07052017 sports

SPORTS SECTION E

TENNIS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017

Wimbledon, Page 7

CAJGC: Bahamas looks to improve on 6th place

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net THE Bahamas Golf Federation’s team at the 2017 Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships teed off competition yesterday at the St Andrews Golf Club in Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago and looks to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish.

Following day one, Sophie Anand has been one of the top performers for the Bahamas thus far and finished just one stroke behind the leader in the Girls’ Under-13 division.

The current Albany Women’s Club champion and Bahamas junior national girls’ under-13 champion shot an opening round 85 (+13).

Anand returns to make her sec-

ond appearance as a Turnquest, the Bamember of Team Bahamas’ junior national hamas and will also champion for her age look to better her third group, finished second place finish from last in her division and year’s CAJGC when No.19 overall, the best she finished with a finish for Team Bahathree-day total of 258 mas at CAJGC 2016 in the division. with a total score of Tyesha Tynes is 235. making her CAJGC Also in the division, debut and is currently Ashley Michel, in her 12th in the 15-member her fourth appearance field. at the CAJGC, is curHaylie Turnquest rently in eighth place SOPHIE ANAND is locked in another with a 98 (+26). close race for the leadIn the Boys’ U-13, er board of the Girls’ U-15 divi- Javontae Pinder and Lexander sion. Turnquest is in a two-way tie Antoine are also making their for third place with her opening tournament debuts. Pinder, the round 83 (+11). Like Anand, she BGF U-13 champion, is currently is one stroke behind the division ranked ninth among 13 golfers leader. with an 89 (+17) and Antoine is at

No.12 with a 101 (+29).

Hedge is the reigning boys’ under-15 national champion and another young golfer making a national team debut this summer. His opening round 93 (+21) placed him at No.13 in the Boys’ U15.

In the Boys’ 18-U, team captain Cameron Riley is tied for No.12 with an opening round 80 (+8).

The freshman at Florida A&M University finished 10th in his division and 29th overall last year.

Xavier Robinson shot a disappointing 92 (+20) in round one.

The 2017 Bahamas junior national boys’ champion is in his sixth appearance representing the Bahamas at the CAJGC tournament.

The lone competitor in the Girls’ U-18, Inecia Rolle is in fourth

SEE PAGE 2

Miller-Uibo and Gardiner are victorious in 400m

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

S

haunae MillerUibo and Steven Gardiner continue their stellar seasons on the professional circuit and are positioning themselves as strong contenders in the 400m at the IAAF World Championships in August.

Both national record holders ran to first place finishes in their signature event yesterday at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial meet in Szekesfehervar, Hungary.

Miller-Uibo set a new meet record of 49.86 seconds to finish well ahead of the field in dominant fashion. American Courtney Okolo ran a season’s best time of 50.41, followed

by Chris-ann Gordon of Jamaica, third in 51.05.

Taylor Washington of the United States ran a season’s best 52.08 to finish fourth and Lydia Jele of Botswana rounded out the top five in 52.20.

Gardiner ran 44.61 to pull away in the final 100m.

Luka Janezuc of Slovakia finished second in 45.44, Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobago was third in 45.47, Nery Brenes of Costa Rica ran a season’s best of 45.71 and Renny Quow of Trinidad and Tobago was fifth in 45.78.

Gardiner is quickly developing a habit of top performances at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial.

In 2015 at just 19-yearsold, he shocked track and

OLYMPIC 400m champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo in action in this file photo. field pundits with a convincing win over then world champion LaShawn Merritt of the United States in 44.30.

Jeffrey Gibson, the third Bahamian competing at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial yesterday, finished fourth in the 400mH in 49.74.

Both Miller-Uibo and Gardiner have established records and wins on the IAAF Diamond League circuit this season.

In April, the reigning Olympic champion, MillerUibo ran the world’s second-fastest time this year of 49.77 to claim her second

successive victory in the Shanghai IAAF Diamond League meet on Saturday.

She has listed her intention to double in the 400m and 200m at the IAAF World Championships and has been proficient in the half lap this season as well.

At the Adidas Boost Boston Games she became the first Bahamian female to hold a world record in an athletic event when she posted her winning time of 21.76 in the 200m straight.

At the Diamond League’s Prefontaine Classic in May, Miller-Uibo ran a national record of 21.91 to finish second behind

American Tori Bowie in 21.77.

In the process, MillerUibo improved on her previous national record of 22.05 that she ran on June 11, 2016 at the Jamaica’s National Racer’s Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica.

She is currently ranked second on the IAAF Top List in both events.

Gardiner is currently third in the world on the IAAF Top List in the 400m, with a time of 44.26 turned in at the Grenada Invitational in April. He trails American Fred Kerley who has posted times of 43.70, 44.03, 44.09, 44.10

and 44.11. Gil Roberts, also of the United States, is second on the list at 44.22.

In April at the Doha 2017 in Qatar, Gardiner made up the stagger on Merrit quickly and finished in 44.60.

Nearly two months later in June at the Stockholm Diamond League on Father’s Day, Gardiner clocked 44.58 to take first place over Baboloki Thebe from Botswana, who did 44.99.

He retained his national title last month at the BAAAs National Championships with a winning time of 44.66.

MARK KNOWLES HIRED AS COACH OF RAONIC

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN tennis icon Mark Knowles continues to have an impact on the ATP Tour and on Wimbledon, these days from the sidelines as a coach.

The four-time Grand Slam doubles champion was hired as the coach of Milos Raonic, the No.7 ranked player in the world.

Raonic, the 26-year-old Canadian native, is the most successful singles player in his country’s history. He was awarded the 2011 ATP Newcomer of the Year and has been ranked continuously inside the top 20 since August 2012.

He is the first Canadian male in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open semi-finals, the French Open quarter-finals, and the Wimbledon final.

