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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 SPORTS Alonso leaves hospital, to miss final test BARCELONA: McLaren Formula One driver McLaren issued a detailed statement on Monday Toto Wolff’s holding. Speaking at a media briefing ee trust. Hollinger, the chairman and chief executive Fernando Alonso will miss this week’s final pre-sea- blaming gusting wind and ruling out any mechani- attended by Hollinger and Williams chief executive of Vibra Healthcare and a motor racing enthusiast, son test in Barcelona after leaving hospital yester- cal failure but that explanation, and Alonso’s Mike O’Driscoll, Wolff said the private transaction said he “would not preclude” increasing his involve- day following a big crash three days ago. lengthy stay in hospital, has failed to silence all of left him with “just short” of five percent in the for- ment further but had no plans to put branding on The Spaniard, a double world champion, smiled the doubters. The car did not appear significantly mer champions. the car. The American entrepreneur, who owns and and waved to reporters and fans as he left the hos- damaged after the impact and Ferrari’s Sebastian “I have no plans to change it,” added the races historic cars including a 1997 Williams, said he pital at around 1430 local time. McLaren said in a Vettel, Alonso’s replacement at the Italian team, told Austrian, who led Mercedes to both titles last year was investing for financial reasons and felt the sport statement that the 33-year-old would return to his reporters the Spaniard’s crash had appeared while Mercedes-powered Williams climbed from could be “on the cusp of another major explosion” family home in northern Spain for further rest and ‘strange’ to him. ninth in 2013 to third. The deal was expected after in growth. “I am never in business not to make mon- recuperation and would not be back in the car McLaren, whose racing director Eric Boullier ini- Wolff sold an initial five percent stake to Hollinger in ey,” he said. before the Australian season-opener on March 15. tially played down the crash as a “just one of those June last year as part of an agreement with “I think there is a huge opportunity in Formula “He will sit out this week’s final winter test, at things that happens in testing”, have rejected spec- Mercedes parent company Daimler to reduce his One. “It has not really tapped significantly the whole which he was due to share driving duties with ulation that Alonso might have been rendered shareholding over time to a purely investment level. social media route in terms of streaming informa- Jenson Button,” the team said. “Kevin Magnussen, unconscious by an electrical fault. Wolff was previously executive director at tion out to the masses on whatever medium you McLaren-Honda’s test and reserve driver, will The team, who have had a difficult pre-season Williams, where his Scottish wife Susie is a test driv- might choose,” he added. “Formula One has been replace him.” Button will be first in the car at the with new partners Honda, said that rumour was er, before moving to Mercedes in January 2013. incredibly successful despite the fact it has not real- Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday. Denmark’s “simply not true”. They have not said how fast he The latest deal puts Hollinger level with Williams ly taken hold significantly in the US and I think the Magnussen raced for the team last season when was going at the time of impact or given a precise co-founder Patrick Head as owner of 10 percent of opportunity exists...I think the future is really bright they had Mercedes engines rather than the current reading of the G-forces he sustained, however. the team with principal Frank Williams having a 52 in the United States.” Formula One now has an Honda power unit. Alonso has been in hospital Meanwhile, American healthcare executive Brad percent stake and Wolff five. established U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, with since the crash on Sunday, with speculation run- Hollinger has increased his stake in the Williams Of the remaining shares, 20 percent are listed on commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone eager to ning wild about what really happened when he hit Formula One team to 10 percent after exercising an the Entry Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange add another venue, possibly in Las Vegas after the wall at the high speed Turn Three. option to buy more of Mercedes motorsport head and a further three percent are held by an employ- failed attempts by New Jersey. — Reuters Love’s second term restores US Ryder Cup team unity LOS ANGELES: The appointment of Davis AZINGER’S TAKE Love III as United States Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger, who captained the U.S. to for the 2016 match against Europe at victory in the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Hazeltine will be viewed by many as a and had initially been tipped as a candidate chance for American redemption after for 2016 until he took his name out of con- what happened at Medinah in 2012. sideration due to personal and business Three years ago in his first stint as skip- reasons, agreed. “Davis is an excellent per, Love orchestrated a commanding 10-6 choice for many reasons,” Azinger told Golf lead for the U.S. heading into the final day Channel. “He’s still connected to the play- before Jose Maria Olazabal’s European ers, he was very prepared and thorough in team stormed back to win by 14-1/2 points 2012 and he will bring much needed conti- to 13-1/2. So yes, the re-appointment of nuity to the process. “There is no magical Love will give the 50-year-old American a formula. The captain creates the right envi- shot at atonement for the ‘Meltdown at ronment to get everyone invested.” Love, Medinah’ but far more significantly his sec- who clinched his sole major crown at the ond term in charge will restore for the US 1997 PGA Championship, played in six con- players a sense of investment in the whole secutive Ryder Cups from 1993 and tasted process. victory twice, on his first appearance and The Americans were beaten by 16-1/2 also in 1999. However, he faces a daunting points to 11-1/2 in last year’s Ryder Cup at challenge in his second term as captain as Gleneagles in Scotland where five-times the Americans bid to end a dismal stretch major winner Phil Mickelson was scathing of eight defeats in the last 10 editions of of the often aloof approach used by US the biennial team competition. captain Tom Watson. That demoralising run prompted the Aged 65, Watson was viewed by many PGA of America to appoint an 11-member as totally out of touch with his players and task force last October to examine the he made some curious selections for the entire Ryder Cup process from a US per- four-ball and foursomes matches with his spective. Among those on board were ‘old-school’ style of captaincy. Love, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jim Under the immensely popular Love at Furyk, who is a veteran of the past nine INDIANAPOLIS: Indiana Pacers forward Solomon Hill (44) gets between Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston (left) and Warriors Medinah, the American team felt fully Ryder Cups as a player. forward Draymond Green in the second half of an NBA basketball game. — AP involved with every aspect of that year’s Furyk believes the Americans are only Ryder Cup and, to a man, they agreed their now playing catch-up to the Europeans, captain had done everything in his power who he believes have benefited from hav- to create a winning strategy. ing a highly effective Ryder Cup committee Warriors see off Wizards “He took it very seriously at Medinah,” for well over a decade. Brandt Snedeker, who made his Ryder Cup “They’ve done a good job as far as an debut under Love’s 2012 captaincy, told organizational standpoint,” Furyk told WASHINGTON: Stephen Curry returned from a Reuters. “He did a lot of research, he had Reuters. “We are just trying to give our one-game absence to lead all scorers with 32, Klay NBA results/standings great assistant captains and he really team the best opportunity to succeed and Thompson added 17 more and the Golden State empowered the players. do well, and it shouldn’t be about what has Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards 114-107 “He really made it a team effort. It wasn’t happened in the past. “It should be a fresh Tuesday night. Curry missed Sunday’s loss at Golden State 114, Washington 107; Cleveland 102, Detroit 93; Oklahoma City 105, Indiana 92; about Davis being the captain, it was actu- start in what we are trying to accomplish. Indiana with a sore right foot and played nearly 34 allas 99, Toronto 92. minutes, hitting 11 of 18 field goal attempts, ally about everybody else but him. We need to set goals which are 20 years in Eastern Conference Western Conference including five of nine from 3-point range. Everybody on that team will tell you, that’s the making, take a look-ahead into the Atlantic Division Marreese Speights added 16 points off the bench Northwest Division why the Medinah loss was so bad ... future and hopefully be successful for the W L PCT GB for the Warriors, who have won five of six. Paul Pierce Portland 36 19 .655 - because we all wanted to win one for him.” next 20 years.” — Reuters Toronto 37 20 .649 - led the Wizards with 25 points, 18 in the second half.