MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2014 SPORTS

Gilbert wins Amstel Gold Probe into IPL scandal Westwood bags Malaysian Open VALKENBURG: Belgium’s surged clear on the final Cauberg MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India will propose a panel to KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Westwood ended a two-year winless drought with a climb to win his third yesterday. investigate corruption allegations in the Indian Premier League during the seven-shot victory at the Malaysian Open yesterday. The 31-year-old-winner in 2010 and 2011 — made his move inside the next hearing of an ongoing case in India’s Supreme Court. The names of After a four-hour delay due to the threat of lightning in the middle of the final 4km following a dummy-attack by BMC team-mate Samuel Sanchez former India allrounder Ravi Shastri, former Central Bureau of Investigation final round, Westwood went on to shoot a 4-under par 68 to complete an and by the top of the climb, 1.8km from the finish, he was well clear. chief RK Raghavan and retired Calcutta High Court judge J.N. Patel have 18-under 270 at the Kuala Lumpur Country Club course for his 36th career Belgian Jelle Vanendert escaped from a group of chasers to take second been doing the rounds in local media reports but the BCCI refused to con- victory. Westwood led from start to finish in the co-sanctioned European while Australia’s out-sprinted Spain’s and firm the members of the panel. and Asian Tour event that he also won in 1997. Pole Michal Kwiatkowski for third. “We will give the names of the persons to the Supreme Court only,” BCCI “It’s a golf course that suits my game; it’s very tight in certain areas. I Gilbert’s attack on the final climb was reminiscent of the same move he secretary Sanjay Patel was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India after played well, I putted well, and the short game is good,” Westwood said. South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen (68), the 2012 champion, along with made to win the 2012 world title here in Valkenburg. He had a working committee meeting. The matter will come up for hearing tomor- Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts (70) and Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger (67) shared showed his form in the lead-up to this race by winning row. The BCCI was asked by the court last Wednesday to work out the investigation into the spot-fixing scam after BCCI chief Narainswami a distant second place on 11 under. Wednesday’s and when he kicked for home, no- The win will not only improve Westwood’s ranking but also one could live with him. Srinivasan was forced by the court to step aside last month because of the alleged involvement of his son-in-law in a spot-fixing scam during the 2013 help him improve on his current 20th place in the European He is now second only to five-time winner Jan Raas of the tournament. The Supreme Court said it was not ordering an independent Ryder Cup standings. for Amstel victories and on this kind of form, probe immediately because it respected the autonomy of the cricket body. “I feel like I’ve got a short game back and I’m start- Gilbert could be forgiven for aiming a tilt at a second Srinivasan’s position as BCCI chief became untenable when a three- ing to roll a few putts in,” he added. “It makes a Ardennes treble, having already added Fleche Wallonne member committee headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal found Srinivasan’s helluva difference if you can get up-and- and Liege-Bastogne-Liege wins to his Amstel son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, guilty of being in contact with illegal down if you miss a few greens as it keeps success in 2011.—AFP bookmakers in a report to the Supreme Court.—AP the momentum going.” —AP Donald leaves pack behind