His memorable run toward the 2016 Wimbledon final included a win over Roger Federer in the semifinals, marking Federer’s first defeat in 11 Wimbledon semi-finals.

Raonic opened Wimbledon 2017 yesterday with a win over Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany 7-6, 6-2, 7-6. He will face Mikhail Youzhny of Russia on Thursday, July 6.

Knowles said he is excited to have been chosen to coach such a highly ranked young professional and feels confident that he can assist Milos in his quest to get to the very top echelons of the game.

“It’s such a specific surface, for all players, after that match practice on grass but we have had training week, after Queen’s he’s been practising well not only on the court but off the court. Physically he’s very strong; mentally he’s strong, now it’s just a matter of getting fired up and ready to start at Wimbledon,” he told ATP.com.

“I think his level is very high, it’s just been unique because he hasn’t been able to play as much as he would like but right now he is healthy, and he’s feeling strong and somewhat going under the radar right now with the resurgence of Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer] it’s been an incredible year but I think Milos is set up pretty well. His practice has been going extremely well and most importantly strong physically and mentally.”

During his playing days, Knowles had his own suc-

SEE PAGE 2

Davonn Mackey signs deal with the Oakland Athletics

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIANS continue to garner attention and receive opportunities during Major League Baseball’s international signing period.

Davonn Mackey was the latest to ink a deal with an MLB franchise when he signed with the Oakland Athletics in a deal that includes a $225,000 signing bonus.

Mackey took a route seldom travelled by Bahamian players and signed out of In the BigInning Baseball Academy in Maracay, Venezuela.

The Grand Bahama native was recently a member of the gold medal-winning team for Grand Bahama Little League in the 1618 division of the Bahamas Baseball Federation’s Andre Rodgers

National Championship.

He becomes the second player to join the Athletics’ farm system following Simeon Humes in the late 1960s.

BigInning Academy offers elite level skills training for prospective players on the path to professional baseball.

The academy’s mission statement published on its website lists it In the BigInning as: “An organisation of sports character oriented to prepare in an integral way athletes with high conditions and aspirations to arrive at the Major Leagues under a systematised work that allows athletes to fulfil the exigencies of the best baseball in the world.

“To carry out this task, we have personnel specialised in the different physical aspects of baseball practice, as well as support in the area of health and education.

The services are oriented to the

DAVONN MACKEY has signed with Oakland Athletics in a deal that includes a $225,000 signing bonus.

development and optimum performance of each of our young people, as athletes and citizens, in large part, due to the unsurpassable quality of our services.”

Mackey follows the trio of Kristian Robinson (Arizona Diamondbacks), D’Shawn Knowles and Trent Deveaux (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) who signed on July 2.

According to MLB.com, nearly 6,000 international prospects have registered to sign with Major League clubs to make themselves eligible for this period.

More than 600 prospects signed during the last international signing period, which ends June 15, 2018.

Prospects from countries around the world have registered for the current period, including those from the Dominican

SEE PAGE 3

PAGE 2, Wednesday, July 5, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

JUNIOR GOLFERS, FROM PAGE 1 place after she shot 86 (+14). Rolle, a current freshman at Chowan University and a veteran junior national golfer, is also the BGF’s national women’s champion. She finished 7th in the division last year with a total of 254.

The Bahamas’ eight-member team finished sixth last year at the 29th edition of the CAJGC, hosted in Christ Church, Barbados. Puerto Rico led the field from start to finish and claimed their ninth consecutive title. They were followed by Jamaica who moved up to second from a fourthplace finish in the previous edition.

INECIA ROLLE

XAVIER ROBINSON

ASHLEY MICHEL

CAMERON RILEY

HAYLIE TURNQUEST

SAKETH HEDGE

LEXANDER ANTOINE

JAVONTE PINDER

TYESHA TYNES

MARK KNOWLES HIRED AS RAONIC’S COACH FROM PAGE 1 cesses at Wimbledon when highlighted by an appearance in the 2002 Doubles final alongside Canadian Daniel Nestor.

He announced his retirement from the ATP Tour in 2012, however, competed in both the Men’s and Mixed Doubles at Wimbledon 2013. With that appear-

ance, he briefly shared the all-time record for males with 22 appearances alongside Jamie Delgado. Delgado would surpass the mark the following year.

Knowles’ coaching career began in 2013 when he coached former doubles partner Mardy Fish of the United States. He has also appeared as an on-air talent for the Tennis Channel.

MARK KNOWLES

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Wednesday, July 5, 2017, PAGE 3

JUNIOR Baseball League of Nassau’s team of 11 to 12-year-olds is all set to take part in the Little League Baseball Caribbean Regional Qualifier July 7-14 in St John, Antigua.

JBLN team has sights set on qualification for spot in Little League Baseball World Series

By RENALDO DORSETT Tribune Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Junior Baseball League of Nassau will field a team with their sights set on qualification for a coveted spot in the Little League Baseball World Series.

The team of 11 to 12-yearolds will participate in the Little League Baseball Caribbean Regional Qualifier, to be hosted July 7-14 in St John, Antigua.

JBLN Commissioner Jeff Albury called the team “one of the most talented groups” in the division that the league has produced

in quite some time.

“I think we have a good chance.

This is one of our best groups at this age that has been around our league in about 8-10 years. That group included Kyle Simmons and Brandon Murray, so we have high hopes for these guys,” he said.

“It’s tough competition and countries that have storied established programmes from the youth level straight through to the professional ranks are always tough to beat, but this is a talented group.”

Simmons is currently playing in the Dominican Republic rookie league with the Pittsburgh Pirates organisation, while Murray

is with the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League of the Independent Professional Baseball Federation.

Nine countries will be represented at the Caribbean Regionals, including Puerto Rico, Curacao, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda and Jamaica.

The winner of the tournament will advance to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

The JBLN team earned their spot by virtue of winning the divisional title at the BBF National

DAVONN MACKEY has signed with the Oakland Athletics in a deal that includes a $225,000 signing bonus.

