England have not had to waste too much time this winter checking prize-money on offer, and nobody seemed sure yesterday how much is at stake in the Twenty20 international against West Indies tomorrow. Suffice to say that, to the nearest million, it will be $20 million (about £14.3 million) less than the pot for their previous meeting in the shortest format.
The Stanford Superstars of the infamous game last November take on the national mantle this time and, with England seeking a first victory of an eventful few months, that miserable week in Antigua is easily identified as the place where things began to go wrong. They have since failed to win in seven Test matches against India and West Indies, and lost 5-0 in the one-day series in India.
Kevin Pietersen's view that India have raised the batting side of their game to a higher level as a result of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cannot be proved either way. Those who consider his opinion to be self-serving, that England players must follow the same road, will note that Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh were established and effective long before the event.
In any case, the immediate future of the IPL is under renewed doubt after the Indian government rejected a revised fixture list because of clashes with the forthcoming general election. Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, has also made what may prove to be a huge error of judgment in rejecting any input from the player associations over security. Dimitri Mascarenhas, the single England player to have participated so far, is awaiting guidance from Rajasthan Royals, his franchise and the defending champions, as well as the ECB before deciding whether to recommit. Having spent two months playing limited-overs matches for Otago in New Zealand he is becoming a one-day specialist in more than just description.
Mascarenhas provides a litmus test for attitudes towards a form of the game still considered inferior in England. Pietersen may be right, but there is no guarantee that performances in the IPL would mean much in the eyes of the selectors. Mascarenhas believes that the IPL can be a source of general improvement, but with a caveat. “In the first stage they play 14 games, which means you get experience in a lot of situations,” he said. “But they do play on a lot of flat pitches.”
He seems certain to play tomorrow and in the 50-over warm-up against the West Indies Players Association in Pointe-a-Pierre today, but Paul Collingwood is a doubt for both matches with a bacterial infection. Whether Mascarenhas retains his place for the first one-day international in Guyana on Friday may depend on the fitness of Andrew Flintoff, who is expected to be rested this weekend.
Source:the times
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Fearless Rory McIlroy steps up challenge as Phil Mickelson keeps Woods in shade
The rivalry between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods is a long and not particularly friendly one. Which is why Mickelson, despite what he says, will have taken pleasure in stealing the world No 1’s thunder after two rounds here at the WGC-CA Championship.
One has the express aim of taking the course apart, and is doing so, while the other is doing everything in his power to restore a respectability to what has so far proved a disappointing return to strokeplay competition after eight months sidelined through injury.
It would be fair to say that Mickelson failed to take advantage while the Big Cat was away. Yet after a barren nine months, he rediscovered his winning touch at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles three weeks ago and has looked in fine fettle over the inaptly named Blue Monster course at Doral. After opening rounds of 65 and 66, the world No 3 has moved to 13 under par and holds a lead of two shots over Nick Watney and three over Rory McIlroy and Kenny Perry. Woods had a 70 and is ten shots back.
McIlroy, meanwhile, is continuing to amaze. The 19-year-old Northern Irishman dropped a couple of shots in his round of 66, but they paled into insignificance alongside six birdies and an eagle, the latter courtesy of a 268-yard shot across water to within seven feet of the hole at the par-five 8th, his seventeenth.It was a shot of pure brilliance, one that stunned and delighted in equal measure and that matched another at the fearsome 18th, a 200-yard approach shot to the green that set up the only birdie registered on the hole all day. Even McIlroy was impressed.
“They were two of the best shots I’ve ever hit, to be honest,” he said. He has been playing in the States for only three weeks and is living up to his billing in every way.
In Los Angeles last month, Mickelson was forced to dig deep for his one-stroke win over Steve Stricker after throwing away a five-shot lead in the final round. But he did what all the great champions manage to do: to win ugly. When Woods does it, he gets praised and yet Mickelson attracts the opposite reaction.
His performance in Miami, however, has been anything but ugly. He has gone all out with his drives, confident that he has ironed out a tendency to spray the ball left and right — but also in the knowledge that the rough here is virtually non-existent — and has given a masterclass in the art of the short game. He chipped in three times during the first round and did so yesterday at the 7th, his sixteenth. His round included seven birdies and only one bogey.
On the subject of Woods’s travails, Mickelson said all the right things. “It kind of sucks \,” he said. “I came close in ’05 and got beat and I would love the opportunity to play head to head.” Get him when he is down, in other words. “We cannot wait for him to get back on top of his game. Then, hopefully, we will be able to keep pace with him.”
Padraig Harrington, hoping to find some form in the build-up to the Masters, where he will attempt to win his third major championship in succession, had a mixed bag in a round of 71. Starting at the 10th, he opened with an eagle, had picked up four shots within five holes and shared the lead on ten under par. He picked up two more birdies, but with three bogeys and a double bogey on his card, he ended the day six shots off the pace.
