Staged at 13th Beach Golf Links on Australia’s Bellarine Peninsula, men and women play on the same courses, at the same time, for equal prize money.

The ISPS Handa Vic Open, jointly sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, the ALPG, the European Tour and the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia, will see 156 women and 156 men take to the Beach and Creek Courses at 13th Beach Golf Links. While this is the first time the ISPS Handa Vic Open is an official LPGA Tour event, the tournament has been conducted jointly with the men’s competition since 2012.

The women’s field is headlined by Rolex Rankings No. 7 Minjee Lee¸ the world’s top-ranked Australian golfer and the defending ISPS Handa Vic Open champion. She is joined in Barwon Heads by 2018 major champions Georgia Hall and Pernilla Lindberg, as well as Australian golf icon Karrie Webb. Hall has also tasted success at Barwon Heads, taking the 2016 Vic Open title for her first professional victory.

LEE AIMING FOR VIC OPEN THREE-PEAT

In 2014, a 17-year-old Minjee Lee catapulted to the top of the World Amateur Golf Rankings thanks to a six-stroke win at the ISPS Handa Vic Open, then called the Oates Victorian Women’s Open. Fast forward five years and not only has Lee become one of the world’s best golfers, but the tournament, now an official stop on the LPGA Tour, has become one of the leading examples of gender equality in the sports world.

“I’ve come here for many years and to see the tournament grow and obviously the players who are taking interest in the tournament is really great,” said Lee, who added a second Vic Open title to her resume in 2018. “I think it’s fantastic how we merge two such great tours and I think it’s just going to grow from here, I mean even more than it has.”

For the second consecutive year, Lee kicks off her season with a trip to 13th Beach Golf Links. But this marks the first time that Lee will open the year as the highest ranked Australian golfer, male or female. That honor was particularly underlined when Lee received the 2018 Greg Norman Medal, which is bestowed on the year’s best performing Australian golfer. It was the first time a female golfer earned the prestigious honor, with Lee joining PGA Tour stars Jason Day (2015, 2016) and Marc Leishman (2017).

“I don’t know if I’m technically better than all of them, but it’s pretty cool to have the honor of being the Greg Norman medalist,” said Lee with a laugh. “I know those guys are really great athletes as well, so it’s cool to be among their names.”

WHIRLWIND THREE WEEKS FOR NEWLYWED LINDBERG

Please excuse Pernilla Lindberg if she’s not quite sure what time it is. The last three weeks took the 32-year-old Swede almost completely around the world.

After competing in the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions in Florida, Lindberg made a quick trip back home to Sweden, where she was nominated for Achievement of the Year at the annual Swedish Sports Award Show. The 2018 ANA Inspiration champion then made the trip of a lifetime to Queenstown, New Zealand, where on Jan. 31, she wed her long-time partner and former caddie Daniel Taylor in a “heli-wedding” atop Coromandel Peak.

“Going into this week I have to say I’m not sure where my form is really at,” said Lindberg, who will have Taylor back on the bag for a one-week “honeymoon” stint before he goes back to work for Ariya Jutanugarn at next week’s ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. “I have my coach with me here this week, so hopefully I can get some good practice in over just a couple days and I’ll be ready to go by Thursday again.”

This is Lindberg’s third consecutive Vic Open appearance, finishing fifth in 2018. After experiencing the week’s fun atmosphere – men and women next to each other on the range and on the course; no course ropes; an equal purse – Lindberg was extra excited to see the event join the LPGA Tour schedule.

“I’ve been telling girls the last few years what a cool experience it is. It’s just different,” said Lindberg. “Every day you’re out there, you look up and guys in the group in front of you and guys in the group behind you. It just is nice to show other big tours in the world that it’s possible to do an event like this.”

NOTABLE FIRST-ROUND GROUPINGS

Defending ISPS Handa Vic Open champion Minjee Lee opens her 2019 season at 8:10 a.m. on the 10th tee of the Creek Course, playing alongside Charley Hull and Brittany Lang

A trio of major champions tee off at 7:50 a.m. on the 10th tee of the Creek Course – Karrie Webb, Georgia Hall and Pernilla Lindberg

RACE TO THE CME GLOBE UPDATE

Heading into the second week of the 2019 Race to the GME Globe, Eun-Hee Ji, who won the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions, leads the standings with 500 points. Mirim Lee sit in second with 300 points, followed by Nelly Korda (190 points), Shanshan Feng (135 points) and Moriya Jutanugarn (135 points).

