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PFL partners with Verdict MMA, first ever fan scoring app

Mar 09. 2021

By PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE PARTNERS WITH VERDICT MMA, FIRST EVER FAN SCORING APP

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) announced a partnership with Verdict MMA, the first ever global fight scoring and prediction app.

MMA fans will be able to add round-by-round scoring for the main card bouts to be broadcast on ESPN2 throughout the 2021 PFL Season.

The partnership will continue the PFL’s vision of reimagining the sport of MMA by continuing to bring fans closer to the action and to integrate their voice into the television broadcast. Verdict MMA offers the fight community the ability to engage with one another before, during and after bouts by predicting fight outcomes, live scoring of the action and enabling lively post-fight debate.

Verdict MMA has gained a rapid following among fight fans accumulating more than 3.8 million rounds scored and over 5 million fight predictions since inception. The fast-growing company has expanded its user base organically through social media and are excited to be moving from mobile screens to television screens.

“The PFL is excited to be able to integrate Verdict MMA’s industry-leading app into all of our digital platforms as well as our broadcasts,” said PFL Chief Digital Officer, Dan Ghosh-Roy. “This is exciting technology that will allow the millions of MMA fans around the globe to actively participate while consuming PFL content.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with the PFL in 2021,” said Verdict MMA Co-Founder, Mandeep Singh. “This is the perfect partnership as both the PFL and Verdict MMA share the same core values of fan engagement and innovation in MMA. Fans will score fights at home and see the Global Scorecard presented on the PFL broadcast. There’s never been anything done like this in combat sports history. This is as interactive as you can get.”

Professional Fighters League has quickly established itself as the No. 2 MMA company in the world. The league has experienced tremendous YoY growth across digital channels – 68% follower increase on Instagram, 30% total audience growth across digital and a 200% social engagement spike. Domestic linear viewing audience was up 43% in 2019, and the Championship on New Year’s Eve surpassed 500,000 viewers, a 65% YoY increase

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HSBC Women’s World Championship set for April return

Mar 09. 2021Sung Hyun Park with the HSBC Women’s World Championship Trophy.

Defending champion Sung-hyun Park and World No.1 Jin-young Ko have confirmed on International Women’s Day that they will head what is set to be a star-studded field when the HSBC Women’s World Championship returns to Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore from 29 April to 2 May this year.

Joining them in the elite field will be fellow South Korean and two-time winner of the tournament Inbee Park, major winner Danielle Kang from the U.S. and five-time LPGA Tour winner, Minjee Lee of Australia.

Recognised as one of the premier golf events in Asia, the HSBC Women’s World Championship marks a welcome return for professional women’s golf to Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region after its one-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sung-hyun Park’s ‘Namdalla’ fan club now boasts over 11,000 members worldwide. Translated from Korean to English, ‘Namdalla’ means ‘I am different’ and that is certainly the case for this self-taught player with one of the most admired swings in the game. She has been a trailblazer since arriving on the LPGA Tour in 2017, claiming the first of her two majors at the US Women’s Open together with the LPGA Tour’s Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year awards in her debut year.

Cool, calm and collected, she returns to Sentosa ranked No.11 in the world and will be keen to add to her tally of seven LPGA Tour wins.*

“I’m excited to be coming back to Singapore to defend my HSBC Women’s World Championship title. It was an exciting final day in 2019 and I managed to put in a strong fourth round to take the championship. The HSBC Women’s World Championship is one of my favourite events on Tour and we are all very grateful to HSBC and the Singapore Tourism Board for all their efforts in ensuring this year’s tournament takes place. I had immense support out on course in 2019 so I’m looking forward to getting back out there and playing my best golf,” said Sung-hyun Park.

Jin-young Ko will be looking to find the same form that propelled her to the top spot in the world rankings in her last full season on tour. Combining raw talent with consistency, she made no less than 12 top-10 finishes in 2019, including four wins and two majors. Tying for third at the HSBC Women’s World Championship, the 25-year old will surely be backing herself to claim the top prize in 2021.

Champion in 2015 and 2017 and LPGA Hall of Famer, Inbee Park needs little introduction. With 20 LPGA Tour wins under her belt, seven majors and an Olympic gold medal, she knows better than anyone what it takes to win and will be one to watch on the Tanjong Course.

Danielle Kang returns to Singapore having come ever so close in 2018, before having to settle for tied-second place behind compatriot and friend Michelle Wie. Currently ranked fifth in the world, she too will see this as an opportunity to build on her five LPGA Tour victories to date.

And while Minjee Lee might not have the home club entourage that usually follows her from Western Australia to Singapore each year, a second place finish in 2019 will be all the encouragement she needs to go one better this year.

With safety restrictions set to remain in place until after the tournament, HSBC Women’s World Championship 2021 will be a limited attendance event. Prioritising the safety of players, officials and corporate guests, organisers are working with the Singapore Tourism Board and relevant authorities to finalise health and safety protocols for every aspect of the tournament, including adhering to prevailing safe management measures (SMMs) pre and post-event.

Despite the challenges brought about by the pandemic, fans will still be able to look forward to the intense competition and thrilling action that the tournament has become known for over the years.

