WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2015 SPORTS Players thrilling win thrusts Fowler into conversation LOS ANGELES: Rickie Fowler’s stunning vic- reporters. tory at the $10 million Players Championship “I was always looked at as only having one was unquestionably the perfect riposte to win on tour, and I always felt that I needed to any criticism of his perceived inability to close put myself in position to win more often, and out tournament wins. Much more significant- I did that last year,” said Fowler, who claimed ly, through, his thrilling playoff win after four his maiden PGA Tour win at the 2012 Wells extra holes at the TPC Sawgrass thrust his Fargo Championship. name back into the conversation about the “I wasn’t able to end up as the last guy players most likely to dominate the game at standing then but it feels good to be back in the highest level over the next decade. that position, and I’m hoping to be back in Fowler has been bracketed with Rory the same position more often.” McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day as golf’s most exciting ‘young guns’ but doubts had HARD WORK surfaced after he started this year with a soli- Last year, Fowler became only the third tary career win on the PGA Tour despite sev- player after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to eral close calls along the way. finish in the top five at all four majors in the An anonymous player poll conducted by same season, the result of hard work and Sports Illustrated revealed last week that the improved ball-striking in association with his young American and England’s Ian Poulter swing coach Butch Harmon. were the two most overrated golfers on the “This ‘overrated’ thing that came out ... it U.S. circuit. motivated him,” Harmon told Golf Channel. Regardless of the survey’s merits, Fowler “You’ve got to hand it to him. He just keeps used the results as strong motivation as he fighting. That’s what I love about this kid. He’s stormed to the top of the Players got no quit in him.” Championship leaderboard with an eagle- Fowler climbed to ninth in the world rank- birdie-birdie finish in regulation before seal- ings following his victory at the TPC Sawgrass, ing victory in the playoff. and Harmon expects his pupil to now work “Given the fact that ... Rickie Fowler, by even harder at his game as he strives for some of his peers, anonymously was called greater consistency in golf’s big events and out as being overrated, I cannot remember a many more tournament wins. more ‘in-your face’ victory in any other “You’ve got to put in more time and endeavour, in any other sport,” said Golf you’ve got to work harder at it because every- Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee. body that’s trying to beat you is working that After earning the winner’s cheque for $1.8 hard,” Harmon said of Fowler who tied for sec- million at the unofficial “fifth major” by ond last year at both the US Open and British adding a second PGA Tour title to his career Open. “He’s dedicated. The fact that he’d only resume, Fowler readily admitted that the won one time (before last week) really both- player poll had given him timely motivation. ered him because he knows how good he is. “I laughed at the poll, but if there was any The rest of the world knows how good he is question, I think this right here answers any- now, and now we have to keep validating thing you need to know,” the 26-year-old told that and keep winning.”—Reuters FOXBOROUGH: In this Jan. 18, 2015, file photo, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady looks to pass during the first half of the NFL foot- ball AFC Championship game. The NFL suspended Brady for the first four games for his role in a scheme to deflate footballs usedn i the AFC title game. —AP NFL suspends Brady, hits Patriots for ‘Deflategate’ NEW YORK: The National Football League came “Today’s punishment, however, far exceeded out of the University of Michigan as an unherald- down hard on the New England Patriots on any reasonable expectation. It was based com- ed sixth-round draft choice. He has won four Monday for their role in Deflategate, suspending pletely on circumstantial rather than hard or Super Bowls in six tries with the Patriots, and star quarterback Tom Brady for the first four conclusive evidence.” was chosen the most valuable player in three of games of next season and fining the franchise Brady has a guaranteed base salary of $8 mil- the victories. He has denied playing any role in $1 million. lion for the 16-game 2015 NFL season. If the deflating the footballs. The NFL also said the Patriots will forfeit their four-game suspension with no pay is upheld, first-round selection in the 2016 draft and a Brady will miss games against Pittsburgh, QUICK REACTION fourth-round pick in 2017 for using under-inflat- Buffalo, Jacksonville and Dallas. Ironically, his Reaction to the sanctions was quick-and ed footballs in last season’s AFC Championship first game back on Oct. 18 would be against the mixed. “They had no definitive proof against game. Colts. Tom Brady or #patriots,” tweeted real estate Brady’s agent and Patriots owner Robert Kraft mogul Donald Trump. “If Hillary doesn’t have to both sharply criticized the punishment, prolong- INTEGRITY produce Emails, why should Tom? Very unfair!” ing a turbulent season for the most-profitable Vincent, the NFL’s vice president of football Arizona Cardinals linebacker Sean U.S. sports league, which has already had to deal operations who handed down the sanctions, Weatherspoon tweeted: “I think the suspension with scandals involving domestic violence and said he was influenced by the Patriots’ 2007 is warranted, they came down hard on the child abuse. Spygate scandal and the lack of cooperation by organization though. #Deflategate” “The discipline is ridiculous and has no legiti- Brady and the Patriots. “We relied on the critical Brady, 37, who is married to Brazilian fashion mate basis,” said Brady’s agent Don Yee, adding importance of protecting the integrity of the model Gisele B¸ndchen, refused to turn over his that the quarterback will appeal the suspension. game and the thoroughness and independence cell phone and other personal information for FLORIDA: Rickie Fowler makes his winning putt on the 17 green in this file photo. —AP Ted Wells, an attorney hired by the NFL to of the Wells report,” Goodell said in a statement. the investigation, Wells said in the report. investigate the allegations, said in a 243-page While the fine is large by NFL standards, it “I think it’s absolutely right and proper if he’s report that it was “more probable than not” that won’t dent the bottom line of a team that was been complicit in some kind of wrongdoing,” Patriots personnel “were involved in a deliberate valued by Forbes at $2.6 billion in 2014. said Jamie Johnson, 34, a graduate student from Canada sweep Austria effort” to circumvent rules by using deflated “The $1 million is in many respects a slap on London at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of footballs in the team’s 45-7 win over the the wrist, that’s lunch money during the football Government outside Boston. “It doesn’t matter to keep perfect record Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship season,” said Daniel Durbin, director of the who he is, what kind of player he is, or what he’s game. Institute of Sports, Media and Society at the accomplished.” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, An underinflated football would likely give University of Southern California Annenberg who was not implicated in the deflated football PRAGUE: Canada kept a perfect record at the play goals. Patrick Thoresen scored for Brady a better grip and allow him to throw School for Communication and Journalism. scandal, was fined $500,000 in 2007 for illegally ice hockey world championships as they Norway on 33 minutes and Mattias Norstebo longer and with more accuracy, especially in the “The larger issue is taking away their quarter- videotaping defensive signals from New York swept Austria in the last group game yester- took Norway within a goal in the 46th minute, chilly and wet conditions the Colts and Patriots back for four games, that has some impact on Jets coaches in what was dubbed “Spygate.” The day to face Belarus in tomorrow’s quarter- but Belarus held on to the points they need- played in to determine who would go to the revenue because one of their star players is Patriots were also fined $250,000 and forfeited a finals in Prague. ed. “They’re a dangerous team... they have Super Bowl. gone.” Although there was no smoking gun, the first-round draft pick. Dallas forward Jason Spezza and Colorado lots of skill and some good offensive players,” The $1 million fine ties the largest ever for a Wells report, which took nearly four months to The “Deflategate” issue has been another forward Matt Duchene had two goals and said Spezza. team in the NFL, equaling the amount the complete, found Brady and two members of the headache for Goodell, who came under fire last two assists each as Canada humiliated Austria Group B leaders the USA were on track to league ordered San Francisco 49ers owner Patriots’ equipment staff were all likely culpable.