Donald makes golf history with Race to Dubai success

Luke Donald has won the 2011 Race to Dubai title to become the first golfer in history to top the money list in both Europe and the United States in the same calendar year.

Englishman Donald needed to finish in the top nine of the season-ending Dubai World Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday to add the European title to the PGA Tour crown he secured last month.

And he achieved that target comfortably, carding three birdies in his final six holes to shoot a second successive six-under-par 66 -- the joint best round of the day -- for a 72-hole total of 272 (-16).

Tiger holds no terror for golf's new world order

That was enough to come home third in the 58-strong field, three shots adrift of tournament winner Alvaro Quiros of Spain, who held his nerve to post a five-under 67 for a two-stroke success over Scotland's Paul Lawrie.

Prior to the tournament, only Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy could have prevented Donald from making history, meaning the top two ranked players in the world were fighting it out for European golf's top prize.

World number two McIlroy, who came into the tournament in sparkling form after winning the Hong Kong Open the previous week, needed to win in Dubai and hope Donald finished outside the top nine.

But Donald's third-placed finish meant McIlroy could not overtake his Ryder Cup team-mate no matter what he achieved -- and in the end he finished joint 11th, 10 strokes off the pace, after a third round of 71 in a row.

Donald's year has been a model of consistency, with the 34-year-old winning four times this season, twice on each tour, as well as picking up a host of placed finishes along the way.

He began his season by winning February's WGC-Accenture Match Play title in Arizona, before the pivotal moment in May when he defeated Lee Westwood in a play-off in the European Tour's flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth -- taking Westwood's No.1 ranking in the process.

Donald continued that form into July with a four-stroke success in the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.

And he effectively secured the PGA Tour title with a two-shot win in October's Children's Miracle Network Classic at Disneyland.

Despite his astonishing success this year, Donald has also suffered heartache in 2011 following the sudden death of his father, and the world number one spoke emotionally following his victory.

Donald told the official European Tour website: "My father would have been very proud and he would just give me a big hug. He hopped into my head quite a few times over the closing stretch."

He continued: "I didn't look at the leaderboard until the 13th hole, but didn't see Rory's name up there so I knew the title was mine."

Including his $1.5m bonus for winning the Race to Dubai, Donald's total earnings from Europe alone this year are $7.143m, with McIlroy collecting $5.35m in second place and last year's winner, Martin Kaymer of Germany, third on $4.67m.

Meanwhile, Quiros finished sixth in the Race to Dubai standings after his second win of the season, following his Dubai Desert Classic success, and sixth of his career.

Quiros had begun his final round two strokes clear of Lawrie, but the former British Open champion had turned things around and was one stroke ahead at the turn.

Going into the final hole, the pair were level. However, Lawrie could only par, while a spectacular eagle putt on the 18th green ensured Quiros ended the season with a prize fund of $3.02m.

Source: CNNSPORTS

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Madrid Vs. Barcelona

This weekend sees a fixture which football fans across the world look forward to at the start of every season, with Spanish archrivals Real Madrid and Barcelona going head-to-head at the Bernabeu Stadium.

On Saturday, the two sides will clash in the match which is known as "El Clasico", with two of the sport's finest players facing off -- Real's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barca's Lionel Messi.

Real to topple Barca in 'El Clasico' clash?

Clashes between the two teams are always heated affairs and Jose Mourinho's Real will be out for revenge after suffering a two-leg defeat in the preseason Spanish Super Cup in August.

In recent years Barca have dominated Spanish football, winning three consecutive First Division titles and being crowned champions of Europe in 2009 and 2011.

But it is Mourinho's men who currently top the table, and Josep Guardiola's Barca will be looking to close the three-point gap which currently exists between them and Real with victory in Madrid.

Source: CNNSPORTS

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NBA teams to open facilities to players Thursday

After a long lockout, the National Basketball Association will open its doors Thursday for teams to hold voluntary workouts.

The move comes after last week's announcement that the players and owners had reached a tentative deal to end the league's months-long lockout.

The season, that was scheduled to have begun November 1, will now start Christmas Day.

Team owners locked out players in early July as the two sides tried to hammer out a new agreement. The sometimes bitter battle lasted 149 days.

One of the main sticking points was a split in revenues that owners said was unfair.