Speaking about the return of the tournament to the city state, Tony Cripps, HSBC CEO, Singapore, said:

“The HSBC Women’s World Championship is our flagship event in women’s golf and we are thrilled to have recently announced our ongoing commitment as title partner of the event. Hosting this tournament in one of HSBC’s most important international hubs showcases our firm commitment to Singapore and women in sport. As the world celebrates International Women’s Day on 8 March, we are truly proud of how HSBC Women’s World Championship has opened up a word of opportunity for women and girls. For the past 14 years we have brought world class golf to Singapore through our support of ‘Asia’s Major’ with the long term aim of inspiring the next generation of talent in the region. We succeed together and we are enormously proud of what we have achieved with our partners and look forward to many more years of collaboration and opportunity.”

Mr Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board, said:

“The HSBC Women’s World Championship is one of the key highlights of Singapore’s major sporting calendar that has gained a huge following locally and around the world. We are pleased to work with the organisers to welcome the world’s best golfers back to compete on our shores safely. The return of the event to Singapore is a strong testament to Singapore’s attractiveness as a leading business and leisure destination, as we gradually resume activities in line with the public health situation and prevailing travel polices.”

Lauded as the World’s Best Golf Club at the 2019 World Golf Awards and the world’s first golf club to join the UN’s Sports for Climate Action Initiative, Andrew Johnston, General Manager of Sentosa Golf Club, said:

“We are very happy to be welcoming the players back to Sentosa Golf Club and we can’t wait to watch them compete again on the The Tanjong. With some modifications and as the course continues to mature, the players will notice some difference from when they last played and I’m confident The Tanjong will once again provide a true test of golf. The tournament was greatly missed last year, so we look forward to seeing the world’s best women golfers return to our fairways again this year.”

Speaking on behalf of the tournament organiser, Grant Slack, EVP & Managing Director, Golf Events at IMG added:

“We’re delighted to announce the return of the HSBC Women’s World Championship. Over the years the tournament has grown to be one of the stand-out events in Asia and I know how disappointed we all were not to be able to host the Championship in 2020 when COVID-19 stopped play so this is exciting news and an event we all anticipate eagerly. I’d like to express our gratitude to all our partners for the unwavering support they have shown over the past year and a particular thanks to our title sponsor HSBC, as well as Sentosa Golf Club and Singapore Tourism Board. We look forward to another successful edition of the tournament this year.”

Partners of the HSBC Women’s World Championship that have committed to the 2021 edition are: Rolex, Fairmont Singapore & Swissôtel The Stamford, Lexus, Singapore Airlines, Under Armour, ECCO, Epson, PengWine, Ice Mountain, 100PLUS and Aon.

The 2019 HSBC Women’s World Championship was won by Sung-hyun Park who joined a list of champions that includes Michelle Wie, Inbee Park, Paula Creamer, Karrie Webb, Ai Miyazato and Lorena Ochoa.

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Two years later, McIlroy returns to site of PLAYERS title

Mar 08. 2021Rory McIlroy (Photo credit to Getty Images)

By By Mike McAllister

It was St. Patrick’s Day, 2019. The daylight at The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass fittingly would end with a Northern Irishman in celebration. Rory McIlroy, still in his 20s – he was seven weeks away from turning 30 – had outlasted the strongest field in golf to win THE PLAYERS Championship, the signature event on the PGA TOUR.

Two years later, he’s finally ready to defend his title. For real this time.

 It wasn’t by choice that his wait has been so long. A year ago at the Stadium Course, McIlroy shot an even-par 72 in the first round. Not the score he was hoping to produce to begin his expected title defence, so he left the course that afternoon looking forward to a rebound round the next morning.

 With an early tee time, he went to bed before the breaking news came down that Thursday night – THE PLAYERS Championship was being canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a pandemic that would eventually shut down competitive golf for the ensuing three months.

 McIlroy awoke that Friday morning, jumped in the shower – he didn’t even look at his phone – got dressed in his scripted outfit for the day and was about to walk out the door. That’s when he finally decided to check his text messages – and saw the one sent to all players by the PGA TOUR.

 “I was like, ‘Oh, guess we’re not playing today,’” McIlroy recalled. “I probably found out a little later than most.”

 He changed back into casual clothes, went to TPC Sawgrass to pick up his belongings, then made the four-hour drive to his home in Jupiter, Florida. Everything was about to change.

 So now it’s a year later. Vaccines are being distributed. Hope is in the air. And McIlroy is still the reigning champion of THE PLAYERS Championship. It’s a unique situation, but on the flip side, there is a certain comfort in the normalcy of being back at TPC Sawgrass and wanting desperately to defend his title.

 The pressure is there, as it is with all title defenders. The Stadium Course still does not play favorites. McIlroy knows he must be in top form if he wants to become just the sixth two-time winner of THE PLAYERS, a feat last accomplished by Tiger Woods. Doesn’t matter if it’s 12 months or 24 months later – McIlroy hopes to make a good accounting of himself.

 Of course, the 12 months immediately following his PLAYERS Championship victory were more productive than these first 12 months of COVID. 

 Following his win at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy won three more times in his next 18 worldwide starts, including the 2019 FedExCup title during the TOUR Championship at East Lake. His final win of the year was the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai, China. After that, he reeled off top-5 finishes in his ensuing six starts, moving him to world No. 1 going into THE PLAYERS in 2020. He was the hottest player in the world, and its most consistent.

 Then the pandemic. Three months of non-competition. When the players came back … everything was different. No fans on site, adhering to local restrictions and common sense. Protocols for testing and other safety measures. The new normal.

 And when McIlroy came back? Well, everything was definitely different for him too. All his momentum had been lost. In his first eight starts after the TOUR resumed play, McIlroy’s best finish was a tie for 11th at the Travelers Championship. It wasn’t until his last start of the calendar year — the Masters Tournament that had been rescheduled to November — did he manage his first top-five finish in the restart.

