International sports, Ryder Cup golf
Celtic Manor, Wales (GenevaLunch) - The European team dominated the third day of the Ryder Cup, just missing the “Full Monty” as they dominated the USA team with five wins and one draw in the six matches. Team captain Colin Montgomerie looked on as Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker were thrashed 6&5 by Lee Westwood and Luke Donald. The Northern Irish pairing of Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell added the next point to bring Europe level. The European team then took three of the fourballs before the Italian Molinari brothers shared the point with Stewart Cink and Matt Cuchar.
The final round of twelve singles matches has been postponed till Monday to make up for the time lost to rain. Europe currently lead by 9 1/2 to 6 1/2 and need to take five of the final games to win the trophy.
International sports, British Open Golf
St Andrews, Scotland (GenevaLunch) – South African Louis Oosthuizen dominated the Open at St Andrews to win by seven strokes from England’s Lee Westwood. Rory McIlroy, Paul Casey and Henrik Stenson tied for third. Tiger Woods ended well back after scoring two double bogeys on his final round. The 27-year-old Oosthuizen laid the foundations for his victory on Friday, when he took full advantage of favourable conditions in the early morning rounds to take a commanding lead, and then played steadily while the challengers slipped away. In his speech he started by wishing a happy 92nd birthday to Nelson Mandela.
He is the second South African to win the Open at the home of golf, after Bobby Locke in 1957, and the sixth South African to win a major.
Augusta, Georgia, USA (GenevaLunch) – Phil Mickelson took charge of the last round of the Masters with a typical display of inspired golf to end 16 shots below par. ”Lefty” won his third green jacket by three strokes as the challenge from Englishman Lee Westwood dissolved in a series of missed putts. Tiger Woods ended in a tie for fourth place with a round that ranged from eagle to bogey. He later said that he intended to take some more time off to deal with his complicated personal life.
Links to other sites: 2010 Masters Golf Tournament, Guardian
The top crowd-pulling golfer, Tiger Woods, is quitting the sport indefinitely, saying on his official site that “I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father and person.” He acknowledges publicly for the first time his infidelity to his wife and apologizes.
Links to other sites: Japan Today, Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, Tiger Woods site
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Friday often brings some of the world’s stranger bits of news, from amusing to weird to hard to believe:
- Young people who are not yet of voting age, in Geneva, Switzerland erected the first new and relatively small minaret, defying the 29 November popular vote that bans them: in the Place Neuve, out of cardboard. Institute of Race Relations, UK (Ed. note: here is a design for homemade miniature cardboard minarets, in case they suddenly sell out in Swiss shops)
- Manchester, England: a 29-year-old man was shot dead when he and friends were confronted outside the money exchange where he worked. Police say he was robbed for cash and for his laptop. A 20-year-old is in custody. Guardian, UK
- A heavily drunk man in the Perm Territory, in the Russian Urals, was saved from flames by his cat. He fell asleep with a cigarette in his hand and when the apartment burst into flames his cat leaped onto him, scratching his face until the man came to and phoned the fire department. Ria Novosti, Russia
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US golfer Tiger Woods suffered facial injuries in an accident that occurred just outside his home in the early hours of Friday. The Guardian reports that “Police said the incident was not alcohol related but in what is a standard procedure added that ‘charges were pending’.” The Los Angeles Times notes that the accident, with Woods hitting a fire hydrant and then a tree, at under 33 miles per hour, was not related to a domestic quarrel. Police report that they arrived at the scene of the accident to find Woods and his wife Elin, who had bashed in the rear window of the car with a golf club, but the accident report was filed only 12 hours after the crash. Why Woods was leaving home at 02:25 remains a mystery. The accident occurred a day after The National Enquirer, notorious for its stories about celebrities, published an article suggesting the golfer had an affair with another woman: the newspaper’s online version of the story was unavailable at the time GL posted this article.
Links to other sites: Guardian, UK, Los Angeles Times, National Enquirer
Chaska, Minnesota (GenevaLunch) – YE Yang became the first Korean to win one of the four Majors and the first player to overhaul Tiger Woods in the final round of a Major golf tournament when he won the US PGA Championship with an eight under par 280. The 37-year-old South Korean carded a final round 70, two under par while Woods could only manage a 75 to finish three shots behind.
Details: Minneapolis Star and Tribune
Update 18 July 08:40 Turnberry, Scotland (GenevaLunch) – Veteran golfer Tom Watson sunk two monster putts on the last few holes to head the leaderboard at the Open at Turnberry after two days.
Turnberry, Scotland (GenevaLunch) - Fifty-nine-year-old old Tom Watson spent most of the day at the top of the leaderboard after posting a five under score of 65 on the first 18 holes, only to be bettered by Miguel Angel Jiminénez, a sprightly 45-year-old, who finished his round with two birdies to score 64. Tiger Woods was well off the pace after carding 71.
Details, Telegraph, UK
