Mickelson likely to miss British Open

By Larry Fine
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - Phil Mickelson will probably skip next month's British Open in order to be with his wife Amy as she undergoes breast cancer treatment.
"I'm putting everything I have into this week because I don't anticipate being able to play for a little while," Mickelson told reporters on the eve of the U.S. Open.
Asked if he was ruling out playing at the Turnberry championship which starts on July 16, the world number two said: "Most likely.
"I would say probably August would be the earliest (I return to golf)."
The American said his wife would start her treatment on July 1.
"We'll have a great family vacation next week and we have kind of a game plan on moving forward," he said.
Mickelson, runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage, said Amy had encouraged him to do well this week.
"She's left me a number of little notes, texts, cards, hints that she would like to have a silver trophy in her hospital room so I'm going to try to accommodate that," he said.
After his wife was diagnosed nearly a month ago, Mickelson took a short break from golf before returning for last week's St Jude Classic.
FAMILY BIRTHDAYS
"We wanted to get more into a normal pace of life, normal stuff that we do ... we had a birthday party on Monday for our daughter," said Mickelson, who also celebrated his 39th birthday at home the following day.
"We want to try to keep life as normal as we can."
Mickelson, who finished 59th in Memphis last week, said he had been working on his technique through visualization and talks with swing coach Butch Harmon.
"When Amy was going through tests and I'm sitting in a hospital for 10 hours I would think about a lot of things. But I would take a break and think about my golf swing. I would talk to Butch," said the triple major winner.
"Even though we didn't hit any balls I actually got my swing to where we wanted it ... and I'm very optimistic about my ball striking this week." Continued...
Source: Reuters

Chicago bid for 2016 Games enters final stretch

By Karolos Grohmann
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - The race to host the 2016 Olympic Games entered its final stretch on Wednesday with four cities outlining their plans to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) before the October election.
Madrid, Tokyo, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro pitched their bids to some 93 out of 107 IOC members and no front-runner emerged before the vote on October 2 in Copenhagen.
IOC President Jacques Rogge said all four cities were capable of staging "superb Games."
"It is going to be a difficult choice for my colleagues," Rogge told reporters. "I am lucky not to be obliged to vote."
Officials for Chicago, planning to hold much of the Games in the city center, were upbeat after their 90-minute appearance.
"I think the team did really well," said Chicago bid chief Pat Ryan as a few Chicagoans opposing the Games in the U.S. city gathered outside the Olympic Museum distributing leaflets.
"The Chicago Games will open up a large untapped corporate community... to the Olympic movement," said Ryan.
NO OBAMA VIDEO
A notable absence from Chicago's videos was U.S. president Barack Obama, a bid supporter who spent much of his political life in the city, unlike the heads of state from the other three candidates who issued brief video messages.
The U.S. President did, however, announce on Tuesday the creation of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport to encourage youth participation in sport.
Tokyo had the backing of Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, pledging the government's full support of Tokyo's bid.
"I am proud to confirm the total commitment of the government of Japan to the Tokyo 2016 Games," Aso said.
Tokyo drafted a compact bid with the Tokyo Bay area at the heart of the Games. Bid officials also highlighted the fact they had $4 billion "in the bank today."
CONFIDENT RIO
Rio de Janeiro backed its proposal to stage the Games two years after hosting the 2014 soccer World Cup with the presence of the country's Central Bank chief, Henrique Meirelles, and a video message from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Continued...
Source: Reuters

2016 Games race enters final stretch

By Karolos Grohmann
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - The race to host the 2016 Olympics entered its final stretch on Wednesday with the four candidate cities outlining their plans to the International Olympic Committee before the October election.
Tokyo and Chicago had the chance to present their candidacy to some 93 out of 107 IOC members in the morning with Rio and Madrid due to deliver their pitches later in the day.
The IOC will vote in its session on October 2 in Copenhagen for the winning bid.
"I think the team did really well," said Chicago bid chief Pat Ryan, as a handful of people opposing the Games in the U.S. city, gathered outside the Olympic Museum distributing leaflets for the second day.
"The Chicago Games will open up a large untapped corporate community... to the Olympic movement," said Ryan. Chicago plans to hold much of the Games in the city center, along several large parks bordering Lake Michigan.
Some IOC members said Chicago's presentation was well received.
"I think they did a very professional job," said IOC member Kevan Gosper. "There were a lot of good questions and answers," Gosper said of the 90-minute pitch that ran around 10 minutes longer than planned.
A notable absence from Chicago's videos was U.S. president Barack Obama, a supporter of the bid who spent much of his political life in the city, unlike leaders of the Tokyo bid who included a video message of Prime Minister Taro Aso.
DIFFICULT RACE
The U.S. President did, however, announce on Tuesday the creation of the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport to encourage increased youth participation in sport.
Aso, who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, said the government was fully behind Tokyo's bid.
"I am proud to confirm the total commitment of the government of Japan to the Tokyo 2016 Games," Aso said in a brief video message.
"It is a very difficult race," said Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara after their 45-minute presentation and subsequent 45-minute question and answer session.
Tokyo drafted a compact bid with the Tokyo Bay area at the heart of the Games.
Bid officials also highlighted the fact they had $4 billion "in the bank today." Continued...
Source: Reuters

