Wozniacki caddying for Rory, kids putting… it can only be The Masters' Par-3 Contest! (But don't go and win it… you'll be cursed)
Padraig Harrington, Jonathan , carries his son Ciaran down the first fairway last year
Can you guess what his name is Davis Love III putts watched by his son Davis Love IV in 1999
Open wide: Australian Aaron Baddeley with his daughter Jolee last year
Happy family: Louis Oosthuizen and his wife Nel-Mare and daughter Jana pose for a photo two years ago
Maria's in love again: Sharapova into quarter final after dropping just one game to Flipkens
By
Steven Donaldson
PUBLISHED:
06:46 GMT, 20 January 2013
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UPDATED:
06:53 GMT, 20 January 2013
Maria Sharapova took a little bit of time to warm up, but continued her progress through the Australian Open with a 6-1 6-0 victory over Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens.
Sharapova had been the most dominant player in the women's draw so far, recording successive 6-0 6-0 victories in the first two rounds before she dispatched seven times grand slam winner Venus Williams with contemptuous ease in the third round.
From Russia with love: Maria Sharapova celebrates after beating Belgium's Kirsten Flipkins
In top form: Sharapova won in straight sets
The second seed, however, took time to get into her match against the 27-year-old Flipkens and while she won the first set 6-1, it took 43 minutes which demonstrated how difficult she found the tenacious Belgian to put away.
Sharapova, however, cranked into gear in the second set to clinch it in 25 minutes and set up a quarter-final against fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova after the 19th-seed dispatched fifth seed Angelique Kerber 7-5 6-4.
Sharapova said: 'I'm certainly happy to be playing this well but it's the quarter-finals and it only gets tougher from here.'
Worry about your own team, Luka! AVB blasts Modric as former Spurs favourite urges Bale to join him at Real Madrid
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UPDATED:
11:55 GMT, 30 November 2012
Andre-Villas-Boas has told Luka Modric to mind his own business and to worry about his own team.
Modric has told former Tottenham team-mate Gareth Bale to leave the club and join him at Real Madrid.
But Villas-Boas responded by telling him to concentrate on Real Madrid, who have their worst points tally at this stage in the season since 2005.
Time's up: Bale has been urged to leave the north London club by Modric
He said: 'Modric has to worry about his own team. He has to worry about the next round of the Champions League when the draw comes. He has to worry about Madrid. I think he should focus on his club rather than ours.
'The club has to protect our assets regarding our objectives. We have to qualify for the Champions League, as Luka says. For that to happen we need the players who make a difference. We're not looking to sell we're looking first to obtain our objectives and that's the most important thing.'
The Spurs boss admitted earlier in the week that he faces a fight to keep hold of the Welsh winger.
But he does not expect him to be going anywhere in the January transfer window. The 35-year-old added: 'It's extremely difficult if not impossible [for the transfer to happen]. Modric is aware of Gareth's performances because of his love for Tottenham and his connections here. [But] it's completely impossible.'
Moving on: Modric joined Real Madrid in the summer
Bale continues to attract interest with his performances on the pitch and has netted 10 times in only 23 appearances in all competitions this season.
He scored the winner in Tottenham's 2-1 victory against Liverpool on Wednesday, his third goal in four matches.
But Villas-Boas has absolutely no intention of letting him go in January and sees him as crucial to Spurs' attempts to qualify for the Champions League.
He called the next three matches important in the club's pursuit of a top four place.
They face Fulham tomorrow at Craven Cottage and in the league away to Everton and at home to Swansea.
VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: The Tottenham midfielder as you've never seen him before… Sandro sings for Sportsmail
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UPDATED:
12:57 GMT, 29 November 2012
Sandro is 23. He's played 16 times for Brazil and is quickly becoming the fulcrum around which Andre Villas-Boas is building his resurgent Tottenham side. And away from the training ground, he fancies himself as a budding guitar hero.
In an exclusive commission, to promote a big interview in Saturday's Daily Mail, Sportsmail chief photographer Andy Hooper has captured Sandro demonstrating his rockstar credentials at his Chigwell home.
