Gatland welcomes return of ‘ageing’ legend Carter
HOLDING golf’s Ryder Cup later this year without fans present due to the Covid-19 pandemic would almost make the event “a “yawner”, US captain Steve Stricker has said.
Golf’s calendar has been decimated by the novel coronavirus outbreak, with three of the sport’s four majors rescheduled and the Open Championship cancelled. The biennial Ryder Cup competition between the United States and Europe is scheduled for September 25-27 at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin and fans are unlikely to be able to attend if it goes ahead.
“This event is made by the fans. If it was without fans, it almost would be a yawner of an event,” Stricker told Golf Affect Radio. “To cheat out the Wisconsin fans would be a crime.”
DAN Carter’s surprise return to New Zealand rugby after five years was welcomed yesterday, though Chiefs coach Warren Gatland joked that at 38 the three-time World Player of the Year was “getting a bit old”.
Carter has joined the Blues for New Zealand’s domestic Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, linking up with Beauden Barrett and giving coach Leon MacDonald some valuable experience in the young squad.
“He’s getting a bit old now, 38 or something,” former Wales coach Gatland joked in a conference call with reporters. “(But) he has been a legend of New Zealand rugby and I don’t see any negatives towards it.
“For him to be able to come back to New Zealand and lace his boots up, I just think it’s good for the youngsters.”