Connect with us

Sports

COVID-19: Golf Competitions Suspended In Kenya

Published

on

All handicap golf competitions have been suspended in Kenya for the next 30 days, the Kenya Golf Union has directed, after a spate of “non-compliance” by golfers in the country who continued to play despite stringent lockdown measures to contain coronavirus.
“The Kenya Golf Union has taken the unprecedented action of suspending all handicaps in the country for a period of 30 days. All clubs are therefore not allowed to hold any competitions that require golf handicaps for this period,” a statement signed by Kenya Golf Union chairman Antony Murage read.
“All club houses must be closed forthwith. Golfers must not be allowed to access the club house for any services whatsoever,” the statement added.
Murage explained that the Ministry’s directive was due to the “noncompliance of many golfers who continued to congregate within the club premises in direct contravention of the current directive given to help stop the spread of Covid-19.”
That directive had come from Kenyan Minister of Health Mutahi Kagwe, who ordered the closure of all golf clubs in the country, a
directive that many Kenyan golfers have been ignoring.
Despite suspending handicap competitions and closure of club houses, self-caddied players are allowed to continue playing alone, in twos or threes.
The clubs will be open to members only with no guests or reciprocation allowed, however clubs must ensure there won’t be congregation on the clubs premises.
“Golfers can play golf as long as they do not use the services of caddies and strictly maintaining social distancing. The starting intervals must be at least ten minutes and golfers must not gather at the starters,” Murage said
With golfers not allowed to use caddie services during this period, the KGU has further directed clubs to set up a caddie welfare fund to support the caddies.
Some of the golf clubs which had already put the government’s directive into action include Karen Country Club, Royal Nairobi Golf Club and Thika Golf Club.
“Following the Government’s directive through the Ministry of with immediate effect,” said a statement signed by Captain Dougic Duncanson and Lady Captain Rose Mambo of Karen Country Club.
Health, please note that the golf course and the practice range have been closed indefinitely with immediate effect,” said a statement signed by Captain Dougic Duncanson and Lady Captain Rose Mambo of Karen Country Club.
The Royal Golf Course and Thika Sports Club have also closed their entire golf courses for the next 21 days and until further notice respectively.
Kenya has a growing interest in golf internationally, having hosted two European tours last year – The Magical Kenya Open and the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
In March this year, Kenya was to host its third European Tour event – however the Kenyan government suspended all international meetings and conferences, a decision led to the postponement of the second Magical Kenya Open.
The European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley said they were looking into the possibility of rescheduling the tournament at some point later in the season.
“That remains simply a possibility right now – we have no definitive plans at this stage,” Pelley

Continue Reading

Sports

Inter Best Juventus To Maintain Serie  A Lead

Published

on

Andrea Cambiaso scored at both ends during the first half of Saturday’s Derby d’Italia, before Pierre Kalulu’s red card forced Juventus to play the entire second half a man light.

Substitute Francesco Pio Esposito got Inter back in front with a bullet header, then Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint finish looked to have salvaged a point for the Bianconeri, before Zielinski struck on the cusp of stoppage time.

Juventus made the brighter start, but they were masters of their own downfall in the 17th minute, when Cambiaso deflected Luis Henrique’s cross beyond Michele Di Gregorio.

Cambiaso atoned within nine minutes, catching Henrique on his heels when Weston McKennie’s cross squirmed through to the back post and applying a side-footed finish.

But after Bremer cleared Zielinski’s dinked effort off the line, Juve’s hopes were damaged when Kalulu received his second yellow card for a 42nd-minute pull on Alessandro Bastoni, though the Inter centre-back appeared to go down theatrically.

Di Gregorio made a remarkable stop to thwart Hakan Calhanoglu, but as Juventus dropped ever deeper, they were punished when substitute Esposito guided Federico Dimarco’s searching cross into the far corner with 76 minutes on the clock.

It looked like Inter would have to settle for a point when Locatelli whipped a wonderful finish into the bottom-left corner in the 83rd minute, but Zielinski had the final say as his 20-yard drive fizzed through Locatelli’s legs and beat Di Gregorio.

