TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14 , 2017 SPORTS Lydia Ko happy with coach, caddie, club changes ADELAIDE: Lydia Ko says it was just a long-time caddie Jason Hamilton with terday“it was a coincidence that it all always a position for you to get better.” more distance off the tee. coincidence that saw her change her another South African, Gary Matthews. happened at the same time.” “I obviously Ko said she was excited about the “With Gary my caddie, this will be coach, caddie and clubs all at the same The LPGA’s top-ranked player, Ko has wasn’t planning to say ‘hey I want to upcoming season. “A lot of things have my third week working with him,” she time last year. Ko will start the new also changed her clubs. change everything up’,” Ko said. “I felt changed but it’s a really exciting time,” said. “We’re still in the process of get- season at the Australian Open in The changes followed the first minor like I needed some change. she said. “I’m confident in the team that I ting to know each other and I think the Adelaide on Thursday surrounded by a slump in Ko’s career. The 19-year-old “Even though I might be the No.1 have changed, equipment-wise too. relationship will hopefully get better as very different team from the one she New Zealander won 14 LPGA titles ranked player in the world, I still feel like “I think it’s more the excitement fac- we go on. “But coach-wise I just wanted ended 2016. between 2012 and 2016 but hasn’t won there’s a lot of aspects of my game that I tor rather than worrying about ‘hey, is to simplify things. I got compliments She had since parted ways with a tournament since July last year, a can improve on. And I think no matter this going to work out or not’.” Ko said from other players with the new swing coach David Leadbetter, hiring South stretch of nine LPGA tournaments. what ranking you are, you have got to she is still using the same ball but felt so I think we’re going down the right African Gary Gilchrist and replaced her But Ko told reporters in Adelaide yes- have that mindset because there is her new clubs have given her a little direction.” —AP Kuwait shooting tourney begins on Thursday By Abdellatif Sharaa KUWAIT: The shooting tournament of the Public Authority for Sports, organized by Kuwait Shooting Sport Club will start Thursday and will continue for three days in the skeet, trap and double trap events. Shooters from the club, National Guard and Saad Al-Abdallah Olympic Shooting Academy will participate. Secretary General of Kuwait and Arab Shooting Federations lauded the interest of PAS, let by Director General Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in the shoot- ing sport, and affording all the support the club needs to guarantee success, and encourage shooters to continue their achievements locally, regionally and inter- nationally. Al-Osaimi said the KSSC board of direc- tors works hard to create the necessary environment for good competition in order to reach the outstanding technical levels. The closing ceremony will be held Sunday 19/2 at Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Obeid Al-Osaimi Olympic Shooting Complex at 7 pm. GOLF ST MOITZ: Gold medalist Luca Aerni of Switzerland arrives on the podium during the flower ceremony after the men’s combined competition at Jordan Spieth breezes to the 2017 Alpine Skiing World Championships in St Moritz, Switzerland, yesterday. —AP big win at Pebble Beach ALPINE SKIING PEBBLE BEACH: Jordan Spieth soaked up are the hardest rounds of golf, when you every step of scenery on the 18th hole at have the lead that he had. It was fun to Pebble Beach, one of the prettiest places in watch him do his thing out there.” Aerni edges Hirscher golf and even more spectacular on a Kraft, who closed with a 67, settled for a Sunday when the only work left is to hoist couple of consolation prizes. The $777,600 the crystal trophy. for second place was nearly double his All that was missing from the AT&T earnings from his rookie season last year. for combined gold Pebble Beach Pro-Am were the highlights. He also earned a spot at Riviera next week That’s just how Spieth wanted it. Staked to in the Genesis Open. a six-shot lead, Spieth never gave anyone US Open champion Dustin Johnson ST MORITZ: Unheralded Swiss racer Luca Aerni (1936), David Zogg (1934) and Otto Furrer 2011 — finished sixth in the downhill but failed much of a chance by putting for birdie