There were good rounds for Ian Poulter, whose 67 moved him to eight under par, and Paul Casey, who lies a shot farther back after a 66.
Source:the times
One has the express aim of taking the course apart, and is doing so, while the other is doing everything in his power to restore a respectability to what has so far proved a disappointing return to strokeplay competition after eight months sidelined through injury.
It would be fair to say that Mickelson failed to take advantage while the Big Cat was away. Yet after a barren nine months, he rediscovered his winning touch at the Northern Trust Open in Los Angeles three weeks ago and has looked in fine fettle over the inaptly named Blue Monster course at Doral. After opening rounds of 65 and 66, the world No 3 has moved to 13 under par and holds a lead of two shots over Nick Watney and three over Rory McIlroy and Kenny Perry. Woods had a 70 and is ten shots back.
McIlroy, meanwhile, is continuing to amaze. The 19-year-old Northern Irishman dropped a couple of shots in his round of 66, but they paled into insignificance alongside six birdies and an eagle, the latter courtesy of a 268-yard shot across water to within seven feet of the hole at the par-five 8th, his seventeenth.It was a shot of pure brilliance, one that stunned and delighted in equal measure and that matched another at the fearsome 18th, a 200-yard approach shot to the green that set up the only birdie registered on the hole all day. Even McIlroy was impressed.
“They were two of the best shots I’ve ever hit, to be honest,” he said. He has been playing in the States for only three weeks and is living up to his billing in every way.
In Los Angeles last month, Mickelson was forced to dig deep for his one-stroke win over Steve Stricker after throwing away a five-shot lead in the final round. But he did what all the great champions manage to do: to win ugly. When Woods does it, he gets praised and yet Mickelson attracts the opposite reaction.
His performance in Miami, however, has been anything but ugly. He has gone all out with his drives, confident that he has ironed out a tendency to spray the ball left and right — but also in the knowledge that the rough here is virtually non-existent — and has given a masterclass in the art of the short game. He chipped in three times during the first round and did so yesterday at the 7th, his sixteenth. His round included seven birdies and only one bogey.
On the subject of Woods’s travails, Mickelson said all the right things. “It kind of sucks \,” he said. “I came close in ’05 and got beat and I would love the opportunity to play head to head.” Get him when he is down, in other words. “We cannot wait for him to get back on top of his game. Then, hopefully, we will be able to keep pace with him.”
Padraig Harrington, hoping to find some form in the build-up to the Masters, where he will attempt to win his third major championship in succession, had a mixed bag in a round of 71. Starting at the 10th, he opened with an eagle, had picked up four shots within five holes and shared the lead on ten under par. He picked up two more birdies, but with three bogeys and a double bogey on his card, he ended the day six shots off the pace.
There were good rounds for Ian Poulter, whose 67 moved him to eight under par, and Paul Casey, who lies a shot farther back after a 66.
Source:the times
Martin Johnson says England can beat France
Whatever criteria you apply to England, whether you regard them as a side making progress or standing still - or worse, in retreat - there is no room for manoeuvre tomorrow. France must be beaten at Twickenham and Scotland next weekend, the final round of the RBS Six Nations Championship, if Martin Johnson and his cohorts are to emerge with any credit, any kind of foundation laid down during the team manager's first season in office.
Johnson denies that this imposes any more pressure than is normal in international sport. “You always want to win,” he said with a shrug. Particularly in front of supporters who have seen little to cheer them up in the past five matches at Twickenham.
But even if Johnson's reputation, for which he gives scant regard, does not hinge on success in these next two games, his players need it to convince themselves that the graph is pointing upwards. There have been clear signs of that during the away games in Cardiff and Dublin, both lost but any kind of neutral analysis of the set-pieces, the defence, the ability to force turnover ball suggests potential. Unfortunately, the record book is unforgiving in that respect: it tells only who has won or lost, not how the game was played, and when the whole is masked by the cloak of darkness that is England's disciplinary record, it is easy to be pessimistic.
But the record also shows that England need not fear France, even if they overcame Wales a fortnight ago in Paris in particularly difficult circumstances. In this fixture two years ago, England bounced back from a record defeat in Dublin and played one of their most compelling games of 2007; seven months later they overcame France on their own soil in the World Cup semi-finals and, four months further on, did the same again in the championship.
That there are only five survivors from 2007 in the starting XV tomorrow is a reminder of the problems Johnson has been trying to fix. Throw in the two World Cup warm-up games and 46 players have appeared for England against France in the past two years. Even allowing for injuries and retirement, there is still wheat to be sorted from the chaff.
The query is how England will try to win this game. Steve Borthwick, the captain, says the intention has been to attack from the outset, home or away, and that will be the case again. England will have to slug it out at scrum and lineout against one of the biggest France sides to appear at Twickenham. The visiting pack averages 17st 5lb a man and Mathieu Bastareaud, the new centre, is 6lb heavier than that.
