Jon Rahm outlasts rookie Davis Thompson to win AmEx by 1 stroke

Jon Rahm outlasts rookie Davis Thompson to win AmEx by 1 stroke
Jon Rahm celebrates with his wife Kelley, left, and sons Eneko, left, and Kepa after winning the American Express golf tournament on the Pete Dye Stadium Course at PGA West Sunday in La Quinta, Calif. (AP)
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Updated 24 January 2023

Jon Rahm outlasts rookie Davis Thompson to win AmEx by 1 stroke

Jon Rahm outlasts rookie Davis Thompson to win AmEx by 1 stroke
  • The Spanish star finished 27-under 261 and won for the ninth time on the PGA Tour

LA QUINTA, California: While Jon Rahm had plenty of chances to pump his right fist after nice shots on Sunday, the look of relief on his face after holding off rookie Davis Thompson put into perspective his victory at The American Express.

The Spanish star took advantage of mistakes by Thompson over the adventuresome final three holes and closed with a 4-under 68 to win by one stroke, his second PGA Tour win in as many starts this year.

“I’m, in a weird way, glad that today went the way it went,” Rahm said. “I’ve enjoyed some runaway victories, I’ve enjoyed some comebacks, but today was certainly a struggle. Out of the five birdies I made, what is it, one, two, three of them were tap-ins and the other two were basically 6-footers. So that tells you the story.”

Rahm pumped his fist a final time after tapping in for a two-putt par on No. 18 at PGA West’s Stadium Course.

Rahm and Thompson were tied with three holes to play when Thompson, who led through 36 holes and shared the lead with Rahm going into Sunday, pulled his drive into a deep fairway bunker on the par-5 16th and wound up with par. Rahm made birdie to take the lead.

On the par-3 17th, Thompson chose to leave the pin in for his 50-foot birdie putt on the island green, and the ball squarely hit the pin and rolled away. The 23-year-old from Georgia dropped his putter and put his hands to his face. As he walked to the 18th tee after tapping in for par, he pulled his shirt up over his mouth in frustration.

“I usually always leave the stick in from a long distance,” Thompson said. “I feel like it helps me with my speed. I’ll probably play the ‘what if’ game in my head for a long time, unfortunately. I had a great read. I probably hit it too firm. If it had great speed it would have just hit the flag and dropped. But we’ll never know. I’m proud of myself for this week.”

Rahm hit his tee shot into a bunker on 18 but recovered nicely with a shot to 15 feet and pumped his fist. Thompson’s drive found the fairway but his approach bounced on the green and ran down the slope behind it. The rookie hit a bold flop shop that settled a foot to the right of the hole. He shot 69.

“I had a great week,” said Thompson, who made five eagles through the first two rounds, tying the PGA Tour record for eagles in a 72-hole event. “Competing against the best in the world is my dream and I did that today and proved that I can hang with ‘em. It was a lot of fun. A lot of nerves and I hit a lot of quality golf shots under pressure, which was really cool.”

Rahm finished 27-under 261 and won for the ninth time on the PGA Tour. He moves up one spot to No. 3 in the world. He is playing next week at Torrey Pines, while world No. 1 Rory McIlroy makes his 2023 debut in Dubai on the European tour.

“Heck of a start,” said Rahm, who won the Sentry Tournament of Champions two weeks ago at Kapalua. “Obviously Sentry and this one are very, very different golf courses and very different golf. You still have to go low in both of them. So luckily the mentality is the same.

“Body’s been feeling great. My swing’s been feeling really, really good. And it shows, right?” he added. “Even when I’m saying I may not be as comfortable as I would like, I’m shooting 64s because everything is just firing when it needs to.”

Rahm opened with two birdies to take the lead, but Thompson eventually caught up to him when Rahm’s par putt lipped out on No. 13.

Rahm got his share of breaks. From the middle of the fairway on the 16th, Rahm had his hands on his hips as he watched his second shot head toward the deep bunker down the left side. It hit in the dormant rough and stayed in the fairway. That left a pitch to just inside 10 feet, and his birdie putt for the lead swirled into the cup.

Rahm now has won four of his last six starts — he won twice on the European tour at end of last year. This was his seventh straight top 10 worldwide, a streak that began after the Tour Championship in late August.

Xander Schauffele, two weeks after he withdrew because of back pain, closed with a 62 and finished two behind with Chris Kirk (64).

Taylor Montgomery was challenging Rahm and Thompson until he put his tee shot into the water on the 17th. He closed with a 66 and finished fifth.

