Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia watches his shot from the second tee during the second round of the PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, England, yesterday VIRGINIA WATER, England: Francesco Molinari flourished while several of his European Ryder Cup team mates fell flat on their faces as the Italian grabbed the lead in the PGA Championship second round yesterday. Luke Don

WENTWORTH, United Kingdom: George O’Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, has apologised for using the phrase “coloured athletes” as the Sergio Garcia race row rumbled on. Spain’s Garcia returned to action at the European PGA Championship yesterday, just two days after causing a racism uproar by revealing he would serve fried chicken at dinner to Tiger Woo

MELBOURNE: Bernard Tomic  will play at next week’s French Open despite his off-court troubles if only to keep some momentum going for the grasscourt season ahead, Tennis Australia’s Todd Woodbridge said yesterday. Tomic’s father John faced a charge of causing criminal injury in a Madrid court earlier this month after allegedly assaulting his son’s hitting partne

WENTWORTH, United Kingdom: A contrite Sergio Garcia said yesterday he wants a meeting with Tiger Woods to apologise directly for the racist row that was sparked by his “fried chicken” comments at an official dinner. Garcia has had a long-running feud with Woods and it exploded on Tuesday night when he was questioned on stage at the annual tour dinner. Garcia was asked if he

WENTWORTH, United Kingdom: World number two Rory McIlroy insists the speculation about his off course future will not harm his chances of winning the European Tour’s flagship event. McIlroy is at Wentworth to compete in the PGA Championship but rumours are sweeping golf that he is about to change management companies. According to reports the 24-year old is expected to split with

WENTWORTH, United Kingdom: Ernie Els has predicted a legal battle over the ban on anchoring putters set to come into force in 2016 and admitted he would not have won last year’s British Open without a long putter. Els’ South African compatriot Tim Clark - who has been using an anchored putting stroke since turning professional in 1998 has already vowed to look into the legality

WENTWORTH, United Kingdom: Golf’s ruling bodies yesterday announced that anchoring putters will be banned from the start of 2016. The anchored putting stroke has been in the spotlight since being used by a clutch of players to win major championships recently, with the latest being Adam Scott, who used a broom-handle putter to win the Masters at Augusta in April. Keegan Bradley wo

Paul McGinley of Ireland (left) poses with the Ryder Cup while flanked by Rory McIlory of Northern Ireland during a news conference after McGinley was named the European Ryder Cup captain at the St. Regis in Saadiyat Islands in Abu Dhabi in this 2012 file photo.  LONDON: Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley announced yesterday that he would have three wild cards at his dis

DUBLIN, Ohio: Chinese schoolboy Guan Tianlang (pictured), the youngest player in Masters history, will continue his dream run in US PGA events by playing in next week’s Memorial tournament, organisers said yesterday. The 14-year-old prodigy won the low amateur’s Silver Cup last month at Augusta National and shared 58th at the Masters and followed up two weeks later by makin

IRVING, Texas: South Korea’s Bae Sang-Moon won his first US PGA title yesterday, firing a one-under par 69 to win the $6.7m Byron Nelson Championship by two strokes over American Keegan Bradley. In windy conditions at the TPC Four Seasons Resort course, the 26-year-old South Korean finished on 13-under 267 to hold off 2011 PGA Championship winner Bradley, who shot 72, with 2011 M

MOBILE, Alabama: American Jennifer Johnson fired a seven-under par 65 yesterday to seize her first LPGA title, posting a one-shot victory over Pornanong Phatlum and Jessica Korda at the Mobile Bay Classic. Johnson had eight birdies and just one bogey on the par-72 Crossings course at Magnolia Grove for a 21-under par total of 267. “I’m a little shocked, I didn’t even r

IRVING, Texas:  Former champion Keegan Bradley overcame a wobbly start to stay on track for a wire-to-wire victory at the Byron Nelson Championship in Irving, Texas, despite bogeying the par-four 18th for a third day in a row yesterday. Three ahead of the chasing pack overnight, the 26-year-old American ground out a two-under-par 68 on a fast-running layout in tricky, gusting wind

Matthew Griffin of Australia holding the winner’s trophy after the final round of the SK Telecom Open at Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island, yesterday. SEOUL: Australian Matthew Griffin won his second OneAsia title in less than a year yesterday when the final round of the SK Telecom Open was called off without a shot being played because of thick fog. Griffin can credit a spectacula

KAVARNA, Bulgaria: Britain’s Graeme McDowell came from behind to win his maiden World Match Play Championship with a 2 & 1 victory over Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee yesterday. Former US Open Champion McDowell, the highest-ranked player in the field, battled back from two holes down after four and one at halfway to secure his eighth European Tour title.  “I&rsqu

MOBILE, Alabama: South Korea’s Chella Choi fired a six-under par 66 yesterday to seize a one-stroke lead over Sweden’s surging Anna Nordqvist after the third round of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. Choi, seeking her first LPGA title, stood on 17-under 199 after 54 holes with Nordqvist, who fired a course and tournament record 61, and second-round leader Jessica Korda of the United

IRVING, Texas: Keegan Bradley followed up his stellar 10-under par first round with a one-under 69 yesterday to maintain a three-stroke lead in the US PGA Tour Byron Nelson Championship. Former PGA Championship winner Bradley couldn’t match his opening-round exploits, but he had four birdies against three bogeys on a windy afternoon on the par-70 TPC Four Seasons Resort course to stay

Jeju Island, South Korea: Australian Matt Griffin was on course for his second OneAsia title in the space of a year after hitting a par 72 to gain a one-shot lead in the penultimate round of the SK Telecom Open. A stiff wind and late afternoon rain interrupted two days of perfect weather, wreaking havoc on the field with only 10 players breaking par at the 6,732 metre (7,361 yard) course on

MOBILE, Alabama: Jessica Korda had seven birdies in her seven-under par 65 yesterday to seize a one-shot second-round lead over surging Hall of Famer Karrie Webb at the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic. Korda built a 36-hole total of 13-under 131, while Australia’s Webb climbed up the leaderboard with a bogey-free nine-under 63 for 132. Chella Choi of South Korea led much of the day, but h

MOBILE, Alabama: South Korea’s Ji Eun-Hee fired a bogey-free seven-under 65 yesterday to grab a share of the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic first-round lead alongside American Lexi Thompson. Thompson, trying to improve on her runner-up finish in the same tournament last year, had eight birdies and a bogey. They were one stroke in front of Jessica Korda, who had six birdies in her six-und

IRVING, Texas: Keegan Bradley fired 10 birdies and an eagle in a course-record 60 yesterday to seize a three-shot lead after the first round of the US PGA Tour’s Byron Nelson Championship. Bradley’s sizzling 10-under par round came despite two bogeys on the TPC Four Seasons Resort course, where he took advantage of a rain-softened course to set an early target that no one could