Golf - European Tour Race to Dubai money list

The leading money winners on the 2013 European Tour Race to Dubai.

Golf - Woods wins at Bay Hill to reclaim world number one spot

Tiger Woods won the weather-hit Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill for an eighth time on Monday to reclaim the world number one ranking.

Looking like his old imposing self, Woods completed a final-round two-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Briton Justin Rose to collect his 77th career PGA Tour win and begin his 11th reign as world number one.

After accepting the sparkling silver trophy from tournament host Arnold Palmer, a clearly delighted Woods was left feeling on top of the world as he returned to the top of the rankings for the first time since October 2010.
"There are certain events that are more special," Woods told reporters. "When you have Arnold Palmer on the 18th green or you have Jack (Nicklaus) at the Memorial ... it's special to be able to walk off the 18th green and see these guys there.
"They're living legends of the game."
Woods has held the number one ranking for a staggering 623 weeks but in the 29 months since he last abdicated his throne Britons Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, Germany's Martin Kaymer and, most recently, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy, have all occupied the top spot.

Woods's eighth victory at Bay Hill equals Sam Snead's mark for most wins at a single PGA Tour event. It also leaves him just five shy of matching the World Golf Hall of Fame member's record of 82 career PGA Tour victories.
In five starts this season, the 37-year-old American has collected three wins, the earliest he has won three titles in a season since 2008, marking him out as the clear favourite going into next month's Masters.
But success in his final tune-up heading into Augusta has never translated into victory at the year's first Major. Each time Woods has won his final event before the Masters (2000, 2003, and 2008) he failed to reach the Augusta winner's circle.
Still, few will be betting against Woods slipping into a fifth green jacket next month.
"If I get healthy, I know I can play this game at a high level," said Woods, who has battled back from knee injuries and struggled with a swing overhaul the last few seasons.
"I know I can be where I'm contending in every event, contending in Major championships and being consistent day in and day out, if I got healthy."
Woods had barely begun his final round on Sunday, rolling in a birdie putt on the par-three second hole to open up a three-shot advantage, when warning horns were sounded to evacuate the course, sending spectators and players running for cover.
Heavy rains and violent winds soon followed, ripping branches from trees, toppling over television towers and turning Bay Hill into one massive water hazard.
But when play resumed on Monday under brilliant blue skies an unruffled Woods went back to work, draining a 12-foot putt at the par-five fourth followed by another at the par-five sixth.
A wild tee shot at the eight hole resulted in Woods's only bogey on his outward nine but he still reached the turn with a comfortable three-shot lead over playing partner Rickie Fowler and Rose.
Woods continued his mastery over the Bay Hill par-five holes, carding birdies at the 12 and 16 that provided the cushion for his win.
With a three-shot lead coming up the 18th fairway, a relaxed Woods was all smiles, playfully biting into his putter when his 74-foot par attempt at the last stopped two inches from the lip.
Fowler, who crumbled the last time he partnered with Woods in the final round of the 2012 Memorial where he shot a 12-over 84, showed no fear on Monday as he mounted a back-nine charge with birdies at 12 and 14 to chop the 14-time Major winner's advantage to two strokes.
But Fowler's challenge disappeared in another shocking collapse with a bogey at 15 and a triple-bogey at 16, where he twice plunked his ball into the water.
"Just would like to have that seven-iron back on 16 ... just unfortunate to make that swing at that time," said Fowler.
"If we had a good shot in there, would have put a little pressure on him coming into the last two holes."