The 2019 season brings a fresh face to the Race to the CME Globe. LPGA Members will accumulate points at each official LPGA Tour event leading up to the CME Group Tour Championship. The top 60 points earners and ties will then earn a spot in the CME Group Tour Championship, with the entire field competing for the $5 million purse and the $1.5 million winner’s check, the largest single prize in the history of women’s golf.

This result left Liverpool three points in front of second-placed Manchester City less than a week after they missed the chance to go seven points clear.

It was the second match in a row that Liverpool had dropped points following a 1-1 draw at home to Leicester.

Pep Guardiola’s City could now regain top spot with victory at Everton on Wednesday.

“Probably all the reports are already written without me saying anything,” Klopp told the BBC.

“I didn’t see anything about pressure that you can ask in the next few questions,” added the German, looking to become the first Liverpool manager in 29 years to win the English title.

Sadio Mane gave Liverpool a 22nd-minute lead at the London Stadium despite Hammers’ complaints that James Milner was offside in the build-up.

But Manuel Pellegrini’s men equalised just six minutes later when a clever free-kick caught Liverpool napping and Michail Antonio shot past Alisson.

West Ham’s Declan Rice and Mark Noble squandered good chances but Liverpool substitute Divock Origi could have won the match with the last kick of the game — just as he did in the Merseyside derby against Everton in December.

But Origi, offside inside the box, failed to get any power into a shot straight at goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

– ‘Scared them’ –

“It was a tough game,” said Klopp. “You saw around the set-piece, we knew about the routine but when we trained we had three other players in the team.

“Apparently our goal was offside and maybe the referee knew that in the second half. It’s a point and it’s a fair point..

“We had ups and downs. At the end we were up again,” he added. “Now we take the point and carry on.”

Meanwhile Hammers captain Noble suggested his side had intimidated the Reds.

“You can’t play man to man against Liverpool and out-pass them,” he told Sky Sports. “You have to keep your shape and stop them.

“We scared them. You have to do that against the top teams.

“We’re gutted in there because the goal was clearly offside. We scored a fantastic set-play and didn’t manage to get a second goal.”

Reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion Zebaztian “The Bandit” Kadestam of Sweden will make the first defense of his World Title against Georgiy “Knight” Kichigin of Kazakhstan.

Kadestam captured the vacant ONE Welterweight World Championship with a stunning fifth-round knockout of previously unbeaten American Tyler McGuire last November. “The Bandit” took the welterweight throne by showcasing his dynamic striking skills, and now he looks to make his first ONE World Title defense against the veteran Kichigin.

Kichigin is a grappling specialist who hails from Almaty, Kazakhstan. He has amassed a stellar 20-5 professional mixed martial arts record, of which 16 victories have come by submission. “Knight” is currently riding an impressive 14-bout win streak, having not lost a match since November 2014. Now, he makes his way to ONE Championship to challenge for the ONE Welterweight World Title.

Former ONE Bantamweight World Title challenger Toni “Dynamite” Tauru is making his return to the ONE cage, following a short break from competition. The Finnish athlete, who is the Cage Warriors Bantamweight Champion, has been competing in ONE Championship since July 2015. Eight of Tauru’s 11 career victories have come by submission, proving his craftiness on the mat.

Gary “Saint Lion” Mangat of Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada is making his promotional debut after having competed in SFL and Brave Combat Federation. He is a well-rounded striker and grappler, and is a 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu product. A winner of his last three bouts, Mangat steps into the ONE cage and looks to extend his win streak against Tauru on the global stage for martial arts.

Bozhena Antoniyar grew up in Loikaw, the capital city of Myanmar’s Kayah State. She began training in martial arts at the age of 16, and ultimately became a two-time National Boxing Champion. In February 2018, she made her ONE Championship debut and set a record for the fastest finish in ONE women’s history with a 24-second technical knockout victory over Shwe Sin.

Stepping up to face Bozhena Antoniyar is Malaysia’s Audreylaura “Ice Comet” Boniface. Boniface trains out of Sabah’s renowned Borneo Tribal Squad under veteran coach AJ “Pyro” Lias Mansor. A Taekwondo black belt, Boniface seeks her first victory in the ONE cage against Antoniyar.

The Philippines’ Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres is looking to get 2019 off to a hot start when she faces promotional newcomer Lin “Fighting Sister” Heqin.

After kicking off her ONE Championship career with three straight victories, Torres stumbled in 2018, dropping her last two contests. “The Zamboanginian Fighter,” who trains under head coach and veteran mixed martial artist Rene Catalan at Catalan Fighting System, seeks to return to her winning ways this year. But in order to do that, she will have to get past Heqin.