Federer aims to win back his crown by being more of a man

By Pritha Sarkar
LONDON (Reuters) - Winning the French Open was not just a personal milestone for Roger Federer, it was the making of him.
Armed with the belief that he can win titles even when he is not on top of his game, the Swiss master is determined to snatch back the Wimbledon crown from his nemesis Rafael Nadal when the grasscourt grand slam begins next Monday.
"I feel like I've definitely become more a man now than in the last few years since I'm not scared of five setters anymore. I can handle the pressure," Federer, who became only the sixth man to achieve a career grand slam with his triumph at Roland Garros 10 days ago, told a small group of invited reporters.
"I had to show my fighting spirit more than ever and it's nice to have had a chance to show those qualities because before everybody was just used to my dominance. It's good to know for myself that I can also do it differently," added Federer, who for the first time had to play two five-set matches during a successful run to a major.
"Now going into the grass season, and Wimbledon, and being on top of the world it's a fantastic feeling."
In his previous 13 assaults to grand slam titles, it seemed as if Federer's aura was enough to beat most opponents before the warm-up had even finished.
If that was not enough, the Swiss quickly outwitted his opponents with his silky shots and killer instinct.
But none of that was on display in Paris and if anything, Federer's cloak of invincibility looked tattered and torn when he was just five points from defeat in the fourth round against Germany's Tommy Haas.
That win from two sets down against Haas not only set Federer on his way to a record-equaling 14th grand slam title, it also boosted his chances of regaining the number one ranking Nadal took from him last August.
"For me it's about the majors because right now Wimbledon is around the corner," said 27-year-old Federer.
"From Paris until Wimbledon, this is when you want to play your best tennis. So the ranking will always follow when you do play well.
SIP MARGARITAS
"I know it will take a special effort to get back to number one because Rafa has set the bar high. It's going to be hard to take it away from him because he has so many great tournament victories in his 365-day rankings. But I feel I'm a step closer now by winning in Paris and winning my 14th."
That triumph led to a chorus of players declaring Federer was the greatest of all time and Martina Navratilova even suggested the Swiss could "just go on and sip Margaritas for the rest of his life."
However, Federer does not have it in him to simply put his feet up and soak up the sun. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Ogilvy prepared for long, laborious week at Bethpage

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - A sign close to the first tee at Bethpage Black sums up the brutal challenge facing players at this week's U.S. Open, according to Australia's Geoff Ogilvy.
The placard reads: "The Black Course is an extremely difficult golf course which we recommend only for highly skilled golfers," an ominous caveat for the longest layout to stage the second major of the year.
"This is probably the only golf course with a warning at the first tee," former champion Ogilvy told reporters at Bethpage State Park on Tuesday. "I've seen lots of rules written down on the first tees but I've never seen warnings."
At 7,426 yards off its back tees, Bethpage Black features seven par-four holes in excess of 450 yards and will play extra-long this week after being softened by rain.
"The ball's kind of hitting and stopping on the fairways," said Ogilvy, who clinched his maiden major title in the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
"I hit a wood into multiple par-four holes this morning. As for three and four-irons; we were wearing them out. The difficulty of Bethpage is how long it is."
SLOW GREENS
U.S. Opens are renowned for tight fairways, thick rough and slick greens but this week at a damp Bethpage the putting surfaces will be on the slow side.
"The greens are relatively puttable," the 32-year-old Ogilvy said. "The hard part is getting it to the green in regulation.
"Long and high is an advantage here for sure, because there are long shots you have to fly on the green and stop," he added.
"At the moment they're relatively easy to stop because they're soft but that might or might not change depending on the weather."
A double winner on the PGA Tour this year, Ogilvy likes his chances.
"My game's pretty good," he said. "I don't see there's any reason why I can't play well.
"I like to think it's all pretty close," added the Australian, who won the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in early March.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)

