Ashley Owusu highlighted No. 6 Maryland’s haul. She was named the Big Ten freshman of the year, as voted by the league’s head coaches and a media panel, becoming the ninth Maryland player under Coach Brenda Frese to earn conference freshman of the year honors and the second straight Maryland player to earn the award in the Big Ten; Taylor Mikesell won last year. Owusu averaged 11.1 points and 4.7 assists per game in conference play. Her 150 assists this season are the second most among all freshmen in the country, behind Nevena Dimitrijevic of St. Francis Brooklyn (169).

Owusu, who was also named to the conference’s five-player all-freshman team, was joined by senior guard Kaila Charles, senior forward Stephanie Jones, senior guard Blair Watson, sophomore forward Shakira Austin and Mikesell in receiving league honors.

Charles was named a unanimous all-Big Ten first-team selection for the second year in a row. The senior leads Maryland with 16.7 points and 8 rebounds per game in league play, but she lost her Big Ten player of the year bid to Iowa’s Kathleen Doyle (19.8 points, 6.3 assists), who became the third Hawkeyes player in a row to win the award after Megan Gustafson won it the previous two seasons.

Jones (11.6 points, 6.7 rebounds per game in conference play) and Austin (11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds) were named to the all-Big Ten second team. Watson, who heads Maryland’s remade defense this season and whose 3.1 steals per conference game were second best in the Big Ten to Northwestern’s Veronica Burton (3.3), was named to the five-player all-Big Ten defensive team. Burton earned the conference’s defensive player of the year award. Watson’s 82 steals overall this season are the most by a Terrapin since Renneika Razor had 87 in the 2002-03 campaign.

Mikesell (10.1 points per conference game) received an all-Big Ten honorable mention.

Maryland’s awards haul makes an already sweet week even sweeter after the Terps notched their largest Big Ten victory Sunday with a 99-44 win over Minnesota. They earned the No. 1 seed in this week’s Big Ten tournament and will face either Purdue or Michigan State at noon Friday in the quarterfinals in Indianapolis.

Northwestern, which shared the Big Ten regular season title with the Terps, is the No. 2 seed. Wildcats coach Joe McKeown was named Big Ten coach of the year.

In the NCAA tournament selection committee’s top 16 reveal Monday evening, Maryland was named a No. 1 seed alongside Baylor, Oregon and South Carolina. The NCAA reveal is a snapshot of what the tournament field would look like if the tournament began Monday.

The men’s U.S. professional golf circuit announced a partnership on Monday with Action Network, a digital media startup that sells data and analysis for bettors. Under the two-year deal, the Action Network will rebrand its golf content as GolfBet and share it with the PGA Tour for use on its website, mobile app and event broadcasts.

The tour and its other media partners, including Discovery Inc., will also produce content under the GolfBet brand. The Action Network and the tour will share revenue from the joint venture.

“We’re looking at this as a content play to both educate and stimulate the betting market here in the U.S. and overseas,” said Norb Gambuzza, the tour’s senior vice president for media business development. “Golf is open for business for betting.”The tour has been figuring out how to benefit from a 2018 U.S Supreme Court ruling that let the sports-betting industry expand outside of Nevada. Fourteen states now have legal betting in some form, with several others likely to enter the market this year. Several months after the ruling, the tour announced a deal with IMG Arena to distribute scoring data for betting purposes. Later this year, it plans to begin making data available, through IMG, that will allow sportsbooks to offer bets on every hole and every shot of its nearly 50 annual tournaments.

“The PGA Tour is one of, if not the most, forward thinking of all the leagues and rights holders,” said Action Network Chief Executive Officer Patrick Keane. “They realize that their fans bet when they play golf and bet when they watch the sport.”That’s why the tour wants “to equip them with the best data, information and tools to help inform how they do it,” he said.

The Chernin Group, an investment firm led by former News Corp. President Peter Chernin, formed Action Network in 2017. It sells subscriptions, ranging from $5 to $60 per month, for access to data on betting markets and analysis from a staff of 30 reporters and editors. Golf, said Keane, is the fastest-growing sport on the platform. In the last year, the number of customers who used the site to track the win probability of a golf bet increased threefold.

