SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015 SPORTS Harrington to lead qualifiers Khedira: I was frozen out Choi stays ahead of pack MADRID: Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has VIRGINIA WATER: Triple major winner Padraig Harrington heads the list of SEOUL: Overnight-leader Choi Jin-ho will take a one-shot lead entries for tomorrow’s 36-hole US Open qualifying event on the outskirts accused the La Liga club of freezing him out by dropping into the final round of the SK Telecom Open after the chas- of London. him from the team after talks on a contract extension ing pack closed in following course record performances An injury to his left shoulder forced the Irishman to pull out of this broke down even though he was fit to play. Germany by Wang Jeung-hun and Lee Soo-min yesterday. week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth during the first round but international Khedira, who joined Real from VfB Stuttgart The talented 19-year-old Wang made eight birdies he is hopeful of taking part at Walton Heath. in 2010, will leave Real for free at the end of the season, and an eagle in his nine-under-par round of 63 at Harrington has not missed the US Open since 1999 and after tomor- with Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, Incheon’s Sky 72 Ocean Course, which was matched by row’s qualifying event he will start preparing for the as well as Juventus, reportedly keen to sign him. 21-year-old South Korean compatriot Lee Soo-min. Irish Open that starts three days later. The 28-year-old has barely featured since the turn of Wang’s effort left him one off the lead in a tie for sec- “Physio, acupuncture and laser light treatment the year, with Real citing a series of minor injuries as the all being used to get me ready for the Irish Open ond with Kang Sung-hoon, who struck a third consecu- reason for his absence, but Khedira told sports daily tive 69, with Lee a further shot back at eight-under along- (on Thursday),” Harrington said on his official Marca the club had decided he was no longer wanted. Twitter account. side Cho Min-gyu (67). “I did have a small injury, a pain in my right heel, but Also due to compete in Open qualifying is Choi, though, remained out in front after a two-under 70 Francesco Molinari who was leading midway that wasn’t why I wasn’t playing,” Khedira said in an inter- on Saturday gave him a three round total of 10-under 206. “I through the third round of the BMW PGA view published in Saturday’s edition of the newspaper. didn’t watch the leaderboard and it was probably just as well yeterday. However, the Italian is likely to quali- “It wasn’t a complicated injury, I was able to play,” he looking at those scores,” Choi said. The 30-year-old, who has fy automatically for the second major of the added. “I’ve always felt that I’ve had the coach’s backing, won three times on the Korean PGA Tour, is in his third tourna- season to be held at Chambers Bay in but the message indirectly came through to me that I ment back following a near-two year break to fulfil military Washington State from June 18-21 if he finishes in was no longer needed, I was frozen out and wouldn’t duties. He looked set like having to settle for a share of the lead the top five at Wentworth. —Reuters have a chance to continue playing.—Reuters before Kang made a bogey at the par five 18th.—Reuters Royals march over Cards, Phillies fall KANSAS CITY: Kendrys Morales hit two struck out three and walked one. hold off New York for its third straight win. home runs and had five RBIs, Chris Young Quickly down 7-0 and still trailing 10-5, New gave up six hits in six innings and the GIANTS 11, ROCKIES 8 York rallied in the eighth inning on pinch- Kansas City Royals defeated the St. Louis Brandon Belt homered into the third hitter Garrett Jones’ three-run homer. Cardinals 5-0 Friday night. deck, Ryan Vogelsong threw six scoreless Journeyman Ross Ohlendorf took over to The Royals improved to 27-14, the best innings and also doubled and San Francisco begin the ninth, gave up a one-out home record in the majors, while the Cardinals held on to beat Colorado. run to Mark Teixeira and walked Chase dropped to 27-15, best in the National Buster Posey singled and doubled to Headley with two outs. Stephen Drew fol- League. extend his hitting