Nine holes later, that advantage had totally evaporated. The Thai needed four play-off holes to defeat Kim Hyo-joo and cement perhaps the biggest mental comeback in her professional career.

“I played absolutely great on the front nine. It was unbelievable. I felt like I’m never going to play that good again,” said Ariya when asked about that day in Alabama.

“And then at the turn on No 10, all I’m thinking about [is] I have a seven-shot lead. I’m going to keep the seven-shot lead until the last hole. It should be easy for me to win the tournament. But that’s not a good way to think about that.”

Ariya’s win 12 months ago was among the most memorable moments in LPGA history. Today, she’s in Charleston to defend her title, along with 11 other past US Women’s Open champions – Na Yeon Choi (2012), In Gee Chun (2015), Paula Creamer (2010), Laura Davies (1987), Ji Eun-hee (2009), Cristie Kerr (2007), Brittany Lang (2016), Inbee Park (2008, 2013), Sung Hyun Park (2017), So Yeon Ryu (2011) and Karrie Webb (2000, 2001).

Ariya is still looking for her first victory of the 2019 season. So far it’s been a quiet season for the 23-year-old from Thailand, who has just two top-10 finishes to her name but hasn’t missed a single cut in her 11 tournament appearances. She is ready for the challenge of Charleston’s Country Club course, a Seth Raynor design that’s much trickier than it appears to the naked eye.

“The first few holes … I feel like actually, it’s pretty wide open. So it might be not that tough,” said Ariya, who starts her title defence at 8.06am local time (7.06pm Thai time) today. “But then when you keep playing and you see some holes out there, like short par 4, it’s really narrow. You have to put your ball in the right spot.”

Ariya will tee off on the 10th hole alongside 2017 US Women’s Open champion Park Sung-hyun and leading American Lexi Thompson.

Utilising superior teamwork and accuracy, Thailand won the fifth match in the League series 25-21 19-25 25-19 25-20 and bounced back from successive losses to Italy and Poland in Poland last week, and to China on Tuesday. They had previously won last week’s opening match with Germany.

They will face Belgium at 3.30pm today in their the final Pool 7 match before returning home for Pool 11 at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium from June 4-6.

Thailand coach Danai Sriwacharamaytakul said: “Today we faced a Korea team with lots of young and energetic players. Their serves are really powerful and they have great pace. Our team showed great team spirit today and this definitely helped us to win this tight match.”

Thailand captain Nootsara Tomkom said: “Korea gave us a hard game today with their strong serves. We had problems with our reception in the last match but fortunately we made improvements today, which allowed us to string some good attacks especially in the crucial sets three and four.”

Korea coach Stefano Lavarini said: “I felt very happy to play against Thailand because their team play in a unique style and playing them can make us improve. We did not start the match well, got better in the second set, then Thailand started giving us more pressure in the third and fourth sets. They showed their quality and fighting spirit and totally deserved to win. The only disappointment I have today is that we did not show the same mentality and could not perform at the same level like yesterday. Congratulations again to Thailand team and we will do our best to keep playing at a high level.”

Sentosa, Singapore, May 29: The first half of the 2019 Asian Tour season will be best remembered for thrusting the region’s best and promising players into the global spotlight.

A place where it all begins, the Asian Tour Qualifying School has always been the launchpad for aspiring golfers as they embark on their professional careers and chase their golfing dreams.

And it did not take long for the likes of rookies such as Zach Murray and Sadom Kaewkanjana to create ripples in the golfing world with their respective wins at the New Zealand Open and Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in Bangladesh.

At the season-opening event in January, Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond found his winning rhythm again when he outclassed a host of quality players including Sergio Garcia, Paul Casey and Davis Love III to lift the iconic SMBC Singapore Open trophy for his third Asian Tour title.

New Zealand’s Ryan Fox then produced a dominant performance in the final match by beating Spain’s Adrian Otaegui 3&2 to lift the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth trophy the following month.

