Tiger Woods injured and ruled out of Open Championship

Former world number one Tiger Woods has confirmed he will miss this month's Open Championship at Sandwich because of his troublesome left leg injury.

The 35-year-old has not played competitively since suffering a recurrence of the injury at the Players Championship in mid-May.

"Unfortunately, I've been advised that I should not play in the British Open," Woods said on his official website.

Woods has 14 major titles, four short of the record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Despite slipping to 17th in the current world rankings, Woods insisted: "I think my best years are still ahead of me and I'm very confident and optimistic about the future.

"I am only going to come back when I'm 100% ready. I do not want to risk further injury.

"In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have competed at the Players, but it's a big event and I wanted to be there to support the tour. I've got to learn from what I did there and do it right this time and not come back until I'm ready."

Sharmila Nicollet misses cut at Finnair Masters

Sharmila Nicollet missed the cut at the Finnair Masters, but said she learnt a lot in her maiden appearance this season on the Ladies European Tour.

The tall Indian pro shot rounds of 78 and 79 and her final nine proved to be her best with just one bogey.

Nicollet, who has been very successful on the domestic WGAI Tour where she topped the Order of Merit last year, said it was a great experience to play an event of such a high level.

Thailand's Titiya Plucksataporn, a top-10 finisher at the Hero Honda Women's Indian Open last year, and Anne-Lise Caudal of France set the pace with six-under par 65 on the first day.

Plucksataporn, 28, from Bangkok, established the clubhouse lead with an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys on a warm opening morning at Helsinki Golf Club.

Plucksataporn had a career best finish of fifth at the 2007 Ladies Masters in India.

McIlroy gives Britain top 3 places in rankings

British golfers hold the top three spots in the world rankings, the first time that's happened in the 25-year history of the rankings.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland rose to third Monday following his triumph at the U.S. Open. Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood are No. 1 and No. 2.

Having started the year at No. 10, McIlroy overtook PGA Champion Martin Kaymer without playing last weekend because of the German's poor showing at the BMW International Open.

McIlroy won the U.S. Open by a record score at Congressional on June 19. His next tournament is the British Open at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England, starting July 14.

Tiger Woods starts well in Farmers Open at Torrey Pines

Former world number one Tiger Woods made a decent start to his 2011 season, firing an opening-round, three-under par 69 at the Farmers Insurance Open.

With the first winless season of his career now behind him, American Woods hit three birdies in a flawless round on a near-perfect day at Torrey Pines.

It left him five strokes behind leader Kang Sung-hoon, from South Korea.

Kang birdied his final two holes to finish with six overall as well as an eagle to end up eight under par.

American pair Alex Prugh and Rickie Fowler were a shot behind the South Korean on seven under with US compatriot Chris Kirk finishing day one on the North Course with a round of 66.

The best score on the South Course was 67 by American John Daly.

Back at Torrey Pines for the first time since his stunning play-off win at the 2008 US Open, Woods teed off on the back nine and made his first birdie at the par-three 12th where he struck his tee shot to four feet.


With hardly a breath of wind to bother the golfers, it seemed likely Woods - playing on the North Course - would pick up at least two more shots before the turn but wayward drives at the par-five 14th and 18th cost him birdie chances.

Watched by a surprisingly small gallery numbering around 200, Woods birdied the second and then got to three under after sinking a 25-footer at the par-three sixth, where he sank to his knees in relief.

He lipped out with a birdie attempt from 10 feet at the par-four seventh and failed to birdie the par-five ninth after driving into a fairway bunker.

Woods, who was engulfed by a sex scandal at the end of 2009, spent much of last year unsuccessfully trying to repair his marriage and also undergoing the fourth swing change of his career.

He finished the 2010 PGA Tour season without a single title for the first time since he turned professional in 1996 and was deposed as world number one by Britain's Lee Westwood at the end of October.

However, since Woods joined forces with Canadian swing coach Sean Foley after the PGA Championship in August, his form has steadily improved and he began this season with high hopes.

"I'm happy with the way I played, absolutely," said Woods.

"It could have been a lot better if I took care of the par-fives a little bit more, but I didn't do that.

