PONTE VERDE BEACH, US: Tiger Woods did not hesitate in accepting long-time arch rival Phil Mickelson throwing down the gauntlet in a “high stake winner-take-all” showdown call at this week’s US PGA Players Championship.
Woods, a 14-time major champion, and Mickelson, a five-time major winner, are paired along with fellow American Rickie Fowler in the opening two rounds of this week’s event at TPC Sawgrass.
It marks the first time they have been paired together since the second round of the 2014 PGA Championship, when Woods shot 74 and Mickelson 67.
Woods and Mickelson have found themselves grouped together on 32 occasions. Mickelson has shot a lower round 15 times, Woods 14 times and they have matched scores on three occasions.
Mickelson spoke Tuesday of his wish that he and Woods simply “bypass the ancillary stuff” at the Players in favor of a head-to-head matchup.
“I look at the cover of the newspaper and the pairing is on there and the excitement that has been going on around here, it gets me thinking, why don’t we just bypass all the ancillary stuff of a tournament and just go head-to-head and just have kind of a high stake winner-take-all match,” Mickelson said with a smile.
“Now, I don’t know if he wants a piece of me,” the left-hander added with a grin. “But I just think it would be something that would be really fun for us to do, and I think there would be a lot of interest in it if we just went straight to the final round.”
Woods responded to Mickelson, declaring with a smile of his own: “I’m definitely not against that and we’ll play for whatever makes him uncomfortable.”
Woods, 42, also spoke of his admiration for Mickelson and particularly his attention when Woods was away for most of the past two years dealing with his nagging back injuries.
“Phil and I have always had great banter and we always give each other needle but our relationship certainly has gotten a lot closer with me being a vice-captain on the last couple of (Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup) teams,” Woods said.
“We’ve had very lengthy conversations about things, and not just about pairings, but things in general.
“And when I was trying to deal with a nerve in my back, and trying to come back and trying to play, I wasn’t very good. He always texted me some encouraging words.”
Mickelson singled out Woods as the most “remarkable” golfer in the history of game and this despite Jack Nicklaus winning a record 18 majors.
“I don’t think anybody today who wasn’t there who witnessed Tiger in the early 2000s, or I don’t think anybody before will see that level of play again,” Mickelson said.
“It was the most remarkable golf in the history of the game and I think it’s unrepeatable. It was that good.
“I go back to 2000 and the US Open and I look at his performance as being the greatest golf I’ve ever witnessed and has ever been played.”
Woods won that US Open at Pebble Beach by 15 strokes and the record-shattering romp launched a run forever known as the “Tiger Slam” in which he also captured the 2000 British Open, becoming at 24 the youngest player to complete a career Grand Slam, the 2000 PGA Championship and 2001 Masters to hold all four major titles at once.
“We’ve always had a mutual respect over the years, and I’ve always appreciated what he’s done for the game of golf,” Mickelson said. “Fifteen years ago, my record against him sucked, and now it’s OK. I’m doing better as time has gone on.”
Phil Mickelson lauds ‘remarkable’ Tiger Woods ahead of Players Championship showdown
Phil Mickelson lauds ‘remarkable’ Tiger Woods ahead of Players Championship showdown
- Paired together for the first time since second round of the 2014 PGA Championship
- 'It was the most remarkable golf in the history of the game'
World Endurance Championship camel race starts Saturday at AlUla
- Event has a prize pool of more than SR2 million
- 20 male and 15 female jockeys from the first stage will qualify for the final
ALULA: The Saudi Camel Federation and the Royal Commission of AlUla Governorate are co-organizing the first edition of the World Endurance Championship camel race on Saturday at AlUla Camel Track.
The event has a prize pool of more than SR2 million ($533,000), and the results for the men and women riders will be calculated separately, according to a media statement on Friday.
The championship event includes a 16 km race split into two stages of 8 km each, with a 30-minute break in between.
Twenty male and 15 female jockeys from the first stage qualify for the final. The results will be calculated according to the best timings in the two stages.
The winners in each of the categories will be awarded SR500,000 while the remainder of the prize pool will be distributed between 10 riders in the men’s category and 10 in the women’s category.
All federations are permitted to participate with 10 male and five female riders.
Riders whose countries are not members of the International Camel Racing Federation will be allowed to participate under the ICRF’s flag with a maximum of three participants and the option to borrow camels.
