Guardian Sport

A silly idea or a great addition to the sport?

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy launched their indoor golf league in Florida last night. McIlroy says they are “taking golf into the 21st century.” Woods goes even further, claiming the new concept “takes golf into another stratosphere”.

The game is simple, fast and it gives fans in the crowd the chance to see every shot – first on the massive golf simulator and then on a green that changes shape for every hole. Players smash their tee shots and irons into the huge screen before switching to the green for their short game. The six players completed 15 holes in just two hours, with the shot clock keeping them on their toes. The players also wore microphones so the 1,500 spectators could get closer to the action.

Will it last? Time will tell.

Watch more https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5JHZ...

Photos: Mike Ehrmann/TGL/TGL Golf/Getty Images

#golf #tigerwoods #rorymcilroy #indoorgolf

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9 months ago | [YT] | 14

Guardian Sport

Oleksandr Usyk remains the shining king of boxing’s dark and chaotic world ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gIrG...

The great Ukrainian retained his three titles as the heavyweight champion of the world when he defeated Tyson Fury on points in a defining contest in the early hours of Sunday morning in Riyadh. Usyk boxed with clinical authority to win clearly by a score of 116-112 on all three cards. The pace was unrelenting and, ultimately, Usyk was just too fast, too smart and too skilled for Fury. His movement, accuracy and precision of punching were exemplary. Fury fought brilliantly at times but he could not sustain any real pitch of intensity. He began to flag at key moments of the bout as Usyk pulled away to secure his comprehensive victory. That was not how Fury saw it, shaking his head in disbelief and leaving the ring without saying a word.

Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury II was close, uncontroversial and freighted with meaning ► www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/dec/23/oleksandr-us…

Photos:
1: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters
2: Richard Pelham/Getty
3: Richard Pelham/Getty
4: Andrew Couldridge/Action/Reuters
5: Nick Potts/PA


#tysonfury #oleksandrusyk #boxing #saudiarabia #riyadh #usykfury2 #furyusyk2 #heavyweight #sport

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9 months ago | [YT] | 20

Guardian Sport

The applause for Keely Hodgkinson was still reverberating around Media City on Tuesday when this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year began to stare intently at the previous winners carved into the trophy ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhhEv...

“I started to read the names and you realise it is history right in front of you: Bobby Moore, Mary Rand, Linford Christie, it goes all the way back to 1954,” she said.

But one detail, more than anything, stood out. The Olympic 800m champion’s victory was a record-breaking fourth in a row for a woman, following tennis player Emma Raducanu in 2021 and the footballers Beth Mead and Mary Earps in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

“It shows that women’s sport in the UK is in a good place, really strong in quite a lot of areas,” Hodgkinson said.

It is certainly a far cry from a desperate stretch between 2007 and 2020 when a male athlete not only lifted the award every year, but only five women – the swimmer Rebecca Adlington, the athletes Jessica Ennis-Hill, Jo Pavey and Dina Asher-Smith and the jockey Hollie Doyle – made the podium.

If anyone has a chance of flipping people’s perceptions of athletics it is Hodgkinson, who has the talent and personality to burrow even deeper into the mainstream.

Hodgkinson is also disarmingly honest about how life is not always rosy when you are trying to be the best in the world. “Everyone has moments of weakness,” she said. “I’m not going to pretend I don’t have any. Last week I was upset mid-session because it was so hard and I was so tired. You’ve got to really dig deep on those days. But I have learned to take it week by week and goal by goal.”

Do not be surprised if this run continues in 2025, especially with England defending their Women’s Euros title and the Women’s Rugby World Cup held on home soil.

#bbcspoty #spoty #keelyhodgkinson #emmaraducanu #bethmead #maryearps #womenssport

10 months ago | [YT] | 10

Guardian Sport

Our new documentary on ‪@theGuardian‬ follows the remarkable achievements of a sheep farmer who is one of the greatest endurance runners of all time. Joss Naylor: King of the Fells ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJyCw...