Scottie Scheffler closed with a 67 and tied for 11th. He narrowly missed a birdie putt on the final hole that would have allowed him to return to No. 1 by a fraction of a point over McIlroy. Scheffler is not playing next week.


Adidas launches all-new Saudi Arabian Football Federation home, away jerseys

Adidas launches all-new Saudi Arabian Football Federation home, away jerseys
The home jersey embodies the country’s growth, vitality, and prosperity with a touch of gold-like accents. supplied
Updated 22 March 2023

Adidas launches all-new Saudi Arabian Football Federation home, away jerseys

Adidas launches all-new Saudi Arabian Football Federation home, away jerseys
  • Green home jersey inspired by palm tree featured in national emblem
  • Women’s national team kit features unique design variation in week they receive first ever FIFA world ranking

Riyadh: Adidas has kicked off its partnership with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation with the official launch of the national team’s home and away jerseys.

Inspired by the palm tree featured in the national emblem, the home jersey embodies the country’s growth, vitality, and prosperity with a touch of gold-like accents, adding elegance and a premium feel that will standout both on and off the field.

The women’s national team will be wearing a slightly different jersey to the men’s, with the home kit featuring a unique variation of the same palm tree-inspired design.

It coincides with the women’s team achieving another major milestone by becoming an official FIFA-ranked nation for the first time in their history, further showcasing the federation’s commitment to the growth and development of women’s football in the Kingdom.

The jerseys celebrate Saudi Arabia’s relationship between culture and football. supplied

The white away jersey features dark green sleeves inspired by the country’s flag, with the iconic adidas three stripes in gold. Both jerseys celebrate Saudi Arabia’s relationship between culture and football.

Working together toward a common goal and vision, adidas cements the launch of the new kits with its Weaved as One campaign, which pays homage to the fabric of Saudi culture while simultaneously highlighting themes of unity within football communities and beyond.

The campaign film follows men’s national team players Mohammed Al-Owais, Hassan Tambakti, Hattan Bahebri, and Abdulelah Al-Amri and women’s national team players Farah Jefry, Al-Bandari Mubarak, and Dalia Adel as they journey through Riyadh to present the official jersey to members of diverse communities that make up the DNA of Saudi heritage and sports culture.

From the camel herding community of northern Riyadh who have dedicated their lives to one of the oldest sports in the nation, to the women making waves at the forefront of the motorsports and rally racing industry, and finally the city’s passionate gaming and e-sports enthusiasts – each community was presented with the opportunity to be among the first to wear the jersey as a symbol of togetherness.

The kit launch is the first in a four-year partnership between adidas and the SAFF at a time when football continues to grow at all levels throughout the country.

The jerseys celebrate Saudi Arabia’s relationship between culture and football. supplied

The men’s team performed on the world’s biggest stage with their 2-1 win over Argentina at the FIFA World Cup, while the under-23 team won the 2022 Asian Cup while conceding zero goals.

Last year also saw the establishment of three new age groups (U-16, U-18, and U-19) as part of the Kingdom’s investment in establishing a clear player pathway to the first team.

In addition to the women’s team being a FIFA-ranked nation for the first time, the growth of women’s football will be further enhanced through the introduction of a U-17 team.

Both the home and away kits feature sweat-wicking, moisture-absorbent technology, and specially placed breathable mesh inserts. The range is also made using 100 percent recycled materials.

Bilal Faris, adidas general manager for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, said: “Inspired from the Kingdom’s national emblem, the palm tree, we have ensured that the design of the jerseys embody the country’s goals and growth.

“Through our partnership, we strive to support the federation’s strategy to enhance access to sports for the country and support emerging talents.

“As we celebrate the intrinsic relationship between Saudi culture and football, it’s a collection that I’m hoping players and fans can wear with huge pride, on and off the pitch,” Faris added.

The jerseys celebrate Saudi Arabia’s relationship between culture and football. supplied

On the arrival of the new Green Falcons kit, SAFF President Yasser Al-Misehal, said: “We’re extremely proud to usher in this new era for Saudi football with the famous three stripes of adidas emblazoned upon our men’s and women’s national team kits.

“They are a symbol of unity and inspiration, and to see our men, women, boys and girls players, and fans wearing it as one – side to side, shoulder to shoulder – is exactly how football should be.

“In adidas, we have a partner that places equal importance to the women’s national team, which reflects how we operate at the federation. Together we are excited to continue building on the strong momentum of Saudi football across both the men’s and women’s game, while inspiring millions of young footballers along the way,” Al-Misehal added.

