11/08/2025

SPORTS MONDAY | AUG 11, 2025

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Burmester on top at LIV Chicago SOUTH AFRICA’S Dean Burmester surged to a two-shot lead at LIV Golf Chicago after firing a 6 under 65 in the second round at Bolingbrook Golf Club.

SHORTS Cink takes off at Boeing Classic

under 67 as he chases not only the tournament title but also the season-long individual points crown. Bryson DeChambeau (-6), Carlos Ortiz (-5) and Paul Casey (-5) round out the top five of the leaderboard heading into the final round. Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, who were tied for the lead after first round, both shot 2 over 73 yesterday to drop into a tie for 12th. In the team competition, Stinger GC, Crushers GC, and Fireballs GC are locked in a three-way tie at 10-under with one round to play. – Field Level Media

narrow cushion over Jon Rahm and rookie Jose Luis Ballester, both at 7-under after strong second rounds. “For me to kind of have a chance coming this late in the season is kind of what I need and what I wanted,” Burmester said after his round. “Just to have a chance to win on a Sunday is special, and to do it against one of the best players in the world in Jon and a new exciting kid in Ballester is going to be special. It’ll be fun. Going to have to brush up on my Spanish, but it’ll be a good day.” Rahm, captain of Legion XIII, carded a 4

STEWART CINK shot a bogey-free 8 under 64 yesterday to take a three shot lead going into the final round of the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Washington. Cink moved up 10 spots from the first round with eight birdies at Nos. 6, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18 to get to 12-under for the tournament at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge. “If you stopped me after about No. 5 and said, ‘Hey, what are the chances you’re going to shoot 64 today?’ I would have probably said you were crazy because nothing was happening at all,” Cink, 52, said after the round. “I made a really good par save on the third hole, which is a tough par 4. I made a sloppy par on the first hole, which is an easy par 5. …Nothing was happening. “But then, amazing how your momentum can flip with just one, really one putt, and a good putt on 6 from about 15 feet went in the centre. It was kind of just the lid was off.” Steven Alker of New Zealand and Paul Goydos are tied for second at 9 under 135. Alker shot 4-under 68 yesterday, while Goydos carded 69. Gypsy King rejects AJ mega fight TYSON FURY has declared he will “never” fight again, just weeks after it was claimed that he was preparing to make another comeback to boxing. The “Gypsy King” announced his retirement in January following a second loss to Oleksandr Usyk. This marks the fourth time Fury has hung up his gloves and last month, Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh confirmed that the 36-year old was planning to come out of retirement once more. Turki stated: “The ‘Gypsy King’ will be back! ! ! I talked with him, and I have his word to have him in Riyadh Season in 2026. We have a rabbit to hunt!” Fury then suggested there were plans for a trilogy bout against Usyk at Wembley Stadium on April 18 2026. However, during an appearance at Doncaster Racecourse, Fury seemed to change his tune regarding his return. It had been thought Fury would face Usyk and then finally trade leather with Anthony Joshua later in 2026. Questioned by Sky Sports about when he plans to step back into the ring, Fury said: “Never. Really! Too old, look at my beard, all grey. Boxing’s a young man’s game.”

Burmester, 36, sits at 9-under overall as he eyes his second career LIV Golf title and his first win of the 2025 season. On a blustery day that saw conditions challenge much of the field, Burmester produced a round that included five birdies and an eagle. He made only one bogey on the day at the par-4 eighth. Burmester will enter the final round with a

Battle of Britain Fleetwood clings to one-stroke St. Jude lead over Rose T OMMY FLEETWOOD, chasing his first US PGA Tour title, clung to a one-stroke lead over fellow Englishman Justin Rose after the third round of the PGA St. Jude with a 14-foot birdie putt at the 12th to reach 14-under and Rose fell two adrift with a bogey after missing the green at the par-three 14th. Rose and Fleetwood each

Tommy Fleetwood watches a tee shot on the seventh hole during the second round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. –AFPPIC

