GOLF/DIGEST: Ireland could not quite get their act together to challenge for a medal in the World Amateur team championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in South Africa yesterday. They finished in joint ninth place with a 72-hole aggregate of 564, some 10 strokes adrift of champions The Netherlands.
Holywood's Irish and European champion Rory McIlroy was the best of the trio returning a final day 67 - five under par. Neither of the other Irish players could beat or match par yesterday, Gareth Shaw taking 73 and Simon Ward 76.
Shaw said he was unable to hole any putts, the only one of any note all day at the 10th, while Ward was bitterly disappointed having started off with a birdie at the opening hole.
Captain Michael Burns said he was delighted the team moved up the leaderboard on Saturday with a nine-under par display but felt they did not capitalise yesterday.
Wales were the best placed home nation, finishing just out of the medals in fourth place, five strokes behind The Netherlands,
Scotland and England shared sixth place with Argentina.
WOMEN'S GOLF: The World number one Annika Sorenstam won the inaugural Dubai Women's Masters with a comprehensive six-shot victory on a thrilling final day at Emirates Golf Club yesterday.
Sorenstam won the €75,000 event on a total of 18-under-par 270 after rounds of 65, 68, 68 and 69 on the par-72 Majlis course.
The 36-year-old set the pace with a course record 65 in the first round and went wire to wire, finishing six ahead of fellow Swede Helen Alfredsson, the 2007 European Solheim Cup captain, who finished on 12-under-par after a 67.
Sorenstam entered the final day seven shots ahead of Karrie Webb, but the Australian had a final round 70.
The Women's European Tour's youngest and newest member Amy Yang, 17, who won the ANZ Masters in Australia in February as an amateur, had a final round 69 and finished in a share of fourth with the two-time French Open champion Veronica Zorzi of Italy, who shot 70. Yang, was playing in her first tournament as a professional.
Sweden's Louise Friberg was one stroke back after carding a 65.
BASKETBALL: Arnold "Red" Auerbach, the mastermind behind a dominant Boston Celtics franchise that captured a record eight straight NBA championships, died suddenly on Saturday near his home in Washington. He was 89.
A mercurial coach with a shrewd eye for talent, Auerbach was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969 and captured nine NBA titles overall, tying him on the all-time list with current Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
The Boston affiliate of CBS News reported he died of a heart attack, quoting an NBA official.
BOXING: The featherweight final in the All-Ireland Under-21 Championships was not contested between Dublin brothers James and Sonny Upton at the National Stadium on Saturday, writes Pat Roche.
A toss of a coin decided the title in James' favour. A third Upton brother, Paul, lifted the lightweight title defeating Gorey's John Murray 20-12.
Ulster, including a couple of walkovers, lifted six of the titles on offer. Ryan Lindberg of the Belfast Immaculata Club impressed in defeating Wexford's Derek Thorp, 25-13.
MOTOR SPORT: Ferrari want seven-times world champion Michael Schumacher to work as assistant to team boss Jean Todt although the German, who retired from the sport last week, said he will wait before deciding on his role.
"Michael will be a super assistant to Jean Todt," Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo told reporters yesterday.
However, Schumacher told a news conference, before his emotional farewell to Italian fans at the Monza racetrack, that he would take his time before making any decision about his future role.
MOTOR SPORT: Patrick Elliott and co-driver Paul Goodman won yesterday's final round of the Dunlop National Rally Championship, the West Cork Hotel Fastnet Rally run out of Skibbereen, writes Brian Foley.
They set a fast pace on the very slippery eight stages to finish over a minute to spare on Michael Barrable/Dermot O'Gorman, who fended off Aaron MacHale and Paul Nagle.
The rally determined the outcome of the Patterson's RallyNews Group N award in favour of Alan Ring, co-driven by Adrian Deasy.
