WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 SPORTS Bitter memories for Johnson Tribute to Six Nations showdown MIAMI: Dustin Johnson holds bitter memories of Whistling Straits and has CARDIFF: Wales will field an unchanged starting lineup for the Six Nations showdown with promised to avoid a repeat of his blunder five years ago when he returns to golfer Nagel Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday. Coach Warren Gatland was pleased with his side’s 20-13 win the shores of Lake Michigan for the US PGA Championship in August. over France in Paris which kept alive their hopes of winning the tournament and had no The 30-year-old American won the elite WGC-Cadillac Championship at LONDON: Organisers will stage a special Champions problem giving the same 15 men a vote of confidence. Flanker Sam Warburton, who went Doral on Sunday, his first victory since taking a six-month break from golf to Challenge on the eve of this year’s British Open at St off after taking a blow to his knee during the French clash, has regained his fitness and will seek help for “personal challenges”, to climb to seventh in the world rankings. be able to break Ryan Jones’ record when he captains Wales for the 34th time at the Johnson’s triumph has given him the belief he can go on to secure a break- Andrews as a tribute to late Australian golfer Kel Nagle. through first major title, after unluckily losing out to eventual winner Martin Nagle, who won the Centenary Open at the home of Golf Millennium Stadium. The only two changes to the Paris lineup are due to injuries and come Kaymer of Germany at the 2010 U.S. PGA Championship. “I played well five in 1960, was the sport’s oldest surviving major champion on the bench. Uncapped Scarlets prop Rob Evans replaces Bath loosehead Paul James, who years ago at Whistling Straits but I won’t be grounding my club anywhere I until he died in January at the age of 94. suffered a fractured thumb during the France game, while lock Jake Ball takes over from shouldn’t be grounding it,” he told reporters in Miami. World number one Rory McIlroy is to join golden oldies Bradley Davies. The Wisconsin venue has more than 1,000 bunkers, several of which would Peter Thomson, Tom Watson, Gary Player, Bob Charles, Nick A win for Wales would see them stay in the Six Nations title shake- normally be deemed ‘waste areas’ where a player can ground his Faldo and Tony Jacklin in the four-hole challenge that will be up, while Ireland are chasing a a record 11th successive Test win club, but a local championship rule states that all sand areas held at the Old Course on July 15. More recent champions against all opponents, and they have only lost twice in Cardiff since should be played as hazards. like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Darren Clarke and 1983. Gatland has seen his side rebound strongly from an opening day Johnson was leading by one shot at the US PGA when he Padraig Harrington have also confirmed their participation. loss to England in Cardiff with wins away to both Scotland and France, was handed a two-stroke penalty for grounding his club in “We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration of and he is confident of more success in the remaining games against the Irish and away to Italy. a waste area at the 72nd hole. “Standing there over my the rich heritage of The Open at the Champion Golfers’ second shot at 18 on that Sunday I didn’t think I was “We return to the Millennium Stadium after two tough away trips standing in a sand trap,” he said. “There was just so much Challenge,” Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson with two victories, and we will be looking to build on that,” he said. spectator rubbish in that bunker like candy wrappers, a said in a news release yesterday. “It will be a fitting occasion “We saw an improvement against Scotland, and then saw another Gatorade bottle, beer cans and all kinds of stuff to recognise the wonderful career of Kel Nagle, one of the step up against France, and we know we will need to do the same including plenty of foot prints. —Reuters sport’s great gentlemen.” — Reuters against Ireland on Saturday. —AFP Another Wimbledon title is Federer’s goal NEW YORK: Roger Federer is proud of all Feb. 28. Federer said Nadal could charge his grand slam singles titles, but if the Swiss past him, but felt Djokovic was a longshot. master could add just one more to