A88CAEFB: 2013

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Skier Vonn's knee fails number one fan Tiger Woods

By Luke PhillipsDecember 21, 2013 12:02 PM

Val-d'Isère (France) (AFP) - American speed queen Lindsey Vonn failed to put together a winning run for onlooking boyfriend Tiger Woods on Saturday as her unstable right knee gave way halfway down the course.

Vonn insisted the incident would not have major ramifications, saying she would race a maximum of two more events before heading to Sochi to defend her Olympic downhill title in February.

But the manner in which her knee failed to provide any stability on a turn coming out of a compression will have worried not only her but the US ski team.

Vonn sustained the injury to her knee in a horrific crash in last February's World Ski Championships in Schladming.

With reconstructive surgery and 10 months out, it surprised some that she even made it back to competitive skiing this season.

"Unfortunately I have no ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and it just gave out on me," Vonn said, with Switzerland's Marianne Kaufmann-Abderhalden going on to win the downhill.

"It was a small compression and it was fully loaded on the right ski and my knee just completely gave out. I tried to pressure the ski again and it gave out again.

"I'm going to be as safe and smart as I can and give myself as much time as I can give myself to really get as strong as I can."

Vonn added: "I have no ACL, so unless I get surgery there's not anything really magical I can do to make it better. I can just get my leg and muscles stronger to try to support it more, but that has a small impact.

"My knee is loose and it's not stable and that's the way it's going to be from here on out, I just have to get used to it."

But she insisted that her morale remained high and that Sochi was firmly in her sights.

"My goal is the Olympics. I'm not winning any World Cups this year, any titles, as long as I'm skiing well and I have good confidence that's all I really need," she said.

"I just need to be careful about how many races I do. I'm at risk of doing more damage to my knee and my meniscus and things like that.

"So I'm going to play it safe and race minimal races, probably maybe one or two, before the Olympics just so I can get the confidence and the timing and the feeling of racing again."

The onlooking Woods, whose relationship with Vonn was revealed in March, featured regularly on the big screen in the build-up to his girlfriend's run.

In brilliant sunshine, the world's number one golfer positioned himself in the team area at the bottom of the slope and kept his eyes straight ahead.

When French racer Marie Marchand-Arvier suffered a brutal crash, he visibly flinched and rocked up on his toes.

With Vonn in the starting gate, Woods remained stock still, hands dug deep into his jacket.

As she failed to come out cleanly from that compression and missed a gate, there was no reaction from the golfer despite the gasps from the spectators, the giant screen showing a close-up of Vonn slumped on the side of the slope, crying.

"He was nervous," was Vonn's explanation of the statuesque pose taken on by Woods, with camera crews jostling to get a shot of the 14-Major winning golfer.

"He's very supportive and it's really fun to have him. This is his first World Cup and he's a little more nervous because of me, he's worried about me but he's happy to be here and I'm happy to have him.

"I love having him around and the more races he can come to, the better. But I'm not really racing much this year unfortunately so you probably won't see both of us around very much.

"He likes skiing and he wants to understand my sport more and he's interested in what I do because he loves me and wants to support me."

Vonn said she had felt less pressure with Woods watching on.

"Just having someone support you always makes you feel better," she said.

"I didn't feel any pressure, I'd had two really good training runs and I felt really confident today and I'm just disappointed because my knee didn't hold up like I was hoping it would."

Golf-New Zealand prodigy Ko splits with coach

5 hours ago

Dec 23 (Reuters) - New Zealand's Lydia Ko has split with long-time coach Guy Wilson, who started working with the golfing prodigy as a five-year-old novice and helped take her to number four in the world 11 years later.

Ko was given the green light in October to become a full member of the LPGA Tour from the start of the 2014 season after the governing body waived the 18-year-old age limit clause.

Ko, who was born in South Korea and has already won five professional titles, four as an amateur, became the youngest winner on the LPGA Tour when she captured last year's Canadian Open at the age of 15.

She signed up with management company IMG earlier this month.

In statement to Fairfax media, Wilson said he was "incredibly disappointed" that their partnership had come to an end.

"We've spent a lot of time together over the past decade and during that time I've become very close to Lydia and her family. While I'm incredibly disappointed that our 11-year partnership is over, I respect Lydia and her team's decision," Wilson said in the statement.

