SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2015 SPORTS

Lin in charge in Vietnam AFC bans 5 Nepalis, Greinke set to HANOI: Lin Wen-tang took a two-shot lead from a chasing pack headed by Sergio one Tajik for life join Diamondbacks Garcia after the third round at Vietnam’s Ho Tram Open, recovering from a horrible start to finish 13-under for the tournament. The Taiwanese 41-year-old dropped a KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation has LOS ANGELES: The Arizona Diamondbacks have landed one of the most shot on the second then stumbled to a double bogey on the fourth hole, but he imposed lifetime bans for match-fixing on four players and an coveted free agents on the market by agreeing to a contract with star pitch- steadied his game to grab six birdies and finish the round in 68. It puts him two official in Nepal and a Tajik referee. “These cases show that the er Zack Greinke, US media reported Friday. The block- shots ahead of Spain’s Garcia, the top ranked player in the $1.5 million event, and AFC’s strategy against match-fixing is delivering concrete buster deal is reported to be for six years and worth Shaun Norris of South Africa, who will pair up with Lin results,” the regional body said in a statement late Friday, adding $206.5 million, according to ESPN.com and others. If the deal becomes official it would be a considerable on the final day. World number 12 Garcia started out that it has “a zero tolerance to match-manipulation”. Nepali offi- early to finish his weather delayed second round in raise for Greinke, who had opted out of a six-year, 68. He endured a wobbly start to the third round cial Anjan K.C. and the four players-Bikash Singh Chhetri, Sandip $147 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers with a double bogey on the par five sixth, but Rai, Ritesh Thapa and Sagar Thapa-were found guilty of offences after his third season in the City of Angels. got himself back into contention with some relating to various friendly internationals during the period Greinke’s contract would average $34.4 million per clean putting, notching up five birdies. Only 2008-2012. Tajik referee Murtazoev Parviz was found guilty of year, surpassing the seven-year, $217 million deal a bogey on the 18th kept the gap to Lin at conspiring to influence the result of an October 6, 2015 match ($31 million average per year) that David Price two shots as he finished on 68 for the between the Maldives and Tajikistan in the AFC U-19 signed this week with the Boston Red Sox. The round and 11-under overall. “The one on 18 wasn’t a good Championship. Parviz, who was the game’s appointed referee 32-year-old Greinke led Major League drive,” he said according to an statement. liaison officer, attempted to corrupt the match referee who Baseball with a 1.66 ERA this past season as “Overall I felt I played quite well other than those two he posted a 19-3 record, and, along with reported the offence. All six had been provisionally banned by holes. I still have a chance.” Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant left-hander Clayton Kershaw, helped the and of India are also well within striking dis- the regional governing body’s disciplinary committee in Dodgers to their third straight National tance on 10-under for the tournament. October. — AFP League West championship. —AFP Liang downs Fu in q-final thriller

LONDON: China’s Liang Wenbo held his missed the same, an easy pink, and he cleared nerve to reach the quarter-finals of the UK up. All the match he gave me a lot of pres- Championship with a thrilling 6-5 win over sure.” Asked if he can go on and win the tour- Hong Kong’s Marco Fu on Friday. Liang made nament, Liang said: “Of course. Everybody a blistering start with three successive centu- has got a chance, you need to be ready. I have ry breaks in the first three frames. confidence in myself, I don’t want to talk The 28-year-old’s second 100 score was (about it) to you!” secured even though he was distracted by a Meanwhile, Australia’s Neil Robertson saw butterfly fluttering around the table at York’s off John Higgins 6-5 to stay on course for a Barbican Centre. blockbuster semi-final against Mark Selby. Liang, the world number 29, reached 49 in Robertson squandered a 4-1 lead, but the the fourth frame before finally allowing Fu a 33-year-old former world champion recov- chance which he took with 64. They shared ered to secure a win he described as “an emo- the first two frames after the interval but tional roller coaster”. Higgins opened up with Liang made 67 to move within one frame of the 600th century of his career, 119, but victory and was on a run of 45 in the next Robertson responded in style. before he wobbled the pink. “The way I started the match was World number 14 Fu punished him with a absolutely brilliant, to go 4-1 up, but John 79 and took the next with a 45 after Liang being the champion he is shut me out the missed another opportunity. A 49 helped Fu next couple of frames,” Robertson said. level but Liang clawed himself over the line, “It was one of those deciders, I went into as he had against Tom Ford 24 hours earlier. the pack but didn’t land on a ball very well, I “I started unbelievably,” Liang said. “Three missed a couple, he missed a couple, he centuries, first three frames, I don’t know knocked in a brilliant long red and lucky for how! “Fourth frame, I missed an easy pink and me he’s missed a semi-tricky green in the my friend Marco cleared up. At 5-2 up I middle.—AFP Varner shares Australian PGA lead with S African pair

