Steady hand: Brandt Snedeker putts on the 16th hole during the third round of the Tour Championship. APSnedeker played one of his best rounds this year at just the right time Saturday, making a collection of tough putts and relying on his short game to pick up a couple of other birdies on his way to a 6-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Justin Rose in the Tour Championship.That means he now only has to win Sunday at East Lake to claim the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize, the richest payoff in golf.So does Rory McIlroy, who was only three shots out of the lead.Ditto for Tiger Woods, four shots behind.The Tour Championship has never had so much at stake for so many top players."It's going to be one of the most exciting Sundays of the year," McIlroy said after a 68. "Great to be in the mix."McIlroy, who won the last two FedEx Cup playoff events, had his 11th consecutive round in the 60s. Woods salvaged an important par after his shot ricocheted off a Georgia pine and wound up with a 67.Snedeker, McIlroy and Woods were among the top five seeds coming into the Tour Championship, giving each the best shot at the $10 million because they only have to win the Tour Championship no matter what anyone else does at East Lake.They won't be the only players with a chance to win at least one trophy — the Tour Championship — on Sunday. Rose will be in the final group with Snedeker, and while it's unlikely he can win the FedEx Cup, the Englishman surely would settle for his second win of the year against a strong field."I have the advantage of just playing the Tour Championship," said Rose, who won a World Golf Championship at Doral in March. "The whole year, we've been grinding for the FedEx Cup, and it's still possible. It's not an easy golf course. Things can happen out there. But for me, it's about one tournament."Snedeker and Rose were at 8-under 202.Ryan Moore spoiled his round with a bogey on the 17th and still had a 65, putting him alone in third at 6 under.Jim Furyk, the 36-hole leader, was tied for the lead until he pulled his tee shot into the water on the 17th, hit the next tee shot into the gallery, his fourth shot into a bunker and made triple bogey that sent him tumbling down to a 72. He was still in the mix at 205, along with McIlroy and Masters champion Bubba Watson, who had a double bogey on the 16th hole and shot 70.Typical of the FedEx Cup playoffs, there was plenty of star power in contention, with 11 of the top 14 players on the leaderboard headed to the Ryder Cup next week.For now, the attention shifts in a big way to the $10 million payoff."My first goal for this week is achieved," Snedeker said. "And that is to have a chance going into Sunday. It should be a lot of fun."Snedeker also shot a 64 in the second round of the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, though he rated this one as better. There was no wind at Lytham, and the conditions were relatively soft. East Lake demanded a crisp game as the wind rustled pine branches and the greens became firm.
Showing posts with label strong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strong. Show all posts
Monday, September 24, 2012
Snedeker makes strong push to move into lead
ATLANTA — Brandt Snedeker gave himself the opportunity he wanted in the FedEx Cup. He also has the company he expected.Steady hand: Brandt Snedeker putts on the 16th hole during the third round of the Tour Championship. APSnedeker played one of his best rounds this year at just the right time Saturday, making a collection of tough putts and relying on his short game to pick up a couple of other birdies on his way to a 6-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Justin Rose in the Tour Championship.That means he now only has to win Sunday at East Lake to claim the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize, the richest payoff in golf.So does Rory McIlroy, who was only three shots out of the lead.Ditto for Tiger Woods, four shots behind.The Tour Championship has never had so much at stake for so many top players."It's going to be one of the most exciting Sundays of the year," McIlroy said after a 68. "Great to be in the mix."McIlroy, who won the last two FedEx Cup playoff events, had his 11th consecutive round in the 60s. Woods salvaged an important par after his shot ricocheted off a Georgia pine and wound up with a 67.Snedeker, McIlroy and Woods were among the top five seeds coming into the Tour Championship, giving each the best shot at the $10 million because they only have to win the Tour Championship no matter what anyone else does at East Lake.They won't be the only players with a chance to win at least one trophy — the Tour Championship — on Sunday. Rose will be in the final group with Snedeker, and while it's unlikely he can win the FedEx Cup, the Englishman surely would settle for his second win of the year against a strong field."I have the advantage of just playing the Tour Championship," said Rose, who won a World Golf Championship at Doral in March. "The whole year, we've been grinding for the FedEx Cup, and it's still possible. It's not an easy golf course. Things can happen out there. But for me, it's about one tournament."Snedeker and Rose were at 8-under 202.Ryan Moore spoiled his round with a bogey on the 17th and still had a 65, putting him alone in third at 6 under.Jim Furyk, the 36-hole leader, was tied for the lead until he pulled his tee shot into the water on the 17th, hit the next tee shot into the gallery, his fourth shot into a bunker and made triple bogey that sent him tumbling down to a 72. He was still in the mix at 205, along with McIlroy and Masters champion Bubba Watson, who had a double bogey on the 16th hole and shot 70.Typical of the FedEx Cup playoffs, there was plenty of star power in contention, with 11 of the top 14 players on the leaderboard headed to the Ryder Cup next week.For now, the attention shifts in a big way to the $10 million payoff."My first goal for this week is achieved," Snedeker said. "And that is to have a chance going into Sunday. It should be a lot of fun."Snedeker also shot a 64 in the second round of the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, though he rated this one as better. There was no wind at Lytham, and the conditions were relatively soft. East Lake demanded a crisp game as the wind rustled pine branches and the greens became firm.