They sought to change the old revenue-sharing arrangement that gave players 57% of the revenue. The new deal offers a virtual 50-50 split.

Training camps will open December 9, and the season will be 66 games instead of the usual 82.

A previous lockout in the NBA lasted 204 days -- from July 1998 to January 1999 -- before a new collective bargaining agreement was reached by both sides.

Source: CNNSPORTS

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Ferrer defeated Djokovic in straight sets

David Ferrer booked his place in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals after stunning world number one Novak Djokovic in straight sets at London's O2 Arena on Wednesday.

Ferrer opened the tournament with victory over fourth seed Andy Murray, and the world number five followed up that success with a superb 6-3 6-1 victory, only Djokovic's fifth defeat of the season in all tournaments.

Djokovic has been struggling with back and shoulder injuries in recent weeks, but refused to offer any excuses after his defeat.

Can Federer make history in London?

The 24-year-old Serb told reporters: "I have no words to explain it. It was the worst match I have played all year but all credit to David. He played really well."

Ferrer added: "I think maybe he was a little tired but I played very well and didn't make any mistakes.

"It is important for me to play well here. Last year I didn't win and now I have won twice, so I am very happy."

Ferrer becomes the first player to qualify from Group A, while Djokovic could still go through if he beats compatriot Janko Tipsarevic in his remaining match on Friday.

Tipsarevic, the replacement for the injured Murray -- who was forced to quit the tournament on Tuesday -- was beaten 2-6 6-3 7-6 by Tomas Berdych in the earlier group match.

Berdych will now need to defeat Ferrer in his final tie to qualify, and hope that Djokovic slips up against Tipsarevic.

Meanwhile, Ferrer's victory ensured he joins defending champion Roger Federer -- who has qualified from Group B -- in the last four of the competition.

Source: CNNSPORTS

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Nadal seeking positive finish to 2011

Rafael Nadal is hoping to bounce back from his Shanghai shock by ending the 2011 tennis season on a high note.

The Spaniard has lost his No. 1 ranking to Novak Djokovic despite winning the French Open for the sixth time in June, and has taken a month off after his surprise defeat to 23rd-ranked German Florian Mayer in the third round in China.

Nadal has never won the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, where he opens his Group B campaign against Mardy Fish on Sunday in London. But the 25-year-old said he feels confident ahead of the $5 million tournament and next month's Davis Cup final against Argentina.

Can Federer make finals history?

"To finish the season with a good feeling, like I had last year, is important. It's positive, and I'm working for that," said Nadal, beaten by Roger Federer in the 2011 London final.

"I am feeling good. I feel happy about how I am practicing and doing things. I'm happy about how my mind is working, and I'm working hard every day with enough motivation. That's the most important thing.

"To lose Shanghai was difficult to manage because I felt I was in a positive moment. I felt I had an opportunity to play a good tournament, and I had a bad loss against Mayer, so that hurt me a little bit.

"I felt that I needed to stop, to practice a little bit, to recover a little bit physically and mentally, and that's what I did. Not only thinking about this year, but thinking about trying to finish the season healthy and try to start next season with positive conditions."

Federer is seeking a record sixth title, coming into the indoor hard-court event on a 12-match winning run after his triumphs in Basel and Paris.

The 30-year-old, a 16-time grand slam champion, will launch the tournament in his Group B opener against France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before Nadal takes to the court.

"This year will be very interesting because I feel the one to four guys are the favorites, and then from five to eight they have the potential to upset the top guys and go all the way to the final," said the Swiss, who beat Tsonga in the Paris Masters final last weekend.

"They have big games, they can beat anyone on any given day and they are good enough to win this too. They are very even groups. All the top eight guys have the potential to do anything here."

Source: CNN

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Beckham: FIFA president's racism comments are 'not right'

Football superstar David Beckham has condemned controversial comments made by Sepp Blatter, who is refusing to stand down as FIFA president despite widespread criticism.

The head of world soccer sparked fury when he told CNN World Sport that racism is not a problem on the football field, and that any issue could be resolved by "shaking hands" after a match.

Beckham, who was a leading figure in England's failed bid to host the 2018 World Cup, said that the Swiss administrator had made a big mistake.

"Something has to happen because those kind of remarks from a man who is so high up in the game is obviously not right," the 36-year-old told CNN ahead of Sunday's MLS Cup final between his Los Angeles Galaxy team and Houston Dynamo.