GOLD COAST: American Harold Varner III enough to put him in front. “Nobody and South African duo Dylan Frittelli and expects to move backwards and stay in the Zander Lombard jostled in a three-way tie lead, but the course is really playing hard,” for the third round lead in the European he said. Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA Varner has earned a spot on the PGA Championship yesterday. Tour for the new season, becoming the first Varner produced the day’s best round, a African-American player to do so from the bogey-free six-under-par 66, to rocket into Web.com Tour platform. Motivated to tournament contention at Royal Pines. But come to Australia to help round off his to have any chance of securing his first game, Varner had his share of luck-he hit tournament win as a professional, the 25- the spectators’ stand with his approach on year-old from Akron, Ohio, will need to see the final hole, but managed to recover for World soccer legends to play off around five others still in with a winning par. chance. Along with fourth-placed Australian At the top of that list are Frittelli and Nathan Holman, who is two shots adrift, with Kuwait’s all-star team Lombard, two rising stars of South African they are the only players left below par, tes- golf, who both shot third rounds of one- tament to the difficult windy conditions under 71. “We’re very good friends but we and the uncompromising nature of the KUWAIT: Eleven world soccer legends con- Spain, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluca Zambrotta clude tomorrow (Monday), which started with haven’t had an opportunity to play togeth- Royal Pines course. Overnight leader David firmed their presence at the opening of Jaber from Italy, Ronaldinlo de Assis Moreira from 39 players. Fans will chose two goalkeepers, four er a lot,” said Lombard, whose third-round Lingmerth had a day to forget. stadium Dec 18, as Italian defender Alessandro Brazil, Luis Figo from Portugal, Paul Scholes from defenders, four midfielders and two strikers, highlight was a chip in for a birdie on the The Swede started his third round with a Netsa, Ukrania’s attacker Andre Shevchenko and England and Robert Pires from France. besides a number of reserves. tough par-three 16th. one-shot buffer, but double-bogeyed par Portugal’s Deco joined the group. The list of 16 players will be completed today Owner and President of Nottingham Forest Lombard, 20, led the field after the fours 10 and 13 to slip back to even par for Nesta, Shevchenko and Deco joined eight by announcing the five remaining names, team asked sports fans to attend the opening opening round on five-under and said he the tournament and three shots off the others who confirmed their participation earlier, besides Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti. activity of Jaber Stadium on Dec 18, on his twit- was surprised his current score was good pace. —AFP they are Carles Puyol, Michel Salgado from Voting on choosing Kuwaiti stars will con- ter account. Spieth in three-way for the lead in Bahamas

NASSAU: Jordan Spieth feels like he’s on Hero World Challenge. “The grind is still lead. ed by Tiger Woods, had a 66. “Driving the golf ball today, I haven’t had vacation in the Bahamas. On the golf course, there,” Spieth said. For one brief moment on the back nine, They were at 11-under 133. Patrick Reed that much fun in a long time, to be honest,” he’s all business. He had to work hard just to keep pace on there was a seven-way tie for the lead. (65), Chris Kirk (65) and Bubba Watson (67) Walker said. Spieth rallied from a rugged start Friday a calm, muggy afternoon is the islands, Walker, who began working on a new were one shot behind. with three straight birdies, and then a surge where the wind wasn’t strong enough to move in his swing just over a week ago, drove Spieth is wrapping up a big year, and he Satisfied on the back nine carried him to a 6-under 66 blow out a match and it showed in the scor- the ball as well as he has all year on his way seems intent on going out in style. He trav- No one has been playing more than Reed, and a share of the lead with Jimmy Walker ing. Rarely has this holiday event with an 18- to a 67. Haas, who received one of the two eled from Sydney to the Bahamas (with a or more places. And he’s been playing well. and Bill Haas going into the weekend at the man field featured so many players near the sponsor exemptions to the tournament host- brief stop at home in Dallas to do laundry) He has recorded top 10 finishes in five tour- and began his push up the leaderboard with naments since the Tour Championship in an eagle on the par-5 11th hole from about Hong Kong, Malaysia, twice in Shanghai and 30 feet. He followed with two more birdies to Dubai. He’s happy with his performance, get a share of the lead. though far from satisfied. “I know to get to all my goals I need to get Good scores Ws,” he said. “Top 10s, top 5s aren’t going to “It’s still all about rest,” Spieth said. cut it where I need to get to. Those are good “Coming off how much golf we’ve been play- fill-in weeks, but we need to get in con- ing, I’m still going to be about making sure tention a little more. We need to close some I’m resting. ... But on the golf course, I’m still tournaments off.” Not everyone took advan- getting as intense and upset and highs and tage. Billy Horschel had eight birdies and no lows that I experience at a normal PGA Tour bogeys on his card, which ordinary would event.” Spieth also was at 11-under 133 a year please him greatly - except that he took a ago in the Hero World Challenge at Isleworth double bogey on the par-3 second hole, and in Florida. That was good for a two-shot lead, a quadruple-bogey 9 on the par-5 11th hole and a 63-66 weekend allowed him to win by without hitting into the water. He had a 10 shots. This is far different. Half of the field plugged lie under the lip of a bunker that he was separated by only three shots. shanked into a bush, and his troubles ended “The scores are just really good, which with what he called a “good putt for a 9.”“This makes for an exciting weekend, and I’m just round today is very much how my year went,” happy to hold my own weight for two days,” Horschel said with a grin. Haas said. “I think if I shoot 11 under on the of India, who also received weekend, then I’ll have a really good shot. a sponsor exemption, was a little more exas- Simple as that sounds, that’s the way you’ve perated. Lahiri felt as though he hit the ball got to keep it. If I play well, I think I’ll have a well enough to be double digits under par. chance. But if I don’t, there are so many play- Instead, a double bogey on the 18th hole ers that are playing well, the best players in gave him a 70 and he was six shots behind. It the world, I’ll fall back pretty quickly if I felt worse. “If my mom had putted, she would don’t.” have shot 65,” Lahiri said. Walker went to see Butch Harmon at the Justin Rose couldn’t get home fast enough start of last week in Las Vegas to start work- after his round of 72, which didn’t take long ing on a move where his head moves at because Albany is now his primary residence. impact, which keeps him from having to rely That made it even more frustrating. “You’d NASSAU: Jordan Spieth of the United States hits his tee shot on the fourth hole during the third round of the Hero World Challenge at so much on timing. It’s coming together nice- think I had never seen these greens before,” Albany, The Bahamas yesterday. — AFP ly - and quickly. Rose said. —AP