Stokes mocked gay couple before brawl, court told

The 2016 US Open remains his only major victory. He has been in contention often enough to have plenty of silverware.

McIlroy, meanwhile, has heaps of great golf left in him but needs to win a major on a firm and difficult track to shed the tag of being a flat track bully, to use cricketing parlance for a batsman who runs up big scores when conditions are favourable.

McIlroy’s four major titles have all come on rain-softened courses where he could bomb away his driver and attack with his irons. He should be at home this week.

Apart from the usual suspects, another player worth keeping close tabs on is American Tony Finau, who has finished in the top 10 in all three majors this year.

A prodigiously long hitter, statistically the third longest driver on the PGA Tour this year, he reduces pretty much every par-five to a par-four. If he finds the fairways at Bellerive, watch out.

A modest but not particularly deep rough will sometimes penalise errant drives, while the greens, which need to be watered this time of year to keep them alive, should allow players to fire fearlessly at the pins.

Englishman Ross Fisher says the greens are “unusually slow for a major, very soft” but all in all he likes what he sees.

“The fairways are 40-50 yards wide so if you miss the fairway you know you’re driving it poorly this week,” the world No. 46 said yesterday. – Reuters ENGLAND cricketer Ben Stokes (caricature) mocked a gay couple’s “camp behaviour” before losing his self-control and knocking two other men unconscious in a street fight last September, a court heard yesterday. Stokes – on trial for alleged affray – acted in “revenge, retaliation or punishment” and was involved in a “sustained episode of significant violence”, prosecutor Nicholas Corsellis told a jury at Bristol Crown Court in southwest England. Stokes, 27, who starred on Saturday as England beat India in a Test Match at Edgbaston, is accused of knocking out 27-year-old Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, 28 in a brawl. All three are on trial and each denies the charge of affray. The court heard that Stokes had been staying in a Bristol hotel with the England cricket team. He did not know the other two defendants, who were local and were friends. Stokes and some England teammates, including batsman Alex Hales, arrived at Mbargo nightclub at around 11:30pm. Stokes and Hales left at 12:46am and returned at 2:08am. Told that the club was closed, Stokes first offered doorman Andrew Cunningham £60 (RM300) to get back in, then £300 (RM1,500). Stokes then began insulting the bouncer’s gold teeth and tattoos. Described by the prosecution as two “flamboyant, extrovert and openly gay” regulars, Kai Barry and William O’Connor, then left the club. Footage showed they had had some contact with Stokes and Hales inside. Cunningham saw Stokes “mimicking their voices and mannerisms” in a derogatory way, mocking their “camp behaviour”, the prosecutor said. Security camera footage appeared to show Stokes copying hand gestures and flicking a cigarette at O’Connor’s head. Ali and Hale left Mbargo at 2:23am and engaged in conversation with Barry and O’Connor, before Barry touched Ali’s groin and Ali pushed him away, jurors heard. Footage appeared to show Ali raising a bottle and striking at Barry. Stokes then threw a punch towards Ali and the pair fell to the ground and grappled, the court heard. As the brawl continued, Hales repeatedly tried to get Stokes to stop, the jury was told. Stokes was arrested at the scene. “When being told by the officers the reason for his arrest, Stokes said that he had acted in the way that he did ‘because he was abusing my two friends for being gay’,” the prosecutor said. – AFP