Woods, McIlroy to stage duel in China on Oct. 29 Woods, McIlroy to stage duel in China on Oct. 29 ADVERTISING NEW YORK — Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will square off in China this fall in a one-day exhibition.
Woods, McIlroy to stage duel in China on Oct. 29
NEW YORK — Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will square off in China this fall in a one-day exhibition.
Woods and McIlroy are to play an 18-hole match at Lake Jinsha International Golf Club on Oct. 29, the Monday after the top two players in the world ranking compete in different Asian tournaments.
Mark Steinberg at Excel Sports Management, the agent for Woods, says the exhibition has been in the works for a couple of months. He described it as customer entertainment.
McIlroy won the PGA Championship on Sunday, boosting comparisons with Woods. They are the only two players to win multiple majors by more than eight shots over the last 35 years. McIlroy won his second major at a slightly younger age than when Woods won the second of his 14 majors.
LSU: About 20 schools have inquired about Mathieu
NEW ORLEANS — About 20 college football programs have asked LSU for permission to speak with All-America cornerback and punt returner Tyrann Mathieu.
Herb Vincent, the university’s vice chancellor of communications, provided the figure Wednesday but added that LSU only considers granting requests to schools Mathieu has approved.
“This is consistent with the way we handle transfer requests for other LSU student-athletes,” Vincent said.
Vincent says he cannot release which schools have been in touch with LSU and which have been approved other than McNeese State, which has already announced that Mathieu visited its campus in Lake Charles, La.
Nadal pulls out of U.S. Open with knee injury
NEW YORK — Rafael Nadal’s Grand Slam titles count will stay stuck at 11 for now, sidetracked by another knee problem.
The third-ranked Spaniard withdrew from the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Tendinitis has kept him out of action since his stunning loss at Wimbledon in late June.
The injury already forced him out of the London Olympics, where he was supposed to defend his title and carry Spain’s flag in the opening ceremony.
“I am very sad to announce that I am not ready to play the US Open in NY. Thanks to my fans for their support and specially, the new yorkers,” Nadal wrote on his Twitter account.
Henry: No Red Sox players asked for new skipper
BOSTON — None of the Boston Red Sox players in a series of meetings with the team’s top brass called for manager Bobby Valentine to be replaced, owner John Henry said Wednesday.
Henry issued a statement one day after Yahoo! Sports reported that several players met with him and team president Larry Lucchino in New York on July 27 to complain about Valentine’s handling of the team. Chairman Tom Werner was also at the meeting.
Henry said he called the meeting, and it “quickly went to the point — what do we need to do to turn things around?”
“No one in that meeting at any time took the position that Bobby should be or needed to be replaced,” Henry wrote.
Pirates’ Walker dislocates finger vs. Dodgers
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker left Wednesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning with a dislocated finger on his right hand.
Walker writhed on the ground in pain after he fielded a Matt Kemp ground ball, ran to force out Mark Ellis at second and throw on to first. Walker appeared to land awkwardly on his right forearm after tumbling over Ellis’ slide.
Walker is hitting .290 and leads NL second basemen in RBIs (67) and is tied for the lead in home runs (14). He is hitting .348 with 10 home runs and 37 RBIs over his past 43 games.
Third baseman Pedro Alvarez took Walker’s No. 2 spot in the lineup, with Josh Harrison moving over from third to field his position.
Bettman says ‘wide gap’ remains in NHL labor talks
TORONTO — The wide gap that existed in labor talks between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association was hardly bridged on Wednesday, a day after the union presented its counterproposal and with the threat of a lockout now only a month away.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the two sides are “still apart, far apart,” and “not on the same page,” in making his first public comments since having a chance to read through the NHLPA’s offer. Adding that he was “a little disappointed” that the union has yet to present its full proposal, Bettman said the league isn’t even at the point of making a counteroffer.
Red Sox DH Ortiz shuts it down for a few days
BALTIMORE — Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has been shut down as he strives to return from a strained right Achilles tendon.
Ortiz had already been told not to take batting practice, and now he’s been ordered to also stop running.
Ortiz has been on the 15-day disabled list since July 18. Speaking before the Red Sox faced the Orioles on Wednesday night, Ortiz said running felt more like limping, and he was getting sore afterward.
He said, “I’m looking for a step forward instead of a step backward. You’ve got to let injuries heal.”
Ortiz says he won’t hit or run at least through Thursday. Boston begins a three-game series with the Yankees on Friday.
In 89 games this season, Ortiz is hitting .316 with 23 homers and 58 RBIs.
White Sox’s Konerko on track for Friday return
TORONTO — White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko hit in the cage and played catch Wednesday, and remains on track to come off the seven-day concussion disabled list Friday.
Manager Robin Ventura said Konerko, who remained in Chicago rather than traveling with the team to Toronto, will fly to Kansas City on Thursday to meet the team there for a three-game series that begins Friday night.
Konerko was placed on the DL last Friday, three days after being accidentally elbowed in the head by Kansas City’s Jarrod Dyson during a close play.
He cleared a battery of post-concussion tests Monday and rode an exercise bike Tuesday.
Ventura said Konerko, who is batting .316 with 18 homers and 54 RBIs, will likely start at designated hitter for the first few games when he returns.
Ex-coach Greg Ryan says he didn’t shove Hope Solo
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The former coach of the U.S. women’s national team says he didn’t shove Hope Solo at the meeting when she was benched during the 2007 World Cup.
Greg Ryan said in a statement Wednesday said the allegation made in the goalkeeper’s book is “completely false.”
Solo details the meeting with Ryan in the newly released “A Memoir of Hope.” She writes that “Greg leaned over and pushed me back down on the couch” near the end of the meeting.
Ryan is now the coach of the University of Michigan women’s soccer team. He says benching Solo for the semifinal against Brazil was “the right decision.”
The U.S. lost the game 4-0 and finished third at the World Cup. Ryan was dismissed later that year.
Alabama’s Thomas, Wyatt advance at U.S. Amateur
CHERRY HILLS VILLAGE, Colo. — Justin Thomas righted himself after nearly falling out of contention in stroke-play qualifying, and he carried his momentum into the first round of match play Wednesday at the U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills.
The 19-year-old Thomas, a member of the golf team at the University of Alabama, beat Barry Dyche of Charlotte, N.C., 3 and 1 to advance to the round of 32.
“It was a well-fought match, but this is the U.S. Amateur and there are no easy matches,” said Thomas, whose Alabama teammate, Bobby Wyatt, entered match play as the top seed in the 64-player field after tying the tournament record by shooting a 9-under 132 in the two-day, 36-hole qualifying rounds.
Wyatt, 20, followed up his medal-winning qualifying effort with a 4-and-2 victory over Taylor Hancock of Clearwater, Fla.
Murray, Djokovic, Federer win in straight sets in Cincinnati
MASON, Ohio — Andy Murray ran down every shot in the afternoon heat, his troublesome left knee holding up fine.
Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer won their opening matches in straight sets Wednesday at the Western & Southern Open.
Murray beat Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-4, facing only two break points all match.
Djokovic was a little off in his opening set on a court baked in sunshine and 86-degree heat, before pulling away from Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-6 (4), 6-2. Federer had no trouble in his evening match against Russia’s Alex Bogomolov, winning 6-3, 6-2 in exactly one hour.
Phoenix Suns sign veteran center Jermaine O’Neal
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns have signed 16-year NBA veteran center Jermaine O’Neal.
Length of the contract wasn’t disclosed.
O’Neal, 33, has career averages of 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds. He was drafted 17th overall directly out of high school.
From wire sources