"Hopefully on the South Course tomorrow I can take care of the par-fives and put together a little bit better round."

He added: "You can't make these putts above the hole on the North Course. I knew that from years past and this year's no different.

"They just move too much, and most of the putts I had today were breaking."


courtsey : http://news.bbc.co.uk

EA Sports moves forward with Tiger Woods' game rollout

EA Sports said on Monday it was moving forward with plans to introduce a Tiger Woods online game despite the top golfer's public relations nightmare and drastic drop in popularity following his adultery scandal.

The Electronic Arts Inc unit's president, Peter Moore, said in a company blog, www.itsinthegame.com, that the company would this month begin offering 'Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online,' a browser-based golf game developed in the past year.

"Our relationship with Tiger has always been rooted in golf," he wrote on the blog. "We didn't form a relationship with him so that he could act as an arm's length endorser.

"Regardless of what's happening in his personal life ... Tiger Woods is still one of the greatest athletes in history," he added.

EA's move comes four days after AT&T Inc terminated its sponsorship deal with Woods, joining other companies that have either distanced themselves or cut ties with the world's first billionaire athlete since he became engulfed in allegations of multiple extramarital affairs after a minor car accident outside his Florida home November 27.

Woods, believed to be the world's wealthiest athlete, estimated to earn about $100 million a year in endorsement deals before his troubles, confessed on December 11 to "infidelity." He announced he would take an indefinite break from golf to save his marriage to Swedish wife Elin Nordegren.

The game is one of EA Sports' first online efforts, to be offered to consumers initially at no cost during a testing phase, but eventually requiring a subscription fee to play.

EA, which previously had said its Tiger Woods PGA Tour business would remain unchanged, signed a sponsor deal with the world's No. 1 golfer in 1997 and has introduced 12 versions of the video game bearing his name.

However, Moore did not say on Monday whether EA would move forward with the expected rollout this summer of its next Tiger Woods PGA Tour video game, annually one of the company's highest-selling sports products. A spokesman declined further comment.

Previously, technology outsourcing and consulting firm Accenture Plcended its endorsement deal with Woods, while Procter & Gamble Co's shaving products maker Gillette and Tag Heuer, a unit of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said they would continue their relationships but drop Woods from their marketing.

In addition to EA Sports, others who have not backed away from Woods include athletic shoe maker Nike Inc, Upper Deck, Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets business and TLC Vision Corp, as well as developers in Dubai working on completing a Tiger Woods golf course project.

Ice-cream is a no-no for this champion

The Super Series is a big event; to win it you should be focussed for all six days. Your opponents don't have any other work either, apart from trying to win. They don't give up; they fight as hard as you. When you're a professional player you have to be disciplined.

You have to be careful about what you eat, for instance. I believe you should eat whatever you want, but not junk, because you know it's not good. I know I put on weight if I eat ice-cream. I eat ice-cream when I win a tournament. I ate it after winning the Indonesian Open, after more than four months of hard training. You cannot eat anything related to chocolate because sugar can make you slow. Sweets are generally banned for me.

I used to eat a lot when I was a kid. I used to be a vegetarian, but when I shifted to the (Gopichand) academy; (coach) Gopi told me I should try non-vegetarian food. He said if I had to win at the highest level, I had to be disciplined. I understood, so I cut down on junk food. It has to come from inside you -- if you want to win, you have to sacrifice some things. And I sacrificed to be here.

I don't need a psychologist because from I've been mentally very strong from childhood. Meditation, however, is very important. Gopi gave me a CD called 'Yoga Nidra' which I do for 45 minutes before a match and the night before. That helps me stay calm during the match. I have three-four tracks in my mobile, and I listen to them. That makes me calm; I don't hurry things up during the match. I don't just hit smashes and want to finish it off; I want to continue the rally.

That makes me more focussed. There are a few more things that I follow. I take long breaths when I'm on court, so I relax. During the Indonesian Open, I couldn't sleep during the tournament. I used to listen to these tracks till 1 or 2am, and would sleep around 2am. After winning the final, I was up the whole night holding the medal.

