NNBABA | Page 5 Bucks rout Toronto Raptors to take 2-0 lead Sunday, May 19, 2019 FOOTBALL Ramadan 14, 1440 AH ‘Special’ farewell GULF TIMES for Robben and Ribery as Bayern win Bundesliga SPORT Page 3 GOLF It’s just the way it goes: Tiger misses halfway cut AFP since an emotional green jacket week began his body requires Bethpage triumph last month at Augusta more recovery time than in his National. youthful prime. But he doesn’t Asked if he had managed to expect too much more for a full s it turns out, magical practice enough for the event, recovery. comeback victories Woods replied, “Definitely “There’s no reason why I require more practice not.” can’t get up to speed again and A and rest time than Ti- “Just don’t feel well and just crank it back up,” he said. “I’ve ger Woods has had since win- not able to do it. But resting got to start feeling a little bit ning the Masters last month for would be better, so I would have better first before that hap- his 15th major title. energy to play,” he said. pens.” The next major oppor- So the 43-year-old US star “It’s a nice problem to have. tunity for Woods will be next was disappointed but realistic I’ve enjoyed being the Mas- month’s US Open at Pebble after missing the cut at the PGA ters champion again and the Beach, where Woods won the Championship just a month af- PGA was a quick turnaround 2000 US Open to launch a run ter ending his 11-year major win and unfortunately I just didn’t of four major wins in a row. He’s drought. play well.” Woods needed nine likely to play the Memorial, “It’s just the way it goes,” holes on Friday to finally reach hosted by Jack Nicklaus, ahead Woods said. “Unfortunately I a fairway, birdies at six and the of the US Open. But first, some made too many mistakes and par-5 13th negated by bogeys on rest to get back to a mental and just didn’t do the little things I the next hole and an emotional physical peak. need to do. 40-foot birdie putt at the ninth “We’ll do that first and then “I had a couple three-putts. I wiped out by three bogeys to start cranking it back up again,” didn’t hit wedges close. I didn’t Tiger Woods of the United States begin the back nine. Woods said. “I just wasn’t mov- hit any fairways today. Did a lot plays a shot from a bunker on “I didn’t do all the little ing the way I needed to. That’s of little things wrong.” the 13th hole during the second things I need to do correctly to the way it goes. Woods fired a three-over par round of the 2019 PGA Cham- post good scores and put my- “There’s going to be days and 73 to finish 36 holes on five-over pionship at the Bethpage Black self in position to shoot good weeks where it’s just not going 145, one stroke over the cut line, course in Farmingdale, New York. scores,” Woods said. to work, and today was one of in his first competitive rounds Woods emphasised when the those days.” SPOTLIGHT NO STOPPING SAMBA The Qatari lived up to expectations with a decisive victory over Rai Benjamin in the pair’s first head-to-head battle Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba on his way to winning the the 400m hurdles in Shanghai yesterday. “I was good until (hurdles) 9 and 10 - I wish I 100m in 11.03 seconds despite fracturing her could have those hurdles back - but it’s fi ne, it’s wrist playing laser tag two weeks ago, hold- the season opener so I can’t really complain too ing off Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare (11.07) and much,” said Benjamin, whose 47.80 run was also double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson the second fastest of his career. (11.14). “I didn’t go out too strong, he just had it at the “I was expecting to perform better,” said Ja- end and I didn’t. I just have to go home and work maican Thompson, after her fi rst 100 since on some things and come back.” midway through last year. Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba with the Qatari Meanwhile, Noah Lyles exploded over the “I will be seeking better performances.” national flag celebrates winning the 400m fi nal third of the race to win a thrilling men’s Olympic and world champion Omar McLeod hurdles at the Shanghai Diamond League 100m in a personal best 9.86 seconds, pipping held off local Xie Wenjun to win the Shanghai meet yesterday. fellow American Christian Coleman in a photo- 110m hurdles for the fourth straight year, cross- fi nish. ing the line in 13.12 seconds before collapsing to Coleman, in his fi rst outing of the year, tore the track in tears. out of the blocks and looked to have the race un- “It was diffi cult for me to compete today,” the Agencies for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, after full advantage of. Three strides later, Samba der control at halfway until Lyle’s storming fi n- Jamaican said. “My auntie Tracey died yester- Shanghai his teammate Abubaker Haydar, who fi nished was in the lead for good, padding his advantage ish caught him with a dip at the line. day ... I just wanted to fi nish, win and get the fourth in the 800m race held in Doha in April. as he cleared hurdle ten before crossing the line World indoor sprint champion Coleman was job done.” Fred Kerley led fellow Americans Already in the spotlight as the key protagonist in 47.27, the second fastest time of his career in awarded the same time, the best of the year so Michael Cherry and Nathan Strother across atar’s Abderrahman Samba, who last in the meeting’s most eagerly anticipated face- just his second race of the season. And he did it far, and the top four all went under 10 seconds the line to win the men’s 400m in 44.81, while year dominated the 400m hurdles, off , Samba lived up to expectations with a deci- on less than a handful of restless hours or sleep with Akani Simbine of South Africa third (9.95) Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser clinched the women’s once again stole the show with an- sive victory over Rai Benjamin in the pair’s fi rst after losing a battle with jetlag. and last year’s winner Reece Prescod of Britain one-lap race in 50.65 ahead of Diamond League other superb performance to highlight head-to-head battle. “To be honest with you, I couldn’t sleep last fourth (9.97). debutant Sydney McLaughlin. Qthe IAAF Diamond League meet in Shanghai Running to the Qatari’s outside in lane fi ve, night,” Samba said. “I fell asleep this morning at “I said to my coach in warm-up ‘today is the Another fast fi nisher was Yomif Kejelcha, yesterday. Benjamin, the third fastest 400m hurdler of all- about 7 and got up at 10:30. But I’m so happy. day’,” said Lyles. who kicked on the fi nal lap to lead an Ethiopian The win, coming after his Asian champion- time, took the early lead, leading Samba, his- It’s my second fastest time so I think the season “I feel hot. I knew if I got out of the blocks and podium sweep in the men’s 5,000m in 13 min- ship gold medal in Doha last month, was ample tory’s second fastest ever, by about half a stride will be great again like last year.” It was his 12th if I was anywhere close, I knew I could come late utes 04.16 seconds – the best of the year so far. warning to his rivals that he will be the fi rm fa- until the pair reached the fi fth hurdle. straight victory. for the win.”If the 100m augured well for the Morocco’s Rababe Arafi also ran a world lead- vourite to the win the IAAF World Champion- Samba briefl y pulled ahead, but Benjamin Only eight other men have ever run faster, season in the sprints, the other most highly an- ing time in the women’s 1,500m in four minutes ships gold in Doha later this year. kept up the pressure through the turn as they Benjamin, who clocked 47.02 last year, among ticipated race of the evening, the men’s 400m 01.15 seconds, and there was a world leading With this result, Samba became the second approached hurdle nine. There, Benjamin lost them. Despite his late-race dip in fortunes, the hurdles, did not disappoint either. distance in the men’s javelin with German An- member of Qatar’s Athletics Team to qualify his rhythm, giving Samba an opening he took 21-year-old was pleased. American Aleia Hobbs won the women’s dreas Hofmann’s 87.55 metres. Gulf Times 2 Sunday, May 19, 2019 GOLF ON A ROLL FOCUS Spieth shuts down grand slam talk at Koepka shades Bethpage Black Reuters in contention on Sunday), at that Bethpage, New York point it will just be more of trying to win a golf tournament. “It won’t matter what tourna- ever mind completing ment it is.