Ancer leads with 64, DeChambeau 3 back, Fireballs lead team race at LIV Golf Nashville

Ancer leads with 64, DeChambeau 3 back, Fireballs lead team race at LIV Golf Nashville
Abraham Ancer of Fireballs GC grabbed the first-round lead at LIV Golf Nashville with a bogey-free 7-under 64. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf)
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Updated 22 June 2024
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Ancer leads with 64, DeChambeau 3 back, Fireballs lead team race at LIV Golf Nashville

Ancer leads with 64, DeChambeau 3 back, Fireballs lead team race at LIV Golf Nashville
  • With Ancer leading the way, Fireballs GC lead the team competition by four shots over DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, with Torque GC another shot back in third
  • The crowd support helped keep DeChambeau going, and he acknowledged them at every opportunity — including at the par-3 15th party hole when he made birdie, then cupped his ear to hear the fans cheer

COLLEGE GROVE: In his first round since winning the US Open, a worn-out Bryson DeChambeau continued to thrive off the energy of his growing fan base, shooting a 4-under 67 on Friday at LIV Golf Nashville.

Meanwhile, a rejuvenated Abraham Ancer continued to ride the form that’s already led to one LIV Golf victory this season, as he grabbed the first-round lead at The Grove with a bogey-free 7-under 64.
 

With Ancer leading the way, Fireballs GC lead the team competition by four shots over DeChambeau’s Crushers GC, with Torque GC another shot back in third. The Fireballs, captained by Sergio Garcia, are seeking their first team title this season after trying for second in each of the previous two tournaments.
 
Ancer opened his round with a birdie, and then took the lead on his final nine with four birdies in a five-hole stretch. He finished by getting up-and-down on his last hole to keep his scorecard clean.
 

“Extremely happy the way I fought today,” said Ancer, the winner at LIV Golf Hong Kong earlier this year in a playoff. “Even the last hole, I put myself in a tough spot and then made a longish putt for par, which was really nice. You don’t want to finish on a bogey.”

One shot back is Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton, the only player this season to finish inside the top 24 in points in each of the first eight tournaments. Hatton leaned heavily on his putter during a round in which he needed just 24 putts. 

“The big thing that I was most pleased with today was just the putter,” Hatton said. “Feel like I holed out really well from inside 10 feet.”

In solo third is John Catlin, a reserve player who is filling in for injured Crushers veteran Charles Howell III for the second consecutive LIV Golf tournament. Catlin’s 5-under 66 was highlighted by a stretch of four birdies in five holes around his turn.

No reserve player has finished inside the top 5 of a LIV Golf tournament, but Catlin, a 13-time winner in his professional career and currently second in the International Series standings, is confident he can continue to make noise this week.

“I feel like if I can go out and play my game, I’m capable of anything,” he said.

DeChambeau is in a four-way tie for fourth with Torque’s Sebastián Muñoz, Fireballs’ Eugenio Chacarra and Majesticks GC’s Sam Horsfield.
 
The last few days have been a whirlwind for the Crushers captain after winning his second US Open with a clutch up-and-down on the 72nd hole at Pinehurst. A media tour in New York followed the next day before he traveled to Nashville for this week’s tournament.
 
“I’m a zombie right now. I’m a dead man walking,” he said.
 
But the crowd support Friday helped keep him going, and he acknowledged them at every opportunity — including at the par-3 15th party hole when he made birdie, then cupped his ear to hear the fans cheer.
 
“It’s quite an honor to be out here and have so much support,” DeChambeau said. “It’s fantastic. This is what LIV is all about.”

Team counting scores

Standings and counting scores for Friday’s opening round of the team competition at LIV Golf Nashville:

 

1. FIREBALLS GC -14 (Ancer 64, Chacarra 67, Garcia 68)

 

2. CRUSHERS GC -10 (Catlin 66, DeChambeau 67, Casey 70)

 

3. TORQUE GC -9 (Muñoz 67, Ortiz 68, Pereira 69)

 

4. LEGION XIII -8 (Hatton 65, Rahm 70, Surratt 70)

 

5. MAJESTICKS GC -7 (Horsfield 67, Westwood 69, Stenson 70)

 

T6. STINGER GC -4 (Schwartzel 69, Burmester 70, Oosthuizen 70)

 

T6. RIPPER GC -4 (Leishman 69, Smith 69, Jones 71)

 

T6. CLEEKS GC -4 (Kaymer 68, Bland 70, Samooja 71)

 

9. IRON HEADS GC -3 (Na 69, Vincent 69, Kozuma 72)

 

10. SMASH GC -2 (Koepka 69, Kokrak 71, Gooch 71)

 

11. HYFLYERS GC E (Mickelson 70, Steele 71, Ogletree 72)

 

12. RANGEGOATS GC +1 (Watson 70, Wolff 72, Uihlein 72)

 

13. 4ACES GC +2 (Varner III 71, Reed 72, Perez 72)


Coco Gauff wins WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Zheng Qinwen

Coco Gauff wins WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Zheng Qinwen
Updated 58 min 39 sec ago
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Coco Gauff wins WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Zheng Qinwen

