Scott Murray's Blog, page 54
June 5, 2022
Minjee Lee wins US Women’s Open golf – as it happened
The upwardly mobile Vu is going round today with Lexi Thompson, who is heading the other way. She’s one over for her round today through the first six holes, having bogeyed 2. The 2014 Dinah Shore winner - how on earth does Lexi only have one major on her roll of honour?! - won’t be in the thick of it today. Small mercies: at least she won’t be put through the ringer like she was at Olympic last year.
The world number one Ko Jin-young opens with a birdie ... and so here’s our first opportunity to update the upper reaches of the leaderboard.
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June 4, 2022
Hungary 1-0 England: Nations League – as it happened
Hungary punished misfiring England in Budapest, ending a 60-year wait for victory over the Three Lions
Hungary get the ball rolling ... and so much for the previously respectful atmosphere, which curdles a little as England’s taking of the knee is given the unambiguous bird. Bah. There’s no room for racism.
... but before kick-off, a minute of applause in memory of former Hungary midfielder István Szőke, who died earlier this week at the age of 75. Szőke’s goals helped Hungary to the semi-finals of Euro 72.
Continue reading...June 2, 2022
Spain v Portugal, Northern Ireland v Greece: Nations League – as it happened
4 min: Portuguese hearts in mouths as Azpilicueta takes a shot that’s blocked. The ball pings to Gavi, who nearly buries a shot from the edge of the box. It’s deflected inches wide right, then at the corner Portugal keeper Diogo Costa flaps hysterically. He’s fortunate to get a second chance to claim the ball.
2 min: Azpilicueta and Morata try to combine crisply down the right, but Pepe is having none of it. He snaffles possession and clears up.
Continue reading...June 1, 2022
Scotland 1-3 Ukraine: World Cup 2022 qualifying playoff – as it happened
Ukraine will play Wales for a place at Qatar 2022 after an emotional, deserved victory at Hampden Park
Amid the hubbub, the referee’s whistle can just about be heard. Scotland, in their famous dark blue, kick off! Ukraine resplendent in yellow.
Ще не вмерла України і слава, і воля. The teams take to the field of play. A trademark Hampden Roar. Ukraine’s players emerge, every man draped in their country’s flag. The national anthem of Ukraine rings around Hampden, sung loudly and proudly, and with great determination. Hundreds of blue and yellow Ukrainian flags aloft in the stands. A riot of colour and glorious noise, some beautiful bedlam. All four corners of Hampden respond with thundering applause.
Continue reading...The Fiver | Italy, Argentina and a pompous moniker … it’s the 2022 Finalissima!
The biggest game of football tonight is, of course, the emotional World Cup qualifying playoff between Ukraine, currently under invasion by Russia, and Scotland, colonised since 1707. Good luck to one and all there. However in a masterclass of scheduling, another notable fixture is taking place this evening a few hundred miles south of Hampden Park. A Wembley showdown between European champions Italy and Copa America winners Argentina: the 2022 Finalissima!
Continue reading...May 26, 2022
The Fiver | Nottingham Forest, Huddersfield and ‘the most lucrative fixture in football’
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We’re going to have to preview Big Cup on Friday, aren’t we? That means we won’t be able to talk about the other big game taking place this weekend. Yes, it’s the Oscar Wilde Final on Sunday afternoon, the match everyone’s seemingly contractually obliged to refer to as the most lucrative fixture in football, albeit only by people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Yes, approximately £170m blah future revenues for the winners drone next three years chunter waffle blah, but the occasion itself should be loved on its own terms, right? That’s right!
Continue reading...May 24, 2022
The Fiver | Yes, it’s close-season transfer time, when anything goes
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The ticker on the BBC News channel went haywire on Tuesday morning, churning out random arrant nonsense such as “Manchester United are rubbish”, “Weather rain everywhere” and … actually, we don’t see the problem with this. Nevertheless, the corporation decided to issue an immediate apology, explaining that someone who didn’t know what the hell they were doing had typed the first thing that came into their vacant head and hit send, which was big of the BBC, because it’s not as though the Guardian has ever said sorry for The Fiver, and they’ve had more than 20 years to set the record straight. So let’s not get too judgmental here.
Continue reading...May 22, 2022
Justin Thomas wins 2022 US PGA Championship – as it happened
Yep, it was too good to last. McIlroy chunks his chip up from the side of 6, and he can’t make the lengthy par putt he leaves himself. He’s four over for this hole this week. The par-threes really have done a number on him. A large one. He slips back to -3.
More McIlroy magic! He crashes a 357-yard drive down the par-five 5th, then from the centre of the fairway finds a greenside bunker with his second. The mistake doesn’t cost him anything, though. He splashes out from 30 yards to four feet, and tidies up for his fourth birdie in a row. He’s doing it again, isn’t he? Chances of making it five on the spin look remote, though. He found water to the left of the par-three 6th yesterday, and, clearly not of a mind to do it again, sends his tee shot down the swale to the right of the green.
Continue reading...May 21, 2022
US PGA Championship 2022: third round – as it happened
Par for Webb Simpson at 18, and the 2012 US Open champion signs for a magnificent 65. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -1, for what that’s worth at this early stage. Meanwhile Tiger continues his slow prowl home. He just needs two pars to avoid a round of 80, and the nerves are beginning to jangle. He sends his tee shot at the shortened 17th into greenside sand, then nearly sends his escape down a swale. The ball just clings onto the fringe, from where he leaves his 20-foot birdie attempt a couple of feet short, enough to set the knees clacking. In goes the putt, though, and everyone at Southern Hills is hoping that the 15-time major winner will soon be signing for a 79. Golf can thrill and charm in so many different ways. Like I say, a very, very, very, very, very strange game.
Sensational scenes on 12! Kramer Hickok is making his major-championship debut this week. The 30-year-old from Dallas shot a pair of 71s to easily make the cut, but upon finding his second shot plugged in a greenside bunker on 12, already three over for his round, may have been wondering why he bothered. His attempted splash out hit the lip, rebounded onto his leg, then settled in the deep footprint he’d left. A huge mountain of sand behind his ball. All he can do is attempt to batter through it and see if his ball powers out. It doesn’t, and nearly rolls back behind the mountain again. But fortunately it rolls inches past, allowing a clean strike at sand wedge number three. You already know what happens next, don’t you? Yep, straight in. The crowd go wild, his partner Jon Rahm offers a grin and a congratulatory fist bump, and golf is a very, very, very, very, very strange game indeed. Just a bogey for Hickok, who slips to +5 but will always remember that wonderful slapstick fun. Kramer’s namesake Cosmo couldn’t have done it any better.
Continue reading...May 20, 2022
US PGA Championship 2022: second round – as it happened
KH Lee is a man in form. Last week, the 30-year-old South Korean became only the fourth man in history to successfully defend the Byron Nelson. That’s no mean feat, given the other three are Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson! He’s got an utterly dreadful record in major championships, though: five appearances, five cuts missed. He’s looking good to break that sorry run this week, though. A 69 yesterday, and a 30-yard rake for birdie at 6 moves him to -2 overall.
The par-five 13th was the easiest hole on the golf course yesterday, averaging 4.84 shots and giving up 42 birdies. No great surprise, then, that Justin Thomas has just picked up his second birdie of the day on the hole. He looks in the mood to post something to give Rory McIlroy pause for thought this afternoon ... and has already joined him at the top of the leaderboard!
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