Karl Burke took the wraps off another exciting two-year-old at Nottingham when Beautiful Diamond scorched the turf in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
A £360,000 breeze-up purchase, the daughter of Twilight Son was easy to back all morning before late money saw her go off the 100-30 second favourite.
Having broke smartly from the stalls under Clifford Lee, she was travelling smoothly throughout behind Rainyniteingeorgia.
When Lee decided it was time to make a move, the response was immediate and she shot clear to win by three and a half lengths.
Burke is well stocked in the juvenile division this season and saddled the first two home in the Listed Marygate Stakes at York over five furlongs in Got To Love A Grey and Dorothy Lawrence, leaving some decisions to be made around his Queen Mary Stakes contenders.
“I was delighted with that, she’s obviously a very smart filly with a high cruising speed,” said Burke.
“Clifford gave her a good ride and she’s had a very easy introduction there, it couldn’t have gone much better.
“I didn’t feel any extra pressure because of the price tag because I didn’t actually buy her! Richard Brown, who buys a lot for Sheikh Rashid (owner) bought her, so I’d say he was feeling the pressure more than me but he was delighted, and relieved as well I think.
“Got To Love A Grey will definitely go to Ascot. I was pretty sure she was going Queen Mary, but I’ll have her chat with the Middleham Park guys (owners) as Beautiful Diamond looked a little bit special there and Got To Love A Grey would stay six furlongs.
“They are two very good fillies and I wouldn’t like to split them at this stage and Elite Status is in great form too since winning the National Stakes, he’ll be going to Ascot as well.”
Betfair and Paddy Power introduced the winner at 6-1 for the Queen Mary.
Carlos Alcaraz is relishing the chance to take on Novak Djokovic for a place in the French Open final, according to his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The hotly-anticipated clash will take place at Roland Garros on Friday after both moved through to the last four without dropping a set.
It is a fascinating battle of the generations, with 36-year-old Djokovic chasing a record-breaking 23rd grand slam title and Alcaraz, 16 years his junior, a second.
Ferrero knows what it takes to win on the Parisian clay having lifted the title in 2003 and he feels his man is ready to topple Djokovic.
“I think both players are maybe the best in the world right now,” said the Spaniard.
“Novak has the experience to play these kind of matches more than Carlos, of course, but, at the same time, Carlos really wants to play that match. He was really looking forward to that match since the beginning.
“Of course, he had to play match by match and we were very patient about it. But I think he is ready.
“He practised for these kind of matches. He practises for these kind of moments to be there and try to make history step by step.
“He wants to do it but of course we really know that Novak is going to give absolutely his best. I think he is going to fight until the last ball and he is going to prepare for the match as well as we can do.
“So we expect a really tough and close match. Carlos believes a lot in himself and he believes that he can beat Novak.”
That belief has been evident since the moment Alcaraz burst onto the global stage.
He swatted aside Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals on Tuesday evening with a display of all-court brilliance.
He can take confidence, meanwhile, from having beaten Djokovic in their only previous match, on clay in Madrid last spring, when he also defeated Rafael Nadal.
“He dreams very big about what he can do, so I think it’s one of the most important things that he believes in himself and that he believes that he can go to the court and win against everybody,” said Ferrero.
The pair have worked together since September 2018 and it has proved the dream partnership so far, with Ferrero helping the 20-year-old to hone his incredible natural talents.
“I’m impressed obviously about his level, but I’m with him now almost five years, so I know the level he’s able to play,” said the former world number one.
“So in that way, I’m not impressed at all because I know that he can play like this. The most impressive thing for me is that he is showing his best level against the best. That’s the most important thing.”
Rory McIlroy admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” and still “hated” LIV Golf as he responded to the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.
McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but were both kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced on Tuesday.
Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.
McIlroy, whose previously close friendship with Sergio Garcia broke down after the Spaniard joined LIV, said: “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.
“Removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf, there’s no denying it.”
McIlroy, who said he was never offered any money to join LIV, was asked if those who did turn down massive offers should be compensated.
The world number three said: “The simple answer is yes. The complex answer is how does that happen?
“That’s all up in the air at the minute. For me as an individual, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.”
McIlroy attempted to distinguish between LIV Golf and the PIF, admitting: “It’s not LIV. I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away and I would fully expect that it does.
“That’s where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF, very different from LIV.”
Sheila Lavery feels both “privileged and proud” to have trained New Energy as he prepares relocate to Australia for new connections.
The New Bay colt caught the eye when finishing second in last season’s Irish 2,000 Guineas at odds of 40-1.
He then flew the flag for the stable in a string of Group events across Ireland, England and France, coming home three lengths behind Coroebus in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and finishing second when beaten just a length in Doncaster’s Park Stakes.
