12/08/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | AUG 12, 2025

28

Allan flies away with Boeing title AUSTRALIAN Steve Allan birdied the final hole to forge a one-stroke victory over Stewart Cink yesterday at the Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Washington. Allan won for the third time this season and second time in last three starts on tour, shooting a bogey-free 7-under 65 to finish 15-under for the three-day tournament at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge. He said he was “a little” surprised by three victories in 2025, following up wins at The Galleri Classics in March and the Dick’s Open in July with yesterday’s triumph.

“I think I would have probably laughed if you told me I would have won three times,” said Allan. “I definitely thought that I had a win in me, but I wouldn’t have said three.” Allan carded birdies at Nos. 1, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16 and 18. Cink lost ground with bogeys at Nos. 6, 10 and 11 against birdies at Nos. 4, 8, 12, 15 and 16.

and made par on the other holes. “Yeah, obviously had the dream start, didn’t I, 3 over through 3,” Burmester quipped. “I’m not going to lie, I tend to get down on myself, and in that moment, I thought, I’ve got a lot more to fight for than just the golf tournament. “For me, it was about hanging around. I made a great up-and-down on 4 and then a great birdie on 5 and that was kind of me going again. I had loads of chances that I didn’t make. Left a lot of putts short.” Stinger GC won the team competition on the first hole of a playoff with Torque GC after each finished 17-under in regulation.

SHORTS

Burmester triumphs in Chicago SOUTH AFRICA’S Dean Burmester sank a 6-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to beat Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester and capture LIV Golf Chicago yesterday at Bolingbrook Golf Club. Burmester’s second victory on the LIV Tour didn’t come easily, as he had a bumpy beginning with bogeys on the first three holes to blow his two shot lead entering the final round. He recovered three strokes with birdies at the par-4 fifth hole, the par-5 12th and the par-4 16th Alcaraz battles as Shelton, Zverev march on CARLOS ALCARAZ fought through a second-set slump to post a “rollercoaster” 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match yesterday at the ATP WTA Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. “It was just a rollercoaster,” said the second seed, who was winning his 12th straight match at the Masters 1000 level after taking the titles in Monte Carlo and Rome. “Lots of good feelings, bad feelings, back to the good ones. I am happy to get the win at the end. I know that I have chances to do better.” Alcaraz committed 44 unforced errors and said conditions in Cincinnati, where he was runner-up in 2023, were always tricky. “The ball flies a lot, goes super fast,“ he said. “You have to be ready to be in a good position for each shot and that is really difficult to do.” Third seed Alexander Zverev found things more straightforward, winning 6-3, 6-3 against US wild card Nishesh Basavareddy in the night session. Zverev needed just 66 minutes to get past Basavareddy, a 20-year-old ranked 109th in the world. The German put 41 of his 50 first serves in play and didn’t face a break point. Basavareddy saved one match point with a blistering service return but Zverev secured the win with his 12th ace. American Ben Shelton, coming off his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, eased through 6-3, 3-1 when Camilo Ugo Carabelli retired with a knee injury. Shelton’s early night was a boon after a draining Toronto tournament which only ended on Thursday night. “It’s not easy to play a couple of days after winning any title,” Shelton said. “I feel for Camilo and it’s obviously not the way that you want to go through. I hope that he has a quick recovery.” Asked about the tape on his own right thigh, Shelton said he has “a few muscle things” going on. “The legs take a lot of force,” he said. Sixth seed Alex de Minaur of Australia, the Washington champion, lost to American Reilly Opelka 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. But another Australian, Adam Walton, secured a first top-50 win of his career with a 6-7 (0-7), 6-4, 6-1 upset of former world number one and 2019 Cincy champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia. – AFP

“Well, I’m disappointed,” Cink said. “I mean, I played well enough to win this, just made a couple mistakes and kind of put myself a little bit in a hole today. And I clawed back out, which I was really proud of.” Ernie Els of South Africa and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland tied for third at 13-under. Rose tops Spaun in playoff Englishman wins PGA St. Jude as Fleetwood falters again