Paul O'Connell's all-action return lifts Munster ahead of Quins tie

Paul O'Connell's return to action is major boost for Munster - and Irish rugby too - ahead of their Heineken Cup quarter-final against Harlequins in April.
The 33-year-old was instrumental in Munster's 22-0 victory over Connacht in Cork on Saturday night, polishing off an encouraging performance with his first try since 2009.
O'Connell, capped 85 times by Ireland, suffered a reoccurrence of back injury in October, resulting in surgery which ruled the second row out of Ireland's Six Nations campaign.
He turned out for Munster's A side and Young Munster in the weeks leading up to his return, and it paid dividends as he managed to complete 80 minutes, understandably tiring in the final stages of the RaboDirect PRO12 clash.
It took 11 minutes for O'Connell to announce his return to action as a Munster scrum led to the ball being spread across the field, with the No5 on hand to take a pass from Cathal Sheridan and touch down despite Connacht's best efforts to deny the Munster talisman.
The home side's opening try had stemmed from a superb O'Connell catch from a lineout, allowing Munster to peg Connacht back and look to pick apart a gap or barge their way over the line before their captain struck in ruthless style.
It would have been no disgrace if O'Connell had faded in the second half, but in typical fashion, he dug deep, epitomised by one barnstorming run which saw him out-muscle three Connacht opponents before falling just short of the line.
The Ireland veteran had lost none of his competiveness as he clashed with Connacht's Mike McCarthy, who was featured in Declan Kidney's second row during a disappointing Six Nations campaign.
For Munster head coach Penny, it is a welcome boost ahead of their European quarter-final against reigning Aviva Premiership champions Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop on 7 April.
Munster have struggled at times this season under their new coach, who is trying to implement his vision for the province, and O'Connell's presence noticeably lifted his team-mates against Connacht.
"Having Paul O'Connell back has lifted everyone. Paulie is such an iconic figure. I used a Maori word during the week when I was chatting about him. Back home we use the term manu - basically if someone has manu they have real respect and presence," Penny said in the Irish Independent.
"You either have it or you don't, and not many people in the world have it. But Paulie has."
O'Connell's return is superb timing with the Munster's talismanic leader already injecting a fresh wave of confidence throughout Rob Penny's side, and while they aren't expected to beat Quins, a positive performance would help lay the foundations for the 2013/14 campaign.

Rugby League - Leeds duo set to feature against Bulls

The double postponement of Leeds' Super League derby at Wakefield at the weekend could prove to be a blessing for the champions, according to coach Brian McDermott.

The Rhinos boss has revealed that centre Carl Ablett and second-row forward Brett Delaney were both injury doubts for the game against the Wildcats, which was put back from Friday to Sunday before being called off again because of the snow. They are now both set to feature for the champions in Thursday's clash with Bradford at Headingley.

"We were disappointed the game wasn't on but it was a bit of a blessing in disguise because we had a few niggles that we needed to get over," McDermott told a news conference at Headingley. "We'll see if it's worked for us."
McDermott accepts his team will be fresh as they prepare for three games in 11 days over Easter - they face Catalan Dragons in Perpignan on Easter Monday - but admits it could cause problems with fixture congestion later in the season.
Leeds now have two games in hand on their title rivals following the postponement of the Widnes home game, which was re-arranged for Monday, June 17, because of their involvement in the World Club Challenge.
"We've effectively got three Easters," McDermott said. "We've got three lots of doubling up to do. But this squad has played in a lot of games and we're affected internationally more than most clubs, so we're used to this type of situation and we get on with it.
"The players are in good nick - we're not dragging them out of nightclubs after a weekend to get them back into training - so, while it's not ideal and you wouldn't plan for it, it's not the worst thing in the world."
Bradford's game against Catalan Dragons at the weekend went ahead in spring sunshine in the south of France but they were forced to endure three-hour delays at both ends of their journey because of snow at Leeds-Bradford Airport.
Bulls coach Francis Cummins does not believe the nightmare journey will have a disruptive effect on his side's preparation for the start of a busy Easter programme but is concerned over the amount of snow that still lingers at the club's training base.
"They're digging out our training ground, where there's four and five-feet drifts, so we may have to do something different in the next couple of days," he said. "We've just got to make the best of it."

Premiership - London Welsh to discover point-deduction appeal outcome

 

 

London Welsh appealed a panel of inquiry's decision earlier this month to deduct them five league points, issue a fine and impose a further five-point deduction suspended until the end of next season.

The punishment was handed out for fielding an ineligible player - scrum-half Tyson Keats - in 10 Premiership games this season.
The points deduction sent London Welsh bottom of the Premiership.
They are currently five points behind 11th-placed Sale Sharks with only four league games left - away against Bath and London Irish, and at home to Northampton and Worcester.
Mike Scott, the former London Welsh team manager, has been banned for life from rugby after he admitted supplying false information regarding Keats, including a forged passport, to the RFU.
Keats was eligible for an ancestry visa, due to his grandfather being born in England, but Scott made a mistake in the original application.
Instead of re-applying, Scott told Keats' agent and the club that the visa had been successfully granted to the player.
Meanwhile, Scott submitted false documents to the RFU in a bid to pass Keats off as English-qualified. Scott accepted a police caution on February 14 for his actions in falsifying registration documents.
London Welsh, though, argued they should not be blamed for fraudulent behaviour conducted by Scott, who was described in the original judgement as a "rogue employee".