This year the chestnut finished fourth in the Amethyst Stakes at Leopardstown and was most recently seen placing third behind Cosmic Vega in the Listed Owenstown Stud Stakes at Naas in late May.
Australian Bloodstock have followed New Energy’s movements for over a year and have now purchased the colt to be trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
The latter’s brother Harry, who trains in Newmarket, will house the horse until he sets sail for his new home and prepares for his ultimate target in the Cox Plate.
Lavery and her brother John, who owns the horse, have been fielding offers for some time now and eventually agreed to part with their stable star and let him shine in another racing jurisdiction.
“They’ve been trying to buy him for over a year and in the end it just made economical sense for the owner to sell him,” the trainer said.
“They’ve some very deep pockets and I was at a bit of a crossroads with him. It makes economical sense for the owner for him to go to Australia, so I’m delighted for John but heartbroken to see him go.
“I’m gutted. I didn’t think I’d be as upset as I am, but it’s the right thing and it’s the right business decision. I’ve been very privileged and proud to train him.”
Lavery expects New Energy to benefit from the style of racing out in Australia and is looking forward to seeing the horse campaigned at the top level in new colours in the future.
She said: “He’s a gorgeous, sound horse that needs pace to run at and I think the style of racing in Australia will really suit him, so I’ll really look forward to seeing him win his Group Ones there.
“We’ll have to move on to the next one, but I think he’s going to win a lot of money and a lot of races out there – more than he probably would have won in Europe.
“His best runs were in straightforward races where there was a lot of pace – the (Irish) Guineas and the Group Two in Doncaster – he just loved it and he thrives on that kind of racing.
“In fairness they have been trying to buy him from the get-go, since he won as a two-year-old almost.
“They’ve really had their eye on him and they’ve been watching his career very closely.”
John Ryan is eager to take on the overseas contenders in the King’s Stand Stakes with Manaccan – and hopes to have Frankie Dettori in the saddle at Royal Ascot.
The four-year-old ended last season in rude health, winning Listed races at Doncaster and Ascot, plus a Group Three at Dundalk.
He began this season conceding weight in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket under Dettori and having been drawn on the wrong side of a rain-softened track, ran admirably to be beaten just a length and a half by Vadream.
“I was delighted with him this morning and should all go well between now and then, the King’s Stand is where we are going and hopefully Frankie is going to ride him,” said Ryan.
“We were umming and ahhing over whether we should go to Newmarket or Haydock first time out and I wanted one run before the King’s Stand.
“We went for Newmarket, despite him having to carry a penalty, because Haydock’s Temple Stakes is usually run on soft ground but it wasn’t this year.
“Obviously, with the penalty, the way the ground went and being drawn on the wrong side, he ended up running a big race but crucially it also gave him more time to get over the run than Haydock would have done.”
The King’s Stand went the way of Australia last year with Nature Strip and this year his compatriot Coolangatta is towards the head of the betting, but Ryan is unperturbed.
“We’re in the situation where we’ve got a lot more in our favour than most,” he said.
“He’s already proved he likes Ascot having won there before, we know he wants fast ground and it’s looking like it should be that and while he might not have won at this level yet, he’s won a Listed and a Group Three as well as at the Shergar Cup and those races can be very competitive.
“He’s tough and he’s sharpened his teeth now, he’s certainly earned his place in the race. He’s tough and deserves to take them on.
“Whether the opposition comes from Australia or Kathmandu, it doesn’t bother me, he always gives his best and given some fortune with the draw, I’m sure he’ll run a good race.”
Iga Swiatek maintained her unbeaten record against Coco Gauff in their French Open rematch to move through to the semi-finals.
The pair had met in the final 12 months ago, with Gauff winning just four games, and the American had not won a set in their six previous clashes.
The statistic remains, although Gauff at least pushed the world number one in a 6-4 6-2 defeat, and will feel she might have done better.
The 19-year-old was unable to take the few chances she had to gain the ascendancy, particularly in the second set, and Swiatek made her pay.
The top seed has lost only 15 games in five matches, and she said: “I haven’t spent much time on court so I’m happy that today was a tighter match.”
Gauff came out with different tactics to last year’s final, testing Swiatek with high, slower balls to her backhand and trying not to allow the top seed to get into a rhythm.
It worked well to a point, with Gauff quickly retrieving an early break, but Swiatek stepped up her level to clinch the set with a brilliant returning game.
Gauff’s big opportunity came in the third game of the second set when she created three break points – the third after drilling a point-blank backhand at Swiatek at the net, sending the Pole tumbling to the clay as she tried to avoid it.
Gauff swiftly apologised, but it was Swiatek who had the last laugh as the American fired shots long on each of her opportunities.
And that would prove to be the last opening, with the two-time champion winning four games in a row to book her spot in the last four once again.
