Kitayama settles for 2nd place in Open
Kitayama had two eagles on the final day — at the par-5 Nos. 6 and 12 — but still finished in second place.
>> Justin Harding held on to his overnight lead to win the European Tour’s Kenya Open by two shots with a 5-under 66 in the final round on Sunday, holding off Chico’s Kurt Kitayama.
The South African had a two-shot overnight lead and didn’t relinquish that to claim his second tour title. He finished 21 under overall.
Harding had three birdies and an eagle but crucially didn’t drop a shot all day.
The closest he came to being caught was when playing partner Kitayama of the United States briefly cut Harding’s lead to one shot midway through the final round.
Kitayama had two eagles on the final day — at the par-5 Nos. 6 and 12 — but still finished with a 66 for second place.
Connor Syme was two further shots back in third on 17 under after closing with a 64. Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez (63) was another shot back in fourth.
Harding won the 2019 Qatar Masters, and he finished in a tie for second when the Kenya Open made its debut on the European Tour in 2019. HARKINS 36TH ON KORN FERRY TOUR >> Roberto Diaz of Mexico won the Chitimacha Louisiana Open for his first
Korn Kerry Tour title.
The 34-year- old Diaz closed with a 3-under 68 for a one-stroke victory over Peter Uihlein at Le Triomphe Golf and Country Club. Diaz finished at 18 under.
Uihlein shot a 67. Tom Whitney (63) was third at 16 under.
Former Chico State standout Brandon Harkins closed with a 69 to finished tied for 36th at 5 under. He earned $3,165.
JONES WINS HONDA CLASSIC >> When Matt Jones won his first PGA Tour title seven years ago, he needed a 45foot birdie putt just to get into a playoff and then a 40-yard chip-in to take the victory.
This win was far less dramatic, yet just as meaningful.
It got him back to the Masters.
Jones won the Honda Classic by five shots, a final round of 2-under 68 good enough to finish the week at 12-under 268 at PGA National. The margin matched the largest in tournament history, tying the mark set by Jack Nicklaus in 1977 and matched by Camilo Villegas in 2010.
Olympics
TOKYO GAMES REALLY NEED TV MONEY >> The Tokyo Olympics and the International Olympic Committee have banned fans from abroad with the games opening in four months. It’s part of the fallout from holding the Olympics in the middle of a pandemic.
IOC President Thomas Bach said Saturday he was “sorry” when the decision was announced. In truth, what matters to the IOC — like any sports business that relies for most of its income on selling broadcast rights — is getting the Olympics on television. Broadcast rights in the latest four-year Olympic cycle accounted for 73% of the IOC’s income. That broadcast income amounts to about $ 4 billion with American network NBC paying about half.
The IOC must get the 11,000 athletes into the venues and in front of cameras. Japanese residents will fill the stands to whatever level is allowed. The decision on venue capacity will come next month.
But barring fans from abroad has created collateral damage and lots of questions.
Skiing
FELLER WINS SEASON-ENDING RACE >> Rising from sixth place after the first run in a World Cup slalom, Manuel Feller won the seasonending race.
First-run leader Marco Schwarz, who already took the season-long slalom title, lost speed in a difficult section of gates and dropped to sixth place.
Feller benefited from his Austrian teammate’s error and finished 0.08 seconds ahead of Clément Noël of France.
ROBINSON EDGE SHIFFRIN IN FINALE >> An aggressive second run lifted teenager Alice Robinson ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin to win a giant slalom that ended the women’s World Cup ski season.
Robinson had been fourth-fastest in the opening run, trailing 2018 Olympic champion Shiffrin by 0.77 seconds, yet turned it into a victory by 0.28 at Lenzerheide. Meta Hrovat placed third, trailing Robinson by 0.48.
It was the 19-year- old New Zealander’s third win in giant slalom on the World Cup circuit.
“Good job,” Shiffrin told Robinson in the finish area. Shiffrin, who turned 26 last week, had also started winning World Cup races as a teenager.