I think of only winning. See... when I play on court, it's more of--when will I win? It's not like, am I playing that right or wrong, or something like that. I'm not bothered about my strokes, or my opponent. I'm bothered about my winning or losing. So when I come home, I keep wondering: When will I win the tournament that she (a particular opponent) won? When will I be No.1? These are the thoughts that are always with me.

US-SPORTS Summary

Stingy Cavaliers defense clips Hawks wings

ATLANTA - The Cleveland Cavaliers used stingy defense and a fourth quarter burst to beat the Atlanta Hawks 95-84 on Tuesday and post their fifth straight win. Mo Williams shot a team-high 20 points and LeBron James 14 with 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, who scored 10 unanswered points early in the fourth quarter and then choked the Hawks offense to coast to victory.

Coyotes beat Canucks for 10th straight home win

PHOENIX - The Phoenix Coyotes maintained their hot streak on home ice after a 3-2 shootout win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday earned them a 10th successive home triumph. Lauri Korpikoski scored the only goal in the shootout to beat the Canucks and improve the Coyotes' home record to 16-5-0 on the year.

Nadal feels in better shape for 2010 season

MADRID - World number two Rafael Nadal believes he is in better shape for the start of the 2010 tennis season than he was this year despite having a relatively short time to prepare. Nadal, who was plagued by knee and stomach injuries during 2009, helped Spain to a crushing victory over Czech Republic in this month's Davis Cup final and has had only three weeks to train for the new season.

Usain Bolt reminds the world why sport means so much to so many

LONDON - Amid the soaring triumphs and tawdry scandals underscoring the first decade of the new millennium, Usain Bolt reminded the world why sport captivates and exalts so many people. A roar of disbelief greeted the tall Jamaican in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium last year after he shattered the world 100 record and became the first person to run under 9.7 seconds.

Tiger Woods scandal cost shareholders up to $12 billion

MIAMI - The sex scandal that engulfed Tiger Woods may have cost shareholders of companies endorsed by the world's No. 1 golfer up to $12 billion in losses, according to a study by two economics professors from the University of California, Davis. The study, released on Monday by researchers Victor Stango and Christopher Knittel, gave an estimate for damage to the market value of Woods' main sponsors caused by revelations of alleged extramarital affairs that surfaced after he was involved in a minor car accident outside his Florida home on November 27.

Seven teams, two AFC wildcard slots

MIAMI - Seven teams remain in contention for the AFC's two wild card places before Sunday's final round of regular season play in one of the most complex playoff run-ins for years. While all the NFC's playoff spots have been taken and only the positioning is at stake on Sunday, there are all manner of scenarios in the other conference.

Accenture ends sponsorship deal with Tiger Woods

Scandal-hit golfing superstar Tiger Woods has lost his sponsorship deal with Accenture. The consulting firm ended the deal saying the golfer, accused of cheating on his wife with several women, is "no longer the right representative" after the "circumstances of the last two weeks."

Meanwhile, razor company Gillette has also said that it is "limiting" the sportsman's marketing role, reports The Telegraph. Also, AT&T is "evaluating" its contract with Woods.

Speculators believe Woods can suffer losses of an estimated 66 million pounds in income if he is dropped by sponsors, over the course of a year. Woods has decided to take an "indefinite" break from professional golf in a bid to save his marriage.

'Tiger Woods was shy as a teenager,' says first girlfriend

Tiger Woods' first girlfriend has opened up about her relationship with the troubled golfer, saying he used to be a shy guy. Dina Gravell (now Gravell-Parr) and Woods fell for each other in high school.

"We were each other's first real boyfriend and girlfriend," the New York Post quoted Gravell, as saying. "It was fire and flames. We were in teenage love."

The duo - Gravell, then 17, and Woods, then 16 - first came to know each other in 1992 while they attended an ac counting class at Western HS in Ana heim, Calif.

Gravell recalled: "It wasn't love at first sight. It wasn't a physical thing." However, as weeks passed the two came closer. Woods took the first step when he asked her to go to a movie.

Talking about how that evening ended Gravell said: "At the end of the night I had to ask him: 'Well, was that a date?' He was all shy and embarrassed.... As we said goodbye, it was really awkward. You could tell he didn't know whether to lunge for a kiss or not. So we had a hug instead."

