Golf Secrets

Ryan Briscoe’s blog: Having fun in Milford in preparation for the Indy 500

Rory Joseland — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:45:45 +0000

Its just about time for the Indianapolis 500, so all of us at Team Penske are gearing up for Saturdays opening day of practice for the 96th running of the race.

Its crazy to think that its already here. Indy always seems so far away most of the year, but then suddenly its upon us. I cant wait to get out on the track Saturday.

In the meantime, I managed to have some fun recently. Last week, we were invited to the General Motors proving grounds in Milford to honor some of Chevrolets top dealers from around the country. There were six drivers my teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves, Panther Racings JR Hildebrand, NASCARs Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Burton, and me.

Our job was to give the dealers rides around the proving grounds’ oval track in the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 as fast as we could go.

Tottenham defender Assou-Ekotto claims he may move in pursuit of Champions League football

Rory Joseland — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:08:10 +0000

Benoît Assou-Ekotto has plunged his Tottenham future into doubt by claiming he could leave White Hart Lane this summer as part of a gentlemen’s agreement with chairman Daniel Levy.

The left-back had played in every Premier League match until he dislocated a shoulder against Queens Park Rangers last month, but has now suggested that he will try to leave unless the club make more money available for squad investment. With Tottenham’s Champions League qualification hanging in the balance, he also provocatively dismissed the Europa League as a “useless” competition.

Assou-Ekotto’s outspoken comments are terribly timed given that Tottenham face a crucial London derby against Fulham on Sunday that could decide whether they play in the Champions League next season. It will

Fowler a fan favourite even before win

Ben Paramor — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:39:29 +0000

Anxious to capitalize on Bubba Watson’s improbable victory at Augusta National, Ping rushed to mass-produce a special-edition pink driver.

They’ll start shipping on the first day of June.

Turns out, it might already be too late.

Pink Power, meet the Orange Crush.

Just four weeks after watching his good pal, Watson, hit a heroic hook to win a playoff at the Masters, 23-year-old Rickie Fowler logged a bit of overtime of his own to eke out a one-stroke triumph at the Wells Fargo Championship.

No offence to D.A. Points, but Sunday’s playoff at Quail Hollow will be remembered as a showdown between golf’s brightest young star — that’d be reigning U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy — and its brightest dresser.

And now Fowler, best known for his flat-brimmed hats and orange outfits, has a PGA Tour title to go with his Puma endorsement deal.

“Well, Rory is the top-ranked young player right now,” Fowler told reporters. “I’m probably the one that sticks out most with colour. Now, I’m a PGA Tour winner, so I’ve got some credibility.”

What sets Fowler apart from other first-time winners is that he’s far from an unknown commodity.

The hype of his impressive amateur career didn’t hurt, but Tiger Woods was cool because he won twice in his first seven appearances as a professional.

Fowler made 67 starts on the PGA Tour before finally collecting a trophy — for what it’s worth, he did win the OneAsia Tour’s Kolon Korea Open last October — but he became a superstar anyway.

The Orange Crush certainly didn’t start Sunday, and it’s not slowing down now.

Consider, for example, the scene at the 2011 RBC Canadian Open in Vancouver.

Luke Donald, at the time the top-ranked golfer in the world, headlined a deeper-than-usual field for Canada’s national championship. Big names such as Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and Charl Schwartzel also showed up. Same goes for long-bombing bad-boy John Daly.

But anybody who walked the grounds at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club will tell you the undisputed fan favourite — at least until Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., made a spirited attempt at ending Canada’s title drought on the final day — was Fowler.

It was never to hard to identify his supporters.

“It’s always cool seeing the little guys running around out there with the Puma hat a little too big for them,” Fowler told QMI Agency that week.

Some of those same little guys probably have Cobra’s orange-tinged golf gear on their wish-list for their next birthday.

Heck, they might be working on their own scraggly moustaches.

Thing is, Fowler’s win at the Wells Fargo Championship didn’t necessarily cause any of that. The next generation of golfers had already picked their guy.

You can bet the brass at PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., wouldn’t mind seeing a few more Sunday showdowns between Fowler and McIlroy, the 23-year-old who leapfrogged back into the No. 1 spot in the world rankings with his share of second at Quail Hollow, but Rickie’s popularity isn’t pinned to his on-course performance.

The win? That’s a bonus. A lot of kids were planning to wear a flat-brimmed Puma hat to their next junior lesson regardless.