Steady hand: Brandt Snedeker putts on the 16th hole during the third round of the Tour Championship. APSnedeker played one of his best rounds this year at just the right time Saturday, making a collection of tough putts and relying on his short game to pick up a couple of other birdies on his way to a 6-under 64 that gave him a share of the lead with Justin Rose in the Tour Championship.That means he now only has to win Sunday at East Lake to claim the FedEx Cup and its $10 million prize, the richest payoff in golf.So does Rory McIlroy, who was only three shots out of the lead.Ditto for Tiger Woods, four shots behind.The Tour Championship has never had so much at stake for so many top players."It's going to be one of the most exciting Sundays of the year," McIlroy said after a 68. "Great to be in the mix."McIlroy, who won the last two FedEx Cup playoff events, had his 11th consecutive round in the 60s. Woods salvaged an important par after his shot ricocheted off a Georgia pine and wound up with a 67.Snedeker, McIlroy and Woods were among the top five seeds coming into the Tour Championship, giving each the best shot at the $10 million because they only have to win the Tour Championship no matter what anyone else does at East Lake.They won't be the only players with a chance to win at least one trophy — the Tour Championship — on Sunday. Rose will be in the final group with Snedeker, and while it's unlikely he can win the FedEx Cup, the Englishman surely would settle for his second win of the year against a strong field."I have the advantage of just playing the Tour Championship," said Rose, who won a World Golf Championship at Doral in March. "The whole year, we've been grinding for the FedEx Cup, and it's still possible. It's not an easy golf course. Things can happen out there. But for me, it's about one tournament."Snedeker and Rose were at 8-under 202.Ryan Moore spoiled his round with a bogey on the 17th and still had a 65, putting him alone in third at 6 under.Jim Furyk, the 36-hole leader, was tied for the lead until he pulled his tee shot into the water on the 17th, hit the next tee shot into the gallery, his fourth shot into a bunker and made triple bogey that sent him tumbling down to a 72. He was still in the mix at 205, along with McIlroy and Masters champion Bubba Watson, who had a double bogey on the 16th hole and shot 70.Typical of the FedEx Cup playoffs, there was plenty of star power in contention, with 11 of the top 14 players on the leaderboard headed to the Ryder Cup next week.For now, the attention shifts in a big way to the $10 million payoff."My first goal for this week is achieved," Snedeker said. "And that is to have a chance going into Sunday. It should be a lot of fun."Snedeker also shot a 64 in the second round of the British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, though he rated this one as better. There was no wind at Lytham, and the conditions were relatively soft. East Lake demanded a crisp game as the wind rustled pine branches and the greens became firm.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Tosu continues strong start by holding Reysol
KASHIWA, Chiba Pref. — First-division debutants Sagan Tosu kept up their impressive start to the J. League season with a 1-1 draw away to reigning champions Kashiwa Reysol on Saturday.