#fellrunning #trailrunning #hillrunning #ironman #endurance #longdistancerunning #threepeakschallenge #lakedistrict #thewainwrights #fells

10 months ago | [YT] | 2

Guardian Sport

Keely Hodgkinson has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024 award after winning 800m Olympic gold in Paris this summer ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhhEv...

Hodgkinson, who beat darts star Luke Littler and England cricketer Joe Root to win the annual prize, said: 'This year has been absolutely incredible for me. I’ve achieved everything I have set out to do.' The 22-year-old is the fourth woman in a row to win the award, following tennis player Emma Raducanu and two England footballers – Beth Mead and Mary Earps.

Pic: David Davies/PA. #athletics #spoty #award #sport #running #800m #parisolympics #olympicgames

10 months ago | [YT] | 26

Guardian Sport

The World Conker Championships is investigating cheating allegations after the men’s winner was found to have a steel chestnut in his pocket ► https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix-R7...

David Jakins won the annual title in Southwick, Northamptonshire, on Sunday for the first time after competing since 1977.

But the 82-year-old was found to have a metal replica in his pocket when he was searched by organisers after his victory.

Jakins was responsible for drilling and inserting strings into other competitors’ chestnuts as the competition’s top judge, known as the “King Conker”.

Alastair Johnson-Ferguson, who lost in the men’s final against Jakins, said he suspected “foul play”, the Telegraph reported.

The 23-year-old said: “My conker disintegrated in one hit, and that just doesn’t happen … I’m suspicious of foul play and have expressed my surprise to organisers.”

Jakins, a retired engineer, has denied using the metal variety in the tournament: “I was found with the steel conker in my pocket, but I only carry [it] around with me for humour value and I did not use it during the event.

“Yes, I did help prepare the conkers before the tournament. But this isn’t cheating or a fix, and I didn’t mark the strings.”

St John Burkett, a spokesperson for the World Conker Championships, said the cheating claims were being investigated.

“Allegations of foul play have been received that somehow King Conker swapped his real conker for the metal one later found in his pocket.

“Players select conkers from a sack before each round.

“There are also suggestions that King Conker had marked the strings of harder nuts. We can confirm he was involved in drilling and lacing the nuts before the event.

“We are investigating.”

#conkers #worldconkerchampionships #uk

1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 147

Guardian Sport

Andy Murray has been forced to withdraw from the singles draw at the last Wimbledon of his career after he was unable to recover sufficiently from the back surgery he underwent 10 days before the tournament began.

“Unfortunately, despite working incredibly hard on his recovery since his operation just over a week ago, Andy has taken the very difficult decision not to play the singles this year. As you can imagine, he is extremely disappointed but has confirmed that he will be playing in the doubles with Jamie and looks forward to competing at Wimbledon for the last time,” Murray’s representatives said in a statement.

Murray’s preparations for his final Wimbledon suffered a painful blow two weeks ago when he was forced to withdraw from Queen’s due to pain and numbness in his back and right leg. Murray soon underwent back surgery to remove a spinal cyst and he has been rushing to recover in time to compete in his scheduled first round match against Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic.

Murray will, however, compete in the doubles with his brother Jamie.

1 year ago | [YT] | 26

Guardian Sport

It's gloomy and cold as the pack rides past a monument during the fourth stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race, taking in the 183km between Chalon-sur-Saone and Mont Brouilly.

#Cycling #Sport #France

Photo: Thomas Samson/AFP/Getty

1 year ago | [YT] | 7

Guardian Sport

The mass start to the 100th edition of the Vasaloppet, the world’s biggest cross-country ski race, in Sweden.

Photos: Ulf Palm/EPA

1 year ago | [YT] | 12

Guardian Sport

A moment of calm in the gallery during the Phoenix Open as the setting sun hits the clouds near the eighth hole.

The tournament is renowned for being one of the most raucous stops on tour, and on Saturday organisers even had to briefly halt sales of alcohol and turn away some fans amid chaotic scenes.

Photo: Ross D Franklin/AP

1 year ago | [YT] | 10