AUGUSTA, Georgia: Rory McIlroy made that familiar turn off Washington Road and onto Magnolia Lane a year ago, the one that seems to suck in those fortunate enough to make it back in time, and felt as certain as ever that it was his time to win the Masters.
After all, McIlroy had been playing well. His confidence was soaring. He had a belief in himself that was more than just a hunch.
More like a premonition.
Yet by Friday afternoon, when storms would fell three towering Georgia pines and cause the second round to push into the weekend, all those positive vibes had disappeared. After opening with an even-par 72, and still believing he was oh-so-close to stringing it all together, McIlroy shot a second-round 77 and missed the cut.
His wait to win the green jacket, and complete the career Grand Slam, had stretched to a full decade.
“No question, he’ll do it at some point. He’s just — Rory’s too talented, too good,” said Tiger Woods, who along with Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player are the only players to have completed the modern slam.
“He’s going to be playing this event for a very long time,” Woods added. “He’ll get it done. It’s just a matter of when.”
Might be this week.
Much like last year, McIlroy drove down Magnolia Lane on Tuesday feeling good about his game. He had played well at PGA National and Bay Hill earlier this year, finished in the top 20 at The Players Championship and recently spent time in Las Vegas with renowned coach Butch Harmon, which paid dividends with a third-place finish last week at the Texas Open.
That’s not an event McIlroy typically plays before the Masters, but it was part of a plan put in place months ago. The idea was to play more often earlier in the year, getting his game sharp not only for Augusta National but the rest of the majors as well.
“This is my 16th start in the Masters, so I feel like I’ve done it quite a few different ways,” McIlroy explained, “and I guess just trying to bring a little bit of normalcy into what I sort of try to do week in, week out. I play 25 weeks a year, and there’s no point in doing anything different this week compared to other weeks, I guess.”
Even if the Masters is a week unlike any other.
Rather than arriving early and laboring through practice rounds, McIlroy instead popped into Augusta National last week for a two-day scouting trip before heading to Texas. In fact, he skipped Monday’s practice round altogether — even Woods played nine that day — and was planning to play just nine holes by himself on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I feel like I’ve already got most of my prep work done. So it’s just about going out there and being relaxed and being in the right frame of mind,” McIlroy said, “and the more I can do that, the more I’ll be able to execute on the golf course.”
He’s come so close so often that nobody would fault McIlroy if his frame of mind these days was as skewed as a snap hook into Rae’s Creek. He had a four-year streak of finishing in the top 10 beginning in 2014, the year he won the British Open and PGA Championship. He was fifth on an eerily empty course in 2020, when the pandemic pushed the Masters into the fall. Two years ago, a blistering final-round 64 still left him three shots back of Scottie Scheffler.
Over time, the 18-year-old Northern Irishman with the cherubic face and limitless potential, who ticked off those first four major championships in a four-year span, has grown up. McIlroy is 34 now, leaner and stronger but also wiser, and it’s almost hard to believe he has spent spent nearly a third of his life chasing the only major to elude him so far.
“If I cast my mind back to 18-year-old Rory and I’m driving down Magnolia Lane for the first time, how would I feel and I think? It’s just always trying to go back to being grateful and feeling incredibly lucky that you can be a part of this tournament,” he said Tuesday. “Thankfully, I’ve improved a bit since my first start here, and I feel like I’ve got all the tools to do well this week.
“But, again, to bring those tools out, I think one of the most important things is to enjoy it,” McIlroy added with a smile, “and smell the — I guess not the roses, the azaleas along the way.”
Rory McIlroy is brimming with confidence as he sets out to complete career Grand Slam at Masters
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Rory McIlroy is brimming with confidence as he sets out to complete career Grand Slam at Masters
- Tiger Woods, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player are the only players to have completed the modern slam
- Tiger Woods: ‘He (McIlroy) will get it done. It’s just a matter of when’
Koepka leads by 2 after second day of LIV Golf Singapore
- Smash GC lead team competition by one stroke from Ripper GC
SINGAPORE: For the third time in the last 18 LIV Golf regular-season tournaments, Brooks Koepka will take a three-shot lead entering the final round, this time thanks to a brilliant 7-under 64 in Saturday’s rain-delayed second round at LIV Golf Singapore.
When the Smash GC captain held such an advantage the previous two times, he closed the deal in Orlando and Jeddah last year. Given that the five-time major champion has found his form as his PGA Championship title defense looms later this month, it will be a big challenge for his Singapore pursuers to catch him.
Koepka’s Smash GC teammate, defending Singapore champion Talor Gooch, described the task succinctly: “Hard.”
But, he added, not impossible. “Winning golf tournaments is never easy,” Gooch said. “We all know that. Hopefully, we can make it not easy on him. Hopefully, I can make it not easy on him tomorrow.”
Koepka is at 12 under for the tournament, with Fireballs GC’s Abraham Ancer, Cleeks GC’s Adrian Meronk and the RangeGoats GC duo of Thomas Pieters and Matthew Wolff tied for second at 9 under. Four other players are another shot back – Gooch, Ripper GC’s Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, and HyFlyers GC’s Cameron Tringale.