Source: CNNSPORTS

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Leading figures in soccer call on Blatter to step down

 Leading figures in the world of soccer on Thursday blasted FIFA president Sepp Blatter for controversial remarks he made on racism in an interview with CNN World Sport.

The head of world football told Pedro Pinto there is no on-field racism in football and that any player who has been abused should simply shake hands with his opponent at the end of the match and move on.

Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, a former England captain, expressed his outrage on Twitter, blasting Blatter's comments as "so condescending it's almost laughable."

The chief executive of England's Professional Footballers' Association, Gordon Taylor, told CNN that Blatter should resign.

Pedro Pinto: My crazy day with Sepp

"He should step down," he said. "This is the straw that broke the camel's back. We need football to set a good example, so this is inexcusable.

"We're working to eradicate racism on the pitch, and eradicate any reference to the color of anybody's skin. Racism is so divisive -- it creates a venomous culture."

The Swiss was re-elected unopposed as the head of football's governing body in June after his main rival was suspended amid corruption allegations. The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups was also dogged by bribery allegations.

Soon after Blatter gave his interview to CNN on Wednesday, his position appeared to be undermined when the English Football Association charged Liverpool's Luis Suarez with racism toward a fellow player.

Suarez allegedly taunted Manchester United's French defender Patrice Evra. Suarez, from Uruguay, denies the claims.

London's Metropolitan Police are also investigating allegations of racism against Chelsea and England captain John Terry. He denies claims he racially abused the brother of Rio Ferdinand, Anton, during a Premier League match.

Blatter: No on-field racism in football

The UK sports minister Hugh Robertson echoed calls for Blatter to quit. "Racism is a criminal offense in this country and anybody who is caught will face criminal sanctions," he told CNN.

"What Sepp Blatter has said, in this country, is just completely wrong as well as morally indefensible. This is the latest episode that calls into question whether this man should be the head of world football. For the sake of the game, he should go.

"We have been consistent in our calls for improved governance at FIFA and this underlines the need for that once more. We must never be complacent in our efforts to tackle racism. There is no place or excuse for it either on or off the pitch."

The "Kick It Out" group, who campaign against racism in football, said Blatter's comments were worryingly out of touch.

"Shaking hands to compensate for a racial slur is not what the game has signed up to, and trivializes the work of campaigns like Kick It Out."

Blatter clarified his comments in a statement on FIFA's website that carried a picture of him embracing Tokyo Sexwale, a prominent South African politician who has campaigned against racism.

Ferdinand responded to the picture on his Twitter account, saying: "Fifa clear up the Blatter comments with a pic of him posing with a black man..I need the hand covering eyes symbol!!"

Blatter comments spark Twitter fury

Today, Blatter responded to Ferdinand directly on Twitter, writing: "The 'black man' as you call him has a name: Tokyo Sexwale. He has done tremendous work against racism and apartheid in Africa.

"We have done several joint activities to raise awareness on the struggle against racism in South Africa. FIFA has a long standing and proud record in the area of anti-discrimination which will continue."

Later Ferdinand replied: "To say what you said about racism in football spoke volumes of your ignorance to the subject. If we want to stamp out racism in society a football pitch is a good place to start -- loved by billions of people around the world (sic)."

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said racism was still prevalent in football, but the top tier in the English game was fighting hard to eradicate it.

He said: "Racism certainly still exists in football, albeit reduced, but there are still issues, of course there are, and we're not complacent about that.

"But I think it's a bit of a stretch to say it doesn't exist because it does."

"The English game had led and been at the forefront of reducing incidents of racist behavior -- it's totally unacceptable, everybody in the game in England understands it is totally unacceptable.

"We have that reputation, as far as I'm aware, that reputation is still intact but the game will deal with whatever is thrown against it. There is no place for it in football, let alone in England, and we will strive to eradicate it."

Sports journalist and London Evening Standard columnist Mihir Bose said Blatter's views demonstrated that he is out of touch with the modern game.

He told CNN "This won't topple him. It will damage him further but you could argue he was damaged goods anyway.

"Blatter wants to be a showman, he wants to be in the public eye ... but these comments are incredibly insensitive and crass."

Bose said that although great strides have been made in the fight against racism in football, there is still much work to do.