Heqin is a 25-year-old Chinese martial arts star who is currently on a five-bout win streak. She possesses incredible power in her strikes and has registered multiple knockouts in her mixed martial arts career. “Fighting Sister” aims to make a statement in her ONE Championship debut by taking out Torres.

Making his professional mixed martial arts debut is Tial Thang, who squares off with Cambodian Kun Khmer practitioner Rin Saroth, a former KWC 3 Featherweight Tournament Finalist with a 110-22 record in Kun Khmer. Saroth made his ONE Championship debut in 2015 and has since posted victories over Mission Ali and Mario Satya Wirawan. Tial Thang and Saroth will face each other in a 68-kilogram catch weight bout.

Also, Myanmar rising star Phoe “Bushido” Thaw returns to action to face “The Iceman” Yohan Mulia Legowo of Indonesia.

Phoe Thaw, a Lethwei practitioner, burst onto the scene in impressive fashion. He won his first six mixed martial arts contests, five of which by knockout in the first round. Last October, he suffered the first setback of his career and now, he is looking to get back on track with a win over a veteran martial artist.

Legowo, on the other hand, is a pioneer of Indonesia’s mixed martial arts scene, having competed extensively in a local promotion before making his way to the global stage of ONE Championship. “The Iceman” aims to prove that his veteran experience will reign supreme against one of Myanmar’s favorite athletes.

In her first two tournaments of the season, the world No 8 has successfully defended her crown in Kuala Lumpur, beating three-time world No 1 Carolina Marin of Spain in the final, before reach the quarter-finals in Jakarta, where she lost to Chinese Chen Yufei in three games.

Ratchanok, the 2013 world champion, said a prolonged rest during the off season had given her time to work on several aspects of her game and been a major factor in her improved form.

“I had enough time to practise and figure out what went wrong in my game. Earlier I gave into my nerves and lost some matches by making unforced errors,” said Ratchanok, whose success in Malaysia ended a year-long title drought since her previous success there.

“I’ve fixed this aspect and played better in the Malaysia Masters and went on to win. I have to keep working hard and hope to get even better throughout the year,” added Ratchanok who is now preparing for next month’s All England All England Championships in Birmingham, where she has twice finished runner-up, in 2013 and 2017.

Meanwhile Ratchanok’s club, Banthongyord Badminton School in Bangkok, has signed a sponsorship deal with the Khaotrachat rice company, who will support the club’s players, including two-time world junior champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

The 18-year-old world junior No 1 is determined to become the first boy to complete a hat-trick of wins at the World Junior Championships.

“To achieve this, I have to improve my physical condition,” said Kunlavut. “I have to get stronger to pave the way to the senior level and especially to have a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”

Brady, 41, became the first player ever to win six Super Bowls, 17 years after leading the Patriots to his first title way back in 2002.

The total of 16 points scored in the game was the lowest ever in Super Bowl, surpassing Miami’s 14-7 win over Washington in 1973.

Patriots icon Brady – already widely regarded as the greatest quarterback the National Football League has ever seen — provided the decisive moment to break open the game midway through the fourth quarter at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

    With the score finely balanced at 3-3, Brady picked out tight end Rob Gronkowski for a 29-yard completion that left the Patriots just two yards from the line.

It was the first time in the game that either side had advanced to 1st and goal in a defense-dominated game that failed to live up to its billing.

The Patriots were in no mood to waste the hard-fought opportunity, and rookie running back Sony Michel crashed over for what turned out to be the crucial score.

The Rams looked to have finally found some fluency as they chased a touchdown to level, but quarterback Jared Goff was picked off by corner Stephon Gilmore to leave the Patriots in sight of victory.

The Patriots marched up field on the subsequent possession and Stephen Gostkowski’s second field goal with 1min 16sec remaining made it a two-score game.

The Patriots’ triumph saw them join the Pittsburgh Steelers with six Super Bowl titles, the most by any franchise.

Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was named Super Bowl MVP for a series of crucial receptions that kept the Patriots on the front foot at critical moments.

 – Missed chances –

The Rams meanwhile were left reflecting on what might have been, with receiver Brandin Cooks twice having what looked like certain touchdowns denied by last-ditch defensive plays from New England in the second half.

It was a bitter end to the season for Rams coach Sean McVay, who at 33 would have been the youngest winner of the Super Bowl.

Instead McVay was outfoxed by Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, whose defensive gameplan choked the life out of the Rams, the second most potent offense in the NFL this season who had averaged more than 30 points a game.