Action Network’s eight golf writers and editors will provide GolfBet with stories, for instance, on longshots who have a chance to pull an upset or which golfers tend to play best on holes with water hazards.

As a nonprofit, the tour has taken a more cautious approach to the industry than some other U.S. sports leagues. Its rules limit marketing partnerships with sportsbooks. The Action Network deal is part of what Gambuzza calls an “arm’s length” approach. “We want to lean into this space,” he said, “but we want to do it in a manner that is appropriate for our business and for our brand.” While Action Network will have access to PGA Tour video and its ShotLink ball-tracking data, it will not be allowed to use the tour logo on its platform.

Action Network will share revenue from any subscribers who come to the service through tour properties. The tour, in turn, will share ad revenue from GolfBet content and sponsorships. In a key detail, the Action Network will also share so-called affiliate fees with the tour — money that comes from sportsbooks for referring new bettors.

The company has affiliate deals with operators in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Indiana. These pay on a per-customer basis. With GolfBet, if a fan finds the Action Network through the PGA Tour and, from there, signs up for a betting account with one of Action Network’s betting partners, the tour will get a cut of the affiliate fee. The other major U.S. sports leagues have so far avoided these types of arrangements.

The announcement came just hours after the MotoGP Class in Doha, the season opener of the world’s biggest motorcycle competition, was abandoned due to similar reasons.

“This decision will prove that Thailand is taking serious measures against the spread of the disease among Thais and foreigners coming to the event,” said Anutin, who is also deputy prime minister.

The tournament was originally scheduled for March 21-22. World champion Marc Marquez had won the last two editions of the Thai MotoGP when it was still held in October in 2018 and 2019.

MotoGP is the second world class sporting event cancelled this year in Thailand. The Thailand LPGA was dropped from the schedule last month.

So far, Thailand have 42 infected cases with one death.

FIM, IRTA and Dorna regret to announce the cancellation of all MotoGP™ class sessions at the Grand Prix of Qatar, including the race.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has resulted in Qatar travel restrictions being brought into force that affect passengers from Italy, amongst other countries. As of today, all passengers arriving at Doha on direct flights from Italy, or having been in Italy in the past 2 weeks, will be taken straight to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. Italy clearly plays a vital role in the Championship and in the MotoGP™ class – both on track and off – and therefore the decision has been taken to cancel premier class competition.

As the teams and riders of the Moto2™ and Moto3™ classes were already in Qatar for the three-day official test at Losail International Circuit earlier this week, the races of both categories will be possible. The lightweight and intermediate classes will therefore compete in their season opener from the 6th to 8th March. The same will apply to the Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup, which will have two races during the Qatar Grand Prix as originally planned. Stay tuned for a revised schedule.

He used to swing the club at a more customary tempo. He was struggling with his ball-striking about four years ago, though, so he slowed things down as part of a drill. Happy with the results, he took this new swing to the course.

“It really helped. I felt like I could hit the ball where I wanted to,” Im said. “Now I feel like my backswing is getting slower and slower.”

And his stock continues to rise. Im, 21, has quickly ascended through the ranks since coming to the United States two years ago.

On Sunday, Im’s slow-mo swing stood up to some of the most stressful shots on the PGA TOUR. He shot 4-under 66, matching the low round of the day, to win The Honda Classic by one shot over Mackenzie Hughes. Hughes also shot 66 while playing alongside Im in Sunday’s fourth-to-last group.

Im became the seventh South Korean to earn a PGA TOUR victory and first since Sung Kang accomplished the feat at the 2019 AT&T Byron Nelson. He also becomes the second South Korean to win The Honda Classic after Y.E. Yang did it in 2009. K.J. Choi continues to lead the way with eight career victories, while Si Woo Kim, Sangmoon Bae and Y.E. Yang have a pair of wins to their names. Kang and Seung-Yul Noh round out the last of Korean winners.