Full force: Shimizu S-Pulse's Toshiyuki Takagi nets the game-winning goal in the 77th minute against FC Tokyo on Saturday at Ajinomoto Stadium. Shimizu won 1-0. KYODOSagan went into the match at Hitachi Stadium fifth in the table with a division-lowest record of three goals conceded from seven games, but an opener in first-half stoppage time from Kashiwa's Hideaki Kitajima threatened to burst the Kyushu side's bubble.Teruaki Kobayashi pounced on a loose ball midway through the second half to rescue a point for Tosu, however, keeping Yoon Jong Hwang's side firmly among the leading pack in its first-ever campaign in the top flight."It was hot today, and this was the first time we have played in an atmosphere like this," said the South Korean, whose team now has 14 points from eight games. "We couldn't adjust to that, and in the first half we lost our concentration and allowed them to score."But in the second half the players fought until the end, and we managed to pull a goal back. A lot of our fans made the trip to watch us here, and it was their support that pushed the players on until the final whistle."An temperature of 18.9 C was recorded for the game, but with the pitch in the full glare of the sun for 90 minutes, the reality was almost certainly different."Both teams had to deal with it, so it was the same for everyone," said Tosu striker Yohei Toyoda. "I don't think it made the difference."Leandro Domingues twice went close to breaking the deadlock as Kashiwa made a strong finish to the first half, and the pressure paid off when Kitajima headed home Jorge Wagner's corner to send the home side into the break a goal up.Naoyuki Fujita almost leveled the score five minutes into the second half when he thumped a free kick against the crossbar, before Junya Tanaka rattled the woodwork at the other end with a volley from another Wagner cross.But with Reysol looking more and more likely to add to their tally, Kobayashi grabbed the equalizer. Kim Min Woo swung a free kick into the Kashiwa box, and Kobayashi was on hand to fire the ball home after it broke his way following a scramble in the six-yard area.Both teams had chances to claim all three points in a frantic finale, but Kashiwa substitute Masato Kudo missed the best of the them when his lunge at a Hiroki Sakai cross fell just short of connecting."We haven't been getting good results recently and we wanted to do all we could to win today," said Kashiwa manager Nelsinho. "They are a strong team and we knew they would keep fighting until the end. We created a lot of chances but we just couldn't put them away."All we are lacking at the moment is the final touch to put the ball in the net."Elsewhere in the J. League, Urawa Reds rebounded from defeat in last week's Saitama derby with a 2-1 win away to Nagoya Grampus, while Shimizu S-Pulse also picked up three points on their travels with a 1-0 victory over FC Tokyo. Sanfrecce Hiroshima did likewise, 4-1 over Kawasaki Frontale.League leaders Vegalta Sendai maintained their unbeaten record with a 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata, Kashima Antlers thumped Gamba Osaka 5-0, and Yokohama F. Marinos finally picked up their first victory of the season, 3-1 over Vissel Kobe.Omiya Ardija beat Consadole Sapporo 2-1, and in the day's late game Cerezo Osaka topped Jubilo Iwate 3-2.
Full force: Shimizu S-Pulse's Toshiyuki Takagi nets the game-winning goal in the 77th minute against FC Tokyo on Saturday at Ajinomoto Stadium. Shimizu won 1-0. KYODOSagan went into the match at Hitachi Stadium fifth in the table with a division-lowest record of three goals conceded from seven games, but an opener in first-half stoppage time from Kashiwa's Hideaki Kitajima threatened to burst the Kyushu side's bubble.Teruaki Kobayashi pounced on a loose ball midway through the second half to rescue a point for Tosu, however, keeping Yoon Jong Hwang's side firmly among the leading pack in its first-ever campaign in the top flight."It was hot today, and this was the first time we have played in an atmosphere like this," said the South Korean, whose team now has 14 points from eight games. "We couldn't adjust to that, and in the first half we lost our concentration and allowed them to score."But in the second half the players fought until the end, and we managed to pull a goal back. A lot of our fans made the trip to watch us here, and it was their support that pushed the players on until the final whistle."An temperature of 18.9 C was recorded for the game, but with the pitch in the full glare of the sun for 90 minutes, the reality was almost certainly different."Both teams had to deal with it, so it was the same for everyone," said Tosu striker Yohei Toyoda. "I don't think it made