England do not want, or need, to become involved in an arm wrestle, even if Johnson has taken the precaution of throwing Simon Shaw into the fray. Now is the time for Brian Smith to earn his corn as attack coach. “France have only lost one game, they have a shot at the championship still, but watching our guys train this week, they have worked the best I've seen from them,” Johnson said. “It doesn't necessarily transfer to the pitch, but our understanding is getting better and better, we have made strides, the spirit in the team is stronger.”
Just as they did against the Wales No8, Andy Powell, England must throw a chain around Imanol Harinordoquy, who has been such an important ball-carrier for France. He has been a sublime presence at the lineout, too, hence the return of Tom Croft, who is the most athletic leaper England have. It will be Joe Worsley's role to act as stopper around the field, backed up by Borthwick, who helped so much to neutralise Powell.
Johnson admits that the use of Croft this season, as an auxiliary lock, is preparation for the possibility that the IRB will confirm this year the experimental law variations (or "English law variations", as the former Wales prop, Graham Price, told his former Lions colleague, Bill Beaumont, this week with graphic detail on why England were being penalised so much). If the free-kick offence overtakes the direct penalty, as in the southern hemisphere, then mobile forwards such as Croft will be at a premium.
But the Leicester man offers something special in the back row and England must not neglect it. They are only beginning to maximise their resources and France are concerned that this may be the day they discover themselves. “I've looked at all their games and looked at all their penalties and I think they've been unlucky,” Dave Ellis, the France defence coach, said. “Those yellow cards could easily have gone the other way. I don't think they're a bad team. If they can be patient, it will be difficult for us.” Soft soap, some might say, but Ellis is right: maybe tomorrow the sceptics will have to change their minds.
England
15 D Armitage 14 M Cueto 13 M Tindall 12 R Flutey 11 U Monye 10 T Flood 9 H Ellis 1 A Sheridan 2 L Mears 3 P Vickery 4 S Borthwick (capt) 5 S Shaw 6 T Croft 7 J Worsley 8 N Easter Replacements D Hartley, J White, NKennedy, J Haskell, D Care, A Goode, MTait
France
15 M Médard 14 J Malzieu 13 M Bastareaud 12 Y Jauzion 11 C Heymans 10 F Trinh-Duc 9 M Parra 1 L Faure 2 D Szarzewski 3 S Marconnet 4 L Nallet (capt) 5 J Thion 6 T Dusautoir 7 S Chabal 8 I Harinordoquy Replacements B Kayser, T Domingo, L Picamoles, J Bonnaire, S Tillous-Borde, FFritz, D Traille
Source:the times
Johnson denies that this imposes any more pressure than is normal in international sport. “You always want to win,” he said with a shrug. Particularly in front of supporters who have seen little to cheer them up in the past five matches at Twickenham.
But even if Johnson's reputation, for which he gives scant regard, does not hinge on success in these next two games, his players need it to convince themselves that the graph is pointing upwards. There have been clear signs of that during the away games in Cardiff and Dublin, both lost but any kind of neutral analysis of the set-pieces, the defence, the ability to force turnover ball suggests potential. Unfortunately, the record book is unforgiving in that respect: it tells only who has won or lost, not how the game was played, and when the whole is masked by the cloak of darkness that is England's disciplinary record, it is easy to be pessimistic.
But the record also shows that England need not fear France, even if they overcame Wales a fortnight ago in Paris in particularly difficult circumstances. In this fixture two years ago, England bounced back from a record defeat in Dublin and played one of their most compelling games of 2007; seven months later they overcame France on their own soil in the World Cup semi-finals and, four months further on, did the same again in the championship.
That there are only five survivors from 2007 in the starting XV tomorrow is a reminder of the problems Johnson has been trying to fix. Throw in the two World Cup warm-up games and 46 players have appeared for England against France in the past two years. Even allowing for injuries and retirement, there is still wheat to be sorted from the chaff.
The query is how England will try to win this game. Steve Borthwick, the captain, says the intention has been to attack from the outset, home or away, and that will be the case again. England will have to slug it out at scrum and lineout against one of the biggest France sides to appear at Twickenham. The visiting pack averages 17st 5lb a man and Mathieu Bastareaud, the new centre, is 6lb heavier than that.
England do not want, or need, to become involved in an arm wrestle, even if Johnson has taken the precaution of throwing Simon Shaw into the fray. Now is the time for Brian Smith to earn his corn as attack coach. “France have only lost one game, they have a shot at the championship still, but watching our guys train this week, they have worked the best I've seen from them,” Johnson said. “It doesn't necessarily transfer to the pitch, but our understanding is getting better and better, we have made strides, the spirit in the team is stronger.”