his “Who knows? Rafa has the best shot if he record men’s haul of 17 it would be at wins the French Open a few more times Wimbledon. and if I don’t win anymore he can catch me “It would be my favorite choice if I had a quickly. “I guess Novak is still a long shot choice right now,” Federer, 33, told but it really depends on how dominant his reporters on the eve of Tuesday’s BNB next years are going to be,” said Federer, Parabas Showdown exhibition at Madison whose wife and two sets of twins travel Square Garden against 23-year-old Grigor with him around the globe. Dimitrov. “I’d love to win Wimbledon. I think “They have to be very dominant it’s possible, and I think if I win Wimbledon because Rafa and me, we both are still play- it’s more cool for me personally, and my ing. It’s not like we’re both retired or any- team and Swiss people and my fans.” thing. “I’m more focused on me than on Another singles title at the All England them. I hope to make it more difficult on Club would give Federer a record eighth them but at the end of the day records are Wimbledon crown, breaking his tie with there to be broken.” Pete Sampras and W.C. Renshaw of the late Federer, whose last grand slam triumph 19th century. came at the 2012 Wimbledon, made it clear It would also make him the oldest that setting the all-time record meant a Wimbledon men’s winner, eclipsing Arthur great deal to him. Ashe, who was 31 when he won in 1975. “I was very happy to get the grand slam Federer said he is not consumed by a quest record at Wimbledon in 2009,” he said to add breathing room to his record total about surpassing Sampras’s total of 14. “It with Rafa Nadal sitting on 14, six ahead of was a dream come true and it was a huge world number one Novak Djokovic, who motivation to get to that after Pete had set lost to the Swiss in the final at Dubai on that record.” — Reuters TORONTO: New York Islanders’ John Tavares (left) celebrates with teammate Tyler Kennedy after scoring the winning goal during the overtime period of an NHL hockey game. — AP Islanders drop Leafs TORONTO: John Tavares scored 4:38 into and Nashville’s Mike Fisher set the stage for against the Sharks. The Sharks killed a penalty overtime, capping the New York Islanders’ the game’s first goal. Paul Gaustad got a shot in overtime and survived Derrick Pouliot hit- two-goal comeback in a 4-3 victory over the through traffic and past Coyotes goalie Louis ting the post in the closing seconds before Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. Domingue at 16:34 of the second period. winning it in the shootout. Tavares, an Ontario native, went around Kyle Chipchura redirected a shot from John several defenders to score the winning goal Moore at 7:27 of the third period to tie it 1-1. CANUCKS 2, DUCKS 1 during a delayed Toronto penalty. With his Domingue started for the Coyotes over Mike Zack Kassian’s third-period goal lifted 33rd goal and 39th assist, the Islanders cap- Smith, three days after his 23rd birthday and Vancouver over Anaheim. Bo Horvat had the tain stretched his lead in the NHL scoring race made his home debut. He stopped 35 shots. other goal for Vancouver, and Eddie Lack to three points. stopped 29 shots as the Canucks beat the Tavares has four overtime goals this sea- SHARKS 2, PENGUINS 1 Ducks in regulation for the first time in more son. Tyler Kennedy - in his Islanders debut - Antti Niemi made 39 saves and stopped than two years. Frans Nielson and Casey Cizikas all scored in seven of eight shootout attempts to lead San Emerson Etem had the lone goal for the the third period for the Islanders, who have a Jose to its 10th straight home win against Ducks, who have dropped two straight after three-point lead over the New York Rangers Pittsburgh. winning four in a row. Frederik Andersen Who will be the next Red atop the Metropolitan Division. Tommy Wingels beat Marc-Andre Fleury made 14 saves. Michal Neuvirth made 22 saves for the with a backhand in the eighth round of the Kassian ended a 1-1 tie with 3:59 left after Bull Kart Fight champion Islanders, who will host the Rangers on shootout, and Niemi made it stand up by Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis took the Tuesday night. New York trailed 2-0 and 3-1 in stopping Steve Downie. Matt Nieto scored the puck down the left side and fed the big for- KUWAIT: Kuwait kart drivers aged 16 and This year the winner of the Kuwait Final the third period.