"Much of the racist attitudes that saw bananas being thrown onto the field at black players has gone, but there is still a pervasive racism," he added.

"White players feel racism has been conquered but there remains a feeling of discrimination in the game which is why black players have reacted with outrage at Blatter's comments.

"They feel there is still not a level playing field -- they feel all they have fought for over the years has been devalued."

Can European soccer stamp out racism?

There have also been several instances of racism in European football this year.

Former Brazil player Roberto Carlos walked off the pitch during a game in Russia when a banana was thrown at him and Chelsea's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun was taunted during a game in Malaysia.

Source: CNNSPORTS

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Presidents Cup captains put Woods against Scott on day one

Tiger Woods will come face to face with Australian Adam Scott and his controversial ex-caddy Steve Williams when the 2011 Presidents Cup begins on Thursday.

U.S. captain Fred Couples picked former world No. 1 Woods to partner Steve Stricker in the day's sixth and final foursomes match against the International pairing of Scott and South Korean veteran K.J. Choi in Melbourne.

Woods has won 18 of his 29 Presidents Cup matches, going 5-0 in 2009 as he and Stricker won all four matches together.

Williams recently caused controversy by aiming a racial slur at his former employer Woods during an awards function in Shanghai, China.

The top-10 golfing presidents

The New Zealander has since apologized for the outburst, with 14-time major winner Woods and world No.7 Scott both saying they would have no problems competing at close quarters during the four-day event.

International captain Greg Norman and Couples denied that the match-up was premeditated.

"I think it's great for the tournament," two-time British Open winner Norman told the PGA Tour's official website. "It needed to be done. It played out the way it played out. There wasn't any premeditation by it.

"I think at the end of the day, the guys in that last group will be the consummate professionals and go out and play the game of golf representing their International team and the U.S. team the way they should do."

Woods unfazed by possible Scott clash

Couples, who led the U.S. to a sixth victory in eight stagings of the event in 2009, agreed with the Australian.

"I think it worked out awesome for everybody involved to have Adam and Tiger play," the 1992 Masters champion said. "As we said all along, they are still very good friends, and I think it's an exciting match."

The action will begin at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club with American duo Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson going up against South Africa's three-time major winner Ernie Els and Japan's Ryo Ishikawa -- who at 18 is the youngest player to appear at the event.

Match two pits the U.S. pair of Fedex Cup champion Bill Haas and Nick Watney against Australian Geoff Ogilvy and South Africa's 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel.

Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar will face U.S.-born Australian Aaron Baddeley and world No. 8 Jason Day in match three.

The experienced pairing of four-time major winner Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk will play for the U.S. in match four, against South Africa's two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen and fellow veteran Robert Allenby of Australia.

The penultimate match sees Presidents Cup debutant Kyung-tae Kim and experienced fellow South Korean Y.E. Yang take on U.S. Ryder Cup players Hunter Mahan and David Toms.

After Thursday's opening foursomes, the fourball matches begin on Friday. Saturday sees both formats played before the winner is crowned following Sunday's 12 singles matches.

Meanwhile, Woods will make his first appearance at the European Tour's Abu Dhabi Golf Championship when the 2012 season begins in January.

The 35-year-old will therefore miss the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, his traditional season-opening event, in an attempt to claim a portion of the $2.7 million prize fund on offer at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Woods' participation in the event, which was first played in 2006, was confirmed by tournament organizers on Wednesday.

Source: CNN

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Lockout forces NBA to scrap games through Dec. 15

,The National Basketball Association has notified teams that regular season games through to Dec. 15 have been canceled because of the labor dispute that has locked out players for nearly five months, a league spokesman said on Tuesday.

The NBA had already scrapped the first month of a regular season that was originally scheduled to begin Nov. 1 and the latest move came a day after players rejected a contract offer that included plans for a shortened season. 

Only the first month of the regular season has officially been scrapped but NBA Comissioner David Stern said last week that the 2011-12 campaign would start in mid-December if a deal with players was reached.

The latest collective barganing agreement, that players turned down on Monday, called for a 50-50 split of basketball related income between the owners and players and would have provided for a 72-game season to start on Dec. 15.

The National Basketball Players Association also said it would no longer continue in collective bargaining and would dissolve the union to become a trade association in order to pursue legal action against the NBA.

A shift from the negotiating table to the courts sets the stage for a potentially lengthy battle with the entire NBA season hanging in the balance.