Like the unique formats of the popular ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth and New Zealand Open which have been a huge success, Murray also endeared himself to the crowd when he signaled his arrival on the biggest stage by becoming the third fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour in March.

Murray’s wire-to-wire victory, which saw him being crowned as the newest champion of the New Zealand Open was made even sweeter as it was his first professional win, achieved in what was only his third start on the Asian Tour.

Victory at the Maybank Championship in March was especially special for Australian Scott Hend as he cemented his status as the most successful international golfer on the Asian Tour when he claimed his 10th victory in Malaysia.

Hend’s play-off victory over Spain’s Nacho Elvira was his first in three years since he last won in 2016. The Australian also became the second player, following Thonghcai Jaidee in 2014, to surpass US$5million in career earnings, thanks to his victory in Malaysia.

There was no lack of drama in March as Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher staged a remarkable comeback by firing three birdies in his closing four holes to win the Hero Indian Open.

Not to be outdone in the tale of rookies, young Thai talent Sadom surpassed Murray’s earlier feat by became the record fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour in his very first start at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open.

Sadom secured his 2019 Asian Tour card in his first attempt at the Qualifying School and struck gold again with his first Tour victory and a second win as a professional after his maiden win on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) in February.

The Asian Tour headed to East Asia in May where an exciting run of events in China, Korea and Japan reignited the Order of Merit battle.

Finland’s Mikko Korhonen ensured his first play-off duel with France’s Benjamin Hebert would end in victory when he drained an eight-foot birdie putt on the first play-off hole to defeat the Frenchman and win the Volvo China Open.

The 38th GS Caltex Maekyung Open Golf Championship saw the trophy being retained on home soil again after Korea’s Taehee Lee edged Finland’s Janne Kaske to claim his first Asian Tour title.

Japan’s Yosuke Asaji then delivered the perfect mother’s day gift on the day that matters most when he held his nerve to win the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Chiba prefecture.

Beyond home comforts, the golfing world also began to take notice of South Africa’s Justin Harding and Jazz, who both elevated into the higher echelons of the game.

Harding continued to make waves even on the European Tour by winning the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in March and emerged as one of the surprise packages at The Masters Tournament. He finished tied for 12th to earn a return ticket to The Masters in 2020.

American Kurt Kitayama, who graduated from Qualifying School in 2018, also made big strides in the Middle East when he was crowned the Oman Open champion. It was his second European Tour title since winning the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open last December.

Jazz then took his prolific form to the Major stage when he finished in a creditable tied-14th place at the PGA Championship two weeks ago

That finish, which was also the best result by a Thai at the PGA Championship, moved him to a career-high 69th place on the Official World Golf Ranking.

Amidst the intense competition that provided all with a great spectacle the last five months, new heroes have emerged with records rewritten.

Hend holds a slim advantage over Jazz on the Asian Tour Order of Merit at this stage.

Slightly over US$50,000 separates the two but expect more twist and turns when the players return to action starting with the Kolon The 62nd KOREA Open Golf Championship next month.

After all, this is #whereitsAT.

Two and a half weeks after the Premier League season ended, here is a London derby exported almost 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometres) to Azerbaijan’s capital, by the Caspian Sea.

It is the first leg in a week of European finals dominated by England, with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur contesting the Champions League showpiece in Madrid on Saturday.

However, there will not be much of an English atmosphere at the Baku Olympic Stadium when the match kicks off at 2300 local time (1900 GMT), with reportedly only around 6,000 tickets sold by the clubs in a ground which holds almost 70,000.

The distances and costs involved and the difficulty in getting to Baku have prevented more fans from travelling, while Arsenal are also handicapped by the absence of Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

He decided not to travel because of fears over his safety due to an ongoing political dispute between Azerbaijan and his home country Armenia.

“It is not in my hands. They have their reason to play here and I must respect this decision,” said Arsenal coach Unai Emery on Tuesday.