Source: Reuters

Stallworth gets jail sentence in drunk-driving death

By Jane Sutton
MIAMI (Reuters) - Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth pleaded guilty on Tuesday to manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the car crash that killed a pedestrian on Miami Beach.
The National Football League player's jail term will be followed by two years of house arrest and eight years' probation.
Stallworth might be allowed to play football during that time, if his community control officer and the NFL allow it, because people under house arrest are usually permitted to go to work or school, a spokeswoman for the Miami-Dade County state attorney's office said.
But he will need a lift to the stadium because his driver's license has been suspended for life.
"He cannot drive ever again for any reason. That is what the (victim's) family wanted. The family urged us to do this," spokeswoman Terry Chavez said.
A judge also ordered Stallworth to pay $10,000 in fines and perform 1,000 hours of community service.
Blood tests showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.126, well above Florida's legal limit of 0.08, when he hit and killed 59-year-old construction worker Mario Reyes on March 14, court documents said.
BLACK BENTLEY
Stallworth had been drinking at a Miami Beach club before crashing his black Bentley GT coupe into Reyes, who was walking across the MacArthur Causeway after finishing his shift as a crane operator.
Stallworth, 28, had faced up to 15 years in prison but pleaded guilty in exchange for a lighter sentence.
He also reached a confidential civil settlement with Reyes's family, Stallworth's attorney, Chris Lyons, told reporters.
Lyons said Stallworth had accepted full responsibility for his actions.
"He acted like a man, he reported it immediately to the police through 911, he remained at the scene, he co-operated fully with the Miami Beach Police Department," Lyons said.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Stallworth had no prior traffic violations or criminal convictions, and that Reyes's family had agreed to the terms of his sentence.
(Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Ed Osmonnd)

Source: Reuters

Here we go again, Favre starts another summer soap opera

By Simon Evans
MIAMI (Reuters) - If the opening day of the baseball season marks the start of the American spring, you know it is summertime in the U.S. when Brett Favre starts talking about whether to play another year in the NFL.
It has become an annual soap-opera for sports fans -- will he or won't he? Will Favre, one of the game's greatest quarterbacks and breaker of so many records, change his mind about his already announced retirement?
Asked on a Monday night television talk show whether he was going to play for the Minnesota Vikings next season, Favre launched the latest round of speculation with a "maybe."
Last year when Favre announced, not for the first time, that he was calling it quits after his 16th year with the Green Bay Packers, many commentators thought he had made the right choice.
But the rugged future Hall of Famer changed his mind and told Green Bay to wait a minute. He was too late, however, because they had found a replacement.
It was an unhappy ending to a long and successful relationship and Favre further disappointed Packers fans by heading off to the New York Jets.
The Mississippi native's sole season in the Big Apple ended in disappointment with fitness problems and the Jets failing to make the playoffs.
It was no surprise when the 39-year-old, who had faded badly through the latter stages of the campaign, decided to call it quits again. This time, there was a real feeling that, given the deterioration in his throwing arm, Favre really was hanging up his boots for good.
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
There were rumors of course, suggestions that after an operation on his arm he was ready to try and add to his record career touchdown passes (464) and all those other records, including most career pass completions (5,720) and most career victories as starting quarterback (169).
There was a little more than a "maybe" in Favre's comments on HBO's Joe Buck Live show on Monday.
"I am rehabbing, doing what I need to get it into shape, I have talked with the Vikings, nothing other than are you interested and vice-versa.
"I've had the procedure (operation) which they know, it's more or less about how my arm feels and then we will go from there," he said.
Favre says the only team he has talked to are the Vikings and that the Minnesota side makes a perfect fit for him given their offensive approach is so similar to that used by Green Bay.
But it all depends on his fitness. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Bethpage champion Woods still has major appetite