The home and away jerseys will be available on adidas.com and at select adidas retailers from March 23.


Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars

Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars
Updated 22 March 2023

Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars

Yas Heat Racing Academy begins search for future karting stars
  • Yas Marina Circuit-based racing academy will host 3 open days on Yas KartZone track from March 25
  • Promising talent will earn spots on the grid at the Yas Heat Racing Championship later this year

ABU DHABI: Yas Heat Racing Academy has announced its first official Yas Heat Racing Karting Open Day on March 25 as part of the team’s search for the fastest young talent to join the karting team in 2023.

Based at the Yas Marina Circuit track on Yas Island, the academy was formed in November 2022 ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and is led by rookie drivers Matteo Quintarelli and Keanu Al-Azhari — who both scored podium finishes on the team’s debut racing weekend.

After an impressive first season competing in the F4 UAE Championship in early 2023, the academy is hosting three official open days in the hope of finding future stars of racing to join the first Yas Heat Karting team this year.

Following the first open day on March 18, karters aged eight to 12 can register for upcoming official open days, with the fastest drivers around the Yas Kartzone track being selected to compete in the Yas Heat Racing Karting Championship.

Matthew Norman, team manager of the Yas Heat Racing Academy, said: “After such a promising start to the year with the academy’s debut season in the F4 UAE Championship, we are delighted to announce the first official Yas Heat Karting Racing Open Days as we continue to search for the brightest and best young drivers across the UAE.

“It’s no secret that the world’s most elite superstars, including those we see each weekend lining up on the Formula One grid, all started their racing journeys through karting, and we hope to find some exciting new talent to join our academy following the new Yas Heat Racing Karting Championship coming later in 2023. We look forward to welcoming the new era of young drivers joining us at the circuit this weekend.”

With the goal to produce homegrown drivers at Yas Marina Circuit and provide young talented drivers with a clear and defined career pathway — from grassroots all the way up to the world stage of motorsport — the Yas Heat Racing Academy aims to inspire the next generation of local UAE racing stars to pursue their dreams, from karting through to FIA-accredited competitions.

The next official Yas Heat Karting Open Day will take place on Saturday, March 25 from 10 a.m. at Yas Kartzone, with further Open Days to come from Saturday, April 1.


Red Bull to launch new football tournament in Riyadh

Red Bull to launch new football tournament in Riyadh
Updated 22 March 2023

Red Bull to launch new football tournament in Riyadh

Red Bull to launch new football tournament in Riyadh
  • Red Bull Four 2 Score will kick off on March 31 with national finals on April 8

RIYADH: Riyadh is set to host Saudi Arabia’s first Red Bull Four 2 Score — a new 4x4 football competition — from Friday, March 31, with national finals following on Saturday, April 8.

The Saudi leg of the Red Bull Four 2 Score championship is part of a series held across different countries in preparation for the world finals that will be hosted in Germany later this year.

The championship, organized in partnership with Red Bull MOBILE, is centered around football matches for teams of four, giving amateur players the chance to showcase their skills in a special competition format.

The all-new tournament comes with a twist that will see each goal doubled in the first and last minute of the 10-minute matches.

The teams of four with one substitute will battle it out in qualifiers from March 31 to April 5 at Koora Park stadiums in Riyadh, in the hope of making it to the national final on April 8.

There will also be a women’s national final held in parallel with the sixth day of the men’s qualifiers on April 5.

The winners of the Saudi final will travel to Germany, where they will be hosted by Red Bull Leipzig and face winning teams from more than 25 countries in a bid to bag the world title.

The rules and concept of the tournament are designed to allow participants to experience Red Bull’s power football philosophy first hand.

In the first and last 60 seconds of the games, teams get goals doubled and there are no breaks or goalkeepers, just the need to score when it matters. Male and female players between the ages of 16 and 35 can participate in the tournament.

Saudi football fans can now register through Red Bull’s official website.


Esports at the Summer Olympic Games could be Saudi Arabia’s best chance at its first gold medal

Esports at the Summer Olympic Games could be Saudi Arabia’s best chance at its first gold medal
Updated 22 March 2023

Esports at the Summer Olympic Games could be Saudi Arabia’s best chance at its first gold medal

Esports at the Summer Olympic Games could be Saudi Arabia’s best chance at its first gold medal
  • The Kingdom is heavily invested in creating the next wave of elite ‘e-athletes,’ but the current IOC setup is missing the point of eSports

The calls for esports to become a fully-fledged discipline of the Summer Olympic Games have been ringing out for decades.