Davonn Mackey signs deal with Oakland Athletics FROM PAGE 1 lic, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela, Aruba, the Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, Belarus, Brazil, the British Virgin Islands, Czech Republic, Curacao,

Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, South Korea, Spain and Sweden.

The recent impact of Bahamians on the period prompted MLB.com international reporter Jessie Sanchez to call the Bahamas an “emerging market in baseball and a country to definitely keep an eye on.”

Championships. Jeffrey Walcott, Victor Cartwright and Mike Gomez will coach the team of 14 players.

The Latin America and the Caribbean Little League district administrator for the Bahamas, Eddie Claud, sanctioned the team.

“We finished third in 2012 in Puerto Rico in that elimination tournament and we nearly got into the finals when we lost to the Dominican Republic,” Albury said.

“It is a tall order because the Little League World Series is probably the most prominent and publicised of any youth baseball event.

It is broadcast live on ESPN and the finals are on ABC. There are only 16 teams that qualify, eight in the United States, eight international, and just one team represents this region. To make it out of the Caribbean or Latin America region is quite an achievement.”

Each of the eight international regions: Asia-Pacific, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Europe-Africa, Japan, Latin America and Mexico will contest their regional tournaments this month.

The United States Divisions take place in early August and the LLBWS takes place August 17-27 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

PAGE 4, Wednesday, July 5, 2017

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SABATHIA STUMBLES IN HIS DL RETURN AS BLUE JAYS TOP YANKEES 4-1

By RONALD BLUM Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — CC Sabathia was chased during a fourrun third inning in his return from the disabled list, with Kendrys Morales hitting a two-run single that helped the Toronto Blue Jays beat the New York Yankees 4-1 yesterday and stop a five-game losing streak.

Aaron Judge dented a metal casement above a door behind the left-centre field wall with his major league-leading 28th home run, a drive that would have travelled 456 feet had it landed unimpeded, according to MLB’s Statcast.

The liner rose only 59 feet above the field and was the fourth-hardest-hit homer of the season at 118.4 mph. Judge has the hardest at 121.1 mph and all of the top four. That was the only run off J.A. Happ (3-5), who allowed four hits in six innings. A 20-game winner last year, Happ has won three of his last four decisions after losing his first four.

Roberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth to convert his 19th

NEW York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia delivers during the first inning of yesterday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) consecutive save chance and 20th overall this season, completing a four-hitter and the Blue Jays’ third win in 12 games.

New York has lost 15 of 21 after a 38-23 start, a slide that began the night Sabathia got hurt. The Yankees are 0-5-1 in their last six series heading into Wednesday’s

rubber game against the Blue Jays.

Judge, who needs one home run to tie Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees rookie record, set in 1939, struck out in his other three at-bats, stranding a pair of runners in the fifth.

New York had been 10-3 in

starts by Sabathia, who was 5-0 with a 0.99 ERA in six outings before straining his left hamstring on June 13. He lacked control in his return, throwing just 35 of 63 pitches for strikes, and allowed four runs, three hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

Sabathia retired his first eight batters before walking Darwin Barney, who took second on a wild pitch and scored on Jose Bautista’s single.

Russell Martin singled, consecutive walks to Josh Donaldson and Justin Smoak on full counts forced in a run, and Morales’ single finished Sabathia.

Luis Cessa, relegated to the bullpen with Sabathia’s return, followed with 4 2/3 innings of fivehit relief.

SLUMPING Donaldson went 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts, extending his slide to 1 for 26.

TRAINER’S ROOM Blue Jays: C Luke Maile was placed on the 10-day DL with right knee inflammation. RHP

Aaron Sanchez (blister) is likely to be activated from the DL after two minor league rehab starts and start at home against Houston on Friday. He has not pitched for the Blue Jays since May 19.

Yankees: 2B Starlin Castro may miss the All-Star Game because of his strained right hamstring.

Castro went on the disabled list June 27, and manager Joe Girardi said Castro won’t start running hard until Thursday. Girardi said the Yankees still do not know exactly what ails DH Matt Holliday, who has been on the DL since June 25 with a viral infection. “I don’t think we have all the test results back yet,” he said. “I don’t have a clear plan of when he’ll be back.”

UP NEXT RHP Michael Pineda (8-4) is slated to start today’s series finale for the Yankees and RHP Marco Estrada (4-6) for the Blue Jays. Pineda beat Houston last weekend to end a streak of three straight losses. Estrada is 0-4 in six starts since beating Texas on May 27.

MURPHY RATTLES METS AGAIN IN POWERING NATIONALS TO 11-4 ROUT

By IAN QUILLEN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — After watching his former team attempt a dramatic comeback the night before, Nationals slugger Daniel Murphy made sure they didn’t have the chance yesterday.

Murphy drove in five runs on four hits, and Bryce Harper had three hits and two RBIs to help Washington to an 11-4 rout of the New York Mets.

Murphy improved his career average to .405 against his only previous big league team. He’s now hitting .341 with 60 RBI after entering Tuesday second in the NL batting race. “I saw it live and in person for five years,” Mets manager Terry Collins lamented. “You’ve got to locate or he’s going to

get a hit.”

Joe Ross (5-3) allowed two runs over seven innings for the Nationals in his fourth consecutive start giving up two runs or fewer.

He also received at least 10 runs of support for a seventh start this season, as NL-East leading Washington pounded out 14 hits to win its third straight.

“We had two, and then in the seventh or sixth or whatever that was, blew up and then we had 10 out of nowhere,” Ross said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, it seems like a regular start’.”

New York’s Seth Lugo (3-2) yielded four of his six runs in his fifth and final inning, and failed to pitch beyond the fifth for the first time since his return from injury in June.