His love of British pop music shines through as he belts out numbers from Coldplay and the Black Eyed Peas at the recording studio he has had built in his Essex house.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW IN SATURDAY'S DAILY MAIL…
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I'm not quitting yet… Schumacher still motivated to succeed despite Mercedes snub
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UPDATED:
12:02 GMT, 2 October 2012
Michael Schumacher insists he is as ambitious as ever to succeed in Formula 1 despite facing the prospect of being without a drive next season.
It was announced last week that the 43-year-old legend will be replaced at Mercedes by Lewis Hamilton for 2013 after the Briton opted to end his 14-year association with McLaren.
Still in love: Michael Schumacher is committed to F1 despite having no drive next season
For Schumacher, six years after retiring first time around, the exit is looming again, although there are rumours he could yet replace Sergio Perez at Sauber after the Mexican's switch to McLaren, whilst an 'upstairs' role at Mercedes is also a possibility.
Despite all the uncertainty, Schumacher insists his immediate focus is on the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
He said: 'My motivation is completely intact after the news last week, especially because Suzuka is one of the season's highlights for me.
Replaced: Schuey has seen his seat go to British driver Lewis Hamilton for 2013
'I enjoy the circuit – it has sections that challenge you as a driver like almost nowhere else. Then there are the fans: they love motor racing and it is fun to feel their passion.
'Logically, it would also be nice to achieve a sporting highlight this weekend, although my chances are of course very limited because of my grid penalty. But I've always approached these things as a challenge.'
I'm going nowhere! Lampard ready to open talks about deal to end career at Chelsea
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UPDATED:
21:42 GMT, 25 July 2012
Frank Lampard has revealed he is ready to start negotiating a new
contract that will keep him a Chelsea player for the rest of his career.
The 34-year-old is in the final 12 months of his current Stamford
Bridge deal, sparking suggestions he could become the next Blues
stalwart to leave following Didier Drogba’s summer exit.
Lampard has been constantly linked with a move to America, with LA
Galaxy mooted as possible destination. But the England midfielder
said: ‘I’m ready to sit down and talk to Chelsea whenever they want to.
‘I’ve had a great time playing for Chelsea and I hope I can prolong
it. In an ideal world I’d finish here and keep giving what I have given
over the past ten years. Though, I wouldn’t want to fade away as a
player and be here without performing or producing. I want to always be
at a level I know I can play at and give a lot when I play.
No balls up: Frank Lampard has welcomed Chelsea's new transfer policy for younger players
‘I certainly feel I’ve got more than a year left in me. I feel I’ve
got a few more years in terms of top football. I’m fit enough and fresh
enough.
‘My legs are fine and with experience you can bring something else to
the team in terms of off the pitch, helping the young players coming
through.
‘I’d love to do that. Chelsea will always be my club regardless of
what happens now in terms of my playing days.’
But Lampard acknowledges
he may have to wait before the club come knocking with the offer of
fresh terms.
‘There’s not a timeline for the talks, I’m not that pushed at the moment. It’s not the same as when you’re 25. Then they come to you or you
knock the door down with a couple of years to go to extend it. When you
get into your 30s you accept it’s not that way any more. And it’s not a
problem.’
Still got the legs: Lampard says he has much to offer Chelsea
Meanwhile, Lampard has spoken of his anguish at missing England’s Euro 2012 campaign through injury. The midfielder was forced to miss the tournament after pulling a thigh in the build up.
‘It was a huge disappointment at the time. I was devastated, having
come off the back of our huge Champions League win,’ said the veteran.
‘I was bouncing when I joined up with the squad and really looking
forward to the Euros and playing a part, whatever that was going to be.
‘I got injured on the second day but looking back now it means I’ve
had a good old rest which is something I don’t normally get. But
personally it was frustrating watching the tournament and frustrating
seeing us get knocked out.
Missing out: Lampard was aggrieved not to be a part of Euro 2012
‘But maybe it was something in the bank for me in terms of resting my
legs through the summer. I’m very keen to continue playing for England.
I’m just not a person who wants to retire at an early age.
‘If I don’t play for England any more it’s either because they don’t
want me and they don’t pick me or the fact that I can’t give what I want
to give in an England shirt.
And I don’t feel that yet. The minute I do then I’ll go. There’s no
ego of trying to hang around for caps. I’ve got 90 so 100 is there.
