International Olympic Committee : News

Golf: World golf rankings

12/10/2012 11:55:23 AM

World golf rankings after the weekend's touraments in Australia, Thailand and South Africa:-

1. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 13.81pts

2. Luke Donald (ENG) 9.13

3. Tiger Woods (USA) 8.90

4. Justin Rose (ENG) 6.69

5. Louis Oosthuizen (RSA) 6.38

6. Lee Westwood (ENG) 6.37

7. Adam Scott (AUS) 6.37

8. Bubba Watson (USA) 5.59

9. Jason Dufner (USA) 5.54

10. Brandt Snedeker (USA) 5.48

11. Webb Simpson (USA) 5.45

12. Keegan Bradley (USA) 5.24

13. Ian Poulter (ENG) 5.18

14. Graeme McDowell (NIR) 5.00

15. Phil Mickelson (USA) 4.96

16. Steve Stricker (USA) 4.95

17. Nick Watney (USA) 4.78

18. Peter Hanson (SWE) 4.77

19. Matt Kuchar (USA) 4.72

20. Sergio Garcia (ESP) 4.65

afp

Golf: Peerless Schwartzel cruises to Thailand victory

12/9/2012 11:26:40 AM

Charl Schwartzel decimated a star field at the Thailand Golf Championship Sunday, cruising to an 11-shot victory and ending a miserable 20-month spell without a title.

Five-shots ahead overnight, the South African more than doubled his winning margin with a blistering final round 65, leaving him seven under par for the day and 25-under overall. He dropped only a single shot all week.

In a display of precision putting, he hit eight final round birdies as he avenged last year's defeat to Lee Westwood and smashed the Englishman's tournament record score by three shots with a total of 263.

US Masters champion Bubba Watson finished strongly with 14-under overall, putting him tied second with 20-year-old Thai sensation Thitiphun Chuayprakong, while Ryder Cup star Sergio Garcia was two shots back in fourth.

It was Schwartzel's first win since claiming the 2011 US Masters, with the South African enduring a frustrating time since then due to injuries and poor form.

"It's been a good week. I've come close a few times but winning is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be," a beaming Schwartzel said of his ninth professional title.

"It's been a difficult year especially in the middle, it's nice to put things in place and get the win I've been looking for for a while.

"Making one bogey all week pretty much sums up how I played. I played pretty flawless golf. That's my personal best."

Schwartzel made a high-class field look ordinary as he breezed to the title, his 11-under the third-biggest winning margin ever recorded on the Asian Tour.

A birdie at the first banished any thoughts of a final day wobble. It was his nearest rival, Sweden's Daniel Chopra, who quickly felt the nerves, bogeying the first as he wilted in the Chonburi heat.

After seven dropped shots in a horror front nine, Chopra finished at 10-under, joining a clutch of players including Simon Dyson of England who finished a shot ahead of compatriot and world number six Lee Westwood.

Home favourite Thitiphun led the chasing pack for much of the day hitting three birdies and delighting the crowd with a stunning eagle out off the bunker on the eleventh.

"I'm so proud of how I played because I played with one of the best players in the world," the affable Thitiphun said, after claiming his near $85,000 prize for coming joint second. "The way he (Schwartzel) handled himself was fantastic. This is something I'm working on... we are getting there."

Watson posted a flawless seven under 65 for the last round, but he conceded his late charge was doomed to failure after a patchy first three days against the red-hot South African.

"Schwartzel played pretty good and my best stuff probably wouldn't have been as good," he said, adding error-strewn Friday and Saturday rounds stymied a genuine title challenge.

apj/sr

Golf: Singapore Open to re-start after storm

11/9/2012 7:05:11 AM

The Barclays Singapore Open's second round will resume at 3:30 pm (0730 GMT) after a thunderstorm forced a nearly two-hour suspension, organisers said Friday.

England's Simon Dyson and Chapchai Nirat of Thailand are the joint leaders at six-under-par 65 mid-way through round two, while world number one Rory McIlroy is at level par for the tournament.

th/slb

Golf: Storm halts play in Singapore Open

11/8/2012 9:10:25 AM

First-round play was suspended in the $6 million Barclays Singapore Open Thursday because of the risk of lightning after a rain-storm hit the course.