The NBA, which claims it lost $300 million last season with 22 of its 30 teams in the red, locked out players on July 1.

Players, who received 57 percent of basketball income in the previous contract, also are at odds with the owners over rules governing contracts and free agency. 


Source: GMANEWS

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Funeral held in Philadelphia for boxing great Joe Frazier

Boxing great Joe Frazier was laid to rest Monday in Philadelphia, one week after dying of liver cancer and four decades after capturing the world's attention in an epic showdown with Muhammad Ali.

Ali was among those at Frazier's private funeral at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, along with other boxing luminaries such as promoter Don King and current World Boxing Council champion Bernard Hopkins, video from CNN affiliate CSN Philly showed. Civil rights activist Jesse Jackson and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter were also in attendance.

A program for the service billed it as the "Homegoing Celebration of Joseph Frazier," offering friends and family one last chance to pay their respects to the late 67-year-old athlete.

He died November 7, just a month after being diagnosed with liver cancer.

Over his career, the former two-time heavyweight champion became a legend in his own right and personified the gritty working-class style of his hard-knuckled adopted hometown, Philadelphia -- the setting for the "Rocky" film series, starring Sylvester Stallone as hardscrabble boxer Rocky Balboa. Nutter earlier called Frazier the "quintessential Philadelphia boxer."

"You could hear him coming, snorting and grunting and puffing, like a steam engine climbing a steep grade," Bill Lyon wrote in a Philadelphia Inquirer column about Frazier, who was nicknamed "Smokin' Joe."

Frazier used his devastating left hook with impunity during his professional career, retiring with a 32-4-1 record.

Frazier bested Ali in 1971's "Fight of the Century" at Madison Square Garden. In the 15th round, Frazier landed perhaps the most famous left hook in history, catching Ali on the jaw and dropping the former champ for a four-count, according to Frazier's bio at the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Frazier left the ring as the undisputed champ after handing Ali his first professional loss.

Ali won a 12-round decision in a January 1974, rematch, setting the stage for the classic "Thrilla in Manila" just outside of the Philippine capital in 1975. Ali took the early rounds, but Frazier rebounded before losing the last five rounds. By the end of the 14th, Frazier's eyes were nearly swollen shut, and his corner stopped the bout, according to the biography.

After that loss to Ali, Frazier was knocked out by George Foreman in June 1976. He came back for a fight in 1981, but then retired from competition. Yet he remained linked to the sport and his adopted hometown, running a well-known boxing gym in Philadelphia for years.

Source: CNN

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Defending champion Federer faces Nadal in ATP Tour Finals

Defending champion Roger Federer has been drawn with longtime rival Rafael Nadal in the group stages of the ATP World Tour Finals in London next week.

Federer beat Nadal in the final of the end-of-season championships last year and will go into the tournament at the 02 Arena off the back of tournament wins in Basel and Paris.

Group B is completed by Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and American Mardy Fish.

World No.1 Novak Djokovic heads Group A where he is joined by home hope Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic and Spain's David Ferrer.

Djokovic pulled out of last week's Paris Masters at the quarterfinal stage to protect a nagging shoulder injury, but is hopeful of being able to compete in London.

The Serbian has dominated this season with three grand slam titles, the first in Australia where he beat Murray in the final.

The 30-year-old Federer will be bidding for a record sixth finals title to break out of a tie with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

His only grand slam final appearance this season came at the French Open where he lost to Nadal on the Paris clay.

Murray, who has overtaken Federer for third spot in the world rankings, won three straight tournaments before a quarterfinal loss to Berdych in Paris.

The tournament begins on Sunday with Federer taking on Tsonga in a repeat of the Paris Masters final he won in straight sets.

World No.2 Nadal then faces Fish in the evening session.

Murray starts against Ferrer Monday afternoon with Djokovic in action for the first time in the evening session against Berdych.

The top two from each group progress to the knockout semifinal stage with the final held on Sunday November 27.

The world's top eight doubles teams are also competing in London, which is staging the tournament for the third time.

Group A: Novak Djokovic (SRB), Andy Murray (GBR), David Ferrer (ESP), Tomas Berdych (CZE)

Group B: Rafael Nadal (ESP), Roger Federer (SUI), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA), Mardy Fish (USA)

Source: CNN.COM

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