Golf: Liberty National in New Jersey has been chosen to host the 2017 Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour has announced. The 11th edition of the biennial matchplay tournament – which sees the United States take on an international team without Europeans – will take place in South Korea next year before it returns to American soil in 2017. America has won all but two of the Presidents Cups held since the tournament’s debut in 1994, with an international win in Melbourne in 1998 and a draw in South Africa in 2003.
Basketball: The United States completed their preparations for the upcoming World Cup with a 101-71 mauling of Slovenia that gave them a perfect record in warm-up games ahead of the 24-nation event in Spain. Missing some top NBA talent who declined invitations to play in the Aug.30-Sept.14 tournament, the Americans were still too strong for the Slovenians after emphatic wins over Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Fans in the Canary Islands resort of Gran Canaria were treated to a barrage of fast breaks and dunks by a physically superior US team who conjured a 15-0 run in the first half and a 23-4 streak in the second.
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Snooker: The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai will stage the Indian Open world ranking event in October. The inaugural Indian Open was staged in New Delhi last year and now moves to Mumbai, the country’s big-gest city. The £300,000 tournament will run from October 13-17. The qualifying rounds are in Barnsley from September 18-21 with the 64 winners to progress to the final stages, joined by six Indian wild cards. Ding Junhui (picture) won the tournament last year, winning the final against Mumbai-born Aditya Mehta, who became the first Indian player to progress beyond the quarter-finals of a ranking event.
Cricket: Australia’s voice of cricket Richie Benaud has been offered the chance to commentate on test matches from his home this year if he is not well enough to get to the grounds. The 83-year-old former Australia captain has been absent from the commentary box since crashing his car as he drove to his home in Sydney last October. Channel Nine chief executive David Gyngell said his desire to have Benaud on board for the four-test series against India later this year meant the offer to broadcast from home was a serious option. “If he’s not up to calling from the ground this summer, I’d like him to call from home,” Gyngell said. “He’d be the ultimate armchair caller from the couch, wouldn’t he?”
Badminton: The Badminton World Federation should have taken more time to trial their proposed scoring changes and given top shuttlers a better chance to experience it, Japan coach Park Joo-bong said. The BWF will decide in November whether or not to employ the new five-game race-to-11 scoring system or stick with the first to 21 best-of-three games format. The new system, which is hoped will shorten match times and increase excitement, is currently undergoing testing at lower ranking events. “The timing is not right. They should have tried it out much earlier and give everyone a taste of it,” Park said. “The top players have not had the chance to try out this new scoring format.”
Rugby Union: Australia utility back Pat McCabe has decided to retire after fracturing his neck for the third time in last weekend’s Rugby Championship defeat to New Zealand, his Super Rugby coach Steve Larkham said yesterday. The 26-year-old, who played on the wing against the All Blacks at Eden Park, had fought his way back to fitness after the two previous breaks and an excellent season with the ACT Brumbies earned him a test recall. “It’s very disappointing news, actually, he had a scan over in New Zealand and it was reported to have had a little fracture in his neck,” Larkham told ABC Radio.