HILTON HEAD ISLAND: Luke Donald with low wedges,” he said. “If you miss put himself in the best position to make greens, you need to be pretty good at up for so many near-misses at the RBC the short game. Certainly a course that Heritage by shooting a 66 on Saturday favors my style of play.” to take a two-stroke lead into the final Huh shot a 68 and was at 6 under. round. Major champions Charl Schwartzel (68) Donald had an eagle and six birdies and Jim Furyk (71), Nicholas Thompson at Harbour Town Golf Links, where he (68) and Ben Martin (71) were tied for has regularly challenged for the title third at 5 under. but never got his hands on the silver- Matt Kuchar, ranked sixth in the ware. world, shot 70 as part of a group of five The Englishman fell in a playoff to golfers another shot back at 4 under. It Brandt Snedeker in 2011, and has four was a long day at soggy Harbour Town, top-3 finishes in five years. At 11-under where 65 golfers had to finish the sec- 205 and with a two-shot lead over John ond round before the third could begin, Huh, he’s poised to finally win. with KJ Choi, Furyk and Ben Martin tied “If I can go out as relaxed and confi- for the lead. dent as I was today tomorrow,” he said. But by midafternoon, the moisture “If I can control the trajectory (of shots) had softened things and competitors as well as I did today, then hopefully I’ll were treated to slick greens easily be sitting here as the winner.” accepting approach shots. Once the world’s top-ranked golfer, Thompson, whose sister Lexi won Donald has changed coaches and the her first LPGA Tour major earlier this transition back to the top has not come month, got things going with five as quickly as planned. The last of his birdies on the front nine to lead at 7 five PGA Tour wins came in 2012, his under. But bogeys at the 16th and 18th best showing this year was a tie for holes dropped him back into the group fourth at the Valspar Championship last at 208. Schwartzel jumped into the month and he did not make the cut at chase with a third-round 68 to move to the Masters after shooting 79-70. 5 under. He has not won on the PGA PITTSBURGH: Columbus Blue Jackets’ Matt Calvert (11) puts the puck over Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) for the game-win- “I was the former world No. 1 and Tour since the 2011 Masters. ning goal in the second overtime period of a first-round NHL playoff hockey game. —AP was there for a long time and obviously Furyk, the 2010 winner at Harbour slipped down,” said Donald, currently Town, made birdie on his second hole 29th. “But I haven’t felt my game had to take the lead at 6 under. He failed to gotten that much worse.” build on that hot start, but held on to Blues, Avalanche lead His round got started with a 25-foot- stay in the hunt. er for eagle on the par-5 second hole. Kuchar followed his fifth-place show- Donald then tied leader Nicholas ing at the Masters last week with a PITTSBURGH: St. Louis and Colorado took 2-0 Backes, who had to be helped off the ice, went Scandella had made it 3-2 with 1:19 remaining. Thompson with a birdie on the 14th strong bogey-free 66 on Thursday to leads in their NHL first-round playoff series with straight to the locker room and did not return Charlie Coyle also scored early for the Wild. before stretching his lead with a final take the lead. wins on Saturday while Columbus won a post- for the extra period. Minnesota’s starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was one by rolling in a 15-foot putt on the Things went the other way quickly season game for the first time in franchise histo- Vladimir Tarasenko forced overtime with his replaced in the second period by Darcy ry as they squared their series against second goal of the series, beating Corey Kuemper, who stopped all 14 shots he faced, par-3 17th. Friday, with Kuchar posting a pair of Pittsburgh. Crawford with a wrist shot that banged off the giving the Wild a selection dilemma for the Donald nearly closed with a flourish double bogeys before the rains came St. Louis notched its second-straight 4-3 over- right post and in with 6.4 seconds to go. Kevin games ahead. when his approach on the closing hole and suspended play. Kuchar struggled time win over Chicago to leave the Blackhawks Shattenkirk had a goal and two assists for the Columbus’ Calvert banged home a rebound nearly landed in the cup on the fly some more with a bogey on the eighth with an uphill task of successfully defending the Blues. Duncan Keith, Seabrook and Michael 1:10 into the second overtime to secure the 4-3 before bouncing to the edge and set- hole once he restarted Saturday. Then Stanley Cup. Rozsival scored in a span of five shots to put the win over Pittsburgh and a squared series. tling for par. he made four birdies on his back nine Colorado teenager Nathan McKinnon was Blackhawks up 3-2 early in the third. But Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury “I feel like I can plot my way around to climb back in it.