He led the Korn Ferry Tour money list from start to finish in 2018 and was named that circuit’s Player of the Year. At 20 years old, he was the youngest player to ever win that award. He was the PGA TOUR’s Rookie of the Year last year. And now he’s a PGA TOUR winner.

Walking down the final fairway, Hughes realized that, even though he’d matched Im shot for shot, their Sunday duel was never a fair fight. He called it “man versus machine.”

“I’m the man, hitting shots in bunkers and hitting the grandstands on 18, and he’s just like a machine,” Hughes said. “It was really impressive.”

Im finished at 6-under 274 on a week that drew comparisons to a major championship. PGA National’s Champion course is one of the most penal places they play each year. Winds blew throughout the week, leading to firm greens and high scores. The average round this week was nearly two strokes over par. Only 16 players finished under par.

Im won with a hot start to the final round, making birdie on four of his first five holes. Then he stared down PGA National’s scary finishing holes. The two par-3s that book-end the Bear Trap, Nos. 15 and 17, were two of Sunday’s three hardest holes. They allowed just 13 birdies combined in the final round. Im was one of just two players to birdie both.

He became the fifth player age 22 or younger to win on the PGA TOUR since July, joining Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, Joaquin Niemann and the winner of last week’s Puerto Rico Open, Viktor Hovland.

Im moved to No. 2 in the FedExCup standings, just 135 points behind Justin Thomas. This was Im’s third top-3 finish of the season. He lost a playoff to Sebastian Munoz at the Sanderson Farms Championship and finished third at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. Im also impressed at the Presidents Cup last December, where he went 3-1-1. Those experiences helped him withstand the pressure of a tightly-packed Sunday leaderboard.

There was a four-way tie atop the leaderboard on the back nine. Tommy Fleetwood, the 54-hole leader, had a chance to win until the final hole. Hughes holed a 50-footer on 17 to give himself a chance on 18. Brendan Steele also shared the lead on the back nine before finishing fourth.

Im held them off with a series of clutch shots down the stretch. The first came on 15, where he hit a 5-iron to 8 feet. He’d been too tentative on that hole earlier in the week, but the right-to-left wind set up perfectly for his fade.

“I just felt like I had everything to attack the pin the way I did,” Im said. “I had the right club and was comfortable with the wind. I was aggressive and saw my shot, and I’m glad it worked out the way it did.”

He pumped his fist when his ball landed between the flag and water that guards the right side of the green. He hit the green from a fairway bunker on the next hole and made par. Then he stuck a 7-iron to 8 feet on 17. He dumped his third shot on the par-5 finishing hole into a greenside bunker but nearly holed the sand shot and made par.

“Even after winning Rookie of the Year and having a few chances to win, I really wanted to get that win,” Im said. “I had a few good chances that slipped away, but I’m still very grateful that I could win at such a young age, and to have it happen as fast as it did, I’m very happy and satisfied.”

This was Im’s 48th start on TOUR since the start of last season. That’s two more than anyone else. He doesn’t own a home in the United States, but he relishes his role as the TOUR’s nomad.

“I’m just so happy to be on the PGA TOUR and just to play golf,” Im said. “I don’t really look at it as work. It’s a chance to go out and do what I love.”

As for a post-victory celebration? Im didn’t know if he’d stay in South Florida on Sunday night or make the drive to Orlando, where he’ll play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard this week.

“Regardless of where I am, in a hotel or wherever, I feel like this is going to be one of the happiest nights of my life,” he said.

The speculation took a new twist Saturday. Brady and Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman have joked about their close friendship, with both admitting that the quarterback’s favorite pass-catcher often plays the role of pesky little brother. That was on display for a national TV audience as the two, along with comedian Jimmy Fallon, took in the North Carolina-Syracuse game.

As the camera found the three, Edelman smiled as he mouthed the words, “He’s coming back,” presumably meaning to the Patriots and not from the restroom or a trip to the concession stand. Sitting next to Edelman, Brady caught his drift, saying something that was open to interpretation as he shook his head in annoyance and smiled.