New era: Marko Marin and Eden Hazard are two of the new crop joining Lampard at Chelsea
‘But I wouldn’t want to be there as a charity case and they’re
rolling me out just to get to a hundred. There’s a great group of
players who have won 100 caps and of course that’s something you strive
for when you get towards that figure.
‘But I’m very proud of what I’ve done with England. I’ve played 90
games and if I didn’t play another one I’d still be very proud.’
Donald, Westwood and the rest… English a major disappointment
|
UPDATED:
21:31 GMT, 22 July 2012
They hand the world No 1 ranking around like a game of pass the parcel and stampede the opposition in the Ryder Cup but when it comes to their own Open, England’s gilded generation still pull up short.
There was a familiar look about Sunday — Luke Donald ghosting late in the day up the leaderboard for a creditable finish, more angst for nearly man Lee Westwood and the others struggling to make an impact when they want it most.
Ian Poulter, who finished on level par after a closing 67, said he was at a loss to explain it all, but at least he came up with an inventive idea.
Not enough: Luke Donald improved but was still some way off a win
‘Every year, you guys say it’s going to happen and we don’t back you up,’ he said afterwards. ‘So, here’s a tip. Don’t write about us next year, tell everyone we’re c**p and maybe it will happen.’ He hinted more seriously at the pressure the home players feel, the kind that saw the previously in-form Justin Rose fail even to make the cut.
‘I’d love to win one and we’re all trying very hard to do it. It’s not a question of us flying under the radar because we’re obviously not doing something right. It’s going to happen sooner or later but I’ve no idea when — it’s frustrating for me, frustrating for the fans, frustrating for everybody.’
Frustrated: Lee Westwood could not make a mark
World No 1 Donald pronounced himself
pleased with everything bar his putting, finishing tied fifth, the same
position as in the 2009 Open and making a decent finish under relatively
little pressure. ‘Tee to green, I was good enough to win this week. It
could have been a really special round with a few more putts. I will
leave knowing my game is definitely good enough to win a major,’ he
said.
At 34, there is still plenty of time for the stars to align sufficiently for Donald to win one of the majors and become the first Englishman to do so since Sir Nick Faldo at the 1996 Masters. At least this was not the case of him having to recover from a desperately slow start.
For Westwood, the chances will not present themselves for ever, although this was not one of those in which he contended, only scraping into the weekend and ending on six over par after a final 72. He has only two more majors before reaching his 40th birthday. ‘Life begins at 40, so they tell me,’ he said. ‘I didn’t have much of a game coming in here; I didn’t expect too much.’
Missed the cut: A dejected Justin Rose
At the end of this year, he is moving to America to try to give himself that little bit of extra momentum before it is too late. ‘Playing over there with those practice facilities and the weather should have a big effect,’ he said, although that rather begs the question of why he has not done it sooner.
Rory McIlroy, their fellow member of the world’s top three, was never likely to add a British dimension to the winner’s circle after his round of 75 on Friday.
A major winner already, he does not intend to panic over what has been a disappointing period, at least on the professional front: ‘It’s a 20-year career, so I’m not going to get too wound up over just a few weeks,’ McIlroy said.
Oh boy, it's tough for Faye to give up at top of her game
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UPDATED:
23:32 GMT, 22 July 2012
Deciding when to walk away is difficult for any athlete. Sometimes it is just a question of age; for others it is finally accepting they are no longer the very best at what they do.
Some, such as Tottenham defender Ledley King, have their decision made for them: their bodies simply cannot take any more.
Former England football captain Faye White knows how that feels. She has broken her nose five times, had numerous injections just to get on the pitch and surgery on both her knees. She has spent weeks running in a field on her own, ‘crying because it hurts so much’, so she can do the thing she loves most: play football.
Over and out: Faye White had to retire from football after falling pregnant
White was prepared to do it again this year, too; prepared to work her way through hours of rehabilitation at Arsenal after a double knee operation to be in with a chance of playing for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
She knew her body might fail her, but she couldn’t stop herself trying. ‘I’m just too determined,’ she says. ‘I can’t not try.’
But then White, 34, found out she was pregnant. The decision was made for her.
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‘You have the excitement of being pregnant, but also the sadness of losing something that has become so important to you,’ she says.
‘You think you will have a family — and you want to — but for so many years I’ve put football first.