“Yes I prefer to play with our supporters here. I’d prefer it if a lot of supporters from us and from Chelsea could come here from London, but it’s difficult.”

Emery’s players have promised to try to win the trophy for Mkhitaryan, and the stakes are certainly high for the Gunners.

After finishing fifth in the Premier League, two points behind Chelsea in third and one point behind Tottenham, Arsenal have to win to qualify for next season’s Champions League after two years away.

“For a club like Arsenal we have to be in the Champions League. It’s an amazing and important game because we want to give us, the fans and the club the Champions League back,” said midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Whether that in itself is more important than winning a European trophy is another matter, however.

– Make or break for Emery –

Arsenal have not been in a European final since 2006 and have not won a continental trophy since lifting the Cup Winners’ Cup 25 years ago.

In Emery, though, they have a coach who won this competition three years running with Sevilla.

“All teams’ first objective is to play to win a title — I think that is the first objective, and then there is also the fact that it helps you to achieve the Champions League,” Emery reasoned.

If this match will make or break Emery’s first season in charge, it is also crucial for Maurizio Sarri in determining how his debut campaign at Chelsea is assessed.

The Italian does not see it that way, though, amid talk it could be his swansong before a summer move to Juventus.

“I think we played a very good season. Of course if we are able to win the final the season will become wonderful,” said Sarri, who has never won a major trophy.

– A game of farewells? –

He has steered the Blues to a return to the Champions League and also took them to the League Cup final, where they lost on penalties to Manchester City.

The game could also be Eden Hazard’s last as a Chelsea player amid reports he will finally move on to Real Madrid.

It will definitely be the last game, however, for Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech, who will retire afterwards at the age of 37.

A Chelsea great who crossed London in 2015, he has been tipped for a return to Stamford Bridge in an upstairs capacity, which may be on Emery’s mind when it comes to picking his starting line-up.

“I can speak about Petr Cech a lot, but above all he’s a great man, a great professional,” Emery said. “I want to do something important, with him playing or not playing.”

Bernd Leno is the other option in goal, while Chelsea are sweating on the fitness of midfielder N’Golo Kante.

“Kante has a very little problem with his knee. The problem is the timing, but we are trying,” said Sarri.

In a statement, police said they were in the process of conducting raids in several, unnamed areas and planned to detain 11 people — “retired and active footballers in the first division, active players in the second division and executives of a club.”

Ten people have so far been arrested in Huesca, Madrid, Malaga, Valladolid, La Coruna and Ibiza.

A source close to the probe, who refused to be named, said that matches were allegedly fixed during this season and the 2017-2018 campaign.

Among them were several games played by Real Valladolid, a club majority-owned by former Brazil striker Ronaldo since September.

The source named several players involved to AFP.

They include Bravo, a 38-year-old former Real Madrid player who once played for Spain, Borja Fernandez who played for first division Real Valladolid, and Carlos Aranda, a retired player who appeared for a string of Spanish clubs.

Samuel Saiz, a Leeds player loaned to Getafe this season, is also allegedly involved as is Inigo Lopez Montana, who played for Extremadura and Deportivo La Coruna in the second division this season.

The president of SD Huesca, another football club that climbed into first division this season before being relegated again, was also targeted.

It was as yet unclear whether they had all been detained.

Those at Huesca “are suspected of having taken part in match-fixing when they were in the second division,” the source said.

– ‘Really hurts’ –

The suspects are accused of match-fixing, belonging to a criminal gang and money laundering, police said.

They added their months-long investigation had “confirmed that the suspects reached agreements with various players to ‘fix’ at least three matches in the first, second and third division.”

“The match-fixing related to the third division was unsuccessful, forcing the players involved to compensate the loss by doing another in the future,” they added.

Police said that during one of the suspect matches in second division, “betting houses registered a cash volume that was up to 14 times higher than normal for this division.”

A statement from La Liga, meanwhile, said it had made an initial complaint in May 2018 after a match between Huesca and Gimnastic de Tarragona (0-1).