J USTIN ROSE reeled off four straight back-nine birdies to force a playoff then birdied the third hole of sudden death to beat JJ Spaun for the St. Jude Championship yesterday as Tommy Fleetwood endured more PGA Tour agony. England’s Rose, the 2013 US Open champion, had six birdies over his last eight holes including the playoff – climbing up the congested leaderboard with birdies at 14, 15, 16 and 17 in regulation. His final-round 67 pulled him level with reigning US Open champion Spaun on 16-under 264 at TPC Southwind – where overnight leader Fleetwood had a two-shot lead with three holes remaining but faltered with a bogey at 17 in a 1 under 69 that left him tied for third with Scottie Scheffler on 15-under 265. Spaun carded a 5-under 65 in the final round, posting back-to-back birdies at 16 and 17 – where he rolled in a 20-foot putt – to put himself in the playoff. “That was an amazing last 90 minutes, really,” said Rose, the 45-year-old who finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy in a playoff at the Masters in April. “Played unbelievable golf coming down the stretch.” Rose claimed his 12th US tour title, and his first since Pebble Beach in 2023. Rose started the day one shot off the lead and was two-over for the day through nine holes. His challenge seemed stalled after he followed a birdie at the 10th with a bogey at 12, but a 15-foot birdie at the 14th launched his comeback.

He drained a 10-foot birdie at 15, got up and down from a greenside bunker for birdie at 16 and curled in a 22-foot birdie putt at 17. His 13-footer for the outright win at the 72nd hole just missed and he and Spaun returned to 18 for the playoff. Both two-putted for par – Rose after a tee shot that nearly found the water. They posted matching birdies the next time around – Spaun drilling a 30-foot putt and Rose making his seven-footer. They returned to 18 again, this time with a new hole location, and after Rose rattled in his 11-footer, Spaun sent his seven-foot birdie attempt past the cup. “Never stopped believing,” said Rose. “I’ve been saying for some time when I bring my best, I know I’m good enough to play and compete and to now win against the best players in the world, so very gratifying day for me and a lot of hard work kind of coming to fruition.” But it was the familiar feeling of disappointment for compatriot Fleetwood, a seven-time DP World Tour winner who has yet to win in 162 US tour starts. “I’m obviously going to be disappointed,” said Fleetwood, who lost in a playoff at the Travelers Championship earlier this year in his sixth PGA Tour runner-up finish. “There’s a lot of positives to take, as much as I don’t really feel like that right now. I’m just going to look at what I feel like I could have done and how close it was.” – AFP

Justin Rose poses with the trophy after winning the FedEx St. Jude Championship. – AFPPIC

No sweat for Swiatek as Gauff downs China’s Wang in Cincinnati WIMBLEDON winner Iga Swiatek of Poland advanced to the fourth round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open yesterday as upcoming opponent, Marta Kostyuk, was forced to withdraw. French Open champion Coco Gauff battled through a tough first set to beat China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-2. done in practice.” Seventh seed Jasmine Paolini, finalist last season at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, also advanced, beating Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (7 2), 7-6 (7-5).

“I feel really sorry for her, nobody wants to finish a match like that, but at that moment, I felt a lot of relief,” Paolini told the Tennis Channel . “I was wishing for her to fail on that serve, to gift me a double fault, honestly (laughs). “It was a very tough match, and the tiebreaks were tough as well, especially the second one where I had the chance to finish it with a volley at the net but missed. From 6-0, I went to 6-5, so at that point, I was starting to genuinely worry.” – AFP

Gauff, who lifted the trophy in Cincinnati in 2023 and went on to claim her first Grand Slam title at the US Open that year, had to grind her way through the first set. But the No. 2 seed steadied in the second to run out the winner in 71 minutes. “It was a rough start,” Gauff said. “But it was about just trusting myself and the work we’ve

The 27th-ranked Ukrainian cited a right wrist injury for her withdrawal. It came a day after six time Grand Slam winner Swiatek advanced to the third round with the loss of just five games. Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 Roland Garros champion, also benefited from a walkover as Camila Osorio withdrew due to an abdominal injury.

The match was tight, especially the tiebreaks, particularly the second one where the Italian was leading 6-0 before enduring the Greek player’s comeback to 6-5. At that critical moment, the Greek’s double fault secured Paolini’s progression to the next round.