"When I first met her the golf clubs were taller than she was and she didn't know the first thing about a driver or a putter but now she has one of the most envied swings in the women's golf world."

Media reports suggested Ko would now be coached by David Leadbetter in the United States.

Wilson began coaching Ko at six, where they were initially restricted by language difficulties as she had not yet been immersed in New Zealand schooling at that stage.

Ko had up to four lessons a week with Wilson, working from about 50 metres away from the green because anything else would have been too daunting, and he was amazed at the youngster's focus, motivation and ability to keep working at her game.

Wilson had told Reuters in October that Ko would not be out of place on the LPGA tour despite her youth.

"She is better than most of the people on the LPGA Tour. Her age does not match her skill set," he said.

(Writing by Peter Rutherford in Seoul, Editing by Gene Cherry)

The 10 best golf moments of 2013: No. 9, Stacy Lewis at St. Andrews

By Shane Bacon1 hour agoDevil Ball Golf

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Stacy Lewis — Getty Images

Over the next 10 days, until we get to the New Year, we will be rolling out the top-10 best golf moments of 2013. After much deliberation and debate, we picked what we thought were the 10 moments you will remember about this season a decade from now. We continue with No. 9 and Stacy Lewis at the Women's British Open. (No. 10 is right here)

There are few shots as known around this world as the approach shot to a Sunday pin on the 17th hole at St. Andrews. The hole has a name, the Road Hole, known not just for what runs right behind the green but reminding the player that a shot hit just a groove too hard could spell doom for their chance at a championship.

Stacy Lewis, the 28-year-old female version of Matt Kuchar (silent on the outside, a killer on the inside), got to the Women's British Open not just looking for a second major championship, but to be the one to stop the ridiculous major run of Inbee Park, who arrived at St. Andrews looking for a fourth straight major title.

Lewis opened with a 5-under 67 and followed it up an even-par round of 72 to sit five shots back of the leader with two rounds to go. It was then that the winds of St. Andrews started to pick up, so bad that play was halted on Saturday and the leaders had a marathon on Sunday at the Old Course.

Lewis' third round 69 set her up for a chance at the championship, but a Sunday bogey on the 15th looked it would doom the American's chance for her third win of 2013.

Of course, that was when Lewis hit one of the best golf shots in the history of the Old Course, a 5-iron to three feet on the toughest hole on the property, setting up a birdie-birdie finish that hardly ever happens on the Old.

Lewis won the tournament by two shots, but it was that 5-iron on the 71st hole that we will remember for years to come and one of the best shots of the year in all of golf.

In Hawaii, Obama tries for uninterrupted vacation

By JOSH LEDERMANDecember 21, 2013 8:23 PM

HONOLULU (AP) — An ocean away from Washington worries, President Barack Obama opened his annual Hawaii vacation Saturday on a quiet note — and hoped it would stay that way for the next two weeks.

Every year, Obama and his family prepare to return to his birth state here on the sun-scorched shores of Oahu. And every year — until now — congressional squabbling has forced the Obamas to delay their trip.

This year, Obama was cleared for an on-time departure by Congress, which defied pessimistic expectations last week by passing a bipartisan budget deal, all but ensuring the government won't shut down over the next two years. It was a far cry from presaging a new era of cooperation, to be sure, but a silver lining for Obama a day earlier as he acknowledged a year of frustrating "ups and downs" in an end-of-year news conference.

The president, first lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, and first dogs Sunny and Bo hopped an overnight flight Friday aboard Air Force One to Honolulu, where they were whisked by motorcade to a beachside home in Kailua, a sleepy suburb with a five-mile stretch of beach popular among windsurfers and tourists.

The next morning Obama, typically an early riser, got a late start, staying at the home until early afternoon, when he headed to the golf course at a nearby Marine Corps base. Joining Obama for the round of golf were Sam Kass, the White House chef; Marvin Nicholson, Obama's trip director; and presidential friend Bobby Titcomb, the White House said.

Obama, in white golf shirt, hat and sunglasses, was all smiles as he drove past reporters accompanying him to the coastal golf course.

The president has no public events scheduled during his vacation, which is expected to last through Jan. 5. In previous years, frequent golf outings have accompanied trips to local restaurants and other island outings.