A new breed of “e-athletes” has emerged from a sport that requires cat-like reflexes, laser-targeted accuracy and lightning-fast decision-making.

Yes, the competitors usually sit in front of a screen, rather than showing physical prowess, but their approach to honing their skills is on the same level as many other professional sportspeople. Athletes in esports have fitness coaches, psychologists, nutritionists and more tasked with keeping them in peak condition. As such, esports would fit in nicely with the Summer Games lineup.

Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee still appears to be perplexed by the sport.

On March 1, 2023, the IOC announced details of its brand-new Olympic eSports Series 2023. And in one simple press release, it managed to marginalize an entire community. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, the Olympic eSports Series would be separate from the official Summer Games rather than part of it. Secondly, this sideshow, which is to be held in Singapore from June 22, would include “games” such as archery, sailing and chess. Only two recognized video games would make up the nine disciplines — Gran Turismo (motor racing) and Just Dance (dance). The IOC’s interpretations of esports are way off the mark and the news was met with disappointment. Not one of the esports chosen featured in the official 2022 Top 40 most popular eSports chart.

For the uninitiated, games like CS:GO, League of Legends and PUBG are huge in esports and often pull in viewers in their millions across platforms such as Twitch and YouTube. At best, the IOC has been misinformed about what constitutes a true esports video game. At worst, it simply doesn’t care what the industry thinks, and this is an attempt to bend the future of eSports to its whim.

Saudi esports pro gamer Omar “Eaglex99” Dajani is frustrated with the IOC.

“It feels like the IOC was in a bubble when it came to selecting the games to be featured,” he told Arab News. “I think a lot of games are (better) suited for the Olympics, such as FPS (first-person shooters) like Rainbow Six: Siege and Valorant, and sports titles like FIFA.”

It’s a sentiment that is not only shared by his peers in esports but by the countries and governments that are investing heavily in the sport’s infrastructure.

Take the Kingdom’s Savvy Games Group for example. The Public Investment Fund-owned portfolio recently invested a record $265 million in Chinese esports startup VSPO. This type of investment demonstrates just how important the esports scene is to the country. It’s also part of a more holistic view that Saudi Arabia has of the games industry. Savvy Games Group is set to invest $37.8 billion to turn the country into a global gaming hub that creates thousands of jobs and nurtures the esports champions of the future. This trailblazing effort will put Saudi Arabia among the top countries that could potentially dominate esports in the future. In fact, if the IOC does eventually see sense and integrate it into its Summer Games, then Saudi could finally end its wait for an Olympic gold medal.

It’s already home to a number of esports champions. The biggest superstar is Musaed “Msdossary” Al-Dossary, who rose above his rivals to win the coveted 2018 FIFA World Championship.

Dajani agrees: “Saudis are most skilled at the sports genre such as FIFA. I believe this is our best chance of securing a gold medal at the Olympic games.”

Although the disappointment of the IOC’s decisions is still raw, there is hope for the future. It wasn’t long ago that esports were completely ignored by the governing body, so in this regard, some progress has been made.

There will no doubt be revisions to the current setup and hopefully, the backlash will at least make the IOC sit up and take notice of the concerns that are being aired. If and when they do include esports in the Summer Games proper, expect to see Saudi Arabia standing proudly atop the podiums with a shiny medal in hand.


Ohtani fans Trout for final out as Japan beat US 3-2 for World Baseball Classic title

Ohtani fans Trout for final out as Japan beat US 3-2 for World Baseball Classic title
Updated 22 March 2023

Ohtani fans Trout for final out as Japan beat US 3-2 for World Baseball Classic title

Ohtani fans Trout for final out as Japan beat US 3-2 for World Baseball Classic title
  • Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament
  • Ohtani, the two-way star who has captivated fans across two continents, was voted MVP of the WBC

MIAMI: Shohei Ohtani emerged from the bullpen and fanned Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the final out in the matchup the whole baseball world wanted to see, leading Japan over the defending champion US 3-2 Tuesday night for their first World Baseball Classic title since 2009.

“This is the best moment in my life,” Ohtani said through a translator.

Ohtani, the two-way star who has captivated fans across two continents, was voted MVP of the WBC. He clutched the award against his chest, having clinched the trophy by striking out Trout.

“Whether I got him out or he got a hit off me, I didn’t want to make any regrets. I wanted to make my best pitch,” Ohtani said.

He did, and then some.