There Swiatek will face Beatriz Haddad Maia, who came from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur and become the first Brazilian woman to reach the French Open semi-finals in the open era.
After battling for nearly four hours to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, the 14th seed again found herself with work to do after losing the opening set to seventh seed Jabeur.
A very tight second went to a tie-break, which Haddad Maia took, and the Brazilian ran away with the decider to win 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-1.
Haddad Maia, 27, looked utterly stunned at the moment of victory, having never previously gone beyond the fourth round at a slam.
Her results away from the majors have been very impressive, though, and she will hope to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian grand slam champions Gustavo Kuerten and Maria Bueno.
Rory McIlroy admitted he was “surprised” and had “mixed emotions” after learning of the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.
McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but were both kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced on Tuesday.
Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.
“It was a surprise, I knew there had been discussions going on in the background but I didn’t expect it to happen as quickly as it did,” McIlroy said in a press conference ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.
The Northern Irishman added: “I gather the (PGA) Tour felt they were in a real position of strength coming off the DP World Tour winning their legal case in London; it weakened the other side’s position.
“I think ultimately, when I try to remove myself from the situation and try to look at the bigger picture and I look 10 years down the line, I think ultimately it’s going to be good for the game of professional golf.
“It unifies it and secures its financial future. There’s mixed emotions in there as well.
“I don’t understand all the intricacies of what’s going on. There is a lot of ambiguity, a lot to still be thrashed out but at least it means the litigation goes away, which has been a massive burden for everyone and we can start to work toward some kind of way of unifying the game at the elite level.”
Pam Sly will consider an ambitious tilt at the Falmouth Stakes with Astral Beau after her stable star went down fighting at Epsom last week.
The four-year-old was rated in the mid-70s at this stage of last season, but has taken her game to another level this term, putting together three excellent runs.
After blowing her rivals away when landing a heavy ground Doncaster Mile on her April reappearance, Astral Beau proved that performance was no fluke when third in the Group Two Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket on Guineas weekend.
She encountered much quicker conditions in the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday, but again performed with great credit to finish third, beaten just three-quarters of a length by the Frankie Dettori-ridden Prosperous Voyage.
Sly has not yet made any firm plans, but raised a step up to Group One level in Newmarket’s Falmouth Stakes on July 14 as a possibility.
“For us, she’s a diamond,” said Sly.
“We were well pleased with the run because the ground was pretty quick for her and I couldn’t understand it when the handicapper dropped her 2lb on Tuesday.
“There’s nothing for her really this month, so we’ve either got a Listed race at Pontefract (Pipalong Stakes, July 11) or we could be absolutely extreme and go for the Falmouth. That would be extreme, but there might be hellish thunderstorms or something at that time of the year, so we’ll see.
“We’re very pleased with her, she’ll have a couple of weeks out in the paddock now and we’ve got one or two Group races between now and September we might be able to have a go at. If we can keep picking up a bit of black type, it will be good.”
London Irish have filed for administration following their suspension from all club competitions.
The Rugby Football Union on Tuesday confirmed that neither Irish’s owner Mick Crossan nor the American consortium planning to buy the club were able to prove they had the finances to compete in the Gallagher Premiership for the 2023-24 campaign.
And Crossan has revealed that entering administration was the only choice left after the suspension ended any chance of the prospective takeover going through.
Crossan said: “This decision has ultimately ended any hope of an acquisition of the club and has regrettably forced us to file for administration this morning (Wednesday).
“Administration has always been the last resort and something we hoped we could avoid. And we bitterly regret the difficulties it will present to each and every one of you.
“My focus is now on working with the appointed administrator and I hope that the club will come out of administration as quickly as possible.
“As a lifelong fan of London Irish, the club’s suspension is bitterly disappointing and I understand the sadness felt by the thousands of our loyal supporters and the frustrations of our incredible coaches, medical staff, back-office team, and players.”
Beatriz Haddad Maia came from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur and become the first Brazilian woman to reach the French Open semi-finals in the open era.
After battling for nearly four hours to beat Sara Sorribes Tormo in the fourth round, the 14th seed again found herself with work to do after losing the opening set to seventh seed Jabeur.
A very tight second went to a tie-break, which Haddad Maia took, and the Brazilian ran away with the decider to win 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-1.
Haddad Maia, 27, looked utterly stunned at the moment of victory, having never previously gone beyond the fourth round at a slam.
Her results away from the majors have been very impressive, though, and she will hope to follow in the footsteps of Brazilian grand slam champions Gustavo Kuerten and Maria Bueno.
Disappointing Derby favourite Arrest could bid for redemption in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at the Curragh next month.