It was unclear whether they were talking about the same match.

Javier Tebas, La Liga’s president, told sports daily Marca that La Liga had been investigating this for over a year.

“It really hurts, because it affects a club I love, but the most important thing is to end corruption in football,” Tebas, who was president of Huesca in the 1990s, said.

– ‘Must be clean’ –

Match-fixing has been a constant issue in Spanish football.

In February 2018, at least 24 people were arrested nationwide in an operation into alleged match-fixing in Spain’s lower leagues.

The ring was accused of using players to force situations such as corners or penalties in games in the third and fourth tiers of Spanish football. They would then make bets on these situations.

The conspirators under investigation had connections with China, where the bets were placed.

Match-fixing has hit other sports like tennis.

In January, Spanish police dismantled a gang that allegedly rigged professional tennis matches, detaining 15 people and probing dozens of others including a player who competed in last year’s US Open.

The gang allegedly bribed tennis players to fix matches in ITF Futures and Challenger tournaments, the lower levels of the professional game where younger players start out before reaching the ATP and WTA Tours.

“Police are committed to fight to ensure matches are clean in all Spanish sports,” the director general of Spain’s National Police, Francisco Pardo Piqueras, told a news conference.

“Sports touches the hearts of millions of people, especially for millions of youths for whom it is the most important thing in their lives. I believe sports must be clean,” he added.

Top seed Osaka, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 0-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

However, she came within a whisker of becoming only the second top seed to lose in the first round in Paris in the modern era after Angelique Kerber in 2017.

“I think this is the most nervous I have ever been my entire life during a match,” said Osaka.

She was also totting up the reasons why she was so under-powered.

“First time playing a Grand Slam as No. 1. I have won the last two, so I kind of want to win this one really bad.

“Also I have never played on the Chatrier court before. This was my first time. And, yeah, I kind of feel like I’m having the thought of wanting to prove myself again, so…”

World number 90 Schmiedlova, who hadn’t won a match at the tournament since 2014, twice served for victory in the 10th and 12th games of the second set.

At one stage, she was just two points away from a famous victory.

“It hurts that I lost so many chances,” said Schmiedlova.

“She’s the number one, it was not easy in my head.”

Osaka, who had arrived in Paris still feeling the effects of a hand injury suffered in Rome, raced through the final set and will face former world number one and two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka.

Osaka ended the match with 10 aces, 36 winners and 38 unforced errors — just four of those coming in the decider.

Azarenka, a semi-finalist in 2013, reached the second round for the first time since 2015 with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) win over 2017 champion Jelena Ostapenko.

Third seed Halep overcame a second-set blip against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

Halep, who won her maiden Grand Slam title in Paris last year after three previous final defeats, will next face Poland’s Magda Linette.

“The level of the match was great and her level in the second set was really high,” said Halep.

“So I tried to make her move more and that was better for me.

“There were nice emotions to be back on this court.”

German fifth seed Alexander Zverev, a quarter-finalist in 2018, battled past Australia’s John Millman 7-6 (7/4), 6-3, 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 in a shade over four hours.

The champion in Geneva last weekend fired 57 winners past world number 56 Millman who stunned Roger Federer at the US Open last year.

– Karlovic wins at 40 –

However, he also committed 73 unforced errors on a blustery day in the French capital.

“John is a tough player so I knew it would be difficult today,” said Zverev, bidding to become the first German man to win the Roland Garros title since Henner Henkel in 1937.

Next up for Zverev is Swedish qualifier Mikael Ymer, the world number 148 of Ethiopian origin, who marked his Grand Slam debut with a 6-0, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) win over Slovenia’s Blaz Rola.

Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro, a semi-finalist in 2009 and 2018, made the second round with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win over Chilean world number 58 Nicolas Jarry.

“I think I’m playing well at the moment, but my main goal is still the knee, my health,” said Del Potro who is still feeling his way back after knee surgery.

Next up for the giant Argentine is a clash against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka.

