Rome course provides stage fit for Ryder Cup gladiators
ROME : On a clear day St. Peter's Basilica can be seen from the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club that provides the stage for three days of golfing theatre that only the Ryder Cup can conjure.
Tommy Fleetwood Sport News
Calculators at the ready to determine African World Cup aspirations
CAPE TOWN: African fans will need their calculators over the next week of World Cup qualifiers to figure out if their favored team remains in contention for a place at next year’s finals in North America. The nine group winners all qualify automatically and will be determined when the group qualifying program ends on Tuesday. While that is simple enough, there is the possibility of an additional 10th African team reaching next June’s finals in Canada, Mexico and the United States via a lengthy playoff route. The four best runners-up from the nine groups will go into a playoff next month to determine a sole African representative for a further intercontinental playoff planned for March. Calculating the four best runners-up from the nine African groups would have been easy had Eritrea not withdrawn before the start of the campaign, but after the draw was made, and left one of the groups with five teams instead of six. Therefore, because the five countries in Group E played eight qualifiers instead of 10 in all the other groups, the four best runners-up will be determined not by their overall points tally but by their results only against the third, fourth and fifth-placed sides in their respective groups. In other words, any points that the runners-up accumulated in matches against the last-placed finisher are expunged, the Confederation of African Football has confirmed. The penultimate round of qualifiers began on Wednesday and with two rounds to play, there are only two confirmed group winners, no confirmed runners-up and four teams condemned to last place. Morocco and Tunisia last month secured top place in their respective groups, and a ticket to the 2026 World Cup, while Djibouti (Group A), Seychelles (F), Somalia
Barcelona reject Israeli basketball team training facility request
BARCELONA: Barcelona rejected a request from an Israeli basketball team to train at their facilities next week, a club source confirmed to AFP on Wednesday. The Catalan club said it was for logistical and public order reasons that they would not allow Hapoel Jerusalem to train on their Palau Blaugrana court before a match against Baxi Manresa on October 15 in the EuroCup competition. “We don’t want to have any problems,” explained the club source, after an increase in protests against Israel because of the Gaza war. The source said on that day preparations would also begin for a Barca handball match in the Champions League, and that Manresa were obliged to allow their opponents use of their court. Valencia Basket are due to face Hapoel Tel Aviv, another Israeli team, in the EuroLeague competition on the same day. The pro-Palestinian BDS movement, calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, has called for that match to be canceled. Spain’s government has labelled Israel’s actions a “genocide” and prime minister Pedro Sanchez in September called for Israeli teams to be excluded from international sport. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible. They launched their Gaza offensive in October 2023 in retaliation for an unprecedented cross-border attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
England captain Kane could miss Wales friendly
Kane joined up with England despite suffering an ankle issue in Bayern’s win over Eintracht FrankfurtThe 32-year-old, who is England’s record scorer with 74 goals, sat out Wednesday’s sessionLONDON: England captain Harry Kane could miss Thursday’s friendly against Wales after the Bayern Munich striker was unable to train on Wednesday.Kane joined up with England despite suffering an ankle issue in Bayern’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.Speaking after the Frankfurt game, Kane said: “I am recovering at the moment — I took a knock. A few days and then I should be fine, so no problem for the national team.
Sabalenka battles to keep Wuhan record alive, Pegula survives marathon
WUHAN, China: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka battled hard Wednesday to keep her unbeaten record in Wuhan intact, having to come from behind to beat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. The world number one started slowly in her first match since she clinched a fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open last month. But the Belarusian found her power game in the final set to reach the Wuhan Open last 16, where she will face the 16th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova. Sabalenka is chasing a fourth consecutive crown in Wuhan where she has a perfect 18-0 win-loss record. The first three games went against serve but it was Sramkova who consolidated for 3-1, and it was all she needed to grab the opening set in 35 minutes, firing 15 winners. Sabalenka hit back to level and swept through the decider to win in just under two hours. “She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set.
Tommy Fleetwood to defend Dubai Invitational title
DUBAI: Ryder Cup hero Tommy Fleetwood will return to Dubai Creek Resort from Jan. 15 to 18 to defend his Dubai Invitational title.
Abu Dhabi to host final round of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025
ABU DHABI: The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has announced that the eighth and final round of the second Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship will take place in the Mubadala Arena at Zayed Sports City from Oct. 10 to 12.
Ryder Cup 2025: Best moments from the final round - ESPN
Team USA couldn't quite make an historic comeback to win the 2025 Ryder Cup. Shane Lowry birdied No. 18 to tie Russell Henley and retain the Cup for Europe. Tyrrell Hatton then tied Collin Morikawa to give Europe 14.5 points to win the Ryder Cup.
McIlroy fires back at hecklers in intense Ryder Cup atmosphere
Rory McIlroy swore at raucous Ryder Cup fans on Saturday (Sep 27) before extra security was deployed to monitor rowdy galleries during the Europe star's afternoon four-ball match alongside Shane Lowry as tensions reached fever pitch.