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Tuesday July 11, 2017

TEENAGE Thai amateur Atthaya Thitikul became the youngest winner on the Ladies European Tour on Sunday when she beat Ana Menendez of Mexico by two strokes in the inaugural Ladies European Thailand champion-ship at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club in Chinburi on Sunday.

Atthaya produced a level-par 72 Sunday to fi nish the week on 5-under-par 283.

She began her fourth round one shot behind Menendez after posting rounds of 70, 71

and 70. But the Mexican player dropped four shots on the front nine, handing Atthaya a two-shot lead at the turn after one birdie and two bogeys on her fi rst nine holes.

At 14 years, four months and 19 days, Atthaya broke the previ-ous record of the formerly top-ranked Lydia Ko, who at 14 years and eight months won her fi rst professional event at the New South Wales Open in 2012.

“I’m so happy for my win this week and feel so proud of myself. I give this win to all Thais,” said

Atthaya who took inspiration from former Thai top-ranked player Ariya Jutanugarn.

“I was nervous at the fi rst tee. But I didn’t think about the scores. I just focused on my shots and only on my caddie. I didn’t expect to win this tourna-ment as I just came here to learn techniques from the pro players on the Ladies European,” said Atthaya, adding that she would not turn professional for a few years because she needs more experience.

(SD-Agencies)

MANCHESTER United’s former England captain Wayne Rooney on Sunday rejoined his boyhood club Everton on a two-year deal after 13 trophy-laden years at Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old, who has moved to Goodison Park for an undisclosed fee, spoke of his excitement at returning to a club where he began his career after coming through the youth ranks.

“Winning trophies with Ever-ton would be the pinnacle,” Rooney said. “I really feel now the club is moving in the right direction, bringing the right calibre of players in. I want to be part of it and hopefully part of a successful Everton team.”

Rooney exploded on to the Premier League scene when he netted a stunning winner for Everton against Arsenal aged 16 and he moved to United two years later for a fee reported by British media to be 25 million pounds (US$32.23 million).

Scoring a hat-trick on his United debut against Fenerbahce in the UEFA Champions League, Rooney went on to play more than 550 games for the club, netting 253 goals to become its all-time leading scorer, eclipsing Bobby Charlton’s record.

Rooney’s England debut came under Swede Sven-Goran Eriks-son, aged 17, and he became the country’s all-time top scorer with 53 goals and the most capped outfi eld player with 119 appearances.

At United he won the UCL,

Rooney bids to revive career at Everton

fi ve Premier League titles and the FA Cup and was Footballer of the Year in 2010.

But last season he cut a dis-consolate fi gure at times when he was no longer an automatic selection under manager Jose Mourinho and lost his place on the England squad.

“It is no secret that I have long been an admirer of Wayne,” Mourinho said on United’s website. “He has been a model professional throughout his time at the club and will remain in the history books for many years to come.

“It is never easy to see a great

player playing less football than he would like and I could not stand in his way when he asked to go back to Everton.”

Everton manager Ronald Koeman believes Rooney can make a real contribution to the Merseyside club next season. “He loves Everton and he was desperate to come back,” said the Dutchman. “He is still only 31 and I don’t have any doubts about his qualities. It’s fantastic he’s here.”

With a fee agreed between Everton and United for Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku to move in the opposite direction, the way

was clear for Rooney to leave Old Trafford after 13 years.

Rooney is reported to be taking a large pay cut to return to Everton, which has been recruit-ing heavily under Koeman and fi nancial backer Farhad Moshiri, a British-Iranian businessman, after fi nishing seventh in the league last season.

It has bought England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from Sunderland and Burnley defender Michael Keane plus Netherlands midfi elder Davy Klaasen from Ajax Amsterdam among others, spending almost 90 million pounds. (SD-Agencies)

Wayne Rooney

RIGOBERTO URAN on Sunday won a chaotic, crash-strewn stage nine of the Tour de France, which saw Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte abandon the race while Chris Froome came home third to retain the yellow jersey.

Cannondale-Drapac’s Uran took victory in a photo fi nish ahead of Warren Barguil of Team Sunweb — one fi nal twist of drama on a day that will live long in Tour history.

Team Sky’s Thomas suffered a suspected broken collarbone in a crash on the damp descent of the Col de la Biche, while BMC’s Porte went down in a frighten-

ing incident on the descent of the Mont du Chat. The loss of Thomas could be hugely signifi -cant with Team Sky left weak-ened. It was a fourth crash of the race for Thomas, who spent four days in the yellow jersey after winning the opening time trial in Dusseldorf last weekend.

It all came down to a rare sprint fi nish between general classifi cation contenders, with AG2R La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet fourth and Fabio Aru of Astana fi fth.

With four bonus seconds on the line for third place, Froome extended his lead over Aru to 18

seconds. However, he has lost his rear-gunner as Thomas started the day second overall.

Bardet is up to third overall, 51 seconds down, four seconds ahead of former Team-Sky man Uran who catapulted up the standings with the win.

Irishman Dan Martin (Quick-Step Floors) was caught in the crash that ended Porte’s race and then came down again later in the descent, losing fourth place as he slipped to sixth, one minute and 44 seconds down, 18 seconds ahead of seventh-place Simon Yates of Orica-Scott.

(SD-Agencies)

Amateur becomes youngest winner on Ladies European Tour

Atthaya Thitikul

Uran wins drama-fi lled ninth stage

VALTTERI BOTTAS won a cliffhanger Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg for Mercedes on Sunday with Ferrari’s Sebas-tian Vettel fi nishing a mere 0.6 of a second behind to increase his lead over Lewis Hamilton to 20 points after nine races.

Hamilton, Bottas’s team-mate, started in eighth place after a grid penalty triggered by an unscheduled gearbox change and fi nished fourth. Vettel now has 171 points to Hamilton’s 151. Bottas is third overall on 136.

“I had a bit of deja-vu in the end from Russia,” said Bottas, referring to his fi rst Formula One win at Sochi in April when Vettel again almost reeled him in at the fi nish and also crossed the line 0.6 behind.

“At the beginning I could con-trol the race but it was trickier towards the end.”

Australian Daniel Ricciardo fi nished third for Red Bull, at the 4.3-kilometer circuit owned by the energy drink brand, for his fi fth successive podium fi nish with Hamilton pushing him hard to the checkered fl ag.

The victory from pole posi-tion was the second of the season and of his career for Bottas, who joined Mercedes in January as a replacement for retired 2016 world cham-pion Nico Rosberg.

(SD-Agencies)

Cannondale-Drapac rider Rigoberto Uran (C) of Columbia competes during the ninth stage of the Tour de France on Sunday. SD-Agencies

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas celebrates his win on the podium in Spielberg, Austria, on Sunday. SD-Agencies

Bottas holds off Vettel to win in Austria