 In his first five starts of 2021, he has a couple of top-10s, a couple of top-20s and a missed cut. The McIlroy of 2019 has yet to return, though. It’s been 24 starts since his last win. Inside the ropes, he’s standing over the ball 5 to 10 seconds longer than usual. A sign of indecisiveness that’s not good for any golfer, especially when competing against the world’s best players.

 “There’s quite a lot going through my head,” McIlroy said. “You can’t play golf like that. It doesn’t need to be perfect – and I realize that – but you just want your bad shots, your bad swings, to not be destructive.

 “Over the past few weeks, those bad swings have just been a little too destructive and put me in some bad positions. So I need to play with more freedom and I need to be able to swing away.”

 He’s been working hard on the range, hoping to solve the “spinny cuts” that have infiltrated his swing. Unlike past issues when his swing has become too shallow, this time his swing is too steep. “A very different pattern than what I’m used to,” he said. 

 Thus, he can’t lean on old solutions but must find new ones – all the while making sure not to neglect the other parts of his game. And with a schedule jam-packed with must-starts, there’s little down-time to string together practice days with long-time coach Michael Bannon.

 “I’d love to just go and immerse myself in it for like 2 or 3 weeks and get it done,” McIlroy said, “but with the schedule, it just isn’t going to work like that. It’s just going to be a process over the next few months to tease it back into the place I want it to get to.”

 No worries. After two years of waiting and waiting, McIlroy finally arrives as reigning champ at TPC Sawgrass, where McIlroy has become quite used to matters involving patience.

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Ernst claims LPGA Drive On Championship crown

Mar 08. 2021Austin Ernst (Photo credit to LPGA)

Austin Ernst used four consecutive birdies on her opening nine in the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship presented by Volvik to open a six-stroke lead, then withstood the challenging conditions coming in to capture her third LPGA Tour title this afternoon at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club.

“Going wire-to-wire is really cool. I told [my fiancé] Jason last night it would be really cool to win wire-to-wire, so glad I didn’t jinx myself,” said Ernst, who carded a final-round 70. “To be in the heat of it all week and to be able to perform the way I did, I think it’s a testament that I can do this week in and week out. If I have a little belief in myself, this is what I can do.”

Ernst and Jennifer Kupcho were both even through three holes but on the par-3 4th, Ernst buried a birdie while Kupcho found bogey. It was a two-shot swing that gave Ernst a three-stroke lead and all the momentum.

“I hit a good 50-degree wedge in then made a good putt and I was trying not to really focus on what she was doing,” Ernst said. “I was aware all day of where we stood, knew it in my head but I just wanted to keep the pedal down. I did what I wanted to do all day. The conditions just got a little tougher at the end of the round.”

She added a birdie on No. 5 for a four-shot advantage and continued the birdie barrage on Nos. 6 and 7 to open a six-stroke gap between herself and Kupcho at 17-under par overall. From there, Ernst played the control game by managing the course and avoiding big numbers.

“After the birdie on five, I turned to [my brother and caddie] Drew and said, ‘I’ve got to stay aggressive and keep making birdies, keep being confident.’ I knew anything can happen on any hole. You can have those swings and if she got hot, I stalled out, I knew she could still catch me. I was just trying to separate myself by as many as possible and just ended up making a couple bogeys on the back nine. She got a little closer to me than I would have liked.”

The $225,000 winner’s share moves Ernst over the $4 million threshold ($4,127,272). She also becomes the third American to win (in as many events) on the LPGA Tour in 2021, joining Jessica Korda at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions and Nelly Korda at Gainbridge LPGA.

Kupcho made a stellar effort on Sunday and even lined up an eagle putt on No. 12. A tribute hole to No. 13 at Augusta National Golf Club, the actual hole was a major turning point in the 2019 Augusta National Women’s Amateur that vaulted Kupcho to victory. She found the green with a three-hybrid for an eagle then and reached it with a four-hybrid today but recorded a slightly different result.

“I nearly played it the same as I did at Augusta, actually,” said Kupcho, who found a birdie at No. 12 and signed for a 2-over par 74 in the final round. “Obviously, missed my hybrid to the right instead of the left and thought the putt [here] was falling the whole way, just wrapped right around the hole. Really tough hole location to make a putt on for sure with where I was at.

“I set myself up well after 12 to be able to make a little bit of a move. I just missed a pretty easy up and down on 13, honestly, and missed the putt on 14. It was really close as well. But I didn’t really think it was over until I hit the tee shot on 15. Everyone hits bad shots. It’s just unfortunate that is when mine came for the week. I can’t look at that. There’s plenty of shots from the four days I could have made.”

Jenny Coleman fired a 1-under par 71 to sit in solo third at 8-under par overall and In Gee Chun signed a 3-under 69 card with four birdies to shoot -7. Playing out of the final grouping, Albane Valenzuela rounded out the top-five players on the leaderboard at 6-under overall and went 1-over par for the day.

JENNIFER KUPCHO WILL FIND WINNER’S CIRCLE BEFORE SHE KNOWS IT

After four rounds at Golden Ocala Golf & Equestrian Club, Jennifer Kupcho saw her name in solo second on the leaderboard at -10 overall. From battling migraines and the inability to see clearly earlier in the week to her final-round battle with Austin Ernst, Kupcho couldn’t be happier with how hard she fought. 

