ropes has created a comfortable sense of normalcy.

It turns out that scorecards and pencils can have an amazingly cathartic impact on Tour pros. Competitive golf has quieted all the questions and concerns and created an odd sense of clarity despite continued uncertainty.

“I think even yesterday, once we sort of got into the flow of the round, things started to become more normal,” Rory McIlroy said. “When that first birdie putt went in, and I didn’t get a clap, I was sort of, like, my hand was trying to go up to wave to someone in the gallery, but there’s obviously no one there. But once you get into it, it’s the same. We’re trying to go out there and play the best golf we can.”

Maybe it’s the routine that’s changed the narrative, even if just for a few hours.

Jordan Spieth teed off at 7:45 a.m. local, sandwiched a double bogey between eight birdies, counted every shot and signed for a 65. It’s the same drill he’s been doing since junior golf.

You know, normal.

“I didn’t think it felt totally different yesterday, other than you don’t really know how close some of the shots are, because you’re normally waiting on the crowd reaction and stuff,” Spieth said. “It’s great to have the support and the pickup when things aren’t going well, and it’s nice to have the roars when it is going well. But golf is golf. You don’t actually really notice that you’re out here alone.”

You want normal? How about McIlroy hitting a 314-yard drive at the par-5 first hole and rolling in a 23-footer for eagle to move into the hunt? That’s been as normal as golf gets for the better part of the last decade.

Even the Day 2 leaderboard at golf’s post-quarantine lid-lifter looked normal, with all the regulars making an appearance. In order, Spieth, McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Bryson DeChambeau and Gary Woodland all found themselves in the hunt, as though the game never came to a crashing halt for three months.

“From watching from afar, this is a golf course that’s always let the best players rise to the top,” said McIlroy who is playing the Charles Schwab Challenge for the first time. “You have to be in complete control of your game, hit fairways, hit greens, convert some putts. And yeah, the leaderboard is a who’s-who of golf right now.”

**Spieth puts ’20-minute hiccup’ behind him, shoots second 65**

That the grand experiment to return to competition has rolled along largely according to plan has also helped keep wandering minds from getting caught up with everything that’s changed. Of the 487 in-market tests for coronavirus the Tour administered this week, there were no positive results.

It’s a testament to an extensive plan that was months in the making, and one that likely exceeded the expectations of even the Tour’s most optimistic officials.

Perhaps Sunday will be different. Maybe the emptiness that’s being filled by the comfort food of competition will manifest itself at the most crucial time, as players vie for a title on an empty golf course. Even the most complete blinders allow for the roar of a Sunday crowd.

“The weekend will change that for sure, especially Sunday, when you’re kind of interested in where everyone is at, and you don’t hear any roars and you just kind of don’t really know,” Spieth said.

But for now, after two days of routine, there is a familiarity that’s unmistakable. It’s all the same: the players, the caddies, the scores, the clubs. Everything except the cheers. And the small but boisterous crowd perched across Mockingbird Lane were doing their absolute best to fill that void.

Sourc – Golf Channel

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Sports

Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

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AP cricket:

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Sports

Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Sports

Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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