Jay Bruce hit his 21st home run for the Mets, and

Jose Reyes and Rene Rivera also connected for solo shots. In his fifth start after missing two months with elbow inflammation, Lugo required only eight pitches to retire Washington’s first five batters. But he eventually walked two and allowed 10 hits, including five straight to open the fifth.

Wilmer Difo singled and scored from first on Bruce’s error fielding Harper’s single to right. Harper raced to third on the error and scored on Murphy’s second single of the game. Two batters later, Ryan Raburn doubled in two runs to make it 6-2. “Balls in the middle of the plate and up in the zone,” Lugo said.

“And good hitters are going to hit those.”

Murphy drove in two more on a single into shallow right, after relievers

WASHINGTON Nationals’ Wilmer Difo wearing stars and stripes socks as he stands on first base during the eighth inning of yesterday’s game against the New York Mets in Washington.

(AP Photo/Nick Wass) Erik Goeddel and Josh Edgin loaded the bases on three consecutive walks, making it 8-2. “It’s a teamoriented approach to not give away at-bats and to grind out every pitch,” said Murphy. “It was fun to watch the guys at the top of the lineup and we had great at-bats up and down the lineup.”

Ross allowed eight hits, walked three and let multiple baserunners reach

in each of the first five innings. He finally pitched a clean inning in the seventh and finished throwing 114 pitches, his last one a sinking changeup to strike out Lucas Duda on an eightpitch at-bat.

A RARE SOMBRERO With Tuesday’s 11:05 a.m. start, Nationals manager Dusty Baker elected to have Ross hit for himself in the bottom of the seventh with Washington leading

9-2. The result? A first-ever four-strikeout game at the plate for the career .180 batter.

LEADOFF LIST Reyes’ homer was his 25th career leadoff home run, and 20th leadoff shot in a Mets uniform. That puts him one off the franchise record of 21 gameopening homers, held by current Mets outfielder Curtis Granderson.

MARTINEZ HOMERS AS TIGERS BEAT GIANTS 5-3

By DAVE HOGG Associated Press DETROIT (AP) — Manager Brad Ausmus stayed with Michael Fulmer, and it worked out quite well for the Detroit Tigers.

Fulmer pitched eight innings, Victor Martinez homered and Detroit

snapped San Francisco’s six-game win streak with a 5-3 victory over the Giants yesterday.

Fulmer, who won the AL Rookie of the Year award last season, yielded a tying two-run homer to Brandon Crawford in the seventh, but Ausmus never considered pulling him.

“He’s earned that respect,” Ausmus said. “He’s been one of our best pitchers since the day he arrived and I wanted him on the mound.”

The Tigers responded with two runs in the bottom half on Justin Upton’s twoout, two-run single. Fulmer worked a perfect eighth and Justin Wilson got three outs for ninth save.

“It was huge to get a chance to finish the seventh and go back out for the eighth,” said Fulmer, who was named an All-Star for the first time on Sunday.

“The offence picked me up and we got a big win.”

Fulmer (8-6) allowed two homers for the first time this season.

“We had a lot of good, hard contact,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “We hit a lot of deep fly balls that didn’t go out. That’s this park — it holds balls in.”

Upton, who missed the previous three games with soreness in his side, went 3 for 3. Nicholas Castellanos also drove in a run for Detroit with a sacrifice fly.

Upton’s big day helped make up for the loss of slugger Miguel Cabrera, who left after six innings due to left hip tightness.

Ausmus said he expects Cabrera to play tonight.

“It’s the same thing that has been bothering him,” he said. “It tightened up a little, but I’ll be shocked if he’s not right back out there.”

San Francisco righthander Matt Cain (3-8) surrendered five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

He dropped to 0-7 in nine starts since beating the Dodgers on May 15.

“We’ve all been searching for wins, so I’m not going to have a pity party,” he said. “This was a tough one, because our guys battled back and we couldn’t pull it off.”

The Giants jumped in front on Hunter Pence’s two-out solo homer over the out-of-town scoreboard in right-centre in the first.

The drive ended Fulmer’s homerless streak at 73 2/3 innings - the longest active streak in the majors.

Martinez connected in the second and hit an RBI single in the fourth for a 2-1 Tigers lead.

The Giants flew out to the warning track four times in the first four innings, but only managed two hits. Fulmer’s command improved as the game went on, and he began to dominate in the middle innings.

“I really wasn’t comfortable early, and I was ending up in a lot of 2-0 and 2-1 counts,” he said. “I did some mental drills in the dugout between innings and I ended up finding the bottom of the strike zone again.”

San Francisco rallied in the seventh. Brandon Belt doubled with one out and Crawford followed with a drive to right for his seventh homer, tying it at 3.

NOT BAD AT ALL Wilson is 2-2 with eight saves in nine chances since taking over the closer’s role in early May. “I’ve just tried to treat it like I would any role in the bullpen,” he said. “I want to excel, and I want to keep the job.”

PAINFUL MEMORIES FOR TIGERS FANS The Giants are the only team to clinch a World Series at Comerica Park, which opened in 2001. Cain started Game 4 for the Giants, who finished off a sweep of Detroit with a 4-3 win on October 28, 2012.

TRAINER’S ROOM Giants: INF Eduardo Nunez (hamstring) was taking ground balls before the game. Nunez played one minor league game on June 30, but didn’t feel comfortable. He’s now undergoing treatment with the Giants and no return date has been set.

Tigers: OF Jim Adduci (oblique) is close to 100 per cent, but will remain with

Triple-A Toledo to continue getting at-bats and playing center field.

UP NEXT Giants: LHP Ty Blach (5-5, 4.60 ERA) will make the 14th start of his career in the second game of the series today. Blach made his only interleague start

on June 13, giving up seven runs to the Kansas City Royals in an 8-1 loss.

Tigers: RHP Daniel Norris (4-6, 5.00 ERA) pitches for the Tigers today.