If Koepka converts the three-shot lead into another victory, he will become the first LIV Golf player to win four individual tournaments. He also has a chance to lift two trophies on Sunday if his Smash team can convert its one-shot lead over the Rippers into the team title.
Although he’s playing with plenty of confidence, Koepka is taking nothing for granted.
“Anything is possible,” he said. “Gooch is trailing. He plays this place pretty well. I’ve just got to go out and do what I do, and from there, you can get beat. I have no problem with that if I get beat. But I just want to go out and play good golf, and that’s all I want to do, especially leading into the PGA.”
That good golf was evident following the 4 hour 45 minute weather delay that pushed the shotgun start back to the afternoon. After three pars to start his round, Koepka birdied the par-5 fourth when he threaded his second shot between a row of palm trees, his ball finishing just off the green.
That was the first of three consecutive birdies, and he finished his bogey-free round with four birdies in his last seven holes. A two-shot sequence seemed to epitomize his day — a 53-foot birdie putt on the 13th, then a near-ace on the 14th.
“Brooks was faultless today,” said Pieters, one of his playing partners on Saturday with first-round leader Sebastian Munoz. “I assume he’s going to do the same tomorrow, and it’s going to take a very low one from those of us behind him to win.”
“He’s comfortable being in the lead,” added Wolff, a former Smash teammate who was traded in the offseason to the RangeGoats. “He’s playing good. I think this golf course actually suits him really well. I’ll do what I can control, and other than that, just see what happens.”
Koepka has his wife Jena and nine-month-old son Crew in Singapore with him this week. It’s the third tournament Crew has attended, the first being LIV Golf Miami and the second at the Masters. His father finished T45 both times.
“I was reminded of that on the way over here,” Koepka said. “Hopefully get a little better result.”
Team Counting Scores
Standings and counting scores for Saturday’s second round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
SMASH GC -23 (Koepka 64, Gooch 66, Kokrak 71; Rd. 2 score -12)
RIPPER GC -22 (Smith 65, Herbert 67, Leishman 67; Rd. 2 score -14)
RANGEGOATS GC -21 (Wolff 65, Pieters 67, Uihlein 70; Rd. 2 score -11)
T4. CLEEKS GC -20 (Meronk 66, Bland 68, Kaymer 69; Rd. 2 score -10)
T4. FIREBALLS GC -20 (Ancer 67, Garcia 68, Chacarra 69; Rd. 2 score -9)
LEGION XIII -17 (Hatton 68, Rahm 68, Vincent 68; Rd. 2 score -9)
STINGER GC -14 (Oosthuizen 69, Burmester 70, Schwartzel 70; Rd. 2 score -4)
T8. CRUSHERS GC -13 (DeChambeau 66, Howell III 66, Lahiri 69; Rd. 2 score -12)
T8. HYFLYERS GC -13 (Mickelson 68, Tringale 68, Ogletree 71; Rd. 2 score -6)
T8. TORQUE GC -13 (Niemann 69, Munoz 70, Pereira 70; Rd. 2 score -4)
4ACES GC -12 (Varner III 67, Reed 68, Johnson 70; Rd. 2 score -8)
IRON HEADS GC -10 (Vincent 66, Na 70, Kozuma 72; Rd. 2 score -5)
MAJESTICKS GC -7 (Poulter 68, Stenson 68, Westwood 71; Rd. 2 score -6)
Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli help Bengaluru stay in IPL play-off race
BENGALURU: Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru hammer Gujarat Titans by four wickets for their third successive IPL win on Saturday.
Chasing a modest 148 for victory, Du Plessis, who hit 64, and Kohli, who made 42, laid the foundations with a stand of 92 in 35 balls as the target was achieved with 6.2 overs to spare at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Du Plessis’ departure triggered a collapse as Gujarat hit back with wickets from Joshua Little and Noor Ahmad to have the opposition in trouble at 117-6 when Kohli was dismissed.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who hit 21, and Swapnil Singh, who made 15, made sure there was no more drama as they steered the team home in an unbeaten stand of 35.
“It was important we didn’t look at the scoreboard when we went out to bat and try and play the way we play,” said Du Plessis.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking, another wicket, another wicket. Probably not the best but you’re trying to be positive, get your net run-rate up.”
Bowlers set up victory after pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj removed the openers including skipper Shubman Gill early and Gujarat lost regular wickets to be bowled out for 147 in 19.3 overs.
Siraj returned figures of 2-29 to be named man of the match but the pace bowler said he nearly missed the game after being “sick since last night.”
It was Bengaluru’s fourth win and third on the bounce in 11 matches as they jumped from the bottom of the table to seventh and keep their slim play-off hopes alive.
Gujarat’s hopes are also hanging by a thread as they slumped to their seventh loss in 11 matches.
“Very important to start from zero in our next match and move on from this game,” Gill said. “Learn from mistakes and not repeat them. All about winning from here on.”
Kohli, who reclaimed the top batting spot with 542 runs, came out roaring as he hit Mohit Sharma for two sixes in the opening over of the chase and Du Plessis soon joined in and moved ahead to raise his fifty in 18 balls.
