03/10/2025

SPORTS FRIDAY | OCT 3, 2025

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Studies come first for golf trio

MALAYSIA will head to the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand without three of its top women golfers, Malaysian Golf Association (MGA) president Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor said yesterday. Mohd Anwar said Jeneath Wong, Wang Xin Yao and Fong Zi Yu, all pursuing their studies in the United States, are unable to return for the biennial Games scheduled from Dec 9-20. He said the men’s squad will feature Malaysia’s No. 1 amateur Anson Yeo, along with Haris Hezri, Zubair Firdaus and Justin Chan. “We have finalised the representatives to represent Malaysia in the SEA Games,” Mohd Anwar told Bernama when met at The Ladies Golf Tournament 2025 press conference at Mines Resort & Golf Club in Serdang, Selangor. “For the girls, very unfortunate that most of our top players cannot come back because of their commitment to studies. “So, based on the World Amateur Golf Ranking

RESULTS & STANDINGS

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (League phase) Qarabag 2 (Zoubir 28, Addai 83) FC Copenha gen 0, Union Saint-Gilloise 0 Newcastle 4 (Woltemade 17, Gordon 43-pen, 64-pen, Barnes 80) , Arsenal 2 (Martinelli 12, Saka 90+2) Olym piakos 0, Barcelona 1 (Torres 19) Paris Saint Germain 2 (Mayulu 38, Ramos 90) , Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Kofane 65) PSV Eindhoven 1 (Saibari 72) , Borussia Dortmund 4 (Svensson 28, Chukwuemeka 50, Guirassy 82, Brandt 90+1) Athletic Bilbao 1 (Guruzeta 61) , Monaco 2 (Teze 18, Dier 90-pen) Manchester City 2 (Haaland 15, 44) , Napoli 2 (Hojlund 36, 79) Sporting Lisbon 1 (Suarez 62-pen) , Villarreal 2 (Mikautadze 18, Veiga 90) Juventus 2 (Gatti 49, Conceicao 56) . ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP Millwall 0 Coventry 4, Norwich 0 West Brom wich Albion 1, Portsmouth 2 Watford 2, Queens Park Rangers 0 Oxford United 0. TOP 10 P W D L F A Pts Mid’boro 8 5 3 0 12 5 18 Coventry 8 4 4 0 22 7 16 Stoke 8 4 2 2 10 5 14 West Brom 8 4 2 2 9 7 14 Bristol City 8 3 4 1 14 8 13 Leicester 8 3 4 1 10 7 13 Preston 8 3 4 1 9 7 13 Swansea 8 3 3 2 9 7 12 Charlton 8 3 3 2 8 6 12 QPR 8 3 3 2 11 13 12 Chelsea showed ‘resilience’ in win over Benfica: Neto PEDRO NETO believes Chelsea have learned fast on their Champions League return after their campaign got going with victory over Benfica. A first-half own goal was all that separated the Blues from Jose Mourinho’s visitors in a game of few clear-cut chances but, after being outclassed in their opener at Bayern Munich, this win got Enzo Maresca’s side back on track after three defeats in four in all competitions. Neto and Alejandro Garnacho combined in the 18th minute to force the only goal from midfielder Richard Rios, who bounced the ball past his own goalkeeper as it fizzed across the six-yard box. “We learned a lot from the first game and we are really happy,” Neto told Chelsea’s website. “I think the team did really well. We knew the difficulties we had in the first game (3-1 loss at Bayern on Sept 17), and we tried to work hard to manage moments in this game. I think today we showed the resilience of the team. “Benfica are a tough team to face at home. We knew we would have to work hard... We played well, we could’ve controlled the match more with the quality we have, but we are really happy with the three points.” Chelsea had taken the match to Bundesliga champions Bayern two weeks ago in what was their first Champions League outing in nearly two and a half years, but were undone by poor concentration at key moments and their opponents’ greater experience. There were no such tribulations on Wednesday as, even amid the circus surrounding three-time Premier League winner Mourinho’s homecoming, they got the job done with minimal fuss. For Neto, it was further evidence of his growing indispensability to the side, particularly with Maresca facing an injury crisis ahead of Sunday’s (12.30am Malaysian time) Premier League game against champions Liverpool. He said: “I always try to improve and do the best for the team, and I think today we worked hard as a group, and we are really happy. It’s a really important win. “A win in this competition, the Champions League, shows what we can do, and I think we can do even better. We will be ready to play against Liverpool.” – The Independent

challenge again. For the girls, our target is at least a bronze medal, while Anson is expected to push for a podium finish in the men’s individual,” he said. Meanwhile, he said MGA is planning to bring in a coach from Thailand for a centralised training camp ahead of the Games. The Ladies’ Golf Tournament 2025, scheduled from Oct 12-15 here, is hosted by The Mines Resort & Golf Club in collaboration with the Professional Golf of Malaysia (PGM).

and MGA merit points, we have selected Charlyne Chong, Pang Hee Jie and Nur Batrisya Balqis Abdul Ghani. “Now is the time to prepare them until the SEA Games to sharpen their short game skill. “So, we hope to get a quick one-week exposure on short game, get the best short game coach and then gather them and just hone their skills on short game. Mohd Anwar said while the absence of top players is a setback, it presents an opportunity for emerging golfers to step up, recalling how Ng Jing Xuen delivered a surprise gold medal at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games when seniors were unavailable. “We hope the younger players will rise to the

The championship, which offers RM100,000 in prize money, will feature 60 of Malaysia’s finest female golfers – 30 professionals and 30 amateurs, competing in a 54-hole stroke play event. – Bernama BAM knows best: Kok Keong N ATIONAL badminton legend Datuk Foo Kok Keong is keeping faith in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to make the wisest of decisions – Decision on SEA Games squad best left to

National badminton legend Datuk Foo Kok Keong. – @sportsaffairs 5298/ YouTube

governing body, says former national ace

whether to send the strongest squad or the backup squad to the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand in December. He said the final decision lies with the governing body: whether to prioritise the opportunity to win gold medals exposureon a regional stage or to blood rookies early for top-flight competition and primed for the global stage.