“This is who I am. I don’t want to be anyone who I’m not and don’t want to be marketed any way that doesn’t represent me,” Fowler said. “Obviously, I have some great sponsors and a good partnership with Puma, who helped me show who I am on the course. Now, we’ve got the win, so we’re good to go.”

And he’s got a flock of young fans ready to follow.

wes.gilbertson@sunmedia.ca

On Twitter: @GilbertsonGolf

Wikipedia executive speaks in Minneapolis about its reliability

Luke Vallis — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:40:55 +0000

Sue Gardner, the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, says transparency is the key to building trust and accuracy. She spoke April 19, 2012 at the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Double gold for China

Rory Joseland — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 15:07:44 +0000

China cemented their place as the dominant force in table tennis by bagging both the men’s and women’s team golds at the World Championships in Germany.

The men beat hosts Germany 3-0 in the final in Dortmund, and the women followed that up by taking their title with another 3-0 victory against defending champions Singapore.

Both Chinese teams are defending Olympic champions and will head to London this summer as big favourites to retain both titles.

The men won a sixth team title in succession with their victory while the women won an 18th gold at the World Team Championships as they avenged defeat two years ago in Moscow – the only time they have failed to win since 1991.

“Again we are world champions and that is well-deserved,” said China men’s coach Liu Guoliang.

Punters backing tiger to score major windfall

Ben Paramor — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 02:54:50 +0000

In betting terms, the US Masters is the largest golf event in the calendar with millions traded over the four days as the hopes of punters ebb and flow with the fortunes of their selections. With in-play punting now such an integral feature of golf betting, this year’s event is expected to be one of the biggest in history.

After shooting a 65 on the Friday of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill GC, Tiger Woods began to attract sustained support for the Masters at odds of 8/1 and that price halved after his five-shot demolition of the field.

Backed at a high of 12/1 earlier this year when still appearing to be in a career wilderness, a resurgent Tiger is hitting form at just the right time and although the field he faces in Augusta is probably the best he will have ever encountered there, I expect his price to contract even further in the coming days.

Tempers flare in Flyers’ win over Penguins

Luke Vallis — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 07:16:42 +0000

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin collides with Philadelphia Flyers’ Claude Giroux in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Sunday.

Enlarge this image

Jakub Voracek scored twice in the third period to break open a tight game and lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

Van Persie bags brace at Liverpool

Rory Joseland — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 20:35:58 +0000

Past form means nothing – Carrick Newcastle pair pen new deals I’ll never quit, vows Villas-Boas Chelsea probe smoke bomb incident Rose leads while McIlroy looms British trio safely negotiate heats O’Shea hits out at Newcastle Hall is world class – McDermott O’Brien: No excuses for Ireland

Liverpool paid for missing a penalty and hitting the post twice as Arsenal’s Robin van Persie scored twice to snatch a late 2-1 Barclays Premier League victory at Anfield.

Dirk Kuyt squandered the Reds’ sixth spot-kick this season just before Laurent Koscielny put through his own net, but Van Persie equalised with a close-range header from a rare Gunners’ chance.

The home side dominated the second half but failed to capitalise and were punished by the Holland international’s second in added time.

The visitors appeared in danger of being swamped early on and Luis Suarez won a penalty when he was tripped by Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Patrick Chan figures to repeat at Worlds

Luke Vallis — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:48:40 +0000

The way Patrick Chan has been steamrolling the competition, hes expected this week to became the first man to repeat as world figure skating champion in six years.

The Canadian hasnt lost a competition in more than a year, and only once during that span has someone managed to get within double digits of him. He has quadruple jumps in both programs, and few skaters can match his ease and whimsy on the ice.

“I dont really think about the points very much,” Chan said. “I just wanted to see the difference of my skating last year to this year, thats the main focus. So at the end of worlds, I can watch the video of this year and see a big difference, a big improvement in the movement of the program compared to last year.”

Make no mistake, however, he wants another title in Nice, France.

Tiger Woods ends wait with Arnold Palmer Invitational win as former world No 1 tees-up for tilt at Masters

Ben Paramor — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 01:23:57 +0000

Thirty months and 12 days had elapsed since Woods’ last triumph on the PGA Tour, but his Sunday procession at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, resplendent in signature red shirt and battering opponents into submission with his remorseless brilliance, hardly felt like a nostalgia trip. It was a feeling at once so foreign and yet so familiar.