Just as they did against the Wales No8, Andy Powell, England must throw a chain around Imanol Harinordoquy, who has been such an important ball-carrier for France. He has been a sublime presence at the lineout, too, hence the return of Tom Croft, who is the most athletic leaper England have. It will be Joe Worsley's role to act as stopper around the field, backed up by Borthwick, who helped so much to neutralise Powell.
Johnson admits that the use of Croft this season, as an auxiliary lock, is preparation for the possibility that the IRB will confirm this year the experimental law variations (or "English law variations", as the former Wales prop, Graham Price, told his former Lions colleague, Bill Beaumont, this week with graphic detail on why England were being penalised so much). If the free-kick offence overtakes the direct penalty, as in the southern hemisphere, then mobile forwards such as Croft will be at a premium.
But the Leicester man offers something special in the back row and England must not neglect it. They are only beginning to maximise their resources and France are concerned that this may be the day they discover themselves. “I've looked at all their games and looked at all their penalties and I think they've been unlucky,” Dave Ellis, the France defence coach, said. “Those yellow cards could easily have gone the other way. I don't think they're a bad team. If they can be patient, it will be difficult for us.” Soft soap, some might say, but Ellis is right: maybe tomorrow the sceptics will have to change their minds.
England
15 D Armitage 14 M Cueto 13 M Tindall 12 R Flutey 11 U Monye 10 T Flood 9 H Ellis 1 A Sheridan 2 L Mears 3 P Vickery 4 S Borthwick (capt) 5 S Shaw 6 T Croft 7 J Worsley 8 N Easter Replacements D Hartley, J White, NKennedy, J Haskell, D Care, A Goode, MTait
France
15 M Médard 14 J Malzieu 13 M Bastareaud 12 Y Jauzion 11 C Heymans 10 F Trinh-Duc 9 M Parra 1 L Faure 2 D Szarzewski 3 S Marconnet 4 L Nallet (capt) 5 J Thion 6 T Dusautoir 7 S Chabal 8 I Harinordoquy Replacements B Kayser, T Domingo, L Picamoles, J Bonnaire, S Tillous-Borde, FFritz, D Traille
Source:the times
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Toro Rosso aiming to beat recession, says Franz Tost
Toro Rosso will buck the trend and increase staff numbers this year while other Formula One teams axe jobs in the face of the credit crunch, Franz Tost, the team principal, said today.
Toro Rosso, based in Italy, are the smallest outfit in Formula One, with an annual budget of just over 100 million euros, a spending level three times below some manufacturers’. Tost said that cost-cutting measures, such as a ban on testing during the season, introduced by the sport’s governing bodies will help. The team’s engine costs are likely to fall by half compared with last year. However, Toro Rosso must become a full constructor – designing and building their own car. They have previously shared their basic chassis with Red Bull, their sister team.
“We will add staff in the design department as well as the aerodynamic department,” Tost said. “But in the rest of the departments we are quite full with people. Currently in Faenza [their base] we have around 178 people and at the end of the season and beginning of 2010 I assume we will have around 250 people.”
Toro Rosso, powered by Ferrari, are the former Minardi team renamed after being bought by Red Bull in 2005. They made a big breakthrough last year when they won the Italian Grand Prix with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.
Asked whether he felt small teams could continue to have a decent level of performance, Tost made clear that they would always be struggling to match the big ones even with a reduction in costs.
“We have to do the job as efficiently as possible, and I think we are doing this,” he said.“I’m quite sure you can’t now compare Toro Rosso with Ferrari or McLaren or BMW, they have a much better infrastructure and also more people. But we will increase our infrastructure, we will build it up and bring in people and we will see where we end up,” he added.
Tost said the extra staff would not necessarily come from other teams. Christian Horner, the head of Red Bull, told reporters at his team’s car launch last month that he expected to shed at least 20 positions while Renault have also cut jobs in Britain and France. “Every team in the pitlane will be facing a downsizing to some degree greater or lesser because of the reduced activities,” Horner said.
The former Honda team, with around 700 employees last year, are expected to compete with substantially fewer people in their new guise of Brawn GP. The Formula One season starts with the Australian Grand Prix at the end of March.
Source:the times
Toro Rosso, based in Italy, are the smallest outfit in Formula One, with an annual budget of just over 100 million euros, a spending level three times below some manufacturers’. Tost said that cost-cutting measures, such as a ban on testing during the season, introduced by the sport’s governing bodies will help. The team’s engine costs are likely to fall by half compared with last year. However, Toro Rosso must become a full constructor – designing and building their own car. They have previously shared their basic chassis with Red Bull, their sister team.
“We will add staff in the design department as well as the aerodynamic department,” Tost said. “But in the rest of the departments we are quite full with people. Currently in Faenza [their base] we have around 178 people and at the end of the season and beginning of 2010 I assume we will have around 250 people.”