Did he say, “he’s not” or perhaps, “let’s not,” as in do this here and now? You decide. The expression, as NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran tweeted, “seems to say, ‘I will strangle you. I will. I don’t want to. But I will.'”

Later, Edelman left no question about his thoughts, sharing an image of a red, white and blue T-shirt emblazoned with the words “STAY! TOM 2020 A quarterback you can trust” on Instagram. Lest his message be unclear on the shirt he’s hawking, he added a logo of a red-white-and-blue/starred-and-striped goat on the sleeve.

“New England,” he wrote, “is a Tomocracy.”

You could almost hear Brady saying, “Oh, Jules.”

Perhaps Edelman shouldn’t feel too bad. Brady’s other bestie, his wife Gisele Bündchen, is in the dark about what the future holds.

“I would love to know where I’m going to be living this year but I don’t know that yet,” the supermodel replied Friday in an Instagram Q&A. “But hopefully somewhere nice. And wherever my husband is happy playing, so we will see.”

In the main event of ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE, the United States’ Janet “JT” Todd put together an extraordinary performance, stunning now former two-sport ONE World Champion Stamp Fairtex to capture the ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Title. The two women had met previously under Muay Thai rules, but tonight, it was the punching accuracy of Todd that led her to victory. Todd opened the bout with a massive first round, connecting on the quicker, more impactful blows. Stamp turned the tide in the second and third rounds, closing the gap on the scorecards. Heading into the championship rounds, it was anybody’s game as the two women gave their all. Behind beautiful boxing combinations, Todd scored on a myriad of straight punches and hooks that found their mark. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Todd to win by split decision.

In the co-main event of the evening, reigning ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Sam-A Gaiyanghadao of Thailand added another belt to his collection after defeating Australia’s Rocky Ogden to capture the inaugural ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship. The legendary Thai veteran was the quicker and more powerful man as the contest wore on. Although the first few rounds were closely competitive and tactical, Sam-A turned up the aggression in rounds four and five, punishing his young opponent with fast and powerful kicks and boxing combinations. After five high-octane rounds, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Sam-A, who makes history as the first ever male two-sport ONE World Champion.

ONE Warrior Series Contract Winner Kimihiro Eto of Japan easily scored the biggest victory of his career when he put former ONE World Title challenger Amir Khan of Singapore to sleep within the first few minutes of the opening round. The Japanese stalwart impressed with his grappling skill, as he effortlessly cancelled out Khan’s dangerous striking. As soon as the bell rang, the two men met immediately at the center of the ONE CIrcle, engaging in the clinch position. Eto then drove Khan against the Circle wall, and within moments he was able to bring the Singaporean Muay Thai Champion to the mat. From there, Eto took Khan’s back and sunk in a deep rear naked choke to end the bout early.

Japanese-Korean mixed martial arts legend Yoshihiro “Sexy Yama” Akiyama powered through an early flurry from Egypt’s Sherif “The Shark” Mohamed to win by first round knockout. Mohamed railed off wild haymakers from the opening bell, forcing Akiyama to backpedal and box from distance. The veteran Akiyama showed great head movement, evading most of Mohamed’s power shots. Towards the end of the round, Akiyama punctuated his performance by landing a well-placed right hook as Mohamed was coming in, instantly turning the lights out on the Egyptian.

In a clash of top female strawweights, former ONE World Title challenger and Singaporean boxing champion Tiffany “No Chill” Teo overcame a spirited effort from highly-regarded Ayaka Miura of Japan, winning by technical knockout in the third round. Miura flashed moments of brilliance in the first round, attacking with her 3rd Degree Judo Black Belt skills while hunting for her trademark scarf hold submissions. But Teo quickly figured out her game plan and adjusted her strategy to nullify Miura’s ground game. In the second round, Teo took control of the action, stopping Miura’s takedown attempts and then lighting her up on the feet. In the final round, it was all Tiffany Teo as the Singaporean pounded Miura with thunderous strikes to force the stoppage.