Thomas Bjorn was the clubhouse leader with five-under-par 66 at par-71 Sentosa Golf Club, while world number one Rory McIlroy was one under par through his first seven holes.

After a 105-minute suspension, the round was halted at 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) and will resume at 7:30 am on Friday.

th/mtp

Golf: Park leads resurgent Tseng in Taiwan

10/25/2012 2:09:25 PM

Troubled world number one Yani Tseng drew inspiration from thousands of cheering fans as she carded five-under-par 67 to lie two shots off the first-round lead at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship Thursday.

The defending champion, moved to tears this week as she contemplated a seven-month title drought, scored six birdies against a lone bogey to trail South Korea's in-form Park In-Bee by two shots.

"Must be the bogey on number 10 make me a little mad out there," Tseng said.

"But after that I feel let's make birdie chance, let's make a few birdies, and I did on number 11, that was a great putt because I didn't putt well on the front nine.

Park, who has enjoyed 10 top-10 finishes out of 20 tournaments this year, enjoyed a bogey-free round of seven birdies at Sunrise Golf and Country Club in the northern county of Taoyuan.

"I hit the ball great. I mean I hit a lot of short irons in, so I hit a lot of shots close and I was able to make a lot of birdies," she said.

Nicole Castrale and Danielle Kang of the United States, Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum and Park Hee-Young of South Korea were tied for third place on four-under-par 68.

One shot behind on 69 were Paula Creamer and Lizette Salas of the United States, South Korea's Chella Choi and Norway's Suzann Pettersen, who won last week's HanaBank Championship in South Korea after a play-off.

Last year the diminutive Tseng, affectionately known as the "Pride of Taiwan" by her home fans, enjoyed her seventh and final win of the season in front of sell-out crowds at the Sunrise event.

But Tseng has gone off the boil this year with no wins since March, including 11 straight tournaments without a top-10 finish and three missed cuts.

She finished third last week in South Korea, boosting her badly needed self-confidence.

"Last week every drive, every shot I feel like I played like before. But now I just want to always looking forward. It doesn't matter how I play before, but now is the start every shot and I want to do my best and focus on every shot," Tseng said.

cty/ia

Golf: Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia final results

10/14/2012 8:39:57 AM

Final-round scores Sunday at the $1.9 million Sime Darby LPGA tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club:

269 - Park Inbee (KOR) 69-68-65-67

271 - Choi Na-Yeon (KOR) 65-67-68-71

272 - Karrie Webb (AUS) 65-71-68-68

273 - Catriona Matthew (SCO) 68-68-70-67

274 - Ryu So-Yeon (KOR) 68-73-67-66

275 - Lindsey Wright (AUS) 70-66-72-67, Paula Creamer (USA) 69-67-70-69

276 - Jessica Korda (USA) 68-71-73-64

277 - Candie Kung (TPE) 70-71-71-65, Lizette Salas (USA) 68-67-76-66, Ariya Jutanugarn (THA) 69-72-67-69, Mika Miyazato (JPN) 66-69-71-71, Ai Miyazato (JPN) 68-69-68-72

278 - Yoo Sun-Young (KOR) 66-70-72-70, Azahara Munoz (ESP) 71-71-67-69

afp

Golf: Malaysia Sime Darby LPGA round three results

10/13/2012 11:37:46 AM

Leading scores after the third round Saturday in the $1.9 million Sime Darby LPGA tournament at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club:

200 - Choi Na-Yeon (KOR) 65-67-68

202 - Park Inbee (KOR) 69-68-65

204 - Karrie Webb (AUS) 65-71-68

205 - Ai Miyazato (JPN) 68-69-68, Suzann Pettersen (NOR) 71-64-70

206 - Paula Creamer (USA) 69-67-70, Catriona Matthew (SCO) 68-68-70, Mika Miyazato (JPN) 66-69-71

207 - Brittany Lang (USA) 69-68-70

afp