“It’s amazing. I didn’t start very well after COVID-19 hit last year and everything, so it’s nice to see that I can come off a break strong,” said Kupcho, who tied for 21st in her first start of 2021 at the Gainbridge LPGA. “I was hitting the ball really well last week and came into this week doing the same thing, so it’s nice to see all the work that I put in over the offseason to really come out and start the year really well.”

Based on her current play and the diligence to improve her health, Kupcho can’t wait for the next event to give herself a chance and show that she can win. 

“Going to work on getting stronger and continuing to focus on my game. Pretty much the same thing I did over the offseason,” Kupcho said. “I think it will be nice to have a little bit of a break [before heading to the West Coast] for a couple days, for sure.”

DRIVE ON CHAMPIONSHIP INSPIRES JENNY COLEMAN TO DRIVE ON TO CAREER-BEST FINISH

Jenny Coleman fired a 72-hole career-best total on the LPGA Tour of 280 this week at the LPGA Drive On Championship presented by Volvik at Golden Ocala. It bested her previous mark of 283, which she shot in the 2017 Volvik Championship at Travis Pointe Country Club. The solo third result in Marion County was also good for a career-best finish.

Currently ranked No. 440 in the Rolex World Rankings, Coleman’s hard work and end result certainly helped her to feel more confident early in the season.  

“It’s so nice to have worked so hard and finally my game is kicking into gear. Last year was just, man, just kind of treading along. Now I’m finally getting after it,” said Coleman, who hit 15 greens in the final round. “It helps boost my confidence and know I have the game to be out here, that I deserve to be out here. What I’m doing is working well, so just keep on that and turn it up a notch.”

The end result would be reason enough to celebrate, but the third-year LPGA Tour member says she will continue to work hard with a long season ahead of her and particularly on her putting. 

“Stick to my gameplan and play my game, just keep the approaches strong and driver, play it to the side that gives you the best angle into the greens,” said Coleman, who will tee it up at the Kia Classic in a couple weeks. “And putting, just keep grinding. It’s something I could improve on the most. Get a good read, put the best stroke you can on it and that’s all you do. If they fall, great. If they don’t, they don’t.”

CME GROUP CARES CHALLENGE—SCORE 1 FOR ST. JUDE 

The CME Group Cares Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations. CME Group donated $20,000 for each hole-in-one made on the LPGA Tour in 2020, with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which is leading the way in how the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and life-threatening diseases.

The 2020 LPGA Tour season saw 13 aces from 13 different players, while the 2019 campaign had 32 total aces from 31 different competitors for a total of $620,000. That more than covered the average cost of $425,000 needed to treat a pediatric cancer patient. Through three tournaments so far in the 2021 LPGA Tour season, no hole-in-ones have been made.

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Golfer Poom fulfils mum’s desire for title as birthday gift

Mar 08. 2021Poom Pattaropong

Unfancied Poom Pattaropong gave his mother an extraordinary birthday present by winning his maiden golf title in the Bt4-million Boonchu Ruangkit Championship at the Rancho Charnvee Resort and Country Club in Nakhon Ratchasima province on Sunday.

The 25-year-old from Surat Thani had forgotten to buy his mother a birthday gift last month but the first career win at the All Thailand Golf Tour season opener turned out to be memorable compensation.

“She asked me if I could do her a favour by winning the title for her,” said the delighted Poom, who hugged his tearful mother after the win.

Poom, whose previous best result was a runner-up in the Asian Development Tour in Indonesia 2018, carded a final-round 65 for a total 27-under-par 257 to beat Sadom Kaewkanjana by a shot. He started the day a shot behind overnight leader Gunn Charoenkul but surged into contention with an eagle on the 14th hole followed by a birdie on the 16th, which put him in the driver’s seat.

Poom embraces his mother

“This is beyond expectation. In the past I came close several times but never really made it. I finally rose to the challenge,” added Poom, who is coached by Annop Tangkamoprasert, a former Tour player.

“I’ve learned how to focus on my game, not worrying about what’s going on, especially the score, much. I’ve been really focused since the first day and it paid off,” added Poom, who won Bt600,000 prize money as the winner.

As Gunn was error-prone on the back-nine and lost the lead, it was a close duel between Sadom and Poom. With four straight birdies from holes 9-12, Sadom briefly grabbed the top of the leader’s board but a bogey on the 16th pushed him one back. He ended with a 65 and 26-under-par 258 on aggregate.

Sadom Kaewkanjana

The second place, however, was not so bad for the 22-year-old Sadom, who enjoyed his best finish after winning the Bangladesh Open, an Asian Tour event, in 2019.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to come this far after missing the cut last week [at the Thailand Mixed in Hua Hin]. I’m regaining a lot of confidence and hope to get my momentum back,” said Sadom, who took home Bt380,000 as runner-up.

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Quartararo and Miller split by just 0.077 on Day 2

Mar 08. 2021

Yamaha and Ducati depose Aprilia as testing continues in the desert

Day 2 is done and dusted at the Official MotoGP™ Qatar Test and it’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP’s Fabio Quartararo back in a familiar position: the top. The Frenchman was the first and so far only rider to dip into the 1:53s, but it was mighty close as Ducati Lenovo Team’s Jack Miller ended the day less than a tenth off. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) was up at the sharp end on the brand-new RS-GP once again, this time in third but just 0.212 off Quartararo.