 

Rugby League - King's rugby league future in doubt

 

The former Australia Test threequarter, who spent four seasons in Super League with the Wolves, was close to quitting the game earlier this year when he contracted an infection of the bone and was told he faced up to 18 months on the sidelines.

He recovered after undertaking a strong course of antibiotics but, in his comeback game for feeder club North Sydney at the weekend, King suffered a break in the same arm he injured playing for Souths in the last match of last season.
King, who turns 33 in August, has been told he will miss the next 16 weeks.
"It's a tough situation for Kingy as he has worked extremely hard to put himself into a position to make his return last weekend," Rabbitohs coach Michael Maguire said.
"Kingy is the ultimate professional and we know that he will do everything he can, in conjunction with our medical team, to return from this injury before the end of the season."
King has made 111 appearances in the NRL for the Rabbitohs and Melbourne since making his debut in 2003 and won the Challenge Cup with Warrington in 2009 and 2010. He was also named in the 2010 Super League Dream Team.

Tennis - Serena roars back to win in Miami

 

The world number one is seeking her sixth title in Key Biscayne, but struggled for rhythm for more than an hour as Cibulkova threatened an upset in front of a half-full stadium.

Indeed Cibulkova had taken the first set and led 4-1 in the second before Williams rallied, finishing off the contest with three aces. It was in stark contrast to her earlier display, and she racked up 52 unforced errors in the course of the match.
''I was just struggling,'' Williams said. ''I was making so many errors and couldn't pull myself together.
''I saw my dad on the sideline, and he was so calm and so relaxed, and I was just like, 'OK, Serena, you can do this.' I took that energy and started playing better.''
Williams will face Li Na in the quarter-finals after the Chinese beat wild card Garbine Muguruza 7-6 6-2.
Maria Sharapova powered her way past another opponent in Miami as the Russian world number two remains on target to finally claim a tournament that has brought her plenty of heartbreak.
The third seed shrugged off the challenge of Klara Zakopalova, easing to a 6-2 6-2 victory over the Czech to advance to the quarter-finals and inch closer making it fifth time lucky in Florida.
Sharapova was beaten in the last two finals after also falling in the tournament decider in 2005 and 2006, and her determination to go one better this year was evident against Zakopalova, who was helpless in the face of the Russian's power.
Sharapova now meets eighth seeded Italian Sara Errani, who came back from a disastrous opening set to clinch a 1-6 6-4 6-2 over Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.
Errani will be joined in the quarter-finals by compatriot Roberta Vinci, who also had to come from behind to down Frenchwoman Alize Cornet 2-6 6-4 6-4.
Awaiting Vinci in the last eight is Jelena Jankovic, who downed Sorana Cirstea in straight sets.
Another top seed who struggled but eventually progressed was Agnieszka Radwanska, who needed three sets to overcome American rising star Sloane Stephens.
The 20-year-old, a semi-finalist at the Australian Open, took the first set 6-4 before fourth-seeded Radwanska bounced back, dropping just two more games to win 4-6 6-2 6-0.
Her reward is a quarter-final against Kirsten Flipkens, who ousted Ajla Tomljanovic in three tight sets.
Monday's fourth-round results
3-Maria Sharapova (Russia) beat 21-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) 6-2 6-2
22-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) beat 28-Sorana Cirstea (Romania) 6-0 6-4
8-Sara Errani (Italy) beat 12-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia) 1-6 6-4 6-2
15-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat 32-Alize Cornet (France) 2-6 6-4 6-4
4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) beat 16-Sloane Stephens (US) 4-6 6-2 6-0
1-Serena Williams (US) beat 13-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) 2-6 6-4 6-2
30-Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium) beat Ajla Tomljanovic (Croatia) 6-7(6) 6-4 6-3
5-Li Na (China) beat Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Spain) 7-6(6) 6-2
15-Roberta Vinci (Italy) beat 32-Alize Cornet (France) 2-6 6-4 6-4