Issue 250 | March 30 2012
The new Master?
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ISSUE 250, MARCH 30 2012 Radar 05 WrestleMania
Cover: Neale Haynes/Contour by Getty Images. This page: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images, Matthew Lloyd/Getty Images
We’ve indulged ourselves with our top five favourite wrestlers ever. It is a proper sport, right?
06 Coasting along
27
The rather nice coasters with F1 circuit designs, plus the things you never knew you never knew
09 We need your help Tell us your greatest Olympic moments and be in with a chance of winning a splendid book to do this coming week Features
31
17 Rory McIlroy Just what might the young superstar achieve in golf? Two top commentators discuss
27 Mikel Arteta
17
Arsenal’s midfielder on his team’s recent resurgence
31 Helen Jenkins
60
The triathlete hoping to learn from her Beijing experience
33 The County Championship Wisden editor Lawrence Booth gives expert analysis on the state of the county game
Extra Time 48 Kit Two pages of the some of newest golf gear on the market
52 Golf travel Get the clubs in a flight bag and book a trip...
56 Gadgets Featuring our favourite, a £3,000 sound system
58 Grooming Facial scrubs, because every man needs a facial scrub
60 Entertainment Werner Herzog, gloomy Danes and British design (pictured) | March 30 2012 | 03
p08 – Pitch and putt at St Andrews, Soho
© 2011 WWE, Inc.
Radar
p06 – Brainiac gives England penalty advice
The great ones 5 Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart The finest technical wrestler of them all, a fan favourite and the only guy who could make hot-pink lycra look manly – the ‘excellence of execution’ was the total package. The fact that he would give his wraparound shades to the most clearly backwards child in the crowd proved that Hart had a big, erm, heart. 4 ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels Far sexier than his real name of Michael Hickenbottom suggests, Michaels was the wrestler who redneck men wanted to be and hillbilly women to be with. High-flying, risktaking and so dedicated to entertainment that he risked letting a still-crazy Mike Tyson have a free swing at his jaw at WrestleMania XIV.
The Rock returns to action this weekend at WrestleMania, which gives us an excuse to count down our five favourite all-time WWE grapplers
3 The Rock The finest microphone work of any wrestler (‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin runs him a very close second), The Rock has made an art of insulting opponents, pundits and fans, who lap it up. Once answered an interview query with: “You can take this question, shine it up real nice, turn it sideways and stick it straight up your candy-ass.” Which is one even Sir Alex hasn’t used. As yet. 2 The Undertaker Remarkably agile for a man with a billed height of 6ft 10ins – not to mention the fact that he’s stone dead according to WWE legacy – the ‘Taker has the most enduring and popular gimmick in wrestling. Has an ongoing
19-bout unbeaten streak at WrestleMania, once locked The Ultimate Warrior in a coffin and gets through more goth eyeliner than an all-girls sixth-form college on Halloween.
WWE WrestleMania XXVIII will be live on Sky Sports Box Office on Sunday April 1, midnight
1 Hulk Hogan Technically rubbish, egotistical and with a combover/refusal to accept he was bald that would make Bobby Charlton blush, but nothing matched the sheer power of Hulkamania in its prime. Seeing Hulk rip apart his puny vest, ear-horn to a bellowing crowd and suddenly fix his astonished rival with a bulging-eyed stare and pointed finger was electrifying. Also referred to his arms as ‘pythons’ in a totally non-ironic way. This man is without doubt the greatest ever, brotha.
| March 30 2012 | 05
Radar
Great Scott
Big
dam Scott is our kind of man. Talented, rich, linked to some of the world’s most beautiful women, and in with a very good shot of winning next week’s Masters in Augusta. He’s also not the kind of fellow likely to be seen on the fairway in a pair of Ian Poulterstyle clown trousers. In fact, we’re loving Scott’s look in 2012, as he’s chosen to deck himself out in the tailored elegance crafted by luxury British brand Aquascutum. Before they branched out into luxury golf clothing, this 161-year-old fashion house created everything from the trenchcoats worn by soldiers of all ranks in World War I to clothing worn by Winston Churchill, Cary Grant, Paul McCartney and Michael Caine. They’ve kept with the times, however, and now also produce golfwear using the latest high-tech fabrics. The waterproofs, for example, are widely praised as being among the best in the world. You may want to pack those for the Open come July, Adam.
A
Aquascutum Golf is available at trendygolf.com
Coast to victory njoying the F1 season, are you? Especially early in the season, when you get up at all kinds of crazy hours to watch live racing. Not too early for a drink, though. Surely not. An Aussie beer for Melbourne, of course. A sherry to toast Spain and Maotai for China. What do they drink in Bahrain, again? Look, it doesn’t matter, the
E
point is you’re not watching this motor racing stuff sober. Also, when you place your beverage down, do it on one of these fine coasters with a famous track engraved into them, including Monaco, the Nürburgring, Spa and three more. They’re the second most welcome six-pack you’ll see all day, boozy. Race Track Coasters, $40, griotsgarage.com
ant to know how Usain Bolt could do the 100m in 9.4s without running any faster, or what the best strategy is for taking penalties? Well take note, England footballers, and let John Barrow explain. The Cambridge Uni brainiac takes time out from typing ‘boobs’ on an upside-down calculator to reveal the secrets behind sporting phenomena in his fascinating (really) new book. Each is explained in 100 punchy, entertaining entries, where the boy Barrow – despite clearly being a whopping egghead – shows a superb knowledge of sport. Where was this fellow when we were learning our times tables?
W
100 Essential Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know About Sport, published by The Bodley Head, out now £10
06 | March 30 2012 |
David Bell_Studio 3, Inc, Mark Newcombe/visionsingolf.com
Know it all
Radar
Swing and a hit magine if Pebble Beach was just a stone’s throw away from your office – and open for each and every golfer to play when they liked. Well, it is, and the same goes for St Andrews, Sawgrass and 60 other championship courses, each to be found in the plush, stylish surroundings of London’s trio of Urban Golf clubs. The graphically awesome simulators there aren’t just for show: each course has been rendered in 3D, with obstacles precisionplaced and the exact undulations of each green replicated. This accuracy extends to your play, too, as high-speed cameras gauge the velocity, angle and spin of your every shot. So if you hit the ball a clean 250 yards to the centre of the fairway, that’s where it will drop. Alternatively, if – and stop us if this sounds familiar – you hook, slice, roof or shank the ball, it will hoy off in the wrong direction, just as it would in real life. This means you actually improve your game, while a bar caddie can supply you with a chorizo and beef burger plus cocktail the instant you drain your putt and before you tee off on the next hole. Not even the top pros can get that kind of treatment. Well, except John Daly. Urban Golf at Soho, Smithfield and Kensington: urbangolf.co.uk
I
08 | March 30 2012 |
Sport needs YOU! n just a matter of days, on April 18, the Olympic Games will be just 100 days away; so close you can smell its musky beauty. To celebrate, we’ll dedicate our issue on April 13 to recounting the 100 Most Memorable Olympic Moments in all their glory. Which is where you come in. To help shape the list, we need your suggestions of those iconic Olympic moments seared indelibly into your memory – be it Steve Redgrave’s fifth and final gold, Bob Beamon’s leap or Fosbury’s flop, Eric The Eel’s Olympic drowning, anything to do with Daley Thompson (left) or whatever else. Your suggestions will help define our final countdown, so feel free to send as many as you like, via email, by April 3, and with the subject header ‘Olympic 100’, to info@sport-magazine.co.uk. And, by way of reward, three lucky readers drawn from a big hat with our eyes closed will each receive a copy of the excellent and exhaustive new book The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2012 Edition, published by Aurum Press. In advance, we thank you.
willpryce.com, Tony Duffy/Allsport
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Radar Editor’s letter
www.sport-magazine.co.uk @sportmaguk facebook.com/sportmaguk
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EDITORIAL
Lyle style: will that bunker shot – or those checkered brown trousers – ever be bettered?
Magic of the Masters
COMMERCIAL
One of the finest sporting spectacles of the year is upon us – and Tiger’s back in form
S Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney
andy Lyle probably ignited my love of golf when he blasted a 7-iron out of a fairway bunker at Augusta National and won the 1988 Masters. It was a wonderful shot, one deserving of any major. Back then, I thought all golf courses looked like Augusta National. I remember watching Seve win the Open at Royal Lytham a few months later and thinking the place looked a bit of a mess. My view on links golf has changed since (don’t get me started on St Andrews, the most awe-inspiring place on earth). But I still love the Masters as much as ever – it’s a cliche, but it really does make me itch to get out on the golf course. Watching the best in the world negotiate Amen Corner has me aching to hit any number of slices and snap-hooks for the rest of the summer. Rarely, though, have I been as excited about a major golf tournament as I am
about this Masters – it seems every one of the best players in the world is coming to the boil at the right time. And in that I include one Tiger Woods, whose win at Bay Hill last weekend showed that he is in the mood for another Green Jacket. But will he be able to beat McIlroy, Donald, Westwood and the resurgent Mickelson? Let alone some of those slightly darker horses, such as Jason Day and Justin Rose? My money says no, although my money isn’t often actually right. But I expect McIlroy to win – commentators Ewen Murray (Sky) and Peter Alliss (BBC) discuss elsewhere in this magazine why they think he could go on to real greatness. There’s something about his play this season that suggests he’s on a slightly different plane right now. Whatever happens, I shall be watching every minute.
Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951) Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954) Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897) Art editor: John Mahood (7860) Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861) Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431) Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958), Alex Reid (7915) Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901), Amit Katwala (7914) Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961) Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963)
Horse racing’s flat season is upon us, and it always give me a spring in my step; though that could be the fact the bookmakers lighten the load in my pockets. Either way, tomorrow’s Lincoln Handicap is one of my favourite races, signifying the onset of spring. We’re fortunate this season that the great Frankel has been kept in training as a four-year-old. If you get a chance to go and watch him, do so. And if he gets a match against Black Caviar at Ascot, then I will barely contain myself. And lastly, an enormous well done to all who took part in, (or donated their hard-earned cash to) Sport Relief last weekend. Sport often comes under fire, but on this occasion it demonstrated that it has no equal when it comes to working for the common good. It was an evening that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.
Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991) Advertising Managers: Paul Brett (7918), Kevin O’Byrne (7832), Steve Hare (7930) Head of Brand Solutions: Adam Harris (7426) Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852) Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825) Digital Marketing Manager: Sophie Tosone (7916) Head of Communications: Laura Wootton (7913) Managing Director: Adam Bullock PA to Managing Director: Sophia Koulle (7826) Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd Printed by: Wyndeham (Peterborough) Ltd © UTV Media plc 2012 UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Sport magazine £1 where sold
Hearty thanks this week to: Leanne Williams, Alison Hackney, Richard Green, Lawrence Booth Total Average Distribution: 304,700 Jul-Dec 2011
Reader comments of the week
@twocanvandan Twitter
10 | March 30 2012 |
Surely any football club owner is within his rights to hire and fire managers as he sees fit. It is the owner who is ultimately accountable: and Chelsea are playing better now AVB has gone.
