Latest - Lydia Ko has finished in a three-way tie for second place at this week's LPGA Tour tournament in Florida, with world number one Nelly Korda prevailing in a four-way playoff.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Ko closed with a blemish-free four-under 66 to finish at 17-under par, alongside Korda, fellow American Lexi Thompson and South Korea's Sei Young Kim.
When Ko finished her round, she was alone in third place, two shots behind Korda and Thompson, who had two holes to play.
But Korda triple-bogeyed the 17th hole and Thompson bogeyed it to slip back to the pack.
Sei Young and Korda then birdied the last and Thompson missed a short par putt on the 18th to draw level with Ko.
Korda, the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist, went on to birdie the first playoff hole to win the title.
It is Lydia Ko's 10th top 10 finish of the LPGA Tour season and follows on from her win in Saudia Arabia last week.
The Tokyo bronze medallist remains third on the overall LPGA tour standings ahead of the season-ending Tour Championship, starting on Friday morning.
Meanwhile Steven Alker has finished second at the season-ending Champions Tour event in Phoenix.
Alker, who won on the tour earlier this month, finished a shot behind Phil Mickelson.
Rookie Shark signs with Warriors
Cronulla-Sutherland rookie Luke Metcalf will leave the Sharks at the end of next season to join the Warriors for the 2023 and 2024 NRL seasons.
Photo: © NRL Photos
The 22-year-old made his NRL debut this year while he was still on a development contract as a replacement for an injured Shaun Johnson.
"Luke was really impressive when he came into the NRL late in the season," Warriors head coach Nathan Brown said.
"He had to wait for his chance after seeing next to no football in 2020 because of Covid but he showed just why he has been so highly regarded coming through the grades with both the Sharks and Manly."
After coming through the age grades with the Sharks, Metcalf was with Manly Warringah in 2018, 2019 and 2020 before returning to Cronulla this year.
An ACL knee injury ruined his 2019 season before he returned to represent Manly at the NRL Nines in Perth only to then be reduced to spending the Covid-impacted 2020 campaign in a training-only role.
France labour to win over Georgia
France geared up for next weekend's eagerly-awaited clash with the All Blacks by labouring to a 41-15 victory over Georgia in Bordeaux.
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Les Bleus lacked their usual precision but prevailed thanks to six tries, two each by flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert and hooker Peato Mauvaka, one from winger Damian Penaud and a penalty try with fullback Melvyn Jaminet kicking the rest of the points.
Georgia responded with a Davit Niniashvili penalty, tries by Vasil Lobzhanidze and Akaki Tabutsadze and a conversion by Tedo Abzhandadze.
Georgia resisted for half an hour but their ill-discipline cost them dear, although France failed to impress a week after an unconvincing 29-20 win over Argentina.
France started well but lacked focus and had only Jaminet's penalty to show for their early dominance.
The All Blacks were beaten 29-20 by Ireland in Dunblin yesterday.
France and New Zealand meet in Paris next Sunday morning (NZ time).
- Reuters
Wales eventually overcome Fiji
Wales came from behind to beat a 14-man Fiji 38-23 in their rugby international in Cardiff.
Ryan Elias Photo: PHOTOSPORT
With Fiji leading 13-7, wing Eroni Sau was sent off for a reckless swinging arm on Johnny Williams in the 25th minute.
The visitors also picked up two yellow cards.
Hooker Ryan Elias scored twice with Kieran Hardy, Alex Cuthbert, Louis Rees-Zammit and Liam Williams also scoring as Wales finished strongly.
Centre Waisea Nayacalevu scored a brace of tries for Fiji, who led 23-14 on the hour-mark.
Wales host Australia next weekend to end their autumn series, having lost to New Zealand and South Africa before overcoming Fiji.
- BBC
England domination continues
England women's rugby team underlined their status as the world's top-ranked side by extending their winning streak to 17 matches with a crushing 51-12 victory over Canada at Twickenham Stoop.
Heather Cowell claimed two tries on her debut, as did Sarah Bern and Claudia McDonald, with Alex Matthews also getting on the scoresheet against the number three-ranked side in the world.
The Red Roses' win followed record victories over world champions New Zealand - whom they beat 56-15 and 43-12 - to send out a warning before next year's World Cup in New Zealand.
Former Wales skipper Carys Phillips marked her first start in an international match for more than 700 days with a hat-trick as her team overcame South Africa 29-19 at Cardiff Arms Park.
Yesterday the Black Ferns were beaten 38-13 by France.
- Reuters
Another Bagnaia win
Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia claimed his fourth victory in the last six MotoGP races at the season-ending Valencia Grand Prix as nine-times world champion Valentino Rossi finished 10th in his final race.
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Pramac Racing's Spanish rookie Jorge Martin made a strong start from pole position and held off a pack of challengers but was denied a second victory of the season after being overtaken by Bagnaia with 13 laps left.
Australian Jack Miller of Ducati was third while 2020 world champion Joan Mir of Spain missed out on a podium position after surging forward following a crash by Suzuki team mate Alex Rins midway through the race.
Yamaha's new world champion Fabio Quartararo finished fifth.
Seven-times MotoGP title winner Rossi, one of the greatest and most charismatic of motorcycling champions https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-motor-motogp-rossi-idUKKBN2HW2F6, delighted fans including Brazilian soccer great Ronaldo with a few quick laps but was unable to add to his 199 premier class podiums.
The 42-year-old Italian, nicknamed "The Doctor", is considering a move into car racing.
- Reuters
SVG well placed
New Zealand driver Shane van Gisbergen holds a comfortable lead over his nearest rival with just three races remaining in the Australian Supercars championship.
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Van Gisbergen finished second, third and third in the three races at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend.
He has a 337-point lead over Holden team-mate Jamie Whincup.
The penultimate round is again in Sydney next weekend with the finale at Bathurst in early December.
Medvedev wins opener
World number two Daniil Medvedev came from a set down to power past ATP Finals debutant Hubert Hurkacz and get his title defence off to a winning start in Turin.
Daniil Medvedev. Photo: Photosport
Russian Medvedev, who won the U.S. Open title in September for his maiden Grand Slam crown, allowed his Polish opponent to take the early advantage in the season-ending event following a tight tiebreaker but responded in style.
The 25-year-old fired 15 aces to Hurkacz's 12 and converted two break points on a fast court to seal victory in the Red Group ahead of potentially tricky challenges against Germany's Alexander Zverev and Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini.
Olympic champion Zverev will face Italian Berrettini in the second Red Group match later today.
- Reuters
Croatia off to Qatar
Croatia clinched an automatic berth in the 2022 World Cup finals after a late Fedor Kudryashov own goal gave them a 1-0 home win over Russia in their crunch Group D qualifier.
Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, jumped above Russia to top the standings on 23 points from 10 games, one more than the second-placed Russians who will head into the March playoffs.
Croatia dominated a match played in driving rain but a string of good saves by visiting goakeeper Matvei Safonov and a waterlogged pitch kept them at bay before Kudryashov's clumsy 80th-minute touch delighted the home fans.
- Reuters