closed with a 68 to finish alone in third, produced a remarkable slalom run to edge (1932). Flu-hit super-G silver medallist Kjetil to start the slalom. Jansrud’s teammate on all but one hole. The lone highlight enough to have a chance to reach No. 1 defending champion Marcel Hirscher for an Jansrud, flying the flag for Norway in the Aleksander Aamodt Kilde finished joint fourth was his 30-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole next week if he were to win. Spieth’s only improbable gold in the men’s alpine combined absence through injury of Aksel Lund Svindal-a with Italian Dominik Paris, 0.34sec off a podium with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop, and other birdie was on the par-5 second when at the World Ski Championships yesterday. two-time world combined winner in 2009 and place. — AFP by then it was already over. he two-putted from 12 feet. One day after Aerni, 23, had scraped into the slalom after “Played a lot of boring golf today,” he took only 23 putts on the bumpy greens finishing 30th in the opening downhill-six-hun- Spieth said, “which was exactly what we of Pebble Beach, he didn’t make hard any- dredths of a second slower, equating to 1.68 RUGBY needed.” He closed with a 2-under 70 for a thing, and didn’t look to be trying to make metres, and he would have missed the cut alto- four-shot victory over former US Amateur them from above the hole to avoid putting gether. But his barnstorming slalom down a rap- champion Kelly Kraft, a close friend from himself in a position to drop shots. idly deteriorating course under a fierce sun saw France edges Scotland in Dallas who couldn’t get a putt to fall that No one could put any pressure on him him clock a combined time of 2min 26.33sec, might have put a little pressure on Spieth. over the opening seven holes, which is making up a deficit of 2.61sec on the downhill. hard-fought 6 Nations match As easy and clinical as Spieth made it where rallies begin at Pebble Beach. If there Aerni finished just 0.01sec ahead of Austrian look, it was no less special. “This is a bucket- was a key shot for Spieth, it came on the Hirscher, who was 28th after the downhill. The SAINT-DENIS: France needed two late penal- Scotland is fifth, and Italy is last. England list place to win - here, Augusta National, eighth hole. He tugged his tee shot into the medal hunt of the host nation, dealt an initial ties from flyhalf Camille Lopez to beat leads after its two opening victories. St. Andrews, there’s only a few in the world. wet rough to the left, facing a 210-yard blow when women’s standard bearer Lara Gut Scotland 22-16 in a hard-fought Six Nations It feels really special. It was amazing walk- shot over the ocean and into the breeze to was ruled out with injury, continued as Mauro match on Sunday, after the Scots had clawed PRESSURE ing up the 18th green knowing that we one of the toughest greens at Pebble. It Caviezel took bronze, a further five-hundredths back to draw level heading into the last 10 “It was a bit of a stop-start affair at times, were going to win. It’s just such a unique came out perfectly, 20 feet from the cup for adrift. “I was really nervous in the last 45 minutes minutes. Scotland won its opening game last we couldn’t get rhythm into our attack,” position. I tried to soak in.” another routine par. waiting for everyone to finish,” said Aerni, who weekend against Ireland but still has not won Cotter said. “Credit to the French, they came It was his first 54-hole lead on the PGA “I was very, very excited once that ball was only named to the combined team late in France since 1999. at us and created pressure. The rucks were Tour since the Masters, where he lost a five- landed on the green,” Spieth said. “That was Sunday, beating out Niels Hintermann, winner of Lopez held his nerve to give France a fiercely contested.” shot lead on the back nine. On this day, really avoiding a big number there. That last month’s Wengen combined. “I could only much-needed win after last weekend’s close Lopez slotted a penalty from nearly 40 Spieth thought back to the 2000 US Open could have been a double or triple very, watch and hope as the others came down. I defeat against England, where the French meters out for an early French lead. at Pebble Beach and the way Tiger Woods very easily, if that doesn’t come out the knew my slalom run was good, but with the were beaten by a late try in a 19-16 loss.