Soon enough the lovebirds were exchanging love notes in class. Gravell's family received woods warmly and her place became their first lovenest. Gravell said: "We would wait for my parents to go to bed and then make out on the sofa in front of the television for hours.

"We were first boyfriend and girlfriend in all sense of the word." However, things changed as Woods left in 1994 to enrol in Stanford University, while Gravell attended a community college closer home. They sent each other love letters and even talked about tying the knot but distance took its toll.

Gravell said: "I was never jealous but Tiger was a little. He'd ask me what I was up to when he was gone. I never cheated on him, though. "It was college. He was a golfer. I don't flatter myself that he was faithful to me."And then Woods ended the three-year-old relationship.

Gravell recollected: "He said my parents are very concerned that you're a big distraction for me, and I have to listen to them. We have to break up.... I felt I was punched in the stomach."But only two days later, Woods called wanting reconciliation.

She said: "He said he was sad and didn't want to live without me."Woods tried some more but it was over. Gravell said: "It was so cruel.... It was so sad. We were so close. And just like that, it was over."

Gravell has now been married to businessman Keith Parr for 12 years. They are parents to three children and live in the Santa Ana Mountains of California.

And when she heard that Woods cheated on his wife, Elin Nordegren, she said: "I always hear, 'That could have been you.' And I say, 'Thank God, it's not,'.... A family is not happy because of money, a family is happy because of love and respect. I know my husband loves me and would never hurt me, and that is more important than all the money in the world."

Italians win by one stroke over Sweden, Ireland : Golf

Francesco and Edoardo Molinari became the first brother combination to win the World Cup of Golf, giving Italy its first title in the team event with a one-stroke victory over Sweden and Ireland in Shenzhen, China.

The Molinaris closed with a 4-under-par 68 in the alternate-shot final round on Mission Hills' Olazabal Course. They finished at 29 under and earned $875,000 each in the tournament that featured two rounds of better ball and two of alternate shot.

Francesco, 27, hit a long greenside bunker shot to 3 feet on the 18th to set up a winning par putt by Edoardo, 28.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, the winners last year, shot a 69 to tie for second with Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell (70).

Americans Nick Watney and John Merrick had the best round of the day, a 62 that gave them a seventh-place tie at 20 under.

Steve Stricker Seeks PGA Playoff Win in Boston; Woods Is 9 Back

Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen and Sean O’Hair are tied atop a crowded leaderboard entering the final round of the U.S. PGA Tour’s second playoff event.

The leading trio are 13-under par, while Padraig Harrington is among 17 players within five shots of the lead at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston. Tiger Woods is nine strokes back in a tie for 30th place at the tournament, which concludes on today’s U.S. Labor Day holiday. The winner will receive $1.35 million.

Stricker, who’s second to Woods in the FedEx Cup playoff standings, said he’s anxious for another chance at his third title of the year after bogeying the final hole to tie for second at last week’s Barclays event in New Jersey.

“It’s draining for a couple of days, but it was nice to go home and get away from it,” Stricker said at a news conference. “We had an extra day in there because this tournament started on Friday, so I felt a little bit recharged for this event and ready to go. I’m excited again for the opportunity.”

Stricker eagled his final hole in shooting a 6-under-par 65 yesterday at the Tournament Players Club of Boston. Goosen shot 68 and O’Hair fired a 70.

Harrington, Kevin Na and Scott Verplank are tied at 12- under par, one shot ahead of Jerry Kelly and Kevin Sutherland. Jim Furyk, Dustin Johnson, John Senden and Jason Dufner are three shots behind the leaders, while Geoff Ogilvy, Angel Cabrera, Matt Kuchar and Marc Leishman are tied at 9-under.

“There are a lot of good players at the top, so I don’t expect guys like Stricker and Harrington and Goosen to fall backwards,” said O’Hair, who won the Quail Hollow Championship in May. “I don’t know how low you’re going to have to go, but you’re still going to have to have a nice round of golf.”

Tiger Trails

Woods, the No. 1 player in golf’s Official World Ranking, wasn’t able to make a run at the leaders during the third round, shooting a 1-over 72.