Canada’s Bianca Andreescu, the surprise champion at Indian Wells, marked her Roland Garros debut by beating Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

The 18-year-old, playing for the first time since Miami after suffering a shoulder injury, hit 58 winners and 60 unforced errors.

Ivo Karlovic made a mockery of his 40 years to beat relative spring chicken, 37-year-old Feliciano Lopez, in the oldest ever men’s match-up at Roland Garros.

Croatian Karlovic, the tallest player on the tour at 6ft 11in (2.11m), defeated Lopez 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5.

He is the oldest man to win a Grand Slam match since Ken Rosewall in 1978.

The United States Golf Association said in a statement prize money for the 119th US Open at Pebble Beach and the 74th US Women’s Open at Charleston had each been increased by $500,000.

It means the US Women’s Open purse will total $5.5 million. The $1 million winner’s cheque on offer in Charleston this week will be the richest payout in the history of women’s golf.

Top women’s players welcomed the news of the prize money hike on Tuesday.

“I think it’s amazing news,” Lexi Thompson told reporters in South Carolina.

“I think it is very well-deserved, but I think overall golf is just growing as a sport. The players are very excited about the news, and hopefully we can just keep on improving.”

The US Open, meanwhile, which takes place at Pebble Beach from June 13-16, will see its total purse increase to $12.5 million.

“The USGA is committed to providing an unparalleled experience to every player competing in its championships,” USGA championships director John Bodenhamer said in a statement which announced the cash boost.

Tiger Woods earned $2.07 million for his win at the Masters in April, where the purse totalled $11.5 million.

Brooks Koepka won $1.98 million with his win at the PGA Championship earlier this month. The PGA Championship purse weighed in at $11 million. The British Open offered $10.5 million last year.

The Kingdom’s team, with one win over Germany and two back-to-back defeats to Italy and host Poland last week, had no answers to the superior attacking game of the 2018 bronze medalist China, losing 25-21 25-17 25-9 at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in the second week of the tournament.

Thailand, who finished 15^th in the opening season of the League 12 months ago, lost nine successive sets since the encounter with Italy. They play South Korea this afternoon.

Thailand coach Danai Sriwacharamaytakul said: “We fully expected a tough match against the hosts today. In the first two sets we received the ball well, but as the match went on we could no longer cope with China’s powerful serves.”

Thailand captain Nootsara Tomkom said: “We enjoyed the match today especially in the first two sets, but we lost a lot of points on our serves in set three and we were unable to recover.”

China coach Lang Ping said: “This is the first match since the return of most of our key players and they have all put in a great effort today. I feel our players need further improvements on team tactics and this match will serve as a good platform for building team chemistry and understanding.”

The 26-year-old Thai earned a total of US$27,266 in six starts on the ADT this season, thanks to a win and two top-10 finishes. He has yet to miss a single cut this season on the region’s secondary circuit, which was launched as a gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010.

Itthipat had secured his maiden ADT title in the Philippines in 2015 before winning the season-opener in Singapore in 2016. He capped his career-best season yet on the ADT by finishing fourth on the 2016 Order of Merit to secure his Asian Tour card for 2017.

After failing to keep his Asian Tour card for 2018, Itthipat returned to hone his skills on the ADT and his efforts were finally paid off when he made it into the winner’s circle again at the start of the season. Now, he is in the running to become the third Thai player, following Pavit Tangkamolprasert (2014) and Pannakorn Uthaipas (2017), to lift the ADT Order of Merit crown.

Itthipat, who earned his 2019 Asian Tour card after finishing third at the Qualifying School last December, pointed to a combination of mental and technical changes he made that helped put his game back on track.

“The biggest change I made for this year was fixing my swing and concentrating on my mental game,” said the amiable Thai.

“I am excited to be at the top of the Merit rankings right now, but I always remind myself that there are many other players who are trying to compete for that position. I will have to keep playing well and make it harder for them to catch up with me,” added Itthipat.