Kok Keong was in six Thomas Cup campaigns, and was a vital component of the squad that made four successive finals between 1988 and 1994. He also won numerous individual accolades, including titles at the Singapore Open and French Open in 1990, and runner-up spots at the All England, Malaysia Open, World Grand Prix Finals, World Cup and Commonwealth Games. After his retirement in 1994, Kok Keong built his own business and worked as ambassador for wellness products. According to the Olympian, whatever decision BAM will take should be welcomed positively by the players selected for this mission. Previously, BAM confirmed that it will send the strongest line-up of players to the biennial Games for the gold hunt. The final list of players is expected to be decided soon through a meeting with BAM doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky. The last time Malaysia struck gold was at the 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam through the mixed doubles pair of Chen Tang Jie-Peck Yen Wei. In the last edition in Cambodia, the national shuttlers only brought home two silver and four bronze medals. – Bernama/Agencies

“(But) Without fighting spirit and team spirit, we won’t get it. It depends on BAM whether they want to give experience to the backup players or send the best shuttlers to win at the SEA Games. “During my time, we played everything in our way – the SEA Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and most of the team and individual competitions. I went through everything, and that’s what you called experience,” he said. He was speaking at a collaboration event between Eco shop and the Famemas Malaysia Sports Supporters Club, which will send a special delegation to cheer on the national contingent in Thailand.

Delbove conquers Fraser’s Hill FRENCH RIDER, Joris Delbove conquered the climb to Bukit Fraser and clinched Stage Five of the 2025 Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL), covering 123.1km route from Temerloh yesterday. The TotalEnergies rider clocked three hours 25 seconds to beat Anders Halland Johannessen of Uno-X Mobility by two seconds, while yet I still managed to do it. I am very happy,” he said after the race. The Orange Jersey (sprint) remains with Malucelli while the Polka Dot Jersey (King of the Mountains) stays with Patrick Eddy of Team Picnic PostNL. Meanwhile the White Jersey (Best Asian Rider) changed hands as XDS Astana rider, Nicolya Vinokurov took over from Terengganu Cycling Team’s (TSG) Vadim Pronskiy. St. George Continental Cycling

Lion City Sailors sink Red Giants SELANGOR FC suffered a second straight defeat in the Asian Football Confederation but upon resumption, Selangor were awarded a penalty, which was successfully converted by Chrigor Moraes in the 37th minute. Lopes completed his hattrick

Champions League 2 (ACL2) 2025/26 campaign as they went down 4-2 to Singapore’s Lion City Sailors in the Group G match at Bishan Stadium, Singapore, on Wednesday night. The Red Giants squad were stunned in the seventh minute when striker Anderson Lopes headed in a cross from Maxime Lestienne, before the Brazilian born player doubled the lead six minutes later by pouncing on a rebound from Bart Ramselaar’s shot. Selangor almost reduced the deficit through Richmond Ankrah in the 24th minute, but his attempt in a goalmouth scramble was cleared by the home defence, while Alvin Fortes’ shot in the 29th minute was easily saved by goal keeper Ivan Susak. About a minute later, the match was halted due to bad weather,

with a goal in first-half injury time before adding his fourth in the 54th minute to put his side com fortably ahead at 4-1. Selangor, under acting head coach Christophe Gamel, man aged to add a second goal through Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim in the 73rd minute, but it was not enough to prevent the home side from claiming their first win in the group. The defeat left Selangor, who had earlier lost 4-2 to Bangkok United, rooted at the bottom with out a point, while Lion City Sailors moved top, sharing four points with second-placed Persib Bandung. Selangor will travel to Bandung, Indonesia to face Persib Bandung in their third group match sched uled for Oct 23. – Bernama

Switzerland’s Yannis Voisard of Tudor Pro Cycling Team finished third with the same time. The Stage Five victory helped Delbove take over the Green Jersey (Overall Leader), ending Matteo Malucelli of XDS Astana Team four-stage hold on the overall lead. “We came here to win the overall (jersey) and especially this stage. So we had big ambitions, but at the same time we stayed realistic because the competition was very strong. “I knew it was going to be complicated (to achieve the goal)

Team rider Tsen Ren Bao emerged as the best Malaysian rider after finishing 44th, while Thailand Continental Cycling Team rider Thanakhan Chaiyasombat, who crossed the line in 27th place, was named the Best Asean Rider for Stage Five. Stage Six of the 2.Pro status race continues today from Shah Alam to Port Dickson over 123.5km, featuring three sprint zones in Jenjarom, Banting and Sungai Pelek. – Bernama