Sunday ushered in the best conditions the riders have enjoyed since pitlane opened at Losail International Circuit on Friday afternoon, with a bit of wind swirling across the track but nowhere near as much as the previous two days of track action. The improvements came quite early too as by the midway point, HRC test rider Stefan Bradl had beaten Aleix Espargaro’s Day 1 pace. It only got faster from there.

By just over half an hour to play, Quartararo struck in the first 1:53 lap time of the test as the pace intensified under the lights, with Miller slicing up into P2 not long after. That was all Day 2 wrote at the top.

So what was on the agenda barring simple speed? Fastest man Quartararo confirmed late on Saturday evening that Yamaha have a new chassis to try in Qatar, and the Frenchman was trying a carbon swingarm although he said he wasn’t using it when he set his best lap. After struggling to get the feeling on his YZR-M1 in the first “30 or 40 laps”, Quartararo was happy by the end of 59, but said that he needs a little bit more time compared to teammate Maverick Viñales to set that quick lap time from the off on new tyres, and it’s difficult to say whether the new chassis is better or not.

Viñales also confirmed that Yamaha have been trying plenty of things and his main focus so far has been rear grip. Judging from the timesheets, it’s going pretty well for the Iwata factory. Both riders seem to be very pleased with their progress so far with Viñales ending Day 2 in P7, 0.455s from his teammate. It wasn’t a totally slick day for Viñales though as both he and test rider Cal Crutchlow crashed at Qatar’s notorious Turn 2 – both were perfectly ok.

Both Petronas Yamaha SRT men also felt great after Day 1 and although Valentino Rossi’s was in P20 the day after, The Doctor seemed upbeat as he and Yamaha go through plenty of different things to try. After a “great first day at the office”, Morbidelli’s second day at the office also looked to have gone well after finishing up in P4 – a couple of tenths shy of former teammate Quartararo.

Ever the innovators, Ducati were seen with some more new toys on Day 2 in addition to the new aero we’ve seen Michele Pirro, Miller and Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) riding wth. A new rear wheel that they’re using to monitor the forces going on at the rear end was seen, but this could just be for testing purposes and it remains to be seen whether this will be something the Bologna brand race with…

Their front-end holeshot device was confirmed today, however, and this is something that Aprilia, Honda, KTM and Suzuki have at their disposal too. The second fastest Ducati on track was Johann Zarco (Pramac Racing) in P6, with Bagnaia ending the day P9 on the timesheets. Chatting at the end of Day 2, Miller confirmed that he’s enjoying himself on the bike and was able to push a little for a time attack towards the end, and the Australian also ran with the new aero for pretty much the whole day – but hinted that something more is coming soon in classic Ducati preseason style.

Ducati’s trio of rookies were once again out on track finding their feet on the fire breathing Desmosedicis too, and it was reigning Moto2™ World Champion Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) who was the fastest of the three on Day 2. The Italian took it by just over a tenth to teammate Luca Marini (SKY VR46 Avintia) as the Italians claimed P16 and P18 respectively, a good day for both. Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martin, meanwhile, suffered his third crash in three days and completed the least amount of laps of any full-time MotoGP™ rider on the second Official Test day. Martin was perfectly fine after the Turn 16 tumble though and was able to claim P19, only  0.027s behind Marini. All three rookies have impressed so far to finish one and a half seconds off Quartararo’s pace.

Over at Aprilia, the Noale factory tried to play down their Day 1 success but on the evidence that Aleix Espargaro was third fastest on Day 2, there’s plenty of reason to be excited. The entire new package seems to be going well as Aleix Espargaro put 69 more laps on the clock, with teammate Lorenzo Savadori adding 41 to his tally. The latter finished P17, 1.630 seconds away from top spot.

Aleix Espargaro explained that he did a long run to understand what the bike is going to be like over race distance, and he had good reports but said he and Aprilia need to find a way to enable him to ride it more relaxed as the new bike is more physical than last year. The number 41 improved by half a second though and as expected, they’ve been trying lots of different things. Overall, it was a happy Aleix Espargaro with three days of pre-season testing left.

At Honda, there was some new aero to try on Day 2 and all four riders were seen sporting the new fairing during Sunday’s action. Repsol-liveried duo Stefan Bradl and Pol Espargaro were sitting pretty at the top of the timesheets at the halfway point as the latter’s adaption from KTM to Honda continues to be smooth. Eventually, Espargaro finished the Day in P12 after another 62 laps under his belt on the RC213V, with Bradl continuing to mix it with the top times to finish P5 and impress once again.

LCR Honda Castrol’s Alex Marquez crashed unhurt twice on Day 2, one at Turn 16 and one at Turn 2. Teammate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) also went down, the Japanese rider suffering his second crash of the Test – also at Turn 2 – but he too was ok. The duo were seen on Honda’s new fairing and finished together on the timesheets, P12 for Nakagami and P13 for Alex Marquez. Nakagami confirmed that some areas of the new fairings were good, others less so, with more testing needed to understand them better. 

As aforementioned, Team Suzuki Ecstar were one of five teams to bring a front-end holeshot device to the Qatar Test. World Champion Joan Mir and teammate Alex Rins were both comfortably sitting inside the top 10 heading into the final hour of the day, with test riders Sylvain Guintoli and Takuya Tsuda out lapping as well. A new chassis is on the agenda for the Hamamatsu factory as well as some other as yet unconfirmed parts, but so far it looks like all is well in the silver and blue ranks as they packed up early on Day 2.