Toro Rosso, powered by Ferrari, are the former Minardi team renamed after being bought by Red Bull in 2005. They made a big breakthrough last year when they won the Italian Grand Prix with Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.
Asked whether he felt small teams could continue to have a decent level of performance, Tost made clear that they would always be struggling to match the big ones even with a reduction in costs.
“We have to do the job as efficiently as possible, and I think we are doing this,” he said.“I’m quite sure you can’t now compare Toro Rosso with Ferrari or McLaren or BMW, they have a much better infrastructure and also more people. But we will increase our infrastructure, we will build it up and bring in people and we will see where we end up,” he added.
Tost said the extra staff would not necessarily come from other teams. Christian Horner, the head of Red Bull, told reporters at his team’s car launch last month that he expected to shed at least 20 positions while Renault have also cut jobs in Britain and France. “Every team in the pitlane will be facing a downsizing to some degree greater or lesser because of the reduced activities,” Horner said.
The former Honda team, with around 700 employees last year, are expected to compete with substantially fewer people in their new guise of Brawn GP. The Formula One season starts with the Australian Grand Prix at the end of March.
Source:the times
Paul Casey reaches desert final
Perhaps this will be the year in which Paul Casey demonstrates c o n c l u s i v e p r o o f o f h i s prodigious talent. The 31-year-old from Cheltenham, now based a 90-minute drive from Tucson in Scottsdale, Arizona, will become the first Englishman to contest a final of the Accenture Match Play Championship after he overcame the Surrey-based professional Ross Fisher in an encounter that was more a battle of attrition than one of those gunfights that lent these parts enduring renown.
Casey and Fisher were two of the sharpest shooters all week at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, near where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday left several victims lying in the dust in the infamous Gunfight at OK Corral. The desert heat and the sheer physical toll of playing two matches in one day made the Englishmen two tired gunslin-gers and when Fisher missed a 12ft par putt for a half on the 14th hole to fall two down he looked as doomed as Billy Clanton.
When his ball finished amid the Saguaro cacti on the next hole he struggled to extricate himself from the trouble but Casey failed to capitalise and they halved with bogey sixes. Fisher staged a late rally with successive birdies on the 15th and 16th to narrow the gap to one hole but Casey secured a 2&1 win with another birdie on the penultimate green.
His victory in Abu Dhabi and a fourth-place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic made for an encouraging start to the season and he has carried his confidence all the way across to the Sonoran Desert. “The goals are the same, the majors and the big tournaments,” confirmed Casey, who has not improved on his tied-for-sixth finish at The Masters in 2004 in 18 majors since then.
His performance level has been the most consistently reliable of the past week. In his five matches he was never behind at any point. Shaun O’Hair had suffered a bout of food poisoning on Friday after eating a pepperoni pizza and was in no shape to halt Casey in the morning quarter-finals, which the European Ryder Cup stalwart won 4&3. Fisher, the 2008 European Open winner, had followed a seven-bird-ie haul on Friday, which secured a remarkable 4&3 victory over former US Open champion Jim Furyk, with another seven-birdie round in his quarter-final against Justin Leonard, who won the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1997, for a 2&1 win.
But the birdies dried up in the afternoon, with Casey and Fisher producing only six between them and one more bogey.
Mental strength, more than the brute strength inherent in his game, pulled Casey through. “I know what it is like to play 36 holes of match play in a day through playing in three Ryder Cups, the most extreme and most fatiguing I have ever felt on a golf course, and that experience helped to pull me through,” he said. “This isn’t quite as bad but it was tough and gruelling and Ross made it as hard for me as he could.”
In today’s 36-hole final Casey will play Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion from Australia who won this event in 2006 before finishing runner-up in 2007 to Hen-rik Stenson. Ogilvy was a convincing 4&2 winner over the American Stewart Cink, whom Tiger Woods battered 8&7 in last year’s final. Ironically, Ogilvy played a practice round here with Casey two weeks ago. “I think that was very useful,” Casey acknowledged. “It was going to be useful just playing any round I played down here but especially so playing with Geoff because he knows desert golf very well, having lived out here for a while. I took a lot out of that one round. We didn’t keep score, we just played and it was all very casual but it will be different tomorrow.”
Life may be different, too, for Rory McIlroy after he wooed the American galleries with several precocious performances, including a win over “Tiger-slayer” Tim Clark. His week culminated in a courageous 2&1 defeat by Ogilvy in yesterday’s quarter-finals. He was midway through his round with Hunter Mahan on Thursday when a spectator cried out, “Hey, Ronald McDonald, I’ll have a quarter-pounder with cheese.” The teenager laughed – “It was funny and I’ve probably been called worse because of my hair” – before he birdied three of the final four holes to beat his American opponent on the final green. Nothing much fazes the 19-year-old from Holywood, Co Down.