Lancaster really is the only man for the England job. I can’t understand why there has been any delay in naming him.
Guy, via email
Jonathan, via email
Thnks to @simoncaney and the crew at @Sportmaguk for including the best sport in the world Aussie rules in the latest issue! #realfootysback
@simoncaney was astonished that the #WelshGrandSlam did not warrant even a mention in @Sportmaguk today.
@JaydenHocking Twitter
@rob_thomas1710 Twitter
LAUNCH OF THE YEAR
2008
Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train. Getty Images
@simoncaney if clubs get rid of their managers then the backroom staff should go. Need to look at moxey & Morgan in this case
Agree or disagree? Tweet us @sportmaguk
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Radar Frozen in time
12 | March 30 2012 |
The who, what, when, where and why are largely pointless with a shot as pulchritudinous as this. But, for the record, this is Callum Taylor of Waikato BOP, competing in some men’s under-17 something or other in Auckland, New Zealand. The real winner that day was not Taylor, or whoever jumped furthest or ran fastest, but the man behind the lens with his finger on the clicker. So hats off to Hannah Johnston for a truly stunning compositi... hang on, a gentleman named Hannah? Well, fancy that.
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Hannah Johnston/Getty Images
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Rory McIlroy
The new Master
Neale Haynes/Contour by Getty Images
He’s only 22. He’s not even ranked the best golfer in the world. Yet Rory McIlroy will tee up in the Masters on Thursday as red-hot favourite. Is there any limit to what he may achieve? >
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Rory McIlroy
‘The greatest thing in Rory’s favour is that, deep down, this is still a hobby to him’
S
uch was the standard that Rory McIlroy set in winning last year’s US Open that even veteran golf observers were left open-mouthed. What he did was supposedly not possible. And as we approach the first major of the year, people are genuinely starting to wonder just how far the diminutive Northern Irishman can go. Certainly time is on his side if he is to take a run at the 18 major titles that Jack Nicklaus trousered in his astonishing career. It’s a total that once seemed within easy reach of Tiger Woods, but golf is a cruel game and today Woods’ total of 14 majors seems very near yet so very far from Jack’s number. Experienced pundits agree that if anyone is likely to match Woods – and, indeed, get anywhere near Nicklaus, it is McIlroy. “He’s the most naturally talented player of his age I’ve ever seen,” says Sky Sports’ Ewen Murray, who will be commentating
18 | March 30 2012 |
on all four days of McIlroy’s progress at Augusta. “The only one I’d say came close to him would have been the 19-year-old Sergio Garcia, who was prodigious.” The BBC’s Peter Alliss, who will be calling the shots over the weekend, disagrees. “No chance,” he splutters. “Rory’s much better than Sergio ever was...”
Labour of love There is natural talent, and there is the ability to win golf tournaments. Woods combined both, holing clutch putts nervelessly while his rivals wilted in the face of his onslaught. McIlroy is winning tournaments differently to Woods – he doesn’t terrify his rivals, but instead gives a cheery wave as he cruises away from them on the leaderboard. “No question for me – the greatest thing in Rory’s favour is that, deep down, this is still a hobby to him,” says Murray. “Yes, he’s
Driving on: McIlroy can, says Ewen Murray, win two majors every three seasons
a professional golfer, but this isn’t like a job. He just loves playing golf, he does it with a smile on his face – and when you enjoy something so much, you tend to do it better.” Alliss, doyen of commentators, agrees: “While he’s enjoying it, then he will keep his rhythm. At the level they play at, you grip, aim and hit it. They can all do that. Then it comes down to what’s in your head, and in golf you make your own demons. Look at Tiger. For 10 or 12 years he was the supreme player, head and shoulders above the rest. But then he got exposed as, shall we say, a lover of women, and he’s had injury problems. But he’s out there playing again, just not at the level he was. And it’s all in his head.” So, when McIlroy finally puts his clubs in the garage for one last time, how will history judge him? Can he be the greatest ever? Murray has clearly given this some thought: “I think he is so talented that he can average
Rory at the Masters
a major every 18 months, so two every three seasons,” he says. “That’s some going. But he’d need to play another 21 years to win another 14 majors and go past Tiger, and that would make him 43. That puts Jack’s record into perspective. He was 22 when he won his first, and 46 when he won his last.” Alliss agrees that Nicklaus’ longevity was what set him apart. “I will blow my own trumpet here and say that, at the outset of Tiger’s career, I said he wouldn’t catch Jack,” he says. “I heard Jack saying that Tiger would win more majors than he and Tom Watson combined and I just thought ‘what nonsense’. I hate it when these old pros get so selfeffacing. Would Jack have won 18 majors with that sort of attitude? “As it is, I think Rory is a marvellous, precocious talent, and he appears to be a quick learner too. He will win a hatful of majors, but the competition is so strong now that it would be remarkable if he were to go past Jack. I think his record of 18 majors is one of those that you can’t see being beaten.”
Round the houses Last year, of course, McIlroy was the best player at the Masters for 63 of the 72 holes. But an horrendous snap-hook off the 10th tee put him in literally uncharted territory – no caddie had ever paced out the yardage from somebody’s back garden before. A couple of poor decisions later and the young Northern Irishman fell apart, practically in tears as he closed the day with an 80 – the worst score by any player who had led going into the final round of a major. Much of the criticism was levelled at his caddie, JP Fitzgerald. Alliss believes the bagman could look after his player a little better: “It’s a learning curve for them, because this has all happened so quickly for Rory. He’s only 22. But we saw a few weeks ago that he made a little breach of the rules that cost him [McIlroy brushed sand away from his line in Abu Dhabi and suffered a two-shot penalty]. His caddie should be looking after him there; he should know those rules and be able to put a stop to that sort of thing.” It’s a safe bet (and easy to say in hindsight) that without that one bad swing at last year’s Masters, McIlroy would have won. “Augusta could have been made for Rory,” says Murray. “It is set up perfectly for him. He gets such height on his long irons that he can land the ball softly. He’s won the hardest major of the lot at the US Open already, and I’d expect him to go on and win a great many more. He is definitely the man they have to beat this week at Augusta.”
‘He has all the bits and pieces in place to win umpteen things, but there’s a long way to go’ Both men believe that McIlroy’s upbringing and attitude contribute to his success as much as his unbridled talent. “His dad Gerry is an immaculate bloke,” says Murray. “It’s clear Rory has been brought up very well. You only have to watch him in press conferences. Sometimes he may not want to be there, but he always answers questions honestly. He has time for people. I see Tiger in press conferences and wonder why anyone bothers.” Alliss also thinks Rory’s parents have played their part. “He hasn’t been pushed; he’s been allowed to develop and encouraged, but they have not driven him,” he says.
“He has all the bits and pieces in place to win umpteen things, but there’s a long way to go. “He must not get his head turned, though he seems to have an old head on his shoulders. But he has the glamorous tennis player girlfriend, he gets invited to the White House, he gets taken everywhere by chauffeurdriven car and private plane, and at his age it can be hard to keep your feet on the ground.” When McIlroy strolls down Magnolia Drive on Thursday and booms his first tee shot down the fairway, it is saying something that his rivals’ best hope is some sort of Woods-esque breakdown. But such is the astonishing talent of Rory McIlroy that nothing seems impossible any more. He may need good fortune over many years if he is to emulate Woods, and indeed Nicklaus, but nobody in golf is better placed to dominate. All hail the new master. > Simon Caney @simoncaney
www.taylormadegolf.eu
@TaylorMadeTour
TaylorMadeEU
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Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images, Andrew Redington/Getty Images
While he goes into the first major of the year as favourite, those odds are not based on McIlroy’s form at Augusta. Despite seemingly nailed-on to win there last year, McIlroy’s closing round of 80 dropped him into a final position of 15th – and that is his best finish in three attempts. His first visit, in 2009, saw an encouraging 20th finish – only one Masters rookie has ever won it, so that was a bright start. But the following year he missed the cut after rounds of 74 and 77, before coming so near yet so far last year. Certainly Augusta should hold no fears for him. His driving is sensational (and long) and his iron play, when on song, is flawless. There have been questions over his putting and ability to close out tournaments, but when he’s good he can get so far ahead that his rivals don’t see him for dust. Last year he showed what he can do when he puts it all together. Expect him to do it again this week.
Rory McIlroy 18
The road ahead of Rory to emulate Jack and Tiger is a long one. Nicklaus garnered his 18 titles slowly and steadily over a long period of time, while Woods had 10 before the age of 30. Either way, Rory has work to do...
David Cannon/Getty Images, Steve Munday/ Allsport, Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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Masters The Contenders
Contenders, ready! Luke Donald
Justin Rose
Donald lost his title as world number one to McIlroy less than a month ago, but won it back in style with a fine win in the Transitions Championship. Wonderfully consistent, and has the best short game in the world. Nothing about Augusta’s glassy greens will worry him.
Nobody comes into the Masters in better form: Rose won the WGCCadillac Championship earlier this month and roared into the world top 10. He plays Augusta well, too, with an iron game that is made for the course. If he gets his putter hot from day one, could easily be in contention.
World ranking 1 Best Masters finish 3rd (2005) Odds 14-1
World ranking 8 Best Masters finish 5th (2007) Odds 33-1
Lee Westwood
Sergio Garcia
Nobody strikes the ball better than Westwood, and there has been evidence in the past few months that he has eradicated his putting woes. Has had chances to win at the Masters before, but has come up just short. Would be no surprise to see him in a Green Jacket.
As Ewen Murray said, once upon a time we viewed Garcia as the boy who would be king. But still we await his first major win, 13 years after he burst on to the scene at the 1999 US PGA. Signs are that he is finally returning to his best, though the Augusta greens may defeat him.
World ranking 3 Best Masters finish 2nd (2010) Odds 18-1
World ranking 21 Best Masters finish 4th (2004) Odds 50-1
Martin Kaymer
Martin Laird
When he’s good, Kaymer is very good. In fact, he’s Rory-esque unbeatable. Indeed, for a brief spell last year, he was world number one – although that title seemed to weigh heavy on his shoulders. Doesn’t possess the right game for Augusta (which requires a right-to-left ball flight, primarily), and has never made the cut here, although it would be unwise to write him off.
Who? Scotland’s number one by a mile, that’s who. Laird is a quality golfer who is based full time in the US, and has two PGA Tour wins to his name. He hits the ball for miles, and has started the season in fine form. An encouraging Augusta debut last year, when he finished 20th, suggests the course holds no fears – and bodes well for a good showing in 2012.
World ranking 4 Best Masters finish MC Odds 60-1
World ranking 34 Best Masters finish 20th (2011) Odds 125-1
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in side.
Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images, Jamie Squire/Getty Images, Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images, David Cannon/Getty Images, Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Rory McIlroy will face a formidable array of opposition as he bids to win a first Green Jacket next week. First up, the Europeans keen to be in the mix next Sunday...