Coco Gauff wins WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Zheng Qinwen
  • The 20-year-old American came from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set and was two points from defeat at one stage
  • Gauff beat the world’s top two players — Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek — on her run to the final at the season-ending event in Riyadh

RIYADH: Coco Gauff won the WTA Finals for the first time by rallying to beat Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the final on Saturday.
The 20-year-old American came from 2-0 and 5-3 down in the final set and was two points from defeat at one stage.
Yet she took the set to a tiebreaker and won the first six points. Zheng threatened a comeback but Gauff took the victory off her third match point with a forehand winner as she came into the net.
She is the first American to win the Finals since Serena Williams in 2014, and received $4.8 million in prize money.
Gauff beat the world’s top two players — Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek — on her run to the final at the season-ending event in Riyadh.
Zheng was looking to complete a season in which she reached a grand slam final for the first time at the Australian Open and delivered China’s first Olympic tennis singles gold medal.
But Gauff edged the three-hour final which included 26 break points. Gauff also won their only previous meeting, in the Rome quarterfinals on clay in May.
Gauff beat Sabalenka at age 19 in last year’s US Open final to win her only major in singles to date. She teamed with Katerina Siniakova to win the French Open doubles this year.
In the WTA doubles final, Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand beat Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the United States 7-5, 6-3. They are the first players from Canada and New Zealand to win the doubles title.


Man City beaten again at Brighton to open door to Liverpool

Man City beaten again at Brighton to open door to Liverpool
Updated 09 November 2024
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Man City beaten again at Brighton to open door to Liverpool

Man City beaten again at Brighton to open door to Liverpool
  • City had not suffered defeat in the league for nearly a year prior to losing at Bournemouth last weekend
  • Pep Guardiola has lost four straight matches for the first time in his illustrious managerial career

LONDON: Manchester City slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat after blowing the lead to lose 2-1 at Brighton on Saturday, allowing Liverpool the chance to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League.
City had not suffered defeat in the league for nearly a year prior to losing at Bournemouth last weekend.
But after also exiting the League Cup to Tottenham and being on the end of a 4-1 thrashing by Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League, Pep Guardiola has lost four straight matches for the first time in his illustrious managerial career.
The English champions looked set to bounce back from their chastening night in Lisbon on Tuesday when Erling Haaland prodded in his 15th goal of the season at the second attempt after his initial effort was saved by Bart Verbruggen.
City, though, were opened up at will in the second half and were finally punished by a pair of Brighton substitutes.
Joao Pedro fired in the equalizer after City failed to clear in a goalmouth scramble.
Matt O’Riley has had to wait for his Premier League debut after suffering a serious ankle injury days after sealing a move from Celtic.
The Danish international marked his bow in style when he slotted in from Pedro’s pass seven minutes from time.
Liverpool can stretch their lead at the top of the table to five points with victory over Aston Villa at Anfield later on Saturday.
Wolves ended a wait since April for a Premier League win by beating fellow strugglers Southampton 2-0 to move off the foot of the table.
Gary O’Neil was under huge pressure to deliver after a 13-game winless run in the top flight and got the perfect start when Pablo Sarabia swept home Matheus Cunha’s pass for Wolves’ fastest ever Premier League goal.
Cunha smashed home a stunning second goal himself early in the second period to give Wolves a vital three points, which sees Southampton replace them at the bottom of the table.
“He’s huge for us. He has such ability,” said O’Neil on Cunha’s influence. “A big win for us and Matheus Cunha had a big say in it.”
Fulham moved into seventh by inflicting more misery on Crystal Palace with a 2-0 win at Selhurst Park.
Emile Smith Rowe pounced on an error from Maxence Lacroix to open the scoring in first-half stoppage time.
The Eagles’ hopes of a fightback were hit when Daichi Kamada saw red for a wild lunge on Kenny Tete.
Harry Wilson came off the bench to score twice in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win over Brentford on Monday and the Welsh international was an impact substitute again to wrap up the victory seven minutes from time.
Yoane Wissa scored a brace as Brentford twice came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-2.
Twice the in-form Cherries led through Evanilson and Justin Kluivert.
But the Bees have taken 16 points from a possible 18 at home this season.
Brentford quickly levelled on both occasions through Wissa and Mikkel Damsgaard.
Wissa then completed the comeback with his seventh goal in eight league appearances this season.
West Ham and Everton did little to quell the discontent among both fanbases in a 0-0 draw.
There were loud boos at full-time at the London Stadium from the West Ham support, but a point does edge Everton four clear of the bottom three.