Mir confirmed that he enjoyed his second day on track, rediscovering his feeling from 2020 was on the agenda and the number 36 did exactly that. One of Mir’s main aims is to improve his qualifying pace, but the Spaniard said today wasn’t the day to properly delve into that. Rins confirmed he tried a new swingarm which made the bike a little more stable, and the number 42 also tried the 2022 engine that Guintoli has been testing. Great reviews, especially on top speed, were given.

KTM were another manufacturer that debuted a new fairing today in Doha. This was narrower than the previous one and it was pictured on Miguel Oliveira’s Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine, with initial feelings seeming positive. However, with the wind, the word was that it’s difficult to properly tell how useful it is. Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on circuit though, claiming P11, 0.726s from Quartararo.

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), meanwhile, described his day as a “little bit challenging” and suffered two crashes towards the end of the day. The South African was fine and although P24 on the timesheets, he confirmed everything is running pretty smoothly. The number 33 also ran with the updated fairing. Danilo Petrucci and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing teammate Iker Lecuona were P21 and P23 respectively, a quiet day for the orange men as Petrucci settles in and Lecuona starts only his second MotoGP™ season.

That’s it for now! There are now two days of downtime before the action returns on the 10th of March in Qatar, but in the meantime keep up to date with all the latest happenings across MotoGP™ social media and on motogp.com! That Sunday feeling, just you and the open road! Miller salutes after another fast day on track Aleix Espargaro kept Aprilia near the top Nakagami started testing a few novelties No, it’s not been stolen from the Louvre. It’s real life Mir under the desert skies Oliveira adds an orange accent to the pristine groundskeeping at Losail

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Thai talent Jazz sinks ace to move into contention at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Mar 07. 2021Jazz Janewattananond with a mock cheque after his hole in one. (Photo credit to PGA TOUR )

Thailand’s rising star Jazz Janewattananond had a day to remember at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard on Saturday.

The 25-year-old, who is playing this week on a tournament’s exemption, sank his career first hole-in-one on the PGA TOUR at the par-3 14^th hole at Bay Hill Club and Lodge en route to a 3-under 69 which moved him into tied seventh place, four shots behind leader Lee Westwood who leads on 11-under 205.

A day after he carded a superb 65 to improve from an opening 75, Jazz made three other birdies against two bogeys on a day he missed 50 percent of fairways and greens in regulation. The one shot that counted most was a beautifully flighted six iron which took four little bounces on the green before rolling into the hole, much to the delighted a small crowd gathered around the green.

“Good call, good club,” said a beaming Jazz, whose effort meant that Mastercard would donate US$200,000 to the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation.

“I was a member here for four months during COVID last year and I didn’t have one hole-in-one. So it’s good to have in a tournament and it’s very special to have Mastercard donating US$200,000 to Arnie’s Foundation.

“I was in between a hard 7 and a soft 6 (iron). And my caddie was just nudging me into the soft 6 and the rest is history. The round was very choppy at the end and choppy at the start as well. The middle was pretty good. Overall, pretty happy as it was tough conditions.”

His scrambling saved him on a few occasions which now gives him a shot an unlikely win after how his week started with his 3-over par round. He made a 26-foot birdie on 16, rolled in a putt of 22 feet to save par on 17 and got up and down from the bunker four times to outscore playing partner Max Homa, who won The Genesis Invitational recently, by three shots.

“I think we might get a little bit more sun tomorrow. The golf course might play a bit different so we can go at more pins than today. But yeah, the same plan is really try to hit the fairway, try to hit the green. It’s great because I know Roy (Saunders, VP of Bay Hill) personally and he’s the one who give me the invite to play here, so it’s really good to be able to give back to that,” said Jazz.

He spent nearly six months in the U.S. last year after the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports leagues and international borders around the world, and stayed over an extended period with two-time PGA TOUR winner Daniel Chopra, who lives in Orlando and is a Bay Hill member. He is staying with Chopra and family again this week.

“I mean, there’s home course knowledge that helps in the fact here for sure. I must have played over a hundred rounds in shoot-outs like they have every day with the members and we kind of had fun and it’s great. Just learning the culture here as well,” said Jazz.

“I’m really fortunate because when the PLAYERS got cancelled after round 1 last year, Thailand’s  border was closed so I didn’t have anywhere to go. I called my friend Daniel, whom I’m staying with this week as well, asking if I could stay with him for a few days and  it turned into a few months. So it’s a great story.”

It would be a greater story if Jazz can pull off a victory on Sunday as no Thai player has won on the PGA TOUR.

 Third-Round Notes – Saturday, March 6, 2021

Weather: Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. High of 68. Wind ENE 10-15 mph. Preferred lies were in effect.

Third-Round Leaderboard

Lee Westwood                          69-71-65—205 (-11)

Bryson DeChambeau                67-71-68—206 (-10)

Corey Conners                          66-69-71—206 (-10)

Keegan Bradley                         69-74-64—207 (-9)

Jordan Spieth                             70-69-68—207 (-9)

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Kunlavut seeks revenge over Axelson

Mar 07. 2021Kunlavut Vitidsarn

Former world junior No 1 Kunlavut Vitidsarn stunned world No 11 Lee Zii Jia of Malaysia to seek a revenge over world No 2 Viktor Axelson of Denmark in the BWF World Tour Super 300 Swiss Open.

The 19-year-old rising star utilized his solid all court game to upset the second seed and former world No 10 21-18 21-10 in the semi-final in Münchensteinon Saturday.