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| March 30 2012 | 23
Masters The Contenders
Tiger Woods
Phil Mickelson
What more is there to say about the man who has four Masters titles to his name? Arrives at Augusta on the back of a fine win at Bay Hill, and will be absolutely desperate to win a 15th major. The problem is he may be just a little too desperate.
Lefty rivals Woods as king of Augusta this century, with three Green Jackets in his wardrobe. He plays the course superbly and knows its every slope and cranny. Drifted into the doldrums last year but already has a win to his name in 2012. Definitely one to fear.
World ranking 6 Best Masters finish 1st (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005) Odds 4-1
World ranking 15 Best Masters finish 1st (2004, 2006, 2010) Odds 12-1
Adam Scott
Charl Schwartzel
The Aussie has been a fixture in the world top 10 for some time now, but has only six top-10 finishes from his 43 majors – a poor return. That said, he finished second at Augusta last season and has made the cut a total of eight times from his 10 appearances. One day he will win a major.
Something of a surprise winner to many last season, but not to regular watchers of the European Tour, who long ago marked out the South African as a future major champ. There are no discernible weaknesses to his game and he showed, with four birdies in his last four holes last year, that he possesses enormous spirit.
World ranking 10 Best Masters finish 2nd (2011) Odds 33-1
World ranking 7 Best Masters finish 1st (2011) Odds 35-1
Dustin Johnson
Jason Day
The likeable American has the tools to do well at Augusta – a very solid long game, high ball flight and experience at the sharp end of major championships – but hasn’t ever played well here. The fact he’s yet to win one of the big ones, having been close on more than one occasion, is a worry.
Nicknamed ‘All’ due to the length of time he takes to play his shots, Day is nonetheless a prodigious talent. He finished second here last year and did the same at the US Open (McIlroy having disappeared some way in the distance). If he wins, though, it will be breakfast by the time he’s done.
World ranking 12 Best Masters finish 30th (2009) Odds 50-1
World ranking 11 Best Masters finish 2nd (2011) Odds 40-1
THE RIDICUL O USLY L ONG DRIVER. FA IR WAYS. RESCUES. IRONS.
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24 | March 30 2012 |
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Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images, Andrew Redington/Getty Images, David Cannon/Getty Images, Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images,
Meanwhile, there are plenty of players from the United States and rest of the world who will fancy their chances of writing a victory speech too...
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Mikel Arteta
“Our season was over” Arsenal started this season badly and got worse, leaving new signing Mikel Arteta wondering if he should have stayed in the northwest. But he tells Sport things are looking brighter in north London now...
ikel Arteta has had just four hours’ sleep when he greets Sport. Not that you’d know it, for the hair remains perfectly coiffed, the stubble suitably designer. The Arsenal midfielder returned to London from Liverpool in the early hours of the morning having played all 90 minutes of the Gunners’ hard-fought (and some might say fortunate) 1-0 victory at his former home, Goodison Park. “It was very emotional for me,” he says earnestly. “I spent the biggest part of my career playing there for Everton, so to get the reception that I got was very special. I thanked the chairman last night because I always said to him: ‘One day when I leave this club, please we have to do it the right way because I respect this club and love it a lot.’ And I really mean it when I say it.’” After pausing to thank the obligatory PR character for delivering him a glass of water, Arteta moves swiftly on to talk about the club that prised him away from Everton. “For me it was a big move and I was so pleased to get it done,” he says. “I’ve always been a big admirer of Arsenal, of the tradition and the way they play football.”
M
But his arrival came amid a turbulent time for the Gunners – just three days after that mauling at Old Trafford. “It was a very difficult start to the season for the club, and I think the [8-2] defeat against Manchester United was probably the toughest point,” he reflects. “Was there shock in the changing room? There was because, for a club like Arsenal to lose the way they did, it was difficult to take – and against a direct rival like United it was even tougher. They had sold some big players and then had a result like that – it doesn’t help the stability of the club.” Ditto for getting steamrollered by AC Milan in the first leg of a Champions League last-16 tie: “For me personally, that game at Milan was the lowest time of this season. We didn’t play at the level that we should have played and we deserved to lose the game. At 4-0 it was too much... though we nearly did it at home.” >
| March 30 2012 | 27
Steven Peskett
INTO THE EYE OF A STORM
Mikel Arteta
“arsene knows he has our support”
TURNING POINT The dissenting voices faded when, eight days after their FA Cup failure, a switch seemed to flick on Arsenal’s season. A thrilling 5-2 victory over Tottenham was followed by a further four consecutive Premier League wins – a run that has seen them overhaul their north London rivals and move into the top three for the first time this season. “We got to a point when we had to say: ‘Listen, we have to go game by game because they are too far from us at the moment to be thinking we can finish third, fourth or even fifth,’” says Arteta. “I think we were 17th in the table the first game I played against Swansea, so there was a long way to go – but we’ve done it and everyone has put
28 | March 30 2012 |
tremendous effort and belief into keeping going because, at one point, I was thinking that the season was over. “Now we just try to finish as high as we can. There is nothing else to play for. We’re disappointed that we have dropped out of the Champions League and the cup against Sunderland, but we’re third now – and we have to try and maintain that because it takes you directly to the Champions League.”
MILLIONS MATTER But Arsenal must also address their domestic desires if they’re to close the gap with the Manchester clubs next season. Here comes the million-dollar question, then: is competing for the league title simply a question of cash? “Well, obviously if you spend a lot of money to bring top players, you have a better chance – you have a bigger squad and you can change the team around,” Arteta explains. “For me, a key thing with our squad is that we’ve been hit with long-term injuries the whole season that really affect the team. I always said I would like to see this team playing with the same 11 for 10 to 15 games, and then we could say if we were good enough or not to do it. Now we’re starting to do that and we are getting good results. So the biggest concern is to stop the injuries.” He’s forgetting something – or someone – else, though. Robin van Persie. The player whose name scrawled on an Arsenal contract this summer would be the most celebrated of any possible new arrivals (barring Leo Messi, perhaps, but we’ll eat our hats, socks and shoes if that happens). “How important is it that Robin stays?” Arteta smiles as he repeats the question. “Very important.
Robin reliant: van Persie, says Arteta, “is one of the best in Europe”
visit our website or download our app for more from Mikel sport-magazine .co.uk
[Laughs] He’s the one who’s been making the difference. You need someone to put the ball in the net, and Robin has done it more than any other player in the league. He’s probably one of the best in Europe, which means without him it wouldn’t be the same. I don’t know if you replaced him how it would be, but we don’t want to be in that situation.” He’s still smiling when he finishes the sentence, but there’s no doubt about the seriousness behind it. Arteta might be one of the new boys at Arsenal, but if Wenger’s in any doubt about how to bring the good times back to the club, he could do worse than ask the Spaniard. Let him have a few more hours’ kip first though, eh? Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag Mikel Arteta wears the PUMA King Finale SL boots, available from prodirectsoccer.com
Steven Peskett, AP Photo/Tom Hevezi
With the memory of what was to follow in the second leg, when Arsenal so nearly performed the miracle of Champions League miracles, Arteta smiles. But before the Gunners left their supporters dreaming of what might have been at the Emirates, they had left them snarling at the Stadium of Light. A 2-0 defeat to Sunderland in the FA Cup fifth round saw yet another chance for silverware slip from Arsenal’s careless grasp. Fingers pointed at Wenger, with some outside the club proclaiming his tenure had turned stale. “I don’t read a lot of the press because I’m foreign,” Arteta says almost apologetically. “But Arsene knows that he has our support, and we know that he’s always been behind and protecting the players – it’s a mutual concept. There’s never been a scary moment, like ‘what’s going to happen with him?’ or whatever. Since I came here I know who is the boss, I know who runs the club; it’s very clear.”
Helen Jenkins
Second tri
She might be a two-time world triathlon champion, but Helen Jenkins knows better than most that, when it comes to the Olympic Games, titles mean nothing
Does that mean you’ll place little focus on the World Triathlon Series this year? (The opening event is in Sydney, April 14-15) “I’ll definitely do the first two, which are Sydney and San Diego, and then we’ll assess what I need to do. After Madrid at the end of May, it’s 10 weeks to the Olympics. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you write out 10 weeks of training you can get a lot in. We’ll see how the races have gone and what we need to do, but the World Series is the best preparation you can have because that’s where the best girls are racing – so that’s what I have to do to get race-fit.”
You won the Test Event in Hyde Park last year, so is it fair to say the course suits you? “Well we’ve raced there three times now, so I definitely feel familiar with the venue and the course. I’d actually rather have hills on the bike though – I like it when it’s a bit tougher. I got a run in round the park this morning and it was really good to see the course without all the stuff there. Then, when I ran back, I ran along part of the bike course. It’s useful to look at the corners because it’s one of the more technical sections of the route, so I stopped and had a proper look. How many of my competitors will get to come and just casually do that?” Which of the three disciplines is your strongest? “I’m probably quite even over all three. I’m not the fastest at any one of them but put them together and... well, it’s okay! My running has definitely improved over the past few years, though. I had a few injuries in 2006 and 2007, which put me out of racing for a year and a half. But since then my running has improved year by year, as I’ve managed to get more injury-free running in. The way I look at it with my husband, who’s also my coach, is we want to improve all three disciplines all the time to keep pushing things forward.”
Riding high: despite her success, Jenkins says she still gets abuse from car drivers when out training on her bike
People have talked about the possibility of team tactics coming into play in the Olympic triathlon – do they play a bigger role than in a World Series race? “I’d say so, because at the Olympics it’s all about three medals – that’s all there is. There’s no ranking points, no prize money. It’s all about those medals, whereas in the World Series you’re probably racing more as an individual, even though you’re wearing the British kit. It will depend on who else is selected to the women’s team, as to whether team tactics come into play or not.” So it’s not something you’ve discussed yet? “It has been talked about a bit, but it can’t be talked about too much because there’s still a chance for people to qualify in their own right as well. If you meet the selection standards, then you go to the Olympics and you’re racing on your own ability because you’ve met the criteria to be there. So it will depend on how well everyone’s raced by the time the team is picked in May.” Sarah Shephard British Airways, the official airline of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is proud to support Helen Jenkins by flying her around the world as part of her training and racing schedule as she prepares for London 2012
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Lintao Zhang/Getty Images, Tom Shaw/Getty Images for British Airways
Y
ou won your first world title just before your Olympic debut in Beijing, but finished down in 21st place there. Were lessons learned for this summer? “Definitely. In 2008 I didn’t really expect to be going to the Olympics. I started the year with hardly any ranking points, so I had to start racing really early just to get the points needed to get to the selection race. Then the worlds were a bit of a shock; two of us got away on the bike and stayed away from the faster runners behind and I managed to win. By the time I got to the Games, it had been such a rollercoaster year I was kind of burned out. This time it’s different because I was pre-selected last year for the Olympics, so the focus is very much on August – there’s no need to worry about the early stuff.”
