Golf:There was mixed feelings from PGA Tour players gathered at Muirfield for this week's Memorial Tournament about the US Supreme Court's ruling yesterday to allow disabled golfer Casey Martin to ride a golf cart between shots at PGA events.
While personally happy for Martin, many said they were worried by the possible implications of the ruling.
Paul Azinger (41), winner of 12 PGA Tour events including the 1993 PGA Championship, 1992 Tour Championship and who has battled back from cancer to return to golf, said: "I don't think this is going to hurt the Tour in any way, although I haven't seen what the ruling is yet; I don't know the details."
Australian Stuart Appleby (30), who has won three times in six years on the tour, had reservation about the decision: "I would like to know how they ruled on their decision in favour of Casey. Did they specifically rule for him or does it leave the door open for a lot more issues to cover?
"Now there's the question, what is a disability? My concern is that they've opened a can of worms and how big is that can? "Where I'm disappointed is that the Supreme Court doesn't believe that walking is a part of golf. Walking is a part of golf. It flat out is a part of the game. I guess the court says otherwise. But walking is hard and it's a difficult part of golf."
Golf: Irish Close champion Graeme McDowell and UCD scholarship student Justin Kehoe have been selected on the Britain and Ireland team that will defend the Palmer Trophy - the collegiate equivalent of the Walker Cup - against the United States at Baltusrol next month, writes Philip Reid.
McDowell, who is currently assisting his college, the University of Alabama, in the NCAA finals in North Carolina, was part of the team that won the trophy for the first time at Hoylake last year. Considered a strong candidate for Walker Cup selection later this year, McDowell - winner of the Irish close and World Universities championship last season as well as finishing runner-up in the European strokeplay - will be a key part of Britain and Ireland's bid to retain the trophy when the match is played on June 27th-28th. Both McDowell and Kehoe are current Irish internationals.
Britain And Ireland: J Elson (Augusta State), P Rowe (Standford University), G McDOWELL (University of Alabama), D Inglis (Tulsa University), O Wilson (Augusta State), K Sullivan (University of Wales), S Wilson (University of Abertay), J KEHOE (UCD). Manager: C Brown; Coach: K Williams.
Athletics: Olympic 400 metres hurdles champion Irina Privalova, who underwent knee surgery last week, will not compete at this year's world championships in Edmonton, her coach said yesterday.
"It is absolutely clear now that Irina will have to miss the whole season, which means she will not compete in Canada," said Vladimir Parashchyuk. "It will be about 10 months, at the earliest, before she can resume serious training."
BADMINTON: Sweltering on-court temperatures have left Asia's badminton players revelling in the conditions at the world championships in Seville.
A lack of air-conditioning inside Seville's San Pablo Stadium and a ferociously hot weather spell across southern Spain means Asia's hopefuls are competing in sultry, subtropical conditions.
Wales' Richard Vaughan was threatening to pull off an upset in Monday's singles against India's All England champion Pullela Gopichand.
He led 16-14 in the first game only for Gopichand to fight back and win 17-16. In the second the Welshman's resistance melted and Gopichand romped home to win 15-3.