“The players are happy that he’s not up top of the leaderboard,” said Goosen, who’s seeking his second win of the season after ending a four-year title drought at the Transitions Championship in March.

The top 70 players in the playoff standings after today’s final round advance to the BMW Championship, beginning Sept. 10 at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club in Lemont, Illinois. The 30 highest-ranked players after that event will vie for the $10 million bonus that the winner of the FedEx Cup will collect at the end of the Tour Championship in Atlanta from Sept. 24-27.

Europe raise Ryder wildcard quota

Europe captain Colin Montgomerie will be able to pick an additional wildcard player for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Montgomerie had hoped to have four wildcard choices at his disposal, but the European Tour committee agreed to three, one less than the United States.

Under the new system, five players will be selected from the European money list and four - down from the previous five - from the world rankings.

Wildcard Ian Poulter was Europe's top scorer in the 2008 defeat at Valhalla.

Nevertheless, the US won back the trophy last September with a comprehensive 16½-11½ victory.

After a prolonged spell of European dominance, US captain Paul Azinger lobbied to be able to pick four wildcards, and his request was granted.

Montgomerie, who was at the players' committee meeting at the County Louth club in Baltray, had been pushing to have four wildcard choices, arguing that it would allow him to select players in form.

But the decision to allow him three picks reflects the importance officials place on trying to retain and attract the top names to European tournaments.

Last year, Poulter and Paul Casey were both selected by Nick Faldo as wildcards after deciding to stay in the US for the final stretch of the qualifying race.

Montgomerie, who will be the first European captain to have three wildcards since Bernard Gallacher in 1993, is expected to give a news conference on Wednesday to give his reaction to the change.

Sweden's Henrik Stenson in front in foggy Dubai

Sweden's Henrik Stenson hit a bogey-free 65 to move 11 under and take the clubhouse lead on a weather-affected second day at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Stenson is one shot ahead of Australian Richard Green, who shot 63, and three clear of Sergio Garcia in third.

Overnight leader Rory McIlroy dropped a shot before having to abandon his second round after just three holes.

Fog delayed the start on Friday, so play will begin at 0335 GMT on Saturday in a bid to make up lost time.

The first day was also affected by fog and Stenson arrived at the course at 6am local time to complete a first-round 68.

But he recovered superbly to take the overnight lead courtesy of an eight-foot birdie putt on his 25th and final hole of the day.

"I was a little bit disappointed with the finish to the first round, I felt like I threw a couple away but I gave hardly anything away in the afternoon," said the 32-year-old.

"I had a good touch around the greens and made some good saves and chip-ins and putts.

"It was a grinding day but when I hit bad shots I recovered well and made some good birdies on the good shots."

Tournament officials will hope for a prompt start on Saturday, which should allow the third round leaders to complete nine holes before returning on Sunday morning ahead of their final rounds.

But should fog again delay the start, officials will have to decide whether to extend the tournament until Monday or opt to cut the $2.5m event to 54 holes, depending on the length of any delay.

Stenson extends lead in Sun City

Sweden's Henrik Stenson will take an eight-shot lead into the final round of the Sun City Challenge in South Africa.

Stenson had to complete his second round early after lightning stopped play on Friday and he carded a 71.

The 32-year-old added a seven-under-par 65 for 17 under overall. Fellow Swede Robert Karlsson fired a third-round 67 and is nine under for the tournament.

South Africa's Rory Sabbatini is six under, America's Kenny Perry five under and England's Lee Westwood four under.

Pre-tournament favourite Sergio Garcia of Spain could only manage a level-par 72 and is 15 shots adrift of Stenson.

Luke Donald carded a 71 and is three shots further back at one over par and fellow Englishman Justin Rose is two over after a third-round 72.

Stenson is now within striking distance of the tournament record of 25 under par set by Ernie Els in 1999.

"My priority tomorrow is just to win," said the world number 12. "I'm not going to focus on the record, just play hole by hole and see where it goes.

"It will be fun playing with Robert [Karlsson] tomorrow. I'm sure he will go out and try to put me under pressure early on so I just need to keep my head down."