County Cricket
As the county cricket season begins, Wisden editor Lawrence Booth tells us about the challenges facing the game – and shares a few ideas likely to get county members spluttering into their tea
How many people are we talking about here? Seven? “About half a million people watched county cricket last season, but that could include the same person going 50 times – that’s just half a million through the turnstiles. That is not a complete embarrassment, but – of course – it’s a different world compared with football. Where county cricket does score quite highly is that people now follow it avidly online or on the radio. Although there is less county coverage in the papers now than there was even five years ago, so that’s a worry. Things aren’t what they used to be, but the ill-health of the game is exaggerated.”
Has that extra coverage had a negative impact, as people feel less like they have to go to the ground in order to follow the game? “I don’t think so – go to Essex, for example, where Friday night is Twenty20 night, and they always pack out Chelmsford. It’s a small ground, so you’d expect them to, but it’s a great atmosphere. The problem with the four-day game is precisely that: that it’s a four-day game and people don’t have the time. However, I think there’s a latent love of county cricket in this country. We can get carried away saying the county game is in decline, but it’s always struggled financially. That’s why each county gets its annual hand-out from the ECB.” Have the central contracts and the amount of international cricket pulling elite players away hit county cricket hard? “Yes – you’ll be lucky if Kevin Pietersen (pictured) plays two championship matches and a handful of 40-over and Twenty20 games. He went about five or six years with Hampshire, playing one championship match in total. Central contracts were important for England, but the downside is there are fewer star names at county level. Also, overseas players rarely stay for a whole season and are rarely top-tier. That’s because players are so busy with international schedules, and the IPL and other countries’ seasons are encroaching on the English season. Good overseas players no longer need a county contract to survive.” >
Clive Mason/Getty Images
State of the county
Sport’s editor regales us senseless with tales of packed county cricket grounds in the 1980s. What’s gone wrong? “Well, there is always a certain degree of nostalgia about the sport we watched as kids, but there’s been a concern for a while over how many people really watch county cricket. Not so much the shorter forms of the game, but the County Championship has always been sparsely supported.”
| March 30 2012 | 33
County Cricket
Since Andrew Strauss is now playing only Tests for England, we’ll likely see more of him at Middlesex. Will the England captain playing more county cricket increase interest in 2012? “I think so. He played a couple of games last season after the Test season ended – and the first county game he played in, he got a career-best double hundred against Leicestershire at Lord’s. I went to that and there were definitely more journalists in the press box than usual. So Strauss’ form will be a story this summer, because he’s obviously struggled for runs in Tests recently and we’ve got the Ashes in 2013. Will he still be in place for that? But again, you’re still talking about an international storyline sustaining interest in county cricket.” If we gave you a sparkly crown and put you in sole charge of county cricket, what changes would you make? “I’d want less cricket, but then I’m not a county member and they will tell you that I don’t understand their needs and desires.
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You’ve got to scrap 40-over cricket, clearly, because they don’t play that at international level and that really is just a sop for the members. They can do their own thing in the morning and they can go to the ground in the afternoon and watch cricket. But the 40-over game is an irrelevance really, so I think 50-over cricket will come back in.”
County counsel: Booth tips Notts over Lancashire for this year’s championship, despite Gary Keedy’s heroics last season
Can’t disagree there. What’s next? “It’s controversial, but I’d also look at the possibility of having three divisions of six teams each, playing each other home and away, so you have 10 matches each per season. One up, one down from each division. That way you have more time for rest and recuperation. All the county players you talk to complain that they’re practising their skills in games and are knackered half the time, especially the fast bowlers.
County Championship 2012 tip-off
“Most people tipped Lancashire for relegation last year, so it's a mug’s game. But, since you’ve asked me, I have a quiet regard for Notts. They’ve bought in a couple of good batsmen – James Taylor from Leicestershire, Michael Lumb from Hampshire – and they’ve some good bowlers too. Andre Adams, the Kiwi seamer, just seems to get 60 to 70 wickets a season. He looks quite innocuous, but on those pitches he can be very decent. Plus, Chris Read is a good captain. “I think Surrey might do quite well. They got promoted – just – and they’ve got some really exciting batsmen, namely
“Why not use those extra days to allow them to recover and to practise their skills? The fixture list is a complete mess, and this might allow some coherence. It might also allow England players to play a couple more games for their counties, if those four-day games aren’t clashing with the Tests. “But it won’t happen, because people will say I’m messing too much with a system that’s already been messed with, and they’ll say less cricket for the members and the system has worked fine for five years. But guys play too much these days. We shouldn’t let the tail wag the dog the whole time.” Alex Reid @otheralexreid Lawrence Booth is the youngest editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack for 72 years. The 149th edition of the almanack is published on April 12. Visit wisden.com
Tom Maynard and Jason Roy, while Rory Hamilton-Brown has really eased into the captaincy role. It’ll be interesting to see if Mark Ramprakash can still churn out the runs, but Surrey could be a surprise package. “Durham are also strong; if Steve Harmison is up for it still, they’ve got a chance. He won’t be playing for England, but whether he’s still got the desire remains to be seen. Graham Onions is a very good bowler; they’ve got Paul Collingwood able to commit himself to Durham all season and a couple of good spinners in Ian Blackwell and the leggy Scott Borthwick. So, there will be three or four teams fighting for it, but I must admit I don’t think Lancashire will retain the title. I’d like to see Somerset do it, but they always seem to come second, so I won’t be tipping them.”
Michael Steele/Getty Images
So the standard of county cricket suffers as a result… “The quality has been diluted. Lancashire had plenty of team spirit and I’m delighted they won the County Championship 77 years since they last won it outright. It’s a great story and Glen Chapple is an excellent leader, but compare that team realistically man-to-man with some of the championship-winning teams from the 1990s and there does seem to me to be a discrepancy in player quality.”
Marathon des Sables
O
nce you’re beat mentally, you might as well not go to the start line,” said American long-distance runner Todd Williams. It’s hard to find a better way to describe competing in the Marathon Des Sables (MdS), because mental strength is needed to even take part in the race. Imagine standing on the start line, preparing to cross 151 miles of the Sahara Desert in a week, and knowing you will be carrying your essential kit on your back the whole way. Now imagine standing on that same start line a further eight times. Rory Coleman doesn’t need to imagine. He’s done it... What possessed you to take on the MdS? “It all started for me back in 1997 when I saw Chris Moon – who was a landmine victim with one arm and one leg – complete the race. I was planning 100 marathons in 1999, so I just decided one of them had to be the MdS.” And how does this compare to, say, someone taking on the London Marathon? [Laughs] “It’s hard to explain. The MdS is like the Grand National of races. The London Marathon is one of the biggest things some people will do – and it’s an amazing race – but if you’re looking for the ultimate challenge, the MdS pushes you to the limits of endurance.” How much of it is actually run? “Some run the whole way, some will walk it. I’ll probably run about 60 per cent of it. It’s hard to even try to run in some places because only 15 per cent of the race is on sand. The rest is through salt flats, stony ground, dry river beds, and we climb a 1,000m mountain.” What are the biggest dangers for runners? “The biggest problem is dehydration. A couple of years ago, somebody died from that. People think it’s the London Marathon in the sand, but it’s definitely not. It’s a very easy place to get into quite dangerous situations. We’re given 13 litres of water a day, handed to you in 1.5-litre rations at every 10km checkpoint. If you run out between check points, it can get very uncomfortable.”
Pierre Verdy/AFP/Getty Images
You’ve been there eight times now. You must have seen some pretty crazy things? “I saw a couple of UK runners throw their passports away one year. They were trying to get rid of things out of their backpack to make it lighter and they inadvertently threw their passports away. People do crazy things when the core temperature goes too high.” Do you aim for a time? “That’s not the idea. Race director Patrick Bauer likes to point out that the race is more about crossing a desert while staying mentally strong and proving you can look after yourself. We know who’s going to win – the Moroccans do every time – so for most people, winning is just finishing.” Mark Coughlan @coffers83 Find out how to train for the Marathon des Sables at ultrarace.co.uk or rorycoleman.co.uk
18 36| | March 30 2012 |
Maddest race on earth
151 miles. Over six days. In temperatures pushing 120 degrees. The Marathon des Sables truly is the ultimate race, and Rory Coleman has taken it on an incredible eight times. Sport talks to the British runner ahead of his ninth Moroccan adventure
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rom the second you wake up in the morning to the moment you retire that night, things are sent to try you. To annoy you. To irritate you, no less. You know what we mean. No matter how early you rise, some form of travel mayhem – a pile-up on the North Circular, signalling failure at Clapham Junction, a broken-down Tube on the Northern Line – will seriously affect your commute. And then, at work, who knows what will get in the way of you actually doing your job? Malfunctioning air conditioning, perhaps, leaving you sweating in the winter and freezing in the summer. And you can bet your life the server will go down just as you’re about to save for the first time in an hour.
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119 Days to go
Focus 2012
Open water swimming THE VENUE Britain’s open water world champion, Keri-Anne Payne, has contended with jellyfish and floating carcasses of dead animals in some of her least favourite 10km open water swimming venues around the world. So the chill of Hyde Park’s Serpentine holds no fear. The 282-year-old boating lake will be deweeded for the Games, and its animal life tempted away by a cunningly positioned feeding post – although at last summer’s Test Event, a few curious swans were tempted back to see what the fuss was about. Swimmers will complete six laps of a 1.67km course around the Serpentine in what will be the second Olympic marathon swim. THE EVENT A two-hour marathon that begins with a mass start from a fixed platform, the 10km open water swim is only for the hardiest of athletes. Not only must swimmers contend with the various forms of wildlife resident in their competition venue, but they can also be ‘accidentally’ kicked, slapped and whacked by fellow racers looking to gain an advantage. The tragic death in 2010 of six-time US national champion Fran Crippen in an open water race in Dubai, where the water temperature exceeded 30 degrees, led to the introduction of a rule that races must be abandoned should water temperature reach
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31 degrees. In London temperatures are more likely to reach the other extreme, with 16 degrees the minimum permitted. Swimmers use the freestyle stroke to navigate the course and are given a microchip to wear on their wrist, which records their split and finish times. Should they lose it mid-race, they are issued with a replacement by an official – but crossing the finish line without one leads to disqualification. The marathon swim is one of the few Olympic sports in which coaches play an active role during the competition, positioning themselves at floating ‘feeding’ stations where they can rehydrate their athletes. Should a coach fall into the water, however, their athlete is immediately disqualified. TEAM GB’S PROGRESS Mark Perry, British Swimming’s national development and open water coach, says: “Keri-Anne Payne has proved consistently that she’s a leading force in open water swimming, while David Davies and Dan Fogg have qualified for the open water Olympic qualifier in Portugal. Both are really talented athletes who have potential for success.” OPEN WATER SWIMMING AT LONDON 2012 DATES August 9-10 CAPACITY 3,000 HOW TO GET THERE National Rail, Tube
GB hopeful
Keri-Anne Payne AGE IN 2012 24 MEDAL RECORD World Championships gold (10km) 2009, 2011; Olympic Games silver (10km) 2008; Commonwealth Games bronze (400m individual medley) 2010 The South African-born swimmer started her career in the pool but was convinced to enter the open water by her coach. Before she knew it, she had an Olympic silver medal in hand...