Belichick, 66, becomes the oldest head coach to win the Super Bowl.

An attritional first half had seen defense dominate, with the Rams — the second most potent offense in the league this season — restricted to a meagre 57 yards.

The Patriots meanwhile looked the more composed with their run game making good yardage early on.

Although Brady suffered the indignity of throwing an interception with his first pass attempt, when cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman batted a pass intended for Chris Hogan into the arms of Cory Littleton, the Rams were unable to escape the Patriots defense.

Gostkowski missed an early field goal attempt from 46 yards but the Patriots finally got on the board early in the second quarter through the veteran kicker’s 42-yard effort.

The Rams meanwhile mysteriously left star running back Todd Gurley on the sidelines for long periods, with doubts swirling about his fitness.

There was little improvement in the opening exchanges of the second half. Goff almost gave up a pick with his first attempt, but Dont’a Hightower was unable to haul the ball in.

Gurley raised Rams hopes with a 16-yard run but the drive fizzled once more.

Two more stalled possessions followed, and the Rams owed a massive debt to Johnny Hekker when he conjured a 65-yard kick, the longest punt in Super Bowl history, from behind his own line to get Los Angeles out of jail.

With the Patriots forced to punt once more, the Rams then finally managed to string a drive together.

Cooks was denied a certain touchdown after hauling in the ball in the end zone only for Jason McCourty to bat the ball out of his control.

Goff suffered a sack on third down to leave Greg Zuerlein with a 53-yard effort but the Rams kicker stroked it over to level at 3-3 with just over two minutes remaining in the third.

But that was as good as it got for the Rams, who also saw Cooks denied a game-tying touchdown after he fumbled near the end zone.

Guardiola’s side go into Sunday’s Premier League home match against Arsenal in third place, five points behind leaders Liverpool with 14 games to play.

City suffered their fourth defeat in nine league matches as they were beaten 2-1 at Newcastle on Tuesday in a lethargic display.

They were without the leadership skills of club captain Vincent Kompany, who has made only six league starts this season because of injuries.

Guardiola, though, has rejected the idea that he does not have the players willing to take responsibility in the absence of the Belgian.

“Of course, there are guys with a huge personality to talk, to communicate, but that is only worth so much,” he said.

“I am not going to call out a guy who is shy, who expresses himself with a lot of character on the pitch, but off the pitch is more quiet and doesn’t talk too much with his mates.”

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss added: “I met incredible players who didn’t speak one word. And I saw a lot of players who speak a lot in the locker room, ‘I want to do that’, and afterwards, when they go out on the pitch and they are under pressure, say ‘I don’t want the ball and I don’t want to defend’. There are so many of these kinds.

“It is one thing to say that players don’t have the personality to do that. I think we can do more, of course, me above anyone, but I think we have it.”

– Serial winner –

Guardiola has won the domestic league title in seven of his nine seasons as a senior coach, but on six of those occasions his team led the table from autumn onwards.

The one exception was in 2009-10, when his Barcelona side swapped places with Real Madrid for several weeks before finally pulling away in early April with a 2-0 victory at the Bernabeu Stadium in El Clasico.

Even that season, Barcelona were always either leading or within one victory of the top. Guardiola has never before, at this stage of a campaign, succeeded in clawing back the size of deficit he now faces and admits it is a new challenge.

“Pressure comes day by day,” he said. “That is why I like the Premier League. I like the competition. You have to play as well as possible to win games in the way you want to play. That is the pleasure I have and we feel as a team and as a manager. The titles are a consequence of that.”

“But if the other team are top at the end, then when we are done, we will shake the hands of the champions and we will try again next season,” he added.

During last season’s filming of “All or Nothing”, the Amazon documentary about the club, Guardiola told his players they were the best team in the Premier League, and possibly Europe.

He said he still feels that way. “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “Because I believe. I love them, I like them, I trust them. I said many times. So of course I believe it.”

Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia 

The in-form Australian reached her fourth WTA final after she crushed over Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia 6-4 6-1 in the first semi-final which consumed 73 minutes.

The 49^th-ranked Tomljanovic is back in the Thailand Open again after reaching this stage in the 2015 edition when it was held in Pattaya. She lost to Daniella Hantuchova of the Slovak Republic that year, which was her first WTA final.

“It was a bit scrappy in the first set but I managed to clean it up in the second. I played her twice last year and knew it was going to be tough as she pushed a lot of ball back,” said Tomljanovic.