He has never faced the Giants, but is 2-1 with a 4.58 ERA in five interleague appearances, including four starts.

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Wednesday, July 5, 2017, PAGE 5

CONNECTICUT CONTINUES TO RISE IN AP WNBA POWER POLL

By DOUG FEINBERG Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The Connecticut Sun continue to rise in the east.

Connecticut has been playing well since dropping its first four games of the season. The Sun have been getting it done at home and on the road, climbing to fourth in The Associated Press WNBA power poll yesterday. It’s the highest ranking for the team since the poll began last season.

The Sun are getting stellar play from the Thomases.

Point guard Jasmine Thomas is having a career year as well as forward Alyssa Thomas. The forward has had at least eight assists in the team’s last four victories.

Connecticut is also getting great production from centre Jonquel Jones, of the Bahamas, who is having a breakout second year.

Jones is averaging a doubledouble and is currently in the top three in the All-Star voting for forwards. She has a chance to make the starting lineup when it’s announced next week.

Minnesota and Los Angeles are sure to have a few players in the All-Star Game on July 22. The top teams in the poll meet for the first time this season on Thursday.

——— POWER POLL: Minnesota and Los Angeles continue to lead the way.

Here’s a look at this week’s WNBA poll.

1. Minnesota (12-1): After a big win in Phoenix, Minnesota has had plenty of time to prepare for the showdown with Los Angeles on Thursday.

2. Los Angeles (12-3): The Sparks capped a busy week with a victory over Washington. Los Angeles also won at Connecticut and at Atlanta to set up its game against Minnesota.

3. Washington (10-6): A long road swing got off to a rough start with loss at Los Angeles. The Mystics, who blew a 17-point lead in that game, will play four more road games before returning to Washington.

4. Connecticut (8-7): The Sun recovered from a tough loss to Los Angeles with wins over Seattle and Indiana.

5. Phoenix (7-6): The Mercury have a busy week with home games against Washington and New York sandwiched around a trip to San Antonio.

6. New York (7-7): The Liberty keeps falling into big holes, rallying from the huge deficits and falling short each time. New York has lost three straight and are on the road for a while longer.

7. Dallas (8-9): The Wings have missed coach Fred Williams the last two games. Williams has been ill and hopefully will return for the team’s home-andhome matchup with Atlanta

CONNECTICUT Sun’s Alyssa Thomas passes the ball between the defence of Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart, left, and Crystal Langhorne during the second half of a game on June 29. The Sun continue to rise in the east. Connecticut has been playing extremely well since dropping its first four games of the season to move into fourth in The Associated Press WNBA power poll this week. (AP) — his former team.

8. Seattle (7-8): The Storm return to Seattle af-

ter a disappointing road trip for a five-game homestand.

9. Indiana (7-8): The Fe-

ver have just one game this week at Atlanta.

10. Atlanta (6-7): The

Dream held on for a muchneeded win over New York and now have a busy week with two games against Dallas and one against Indiana.

11. Chicago (3-12): Will be hard-pressed to end a three-game skid when they host Minnesota.

12. San Antonio (1-14): Stars won their first game of the season, beating Chicago. They will try and build off that victory against Connecticut and Phoenix.

——— GAME OF THE WEEK: Sparks at Lynx, Thursday. It’s the first meeting between the teams that squared off for last season’s WNBA championship. The Lynx have been playing with determination and focus this season after falling to the Sparks in five games.

Los Angeles has won its last eight games.

——— HONOURING TAURASI: The Phoenix Mercury pulled out all the stops to honour Taurasi for becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer, bringing in a herd of goats. Taurasi is on the short list for the greatest WNBA player of all-time.

——— PLAYER OF WEEK: Candace Parker, Sparks.

Parker averaged 19.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists to help Los Angeles go 3-0 this past week. Other players receiving votes included Isabelle Harrison and Elena Delle Donne.

FINALLY, FAREWELL: CHRIS BOSH, MIAMI HEAT FORMALLY PART WAYS

By TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press CHRIS Bosh’s time with the Miami Heat is officially over.

Weeks after the sides came to a final agreement on how to part ways and more than a year since his last NBA appearance because of blood-clot issues, Bosh was waived by the Heat yesterday.

The move was a formality.

It gives Miami access to $25.3 million in salary-cap space for this coming season, which the Heat will use to sign free agents starting Thursday. Bosh still gets that salary, plus $26.8 million for next season, and in theory could continue his career — if another team declares him fit to play.

It’s unknown if that will happen.

But at least there’s finally closure on his Miami era, and the Heat announced his No. 1 jersey has been retired.

“Chris changed his life and basketball career when he came to Miami,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “And he changed our lives for the better, in a way we never would have imagined when he joined the Miami Heat. We will forever be indebted to CB for how he changed this team and led us to four trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA championships.

“He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest players in the history

of the franchise.”

Bosh signed a five-year deal to stay with the Heat in 2014, shortly after LeBron James left Miami for a return to Cleveland. James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade went to the NBA Finals in all four of their seasons together in Miami, winning titles in 2012 and 2013.

Bosh’s last Miami deal was worth $118 million. For that, he was only able to play in 97 games.

“You always want what’s best for Chris, whatever that is,” Heat captain Udonis Haslem said earlier this year. “I know how difficult this has been for him.”

Bosh appeared in 44 games in 2014-15, his season ending at the All-Star break when the first known clot episode started. A year later, he played in 53 games and — in an eerie similarity — his season again ended at All-Star weekend, when another clot was found shortly after he landed in Toronto for the 2016 All-Star Game.

Bosh hasn’t played since, missing Miami’s last 125 games.

“I’m kind of getting the taste of retirement now,” Bosh said in January.