After leading the field for much of the race in the 10km open water swim at the Beijing Games, Keri-Anne Payne was just pipped to the finish by Russian swimmer Larisa Ilchenko, who’d been unbeaten since 2004. Payne’s first open water swim came just a year earlier at the World Championships, where she finished 11th, but Olympic silver was indicative of the glory to follow. That came at the 2009 worlds in Rome, where Payne won 10km gold. She repeated that success in 2011, thus becoming the first British athlete in any sport to secure selection for London 2012. Her hopes of also securing a spot for the pool took a knock at the recent trials, where she failed to qualify for a spot in the 800m or 200m freestyle, or the 400m individual medley. There’s still an outside chance of a relay spot this summer, but Payne’s best shot will surely come in the Serpentine.
KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 FINA OLYMPIC MARATHON SWIM QUALIFIER June 9, River Sado, Portugal Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Mike Hewitt/Getty Images for British Gas
It’s a gruelling test of endurance, and the only Olympic event with the threat of swan attacks this summer...
7 Days
MARHIGHLIGHTS 30–APR 5 » Premier League: Newcastle v Liverpool » p42 » Rugby Union: Saracens v Harlequins » p44 » Horse Racing: Dubai World Cup » p44 » UCI Track Cycling World Championships » p46 » Best of the Rest » p46
OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD
WEDNESDAY BASEBALL | MIAMI MARLINS v ST LOUIS CARDINALS | MARLINS PARK | ESPN AMERICA 12AM
1. Albert Pujols Los Angeles Angels Rightly regarded as the best hitter in baseball, Pujols (above) became a free agent at the end of last season. After 11 years with the St Louis Cardinals, he has moved to the Los Angeles Angels in the American League, where he will try to justify his 10-year, $240m contract. Good luck with that, AP. 2. Stephen Strasburg Washington Nationals Starting pitcher Strasburg was one of the most hyped rookies of all time in 2010, with a fastball that regularly clocked 100mph. He then missed all but the last week of the 2011 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery (in which a ligament in the elbow
40 | March 30 2012 |
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Major League Baseball is back, and there’s a mere 2,430 regular season games to follow over the next six months. The season starts on April 4 when the St Louis Cardinals, last season’s World Series champions, take on the Miami Marlins. To ensure you start the season fully clued up, Sport’s picked out five players for whom Billy Beane would trade his star slugger, probably...
is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body – named after the first person to have it done). If his rehab is successful, this could be his year. 3. Jose Bautista Toronto Blue Jays A journeyman player for most of his career, Bautista made adjustments to his swing in 2009 – with incredible results. In his first six years, ‘Joey Bats’ hit a total of 59 home runs. In the past two years he has led the major leagues, going yard 97 times. 4. Prince Fielder Detroit Tigers Fielder was signed in the off-season by the Detroit Tigers on a nine-year, $214m contract. His weight
has been a hefty talking point, though, as he’s a slightly unathletic 5ft 11ins, 275lb. However, his career stats tell a different story, with Fielder having hit 230 home runs and with a batting average of .282 – and he is still only 27. 5. Jamie Moyer Colorado Rockies Jamie Moyer is currently fighting for the fifth starter role at the Colorado Rockies. A middle-ofthe-road pitcher with a career earned run average of 4.24, his pitches have been called ‘slow, slower, slowest’. So why watch Moyer? Well, he is 49 years old – having made his major league debut 26 years ago – and has pitched at 49 major league ballparks.
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here’s nothing worse than playing in kit that doesn’t look and feel right – like when you were handed a muddy pair of boots from the box in the corner of the PE office at school. Your football boots, like the rest of your kit, should be personal to you, complement your style of play and help you perform to your strengths. The Pro-Direct Soccer Zone App, powered by Nike and available free to download on your iPhone, is designed to do just that by giving you a personalised football experience that brings you closer to the game and helps improve your performance. It brings you insider video content with news about the latest Nike football gear, shows you the best products that match your style of play and delivers the latest player updates, training drills and product reviews straight to your iPhone. It also aggregates in one place social media feeds from Nike’s biggest and best athletes. And it’s all designed to make it easy to choose the right kit for you on and off the pitch. See yourself in the Cristiano Ronaldo
mould, with quick feet, great timing and explosive speed? Then use the app to virtually ‘try on’ a pair of the Madrid man’s Mecurial Vapor VIII boots. The app not only brings you a greater level of competitive intelligence, it enables you to share your favourite Nike products with friends on Facebook and Twitter, as well as purchase them directly. In short, it brings you closer to Nike products and players including Ronaldo, Rooney and Walcott. None of whom, we’re sure, have ever had to delve into the PE Grot Box. The new Mecurial Vapor VIII boot is available through the Pro Direct Soccer Zone App, free for iPhone. Visit www. prodirectsoccer.com/app | 41
7 Days SUNDAY PREMIER LEAGUE | NEWCASTLE v LIVERPOOL | SPORTS DIRECT ARENA | SKY SPORTS 1 1.30PM
Magpies soar towards Europe
Alan Pardew might have already ruled himself out of the vacant England manager’s position, but that won’t stop the headlines calling for him to step up if Newcastle continue to press their way higher up the league table. In sixth place now and level on points with Chelsea (though with a considerably less impressive goal difference), the Magpies are eyeing a Europa League spot. And with Sunday’s visitors to St Jam... er, the Sports Direct Arena dropping (loads of) points to QPR and Wigan in recent weeks, Pardew will be confident of piling more pressure on those above them in the table this weekend. Liverpool may be the Carling Cup winners, but they have amassed only eight league points in 2012, and put on their worst home performance of the season last weekend in a 2-1 defeat to relegation strugglers Wigan. Manager Kenny Dalglish pointed to his side’s three games in seven days to explain their poor passing and lack of fight, yet insisted he was looking for “valid reasons, not excuses”. The valid reasons most fans will be pointing to go by the names of Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing – players Dalglish must once have believed (presumably when asking John W Henry for the wads of
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cash required to bring them in) would see Liverpool challenging for a Champions League place this season. As if to rub salt into Liverpool’s transfer wounds, they travel to Newcastle at a time when Pardew’s first signing for the club, Hatem Ben Arfa, is flying. The Frenchman was at his inventive best in setting up both of Papiss Cisse’s goals and scoring one of his own during Newcastle’s 3-1 win at the Hawthorns last weekend. In doing so, Ben Arfa fully justified Pardew’s decision to make his loan deal permanent, despite the 25-year-old having played just four games for the club before a double leg break sidelined him. Dalglish’s decisions remain as yet unjustified, and there are those among the Liverpool fraternity looking on and wondering if they ever will be. Papiss Cisse is the joint-quickest Newcastle player in Premier League history to reach five goals (six games, joint with Les Ferdinand)
Trading up: Carroll has hit only three goals in 28 league games
Around the grounds
ASTON VILLA v CHELSEA Villa Park, Saturday 3pm EVERTON v WEST BROM Goodison Park, Saturday 3pm FULHAM v NORWICH Craven Cottage, Saturday 3pm MANCHESTER CITY v SUNDERLAND Etihad Stadium, Saturday 3pm QPR v ARSENAL Loftus Road, Saturday 3pm WIGAN v STOKE DW Stadium, Saturday 3pm WOLVES v BOLTON Molineux, Saturday 3pm
Premier League table 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Man Utd Man City Arsenal Tottenham Chelsea Newcastle Liverpool Sunderland Everton Swansea Norwich Stoke Fulham West Brom Aston Villa Blackburn Bolton QPR Wigan Wolves
P 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 29 30 29 30 30 30
W 23 22 18 16 14 14 11 11 11 10 10 10 9 10 7 7 8 6 5 5
D 4 4 4 7 8 8 9 7 7 9 9 8 9 6 12 7 2 7 10 7
L 3 4 8 7 8 8 10 12 12 11 11 12 12 14 10 16 19 17 15 18
F 74 72 61 53 49 44 36 39 30 34 41 29 37 36 31 43 33 33 27 31
A Pts 27 73 22 70 39 58 35 55 34 50 42 50 31 42 34 40 32 40 36 39 47 39 41 38 41 36 41 36 38 33 62 28 58 26 53 25 55 25 65 22
A big week for... MONDAY BLACKBURN v MAN UTD | EWOOD PARK | SKY SPORTS 1 8PM
1. The England job
2. Yakubu
While the FA continue to drag their feet, all manner of candidates, previously disgraced or otherwise, continue to throw their hats into the ring. Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp – the preferred candidate of the public and the press – is quietly destroying his credentials. Since Fabio Capello’s resignation, the 2009 FA Cup winner has led Spurs to three league defeats
Blackburn have won seven league games this season. Nigerian striker Yakubu has played in all of them and scored in five of them (he got sent off after 23 minutes in one of the others, but we’ll ignore that). When the big frontman is on song, his team usually are too, regardless of the quality of the opposition. He’s helped Blackburn to wins against Arsenal, QPR, Swansea,
and two draws, and this weekend they face high-flying Swansea. Spurs fans will be desperate for a win as they seek to get one over on north London rivals Arsenal, who have leapfrogged them in the table – but no one will be sweating more than the board at the FA, and not because the air con at Wembley’s broken. If Harry proves unable to address Tottenham’s slump in form, England might actually have to reappoint Glenn Hoddle.
and scored twice against Man Utd in their 3-2 win on New Year’s Eve. They face the defending champions again on Monday – the first game of a tough run-in, and their first since defeat to Bolton brought an end to a decent run for Steve Kean’s side last weekend. Blackburn have, against expectations, clawed their way out of the drop zone. Another matchwinning performance by Yakubu would help them do the double over United for the first time since 2005-06 – and inch closer to safety.
