Veterans earn Ryder Cup nod
Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey were selected Wednesday as Europe’s wild cards for the Ryder Cup, with captain Thomas Bjorn opting for experienced players to balance a team already containing five rookies.
The four picks have made 20 Ryder Cup appearances between them, and each has won at least 50 percent of their matches in golf’s biggest team competition.
“You need people like that,” Bjorn said, “who have been there and done it, positively and negatively.”
Garcia, who will be making his ninth appearance, was called up by Bjorn despite a slump in form since winning the Masters last year for his first major title. He has only one top10 finish since March but it came in the French Open at Le Golf National in Paris, where the Ryder Cup will take place from Sept. 28-30.
“Not only is he a fantastic player, but what he also brings is he makes everyone around him better,” said Bjorn. “He is what’s great about the European team room.”
The same could be said about Poulter, who is back for his sixth Ryder Cup after missing the 2016 edition that the Americans won at Hazeltine. The Englishman — nicknamed “Mr. Ryder Cup” by some — has lost only four of 18 Ryder Cup matches, is undefeated in singles, and was the inspiration behind the European team’s comeback from 10-6 behind to win in Medinah in 2012.
The eight automatic qualifiers were Rory McIlroy, Francesco Molinari, Justin Rose, Thorbjorn Olesen, Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren.
Five of them — Olesen, Rahm, Hatton, Fleetwood and Noren — are rookies and Bjorn was aware of the problems his predecessor as captain, Darren Clarke, encountered with six first-timers in his 2016 team. FOWLER RETURNS >> Rickie Fowler has stayed at home for the last three weeks and two FedEx Cup playoff events because of a partial tear to his right oblique, which he says might turn out to be the best for him. He returns this week to the BMW Classic at Aronimink CC in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia.
Players at his level face one of the busiest stretches of the year with four FedEx Cup events in five weeks, followed by the Ryder Cup.
“It wasn’t planned to miss, but it could end up being a good thing with the stretch we have coming up,” Fowler said. “So glad to be back. Nice to be back without pain.”
Hockey
NEW INVESTORS ANNOUNCED AS PART OF SEATTLE’S NHL BID >> The investment group hoping to bring an expansion NHL franchise to Seattle for the 2020 season has announced a new set of local investors including Seattle Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer and members of the Ackerley family that previously owned the Seattle SuperSonics.
Seattle Hockey Partners, the group looking to secure the franchise, also announced Wednesday that it will make a presentation before the executive committee of the NHL Board of Governors on Oct. 2.
College football
NEBRASKA LOOKING FOR 12TH GAME >> Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos says he is doing all he can to find a 12th regular-season game for the Cornhuskers. The opener against Akron on Saturday was called off because of inclement weather. Nebraska wanted to play Akron on Sunday, but the Zips couldn’t find a hotel for Saturday night.
Moos said rescheduling the game against Akron for Dec. 1 is an option as long as one or both teams are not playing in a conference championship game that day. Another possibility is to fill the scheduled open date Oct. 27 with a game against an opponent likely from the Football Championship Subdivision.
OKLAHOMA DE ADDISON GUMBS TO TRANSFER >> Oklahoma defensive end/ linebacker Addison Gumbs has chosen to transfer because of personal reasons. Gumbs, a sophomore from Hayward, had eight tackles and a pass breakup in four games last season. The 6-foot-3, 253-pounder was in the mix for a starting job this year but sustained a season-ending knee injury last week.
NBA
CLIPPERS KEEP WALLACE >> The Los Angeles Clippers have matched an offer sheet by the New Orleans Pelicans and will retain former Cal guard Tyrone Wallace. He played in 30 games for the Clippers last season on a twoway contract, averaging 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Wallace spent the early part of last season with the team’s G League affiliate in Ontario, California, averaging 22.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 26 games.
Cycling
DE MARCHI WINS LONGEST STAGE OF SPANISH VUELTA >> Alessandro De Marchi broke away with 3.1 miles left to win the longest stage of the Spanish Vuelta, while Simon Yates kept his slim lead over Alejandro Valverde in the overall standings.
Track and field
FORMER WORLD HALF MARATHON CHAMPION PAUL KOECH DIES >> Paul Koech, a former world half marathon champion and long-time teammate of Kenyan great Paul Tergat, has died. He was 49. The Kenyan track and field federation said that Koech died Monday after a short illness. The federation did not release any more details.
Soccer
DAVID BECKHAM’S TEAM NAMED INTER MIAMI >> David Beckham’s Major League Soccer team will be called Inter Miami. The former Manchester United midfielder wants the club to start playing in 2020, but it lacks a stadium after years trying to find a site in Miami.
USWNT LOOKING FOR EXECUTIVE >> The U.S. Soccer Federation says it will identify a preliminary list of candidates for the new position of general manager for the women’s national team by November. The U.S. Soccer Board of Directors announced the creation of GM positions for the men’s and women’s national teams last December. Former U.S. midfielder Earnie Stewart started as GM of the men’s side this month.
Because the next 10 months are expected to be busy for the women’s team, with World Cup qualifying next month and the tournament set for next summer in France, the women’s GM will initially serve in an observation and support role, aiding coach Jill Ellis.