By Mark Lamport-Stokes
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - Tiger Woods defends his U.S. Open title this week with a sharpened appetite for further major success, having missed the final two grand slam events of last year while recovering from knee surgery.
The world number one has long targeted the record 18 majors piled up by his childhood hero Jack Nicklaus and he trails by four after winning the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines 12 months ago.
Woods, the greatest player of his generation, is the overwhelming favorite at Bethpage State Park's Black Course where he clinched the U.S. Open when it was staged here for the first time in 2002.
"I'm excited to be here," the 33-year-old American told reporters on Tuesday. "Obviously this golf course brings back some great memories for me.
"It's good to be back and I've enjoyed playing out here. The practice rounds have all been good and I'm really looking forward to Thursday. I like my chances in any major."
Asked who he regarded as the best golfer of all time, Woods replied without hesitation: "Jack. He's got 18. I'm at 14."
Woods, who will tee off in Thursday's opening round in the company of 2007 winner Angel Cabrera and British Open champion Padraig Harrington, will be bidding for his fourth U.S. Open crown.
MAJOR CHALLENGE
He has always relished the challenge of competing in the toughest of the four major championships and he arrives at Bethpage fresh from his 67th PGA Tour victory at the Memorial tournament two weeks ago.
"It's always nice to play well going into a major championship," said Woods, who clinched his first U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in 2000 by a record 15 strokes.
"To get a win always adds to the confidence, no matter how you win, and especially going into a U.S. Open. Generally this is the hardest major we face, year-in and year-out. It has the narrowest fairways, the highest rough.
"You have to be patient and you have to drive the ball well. And this U.S. Open, being this wet and this long, the rough is so thick," he added, referring to the rain-softened Bethpage Black layout. "You have to get the ball in play."
Woods, who defied stabbing pain in his left knee and a double stress fracture of his tibia to win last year's U.S. Open in a gripping 19-hole playoff with compatriot Rocco Mediate, was delighted with his fitness.
"I feel great," he said. "It's fun because before, no matter what I did, I kept getting worse. No matter how hard I trained, the leg was deteriorating. I kept doing more damage to the thing. Now it's the exact opposite."
(Editing by Ed Osmond)

Source: Reuters

Economics should not drive 2016 Games choice: Rogge

By Karolos Grohmann
LAUSANNE (Reuters) - Economics or the prospect of increased revenues should not be the deciding factor in the International Olympic Committee's decision on which city hosts the 2016 summer Olympics, the IOC President said on Tuesday.
A day before candidates Madrid, Tokyo, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro pitch their bids to members for the penultimate time, IOC chief Jacques Rogge said care for athletes should be the top priority.
"I share the view...the economics should not drive our decision," Rogge told reporters. "In the past we did not necessarily go for the richest city and I believe we were right not to do that.
"First of all is the care for the athletes. The games are for the athlete... not for any other superior goal," Rogge said.
The four cities will present their concept to about 90 members on Wednesday in Lausanne before the IOC meets in Copenhagen in October to pick the host after another brief presentation by the candidates.
Rogge also ruled out selecting the winning bid based on geographical rotation or for other political reasons.
"I am not fond of geo-political considerations. It is not the economics but leaving a sustaining legacy," he said.
Rio has played up the fact that the Games have never gone to South America while Chicago supporters have said that in 2016 it would be 20 years since the United States last staged the Games.
HEADS OF STATE
Rogge also said the IOC would seek to contain activities of heads of state attending the vote in Copenhagen on October 2. for fear of upstaging the event itself.
Heads of state have in the past actively campaigned for bid cities with then Russian president Vladimir Putin helping Sochi win the 2014 Winter Games in 2007.
Tony Blair, at the time the British Prime Minister, made a great contribution to getting the Olympics for London two years earlier, meeting dozens of IOC members before the vote in Singapore.
U.S. President Barack Obama could attend the session in October to back Chicago, where he spent much of his political life.
"If heads of state want to be present that is their full right. We want to contain the activities to what has been agreed by the ethics commission," Rogge said.
Shortly after Rogge's news conference, two protesters, opposing Chicago's bid to host the Games, peacefully entered the IOC headquarters to hand in leaflets against the city's bid. Continued...
Source: Reuters