Jamie McDonald/Getty Images, Olly Greenwood/AFP/Getty Images, Matthew Lewis/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Chris Brunskill/Getty Images
SUNDAY TOTTENHAM v SWANSEA | WHITE HART LANE | SKY SPORTS 1 4PM
7 Days SATURDAY RUGBY UNION | AVIVA PREMIERSHIP: SARACENS v HARLEQUINS | WEMBLEY STADIUM | SKY SPORTS 1 3PM this season, but I suppose defeats make you knuckle down. There’s a lot of hard work that’s The Aviva Premiership’s front runners go head to been put in and I think head at Wembley tomorrow. We spoke to Saracens’ a lot of the guys have put their hands up South African icon John Smit ahead of the game while we’ve had internationals away Are you looking forward to the Quins game? and people out injured. That’s been key going “Absolutely. With the weather turning and into the important part of the season, so with getting a bit warmer, it promises to be a the internationals back there’s competition pearler of a day. Add 80,000-odd people to for places – and that’s good for morale.” that equation, with two full-strength teams fighting for top place – what a day. I think it’ll How are you enjoying life in England? be the best game in the Premiership so far.” “In all honesty, I was quite apprehensive when coming over because I was not sure what to You beat Quins back in December. Are you expect. I’ve been here going on five or six aware they’ll be out for revenge? months now, and it’s probably been the most “They’ll be pretty worked up. I suppose it’s two enjoyable months I’ve had in a couple of years. teams doing really well in the Premiership so I’ve had more fun in the past five months than far coming into the dying weeks, so the game in the past five years, to be honest. A year itself is of massive importance, no matter ago, I was probably wondering how long I had where we’re playing. They wouldn’t have left in me, but I genuinely don’t feel like that enjoyed losing to us at Twickenham, so I’m any more. The body’s feeling good, I’m playing pretty sure they’ll want to exact revenge and again and I’ll just go for as long as the body we’ll have to be on top of our game.” allows me to, I suppose.” You’ve lost two of your last three Premiership games. How’s the spirit in the camp? “It’s good. Losing is always a difficult part of the game, and thankfully we haven’t lost many
Mike Hewitt/Getty Images, Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images
Mind the gap
Tickets – starting from just £5 – are still available for the game. To get yours, visit saracensatwembley.com or call Ticketmaster on 0844 847 2482
SATURDAY HORSE RACING | DUBAI WORLD CUP | MEYDAN | RACING UK 6.40PM
The six million dollar horse? The world continues to dangle on the precipice of financial armageddon, dark storm clouds of uncertainty circling menacingly above us all; yet there is one spot that remains blissfully untouched, illuminated instead by success, wealth and opulence. That place is Dubai, which this weekend witnesses the running of the world’s richest horse race. The Dubai World Cup was first run back in 1996, and has been the flagship event of the emirate’s burgeoning racing scene ever since. Equine greats such as Cigar, Singspiel, Dubai Millennium and Street Cry feature on its prestigious list of winners, the last-named pair running in the colours of Godolphin Racing... which just happens to be owned by Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai. Having put so much money into the sport, it’s fair game that the good sheikh should want to win some of it back – which may explain the $10m total purse in a race that acts as the
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climax of an eight-race card featuring the great and good of international racing. Last year’s winner, the Japanese-trained Victoire Pisa, romped off with more than $6m of that, and the 2012 winner is all set to follow suit – but, and here’s the rub, which horse will it be? Godolphin is naturally represented, with retained jockey Frankie Dettori opting to ride Prince Bishop ahead of last year’s third Monterosso. The well-backed Smart Falcon and 2011 runner-up Transcend fly the flag for Japan, but it is familiar Irishman Aidan O’Brien who runs the favourite in the very smart So You Think (pictured). The six-year-old – that’s the horse, not the trainer – has hit the crossbar in recent appearances, but he is a very striking individual who will no doubt look a million dollars come Saturday evening. And if he actually wins the race, he’ll be worth a heck of a lot more.
£737,230
Prize money scooped by Cirrus des Aigles for winning the UK’s richest ever race, the QIPCO Champions Stakes, at Ascot last October. Not to be sniffed at, but still £3m short of the winner’s pot in Dubai tomorrow
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Muddy hell The ultimate endurance challenge is coming to the UK soon. Prepare to get very dirty indeed
S
wimming in pits of mud, running through four foot flames and carrying logs up and down hills might sound like some antics at the latest Man City party – and with Mario Balotelli involved, we wouldn’t put it beyond the boys from the Etihad – but these are actually just some of the challenges awaiting entrants in endurance phenomenon Tough Mudder. The race, if it can be called that, takes place over a 12-mile course, during which competitors have to overcome 28 obstacles of varying levels of madness, designed by Special Forces to test fitness, stamina, mental strength and camaraderie. And the good news is that, after taking America by storm, Tough Mudder is on its way to the UK. Run by Englishmen Will Dean and Guy Livingstone, Tough Mudder has up to 20,000 ‘Mudders’ taking part in each event in the USA, with more than 20 events having taken place to date. So, the duo decided to test its popularity by going global. Over the next few years, events are planned as far afield as Japan, Australia and South Africa, but the first UK event is up next in Kettering in early May, followed by one in Scotland in July and one in Manchester in November. Whether you’ve run umpteen marathons or struggle to motivate yourself to leave the
sofa on a Saturday, the event caters for you because it’s not about finishing times. Just completing the gruelling event is seen as a success – and, as the event is designed to be all but impossible to complete individually, the organisers recommend you enter as a team. Still not convinced? Well, we didn’t tell you this, but you don’t actually have to complete every obstacle (shh!). If you do want to take them on, though, the East Midlands event promises treats such as waist-high swamps, claustrophobic tunnels and 10,000 volts of electroshock therapy before you cross the line and enjoy the Tough Mudder after-party. The only question is: are you tough enough? For more information on the event, or to sign up to take part, visit
toughmudder.co.uk
Know your enemy Here are just a few of the 28 obstacles on the 12-mile run KISS OF MUD You’ll have no choice but to eat the dirt as you crawl under wire that’s set only eight inches from the ground. ELECTROSHOCK THERAPY Sprint – to the finish, it should be pointed out – through a field of live wires, some of which carry a 10,000-volt shock. NETTLES TO NIPPLES Competitors have to crawl belly down through a patch of ripe stinging nettles, underneath a net laden with nettle stocks. FIRE WALKER Run through the diesel-soaked straw, which is set alight. You can expect to deal with flames at least four feet high.
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7 Days WEDNESDAY > UCI TRACK CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | MELBOURNE | BBC RED BUTTON 10AM, BRITISH EUROSPORT 10AM
SUNDAY MOTORSPORT | WORLD SUPERBIKES ROUND 2: IMOLA| SAN MARINO | BRITISH EUROSPORT 2 2PM There’s a feast of motorcycle action coming up, starting with the second round of World Superbikes from Imola this weekend. Defending champ Carlos Checa was forced to retire in Race 1, but recovered to seal victory in the second race in Australia. Italian Max Biaggi was the hero, though – he deservedly tops the early standings after winning the first race, and recovering from last place to finish second in race two. Then, the following week in Qatar, the MotoGP season kicks off. Current champ Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenzo will again battle at the front, while Valentino Rossi will hope for a competitive Ducati. This year also introduces ‘Claiming Rule Teams’ – non-manufacturer based teams will be allowed more engine replacements and more fuel to make them more competitive. On yer bike.
Dual duels
FRIDAY
SNOOKER China Open, Quarter Finals, British Eurosport 7.30am TABLE TENNIS World Championships, Dortmund, British Eurosport 10.30am
Make or break After topping the medal table at the recent London leg of the World Cup series, Britain’s track cyclists are back to work next week – albeit in Melbourne this time, as opposed to Stratford. Last week’s cover star Sir Chris Hoy is on the bill, as is Victoria Pendleton (above), who is in need of a confidence boost after failing to medal in the individual sprint in London. Her semi-final race in the Olympic Velodrome against Australian rival Anna Meares was said to be one of the fastest series of women’s sprints ever seen.
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CRICKET South Africa v India T20, Johannesburg, Sky Sports 2 1.25pm CRICKET West Indies v Australia: 2nd T20, Bridgetown, Sky Sports 2 6.55pm RUGBY UNION Aviva Premiership: Leicester v Worcester, Welford Road, ESPN 7pm
Pendleton forced it to a decider, but it was Meares who went through to the final. On Meares’ home turf next week, the Brit will look to land a considerable blow ahead of the London Olympics. Performance director Dave Brailsford has named a 16-strong team to travel to Melbourne, including Hoy’s main rival for the individual sprint spot in London – Jason Kenny. With only one rider from each nation allowed to compete at the Games and the days ticking down, next week’s event could make or break some riders’ Olympic dreams.
SATURDAY FOOTBALL Championship: Sheffield Wednesday v Preston North End, Hillsborough, Sky Sports 2 12.30pm RUGBY UNION Aviva Premiership: Saracens v Harlequins, Sky Sports 1 2.30pm TENNIS WTA Sony Ericsson Open Final, Miami, British Eurosport 5pm
BASKETBALL NBA: San Antonio Spurs v Indiana Pacers, AT&T Center, ESPN 1.30am
SUNDAY FOOTBALL SPL: Celtic v St Johnstone, Sky Sports 4 12.45pm TENNIS ATP Sony Ericsson Open Final, Miami, Sky Sports 2 6pm
TUESDAY CRICKET Sri Lanka v England: 2nd Test Day 1, Colombo, Sky Sports 1 5.30am FOOTBALL Champions League: Barcelona v AC Milan, Camp Nou, Sky Sports 2 7.45pm FOOTBALL Champions League: Bayern Munich v Marseille, Allianz Arena, Sky Sports 4 7.45pm
WEDNESDAY FOOTBALL Champions League: Real Madrid v Apoel Nicosia, Bernabeu. Sky Sports 2 7.45pm FOOTBALL Champions League: Chelsea v Benfica, Stamford Bridge, ITV1 7.45pm
Robert Cianflone/Getty Images, Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
BEST OF THE REST
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PRACTICE IS PERFECT
F
or golfers all over the UK, the Masters signifies the start of the season. Magnolia Drive, the azaleas, Amen Corner, the back nine on Sunday and the Green Jacket in the Butler Cabin... nothing whets the appetite more for us mere mortals to get out on the golf course. But finding time to practise between rounds is a different matter: it’s tough. Or, at least, it was – until the advent of Urban Golf, three state-of-the-art indoor centres in London where golfers of all standards can improve their games. At the wonderfully named Royal Smithfield, Soho Golf and Country Club, and Kensington National, you will find the world’s most accurate golf simulators from aboutGolf – they are so good that world number one Luke Donald has one installed in his home in Chicago. “The aboutGolf simulator is the ultimate indoor golf environment,” says Donald. “Practice and play in the aboutGolf system will improve any golf game, including mine!” And, at Urban Golf, you will also find expert coaching professionals, so whatever level you play at, you will find you knock shots off your handicap. Lessons are available from around £40, or you can take up the offer to pay £79 per month, which guarantees you two hours
Get the perfect putting stroke
of practice time each day (before 6pm Monday to Friday). This isn’t just hitting balls at a screen – you can hone every aspect of your game at Urban Golf, from driver to putter. The simulator records every detail of what the ball and clubhead are doing, but most importantly you will see the flight of the ball on the screen instantly, just as you would outdoors. So, if the Masters has you champing at the bit to get on to the golf course, head to Urban Golf first and make sure you are really playing your best.
GET A FREE CONSULTATION If you’re serious about improving your game, then the best thing to do is begin with an initial consultation with one of the expert Urban Golf coaching professionals – and, for a limited period, you can get it absolutely free (usual price is £35). Without doubt, this is the best first step to a successful summer on the golf course.
