The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| McIlroy signs up for Korean event Posted: 11 Sep 2013 10:39 PM PDT Northern Irish star Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will play the Kolon Korea Open in October, adding another Asian event to his schedule, organisers said today. The former world number one and two-time major winner, scratching for form after his big-money move to Nike, will be the main attraction at the October 17-20 event. McIlroy is playing the tournament at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club, on the outskirts of Seoul, for the third time after visits in 2009 and 2011, when he finished joint third and runner-up. "I remember the course, but the thing I remember most is that the par-threes are tough, especially on the back nine," McIlroy said, according to a press release from organisers OneAsia. "All aspects of your game have to be in shape every week, but especially iron play considering the tough par-threes we will have to play." McIlroy is already confirmed for a one-day exhibition event with Tiger Woods in China on October 28, as well as the Australian Open in Sydney starting in late November. The 24-year-old swept all before him in a dazzling season last year but has slipped to world number four after switching clubs under his new sponsor. In 2011, McIlroy carded a blistering final round of 64 in South Korea as he finished second behind America's Rickie Fowler, one of a number of big-name winners of the event along with Vijay Singh, John Daly and Sergio Garcia. - AFP, September 12, 2013. |
| “Ashamed” Mexico risk missing World Cup Posted: 11 Sep 2013 05:05 PM PDT The crisis is so bad that the Mexican football federation is considering whether to name the national team's third manager in just four days. And the media has shown little love for the players after "El Tri" lost 2-0 to their bitter rivals The United States in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday. "Tritanic" was the headline in Excelsior newspaper while the Cancha sports pages said the team now needs a "miracle" to book their tickets to next year's World Cup in Brazil. Meanwhile, the sports daily Record bemoaned the team's "dreadful" showing in Ohio. "The prestige of Mexican football breaks into pieces and the dream of going to the World Cup hangs by a thread," it warned. The loss to The United States, coming off the back of an embarrassing defeat to Honduras at home last Friday, put Mexico in fifth place in the six-team Concacaf regional group and fighting for a 2014 spot in Brazil. With only the top three qualifying for the finals in Brazil, and the fourth-placed team advancing to a play-off against New Zealand, Mexico will be out unless they fight back in the final two qualifiers. The United States lead the six-team group by a point from Costa Rica, with both nations already having qualified for the finals. At the moment, the third spot belongs to Honduras, who have 11 points. Panama are fourth with eight points, level with Mexico but ahead thanks to a better goal difference. Andres Guardado, one of Mexico's leading players who stars for Spanish club Valencia, said he could understand that Mexico fans "don't identify with what they are seeing." "I want to tell them that we are ashamed," the winger said after the defeat in Ohio. Guardado and teammates based in Europe, such as Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez of Manchester United and Giovani dos Santos of Villareal, have come under criticism just over a year after Mexicans celebrated their historic gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Luis Garcia, who played for Mexico in the 1994 World Cup, said the current team's chances looked dire. "One must consider the real possibility that Mexico will not got to the World Cup. We can look at the scenarios and keep hopes up, but football-wise Mexico is lost and mathematically out (for now)," Garcia told AFP. The Mexican football federation fired Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre on Saturday, one day losing to Honduras in Mexico City's imposing Azteca stadium. He was replaced by his assistant Luis Fernando Tena, who coached the Olympic gold medal team, but the interim manager said after the loss to The United States that his future would be discussed yesterday. In a section containing unfancied nations such as Panama and Jamaica, Mexico were widely expected to cruise to Brazil in 2014. But Mexico have only won one of their eight qualifiers to date, drawing five, and scoring a miserly four goals. They now face a win-or-bust game against Panama at the Azteca on October 11 before a final showdown in Costa Rica on October 15. Mexico last missed a World Cup finals in 1990 when the federation was banned from international competitions after using over-aged players in an under-20 championship. - AFP, September 12, 2013. |
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