“I’m so happy to beat a top 10 player,” said the delighted teenager after his first win over the 2019 SEA Games gold medalist. “I don’t have a lot of pressure and can come up with some great play,” added the world No 25 player.

“My coach told me to play a bit slow as it would be tough to play (Lee) if I played fast. He is very tall and has good attacking game,” he added.

Kunlavut lines up the final clash against the heavy favourite Axelson who tamed Srikanth Kidambi of India 21-13 21-19. The Thai has never even taken a game from the top seed in their two previous meetings. He lost their first match 21-16 21-13 in the Barcelona Masters in February 2020, which was his first final on the BWF Word Tour. In January this year Kunlavut hardly found answers to the attacking game of the Dane in the Thailand Open 2 second round, losing 21-11 21-13.

“I love to learn from Viktor as he has good attacks and defence. It’s very hard to play him,” he added.

As Kunlavut survived in the tournament, three other Thais didn’t. Pornpawee Chorchuwong pushed top seed Carolina Marin of Spain to the limit before going down 21-15 20-22 21-19 in the women’s singles semi-finals.

Jongkolphan Kittitharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai were upset by Gabriela Stoeva and Stefanie Stoeva of Bulgaria 21-16 21-14 in the women’s doubles semi-finals.

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Birdie blitz gives Gunn one-stroke lead

Mar 07. 2021Gunn Charoenkul

By THE NATION

Red-hot Gunn Charoenkul staged a remarkable back-nine performance to fire a third-round 61 heading into Sunday’s final showdown at the Bt4-million Boonchu Ruangkit Championship at the Rancho Charnvee Resort and Country Club in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

Propelled by seven birdies in the last eight holes, the 28-year-old from Phang Nga province decorated his error-free scorecard with 10 birdies for a 22-under-par 191, one ahead of Poom Pattaropong at the par-71 6,839-yard landscape.

“I didn’t start well until I hit closer to the pins and made birdies. Things really went my way at the back nine. When I had my momentum, everything just went in,” said Gunn, who is looking for his first win after back-to-back victories at the Thai PGA Tour between July (Hua Hin) and August (Nakhon Nayok) last year.

“If I putt well during morning practice, I will play aggressive. If not, I will try to play a solid game. I need some confidence before I return to the Japan Tour later this month,” added Gunn, who will be eyeing his fourth All Thailand Golf Tour title since the 2012 and 2014 Singha Open and 2014 Singha Hua Hin Open.

Poom Pattaropong

Following him in second place was 25-year-old Poom whose spectacular round of 61 was highlighted by two eagles on the 12th and 14th holes and seven birdies against a bogey for a total of 21-under-par 192.

“This is beyond expectation. It was one of those days that everything just came my way,” said Poom, who successfully made his first cut at this tournament in four attempts.

The James Madison University graduate is looking to have a breakthrough victory after finishing seventh at the E-San Open in Khon Kaen last year as his best result on the ATGT.

“I will try to learn from the good players out there and have fun. It’s already incredible to be at this point. But I will give it a try,” added the man from Surat Thani province.

Sadom Kaewkanjana

Overnight leader Sadom Kaewkanjana carded a 67 to fall two shots off the lead for tied third with Sette Prakongvech on 193. Since winning an Asian Development tour in Lop Buri province and the Bangladesh Open in 2019, Sadom has never come close to winning due to his unimpressive short game. He hopes to stir things around on Sunday.

“I’ve been working on my putts since the Covid-19 break and it’s getting better. If my putting game works, I may have a chance to win my first title in a long time,” said the 22-year-old Sadom.

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Aleix Espargaro tops Day 1, every factory in the top seven

Mar 07. 2021

The full grid roars back into action in the desert, with Aprilia leading the way as 2021 gets in gear

After the first day of action for the full grid at the Official MotoGP™ Qatar Test, it’s safe to say 2021 has started pretty well for Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as they finish top of the timesheets. The Spaniard set a 1:54.687 to beat Stefan Bradl (Honda Test Team) by 0.256s, with reigning World Champion Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) completing the top three as the new MotoGP™ season officially got underway. 

The wind played a key role on Saturday after also proving bothersome at the Shakedown Test, but all 29 riders on the ground in Doha enjoyed some valuable track time despite another blustery day at Losail International Circuit. And this time, having sat out the Shakedown, that included Aleix Espargaro on his near brand-new RS-GP he ended the day just a couple of tenths shy of Aprilia’s best time at 2020’s Qatar Test and put in 57 laps. Updates have been made to the engine, chassis and exhaust and there’s a new carbon swingarm at the Noale factory, as well as two new aero designs that the riders are putting through their paces. Aprilia also have a holeshot device on the front and rear – along with Honda and Ducati. Lorenzo Savadori, on the other side of the garage, completed 42 laps, ending with 1:56.511 as a best time.

Meanwhile, it was a huge day over at the Repsol Honda Team as Pol Espargaro made his eagerly awaited debut for the Japanese giants. A hefty 68 laps were rattled off by the Spaniard on his HRC debut as he, Alex Marquez (LCR Honda Castrol) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) all headed out on 2020 Hondas, with each rider’s two bikes having different exhausts. Alex Marquez’ day didn’t get off to the best of starts after destroying his RC213V in a final corner crash, but the double World Champion was soon back out to spin some more laps. Marquez was the second quickest Honda on Day 1, behind the aforementioned Bradl, and finished P10 just ahead of Nakagami.

