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SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2020
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Sports
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Collin Morikawa shot
a 66 to grab a three-stroke clubhouse lead
on Friday at the PGA’s Workday Charity Open
where they were playing catch-up all day after
being hit by rain storms.
Morikawa followed up his irst round seven-
under 65 with a six-under second round on
Friday to reach a 13-under 131 total and a lead
over Kevin Streelman and Justin Thomas in
Dublin, Ohio.
“The game feels good from top to bottom,
whether it’s off the tee, putting, approach
shots,” he said.
Rain, wind and lightning led to two play
suspensions that lasted over an hour each at
the Muirield Village Golf Club course.
Mo r i kawa showed he i s back by
rolling in nine birdies on the course that
will double as the venue for next week’s
Memorial Tournament.
“It’s obviously nice to hit some approach
shots, hit my cut that I just hadn’t had the past
couple weeks. So it’s good to be back, and
we’ve got two more days of the same thing,”
said the 23-year-old American.
Morikawa is coming off his irst missed
cut since turning pro last summer when he
failed to get into weekend play at last month’s
Travelers Championship.
He tied for ninth at the last event
before the Tour shutdown because of the
global pandemic.
Thomas and Streelmanwere in second after
completing their rounds with a six-under 66
and an eight-under 64.
Sam Burns and Hideki Matsuyama shot 66
and 68 and are tied for fourth at nine under,
four strokes back of Morikawa.
South African-born Rory Sabbatini was at
eight under with one hole to play.
Thomas had two birdies in his four holes
then drained his sixth and inal birdie of the
day on No 18.
“Nothing is hidden out here,” he said. “It’s
all right in front of you. You just have to go out
and get it.
Collin Morikawa of the United States at Muir ield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
PHOTO: AFP
Morikawa maintains
clubhouse lead
at PGA Workday
Charity Open
“I knew we had three days left, now it’s two
days left, so there’s no reason to try to set a
certain goal. Just try to make as many birdies
as I can.”
Thomas has three victories in his past 14
worldwide starts dating back to the BMW
Championship in last year’s playoffs.
The Workday Open this week became the
irst PGA tournament to lump its coronavirus
positive players into the same grouping.
South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli and Americans
Denny McCarthy and Nick Watney were
each playing for the irst time since testing
positive and were grouped together
out of an “abundance of caution,” said
tournament oficials.
Watney was ive over with four holes to
play and Frittelli was four over but McCarthy
is hoping to make the cut after being one over
through 14.
The t h ree s t ay i n t he i r own bub -
ble. They have limited access to the
c l ubhouse or t ra i n i ng fac i l i t i es and
a re be i ng i so l a t ed i n a vacan t a rea
under the old pro shop at the Ohio-
based tournament.
PGA is allowing a return to competition
for players and caddies who continue to
test positive for coronavirus if at least 10
days have passed since the symptoms irst
appeared and 72 hours have passed since fever
has disappeared.
SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM (AFP)
- England paceman Stuart Broad said he
felt frustrated and angry at having “my
shirt” taken away after he was dropped
for the irst Test against the West Indies
at Southampton.
Broad was in England’s 13-man squad for
the series opener, the irst major international
cricket since the coronavirus lockdown.
The seamer is second only to long-
standing new-ball colleague James Anderson
in England’s all-time list of leading Test
wicket-takers.
Broad was also England’s most successful
bowler during a 3¢1 series win in South Africa
earlier this year, with 14 wickets at under
20 apiece.
But for the irst match of the ongoing three-
Test series, England opted for the express
pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, as well
as Anderson and stand-in captain Ben Stokes
in a four-man seam attack.
“I’m not a particularly emotional person
but I’ve found the last couple of days quite
tough,” Broad told
Sky Sports
before Friday’s
third day.
“To say I was disappointed would
be an understatement... I’m frustrated,
angry, gutted.
“It’s dificult to understand. I’ve probably
bowled the best I’ve ever bowled the last
couple of years - I felt it was my shirt... I felt
like I deserved a spot in the team, as would
anyone else.”
Broad’smoodwas unlikely to have improved
as Archer and Wood managed just one wicket
between them on a placid pitch during West
Indies’ 318 before England closed on 15
without loss in their second innings - still 99
runs behind.
“I think yeah he’s very frustrated and
Broad reveals ‘anger’ at England Test axe
England’s Stuart Broad during the third day of the irst cricket Test match between England
and West Indies. PHOTO: AP
disappointed to be left out, and someone was
going to be,” Anderson told reporters after
taking 3¢62 in an innings where Stokes led
from the front with 4¢49.
“I think it’s great for the teamalso that Stuart
is disappointed to be left out because it shows
that he’s passionate, he’s desperate to be in
this team and be a part of our success going
forward, so I think that’s a huge positive for
the group.”
Anderson added it felt strange not to have
Broad out in the middle with him.
“We’ve played a lot together so having him
at mid-off has been a familiar sight for me
when I’ve been bowling so it was odd not him
having there.
“I’m sure he’ll use this as fuel to sort of
push on and when he does get the nod he’ll
perform brilliantly.”
Earlier, the 34-year-old Broad said he had
spoken to England national selector Ed Smith
about the prospect of adding to his tally of 485
wickets from 138 Tests.
And with England set to play six Tests in
seven weeks, with a three-match series against
Pakistan to follow the Windies campaign, it is
likely Broad will be involved.
“I wanted clariication about my future
going forward and I was given pretty positive
feedback,” said Broad ahead of next week’s
second Test in Manchester.
“Now I’ll be doing as much as I can in
the next week to make sure I’m available for
Old Trafford.”
SYDNEY (AFP) - An innovation to inject
extra life into Australian Super Rugby got
the thumbs up from players and coaches
despite a maiden Super Time failing
to separate the Queensland Reds and
Melbourne Rebels.
The new rule sends a match into an
extra ive minutes each way if it is tied
after 80 minutes, with the irst to score
from either a drop goal, penalty kick, or
try, winning.
It was among a slew of tweaked
regulations introduced ahead of the
domestic Super Rugby AU, which kicked
off last week, and used for the irst time
on Friday night when the two teams were
18¢18 at full-time.
Neither side could break the deadlock
in extra time, but the concept was praised,
with Rebels skipper Dane Haylett-Petty
even suggesting they should play on until
someone does score.
“It probably gives the fans what they
want and no one really wants a draw at the
end,” he said.
“ I t p r o b a b l y wo u l d ’ v e b e e n
good t o keep go i ng un t i l t he r e
was a wi nne r bu t I th i nk we a re
deinitely disappointed.
“But I thought it (Super Time) was really
good, you could see the players were out
on their feet but everyone was pushing
to try and get that result, build a bit of
pressure and try and get that winning
point,” he added.
Golden point
‘Super Time’
gets thumbs up
in Australia