After seven birdies and just one dropped shot, Ogilvy left McIlroy with a downhill, left-to-right putt from 12ft on the 16th hole to stay in the match, precisely the kind of challenge to test the young man’s character. His nerve held, his putting stroke was true and the putt dropped. An eighth birdie in a blistering round on the penultimate hole secured a 2&1 victory for Ogilvy but, by breaking into the top 15 of the world rankings ahead of former US Open champion Jim Furyk through his efforts here, McIlroy has made his mark.
His progress and the striking maturity of his play and demeanour coincided with Ernie Els, a former world No 1, proclaiming that McIlroy will soon challenge Woods for this distinction. “I think that you’re looking at the next No 1 in the world with him,” said Els of the Northern Irishman. “He’s got all the tools and he’s probably got the current No 1, hopefully, not going to do what he’s been doing the last three years.”
Source:the times
Casey and Fisher were two of the sharpest shooters all week at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, near where Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday left several victims lying in the dust in the infamous Gunfight at OK Corral. The desert heat and the sheer physical toll of playing two matches in one day made the Englishmen two tired gunslin-gers and when Fisher missed a 12ft par putt for a half on the 14th hole to fall two down he looked as doomed as Billy Clanton.
When his ball finished amid the Saguaro cacti on the next hole he struggled to extricate himself from the trouble but Casey failed to capitalise and they halved with bogey sixes. Fisher staged a late rally with successive birdies on the 15th and 16th to narrow the gap to one hole but Casey secured a 2&1 win with another birdie on the penultimate green.
His victory in Abu Dhabi and a fourth-place finish at the Dubai Desert Classic made for an encouraging start to the season and he has carried his confidence all the way across to the Sonoran Desert. “The goals are the same, the majors and the big tournaments,” confirmed Casey, who has not improved on his tied-for-sixth finish at The Masters in 2004 in 18 majors since then.
His performance level has been the most consistently reliable of the past week. In his five matches he was never behind at any point. Shaun O’Hair had suffered a bout of food poisoning on Friday after eating a pepperoni pizza and was in no shape to halt Casey in the morning quarter-finals, which the European Ryder Cup stalwart won 4&3. Fisher, the 2008 European Open winner, had followed a seven-bird-ie haul on Friday, which secured a remarkable 4&3 victory over former US Open champion Jim Furyk, with another seven-birdie round in his quarter-final against Justin Leonard, who won the Open Championship at Royal Troon in 1997, for a 2&1 win.
But the birdies dried up in the afternoon, with Casey and Fisher producing only six between them and one more bogey.
Mental strength, more than the brute strength inherent in his game, pulled Casey through. “I know what it is like to play 36 holes of match play in a day through playing in three Ryder Cups, the most extreme and most fatiguing I have ever felt on a golf course, and that experience helped to pull me through,” he said. “This isn’t quite as bad but it was tough and gruelling and Ross made it as hard for me as he could.”
In today’s 36-hole final Casey will play Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 US Open champion from Australia who won this event in 2006 before finishing runner-up in 2007 to Hen-rik Stenson. Ogilvy was a convincing 4&2 winner over the American Stewart Cink, whom Tiger Woods battered 8&7 in last year’s final. Ironically, Ogilvy played a practice round here with Casey two weeks ago. “I think that was very useful,” Casey acknowledged. “It was going to be useful just playing any round I played down here but especially so playing with Geoff because he knows desert golf very well, having lived out here for a while. I took a lot out of that one round. We didn’t keep score, we just played and it was all very casual but it will be different tomorrow.”
Life may be different, too, for Rory McIlroy after he wooed the American galleries with several precocious performances, including a win over “Tiger-slayer” Tim Clark. His week culminated in a courageous 2&1 defeat by Ogilvy in yesterday’s quarter-finals. He was midway through his round with Hunter Mahan on Thursday when a spectator cried out, “Hey, Ronald McDonald, I’ll have a quarter-pounder with cheese.” The teenager laughed – “It was funny and I’ve probably been called worse because of my hair” – before he birdied three of the final four holes to beat his American opponent on the final green. Nothing much fazes the 19-year-old from Holywood, Co Down.
After seven birdies and just one dropped shot, Ogilvy left McIlroy with a downhill, left-to-right putt from 12ft on the 16th hole to stay in the match, precisely the kind of challenge to test the young man’s character. His nerve held, his putting stroke was true and the putt dropped. An eighth birdie in a blistering round on the penultimate hole secured a 2&1 victory for Ogilvy but, by breaking into the top 15 of the world rankings ahead of former US Open champion Jim Furyk through his efforts here, McIlroy has made his mark.
His progress and the striking maturity of his play and demeanour coincided with Ernie Els, a former world No 1, proclaiming that McIlroy will soon challenge Woods for this distinction. “I think that you’re looking at the next No 1 in the world with him,” said Els of the Northern Irishman. “He’s got all the tools and he’s probably got the current No 1, hopefully, not going to do what he’s been doing the last three years.”
