SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2015 SPORTS Relaxed Rory ready for US Open challenge PARIS: Rory McIlory gets acquainted - Tiger Woods with 14 and Jack Nicklaus with Chambers Bay golf course yesterday with 18. ahead of next week’s US Open confident McIlroy, however, refuses to get drawn that some time away from the game will into any predictions “I’ve won four. I’d have done him a power of good. love to win a fifth, and hopefully when I The world number one won the Wells do win a fifth, I’d love to win a sixth. I Fargo tournament in Charlotte in mid- don’t want to put any sort of burden on May on the back of a superb 61 in the myself of giving myself a number,” he third round. But oddly he followed that said. up by returning to Europe and enduring “If I set myself a target, and I don’t get back-to-back missed cuts at the BMW there, but I still have one of the best PGA Championship and at the Irish Open careers of all time, does that mean I’m a on home turf. failure?” His antidote for those blips in his More to the point, he insists, is how recent form was to take a break. “I didn’t best to play Chambers Bay, south of touch a golf club last week. I had played Seattle which is hosting the US Open for five weeks in a row, and mentally, I was the first time and is something of a mys- ready to have a little break,” McIlroy said tery for most of the 156-strong field, at the PGA Championship media day at McIlroy included. “It’s a bit of an Whistling Straits where he stopped off en unknown for everyone. From what I’ve route for the Pacific Northwest and the heard, it’s going to be sort of different,” year’s second major. he said. “I just got away from it, did some oth- “At the end of the day, I’m competing er things I enjoy, got back to Florida on against the same players I’ve been able Sunday and started to practice. “Gearing to beat before. Hopefully, I get there up for the second major of the year, and again.” my game is feeling in really great shape After the US Open, McIlroy is playing and I feel like I can have another summer two courses he knows well for majors, not too dissimilar to last year. with the British Open headed to St. The reference to last year concerned Andrews and the PGA at Whistling McIlroy’s back-to-back major wins at the Straits. GERMANY: Spain’s Rafael Nadal raises his fist after he won the semifinal tennis match against Gael Monfils of France, at the ATPercedes M Cup British Open and the PGA Championship, He will be the defending champion tennis tournament. —AP taking his haul of major titles to four at at both “They were courses I played well the age of 25 (he is now 26). on, course I had fond memories of,” he A win at Chambers Bay on June 21 said. “Maybe you put a little bit more would put him level with the likes of pressure on yourself for those, but over Nadal lines up history Seve Ballesteros, Phil Mickelson and the course of the season, I build myself Byron Nelson on the all-time list and up for those four big ones. I feel like I would further fuel the debate over still have three good chances to add to whether he can chase down the top two my major tally.” —AFP on Stuttgart grass STUTTGART: Rafael Nadal moved into position only the second this season. tennis after the first two matches this week, it is Kim leads Park and Webb to become a dual-surface champion at the Nadal came through over Monfils on the first always tough to start on this surface. Stuttgart Open yesterday with a 6-3, 6-4 semi- of two match points as the French fourth seed “Today I played aggressive and did what I had HARRISON: World number one Lydia Ko tering five victories on the LPGA of Korea final defeat of Gael Monfils. sailed a forehand over the baseline. Unable to to do to keep my level high. I’ve not been in a missed her first cut in a professional tour- Tour, Kim has shown her mettle on the Victory in under 90 minutes on the newly-laid find an ace in the contest, Nadal however made grass final since 2011 (Wimbledon, losing to nament, while Kim Sei-young eagled the LPGA Tour by taking her 2015 wins in play- grass courts of the pre-Wimbledon event paved no double-faults and saved all four of the break Novak Djokoic). This is important news for me. par-five 15th to take a one-stroke lead after offs. “I was inspired by Tiger Woods, how he a path for Nadal to lift his third title in Stuttgart points he faced as he beat Monfils for the 11th “I’m enjoying being in this final and I’ll hope 36 holes of the Women’s PGA was able to make shots and shot-making,” after winning in 2005 and 2007 when the tour- time in 13 meetings. to be ready tomorrow.” Serbian Troicki was over- Championship on Friday. said Kim. who leads the tour in birdies and nament was still played on clay. The win was effortless in contrast to the whelmed to have done so well this week. “It’s The 18-year-old Ko’s astonishing run of eagles. “I was actually able to show all the Top seed Nadal will take on surprise finalist struggles Nadal went through in his first two my first grass court final and I’m really excited to making 53 consecutive cuts ended when shots out here on the course today.” Viktor Troicki, who battled for more than two matches this week, spending a combined five have gotten here,” he said. she shot a three-over 76 in the second Breathing down her neck are two hours to overcome Croatian second seed and US hours on court to win six sets. “It was a great match for me, I served very round for a two-over-par 148 total, missing accomplished winners. The 40-year-old Open champion Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-7 (1/7), 7-6 “I’m very happy with this performance,” said well and used my slice. The match was very even the cut by one stroke. Webb, looking for her first major since (7/2). the 29-year-old Spaniard. “I’m slowly improving most of the time but I was able to use a couple “I just made a double (on the 11th) and 2006, shot 71 in the morning and was Nadal owns two Wimbledon crowns and also on grass. It would be fantastic to win here, but I of chances to make the difference.” The world just couldn’t get anything turned around,” joined at seven-under by Park. won at Queen’s in 2008. The left-hander will be can only focus on the final and try to play my number 28 stands 0-4 against Nadal, with all of said Ko, who had made the turn one-under South Korean Park surged up the leader- bidding for the 66th trophy of his career but best.” He added: “I was feeling better with my their matches played on hard court.—AFP for the round but bogeyed three of the board late in the day, following her open- next four holes after the double. ing 71 with a flawless 68. Tied for fourth on “I just kind of made bogey after bogey 140 was Suzann Pettersen of Norway after and when you do that, it’s not great.” It was a bogey-free 66, and 17-year-old Canadian a much better day for Kim, 22, who has Brooke Henderson (73). Barrow puts Gambia before Sweden already won twice in her rookie season on South Korean Jenny Shin, the overnight the LPGA circuit. leader after a 66, reached eight-under three JOHANNESBURG: Swansea City winger explained Barrow. “Our aims are to reach the ond-half equaliser. She shot a five-under 68 on the undulat- times in the second round but slipped back Modou Barrow believes so passionately in finals of the Africa Cup of Nations and the While warm-up results can be mislead- ing Westchester course in the leafy north- with four bogeys in her second nine. Shin the potential of African football light- World Cup.”That is supreme optimism given ing, holding far higher-ranked Uganda will ern suburbs of New York City and shot 75 for 141, a total she shared with weights Gambia that he turned down the that the tiny coastal state surrounded by give a timely morale boost to Savoy and his leapfrogged seven-times major winner world number three Stacy Lewis (71). The possibility of playing with Swedish super- Senegal have never won an away Cup of squad. Karrie Webb of Australia and twice defend- unflappable Kim said she was not worried star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Nations match. “We are not the group favourites-that ing champion Park In-bee. about going to bed with the lead. “I believe Born in west Africa 22 years ago and a Five draws and 14 losses and nine goals role is shared by Cameroon and South Kim posted an eight-under 138 total in I can play better in the tournaments where resident of Sweden from 11, the English scored and 35 conceded is hardly a record Africa-but we are ready to exploit any slip- the second major of the season.