According to the ICRF, participating camels must be over 18 years old and registered by and type.
In September, the General Assembly of the ICRF, chaired by Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, approved the launch of the first edition of this championship.
Man City’s Foden wins football writers’ award
- Foden is the third City player in the past four years to win football’s oldest individual award
- The 23-year-old Foden received 42 percent of the votes, heading off competition from Arsenal’s Declan Rice and his teammate Rodri
LONDON: Manchester City’s Phil Foden was Friday named Footballer of the Year by the English Football Writers’ Association, with the club’s Khadija Shaw scooping the women’s award.
England attacking midfielder Foden joins a roll call of famous names including Stanley Matthews, Bobby Charlton, George Best and Kenny Dalglish.
Foden is the third City player in the past four years to win football’s oldest individual award, following Ruben Dias in 2021 and Erling Haaland last year.
The 23-year-old Foden received 42 percent of the votes, heading off competition from Arsenal’s Declan Rice and his teammate Rodri, who came third in a ballot of the FWA’s near 900-strong membership.
Foden has scored 24 goals this season as Pep Guardiola’s City chase a Premier League and FA Cup double.
“Being named the Football Writers’ Association footballer of the year is a huge honor,” said Foden. “I’m very, very happy to receive this award but I could not have done it without the help of my teammates.”
Guardiola praised his player but said he could get even better.
“The impact in the final third is really good, the work ethic,” he said. “Every year, due to the amount of games he’s playing, the minutes he’s playing, he’s more mature and he understands the game but he has to continue. He’s still young.”
“Depends on him, simple as that,” Guardiola added. “I promise you, it depends on him. Mentality, want more, do it again, do it again, be better in this department, I will live 24 hours for my game and for my profession. It depends on him, like all the players.”
Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, who has scored 21 goals in the Women’s Super League, pipped Chelsea’s Lauren James, with the two taking a combined 80 percent of the vote.
Jamaica international Shaw will miss City’s final two games of the Women’s Super League season with a foot injury but is almost certain to finish as the top-scorer in the WSL as Gareth Taylor’s side close in on the title.
“I am very proud and privileged to have received this award and to be recognized in this way is a special honor,” said Shaw, 27.
“I want to also thank all of my teammates. They provide me with the chances to score goals and I could not have won this award without them.”
Real Madrid’s Courtois to return after nine-month injury layoff
- Belgian international Courtois, 31, has missed the entire season with a knee ligament injury
- “Yes, Thibaut is fine. He will play tomorrow (Saturday) after a long period of absence,” said Ancelotti
MADRID: Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will play his first match for the Spanish club after a nine-month injury layoff against Cadiz this weekend, coach Carlo Ancelotti confirmed Friday.
Belgian international Courtois, 31, has missed the entire season with a knee ligament injury and suffered a further setback in March which required another knee operation.
“Yes, Thibaut is fine. He will play tomorrow (Saturday) after a long period of absence,” said Ancelotti.
“He’s looking forward to playing. We’re delighted to see him return.”
La Liga leaders Real Madrid have their first chance to be crowned champions this weekend, although they need a helping hand from this season’s shock title challengers Girona.
Madrid host Cadiz on Saturday and if they win and Girona take any points off defending champions Barcelona immediately afterwards, Los Blancos will earn a record-extending 36th Spanish title.
Courtois has been back in team training for several weeks, and was part of the Madrid group to travel to Germany this week to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinal first leg 2-2 draw.
Asked about a possible start for Courtois in the Champions League final if they reach it, Ancelotti replied: “The final we have in mind is Wednesday against Bayern, in which (Andriy) Lunin will play, and then we will see.”
In 2022, Courtois was the prime architect of Real’s Champions League triumph, proving himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Klopp says he has ‘no problem’ with Salah after touchline spat
- Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists his spat with Mohamed Salah has been “completely resolved“
- Salah was asked after the game to comment on the incident and he was heard saying: “There’s going to be a fire today if I speak”
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted Friday his spat with Mohamed Salah has been “completely resolved,” saying his long history with the star forward ensured there was no lasting damage to their relationship.
Klopp and Salah were involved in a touchline confrontation during the 2-2 draw at West Ham on Saturday. When Salah was asked after the game to comment on the incident, the Egypt international was heard saying: “There’s going to be a fire today if I speak.”