Championship. Fleetwood closed with a bogey to fire a 1 under 69 and stand on 14-under 196 after 54 holes at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, in the first FedEx Cup playoff event. “I’ve been really good off the tee, which is a strong quality around this golf course,” Fleetwood said. “At times you would get into a nice flow and feel comfortable with your routine.” Rose, the 2013 US Open champion and 2016 Olympic winner, closed with a birdie to shoot 67 and finish on 197. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler fired a 65 to stand third on 198 with fellow Americans JJ Spaun, the US Open champion, and Andrew Novak sharing fourth on 199. Fleetwood, a seven-time winner on the DP World Tour making his 162nd PGA Tour start, has six runner-up finishes on the US tour, including a playoff loss to US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley in June’s Travelers Championship. “I would way rather be there and fail than not be there at all, so either way, it’s a good thing,” Fleetwood said of his lacking a PGA title. “Yeah, it hurts when it doesn’t happen for you and that sort of streak and people talk about it more and more. Obviously it’s not my favorite time. “It has taken me a long time to win out here and I still haven’t done it. The more I put myself there, the more chance there is of it happening and just go out and keep learning from every experience. “Tomorrow might be my day. It might not. But being there is the most important thing and I’ll continue to try and do that.” Scheffler, trying to become the first player to defend the playoff crown, is the Cup points leader and has won four of five prior events this year when in the top five after 54 holes. Fleetwood grabbed the lead by one over Rose people in the paddock are getting worried about Hamilton. “I have the deepest respect for people putting their hand up like that and of course, a seven-time world champion doing that,” said Kristensen on the F1 Nation podcast. “But on the other hand, they don’t race on fuel, they race on self confidence. So, to have it all there, I think it gets a little bit under his skin, unfortunately. “I want to see him do

birdied the par-five 16th, Rose tapping in after reaching the green in two and Fleetwood making a putt from just inside 14 feet. Rose found the left rough off

the 17th tee, punched out shy of the green and made bogey to stumble three back. But Fleetwood needed three to reach the green at the 18th hole and missed a 29-foot par putt for a bogey while Rose sank a birdie putt from just inside five feet to pull within one. Fleetwood carried a three-stroke lead over Rose into the third round but stumbled early, following a birdie at the second hole with a double bogey at the par-five third, finding water with his s e c ond shot and a greenside bunker with his fourth. Rose was in hot pursuit

with a 16-foot birdie putt at the third, a stunning 36-foot birdie putt at the fifth and a tap in birdie at the sixth after his approach landed inches from the hole. Fleetwood made a bogey at the

seventh to leave Rose alone in the lead and Rose followed with a birdie at the seventh, but Rose found water at the ninth and made bogey while Fleetwood birdied the ninth to share the lead again. The top 70 on the season points list qualified for this week’s tournament with the top 50 advancing to next week’s BMW Championship. The top 30 after the BMW advance to the Tour Championship. – AFP

Hamilton ‘worrying F1 paddock’

SOME members of the F1 paddock are concerned about Lewis Hamilton (pic) and his increasingly downbeat nature, according to former racing driver Tom Kristensen. Hamilton has endured a tough start to life at Ferrari and sits 42 points behind Charles Leclerc in the individual standings. He recently had a nightmare weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break. Hamilton qualified in 12th place, being dumped out in Q2 while Leclerc got himself on pole. After the session, the Brit described himself as “useless” and even suggested that Ferrari should replace him with another driver. In the race, he failed to make up any positions in the race and was lapped for the first time in three years. Kristensen, who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans on nine occasions, has claimed that some

lining up after the race when he has to get weighed, he kept his helmet on. “There were five or six drivers in front of him who had to get weighed before. I think he takes it hard on himself and it’s tough to see.” It comes after former F1 driver Christian Danner accused Hamilton of being overly dramatic with his comments at the Hungarian Grand Prix. “He punishes himself so much, pretends to have forgotten how to drive… that almost looked a little exaggerated to me,” said Danner on AvD Motorsport Talk . “It was like staging a little more than it actually is to sensitise the world, which knows (Hamilton is) not that bad. “I’m pretty sure that was wanted by Hamilton and wasn’t honest. He didn’t honestly doubt himself. It can’t be, it doesn’t fit in with him.” – Express Newspapers

paddock, they worry about Lewis. He 100% has a contract for next year. Ferrari wants him to do well the most.” Kristensen also spotted something after the Hungarian Grand Prix which he thought said it all about Hamilton’s lack of self-confidence.

“He goes to a circuit where he has eight wins, nine poles and if he’s not winning, he’s definitely always on the podium, like last year,” added the Dane. “It must be

well and I hope he really finds his mojo, but people in the

really hard, and to see Lewis