—AP irrepressible as the Avalanche won 4-2 at home Seabrook’s penalty proved costly, and he could blocked the initial shot by Cam Atkinson but against Minnesota to also take a strong grip on a be suspended for Game 3 in Chicago on Calvert stood all alone at the left post and wrist- passage to the next round. Monday. ed a shot into the open net. Columbus’ Matt Calvert scored the winner in Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog scored twice Jack Johnson had tied the game with 6:01 left double overtime to clinch the historic victory for and Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 shots to help in regulation for the Blue Jackets. Ryan Johansen the Blue Jackets. St. Louis defenseman Barret the Avalanche beat Minnesota 4-2. also scored the first playoff goal of his career for Jackman scored on a drive through traffic to seal The Wild were unable to contain the quick- Columbus. victory over Chicago. The Blues rallied after ness of MacKinnon, who had a goal and three Pittsburgh’s Brian Gibbons scored twice and Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook received a assists. Paul Stastny, the star of Game 1, also had Matt Niskanen added his second goal of the five-minute major and game misconduct penal- a goal and three assists and his empty-netter playoffs but the Penguins were outplayed for ty for a vicious elbow to the head of David sealed the win after Minnesota’s Marco much of the final three-plus periods.—AP Wie triumphs in Hawaii

KAPOLEI: Michelle Wie rallied from four strokes back entering the day to shoot a 5-under 67 on Saturday and win the LPGA LOTTE Championship. The 24-year-old American finished at 14-under 274 after coming into the final round trailing third-round leader Angela Stanford by four shots after Friday’s play. It was Wie’s third career victory on the LPGA Tour, and first since taking the CN Canadian Women’s Open in 2010 snapping a 79-event winless drought. And, Wie did it at home. “I’m just having fun out there,” said Wie, who grew up in Honolulu. “I was out there and nervous. Every time I felt nervous out there, I was looking around, I felt there was no place I’d rather be.” Stanford had her worst round of the tournament, shooting a 1- over 73 that put her at 12-under 276 and two shots behind Wie. Top-ranked Inbee Park finished third with an 11-under 277. “Today, just didn’t make the putts that I’ve been making,” Stanford said. “I wasn’t hitting it great today. Just misclubbed a couple of times. Just didn’t make good decisions.” Wie came to LOTTE and her home state of Hawaii coming off a runner-up finish two weeks ago in the Kraft Nabisco Championship when she closed with a 71 for her best position of the season. “The highlight of this week was to come back home,” Wie said. “There wasn’t just one moment. From the first tee shot that I made to the last putt, the aloha that I felt from everyone was unbeliev- able.” Stanford, the leader after the second and third rounds at breezy Ko Olina, came out strong with a birdie on the par-4 third hole to set herself up at 14-under early in the day. A bogey for Stanford and a birdie for Wie on the par-4 sixth closed the gap to within a stroke. The par-3 eighth brought Stanford, Wie and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim to tie at 12 under. A birdie for Wie on the par-3 12th gave her the outright lead, and she gave a small triumphant fist pump to the crowd. “I really think a lot of times, they willed the ball in,” Wie said of the fans. “I give a lot of credit to them this week.” Another birdie on the par-5 13th put Wie two strokes ahead of two-day leader Stanford and three strokes ahead of Kim. Stanford and Kim were unable to close that gap as Wie won for the first time on American soil. “She’s been playing great,” Stanford said. “She’s having a great year, so it was bound to happen. I just happened to be the one that caught the buzz saw.” Trade winds continued to challenge golfers all day, gusting upward of 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service. “Well, my caddy isn’t one for pep talks, but he gave a good one today,” Wie said. “He said, ‘It’s windy out there today, but play your game,’ and that’s really what I did. I didn’t try to force anything. I had a number in my head that I HILTON HEAD ISLAND: Luke Donald watches a shot from the fairway on the second thought I needed to shoot, and I got it. Kim came in fourth with 1- KAPOLEI: Michelle Wie holds up the 2014 LPGA LOTTE Championship trophy hole during the third round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament. —AP under 71 for 10-under 278 overall.—AP at Ko Olina Golf Club. —AP