He wanted to return last season, but failed a preseason physical and the Heat made clear that they were moving on without him in their plans. Because of the sensitivity of Bosh’s medical situation, the Heat never could provide

CHRIS Bosh dunks over Nets guard Deron Williams in the first half of Game 4 of a second-round NBA playoff game at the Barclays Center on May 12, 2014, in New York. (AP) specifics — under league rule, any matter that would rise to the level of being possibly life-threatening

cannot be discussed openly by teams without the player’s consent.

Even the team’s release on Tuesday announcing the waiving made no reference to Bosh’s health issues, or status.

Bosh has played in 13 NBA seasons, seven with Toronto and then six with Miami. He was part of Miami’s massive free-agent haul in 2010, where the Heat not only kept Wade but landed James to form something that team president Pat Riley felt could turn into something dynastic.

Bosh had a huge role in perhaps the biggest play in team history — with Miami down by three late in a win-or-else Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals against San Antonio, he grabbed an offensive rebound and tossed the ball to Ray Allen to set up a corner 3-pointer that tied the game with 5.2 seconds left.

The Heat would win that game in overtime, with Bosh blocking a shot by Danny Green as time expired, and then would prevail in Game 7 for the third title in franchise history.

Bosh, a certain future member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, has averaged 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in his career.

“We can’t wait to someday hang his jersey in the rafters,” Riley said. “Today, we are both moving on but we wish Chris, Adrienne and their family nothing but the best. They will forever be part of the Miami Heat family.”

KINGS LAND VETERAN FREE AGENTS ZACH RANDOLPH, GEORGE HILL

By JOSH DUBOW Associated Press THE Sacramento Kings added veteran help to their young roster on Tuesday by agreeing to free-agent contracts with forward Zach Randolph and point guard George Hill.

Randolph left Memphis for a $24 million, two-year deal to reunite with former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger in Sacramento, a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot be signed until Thursday.

ESPN first reported the agreement.

Hill announced on Twitter that he was coming to Sacramento. Yahoo Sports first reported the deal, saying Hill would get $57 million over three years.

The Kings started free agency with just two players on the roster who are not on their rookie contracts — guard Garrett Temple and center Kosta Koufos — and were seeking some proven players to provide stability.

Sacramento went 30-52 last season, Joerger’s first year, and has not made the play-

offs since 2006.

The Kings hope the additions of Randolph and Hill will help change that.

After a rocky start to his career in Portland and New York, Randolph found himself in Memphis. He spent eight years with the Grizzlies, emerging as one of the central figures of the team’s “grit and grind” mantra.

He helped Memphis make the playoffs the past seven years, including a trip to the conference final in 2013 when Joerger was an assistant. Joerger took over as head coach the following year and had three years with Randolph, including a trip to the second round in 2015.

Randolph, who turns 36 later this month, averaged 14.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season and is still considered one of the better post players in the game.

He is expected to be a mentor for young big men like Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Harry Giles, one of the team’s three first-round picks last month.

It’s quite a reversal for Randolph, who was considered a malcontent in need of mentoring when he ar-

FORWARD Zach Randolph has left Memphis for a $24 million, two-year deal to reunite with former Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger and the Sacramento Kings. (AP) rived in Memphis in 2009 after failed tenures in Portland, New York and with the Los Angeles Clippers.

But he grew into a leader-

ship role with the Grizzlies and became a trusted veteran.

Hill will be expected to provide similar traits in

Sacramento, while grooming rookie point guards De’Aaron Fox and Frank Mason III. The 31-year-old has spent nine years in the

NBA with San Antonio, Indiana and Utah.

He averaged a careerhigh 16.9 points per game last season for the Jazz, helping them make the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

He also averaged 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds. He played only 49 games in the regular season because of various injuries.

After going into the draft last month with no point guards on the roster, the Kings have invested heavily in the position the past two weeks. They took Fox fifth overall and then used their second-round pick on Mason.

Fox is extremely quick and a skilled ball handler who showed the ability to get to the basket in his one season at Kentucky. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Mason was a four-year player at Kansas and won numerous player-of-theyear awards last season, including from The Associated Press. He averaged 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game as a senior and finished sixth all-time at Kansas in both points (1,885) and assists (576).

THE TRIBUNE

Wednesday, July 5, 2017, PAGE 7

KERBER, RAONIC MAKE IT THROUGH IN STRAIGHT SETS AT WIMBLEDON

By CHRIS LEHOURITES Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Last year’s runners-up were up first on the main showcourts at Wimbledon yesterday, and both came through in straight sets.

Angelique Kerber, playing in the spot on Centre Court normally reserved for the defending women’s champion, beat Irina Falconi of the United States 6-4, 6-4. On No. 1 Court, Milos Raonic defeated JanLennard Struff of Germany 7-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (4).

“A lot of memories came back when I walk on the Centre Court,” Kerber said. “Playing there again, it’s one of the best courts to play. It’s traditional, so it was really great to being back.”

Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who own a combined 10 titles at the All England Club, didn’t even need three sets to advance.

They both reached the second round when their opponents retired from their matches in the second set.

Kerber stepped in to the opening spot on Centre Court on Day 2 in place of Serena Williams, the defending champion who is out for the rest of the season because she is pregnant.

Although Kerber became the first women seeded No. 1 in the professional era to lose in the first round of the French Open, she made it through to the second round on the grass.

“Playing first rounds in Grand Slams are always tough, especially with my first-round match that I lost in Paris,” Kerber said. “I was actually just thinking about point by point, trying to finding my rhythm during the whole match.”

Djokovic followed on Centre Court, leading 6-3, 2-0 when Martin Klizan stopped because of injury.

The second-seeded Serb was leading 30-0 in the third game of the second.

“It’s really odd that Roger’s result and my result more or less was the same,” Djokovic said. “We had a little joke about it in the locker room, say-

ing we should maybe play a practice set on the Centre Court, have the crowd stay. But they had another match.”

The victory put Djokovic alone into second place on the list of Grand Slam match wins, one ahead of Jimmy Connors, with 234.

