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Golf: Tiger Woods (picture) felt the pain, figuratively at least, after the former world number one failed to make a single birdie in recording a miserable five-over 77 on the opening day of the Dubai Desert Classic yesterday. The creaking American, now ranked 666th after his long injury layoff, trailed Spain’s early leader Sergio Garcia by 12 shots and with only three players below him on the leaderboard among the morning starters. “I was just trying to hit shots and I wasn’t doing a very good job,” Woods told reporters. “At the end, I finally hit some good ones but the damage had already been done.”
Cricket: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and local authorities have agreed to an urgent inquiry to determine why the second one-day international between the hosts and Australia was abandoned yesterday without a ball being bowled. Morning rain delayed the scheduled start time, but the conditions improved enough for the ground staff to prepare McLean Park in Napier for a shortened match. Practice facilities across the road from the ground were “bone dry” shortly after the rain stopped, according to New Zealand coach Mike Hesson, but the outfield at McLean Park failed to drain properly.
Basketball, NBA: Stephen Curry made 11 three-pointers in a haul of 39 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Charlotte Hornets 126-111. Klay Thompson added 29 points as the Warriors improved to 42-7, with Curry scoring 11 threes for the fifth time in his NBA career, as well as providing eight assists. Frank Kaminsky scored 24 points for the Hornets, who have now lost six games on the bounce. Reigning NBA champions the Cleveland Cavaliers put a miserable January behind them with a 125-97 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Snooker: Tom Ford made a perfect 147 break as he beat Peter Ebdon 5-2 in the first round of the German Masters in Berlin. World no. 37 Ford, from Leicester, completed the third competitive maximum of his career in the second frame of the match. The 33-year-old previously achieved the feat at the 2007 Grand Prix and 2012 Bulgarian Open. His latest 147 is the 10th this season following maximums from Thepchaiya Un-Nooh, Stephen Maguire, Shaun Murphy, Alfie Burden, John Higgins, Mark Allen, Ali Carter, Ross Muir and Mark Davis. UK Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan let slip a 4-1 lead to lose 5-4 to Mark King.
Cycling: There was controversy on stage three of the Dubai Tour after race leader Marcel Kittel said he was punched by Astana’s Andriy Grivko during the race. The Ukrainian Grivko was disqualified by organisers after the stage was over and Astana issued an apology to Kittel and his Quick Step Floors team, but that was not enough to placate the German sprinter. Kittel posted a picture on his Twitter feed showing him bloodied from the blow, and wrote: “I won’t accept an apology for this. That has nothing to do with cycling. What Grivko did is a shame for our beautiful sport.”