the difference."Leandro Domingues twice went close to breaking the deadlock as Kashiwa made a strong finish to the first half, and the pressure paid off when Kitajima headed home Jorge Wagner's corner to send the home side into the break a goal up.Naoyuki Fujita almost leveled the score five minutes into the second half when he thumped a free kick against the crossbar, before Junya Tanaka rattled the woodwork at the other end with a volley from another Wagner cross.But with Reysol looking more and more likely to add to their tally, Kobayashi grabbed the equalizer. Kim Min Woo swung a free kick into the Kashiwa box, and Kobayashi was on hand to fire the ball home after it broke his way following a scramble in the six-yard area.Both teams had chances to claim all three points in a frantic finale, but Kashiwa substitute Masato Kudo missed the best of the them when his lunge at a Hiroki Sakai cross fell just short of connecting."We haven't been getting good results recently and we wanted to do all we could to win today," said Kashiwa manager Nelsinho. "They are a strong team and we knew they would keep fighting until the end. We created a lot of chances but we just couldn't put them away."All we are lacking at the moment is the final touch to put the ball in the net."Elsewhere in the J. League, Urawa Reds rebounded from defeat in last week's Saitama derby with a 2-1 win away to Nagoya Grampus, while Shimizu S-Pulse also picked up three points on their travels with a 1-0 victory over FC Tokyo. Sanfrecce Hiroshima did likewise, 4-1 over Kawasaki Frontale.League leaders Vegalta Sendai maintained their unbeaten record with a 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata, Kashima Antlers thumped Gamba Osaka 5-0, and Yokohama F. Marinos finally picked up their first victory of the season, 3-1 over Vissel Kobe.Omiya Ardija beat Consadole Sapporo 2-1, and in the day's late game Cerezo Osaka topped Jubilo Iwate 3-2.Saturday, December 24, 2011
Takahashi delivers strong performance
KADOMA, Osaka Pref. — Daisuke Takahashi pumped his fists wildly in the air and then gave himself an emphatic round of applause.
Poetry in motion: Daisuke Takahashi skates during the men's short program at the national championships Friday in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. Takahashi leads the field with 96.05 points. KYODOBoy did he deserve it.Takahashi nailed a quad toeloop-triple toeloop that has eluded him for so long in a dazzling performance, taking a commanding lead after the short program Friday at the national championships, a qualifier for the world championships in Nice, France, in March.Cutting a dashing figure in a shimmering black outfit, the former world champion, skating to "In the Garden of Souls," also nailed a triple axel and a triple lutz to earn 96.05 points and a thundering standing ovation atNamihaya Dome.Defending champion Takahiko Kozuka was more than 10 points back after scoring 85.60 for second place while Tatsuki Machida was third and 17-year-old Tohoku schoolboy Yuzuru Hanyu was fourth."I have surprised myself," said Takahashi, runnerup to world champion Patrick Chan at the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City earlier this month."It has been such a long time since I landed the quad that after I made it I kind of lost my sense of urgency.""Apart from the quad the rest of my skate wasn't as good as it has been this season," added Takahashi, who last made a quad toe-triple toe jump at the 2005 world championships in Moscow."Hopefully I can consistently land the quad. It is up to me to make the most of this from this point onward."Kozuka had a triple flip-triple toe and two more clean triples on the way to what he felt was his best performance of the season."I think I skated well and delivered a good performance," said Kozuka, who missed out on a place in the Grand Prix Final after finishing third at the season-opening Skate America and second at the NHK Trophy in Sapporo in November."I don't have any boot problems and my condition is good. For me it is more important to do the best I can rather than think about points."Machida scored 74.64 and Hanyu, fourth in his debut at the Grand Prix Final, scored 74.32. Nobunari Oda is missing the nationals as he continues to recover from an injured left knee.All eyes will be on Mao Asada in Saturday's women's short program. The 21-year-old star decided to compete here while still coming to terms with the recent death of her mother Kyoko, who passed away on Dec. 9 after a lengthy battle with liver cirrhosis.Grand Prix Final silver medalist Akiko Suzuki, teenage starlet Kanako Murakami and Haruka Imai are the other top contenders battling it out in the women's event for berths at the worlds.