Federer, an eight-time champion who followed on Centre Court and beat Alexandr Dolgopolov, leads the list with 315.

Federer was leading 6-3, 3-0 when Dolgopolov retired.

Raonic came into Wimbledon after playing only one match on grass, a firstround loss at Queen’s. The last time he failed to win a match on grass prior to Wimbledon, in 2014, he reached the semifinals.

Last year he did even better than that, reaching the final at the All England Club and losing to Andy Murray in straight sets.

Raonic said he made good use of his time since that loss at Queen’s, however. “Spent a lot more time training,” Raonic said.

GERMANY’s Angelique Kerber returns to Irina Falconi of the United States yesterday during their singles match on day two of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

(AP Photo/Alastair Grant) “Sort of got to the point where I was spending a lot of days practicing. I was just getting more and more eager for this tournament to start because there were a

lot of days in a row.”

Juan Martin del Potro needed seven match points, but he also advanced, beating Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 (2), 6-4.

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 72° F/22° C

TAMPA

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

Partly sunny with a shower

Partly cloudy, a shower; warm

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Partly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Mostly sunny, a t‑storm in spots

Mostly sunny with a brief shower

High: 93°

Low: 81°

High: 93° Low: 81°

High: 93° Low: 82°

High: 93° Low: 82°

High: 93° Low: 82°

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

AccuWeather RealFeel

104° F

88° F

104°-90° F

109°-89° F

107°-88° F

105°-89° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

N

almanac

E

W

ABACO

S

N

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

6‑12 knots

S

High: 91° F/33° C Low: 80° F/27° C

6‑12 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 90° F/32° C Low: 80° F/27° C

E

W S

E

W

WEST PALM BEACH

N

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 92° F/33° C Low: 78° F/26° C

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 78° F/26° C

MIAMI

High: 92° F/33° C Low: 81° F/27° C

6‑12 knots

KEY WEST

High: 89° F/32° C Low: 81° F/27° C

High: 93° F/34° C Low: 81° F/27° C

Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

N

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

5:53 a.m.

6:28 p.m.

2.3 2.8

12:08 a.m. 0.6 12:02 p.m. 0.3

Thursday

6:39 a.m.

7:09 p.m.

2.3 2.9

12:54 a.m. 0.5 12:44 p.m. 0.2

Friday

7:22 a.m.

7:49 p.m.

2.3 3.0

1:36 a.m.

1:25 p.m.

0.4 0.2

Saturday

8:03 a.m.

8:28 p.m.

2.4 3.1

2:17 a.m.

2:05 p.m.

0.3 0.1

Sunday

8:43 a.m.

9:06 p.m.

2.4 3.1

2:56 a.m.

2:45 p.m.

0.3 0.2

Monday

9:23 a.m.

9:44 p.m.

2.5 3.1

3:34 a.m.

3:24 p.m.

0.3 0.2

Tuesday

10:03 a.m.

10:21 p.m.

2.5 3.1

4:11 a.m.

4:04 p.m.

0.3 0.3

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

6:25 a.m.

8:04 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

5:14 p.m.

3:47 a.m.

Full

Last

New

First

Jul. 8

Jul. 16

Jul. 23

Jul. 30

CAT ISLAND

E

W

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

N

S

E

W

6‑12 knots

S

7‑14 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 93° F/34° C Low .................................................... 75° F/24° C Normal high ....................................... 88° F/31° C Normal low ........................................ 75° F/24° C Last year’s high ................................. 92° F/34° C Last year’s low ................................... 82° F/28° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.03” Year to date ................................................. 8.99” Normal year to date ................................... 14.41”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

Other winners include 2015 Wimbledon finalist Garbine Muguruza among the women, and 15th-seeded Gael Monfils among the men.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 79° F/26° C

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 81° F/27° C

N

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

E

W S

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 88° F/31° C Low: 81° F/27° C

7‑14 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 87° F/31° C Low: 82° F/28° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS

tonight’s lows.

RAGGED ISLAND High: 85° F/29° C Low: 81° F/27° C

High: 86° F/30° C Low: 79° F/26° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 89° F/32° C Low: 82° F/28° C

N

E

W

E

W

N

S

S

8‑16 knots

8‑16 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday: Today: Thursday:

WINDS E at 6‑12 Knots SE at 4‑8 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots E at 6‑12 Knots E at 4‑8 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots NE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots ESE at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 4‑8 Knots E at 4‑8 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 8‑16 Knots E at 7‑14 Knots ESE at 7‑14 Knots

WAVES 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑6 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 3‑5 Feet 3‑5 Feet 1‑3 Feet 2‑4 Feet 3‑6 Feet 3‑6 Feet 1‑2 Feet 1‑2 Feet 2‑4 Feet 2‑4 Feet 1‑3 Feet 1‑3 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 7 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 84° F 83° F 85° F 86° F 83° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 84° F 85° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 82° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 84° F

PAGE 8, Wednesday, July 5, 2017

THE TRIBUNE

JORDAN SPIETH WANTS REPUTATION AS BEING A GOOD CLOSER

By DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press THE club throw. The body bump.

Those are the indelible images from Jordan Spieth’s victory in the Travellers Championship, where he holed a 60-foot bunker shot in a playoff to defeat Daniel Berger and capture his 10th title on the PGA Tour a month before his 24th birthday.

Not to be overlooked was a more serene snapshot — Spieth posing with the trophy.

It was the most comfortable he looked all day, even though he never trailed.

This did not appear to be a case of enjoying the journey.

“I wanted the holes to go by quickly,” Spieth said.

“That’s the only time I could say that about my wins.”

At the heart of such uneasiness was the uncertainty with his putting stroke on the greens of the TPC River Highlands. A normal putting round, at least by his standards, and there would have been no drama, no playoff and no celebration that ended with Spieth slinging his sand wedge with his left hand (he’s a

natural southpaw), running out of the bunker and colliding with caddie Michael Greller.