Visit www.urbangolf.co.uk/masters | 47
P56 Wait until you see the size of the remote control
Extra time Kit
Making the most of your time and money
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Sultan of swing Feel like the big cheese on the golf course by getting your hands on some of this clobber – it can only help your game be less dire and your drives more, er, straight
1ECCO Biom Hybrid shoe
ECCO have long been known for golf shoes that don’t look like golf shoes, and the Biom Hybrid is the latest in that line. The company claims it’s the first ever performance golf shoe with a hybrid outsole. Mainly, though, these are made from Tibetan yak leather. Tibetan yak! £160 | ecco.com/golf
2Nike 20XI balls
A new resin core – different to the traditional rubber – has the Nike boffins very excited. They claim their tour players are getting an extra 3mph of ball speed with the 20XI, and that means more distance. Bosh. £40 per dozen | nikegolf.eu
3Raa Spirit putter
It’s back to the future for British putter manufacturer Raa with this gorgeous blade design. Each one is handmade and bespoke to each player’s
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requirements, with heel or toe designs and different shafts and grips – and, to top it off, your initials on the back. Nice touch. £199 | raaputters.co.uk
4Callaway RAZR Fit driver
Callaway has combined its Forged Composite material with its Optifit technology to provide a very attractive driver that hits it further and is totally customisable (if, indeed, that is a word). The best of both worlds, in fact. £329 | callawaygolf.com
5Titleist Pro V1x balls
The daddy of golf balls, the Pro V1x offers longer distance than its Pro V1 cousin, and is racking up tour wins every single week. And it has 328 dimples in seven different sizes. You won’t bother to count them yourselves, so trust us on this. > £51 per dozen | titleist.co.uk
Our new Voice GPS. It speaks. Just like a real caddie.
100% FEE FR EE!
40,000 course memory. Front/Centre/Back yardages. Rotating Green. Volume Control. Digital Time. All this – and the size of a golf ball!
GolfBuddy Voice weighs just 1oz and clips simply to a cap or belt. It’s the smallest, lightest golf GPS and is incredibly easy to use. Just press the button and it speaks your yardages to the green.
GolfBuddyUK @GolfBuddyGPS
Official Handheld Rangefinder
www.gpsgolfbuddy.eu
Extra time Kit
6Mizuno MP-59 irons
Mizuno are renowned for the sheer quality of their irons, and the MP-59 is no exception – if they’re good enough for world number one Luke Donald, they’re good enough for you. These are things of real beauty and perfectly weighted – now you just need to swing like the best in the world. £120 each | golf.mizunoeurope.com/irons/mp-59
7adidas Powerband 4.0 shoe
If you want stability in your swing, then this is the shoe for you. It means you can generate more power from backswing to follow-through – and, in short, give the ball a bloody good whack. Incredibly comfortable and very cool to look at. £90 | adidasgolf.eu
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8Wilson Ci11 irons
These striking black irons are for players who are hoping to get into single figures. They have a thin, hard face, which means stronger ball flight. Add in a neat topline that appeals to the better player, and this is a very nice set indeed. £449 (steel), £549 (graphite) | wilson-staff.com
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9Lyle and Scott Club Chinos
Not much one can say about these, other than don’t wear them with the polo shirt on this page. Made by Lyle and Scott, so you know they’re top quality, and bright green, so you’ll blend in with the fairway. Probably. £95 | lyleandscott.com
10Galvin Green Burns windstopper
The Burns is a completely windproof top that’s also very breathable. In fact, the company themselves call it the ‘ultimate golf garment’. But then they would say that, wouldn’t they? And it comes in five different colours, too. £159 | galvingreen.com
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11Puma Duo-Swing Chevron polo
Now, if you want to be noticed on the golf course, you can do a lot worse than don some Puma clobber. Wear this down the local muni and you won’t be forgotten. Not in a long, long time. £65 | puma.com/golf
12Taylor Made R11S driver
The R11 was a wonder driver. And now it’s been improved. You have to love these golf club designers sometimes. The new bit is a five-way adjustable sole plate, so any golfer can find the optimum address position. All white, too (though not from this angle) – which we like. £349 | taylormadegolf.eu
13Golfbuddy GPS
A GPS rangefinder that actually talks to you? Sadly it won’t read putts or clean your shoes, but the Golfbuddy tells you the precise distances to the front, middle and back of every green on more than 33,000 free worldwide courses. £159 | gpsgolfbuddy.eu
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Cobra AMP driver
Inspired by Rickie Fowler and his love of the colour orange, this stylish driver has dual roll technology in its face, meaning even off-centre hits will miraculously boom straight down the fairway. A new experience. £259 | cobragolf.co.uk
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Advertising feature
I
t has been 61 long years since the magnificent Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland hosted a tour event, but it will once again host the best in the world when the Irish Open is staged there this year. Portrush appears in any list of the finest golf courses on the planet, and indeed there is now a groundswell of opinion that it should host an Open Championship once again (it last staged the Open in 1951, when Max Faulkner lifted the Claret Jug). And never has Northern Irish golf, and its golfers, been more in the news. Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy are three major champions whose successes are making a strong case for Northern Ireland as the golfing capital of the world. When the Irish Open goes back to Royal Portrush from from June 28-July 1, those three players, all of whom played much of their junior golf there, can show the rest of the world what they’ve been missing. Indeed, McIlroy set the course record of 61 there when he was just a precocious 15-year-old. Royal Portrush has recently been rated Ireland’s best links, jumping ahead of Portmarnock and Royal County Down. Portstewart, just down the road from Portrush, and Castlerock, a few miles further on, are in the top 25, so there’s an embarrassment of riches along this particular coastline. The beauty, of course, is that you don’t have to be one of the best
players in the world to enjoy these links – just reasonably competent, with a bona fide handicap. Everybody testing their skills at Portrush will have their favourite hole. Perhaps the fifth, White Rocks: not overly long but a testing par-four with a green high above the beach and views that include the ruins of Dunluce Castle, dating from the 13th century, long before golf was even thought of; or perhaps you’ll be captivated by Calamity, the 14th, a par-three celebrated around the world. You may not be able to play quite as well as McDowell, McIlroy and Clarke – these living, breathing, golfing giants – but you can enjoy your golf in Northern Ireland just as much. This is some of the best golfing land anywhere in the world – and it’s out there, right now, waiting for all of us to go and savour its riches. Watch this year’s Irish Open and marvel at the majesty of the Portrush links, and then give it a try yourself. For more information, go to www.discoverireland.com/irishopen
Golf
The majesty of Royal Portrush (above) – one of the finest courses imaginable
Try these for size too...
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Castlerock is one of the hidden gems of Northern Irish links golf. A proper test, particularly in the wind, it’s accessible for all and you’re guaranteed a friendly welcome. Highly recommended.
Mark Alexander, JoeFox/Alamy, David Cannon/Getty Images, Stephen Barnes/Northern Ireland/Alamy
Golf’s own country
Royal Portrush, one of the world’s great links courses, returns to the tour schedule this year after a long break
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There are three courses at Portstewart and you’ll be hard pressed not to love any of them. The Strand is the beast though – a real par-72 test through towering dunes. If that doesn’t appeal, the Riverside or the Old Course surely will.
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If you want to walk in the footsteps of a legend, then tee it up at Holywood Golf Club, home course to the young Rory McIlroy. It’s a parkland test, rather than a links course, but it’s a truly lovely golf course – and close to Belfast, too.
Time to play | 51
Extra time Travel
Have clubs, will travel Now’s the time to start planning your next golf trip – let us tempt you with a few stunning destinations...
Sofitel Marrakech Golf in Morocco is becoming increasingly popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Stunning, unspoiled golf courses and superb accommodation make for a very good combination. Royal Marrakech and Palmeraie are the best-known courses, and with good reason – they’re terrific. You can get four nights’ B&B and three rounds of golf (Royal Marrakech, Palmeraie & Amelkis) from £345pp through yourgolftravel.com. Offer is valid from June 17 to August 30
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Marriott Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Florida, USA The most recent addition to Donald Trump’s burgeoning collection of golf courses, the legendary Doral resort – just 15 minutes from Miami Airport – is one that should be on every golfer’s wish list. Set in 700 tropical acres and boasting five courses, including the fearsome Blue Monster, it’s the perfect place in which to immerse yourself in golf. Justin Rose tamed the beast to win the WGC-Cadillac event earlier this month, but if your game’s not quite up to scratch you can always enrol at the world-renowned Jim McLean golf school on site. Golfbreaks.com offers five nights’ B&B and five rounds of golf at Doral (Red, Gold and McLean) from £435 (travel in September). The price includes buggies, range balls and, exclusively to Golfbreaks, a complimentary upgrade to the Great White or a half-price upgrade to the Blue Monster. golfbreaks.com
Thracian Cliffs, Varna, Bulgaria Described as Europe’s answer to Pebble Beach, Gary Player’s incredible creation on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has made huge waves since opening last summer. Stretched out along three miles of spectacular clifftop land, the course leaped straight into Golf World magazine’s Top 100 courses in Europe at #65, and already seems destined for greater things. It might not seem like the obvious place for a golf trip, but with
another superb Player course (Black Sea Rama) and the Ian Woosnam-designed Lighthouse course close by – not to mention a number of luxurious resorts – this corner of Bulgaria is one of the hottest new destinations for 2012. And it’s all just three hours from London. Golfbreaks.com offers three nights’ B&B plus two rounds of golf at Thracian Cliffs from £299. golfbreaks.com
Aphrodite Hills, Cyprus Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus is set on a stunning plateau overlooking the Mediterranean. There’s a championship-standard 18-hole golf course overlooking the site where goddess of love Aphrodite is said to have emerged from the sea – which in itself is a unique boast. There’s also a tennis academy, plus a state-of-the-art spa and gymnasium complex, children’s clubs, beach clubs and a whole host of other wide-ranging leisure activities. > Get 10 per cent off your accommodation bill if you stay at Aphrodite Hills Holiday Residences in 2012
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Extra time Travel
Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Links There are any number of world-class golf courses in Ireland, but the Portmarnock Links is one of the finest. Designed by Bernhard Langer, it’s a classic links test that will require your A-game. But if you don’t bring it with you, fear not: this is just a wonderful place to be, even if your golf’s not up to scratch. The hotel at Portmarnock is luxury itself too – and you can take advantage of the current spring offer to stay there for one night, with a round of golf, for €99. Visit portmarnock.com for more information
PGA Golf de Catalunya, Girona, Spain Recently voted the top course in Spain, PGA Catalunya is an extraordinary layout on the Costa Brava, close to Girona. Offering tree-lined seclusion, immaculate conditioning and striking views of the Pyrenees, it’s also extremely challenging, as you might expect from the venue for the final stage of the European Tour’s Qualifying School. Golfbreaks.com offers three nights’ B&B, three rounds of golf at PGA Catalunya (2 x Tour course, 1 x Stadium) from £279 for travel between June and September. Includes free club hire, plus one in eight stays and plays free. golfbreaks.com
Sueno, Turkey Two superb golf courses – the Pines and the Dunes – that will test players of all abilities await visitors to Sueno, one of the top golfing resorts in Belek. The town is well-known as a tourist destination but it is only now that it is becoming a sporting destination too. Seven nights (half board) and unlimited golf at both courses – with free range tokens thrown in – from £375 at yourgolftravel.com. Offer is valid from June 1-24
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In association with
Some of the most unspoiled golf courses in Europe await you...