A few weeks of low-key rest and relaxation would be a welcome change of pace for Obama, who reflected on a high-stakes year of brinkmanship and health care woes as he packed his bags for Hawaii.

"The end of the year is always a good time to reflect and see what can you do better next year," Obama said Friday. "I'm sure that I will have even better ideas after a couple days of sleep and sun."

Last year, Obama had to temporarily abandon his vacation to fly home amid a congressional standoff over the so-called fiscal cliff. The year before, a showdown over payroll tax cuts forced him to delay the start of his Hawaii hiatus. In 2010, it was congressional wrangling over repeal of the ban on gays in the military and other issues that delayed the trip. And in 2009, Senate deliberations over Obama's signature health care law meant that Honolulu had to wait another few days.

Conditions seem ripe this year for a few weeks of interrupted family time. Obama did spend part of Saturday morning conferring with top national security aides about the situation in South Sudan, where U.S. military aircraft evacuating Americans from the violence-plagued African nation came under gunfire and had to divert to Uganda. The White House said four U.S. troops were injured in that incident.

Throughout his vacation Obama will continue to get regular briefings from advisers traveling with him, White House officials said. Obama and his supporters were hoping those routine updates wouldn't interfere with regular rounds of golf and family outings for shave ice, the Hawaii version of a snow cone.

"I don't want any interruptions. He deserves a vacation," Brian Pritchett, an assistant principal visiting from Mount Vernon, N.Y., said as he sipped a rum-infused drink dubbed the "Obama Mama" at a Honolulu hotel. "He puts in too many hours to not have his vacation with his family. I know that's what I would do."

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Associated Press writers Oskar Garcia and Heidi Chang contributed to this report.

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Reach Josh Lederman on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

Europe complete epic comeback to reclaim Royal Trophy

20 hours ago

(Reuters) - Europe won five of the last six singles matches for a stunning 8.5-7.5 comeback win over Asia to reclaim the Royal Trophy in China on Sunday and give captain Jose Maria Olazabal his first success in the team matchplay event.

Trailing 5-3 ahead of Sunday's eight singles matches, Europe looked set for a record defeat when Kiradech Aphibarnrat beat Paul Lawrie 3&2 and Thai compatriot Thongchai Jaidee overcame another Scot, Stephen Gallacher, 4&2 to make it 7-3.

With victory in sight, the pressure appeared to hit the holders at the Dragon Lake Golf Club in Guangzhou as they painfully surrendered their strong position built up over the opening fourball and foursomes matches.

Japan's Ryo Ishikawa, who had been two up after seven holes of his singles match, shanked a chip across the green en route to bogeying the 18th which allowed Scotland's Marc Warren to win one up with a par on the last.

That made the score 7-4, with three more European wins coming in a matter of minutes as Thorbjorn Olesen beat Wu Ashun 3&2, David Howell edged Kim Hyung-sung one up and Bernd Wiesberger overcame Hiroyuki Fujita 3&2.

Kim's loss was particularly painful with the South Korean three up on the 15th tee only to three-putt the last to allow the Englishman to snatch the match one up when he got up and down from the greenside bunker on 18.

COLSAERTS WINS IT

Spain's Alvaro Quiros could also only three putt the tricky undulating green at the par four last to toss away a one up advantage and halve his match with South Korea's Kim Kyung-tae.

That left the scores tied at 7.5-7.5 with only Nicolas Colsaerts and Liang Wenchong on the course with the Belgian protecting a one up advantage after 16 holes.

Both holed tricky putts on 17 for par with Colsaerts then calmly getting up and down from the right of the 18th green to seal the match and trophy after Liang also three-putted.

It was a fifth win for Europe in seven edition with Olazabal, who led Europe to a sterling Sunday fightback win in the Ryder Cup against United States last year, having presided over their two defeats last year and in 2009.

"I want to thank these fantastic eight guys who did something extraordinary today," the Spaniard said before being presented with the trophy on the 18th green.

"It is something, to be honest, I had a few doubts (about), especially through the round. Thank-you very much for your contribution."

Asian captain Yang Yong-eun lamented his side's costly errors on a sloppy Sunday for his charges.

"Unfortunately we had a shocking loss and hopefully next year we will learn from the mistakes we made and come back stronger," the Korean said through a translator.

(Writing by Patrick Johnston; Editing by John O'Brien)