Continue Reading

Sports

Szoboszlai’s Real Madrid Dream Sparks Concern At Liverpool 

Published

on

A cloud of uncertainty has settled over Liverpool after comments from Hungary head coach Marco Rossi reignited speculation about Dominik Szoboszlai and Real Madrid.

Rossi, who has worked closely with Szoboszlai since his teenage years, revealed that the midfielder’s lifelong ambition is to play for the Spanish giants.

“Because of the very close and direct relationship I’ve had with Dominik since he was a child, Real Madrid has always been his dream,” Rossi said.

For a Liverpool side building around Szoboszlai as a centerpiece of Arne Slot’s project, those words landed hard.

Within hours of Rossi’s remarks, Szoboszlai interacted on social media with two Real Madrid players, applauding posts from Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold following Madrid’s win over Real Sociedad.

His reaction to Vinicius’ post drew particular attention. The exchange with Alexander-Arnold, his former Liverpool teammate, was seen as less surprising.

Still, in the hyper-connected world of elite soccer, even a digital thumbs-up can carry weight. On Merseyside, fans and pundits quickly began dissecting the meaning behind the interactions.

Szoboszlai, Hungary’s captain, has become one of Liverpool’s most influential players. That status is precisely why Rossi’s comments triggered such an intense reaction in England.

The midfielder had just delivered on the field as well, scoring in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield.

After the match, Mohamed Salah heaped praise on his teammate, calling Szoboszlai “the best player in the world.” Slot struck a slightly more measured tone but echoed the sentiment.

“I think there are many elite players in the world, but I definitely agree with Mo that he is one of them,” Slot said. “He is very important for us.”

Szoboszlai is under contract at Liverpool through 2028. However, the club is reportedly eager to open extension talks in the coming months to secure his long-term future.

The player himself addressed the situation recently with notable candor.

“There’s nothing yet, to be honest. Nothing from now on. It’s not in my hands. That’s how it works,” he said. “There’s no progress, but if the right offer comes, we’ll see.”

He was equally clear about his affection for Liverpool.

“We’ll see what happens. Hopefully everyone will be happy in the end. Of course I want to stay. I like the city, I like the club, I like playing with these guys. I love Anfield, I love the fans. Let’s see what the future brings. It’s not my fault. I’d love to stay. We’ll see.”

 

Inter’s dramatic victory boosted their lead over rivals AC Milan to eight points, ahead of the Rossoneri hosting Como on Wednesday. Juventus, meanwhile, could drop out of the top four as Roma visited Napoli last night.

The last four Serie A matches between Inter and Juventus have produced a total of 21 goals (an average of 5.25 per game), compared to just nine in the previous six (1.5 per game).

Cambiaso became the first player in Derby d’Italia history to score and put through his own net in the same match between these old rivals, but it was Zielinski’s fifth Serie A goal of the season that proved decisive.

Inter will argue they were deserved victors after amassing 21 shots and 1.88 expected goals (xG), while Luciano Spalletti’s visitors mustered 10 shots and 0.92 xG – though the Bianconeri actually attempted six of their shots while down a man in the second half.

Continue Reading

Sports

Wolves Beat Man Utd Conquerors

Published

on

Premier League strugglers Wolves overcame resolute Grimsby Town in challenging conditions at Blundell Park to reach the FA Cup fifth round at the expense of the side that eliminated Manchester United in the last round.

Santiago Bueno scored from Wolves’ only shot on target with an hour played, diverting Joao Gomes’ cross past goalkeeper Jackson Smith with his thigh to end the League Two club’s resistance.

Unrelenting rainfall caused heavy ground underfoot and one penalty area in particular- that of Grimsby’s Smith in the first half – was already a quagmire before kick-off.

Charles Vernam shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box with just 43 seconds on the clock as Grimsby sought to catch their top-flight visitors cold.

Wolves had to wait until the 17th minute for their first opportunity of note, forward Tolu Arokodare firing over with a first-time attempt.

The white paint of the pitch markings soon blended and blurred with the mud as the surface rapidly deteriorated, and both sides struggled to stitch together cohesive attacks as passes travelled unpredictably across the sodden ground.

 

Continue Reading

Trending