Japan’s Naoki Sekito, playing in his second season on the ADT, trails Itthipat by a mere US$2,833 in second place on the money list.

The 21-year-old Sekito has displayed impressive form to claim his first ADT win at the PGM ADT Penang Championship and cap two runner-up finishes in five starts this season.

Qualifying School graduate Kosuke Hamamoto of Thailand sits in third place with earnings of US$18,827 while Kazuki Higa of Japan and Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas, both winners again on Tour this season, take fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Earlier in February, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana savoured his first professional victory at the Thongchai Jaidee Foundation 2019. The young Thai became the record fastest Qualifying School graduate to win on the Asian Tour when he won in his first start at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in April.

Sadom has since been removed from the ADT Merit rankings as he has earned an exemption on the Asian Tour till the end of the 2020 season.

The ADT also celebrated its first winner from Korea earlier this month when newcomer Seung Park won in only his second start on the ADT at the OB Golf Invitational in Indonesia.

Reigning ADT number one, Miguel Carballo of Argentina, emerged triumphant at the Singha Laguna Phuket Open to clinch his second title two weeks ago. It was the second time he won in a play-off and he would move to seventh place on the Merit rankings.

ADT hopefuls will continue their chase for the seven Asian Tour cards on offer when the Merit race resumes at the PGM CCM & CCM Duopharma ADT Championship next month.

The tournament, which will mark the ninth leg of the ADT schedule this season, will take place at the Tiara Melaka Golf and Country Club in Malaysia from June 26 to 29.

Tomic slumped to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-1 defeat by Taylor Fritz of the United States, leaving him with just three wins in 2019.

The final set on a chilly and damp Court 14 was over in just 20 minutes and the match in 88 minutes, the quickest of the tournament so far.

Fellow firebrand Kyrgios withdrew from Roland Garros with an elbow injury last week but not before saying: “Get rid of the clay, man. Who likes the clay, it is so bad.

“The French Open sucks compared to this place. Sucks. Absolute sucks.”

Tomic, never far from controversy, was happy to concur.

“I agree with him, with everything,” he said during a monosyllabic press conference.

“The tournament is not for me.”

Tomic’s lack of enthusiasm for the task in hand was encapsulated on match point where a serve he thought was out led him to the net to offer his hand.

“I thought the match was over, it would be nice to give him the point because that’s how I felt. But it’s okay. We replayed it.”

Accused in the past of not trying in matches and once dubbed by the Australian media as ‘Tomic the tank engine’, he insisted he was at 100 percent on Tuesday.

“Pretty sure I did (gave his best). But, you know, the surface is not good for me.”

“I mean, it’s not difficult. It’s just my game is not built for this surface. Everything I do is not good for it.

“But as long as I’m doing the right thing now, for the next month, is important for me. That’s my focus.”

That focus, however, does not include where his next tournament will be as Wimbledon fast approaches.

“Honestly I have no clue. I’ll go to the hotel and see. I have no idea where I’m playing,” he added.

The fiery Australian, who shot to fame by making the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2011 and went on to reach the world top 20, arrived in Paris deep in another slump.

Ranked 84 in the world, he retired with illness at Lyon last week against Canada’s Steven Diez, ranked a lowly 262.

His most recent Grand Slam appearance in Australia in January was overshadowed by a feud with Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt.

The head of Tennis Australia Craig Tiley described Tomic as “bad for the culture of Australian tennis”.

Tomic is not hoping for a thaw in the cold war anytime soon.

“I haven’t even thought about it since January, so no.”

For Fritz, it was a first career win at Roland Garros and backed up a solid season on European clay.

The 21-year-old American, ranked 42, was a semi-finalist in Lyon last week, losing to eventual champion Benoit Paire.

He also qualified for the Madrid and Rome Masters before falling to Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori respectively.

The city is also special for the American — back in 2016, he proposed to his girlfriend Raquel Pedraza in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

The two are now married with a son, Jordan.