Source:the times
Steven Gerrard the red destroyer leads rout of mighty Real Madrid
Liverpool’s love affair with European football continued at Anfield last night when Rafael Benítez’s team humiliated Real Madrid to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.
Steven Gerrard scored twice in his 100th European game, Fernando Torres marked his return from injury with the opener against the team he loves to hate and Andrea Dossena claimed his first goal in a red shirt as Liverpool sauntered to a 4-0 win against the Spanish champions. It was Real’s heaviest Champions League defeat and secured a resounding 5-0 aggregate victory.
Liverpool may be maddeningly inconsistent in the Barclays Premier League, but they remain formidable in Europe and no one will want to be paired with them when the draw for the quarter-finals is made in Nyon, Switzerland, a week on Friday.
It was the perfect fillip before the crucial visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. Trailing Manchester United, the leaders, by seven points and having played a game more, Liverpool must win if they are to have any realistic chance of ending their 19-year wait for the title.
“That was as good as we have played all season,” Gerrard, who was afforded a standing ovation even by the Real supporters when he was substituted, said. “We were awesome for the first 30 minutes and the job was done by half-time. The most important thing was to win and book a place in the last eight, but it was a fantastic team performance. We will get some treatment for knocks and bruises and then concentrate on United. They are a fantastic team but we have every confidence after tonight that we will go and give it our best shot.”
Torres, who had missed Liverpool’s previous two league matches with a twisted ankle and played despite having his foot heavily bandaged, said: “There was no risk. I had been planning all week to play in this one. It was very important to play against Real given my past with Atlético Madrid. Pain doesn’t matter in games like this — goals are more important to me. It was massive for the fans.” He celebrated his goal pointedly in front of the visiting fans.
This was also another personal triumph for Benítez. The Liverpool manager’s future remains uncertain, with the Spaniard stalling on signing a new four-year contract, but he further enhanced his credentials. Waving to the crowd as they chanted his name, Benítez will only have strengthened Real’s desire to lure him to the Bernabéu in the summer.
The only sour note was a yellow card for Javier Mascherano that will rule the Argentina midfield player out of the first leg of Liverpool’s quarter-final.
Chelsea booked their place in the last eight courtesy of a thrilling 2-2 draw with Juventus in Turin to go through 3-2 on aggregate. Guus Hiddink’s side twice fell behind but showed great resolve to equalise through Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
“This draw is like a victory,” Drogba said. “When they scored it really helped us — we decided to play our game.”
Source:the times
Steven Gerrard scored twice in his 100th European game, Fernando Torres marked his return from injury with the opener against the team he loves to hate and Andrea Dossena claimed his first goal in a red shirt as Liverpool sauntered to a 4-0 win against the Spanish champions. It was Real’s heaviest Champions League defeat and secured a resounding 5-0 aggregate victory.
Liverpool may be maddeningly inconsistent in the Barclays Premier League, but they remain formidable in Europe and no one will want to be paired with them when the draw for the quarter-finals is made in Nyon, Switzerland, a week on Friday.
It was the perfect fillip before the crucial visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. Trailing Manchester United, the leaders, by seven points and having played a game more, Liverpool must win if they are to have any realistic chance of ending their 19-year wait for the title.
“That was as good as we have played all season,” Gerrard, who was afforded a standing ovation even by the Real supporters when he was substituted, said. “We were awesome for the first 30 minutes and the job was done by half-time. The most important thing was to win and book a place in the last eight, but it was a fantastic team performance. We will get some treatment for knocks and bruises and then concentrate on United. They are a fantastic team but we have every confidence after tonight that we will go and give it our best shot.”
Torres, who had missed Liverpool’s previous two league matches with a twisted ankle and played despite having his foot heavily bandaged, said: “There was no risk. I had been planning all week to play in this one. It was very important to play against Real given my past with Atlético Madrid. Pain doesn’t matter in games like this — goals are more important to me. It was massive for the fans.” He celebrated his goal pointedly in front of the visiting fans.
This was also another personal triumph for Benítez. The Liverpool manager’s future remains uncertain, with the Spaniard stalling on signing a new four-year contract, but he further enhanced his credentials. Waving to the crowd as they chanted his name, Benítez will only have strengthened Real’s desire to lure him to the Bernabéu in the summer.
The only sour note was a yellow card for Javier Mascherano that will rule the Argentina midfield player out of the first leg of Liverpool’s quarter-final.
Chelsea booked their place in the last eight courtesy of a thrilling 2-2 draw with Juventus in Turin to go through 3-2 on aggregate. Guus Hiddink’s side twice fell behind but showed great resolve to equalise through Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
“This draw is like a victory,” Drogba said. “When they scored it really helped us — we decided to play our game.”