Nearly a week later, Klopp said the matter was a “non-story.”
“There’s no problem,” said Klopp, who was speaking ahead of Liverpool’s home match with Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday. “If we wouldn’t know each other for that long, I don’t know how we would deal with it but we know each other for that long and respect each other too much that it’s really no problem.”
The incident happened as Salah was preparing to come on as a substitute, having been selected on the bench for the second time in three games.
“In general, the best situation would be everybody is in the best possible place, we win games, we score lots of goals. Yes, then the situation (with Salah) would probably not have been exactly like that,” Klopp said. “Then Mo wouldn’t have been on the bench in the first place.”
Klopp, who is leaving Liverpool at the end of the season after nearly nine years in charge, was asked if the 31-year-old Salah should be part of the new manager’s plans. Salah, a Liverpool player since 2017, has been linked with a move to the Saudi league.
“I’ve said before, what a player he is. That he’s incredible,” Klopp said. “But I don’t think I should speak about that, to be honest. Other people will decide that, especially Missouri
“I don’t have any signs it will not be like that. But I’m really the wrong person already for a few weeks to talk about these kind of things.”
Mounir Lazzez to launch new MMA promotional company with big fight night in Dubai
- 971 Fighting Championship hosts its inaugural event at The Agenda on Saturday, May 4
- Mouhamed Fakhreddine faces Gianni Melillo in main event on 14-bout card
DUBAI: Mounir Lazzez, having recently made the move into mixed martial arts promotion, is confident of surpassing his achievements as a fighter when he launches his new venture, 971 Fighting Championship, in Dubai on Saturday.
Spearheaded by Tunisian Lazzez, the first fighter born and raised in an Arab country to be signed to the UFC, 971 Fighting Championship is an innovative MMA entertainment brand that has been created with view to changing the face of the combat sports industry in the region.
Saturday’s high-profile launch event, at The Agenda in Dubai Media City, features 14 professional bouts, with Lebanon’s Mohammed Fakhreddine, the first Arab double champion, and Italy’s Gianni Melillo going head-to-head in the main event.
The two co-main events, meanwhile, are equally intriguing, with Ireland’s John Mitchell facing Egypt’s Adham Mohammed, while Eslam Abdul Baset, another Egyptian, takes on the UK’s Dan Vinni.
With further shows confirmed for August, October and December, Lazzez believes the arrival of 971 Fighting Championship signals an exciting new chapter for MMA.
“This is a big moment in relation to the long-term future of the sport, with 971 Fighting Championship providing a platform for fighters at various stages of their careers to showcase their talents,” he said.
“As a company, 971 Fighting Championship is fully committed to hosting entertaining events where elite athletes push their bodies to the limit and fans … go away knowing they have witnessed something special.
“Saturday’s launch event features some fantastic fighters, and The Agenda is a perfect location to launch such an amazing concept. We’re really looking forward to what promises to be a truly special occasion.”
After taking up MMA classes at the age of 15 in Tunisia, Lazzez’s career began to take off after a move to Dubai, where he represented several promotions, including the likes of Brave Combat Federation, and UAE Warriors, before signing to UFC in 2020.
Lazzez enjoyed a stunning debut, picking up the Fight of the Night award after a unanimous decision win over Abdul Razak Alhassan, before going on to face the likes of Warlley Alves, Ange Loosa and Gabriel Bonfim.
Now Lazzez is focused on ensuring 971 Fighting Championship is in a position to compete with some of its more established competitors in the long term.
“Becoming a professional MMA fighter was always my ambition and to have achieved a personal goal is a source of great pride, but that particular chapter is now closed,” he said.
“The 971 Fighting Championship has big aspirations, and everybody involved in the project is fiercely passionate about making the brand a major success.”
Lazzez now has an opportunity to make his mark on the sport in a different way, and he is well aware 971 Fighting Championship’s first event is a huge opportunity to put the brand on the map.
“While we have been working extensively behind the scenes for many months, Saturday’s event marks the beginning of our journey,” he says.
“Having been involved in the industry for many years, I’m well placed to assess what works well and, perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t.
“We believe our brand will become a huge success, but that will only be achieved with hard work and dedication.
“For a launch event, Saturday’s show is huge, with 14 bouts and a card made up of fighters from all around the world, which is what 971 Fighting Championship is all about. We can’t wait to get started.”