Green Falcons arrive in Melbourne for World Cup Asian qualifier against Australia

Green Falcons arrive in Melbourne for World Cup Asian qualifier against Australia
Updated 09 November 2024
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Green Falcons arrive in Melbourne for World Cup Asian qualifier against Australia

Green Falcons arrive in Melbourne for World Cup Asian qualifier against Australia
  • Team begin preparations with closed training session on Sunday
  • Saudi ambassador to Australia welcomes players at Melbourne Airport

MELBOURNE: The Saudi national football team will train in Melbourne behind closed doors on Sunday in preparation for their 2026 World Cup Asian qualifier match against Australia next Thursday.
The Green Falcons arrived in Melbourne on Sunday morning and are scheduled to face off against Australia on Nov. 14 at AAMI Park as part of the fifth round of Asian qualifiers for the World Cup.
Saudi Ambassador to Australia Sultan bin Fahd bin Khuzaim welcomed the national team upon their arrival at Melbourne International Airport.
Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Saudi Embassy for the warm welcome and the facilities provided to the delegation since their arrival.
The Green Falcons delegation left Riyadh on Saturday morning from King Khalid International Airport. They will begin their preparatory program on Sunday with a closed evening training session at 6 p.m. within Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium.


Vinícius nets hat trick in win as three Real Madrid players go down injured

Vinícius nets hat trick in win as three Real Madrid players go down injured
Updated 09 November 2024
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Vinícius nets hat trick in win as three Real Madrid players go down injured

Vinícius nets hat trick in win as three Real Madrid players go down injured
  • Madrid had heard jeers in their previous two home games
  • Vinícius got his second hat trick of the season

BARCELONA: Vinícius Júnior scored a hat trick to lead Real Madrid a 4-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday in a much-needed victory that was dampened when teammate Éder Militão left on a stretcher.
Madrid had heard jeers in their previous two home games — a 4-0 loss to fierce rival Barcelona and 3-1 defeat to AC Milan.
But the easy victory may have come at the high price.
Militão was taken off after the central defender crumbled to the turf and clutched the back of his right knee shortly before halftime. Rodrygo and Lucas Vázquez also were unable to continue after apparently sustaining muscle injuries in the first half.
Vinícius, who felt overlooked when the Ballon d’Or went to Spain’s Rodri last week, got his second hat trick of the season and took his overall tally to 12 goals. Jude Bellingham added a goal to make it 2-0.
Madrid are in second place in the Spanish league at six points behind leader Barcelona.


Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles

Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles
Updated 09 November 2024
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Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles

Waring holds one-shot Abu Dhabi lead as McIlroy struggles
  • A day after setting a course record 61, the 39-year-old Waring was the only player among the top-29 on the leaderboard to post an over-par score for a total 18-under par 198
  • Fast-rising Dane Niklas Norgaard Moller hit a third round 69 to cut Waring’s five-shot overnight lead

ABU DHABI: England’s Paul Waring shot a one-over par 73 and held a one-shot lead going into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Saturday as Ireland’s Rory McIlroy continued to struggle.
A day after setting a course record 61, the 39-year-old Waring was the only player among the top-29 on the leaderboard to post an over-par score for a total 18-under par 198.
Fast-rising Dane Niklas Norgaard Moller hit a third round 69 to cut Waring’s five-shot overnight lead.
World number three Rory McIlroy dropped a big number in his closing holes for the second day in a row, this time a double bogey on the par-5 18th after an errant tee shot found water on the left side, to sit five shots off the lead.
On Friday, the Northern Irishman had made a triple bogey on the par-3 17th.
“If you’d given me a one-shot lead going into the final round at the beginning of the week, I would have snatched your hand,” said Waring, who is looking for his first win since the 2018 Nordea Masters.
“A little disappointed, because I felt like I could have really moved forward today and put myself out of sight.
“You’ve got to have an average day, don’t you?“
Three shots back, Ireland’s Shane Lowry (66), the 2019 tournament winner, was tied for third with Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (71), Dane Thorbjoern Olesen (71) and Swede Sebastian Soederberg (68) at 15-under par.
With the wind picking up toward the afternoon and the greens becoming firmer and faster, the conditions were challenging after two benign days.
Waring had taken advantage of the conditions with rounds of 64 and 61 and started the day at 19-under.
An early birdie extended his advantage, but a three-putt bogey on the par-3 fourth hole frayed his nerves, after which he struggled to get his speed and line right with the putter.
British Masters champion Norgaard made his first bogey of the tournament on the ninth hole, but three birdies on the back nine kept him in the hunt for a second title this year.
“Very satisfied with today,” said the 32-year-old, who is almost guaranteed a PGA Tour card next season as one of top-10 players from the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai rankings.
A disappointed McIlroy closed with a three-under-par 69 and dropped to tied 13th position on 13-under-par 203.
He still felt confident of getting his hands on the trophy in Abu Dhabi for the first time in his career.
“Playing the last two holes two-over two days in a row is not ideal. Cost myself a few shots there,” said McIlroy, who is seeking to secure his sixth DP World Tour Order of Merit crown next week in Dubai and match the legendary Spaniard Seve Ballesteros.
“The leaders weren’t getting away, which was nice and I was making a little bit of a charge. And yeah, just one mistake, that drive on 18, and with it playing so much into the wind.
“It was an untimely mistake, just like yesterday on the 17th, and I dug myself a little bit of a hole to get out of, but depending on what the leaders do, I can still go into tomorrow feeling like I have half a chance.
“I just need to put it all together and play the way I’ve been playing and keep the big mistakes and big numbers off my card and if I can do that and post a score, you never know.”