RIM's Balsillie pondering new bid for NHL's Coyotes

TORONTO (Reuters) - Jim Balsillie is considering a new bid for the Phoenix Coyotes hockey team after a bankruptcy court's decision that blocked the co-founder of Research in Motion from the NHL franchise to Canada.
Judge Redfield Baum ruled on Monday that a June 29 deadline proposed by Balsillie did not allow enough time to settle the complex case.
Balsillie was offering to buy the team for $212.5 million and move it to Hamilton, Ontario, located an hour southwest of Toronto.
A spokesman for Balsillie said on Tuesday that his client, a passionate hockey fan who made his fortune with the company known for its BlackBerry handheld device, would consider making a fresh bid for the team.
By resubmitting the motion, the team could stay in Arizona until at least the start of the 2010-11 season, giving all sides time to consider the issues.
"In the ruling, the judge encouraged us to resubmit our motion. The difficulty that the judge had ... is that there were some very, very important issues to be decided and there wasn't enough time to decide them and consider those issues properly by June 29," attorney Richard Rodier said.
"I anticipate resubmitting a motion. But it's always hard to speculate going forward. Bankruptcy is a process and it's a judicial process that is administered by the court...There's an ebb and a flow to a bankruptcy process and I'm not sure whether this is the ebb or the flow."
The National Hockey League team filed for bankruptcy protection last month and said it reached an agreement with Balsillie to buy the team and move it to Hamilton.
But the NHL blocked the sale, saying the current owner Jerry Moyes had no right to consent to the team's relocation without league approval.
Rodier also said the issue surrounding antitrust laws and the sale of the team remains to be resolved.
"The judge did not say anything one way or the other about antitrust issues other than he would deal with it if and when it came up," he said.
($1=$1.13 Canadian)
(Reporting by Scott Anderson; Editing by Frank McGurty)

Source: Reuters

Tiger circus holds no fears for Cabrera

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Masters champion Angel Cabrera relishes playing alongside Tiger Woods despite the pressure from the huge crowds that follow the world number one around a golf course.
"I hope I can play the whole tournament with Tiger. Playing with the number one is the best (thing)," the Argentine twice major winner said as he prepared for the U.S. Open at Farmingdale, New York, starting on Thursday.
"Can it make it harder for me? Well, I take it as a challenge. Of course, it gets a bit complicated with the movement of the people but I insist I'd love to play all the tournaments with him," Cabrera told Buenos Aires newspapers on Tuesday.
The big 39-year-old Argentine, who will play alongside Woods and three-times major winner Padraig Harrington in the opening round on the Bethpage Black Course, surprised even himself by winning the 2007 U.S. Open in 2007 and following that up with the Masters.
"The victory in the U.S. Open took me by surprise because I'd been playing badly, I felt error-prone and I only just qualified," Cabrera said. "I was much better prepared for the (2009) Masters."
SUCH VICTORIES
He said that after such victories, the only times he has won in the U.S., the pressure to do well increased and he had worked hard to avoid the dip in form he suffered last year following his first major win.
"The biggest change has been in my mentality, knowing I can win the big tournaments," he said. "I had always been close but...I lacked daring. I realized I didn't believe in myself.
"I've improved my short game and my putting which is what I lacked."
Cabrera said he had ambitions to become world number one.
"I want to be the best in the world," said the former caddy from humble beginnings in Cordoba.
"Now I stand on the first tee, I play with Tiger and I know I can beat him and take the U.S. Open. I feel really good, eh?"
(Reporting by Rex Gowar; Editing by Ed Osmond)

Source: Reuters

Borg makes U-turn and backs Federer for Wimbledon title

By Tanja Bojanc
LONDON (Reuters) - A year after Bjorn Borg wrote off Roger Federer's chances of capturing the 2008 Wimbledon title, the Swedish great was once again backing the Swiss to triumph at the All England Club.
Borg tipped Rafael Nadal to win the grasscourt major 12 months ago and despite being proved right, his comments did not go down well with Federer.
But after the Swiss completed his collection of grand slam titles by triumphing at Roland Garros nine days ago, the Swede has once again switched his allegiance.
"Coming into Wimbledon I think he is relieved in a way that he won Paris, because that was one of his main ambitions, goals to try and win Paris," Borg, who shares with Federer the professional era record of winning five successive Wimbledon titles, told Reuters Television Tuesday.
"So coming into Wimbledon he feels very confident, he has equaled (Pete) Sampras's record of 14 grand slams.
"We all know how Roger is playing on the grass, he plays unbelievable tennis on the grass. I think he is going to have a big challenge from Andy Murray, if I have to pick up two guys for this year's Wimbledon I would pick Murray and Federer."
Federer's success in Paris made him only the sixth man to win all four majors. According to Borg, that put Federer on the summit when it came to deciding who was the best of all time.
"For me Roger is the greatest player ever who played the tennis game. It's always good to see him play and win and we are going to see so much more of Federer in the future, he is going to win more grand slam tournaments."
Former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova agreed.
"It's a combination of how many grand slams have you won, how many tournaments have you won, how many years you were number one and he's got all those combinations," she said.
"The body of work is phenomenal and now he has got that French Open and I think he can just go on and sip Margaritas for the rest of his life."
NOW STRUGGLING
Navratilova, however, said she was concerned about Nadal.
The Spaniard, four-times French Open champion, lost in the fourth round at Roland Garros and is now struggling to get fit for Wimbledon.
While the rest of the world might have been surprised by Nadal's Paris downfall, Navratilova was not. Continued...
Source: Reuters