Trying to protect a razor-thin edge, with two outs and nobody on base, Ohtani flashed 100 mph heat in getting Trout to swing and miss at two fastballs. With the count full, Trout waved at a sharp slider to end the ninth inning.

“I think every baseball fan wanted to see that. I’ve been answering questions about it for the last month and a half,” Trout said.

“Did you think it was going to end in any other way?” he said.

Ohtani beat out an infield single in the seventh inning as a designated hitter before walking down the left-field line to Japan’s bullpen to warm up for his third mound appearance of the tournament.

After walking big league batting champion Jeff McNeil to begin the ninth, Ohtani got Mookie Betts to ground into a double play.

That brought up Trout, the US captain and a three-time MVP.

“I saw him take a big deep breath to try and control his emotions,” Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said. “I can’t even imagine being in that moment, the two best players on the planet locking horns as teammates in that spot.”

Ohtani wound up with a save. His only other save came in a Japan postseason playoff game in 2016.

“He’s got nasty stuff,” Trout said. “He threw me a good pitch at the end.”

Just not the ending DeRosa wanted.

“I was hoping it was going to go our way with Mikey popping one against Ohtani,” he said.

“The whole world got to see Ohtani come in, big spot, battling. It’s kind of how it was kind of scripted. I just wish it would have went different,” he said.

He added: “But the baseball world won tonight.”

Ohtani batted .435 with one homer, four doubles, eight RBIs and 10 walks as Japan joined the Dominican Republic in 2013 to become the only unbeaten champions of baseball’s premier national team tournament. Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP was 2-0 with a save and a 1.86 ERA on the mound, striking out 11 in 9 2/3 innings.

“What he’s doing in the game is what probably 90 percent of the guys in that clubhouse did in Little League or in youth tournaments, and he’s able to pull it off on the biggest stages,” DeRosa said. “He is a unicorn to the sport. I think other guys will try it, but I don’t think they’re going to do it to his level.”

Japan went 7-0 and outscored opponents 56-18, reaching the final for the first time since winning the first two WBCs in 2006 and 2009. No other nation has won the title more than once.

Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto homered as Japan built a 3-2 lead.

Trea Turner put the US ahead in the second with his record-tying fifth home run of the tournament and Kyle Schwarber pulled the Americans within a run when he went deep in the eighth off Yu Darvish.

It was the second straight major title for the Japanese, who beat the US 2-0 in Yokohama for the 2021 Olympic gold medal. Japan used top players in that tournament while the US sent released major leaguers and top prospects.

Turner put the US ahead in the second inning with a drive to left against Shota Imanaga (1-0), tying South Korea’s Seung Yuop Lee in 2006 for the most in a WBC. That lit up a sellout crowd of 36,098 — fans were given wristbands with colored lights that flickered.

Murakami, at 23 already a two-time Central League MVP, tied the score on the first pitch of the bottom half when Merrill Kelly (0-1) elevated a fastball. Murakami drove it at 115.1 mph into the right-field upper deck, 432 feet away.

Murakami’s game-ending double lifted Japan over Mexico 6-5 in Monday night’s semifinal and his third-inning homer off Nick Martinez put Japan ahead in the 2021 gold medal game.

Japan loaded the bases in the second on singles by Okamoto and Sosuke Genda, and a walk to Yuhei Nakamura. Lars Nootbaar, the first non-Japanese-born player to appear for the Samurai Warriors, followed with a run-scoring groundout off Aaron Loup for a 2-1 lead.

Okamoto boosted the lead in the fourth when he sent a flat slider from Kyle Freeland over the wall in left-center.

Japan was outhit 9-5 as Imanaga combined with six relievers to hold the US to 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position. The 29-year-old left-hander and Shosei Togo pitched two innings each, Hiroto Takahashi, Hiromi Itoh and Taisei Ota got three outs each, with Ota escaping two-on, no-outs trouble by retiring Trout on a flyout and getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground into a double play.

Trout and Ohtani hugged behind the batting cage during pregame workouts, then held their nation’s flag while leading their teams toward home plate in single file during the introductions, Trout down the right-field line and Ohtani in left.

Several thousand fans had arrived hours early to watch Ohtani take batting practice and applauded when he hit a drive off the video board above the second deck in center.

Trout hit .296 in the tournament with one homer, seven RBIs and 12 strikeouts.

Japan get $3 million in prize money and the US $1.7 million. Half of each goes to players, the other half to the national baseball federation.

MLB openers are March 30, the same day the season starts in Japan.