N
ice is a wonderful base from which to explore the fantastic golf courses of southeast France, one of the great unexplored golfing regions of Europe. The terrain is stunning, the weather beautiful, and the courses themselves a joy to play. One of the best things about them is that they are so uncrowded: truly, this is millionaires’ golf. But, critically, not at millionaires’ prices. And now, with British Airways flying to Nice from Gatwick three times a day, there has never been a better (or more straightforward) time to head down there and get your clubs out. Perhaps the best known course in the region is Royal Mougins (www.golf-cote-azur. com), which has held the Cannes Open on the European Tour and is a beautiful parkland layout. Green fees start at €150, although
The spectacular seafront in Nice
Go there with British Airways
The flights Just this week, British Airways started flying three times daily from their newly refurbished state-of-the-art home at Gatwick to Nice. Prices start from £49 one way. LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH/Alamy; Istockphoto.com
Golf in Nice: nothing nicer
this is not typical of the region. Much more usual is the €25 you’ll pay at Golf Country Club de Nice (www.golf-club-nice.com), a charming nine-hole track with splendid practice facilities, which would provide an excellent base for your trip. Falling somewhere between those two price brackets is Golf Club Opio Valbonne, which offers tremendous views whichever way you look. On the one side is the ocean, on the other the mountains. And you’ll probably not see another soul on the links as you play. As a city, Nice is a great destination. It has beautiful beaches and is one of the most relaxed cities in France – take in the famous Cours Saleya area (and be sure to try the local Bellet wine). It’s the perfect place to relax after an equally relaxing day on the golf course...
Where to stay British Airways offer two nights at the 4* Le Grimaldi, from £229 per person based on April to July 2012 departures. Includes return BA flights from Gatwick and accommodation with breakfast. What to drive British Airways offer seven nights’ car hire with return BA flights from Gatwick, from £179 based on April to August 2012 departures. Price is based on a Mini Manual vehicle. Visit www.ba.com/gatwick or call 0844 493 0758 | 55
Extra time Gadgets
Electric avenue Millionaires! Celebrate the budget tax cut by spending ten grand on a 3D TV and surround system. Everyone else! A radio alarm clock...
Crystal T2-7.4-UL Now, £3,000 might seem a lot to blow on a surround-sound system (or not – worryingly), but bear with us. With cinema prices now so high that it only makes financial sense to go on a Wednesday, this could save you money. After just 317 films enjoyed at home with perfect surround sound, through the four subwoofers, it will have paid for itself. £2,999 | crystalaudiovideo.com
Pure Siesta Mi Series 2 This radio alarm clock has ‘automatic time adjustment’ – quite common in all manner of devices these days, but it caught our eye because it offers a “stress-free transition to British Summer Time”. Is it really that stressful? If you were dashing maniacally around your house on Sunday morning with the talking clock on speaker, we’d suggest you’ve got problems that this DAB and FM radio isn’t going to solve. £35 | pure.com
Toshiba 55ZL2 Glasses-Free 3DTV
House of Marley Bag of Rhythm
Been holding off on joining the latest 3D revolution because of the dorky plastic glasses you have to wear? Fear not, you stylish media consumer you, because now there’s no need for any specs at all. This glasses-free TV uses face-tracking technology to work out where you are and deliver the right image.
This less-than-subtle nod to Bob Marley is basically an iPod dock that comes in a cotton bag. It can be powered by D batteries, so you can carry it round Sainsbury’s picking up your cheese and blasting out sick tunes like it’s 1983. Charity 1Love gets 5 per cent of the profit, too. Clearly a must-have for any buffalo mozzarella soldier.
£6,999 | toshiba.co.uk
£300 | houseofmarley.com
Canon IXUS 500 HS This is the Carol Vorderman of cameras – slim and smart (but without the irritating diet plans). It has Face ID, to prioritise certain people, and if you register faces along with ages, it will try and guess the activity and use appropriate settings. £309 | canon.co.uk
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*Conditions apply. See tda.gov.uk/conditions for full details.
Extra time Grooming Paul Gaultier Monsieur Face Scrub 1 Jean
Scrubbing up the right way
The small wood pulp exfoliating beads in this scrub from the definitive camp Frenchman are easy on the skin but hard on impurities, removing dead cells for a clean, fresh complexion. Voila, monsieur. £17.90 | boots.com
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Used as a face wash or as part of your pre-shave routine, scrubs are as versatile as they are effective 6
Men Revitalising Face Scrub 2 NYR In an independent survey of 59 men (we assume the 60th was washing his hair), 98 per cent said their skin felt smooth after using this gentle scrub from Neal’s Yard. A good score. £14.30 | nealsyardremedies.com
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Energising Skin Scrub 3 Elemis A pleasing scrub formulated with marine phytoplankton in a vitamin E base. It lifts the facial hair before shaving, helping to prevent ingrowing hairs and blemishes. Useful. £25.60 | timetospa.co.uk
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Henriksen Walnut Scrub 4 OleComplexion Densely textured exfoliator containing firm granules to energise and prepare the skin for shaving. Particularly good if you suffer with oily skin. £29 | harveynichols.com
Homme Scrub It Exfoliator 5 Organic An organic face wash made from clove, grapefruit and shea butter, with bamboo extract and cranberry powder helping remove dead skin cells. Like sticking your mush in a bowlful of nature. £10.50 | greenpeople.co.uk 2
Original Face Scrub 6 Bulldog
Series 2in1 Thermal Face Scrub 7 Gillette 5
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Gillette’s first self-heating pre-shave scrub gently warms the skin, working to clean and clear away dirt and oil, as well as softening the facial hair, before shaving. £7.99 | 00800 44 55 38 83
James Lincoln, jameslincoln.co.uk
Another all-natural scrub from the big dog of organic male grooming, featuring pumice, coconut shell, rosehip oil and the seemingly omnipresent shea butter. £5.79 | meetthebulldog.com
C ett elli GehT121©02012 The Gillette Company.
MANY ROADS LEAD TO THE MEDAL, BUT ALL BEGIN WITH A GREAT START. SIR CHRIS HOY, 4X OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLIST
NOTHING BEATS A GREAT START. facebook.com/GilletteUK
Extra time Entertainment
Design for life
EXHIBITION
A powerful Death Row documentary, more Danish crime drama and an exhibition that illustrates the great in Britain FILM
Into the Abyss
MUSIC
British Design 1948-2012: Innovation in the Modern Age As you can tell by the fact that we all get to work on Sinclair C5s and, when we arrive in the office, have an Amstrad E-m@iler phone sat proudly on our desks, Britain has a strong history of design. Forgive us the snarky intro, because that last bit is actually true. And this V&A exhibition, which opens tomorrow, offers overwhelming proof. From Jamie Reid’s Sex Pistols poster to a Concorde model and an actual E-Type Jag, a host
GAME
of stunning design is on show here, as the story of British post-war creativity is explained. There is a strong Olympic connection too, starting with art for the ‘Austerity Games’ of London 1948 and bringing us up to the present day with a scale model of Zaha Hadid’s Aquatics Centre for 2012. Open until August 12, tickets are on sale now via www.vam.ac.uk (and accompanied by less hassle than getting actual Aquatics Centre tickets).
DVD
Silent Hill HD (PS3/Xbox 360)
Escape From Camp 14 Blaine Harden
Survival horror comes screaming back as a pair of classics return with all-new visual and vocal tweaks. Silent Hill 2 – the greatest game ever made (probably) – and the third game in the series are collected and ready to give you nightmares from today.
Shin Dong-hyuk, born in a North Korean gulag and one of very few to make it out alive, tells the story of his 23-year imprisonment and subsequent escape in this new memoir. A terrifying look at a world we know little about.
A+E Graham Coxon
Those Who Kill
While Damon Albarn forms another super-group and Alex James bores on about his rennet-free Dairylea Triangles, Blur’s lead guitarist continues his superb solo work. A+E, Graham Coxon’s eighth album, takes his sound in a new direction, but it’s raw riffs and rasping vocals rather than anything too pretentious. Hell, What’ll It Take is even Coxon doing a cracking pop song. Ace.
Judging by what we see on TV, Denmark only has 14 people in it – and each of them are employed in making dark, smart, compelling drama series. Featuring cast members from The Killing and Borgen, Those Who Kill focuses on a police unit that hunts down serial killers. They do this by understanding how the murderous psychos think. Which worked out so well in The Silence of the Lambs.
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BOOK
Jamie Reid, photograph by Victoria and Albert Museum; Jaguar Heritage; Margaret Calvert; Brian Long/photograph © Victoria and Albert Museum; Dave Hogan/Getty Images
Cheery German Werner Herzog, director of the superb bear-death doc Grizzly Man, turns his focus on to Death Row in his latest film. It centres on a triple homicide, interviewing both of the men convicted of the crime (one of whom is days away from his scheduled execution), family of the victims, the prison chaplain and more. It’s bleak stuff, but also revealing, thought-provoking and with surprising moments of humour. He’s not a chap you’d ask to film your kid’s birthday party, but Herzog is a truly remarkable documentary maker.
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© 2012 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, EA SPORTS and the EA SPORTS logo are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. The mark ‘TIGER WOODS’ and the TW Logo are trademarks of ETW Corp. and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of ETW Corp. The name, likeness and other attributes of Tiger Woods reproduced on this product are trademarks, copyrighted designs and/or other forms of intellectual property that are the exclusive property of ETW Corp. or Tiger Woods and may not be used, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of ETW Corp. or Tiger Woods. PGA TOUR, TPC, and the Swinging Golfer Design are trademarks of PGA TOUR, Inc. and are used under license by Electronic Arts Inc. “Masters”, “Masters” and Design, “Masters Tournament”, “Masters Tournament” and Design, “The Masters”, “Tournament Masters”, “Masters/Augusta USA”, “Augusta”, “Augusta National”, “Augusta National” and Design, “Augusta National Golf Club” and Design, “Amen Corner”, and the Yellow U.S. Map with Flagstick are trademarks and trade names of Augusta National, Inc. and such trademarks and trade names appear courtesy Augusta National, Inc. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “2”, “PlayStation”, “PS3”, “Ô, “ ” and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other sponsored products, company names, brand names, trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.
FOR ONE WEEK EACH SPRING, GOLF’S BEST PLAYERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD GATHER ON THE SACRED GROUNDS OF AUGUSTA NATIONAL TO TAKE PART IN ONE OF THE GREATEST TRADITIONS IN SPORTS, THE MASTERS. THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION OFFERS 5 ADDITIONAL GOLF COURSES, ACCESS TO AUGUSTA NATIONAL’S WORLD-CLASS TOURNAMENT PRACTICE FACILITY, AN EXCLUSIVE GREEN JACKET PRESENTATION AND MORE.
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