Being Bad (at Sports) Can Be Good

So you can pay $149 to be told whether your child has a gene that may or may not be linked with athletic ability. That is the news on yesterday’s front page, where Juliet Macur wrote about a newly released product from Atlas Sports Genetics, which allows parents learn whether their child carries the version of a gene, called ACTN3, that makes for physical power or the version that makes for endurance.

I will leave it to others to debate what this means for the future of sports. And let’s ignore for the purposes of this conversation the fact that the test really doesn’t predict anything with real certainty.

But let’s say that you really could gauge, with a swab inside the mouth, your child’s chances of dominating at track and being just mediocre at football. And let’s focus on what the possibility of such a test means for parenting.

What I fear it would become is one more way for parents to insure that their children never learn to fail. In her latest book, “Freeing Your Child from Negative Thinking: Powerful, Practical Strategies to Build a Lifetime of Resilience, Flexibility and Happiness,” the psychologist Tamar Chansky argues that this is one of the most fundamental jobs of a parent, and one we don’t tend to do very well. (Her book even includes scripts for how to walk a child through failure for those of us who need the guidance.)

If you never fail, she writes, you never learn that you can pick yourself back up again. And that’s a lesson best learned young, while your center of gravity is low and it doesn’t hurt as much to fall down.

Yesterday’s article opens with a quote from the mother of a 2 year old, who is watching her toddler struggle through a soccer lesson and who thinks a genetic test for sports aptitude would be a grand idea.

“I could see how some people might think the test would pigeonhole your child into doing fewer sports or being exposed to fewer things, but I still think it’s good to match them with the right activity,” the mother said. “I think it would prevent a lot of parental frustration.”

But isn’t that very frustration, particularly for the child, the point of sports — the point of growing up — in the first place?

I was an ice skater as a kid. Years of 5 a.m. patch sessions taught me I wasn’t a very good ice skater. It also taught me that ice skating could be fun and that I could move on.

My boys, in turn, have cycled through soccer, karate, wrestling, baseball, swimming, football, fencing, snowboarding and a few others I have probably forgotten. Along the way they found they love tennis and golf.

If a test had clued me into that fact at birth, they might have gotten an earlier start and been more competitive for it. But they might also have been cheated of half the journey, the part where they learn what they aren’t great at, what they have to worker harder at than others — and where they also learn that that’s just fine.

Sweden in stunning World Cup win-Golf

Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson overturned a three-shot deficit to seal a dramatic World Cup victory for Sweden at Mission Hills in China.

The Swedes scored a nine-under 63 to see off Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal.

Japan and Australia tied for third, while England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher carded 67 to end in sixth, 12 shots off the pace.

Defending champions Scotland, led by Colin Montgomerie, were 20 shots back.

Sweden, pre-tournament favourites, started the final day four behind Spain, but five early birdies fired them up the leaderboard.

Karlsson and Stenson, the two highest-ranked players in the event, were in blistering form and pulled into the outright lead with four more birdies on the back nine to finish on 27-under.

Joint overnight leaders Australia carded a disappointing 76 to finish eight shots behind the winners, level with Japanese pairing Ryuji Imada and Toru Taniguchi.

It was the second World Cup win for Sweden after Per-Ulrik Johansson and Anders Forsbrand's 1991 triumph in Rome.

Stenson, who despite enjoying a fine season in 2008 failed to secure any victories, said: "I thought it was our turn today.

"I was starting to run out of tournaments, so it was nice to win this one. It has been a while.

"This is my third last. So I've got two more to go in South Africa. But winning for Sweden is nice."

After a strong finish by England, Poulter was left to rue missed opportunities, after being unable to match their third-round 63.

"We should have had a chance to win this golf tournament. That's what we come here for," Poulter said.

"It didn't happen on Thursday and Friday and that's just such a shame to be so far out of the picture."

Ireland's Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell suffered their worst round of the tournament with a five-over 77 to drop to 16th.

Scotland's Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth were unable to defend the World Cup to finish seven-under-par, tied for 19th place.

Daniel Chopra tied 29th at Australian Masters

Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra turned in a second successive even-par 72 to be placed tied 29th after the penultimate round of the Australian Masters golf tournament here Saturday.