‘There was a part of me that thought it was great, but there was another part that thought, “Oh. This means I can’t do it any more”.
‘I knew straight away there would be no more England, no Great Britain. I’ve got quite a rational head but maybe my heart was pushing me on.
‘Perhaps this is meant to be.’
Missing out: White will not compete for Team GB at the Olympics
White announced her retirement from international football in April, having won 90 caps for England. She is delighted she is expecting a boy, but there is a grieving process to navigate, too. White has been a footballer for 15 years and, although she will still work at Arsenal and be a BBC pundit during the Games, this identity has suddenly gone.
She makes a joke out of the fact that people are ‘much more considerate now’, seeing her as a future mum ‘rather than just the England captain who always seems in control’.
But that sudden lack of control, and the changes that are happening to her body, have been incredibly difficult to handle.
‘It’s so hard,’ says White. ‘This is all I’ve done for the last 15 years. I know people will probably think, “Oh, it’s women’s football. In the past you used to do your job and football was a hobby”.
‘But I think I’m one of the first generation who feel like we have been professionals.
‘It’s my life — off the field as well. It’s hard switching it off.’
What they said
‘I quite enjoyed sport and now I’m Olympic champion. Weird, isn’t it’
Even after an hour-long BBC documentary, Victoria Pendleton: Cycling’ s Golden Girl, I couldn’t decide why Pendleton gets on her bike and pedals so ferociously. Do you need a reason or is it just the sheer thrill of winning, of knowing you are the best
Going for gold: Victoria Pendleton will be racing in the London velodrome
Pendleton felt numb when she won Olympic
gold in 2008: perhaps it’s the fear of not winning that is the real
drug. Or perhaps even she doesn’t really know.
… And this is what I've been doing this week
Cycling part of the Olympic road race route — including the gruelling Box Hill climb (albeit only once and not nine times as Cavendish and Co will do). Thank you to my Sportsmail colleagues for not abandoning me when I got a puncture.
Now I understand why this is definitely a team sport . . .
Waving my dictaphone in the air to try to record what charming 6ft 8in New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was saying to me before Team GB took on the USA in Manchester. Fortunately journalists will have platforms to stand on for interviews after basketball matches in London . . .
Manx Missile: Mark Cavendish is favourite for Olympic road race gold
Feeling like a kid at Christmas as I picked up my Olympic accreditation last Monday.
Barcelona ’92 was my ‘first’ Games.
I watched hours of coverage because I had fallen out of a tree and broken my leg (yes, I was a bit of a tomboy).
Now I’ll actually be there.
Diplomacy of the week
Japan’s star female footballer Homare Sawa shows extreme diplomacy after the Japanese FA put their women’s team — the world champions — in premium economy for their flight to Europe. The men’s squad were in business class.
‘I guess it should have been the other way around,’ said Sawa, 33. ‘Even just in terms of age, we are senior.’
Hughton wants Snodgrass to sing like a Canary after lodging 5m bid
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UPDATED:
21:50 GMT, 17 July 2012
Leeds have have rejected Norwich's latest offer for captain Robert Snodgrass.
Chris Hughton has long been an admirer of the one-time Barcelona target, and tabled a 5million bid.
The 24-year-old is desperate for a shot at the Premier League and earlier this summer hit out at United's chairman Ken Bates.
Going up: Robert Snodgrass wants to play in the Premier League, and Norwich are keen
The former Livingston player was offered improved terms to remain at the Yorkshire club, but was not willing to sign.
He said: 'I'd love to get into the Premier League with Leeds. I'm captain now which is a different challenge. The chairman is trying to put a bit of pressure on me and he's telling me what plans he has for the club.
'But they told me the same type of plans the season before and it didn’t work out so it's hard to buy into these things again.'
Kobe's Potty about Harry! US basketball star reveals love for all things Rowling
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UPDATED:
23:52 GMT, 17 July 2012
US basketball superstar Kobe Bryant has revealed he has just one priority in London – to meet Harry Potter author JK Rowling.
The LA Lakers shooting guard is in England to defend his gold medal and said: 'I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and a huge JK Rowling fan.
'I'm a fan of everything she does and I've read all the books.'
Potty! Kobe has revealed his love for Rowling's books on the young wizard