WARM favourite Rory McIlroy deftly defused one controversy on the eve of the Irish Open last night but left another riddle unsolved.
McIlroy will thrill tens of thousands of his fellow countrymen in Killarney this week if he reproduces the quality golf which earned him a landslide victory at last month’s US Open at Congressional.
Yet after his disappointing finish at the British Open, McIlroy stirred a hornet’s nest by saying he was “not a fan” of tournaments decided by the weather and was not inclined to change his game to play just one tournament.
Explaining he’d been “frustrated coming off the golf course” at Royal St George’s, McIlroy went on: “If I’d a little more time to think about it, I probably would have said something different.
“I was honest and just spoke as I felt,” explained the Holywood star (22), adding he’d ask friend, mentor and Open champion Darren Clarke for advice on how to play better in seaside breezes.
“I’m going to have to learn how to play in those conditions going forward,” McIlroy conceded.
“Obviously, Darren’s unbelievable in the wind.
It comes to something for a species when the death of a single animal can represent a disaster – but that’s what has happed in Indonesia. The concern about the recent death of the Sumatran Tiger indicates wider concerns for a species that is now down to just 400 in the wild.
According to Greenpeace, the Sumatran Tiger was rescued after being caught in a trap on the border of an area used for extensive felling associated with the pulp and paper industry.
First-round picks Gabriel Landeskog and Duncan Siemens have signed three-year deals with the Colorado Avalanche.
Landeskog was the second overall selection in the June draft, while Siemens was taken at No. 11. They are both scheduled to participate in the Avalanche’s training camp this fall.
The 18-year-old Landeskog played last season for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. He led the team with 36 goals despite missing a chunk of the season with an ankle injury.
The 17-year-old Siemens suited up in all 72 games for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League. Read more…
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Tiger Woods has said he will return to action at next week’s Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone in Ohio.
The 35-year-old has not played competitively since pulling out of the Players Championship in May midway through his first round because of knee and achilles injuries.
“I’m excited to get back out there,” Woods said on his personal website.
Although Woods has been inactive, he has still endured an eventful few months, slipping to No21 in the world rankings, the first time he has been out of the top 20 in 14 years, and splitting with his caddie Steve Williams.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — South African Rugby Union chief executive Jurie Roux says 21 Springboks said to be injured and unable to play in Tri-Nations matches in Australia and New Zealand are not at a secret training camp as local media has reported.
Roux made an angry rebuttal Thursday of South African media reports that the reportedly injured players, ruled out of matches against Australia last weekend and New Zealand on Saturday, are training at Rustenburg under Springboks technical director Rassie Erasmus.
Springboks coach Peter de Villiers was also confronted with the accusation that South Africa may be resting top players ahead of the World Cup, when his team arrived in Wellington from Sydney on Wednesday.