The Philippines’ Denice “The Menace Fairtex” Zamboanga battered top contender Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi of Japan for the majority of the three-round atomweight contest to win by unanimous decision. Zamboanga was accurate and powerful, connecting on a volley of explosive boxing combinations. By the end of the first round, Yamaguchi’s face already showed the wear of a warrior who has been through war. Although the Japanese former ONE World Title challenger tried to nullify Zamboanga’s striking by taking matters to the ground, the Filipina exhibited impeccable takedown defense, stopping most of Yamaguchi’s takedown attempts. In the end, all three judges scored the bout in favor of Zamboanga. Shortly after, Mitch Chilson announced that Zamboanga had earned herself a shot at the ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship currently held by Angela Lee.

The United States’ Troy “Pretty Boy” Worthen kept his professional record perfect with a tremendous performance against ONE Warrior Series Contract Winner Mark “Tyson” Fairtex Abelardo of New Zealand and the Philippines. Worthen negated Abelardo’s early onslaught with good footwork and savvy defense. He then tagged Abelardo with a plethora of high kicks that left the Fairtex Gym representative dazed. With his opponent in disarray, Worthen proceeded to turn to his world-class wrestling, overwhelming Abelardo on the mat. Across three whole rounds, Worthen controlled a game but outclassed Abelardo en route to a hard-earned unanimous decision victory.

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio “The Rock” Banario of the Philippines returned to the featherweight division to take on Thailand’s Shannon “OneShin” Wiratchai, figuring in a close split decision victory. The two former lightweights went to war over three full rounds, meeting each other at the center of the ONE Circle with their best offense. Wiratchai, creator of the OneShin Striking System, dazzled behind a consistent left round kick which found a home on Banario’s chin. The Filipino veteran, however, showcased beautiful boxing, and a relentless takedown game that saw him in top position for the majority of the contest. In the end, two of the three judges saw the bout in favor of Banario.

In a women’s atomweight contest, Indian wrestling sensation Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat authored a dominant performance, outgrappling opponent “Miss Red” Wu Chiao Chen of Chinese Taipei over the course of three rounds. Phogat, a Commonwealth Wrestling World Championships gold medalist, took Wu to the canvas at will with smooth takedowns. With Wu on her back, Phogat punished her opponent with fists and elbows from the top. Wu tried her best to defend, but struggled to gain any traction. After three whole rounds, Phogat emerged victorious with an impressive showing, earning the nod on all three judges’ scorecards.

ONE Championship newcomer Murad Ramazanov of Russia kept his unblemished record intact after turning in a dominant performance in a victory over South Korea’s “Wolverine” Bae Myung Ho. Action started out fierce, with Bae pushing the pace, pressing Ramazanov up against the Circle wall with powerful strikes. Ramazanov, however, defended quite well and was able to weather the early storm. The former WMMAA World Champion from Dagestan then scored on a quick takedown, bringing the action to the mat. From there, it was all Ramazanov as the Russian star operated a heavy top game that saw him take mount and punish Bae until the referee called a halt to the contest.

Kicking off the action at ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE were bantamweights Jeff “MMAShredded” Chan of Canada and Radeem Rahman of Singapore. Chan immediately went on the offensive from the opening bell, peppering Rahman with fast and powerful combinations in the first round. It didn’t take long however for action to hit the ground, and the two men proceeded to jockey for position. Chan was able to put in some good ground-and-pound for his efforts. In the second round, Chan dominated once again, taking Rahman down off a failed shot from the latter, and then worked his way to take back position. From there, he sunk in a deep rear naked choke to force the tap.