If the significance was inescapable, then so was the timing. Woods delivered this emphatic triumph just 10 days before the Masters, where the portents could scarcely be more promising for his fifth title at Augusta. In the four years when he has donned the green jacket, he has always won the tournament immediately beforehand, too. <

Minneapolis city council member Sandy Colvin Roy supports Vikings stadium bill

Luke Vallis — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 10:28:43 +0000

St. Paul, Minn. It’s now up to state lawmakers to either pass or reject a Vikings stadium bill. Some lawmakers wanted Minneapolis city council members on board with the deal that calls for the city to spend $150 million on a stadium, and nearly $190 million to help operate the facility.

Yesterday in a surprise announcement, Mayor R.T. Rybak said seven of the 13 council members had signed letters of support.

One of the council members who initially had concerns is Sandy Colvin Roy. She has since decided to support the deal. She talks about why with Cathy Wurzer.

Haney a Tiger tattle-tale

Ben Paramor — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:59:38 +0000

Just as Tiger Woods’ victory at Bay Hill on the weekend had impeccable timing with it coming just before the Masters, so too did the release on Tuesday of his former coach’s tell-all book, The Big Miss (Crown Archetype).

As Tiger goes, so will go sales of this Hank Haney offering, which has raised eyebrows with early excerpts and a well-publicized confrontation between Woods and Golfweek reporter Alex Miceli, who dared ask golf’s marquee player about the contents of the book.

If The Big Miss derails Woods at the Masters, as I first thought it might, it will only be because Tiger is the alpha male that Haney portrays in the book. The initial reaction to the book will likely be dulled by the time Woods heads up Magnolia Lane.

Get on your bike: easy tips and tricks

admin — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:07:09 +0000

Mountain biking is an adventure sport which is not considered an everyday option by most people, as it requires great determination and endurance not only to simply take the sport seriously, but even to win the challenge among many other cyclists, to reach the target as soon as possible. Racing is a sport that can be considered if a person has the courage to face the challenge. And to top it up, if the race is over rough terrain, as the mountain area is considered, the power of will, stamina and focus is all that matters. Read more…

Suh carried weight in Nebraska hoops coaching search

Rory Joseland — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:28:45 +0000

Give $2.6 million to your old school and your word carries some weight, at least it did for Ndamukong Suh.

According to the Omaha World Herald, Suh was one of three prominent Nebraska supporters who recommended athletic director Tom Osborne hire Tim Miles as basketball coach, which Osborne did this week.

Miles said he and Suh have a mutual friend who put them contact this week.

Osborne joked (we think) that he wasn’t about to ignore the Detroit Lions defensive tackle’s recommendation.

“When Ndamukong calls, I always listen. And if I don’t listen,” Osborne told the paper, “he’ll break my neck.”

As a rookie, Suh donated $2 million to Nebraska’s strength and conditioning program and another $600,000 to endow a scholarship for the university’s engineering department.

F1: Jenson Button is gearing up for a big performance in Malaysia

Rory Joseland — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:09:19 +0000

Jenson Button sees no reason why McLaren will not deliver in the humid heat of Malaysia after enjoying success in the cool climes of Melbourne.

Button scored his 13th victory in Formula One on Sunday when he triumphed for the third time in four years around the temporary ‘street’ circuit of Albert Park.

As a platform on which to launch a world title bid this year, the 32-year-old could not have wished for a more solid beginning.

For once at the start of a season McLaren have come flying out of the blocks, with Lewis Hamilton underpinning their success with pole on Saturday, but forced to settle for third in the race.

However, in F1 it might not necessarily follow that just because the Woking-based team were so successful Down Under they will go on to light up the Sepang circuit on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur this weekend.

Button, though, is confident the fears expressed by many of their rivals so far that McLaren are the team to beat should hold true over the course of the weekend.

“Within the team we’ve talked about Malaysia, and obviously it’s a very different place than Melbourne,” Button told Press Association Sport.

“I think a lot of people had problems warming up their tyres in Melbourne, whereas we won’t have that problem in Malaysia due to the heat.

“So it’s finding a good set-up for that circuit and consistency is going to be tricky.

Bees given lesson by Recreation

Luke Vallis — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:39:11 +0000

BRIDPORT RESERVES 1

HAMWORTHY RECREATION 5

STEVE Crabb believes his side learned some valuable lessons from this mauling at the hands of reigning champions Hamworthy Recreation.

The philosophical boss thought the final scoreline slightly flattered the visitors but was also disappointed his Bridport side did not give a better account of themselves.

Crabb told Echosport: “Hamwor-thy are a very good side and if you make mistakes against them you get punished, and that is exactly what happened.

“Their first two goals both came from free-kicks given away in bad areas and then their third came just 30 seconds after we had missed a great opportunity to get back into the game.