Badminton hero Eddy Yusuf passes away
JP/12/Brief
Badminton hero Eddy Yusuf dies
Indonesian badminton hero Eddy Yusuf passed away at the age of 72 due to cancer at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital early Saturday morning.
He was buried at the Karet Bivak cometary later on Saturday afternoon, according to www.detik.com news website.
Eddy, born in Surabaya on April 3, 1931, was a member of the first Indonesian men's badminton team to win the coveted Thomas Cup in 1958.
The other team members included Tan Joe Hok, Ferry Sonneville and doubles pairing Tan King Gwan and Njoo Kim Bee. Indonesia beat Malaysia (then Malay) 6-3 in the final in Kuala Lumpur.
It was Eddy who urged the Badminton Association of Indonesia to insist that Indonesia should take part in the cup.
Eddy's death overshadowed the Indonesian shuttlers' preparations for the mixed team Sudirman Cup to be held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands from next Tuesday to Sunday. -- JP
;AFP; ANPAs..r.. Putbriefs-Golf-Els-Woods Els to take on Woods in Germany JP/9/Brief
Els to take on Woods in Germany
PARIS: The world's top two golfers Tiger Woods and Ernie Els are set to clash at the Deutsche Bank-SAP Open at the Gut Kaden course near Hamburg May 15-18, organisers said on Friday.
Woods is the defending champion and he has committed himself to play in the European PGA Tour event for the fifth time.
But Els has added his name to the list in a top-class field having passed on the event over the last few years.
The two have yet to affront each other this year with Woods missing the early part of the season after a knee injury and Els clocking up the wins in Asia and Australia. --AFP
;REUTERS; ANPAs..r.. Putbriefs-Golf-Nicklaus Nicklaus and Palmer in rare Tour appearance together JP/11/Brief
Nicklaus, Palmer in rare Tour together
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Florida: Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer will make a rare appearance together on the PGA Tour next week when both play in the Bay Hill Invitational.
Free of pain from injuries that have plagued him for several years, Nicklaus has accepted an invitation from Palmer to play in the tournament at Palmer's Bay Hill Club in Orlando.
Nicklaus, 63, played in the Ford Championship on the PGA Tour last week but missed the cut by three shots. Palmer, 73, has not played in a tour event since the 2002 Masters. --Reuters
;AFP; ANPAs..r.. Putbriefs-Golf-Player Player tipped to design golf course in Qatar JP/11/Brief
Player tipped to design golf course in Qatar
DOHA, UAE: South African legend Gary Player has been lined up by Qatar's sports authorities to design a golf course in the country.
Player, who played the Qatar Masters last year, is not playing this time but is in Doha with his business team hoping to secure the contract to build the golf course which will add to the Peter Harradine designed Doha Golf Club facility built seven years ago.
"I have seen a wonderful site by the ocean," the veteran Player told AFP. "The best place to build a golf course is in the desert and the ocean in the back drop will only add to its beauty," he added. --AFP
;REUTERS; ANPAs..r.. Putbriefs-Soccer-Diouf Diouf fined heavily over spitting incident JP/11/Brief
Diouf fined heavily over spitting incident
LIVERPOOL, England: Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf has been fined two weeks' wages over the spitting incident that marred the UEFA Cup tie with Celtic, manager Gerard Houllier said on Friday.
The Senegalese could also face a police charge and UEFA action after TV replays clearly showed the player spitting in the direction of home supporters following a touchline clash towards the end of Thursday's Parkhead clash.
But Houllier played down the incident and insisted Diouf would start Sunday's premier league game at Tottenham.
"El Hadji is young, he is learning and he makes mistakes. This was a mistake and he realises he must not do that anymore," Houllier told reporters. --Reuters