Official results for ONE: KING OF THE JUNGLE

ONE Atomweight Kickboxing World Championship: Janet Todd defeats Stamp Fairtex by Split Decision (SD) after 5 rounds

ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Championship: Sam-A Gaiyanghadao defeats Rocky Ogden by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 5 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Lightweight: Kimihiro Eto defeats Amir Khan by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:39 minutes of round 1

Mixed Martial Arts Welterweight: Yoshihiro Akiyama defeats Sherif Mohamed by Knockout (KO) at 3:04 minutes of round 1

Mixed Martial Arts Strawweight: Tiffany Teo defeats Ayaka Miura by TKO (Strikes) at 4:45 minutes of round 3

Mixed Martial Arts Atomweight: Denice Zamboanga defeats Mei Yamaguchi by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight: Troy Worthen defeats Mark Fairtex Abelardo by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Featherweight: Honorio Banario defeats Shannon Wiratchai by Split Decision (SD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Atomweight: Ritu Phogat defeats Wu Chiao Chen by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Mixed Martial Arts Welterweight: Murad Ramazanov defeats Bae Myung Ho by TKO (Strikes) at 4:53  minutes of round 1

Mixed Martial Arts Bantamweight: Jeff Chan defeats Radeem Rahman by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:00 minutes of round 2

Jorge Navarro (Speed Up Racing) topped Day 1 of Moto2™ testing in the desert at Losail International Circuit, with the Spaniard putting in a 1:59.168 to pull two tenths clear of Xavi Vierge (Petronas Sprinta Racing). Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team) locked out the top three just 0.021 further back, with American Joe Roberts a similar gap behind in fourth after an impressive showing for the American Racing Team rider. Gabriel Rodrigo (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3’s) reigned in Moto3™, the veteran pulling clear of the field.

For the lightweight and intermediate classes, the test is in pure daylight as they race earlier than MotoGP™, with track time alternating between Moto3™ and Moto2™ sessions. And Navarro flew the flag for experience in Moto2™, as did Tom Lüthi (Liqui Moly Intact GP) in Jerez as the veterans start to show their colours. Vierge is another expected to be strong, with Bastianini the sophomore on point as the second test begins.

Tetsuta Nagashima (Red Bull KTM Ajo) completed the top five, with another impressive 2019 rookie for close company: teammate Jorge Martin. Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team), another expected to challenge in 2020, was seventh.

Marcel Schrötter (Liqui Moly Intact GP), Luca Marini (Sky Racing Team VR46) and Nicolo Bulega (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2) completed the top ten, pushing out Jerez’s impressive rookie Aron Canet (Aspar Team) just behind in an interesting mix of pacesetters.

In Moto3™, Gabriel Rodrigo was fastest, with the Argentinean in the driving seat and enjoying a gap of over three tenths at the top. Albert Arenas (Aspar Team) was next up and once again the fastest KTM, with Jerez’s fastest man, Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia), rounding out the top three as he showed some impressive pace once again.

Rodrigo, who left Jerez early on Day 3 already satisfied with his programme, set a 2:05.593 in session three to top the timesheets in Qatar, a whopping 0.350 clear of Arenas. Ogura, whilst also fast, was the first man outside the half second bracket.

Fourth place on Day 1 went the way of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing), who was also near the top in Jerez, as experienced runners crowd out Ogura in the top five. That top five was completed by Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse).

Tony Arbolino (Rivacold Snipers Team) was sixth as he moved back up the timesheets into the top ten after some lower key showings last time out, with impressive rookie Jeremy Alcoba (Kömmerling Gresini Moto3) slotting into seventh. Filip Salač (Rivacold Snipers Team), Jaume Masia (Leopard Racing) and Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) locked out the fastest ten on Day 1.

That’s it from Friday, stay up to date on motogp.com with rider reactions and get ready for more tomorrow!

FULL Moto2™ RESULTS

Playing at The Hills, the 17-year-old showed why he is fast becoming one of the rising stars from the Asian Tour by continuing to feature prominently on the leaderboard with his two-day total of 11-under-par 132.

Qualifying School graduate Ben Eccles of Australia resumed his whirlwind adventure on the Asian Tour by firing a 68 to trail Kim by one shot in second place while Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert posted the day’s lowest round with a 64 at The Hills to share third place with Australia’s Lucas Herbert.