Bradl was again donning the famous Repsol livery on track and for a lot of opening day, the German was at the summit of the timesheets. He has three chassis to try in Qatar: the ‘standard’ 2020 chassis, the chassis he ended the 2020 campaign on which has carbon bonded to the main beam, as well as an entirely new chassis that we saw the number 6 testing in Jerez a few weeks ago. Bradl was very pleased with his and the team’s progress so far, looking for more of the same over the remaining four days.

Over at World Champions Team Suzuki Ecstar, who officially unveiled their 2021 livery ahead of the test, Joan Mir and Alex Rins were the last riders to head out on track. Similar to most teams, we didn’t see many changes to the bike, but we also didn’t see much change to their impressive pace. Third for Mir is a solid start to his title defence, with Rins also inside the top 10 in P8. The duo recorded a combined 91 laps, with test rider Sylvain Guintoli adding another 50 and Takuya Tsuda another 26. Tsuda was the first rider out on track for the Hamamatsu factory.

Further down pitlane, both Jack Miller and Francesco Bagnaia suited up and headed out in Ducati Lenovo Team red for the first time to begin a new era for both riders and team. Miller was fourth fastest at the end of the day, completing 54 laps in total and glowing that it felt “unreal” to be back. Both riders were on 2020 Ducatis as they got back into the swing of things but did try the new aero, with Miller saying he couldn’t find any faults. Bagnaia finished P13 but was only 0.8s off the top despite a crash at Turn 3.

Ducati test rider Michele Pirro was also circulating with new aero on the front of his GP21; a third extra aero vane was seen fitted lower down on the fairing. In addition, Ducati have a ‘salad box’ that looks slightly different to last year’s. Simon Crafar also reported that the Bologna factory are experimenting with a holeshot device at the front of the bike, along with Aprilia and Honda, so look out for that over the coming days…

Johann Zarco, meanwhile, was in Pramac Racing colours for the first time and from the outside, it looked like the Frenchman enjoyed his first day in his new office. The number 5 was atop the standings at stages in the afternoon, eventually ending Saturday sixth overall with less than half a second splitting him from Aleix Espargaro at the top. Zarco’s teammate Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) was back on track for his second day as a MotoGP™ rider, albeit with a sore leg after his Turn 3 crash during the Shakedown Test. Despite this though, Martin was the fastest rookie in P18 after setting a 1:56.147 – just a couple of tenths slower than Pol Espargaro ahead of him.

The other two Moto2™ graduate rookies also got plenty more valuable laps under their belts. Enea Bastianini (Avintia Esponsorama Racing) was less than a tenth away from Martin in P20 while Luca Marini (Sky VR46 Avintia) finished P24 on the times. It’s a huge learning curve for all three riders in Qatar and there’s no doubt even more improvements will be coming over the next few days.

Over at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Brad Binder and Miguel Oliveira were both sitting near the summit in the early stages of the test. By the end of the day, Oliveira was the fastest RC16 rider on track, the Portuguese rider setting a 1:55.084 to finish fifth overall on his first day as a factory rider. Binder fell at Turn 2 but was perfectly ok to head out, ending the day in P12 after 52 laps.

New KTM rider on the block Danilo Petrucci struck a bright figure out on track alongside teammate Iker Lecuona as the Tech3 KTM Factory Racing pairing lapped on their new orange RC16s too. Like the factory riders, there weren’t too many differences with the bikes they were riding compared to the 2020 model, and Lecuona and Petrucci finished P22 and P23 respectively.

Test rider Dani Pedrosa, however, was trying out some innovations for KTM. As Simon Crafar reported from pitlane, Pedrosa was riding an RC16 kitted out with a new chassis, a whole new tail section and a new exhaust inside that tail unit. The famous number 26 was 26th on the timesheets and completed 48 laps, obviously not focusing on outright speed.

Over in the Yamaha ranks, there was a headline stealer as Valentino Rossi headed out on a familiar bike but in unfamiliar colours. The new Petronas Yamaha SRT rider began his new adventure with the Malaysian team and was seen trying two different tank covers, likely for ergonomics, as he did more than 50 laps. It was teammate Franco Morbidelli who was the quickest YZR-M1 rider on Day 1, however, as the Italian finished P7 and 0.487s adrift. Rossi was P14.

It was a big day for Fabio Quartararo too, who officially began life as a factory MotoGP™ rider at Losail International Circuit. The Frenchman was the busiest rider out there on Saturday after completing 69 laps on his new Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP machine, and was just over a second off the pace in P15 – one place behind Rossi. Maverick Viñales was the fastest Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP man on Day 1 though, notching up 51 laps and taking P9.

There doesn’t seem to be too much different to what we saw last season on the Yamahas so far, but there was plenty of data gathering going on. Test riders Cal Crutchlow, Katsuyuki Nakasuga and Kohta Nozane were once more sharing bikes, so it’s very hard to tell who set the fastest times on each of the bikes labelled ‘Yamaha Test 1’, ‘Yamaha Test 2’ and ‘Yamaha Test 3’ on the timing screens, but the Iwata marque have a wealth of information at their fingertips.

The Qatar Test returns on Sunday for Day 2, so keep up to date with all the latest happenings across MotoGP™ social media and on motogp.com! The World Champion is back on track! Mir heads out under the spotlights Miller looks killer in red Pol Espargaro in a new shade of orange Morbidelli was the fastest Yamaha Oliveira pits out for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Rossi starts a new era at Petronas Yamaha SRT