Source:the times
Steven Gerrard the red destroyer leads rout of mighty Real Madrid
Liverpool’s love affair with European football continued at Anfield last night when Rafael Benítez’s team humiliated Real Madrid to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the fourth time in five seasons.
Steven Gerrard scored twice in his 100th European game, Fernando Torres marked his return from injury with the opener against the team he loves to hate and Andrea Dossena claimed his first goal in a red shirt as Liverpool sauntered to a 4-0 win against the Spanish champions. It was Real’s heaviest Champions League defeat and secured a resounding 5-0 aggregate victory.
Liverpool may be maddeningly inconsistent in the Barclays Premier League, but they remain formidable in Europe and no one will want to be paired with them when the draw for the quarter-finals is made in Nyon, Switzerland, a week on Friday.
It was the perfect fillip before the crucial visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. Trailing Manchester United, the leaders, by seven points and having played a game more, Liverpool must win if they are to have any realistic chance of ending their 19-year wait for the title.
“That was as good as we have played all season,” Gerrard, who was afforded a standing ovation even by the Real supporters when he was substituted, said. “We were awesome for the first 30 minutes and the job was done by half-time. The most important thing was to win and book a place in the last eight, but it was a fantastic team performance. We will get some treatment for knocks and bruises and then concentrate on United. They are a fantastic team but we have every confidence after tonight that we will go and give it our best shot.”
Torres, who had missed Liverpool’s previous two league matches with a twisted ankle and played despite having his foot heavily bandaged, said: “There was no risk. I had been planning all week to play in this one. It was very important to play against Real given my past with Atlético Madrid. Pain doesn’t matter in games like this — goals are more important to me. It was massive for the fans.” He celebrated his goal pointedly in front of the visiting fans.
This was also another personal triumph for Benítez. The Liverpool manager’s future remains uncertain, with the Spaniard stalling on signing a new four-year contract, but he further enhanced his credentials. Waving to the crowd as they chanted his name, Benítez will only have strengthened Real’s desire to lure him to the Bernabéu in the summer.
The only sour note was a yellow card for Javier Mascherano that will rule the Argentina midfield player out of the first leg of Liverpool’s quarter-final.
Chelsea booked their place in the last eight courtesy of a thrilling 2-2 draw with Juventus in Turin to go through 3-2 on aggregate. Guus Hiddink’s side twice fell behind but showed great resolve to equalise through Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
“This draw is like a victory,” Drogba said. “When they scored it really helped us — we decided to play our game.”
Source:the times
Steven Gerrard scored twice in his 100th European game, Fernando Torres marked his return from injury with the opener against the team he loves to hate and Andrea Dossena claimed his first goal in a red shirt as Liverpool sauntered to a 4-0 win against the Spanish champions. It was Real’s heaviest Champions League defeat and secured a resounding 5-0 aggregate victory.
Liverpool may be maddeningly inconsistent in the Barclays Premier League, but they remain formidable in Europe and no one will want to be paired with them when the draw for the quarter-finals is made in Nyon, Switzerland, a week on Friday.
It was the perfect fillip before the crucial visit to Old Trafford on Saturday. Trailing Manchester United, the leaders, by seven points and having played a game more, Liverpool must win if they are to have any realistic chance of ending their 19-year wait for the title.
“That was as good as we have played all season,” Gerrard, who was afforded a standing ovation even by the Real supporters when he was substituted, said. “We were awesome for the first 30 minutes and the job was done by half-time. The most important thing was to win and book a place in the last eight, but it was a fantastic team performance. We will get some treatment for knocks and bruises and then concentrate on United. They are a fantastic team but we have every confidence after tonight that we will go and give it our best shot.”
Torres, who had missed Liverpool’s previous two league matches with a twisted ankle and played despite having his foot heavily bandaged, said: “There was no risk. I had been planning all week to play in this one. It was very important to play against Real given my past with Atlético Madrid. Pain doesn’t matter in games like this — goals are more important to me. It was massive for the fans.” He celebrated his goal pointedly in front of the visiting fans.
This was also another personal triumph for Benítez. The Liverpool manager’s future remains uncertain, with the Spaniard stalling on signing a new four-year contract, but he further enhanced his credentials. Waving to the crowd as they chanted his name, Benítez will only have strengthened Real’s desire to lure him to the Bernabéu in the summer.
The only sour note was a yellow card for Javier Mascherano that will rule the Argentina midfield player out of the first leg of Liverpool’s quarter-final.
Chelsea booked their place in the last eight courtesy of a thrilling 2-2 draw with Juventus in Turin to go through 3-2 on aggregate. Guus Hiddink’s side twice fell behind but showed great resolve to equalise through Michael Essien and Didier Drogba.
“This draw is like a victory,” Drogba said. “When they scored it really helped us — we decided to play our game.”
Source:the times
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