Eccles secured his Asian Tour card at Qualifying School in Hua Hin, Thailand last week before receiving a late call up for the tournament, having been on the reserve list.

The Australian opened with a 65 at the Millbrook Resort before his second round 68 put him well on track for his first victory as a professional, having claimed a debut victory in the 2015 NSW Open as an amateur.

Pavit’s game also caught fire as he signed for a bogey-free 64. Having gone five-over in his opening five holes in the first round, the Thai knows his mental strength will be key as he eyes a weekend charge.

The weekend cut was set at even-par.

Simultaneous to the tournament, a Pro-Am competition has also been played with a two-ball-best-ball format this week.

Apart from the 77 professionals who will progress to the weekend rounds at Millbrook Resort, the top 40 pro-am teams will also continue to compete in round three of the New Zealand Open Pro-Am Championship at Millbrook Resort.

A second cut will then be made in the New Zealand Open Pro-Am Championship after the third round with only the top-10 pro-am teams making it into the fourth round.

layers’ Quotes

Joohyung Kim (KOR) Second round 68 (-4), Total 132 (-11)

I played really well. With the tough conditions, it was not easy. But I managed myself really well and hope I can keep it up at the weekend. I have been working really hard and it is nice the scores have matched the work. I am still not at the top and I am trying to learn every day from the guys who are way more experienced than me. I am very fortunate that the veterans have been very nice to me and tell me how to play golf, how to play my best. My ball striking has been good. On this course if you are not in play, it is really hard to go around. Tomorrow is only the third round to be honest. I am in the halfway lead but there are so many big names just one or two shots away and those guys, when it comes to the intense moments, they always deliver. I just have to bring my A-game, stick to the game plan and play the best I can.

Ben Eccles (AUS) Second round 68 (-4) Total 133 (-10)

I earned my Asian Tour card last week and we thought we travel anyway, but we got the call on Wednesday morning saying I was in. We were going to have a two-week holiday regardless of what happened so it’s just a bonus to be playing. Yesterday I played awesome, in those conditions as well it just all came together. This morning I got off to a fast start – eagle, birdie, birdie. It awesome, it’s an amazing feeling and hopefully I can keep going. I just wanted to keep enjoying it, that’s been the main thing for me this week. The game still feels pretty strong, particularly the last couple of months. Mentally I’m enjoying it more, I want to be out there playing. The rough is up this year, which is going to make it interesting over the weekend.

Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA) Second round 64 (-8) Total 134 (-9)

I’m very pleased with how I’ve played today especially with my driver as I managed to hit most of the fairways. I love this course as it favours the long hitters like me. I made a lot of putts today too. So overall, I’m very happy. I was five-over after the first five holes yesterday and I told myself I had to forget everything then and try to move on. The weather was so bad yesterday. It was windy, cold and was raining. It was like my win in Sabah last year where I made a strong comeback to win. I just told myself to regain my focus and as long as I can do that, I still have a chance.

Leading scores after round 2 of the New Zealand Open 2020 (am – denotes amateur):

132 – Joohyung Kim (KOR) 64-68.

133 – Ben Eccles (AUS) 65-68.

134 – Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA) 70-64, Lucas Herbert (AUS) 66-68.

135 – Brad Kennedy (AUS) 66-69, Kieran Muir (NZL) 70-65.

136 – Harry Bateman (NZL) 67-69, Michael Hendry (NZL) 70-66, Wade Ormsby (AUS) 65-71, Nick Flanagan (AUS) 68-68.

137 – Cory Crawford (AUS) 68-69, Chan Kim (USA) 70-67, James Nitties (AUS) 72-65, Ryosuke Kinoshita (JPN) 72-65.

138 – Michael Wright (AUS) 72-66, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 66-72, Jarryd Felton (AUS) 71-67, Dimitrios Papadatos (AUS) 70-68, K.J. Choi (KOR) 71-67, David Smail (NZL) 70-68.