The fact that Spieth had the 54-hole lead by one shot only exacerbated the tension he felt on the back nine. At stake was more than just a victory, but the chance to build on his reputation as a closer. That’s what Tiger Woods did better than anyone else.

Winning is winning.

Comebacks are cool. But great players take pride in closing.

“I take more pride in it because I feel totally different,” Spieth said. “I’m a lot more uncomfortable in the closing scenario, playing with the lead. It’s more uncomfortable and makes it more challenging. The expectation is as long as I play the same as these guys, I win. If I’m not leading and I don’t win, then it wasn’t my day.”

Don’t get the idea Spieth is a nervous wreck when leading a tournament. He talks about chasing a ghost when he has the lead, which is a target score, and that can be more difficult than having to make up a deficit.

“By uncomfortable, I don’t mean that in a negative way,” he said. “I mean

JORDAN Spieth celebrates with caddy Michael Greller after sinking a shot from a bunker on the first playoff hole during the final round of the Travellers Championship golf tournament, in Cromwell, Connecticut, on June 25. Spieth says he wants to build a reputation for being a good closer in golf.

(AP Photo/Jessica Hill) that in an added, rapid heart rate from when you wake up, which is uncomfortable. But I don’t want that to seem negative, because that’s the position to be in.”

He already has been there 13 times.

Spieth isn’t big on comparisons with anybody, least of all Woods. That’s a good thing when it comes to closing, because there is no comparison.

Woods won at a 92 per cent clip (57-5) when he had at least a share of the lead

going into the final round on the PGA Tour. That includes a 3-1 mark for Match Play, which effectively is the same as being tied for the lead with one round to play.

With his victory at Hartford, Spieth improved to 8-5. And what would he call that?

“A phenomenal rate,” he said. “I think 50 per cent is an awesome rate — 50 per cent is fantastic.”

Spieth knows all about Woods and his records, and many of them would seem to be out of reach. What made him curious were the closing marks of other Hall of Fame players, such as Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Vijay Singh.

It would make him feel better about his own mark.

Mickelson was 24-14 when he had at least a share of the lead going into the final round, a rate of 63 per cent. Singh was 18-14 (56 per cent), which included a streak of converting 11 straight times over three years (2002-04) when the big Fijian was at the top of his game. Els had the best rate (75 per cent) with the fewest opportunities of those three. His record is 12-4, though that’s only on the PGA Tour.

And as a testament to

Woods as the consummate closer in golf, Jack Nicklaus had a 38-25 record in his career. That’s 60 per cent.

It didn’t take a moment like Hartford — or even his failure at the Masters last year when he lost a five-shot lead on the back nine — for Spieth to contemplate the pride he takes in being a good closer. Coming off his 2015 season, when he won five times and chased the Grand Slam, he was asked what he could consider a great encore.

“Got to close tournaments out,” Spieth said that day at Kapalua. “I’ve been close a lot and closed out a little, and you’ve got to have the breaks go your way. But closing it out is something that’s a different mental edge than I really knew the last couple years prior to the 2015 season.”

Compared with his generation, Spieth is on the right track.

Dustin Johnson is 6-5 with at least a share of the lead going into the final round, while Jason Day is 8-7. Rory McIlroy has a 6-5 mark (only on the PGA Tour).

The common thread in all those records is opportunities, which is all any player should want.

POULTER MAKES IT BACK TO ROYAL BIRKDALE FOR BRITISH OPEN SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Ian Poulter earned his way back to Royal Birkdale and the footprints he left behind a decade ago at the British Open.

Poulter shot rounds of 70-68 at Woburn Golf Club, his home club and one of five final qualifying sites yesterday. He earned one of three spots available from each of the sites.

“Job done today,” Poulter tweeted.

Shiv Kapur of India shot a 65 in the second round and was the medallist at Woburn to return to the British Open for the first time

since 2013.

The third spot went to Toby Tree, who along with Poulter finished two shots behind Kapur.

Poulter had his best major at Royal Birkdale in 2008 when he was runner-up to Padraig Harrington. He holed a 15-foot par putt on the final hole that he thought might be enough to get into a playoff until Harrington pulled away with a strong finish marked by a 5-wood to 4 feet for eagle on the 17th hole. Harrington won by four shots.

Poulter left his own indelible mark at Royal Birkdale. He

worked so hard on his putting that week that he stood for hours in the same spot on the putting green on the eve of the championship, so long that it killed the grass beneath his shoes and a brown shade of footprints was left behind.

The British Open is July 20-23.

In other qualifiers: — Connor Syme, an amateur from Scotland, had rounds of 7167 at Gailes Links in Scotland to lead three qualifiers. Julian Suri, a two-time state high school champion in Florida who played at Duke, earned his first trip to the Open. The other qualifier was

Ryan McCarthy of Australia, who advanced from a 4-for-1 playoff.

— At Hillside, the neighbouring links to Royal Birkdale, three Englishmen advanced to the Open. Haydn McCullen shot a 64 in the second round and was the medallist, joined by Nicholas McCarthy and Adam Hodkinson.

— Mark Foster, whose last victory was the Dunhill Championship in South Africa at the start of 2003, was the medallist at Notts Honninwell with rounds of 68-66.

Also advancing were Joe Dean and Laurie Canter, who won a 3-for-1 playoff.

— Cancer survivor Matthew Southgate made it back to the Open for the second time in three years. He was the medallist at Royal Cinque Port. Robert Dinwiddie qualified for the second straight year. They were joined by Austin Connelly of Canada, who earned the last spot in a 4-for-1 playoff.

That puts the field at 145 players, leaving 11 spots being offered to top finishers in the next two PGA Tour (Greenbrier Classic, John Deere Classic) and European Tour (Irish Open, Scottish Open) events.