streak to 14 games as lowed with a comebacker that glanced off Morales, who leads the American League surging San Francisco won its seventh Ohlendorf, and second baseman Tommy with 37 RBIs, hit a three-run homer with two straight. Field swooped in to get the out at first. out in the first. He homered again in the Belt’s mammoth shot got a jump on the Ohlendorf wound up with his first career third with Lorenzo Cain aboard for his 13th fireworks show that was planned for after save. Shawn Tolleson earned saves the pre- multihomer game. The five RBIs matched a the game but started during a ninth inning vious two days for Texas and didn’t warm Royals’ season high. rain delay. It is the sixth time in 21 home up. Young (4-0) got 13 flyball outs and struck dates this season rain has delayed or post- Back home after a 2-7 trip, the Yankees out two. In Young’s four starts, he has poned a game at Coors Field. After a one- watched Fielder’s three-run shot sail into allowed one earned run in 22 1-3 innings out single in the sixth by Posey, Belt sent the second deck during a seven-run burst in (0.40 ERA). Kyle Kendrick’s 83-mph changeup an esti- the third inning. Royals starters Young, Edinson Volquez, mated 475 feet into deep right field to make Yordano Ventura and Jeremy Guthrie have it 3-0. It is the 34th home run to land in the ANGELS 12, RED SOX 5 combined to throw 26 shutout innings third deck at Coors Field. Chris Iannetta and Erick Aybar homered while allowing 18 hits in the past four in a nine-run fifth inning, and Albert Pujols games. DIAMONDBACKS 5, CUBS 4 also hit a home run to lead Los Angeles to a Paul Goldschmidt tied it with a two-out, victory over Boston. NATIONALS 2, PHILLIES 1 two-run homer in the 10th inning and Nick Mike Trout had a pair of hits - both in the Bryce Harper hit another home run and Ahmed singled home the winning run in fifth inning, when the Angels sent 13 bat- Max Scherzer had another dominant outing the 13th to give Arizona a victory over ters to the plate and took an 11-3 lead. to help Washington beat Philadelphia for its Chicago. Boston loaded the bases in the seventh with sixth straight win. Tuffy Gosewisch doubled off Zac Rosscup nobody out and two runs already in, but Harper’s 11th homer in 14 games tied the (1-1) with one out in the 13th, then Ahmed - Jose Alvarez struck out David Oritz and then score 1-1 in the second inning and Ian who earlier hit his second career home run - got an inning-ending double play. Desmond’s RBI double drove in Scherzer lined one sharply into the left-field corner to Garrett Richards (4-2) allowed five runs with the go-ahead run in the sixth. The NL give the Diamondbacks their fifth straight on nine hits and two walks, striking out one East-leading Nationals are 18-4 since April victory. Randall Delgado (2-2), the last of all in six-plus innings. Rick Porcello (4-3) 28. Scherzer (5-3) allowed four hits over eight relievers used by Arizona, escaped a allowed seven runs on seven hits and three eight innings with six strikeouts and one bases-loaded jam in the 13th for the victory. walks, striking out four. walk. He retired 19 of 22 after Odubel Kris Bryant and Starlin Castro each singled Franco’s RBI double in the second. Over his in a run to put the Cubs up 4-2 in the 10th. MARINERS 4, BLUE JAYS 3 last four starts, Scherzer is 4-0 with 33 strike- Nelson Cruz hit his big league-leading outs. Drew Storen got the last three outs for PIRATES 4, METS 1 17th home run, Felix Hernandez became his 13th save. He allowed two singles in the Gerrit Cole struck out 10 over 8 1-3 domi- the first seven-game winner in the majors ninth, but got the final two batters. Sean nant innings to out-duel New York rookie and Seattle beat Toronto. O’Sullivan (1-3) allowed two runs and five Noah Syndergaard and lift Pittsburgh to the Hernandez (7-1) bounced back from his hits in six innings. win. first loss of the season to pitch seven sharp Cole (6-2) gave up just six hits - all singles innings, lowering his ERA to 2.19. Toronto DODGERS 2, PADRES 1 - and walked one to lower his ERA to 2.05 as lost for the eighth time in 10 games and fell WASHINGTON: Nationals relief pitcher Drew Storen follows through on a throw during the Joc Pederson homered in the eighth the Pirates won for just the second time in to 2-9 in one-run games.