139 – Darren Beck (AUS) 70-69, Denzel Ieremia (NZL) 72-67, Katsumasa Miyamoto (JPN) 72-67, Samuel Eaves (AUS) 73-66.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul

Speaking at a press conference in Bangkok today (February 27), the deputy prime minister displayed confidence in the preparation by all sectors involved to facilitate visitors from their arrivals in the Kingdom. Thailand is to hold the second circuit of the MotoGP in 2020 between March 21-22 in Buriram province.

He said: “Regarding the measures put in place to prevent and control the spread of Covid-19 virus among the fans; the organisers, riders and teams, staffs, hotel and restaurant operators and other businesses in Buriram and surrounding provinces are confident that the Ministry of Public Health is working with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, Buriram Provincial Administrative Organization and other relevant agencies to best guarantee a safe environment. We hope to promote the OR Thailand Grand Prix 2020 as a Covid-19-free race, it will increase confidence in the country and its public health system that will be recognised worldwide, resulting in more income for the country and its people.”

According to the deputy prime minister, Thailand has generated over Bt6 billion from the first two editions of the Thailand MotoGP (2018-2019).

“This year, the figure might be slightly affected by the current global situation, but it is believed that, once the situation improves, the MotoGP race will once again be the magnet that draws even more motorsport fans from around the world to Thailand. That is because they lauded the Thai circuit as one of the best in the world for entertainment value, and their trips around the country impressed them. After this year’s race, we aim to announce our plan to continue to host the race in the next five years. We are committed to turning this racing event into the top attraction that draws the largest number of visitors to the country,” he added.

Pipat Ratchakitprakan, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, said despite the decreasing of overseas travel, domestic tourism is still unaffected, and Thailand is still a safe place. Over the past three years, Buriram has been regarded as one of the top destinations that helped generate a huge amount of revenue to the country, thanks to its position as the top hub sports tourism in the country. This year, the ministry is still confident that we will still be able to boost the overall economy of the country by hosting a world-class event like MotoGP.

This year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has upgraded its Pavilion to be even greater than the previous years. Under the theme of Amazing Thailand Festival @ MotoGP in Buriram, the Pavilion is built to showcase distinctive local festivals and Thai customs that are admired internationally. The interactive presentation is designed to highlight Buriram as one of the world’s top tourism destinations in the country. In addition, there will be an exhibition that promotes tourism in the four regions of Thailand, cultural performances, as well as a Thai dessert corners demonstrating the making of traditional Thai snacks and dessert to international visitors. The aim of this is to offer an exotic experience of Thailand that is truly one of a kind.

Tatchakorn Hatthatayakul, governor of Buriram Province, said the province is working with medical and related agencies to establish an action plan to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. The mobile checklist units will be deployed to track and monitor the health of tourists at their accommodations.

“ Buriram is 100 per cent and we would like to assure and welcome tourists and motorsport fans to join us in making history together in Buriram ”.

Newin Chidchob, President of Chang International Circuit, concluded that: “Combining our experience from the previous two years with suggestions from the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM), we are perfectly ready in every aspect. We also take feedback from last year’s attendees to improve this year’s event to an even greater level. In terms of the track preparation, everything has been in place, almost 100 per cent.

Regarding the Covid-19 situation, our experience hosting many large-scale events which have welcomed around ten thousand of participants to Buriram assures that we have public health measures in place to screen and effectively control spread of the virus . We hosted the “Buriram Marathon” recently, welcoming more than 70,000 runners and their families to our province. We were able to manage the running event effectively without any issues , ensuring us to be qualified as the Silver Marathon organiser , the first of the country, before stepping up to secure the Gold Label in the following year. This certifies our readiness in all aspects, contributed by the so-called Buriram Model by integrating the private and public sectors.

As for the organisation of the MotoGP, Chang International Circuit has prepared strict measures on motorsport fans. Screening points will be set up, more than 100,000 prices of Buff mask will be distributed, and hand-sanitising gel will be provided at the entrances of the circuit and along the way to the stadium. Moreover, visitors will have access to a guide detailing measures that they can take for protection of the virus, which will be handed out and can be downloaded at “BURIRAM HEALTHY” application.