The South African veteran smashed 10 fours and three sixes in his 23-ball blitz before being dismissed by Ireland left-arm quick Little.
Little took two more wickets including Glenn Maxwell for four as Bengaluru slipped to 107-4.
Little sent back Cameron Green and then Noor’s left-arm wrist spin silenced the home crowd when he had Kohli caught behind, but the hosts had the last laugh when Singh hit the winning six.
Earlier put into bat, Gujarat went three down for 19 inside six over before big-hitter Shahrukh Khan, who top-scored with 37, stood strong in a 61-run stand with David Miller, who hit 30 off 20 balls.
Left-handed Rahul Tewatia hit a 21-ball 35 and put on another key stand with Rashid Khan to add respect to the total.
2 Saudi players knocked out on day 1 of Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament in Jeddah
- Ali Alkhadrawi creates chances but is unable to take advantage of them as he loses in three games to Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura
- Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi faces tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, and is on receiving end of a masterclass from a player considered one of the best in the world
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia suffered an early setback at the Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis tournament at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah on Saturday, when Abdulaziz Bu Shulaybi and Ali Alkhadrawi were eliminated in the first round of the men’s singles competition.
Ali Alkhadrawi was first to fall, defeated by Japanese professional Maharu Yoshimura, who won three games straight to progress to the round of 32.
Competing in front of a home crowd, and with pride etched on his face, Alkhadrawi put up a brave fight. He got off to good start, opening up a 6-3 lead in game one, and had his chances in the third, too, including three game points. However, Yoshimura rallied on both occasions, showing great character as he recorded victories of 11-9, 11-4 and 15-13 to deny the local hero.
Bu Shulaybi, a wildcard entrant to the event, faced a tough test against Lin Gaoyuan of China, who is considered one of the best players in the world. He gave it his all but also lost in three games, ending up on the receiving end of a masterclass in the game as the No. 6 seed comfortably won 11-4, 11-2, 11-4.
Verstappen wins sprint race at Miami Grand Prix
- The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap
- Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday
MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the Miami Grand Prix’s sprint race on Saturday finishing a full 3.3 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The reigning three-times world champion and current championship leader, who is looking for a third straight Grand Prix victory at Miami on Sunday, led from pole and was never challenged after a chaotic opening lap.
Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez was third as the world champions gave themselves a points boost ahead of qualifying later on Saturday.
Dutchman Verstappen held off Leclerc’s strong start to secure his place at the front but there was plenty of action and incident in the middle of the pack.
Haas’s Kevin Magnussen and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton jousted hard but in the end the Dane picked up three penalties, adding 25 seconds to his time, after frequently leaving the track and gaining advantage.
Hamilton also received a penalty, leaving him outside the points positions in 16th after speeding in the pit lane.
The safety car was brought out after the first lap which saw a start line incident involving Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Lando Norris.
But away from those skirmishes, it was business as usual for Verstappen, who adds another eight points to his season tally with the victory.
“I think my engine wasn’t good in the start and so then I had to speed it a bit, luckily everything worked out in turn one,” said Verstappen.
“Then we had the safety car just to calm things down a bit after that. Steadily we could increase the gap a little bit, but it wasn’t entirely perfect so we still have a bit of work to do,” he added.
“We can still fine tune the car a little bit, so hopefully we can improve for later on in qualifying and especially for tomorrow in the race.”
Future champions shine as Riyadh hosts junior Asian tennis contest for first time
- Tournament featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries
RIYADH: The Asian Tennis Federation’s 14&U Grade A tournament concluded on Saturday in Riyadh, the first event of its kind to be held in the Kingdom.
The tournament was hosted by the Saudi Arabian Tennis Federation at the Mahd Academy, and featured 57 leading female and male junior players from 20 countries, including Iran, India, Hong Kong and Thailand.
The “A” category is the highest-grade system within the ATF, with the winner of the singles competition earning 1,200 points.
The week’s top winners were Dharma Pantaratorn from Thailand and Kiyarash Sadghi from Iran.
Many of the junior players, such as 12-year-old Aylara Kakabayeva from Turkmenistan, were visiting Saudi Arabia for the first time.
“I took seventh place. It was really good. It feels very good playing here. It feels like you’re playing in a pro tournament like the Grand Slam,” she told Arab News.
The tournament proved to be a meeting point for the youth taking part. Saudi national team player Hamza Elmansoury, 11, said that his best moments were making “friends from different nationalities like Georgian India, Syria and Iran.”
Saudi tournament referee Reham Almansour said: “My favorite part was seeing and watching these talented players coming from all around Asia.”
The tournament is part of the STF’s drive to develop and promote competition for local talents.
STF development officer Pablo Mosquera said that the event allowed local players to get ranked without traveling long distances and making huge investments.
“So, they have, basically, in their backyard, an opportunity to get points,” he said.
“The whole point about tennis is bringing everyone together, especially in these international tournaments, especially the age group of under 12 or 14,” STF technical director, Hassan El-Aroussi added.
The federation plans to host more international tournaments, particularly junior competitions, in cooperation with the International Tennis Federation.
These expansive goals are driven by “our love of tennis,” El-Aroussi said.