Chopra has a total of two-under 214 at the event while Shiv Kapur missed the cut Friday.

The Swede was off to a sedate start as he parred the first five holes but went one-over at the sixth after stumbling to a bogey. He made amends with a birdie on the eighth to make the turn even.

The backward journey also went steady and he even managed to break par on the 17th with a birdie but a bogey on the very next hole left him even-par in the end.

At the top, Australians Robert Allenby (67) and Michael Sim shared the lead with totals of 10-under 206. The duo was followed by compatriot Ashley Hall (68) a couple of strokes behind.

Superb Spain take World Cup lead

Miguel Angel Jimenez and Pablo Larrazabal gave Spain a four-shot lead after day two of the World Cup.

Hitting alternate shots in the foursomes in China, the duo carded a superb nine-under round of 63 to haul themselves above Germany and Australia.

Sweden are five off the lead in fourth ahead of the United States and Ireland pair Paul McGinley and Graeme McDowell.

Scotland's title defence faltered after a 73 that leaves them 17th. England are tied for 19th and Wales in last place.

Jimenez and Larrazabal, the 2008 European Tour Rookie of the Year, got off to a strong start, picking up seven strokes on the front nine with five birdies and an eagle.

They continued their impressive form on the back nine, dropping their only shot of the day at the par-five 15th.

"We complemented very well today on the golf course," said Jimenez.

"Foursomes, you know - it's the kind of thing that is very sensitive. You need to be nice and not competitive with you partner."

Germany's Martin Kaymer and Alex Cejka, who were the overnight leaders after Thursday's fourballs, carded a 68 to share second with Australia.

Scotland were 14 shots off the pace after Colin Montgomerie and Alastair Forsyth signed for a one-over-par 73.

England's Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher combined for a 74, while Bradley Dredge and Richard Johnson stuttered to a five-over 77 to leave Wales propping up the leaderboard.

Jeev Milkha Singh , Jyoti Randhawa struggle

Ill at ease in the fearsome foursome format, the Indian duo of Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa brought home a level-par card to lie tied 10th in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup here on Friday.

Both Jeev and Jyoti had predicted that going would be tough in this alternate shot format and with the Mumbai mayhem playing on their mind, the focus was not really there.

The duo, in fact, were under pressure after a poor start which saw them two-over before birdies on the seventh and ninth helped them go even-par.

The 11th hole birdie put them, for the first time, one-under but dropping a bogey on the 15th meant it was back to square one again as they fell 10 shots off the lead.

India’s two-day total of 139 has them at the 10th place which they share with the Philippines and with the fourball format returning for the third round tomorrow, both Jeev and Jyoti want to make amends to raise some sporting cheers back home.

“We feel bad what’s happened out there. Obviously we have been watching the news quite a bit,” said Jeev, who has captured the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit title this year.

Jyoti was equally upset with the terror strikes and said, “I did feel for the people that for no rhyme or reason got injured. It does affect us a little bit. But what can you do? You’re here to play and try to do the best you can.”

Meanwhile, Spain opened up a four-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the USD 2.5 million, 28-nation event after a breathtaking foursomes display by Miguel Angel Jiminez and Pablo Larrazabal who blasted a sensational 63.

Spain was 17 under 127 for 36 holes. Australia (68) and Germany (69) were in second place behind Spain, which opened on Thursday with a 64 playing the easier fourball (best ball) format.

Daniel Chopra tied 29th at Australian Masters

Indian-born Swede Daniel Chopra turned in a second successive even-par 72 to be placed tied 29th after the penultimate round of the Australian Masters golf tournament here Saturday.

Chopra has a total of two-under 214 at the event while Shiv Kapur missed the cut Friday.

The Swede was off to a sedate start as he parred the first five holes but went one-over at the sixth after stumbling to a bogey. He made amends with a birdie on the eighth to make the turn even.

The backward journey also went steady and he even managed to break par on the 17th with a birdie but a bogey on the very next hole left him even-par in the end.


At the top, Australians Robert Allenby (67) and Michael Sim shared the lead with totals of 10-under 206. The duo was followed by compatriot Ashley Hall (68) a couple of strokes behind.