Ryder Cup players to play in Qatar
Ryder Cup players to play in Qatar
DUBAI, UAE: Ryder Cup players Padraig Harrington, Paul
McGinley and Phillip Price have committed themselves to playing
at next week's Qatar Masters, despite fears expressed by some of
their colleagues over the possibility of war in nearby Iraq.
The trio, along with 1991 U.S. Masters champion Ian Woosnam
and 2002 Volvo PGA winner Anders Hansen of Denmark, are among 42
European Tour title winners confirmed in a field of 150, the tour
announced on Saturday.
Earlier this week, European Tour executive director Ken
Schofield gave players a personal assurance that every measure
possible had been taken to ensure their safety at Doha Golf Club
and, on Saturday, he reiterated his stance. --Reuters
;REUTERS;
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Putbrief-tennis-Sampras
Sampras skips Miami tournament
JP/11/Brief
Sampras skips Miami tournament
INDIAN WELLS, California: Pete Sampras continued his slew off
pullouts on Friday, withdrawing from the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami
just hours after pulling out of next week's Pacific Life Open.
With Sampras deciding to skip the Florida event starting on
March 19, he has now withdrawn from four consecutive tournaments.
His brother Gus, the tournament director of the Scottsdale
Classic in Arizona, told Reuters by telephone that he spoke to
his brother on Thursday and he still had not made a decision on
whether he was set to retire.
"He's still holding off," Gus said. --Reuters
;REUTERS;
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Putbrief-cycling-Ullrich
Pay up or I move on: Ullrich
JP/11/Brief
Pay up or I move on: Ullrich
LUCCA, Italy: Jan Ullrich and his sporting director Rudy
Pevenage have given Team Coast two weeks to pay their wages or
else they will move elsewhere.
Ullrich, 1997 Tour de France winner and current Olympic
champion, is training in Tuscany getting ready to return to
racing when a ban for taking amphetamines ends on March 24.
On Thursday, cycling's governing body, the UCI, temporarily
suspended German-based Team Coast over alleged non-payment of
riders' wages. --Reuters
;AFP;
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Putbrief-basket-NBA
Knicks activate Charlie Ward
JP/11/Brief
Knicks activate Charlie Ward
ORLANDO, Florida: The New York Knicks on Friday activated
point guard Charlie Ward, who had missed the team's last eight
National Basketball Association games with an abdominal strain.
A seven-year veteran, Ward has averaged 7.5 points and 4.6
rebounds this season and is ranked 11th in assist-to-turnover
ratio at 3.06.
Ward splits time at point guard with Howard Eisley and the
Knicks went 3-5 in his absence.
New York placed reserve guard Lavor Postell on the injured
list with left patella tendinitis. He has averaged 3.4 points
and 7.3 minutes in eight games this season. --AFP