The Croatian born will be eyeing on winning her maiden title after losing all three previous finals including in Rabat and Seoul last year. She will play the final against eighteen-year-old Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine who beat Magda Linette of Poland 6-4 6-3 in the drizzle interrupted second semi-final.

“I have to play the best match out of five years to win. I really have to bring it. I’m excited to have another opportunity to win my first title. I don’t enjoy losing in the final. I have to do my best,” the Australian said.

Dayana Yastremska  

Tomljanovic who beat the Slovenian 2-6 6-1 6-3 in the round of 16 in Seoul last year broke right from start and held on to that only break to lead 5-3.  She was down 0-30 serving for the set but delivered four powerful serves to win four points in a row to take the opener in 40 minutes.

In the second set the Australian dominated play with powerful baseline game, allowing the Slovenian only one game to win the set in 33 minutes.

In the second semi-final, light rain suspended play for 10 minutes at three all in the first set. When play resumed, Yastremska and Linette held serves until the 10^thgame where the Ukrainian blast a forehand service return winner to take the set.

The teenager managed a break in the eighth game of the second set and comfortably held to pull off the win for her second final after winning in Hong Kong last year. She hit 29 winners in the match.

“I’m so happy. I played well. It was not easy as we had to stop due to unpredictable weather. I’m so happy to reach another final. I had to hit winners as she was consistent at the baseline. I will try to hit like this tomorrow,” said the Ukrainian who beat Tomljanovic  last year in the China Open qualifying round 6-2 3-6 6-2 in September.

Sudan-born striker Ali scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick after just 12 minutes and Abdelaziz Hatim curled in a superb second before Akram Afif converted a VAR-assisted penalty to give the 2022 World Cup hosts a famous victory in Abu Dhabi.

“To win seven games in a row, we deserve to be champions,” Qatar coach Felix Sanchez told AFP as thousands took to the streets back in Doha, many waving flags from car windows and honking their horns in celebration.

“We made history for our country. It was an unbelievable opening goal from Almoez — he’s so dynamic, everything he touches turns to gold.”

Qatar survived a wobble at two-nil when Takumi Minamino pulled one back on 69 minutes, only for Uzbek referee Ravshan Irmatov to award the Maroons a penalty on video review for a handball by Japan captain Maya Yoshida.

“That’s one of the toughest ways to lose,” said a distraught Yoshida. “That third goal is tough to accept. If that’s a penalty probably I’ll have to jump without using my arms.

“But no excuses, Qatar played well,” added the Southampton defender. “We have to learn from this defeat and move on.”

Ali, meanwhile, became the first player to score nine goals at a single Asian Cup after being cleared to play just hours before kickoff following a UAE protest over his eligibility.

The Qataris had been pelted with plastic bottles and shoes during the 4-0 semi-final thrashing of hosts United Arab Emirates over the long-running Gulf blockade of the tiny, energy-rich state.

Emirati football officials subsequently lodged a formal protest over the eligibility of Ali and Iraqi-born defender Bassam Al-Rawi, which was thrown out by the Asian Football Confederation.

Qatar had never before gone beyond the Asian Cup quarter-finals but they had scored 16 unanswered goals coming into the final and kept a record six clean sheets as they silenced the haters.

– Outrageous strike –

Japan, on the other hand, had never lost an Asian Cup final, winning the last of their record four titles in 2011.

But the Blue Samurai were soon chopped down by Ali’s outrageous early strike, which took him past Iran legend Ali Daei’s record tally of eight goals at the 1996 tournament.

Cleverly found by Afif, Ali flicked the ball up to himself before launching into an overhead volley that left Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda helpless as it flew in off the post.

Ali almost scored again within a minute, only to be denied by a desperate block from Yoshida.

However, Qatar doubled their lead in the 27th minute after yet another Afif assist — his 10th of the tournament — as Hatim bent in a sumptuous left-foot shot from distance.

Japan, whose only previous Asian Cup defeat by Qatar came 31 years ago, mustered little of note, much to the chagrin of their colourful fans among a crowd of 36,000 — several sporting fancy dress, including one hardy soul in an inflatable sumo suit.

That all changed when Minamino breached Qatar’s defence for the first time this tournament with a delicate chip after Hatim had blazed over at the other end.

But moments later Afif ended Japan’s resistance with a cheeky dink from the penalty spot to complete a fairytale triumph for Qatar and trigger wild scenes among the players and coaching staff.

“We are definitely proud of this,” said Ali after the Qatari players had been showered with golden confetti during the trophy ceremony.

“I expected to score goals — maybe three or four — but I didn’t expect to score nine.”