Woods, McIlroy form partnership
DANIEL French is more than ready to resume battle with his cousin.
French is the only Otago bowler in the New Zealand indoor bowls team heading to Australia this weekend for the longdelayed defence of the Henselite Trophy.
The Mat Blacks will play the Australians over three days of intensive competition in Ballarat.
It has been nearly three and ahalf years since the Mat Blacks pipped Australia 3432 in a thrilling clash in Invercargill.
French, a Dunedin painter, was part of that successful national squad in 2019 but, like his teammates, has had to bide his time for the rematch while the pandemic raged.
‘‘There’s been a heap of cancellations, and tournaments getting affected when everyone gets Covid,’’ French said.
‘‘It’s just been a nightmare. ‘‘It will be good to get out of New Zealand for a week and play some bowls, and we haven’t been able to catch up with our teammates much for a couple of years, so that will be good as well.’’
More than most in the New Zealand team, French has some inside oil on how the transtasman rivals will play.
His cousin, Kyle French, is a member of the Australian squad.
‘‘He moved over about 15 years ago.
‘‘I won’t actually be playing against him this time, but I played against him in our last two tests.
‘‘They’ve players.’’
Daniel French will play the singles before joining Simon got some good
Thomas and Michael Lawson in a proven triples combination.
Singles games are in the morning sessions and triples in the afternoon, so there will barely be time to catch his breath.
French made his New Zealand debut in Sydney in 2017.
The Henselite Trophy is normally played every two years.
TORONTO: Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy announced yesterday the launch of TMRW Sports, a company that will aim to use technology as a way to cultivate a younger golf audience.
The company’s name is pronounced ‘‘tomorrow sports’’ and Mike McCarley, who served as NBC Sports’ president, golf and global strategy, will serve as its chief executive, the three cofounders said in a joint news release.
‘‘So many athletes, entertainers and people I meet from all walks of life share our passion for sports, but they also share our desire to build a better future for the next generation of sports fans,’’ 15times major champion Woods said.
‘‘Together, we can harness technology to bring fresh approaches to the sports we love.’’
The announcement follows a Golfweek report on Sunday that said Woods and McIlroy, two of the game’s biggest stars, were leading a new venture that would have top golfers competing in a nongreen grass stadium environment held in partnership with the PGA Tour.
It also comes amid the PGA Tour’s ongoing battle to grow and increase its presence in the face of the Saudi Arabiafunded LIV Golf series which has lured players away from the USbased circuit with staggering sums of money.
In addition to Woods, McIlroy, and McCarley, former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol, who was an executive producer for major events like the Olympics and Super Bowl, was announced as an initial investor in TMRW Sports.
Additional partners and investors, as well as early projects in the TMRW Sports pipeline, will be announced soon, according to the news release.
‘‘By joining forces with Tiger, Mike, and other TMRW Sports partners, we can shape the way that media and technology improve the sports experience,’’ fourtimes major winner and world No 4 McIlroy said.
‘‘In a world where technology provides us with so many choices for using our time, we want to make sports more accessible for as many people as possible.’’ — Reuters