Poetry in motion: Daisuke Takahashi skates during the men's short program at the national championships Friday in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. Takahashi leads the field with 96.05 points. KYODOBoy did he deserve it.Takahashi nailed a quad toeloop-triple toeloop that has eluded him for so long in a dazzling performance, taking a commanding lead after the short program Friday at the national championships, a qualifier for the world championships in Nice, France, in March.Cutting a dashing figure in a shimmering black outfit, the former world champion, skating to "In the Garden of Souls," also nailed a triple axel and a triple lutz to earn 96.05 points and a thundering standing ovation atNamihaya Dome.Defending champion Takahiko Kozuka was more than 10 points back after scoring 85.60 for second place while Tatsuki Machida was third and 17-year-old Tohoku schoolboy Yuzuru Hanyu was fourth."I have surprised myself," said Takahashi, runnerup to world champion Patrick Chan at the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City earlier this month."It has been such a long time since I landed the quad that after I made it I kind of lost my sense of urgency.""Apart from the quad the rest of my skate wasn't as good as it has been this season," added Takahashi, who last made a quad toe-triple toe jump at the 2005 world championships in Moscow."Hopefully I can consistently land the quad. It is up to me to make the most of this from this point onward."Kozuka had a triple flip-triple toe and two more clean triples on the way to what he felt was his best performance of the season."I think I skated well and delivered a good performance," said Kozuka, who missed out on a place in the Grand Prix Final after finishing third at the season-opening Skate America and second at the NHK Trophy in Sapporo in November."I don't have any boot problems and my condition is good. For me it is more important to do the best I can rather than think about points."Machida scored 74.64 and Hanyu, fourth in his debut at the Grand Prix Final, scored 74.32. Nobunari Oda is missing the nationals as he continues to recover from an injured left knee.All eyes will be on Mao Asada in Saturday's women's short program. The 21-year-old star decided to compete here while still coming to terms with the recent death of her mother Kyoko, who passed away on Dec. 9 after a lengthy battle with liver cirrhosis.Grand Prix Final silver medalist Akiko Suzuki, teenage starlet Kanako Murakami and Haruka Imai are the other top contenders battling it out in the women's event for berths at the worlds.Thursday, May 19, 2011
Djokovic's strong play has tennis world talking
Incredible run: Serbia's Novak Djokovic is 37-0 this season after his straight-sets victory over Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open final on Sunday in Rome. APNEW YORK — It's tough to decide what's most impressive about Novak Djokovic's 37-0 record in 2011, the best start in men's tennis in more than a quarter-century.Djokovic has won all seven tournaments he's entered, including the Australian Open; he had never collected more than five titles in a full season. He's a combined 7-0 against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, two men who dominated him and the sport the past several years.He's 13-0 against all top-10 players. He leads the ATP in return games won and is second in service games won.The No. 1-ranked Nadal summed it up simply, saying: "He is doing amazing things."Nadal should know.He is 0-4 against the second-ranked Djokovic this season, including straight-set losses in the finals on clay at Madrid and Rome this month. Those matches—and Djokovic's body of work all year—completely change the dynamic heading to the French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam tournament that begins next weekend."Nadal doesn't seem to know what to do against him, and quite honestly, if Nadal is baffled by playing him, then that just shows you how great he's playing on clay," seven-time major champion John McEnroe said in a telephone interview Monday. "You're looking at a guy who's the best player in the world right now."McEnroe owns the Open era mark for best start to a season, 42-0 in 1984, which Djokovic would surpass by reaching the final in Paris. McEnroe will be there as an NBC analyst, including for the June 5 men's final."It's probably the one record—or one of the few, if any—I have left. That would be the bad part. But at the same time, the good part is it's given quite a real shot in the arm to tennis, which I'm quite happy about," McEnroe said. "There's some excitement going into the French. There's something really to talk about."Nadal has won five of the past six titles at Roland Garros; Djokovic has never made it past the semifinals there. But Djokovic, who turns 24 the day the French Open starts, has the momentum and mental edge at the moment, including this tidbit: He is the first player to beat Nadal twice on clay in one season."Let us be clear: He is the 'King of Clay,' and he is the best player ever to play on this surface," Djokovic said after beating Nadal 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday's Italian Open final. "I have won against him twice in the last eight days, which I think is incredible, an incredible achievement for me, and has given me a lot of confidence for the French Open."
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