Jankovic and Kuznetsova slump in Eastbourne

By Clare Fallon
EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) - Former world number one Jelena Jankovic bowed out of the Eastbourne International in the first round on Tuesday, blaming tired legs and a lack of motivation.
She was followed out by French Open champion and former Eastbourne winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, who lasted only 51 minutes in a 6-0 6-3 thrashing by Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak in the $600,000 Wimbledon warm-up event.
Kuznetsova, the second seed, said she had had insufficient time to adjust from the claycourt season.
"I can play on grass, I just need time," the Russian, who won here in 2004, told reporters. "I am not a robot (who can) change in a few days."
Serbian Jankovic, the third seed, was beaten 6-7 6-3 6-2 by Russian Anna Chakvetadze after an erratic performance on her least favorite surface and said bending low to reach the ball had sapped her energy.
"My legs let me down," said Jankovic, who has dropped to sixth in the world. "My quads were starting to hurt and I didn't have any energy left."
Chakvetadze, ranked 31, took a 5-1 lead in the first set but lost it on a tiebreak after a string of errors.
The Russian, who will next play Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, took the second set on a single break and raced 4-1 ahead in the third before Jankovic, who needed treatment on her right thigh after slipping in the seventh game, tried to fight back.
"I am missing a little bit of the motivation that I used to have before," Jankovic, 24, told reporters. "It is a constant battle against yourself."
SUNNY DAY
Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland saw off younger sister Urszula 6-1 6-1 to reach the second round on a warm, sunny day at the English seaside.
Fourth seed Vera Zvonareva was another early casualty, losing a see-saw match with former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-3 1-6 6-3.
On a good day for Canada, qualifier Frank Dancevic knocked top-seeded Russian Igor Andreev, the world number 26, out of the men's tournament, a new event here and lower-key than the women's competition.
Frenchman Julien Benneteau beat fifth seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 4-6 6-4 6-4 in the first round and his fourth-seeded compatriot Fabrice Santoro reached the third round with a 4-6 6-4 6-1 win over American Robby Ginepri.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)

Source: Reuters

Harrington banking on lift from Bethpage buzz

By Larry Fine
FARMINGDALE, New York (Reuters) - British Open and U.S. PGA champion Padraig Harrington, struggling to get results as he tinkers with his swing, said he hoped the buzz at Bethpage Black would lift him at this week's U.S. Open.
The Irishman, winner of two of the last three majors, missed the cut at The Memorial and in Memphis in the two weeks before the Open.
Harrington responded well to the boisterous Bethpage crowds at the 2002 Open, finishing tied for eighth after playing the final round with winner Tiger Woods.
"I thought they were fantastic. I really had a great time in 2002," he told reporters Tuesday.
"I generally have played very well in boisterous crowds. The more noise around the golf course, the better for me.
"It adds a buzz to the event where there's an ambient noise reverberating around the golf course, cheers and everything like that. It just makes it more exciting."
Harrington, 37, has been making little noise on tour this season as he works on his bunker play and ball-striking.
The Dubliner, who ended 2008 as world number three, has now slipped to 11th. London oddsmakers made him a 45-1 long shot to win the U.S. Open.
"In some ways I would say I'm obviously not playing my very best golf at the moment," he said.
Harrington said there might be a silver lining in missing the cut at last week's St. Jude Classic as he got to Bethpage early and put in two practice rounds.
Harrington said he was now playing just nine holes each day leading up to Thursday's first round, where he will be paired with defending champion Woods and U.S. Masters winner Angel Cabrera of Argentina.
"Definitely I'll be happier Thursday morning that I won't have overdone things," he said.
Harrington said his swing-tweaking could come together.
"I have to be patient and just do the right things over and over and let it come back itself," he said.
"There's no forcing it at this point in time."
(Editing by Ed Osmond)

Source: Reuters