With his partner Frankie Dettori having claimed the Oaks aboard stablemate Soul Sister the previous afternoon, John and Thady Gosden’s colt was the 4-1 market leader to provide the popular Italian with a dream victory in his final ride in the premier Classic.
But pre-race fears regarding the quickening ground and the idiosyncratic nature of the Epsom track proved well founded as after racing keenly on the front end, the Juddmonte-owned Arrest weakened out of contention and passed the post 10th of the 14 runners.
Connections of the impressive Chester Vase winner are keen to let the dust settle before committing to future plans, but Juddmonte’s racing manager Barry Mahon has confirmed another bid for Classic glory on July 2 is a possibility.
“I met John and Thady in France on Sunday and they said he was fine and I was talking to them last night and they said he came out of it in good shape,” he said.
“We’ll see how he does in the next couple of weeks and give the Curragh some consideration. I think the track would suit him, as I think John said pre-Epsom, that the Curragh would suit him better being a more conventional track.
“We saw early on the other day he had a leg going in every direction and he was very unbalanced, so on a track like that he probably wants a bit of ease in the ground.
“I think on a more conventional track he’ll be fine on faster ground, but we won’t make any plans until we see how he is.”
The Ralph Beckett-trained Bluestocking looked an obvious Oaks candidate for Juddmonte after winning on her Salisbury debut and being narrowly beaten on her reappearance in Listed company at Newbury.
But the team ultimately decided against a trip to Epsom and she will now either head for Royal Ascot or across the Channel for the French Oaks.
Mahon added: “She worked well on Tuesday morning and has the option of the Ribblesdale and she also has the option of the Prix de Diane as well.
“She’s a filly who probably won’t want rattling fast ground, so that will probably sway us as to where we end up going. If the forecast was mostly dry and Ascot was looking very quick, then we could consider going to France as I know there is rain forecast for there early next week.”
On the decision to sidestep Epsom, Mahon added: “It was purely down to a lack of experience. You need a bit of experience to handle a track like that.
“It would have been her third run and if you’re very street-wise and it’s your third run it’s fine, but we saw at Newbury she was quite green and looked inexperienced and cold.
“To be green on a conventional track like that I think didn’t bode well for Epsom, so we all felt we’d give her a bit more time and run her on a more conventional track.”
Sixteen-year old junior golfers Ryan Lue and Mattea Issa produced dominant performances to win the male and female sections of the Jamaica Golf Association's National Senior Trials at the Half Moon Golf Course in St. Jameson on the weekend.
Lue topped the leaderboard each day with scores of 70, 72 and 68, respectively, for a combined score of 210 to win by eight strokes.
"I had a pretty good weekend. It was really fun out there. Played well. Game really connected. Feel really happy about my outcome,” said Lue who had a dream start to his final round on Sunday with an eagle before following up with birdies on holes number two, six and eight for five under par 31 on the front nine.
“It was tough for the three days but I felt calm on the course and it paid off. It showed off in my scores and I am happy to be back competing in Jamaica again and it was really fun and I am happy to come out on top."
Recently crowned national champion, William Knibbs, was the runner up with score of 76, 72 and 70 while Zandre Roye (73, 75, 73) finished third. Rocco Lopez 226 (77, 76, 73) took fourth place. Owen Samuda (85, 71, 78) and Aman Dhiman (81, 75, 78) tied for fifth place.
Issa shot an 82 on Sunday to win her first senior event. Jodi Munn-Barrow shot an 81 on Sunday but it was not enough to overcome Issa, who shot 80 on Saturday to Munn-Barrow’s 84. Their final day score was a repeat of the first day score, with Issa scoring 82 to Munn-Barrow's 81 for a combined total of 244 and 246, respectively.
“I am happy to come away with the win this weekend. The conditions were not ideal. It was raining for the majority of the first two days. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a practice round in as it was raining" said Issa.
"It was fun getting to play with aunty Jodi Munn-Barrow, the president of the Jamaica Golf Association as I am always learning from her.
“I am so proud of all the other juniors who participated in the senior national trials and did so well. Overall, it was a fun tournament and I am very excited to represent Jamaica for the junior team in Cayman and hopefully for the senior team in Tobago."
The other female in the field was Anoushka Khatri who posted a score of 283 (93, 96, 94) for third place.
Rory McIlroy was reportedly involved in an angry exchange at a meeting of PGA Tour players as commissioner Jay Monahan attempted to justify the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.
McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but were both kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced on Tuesday.
Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf.
The announcement came after 12 months of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of LIV, which held its first event from June 9-11 in 2022 in Hertfordshire.
Monahan faced calls to resign at a 75-minute players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”, with his previous comments that anyone who took LIV money would never play on the PGA Tour again cited and greeted with applause, according to former player Johnson Wagner.
Golf Channel reported that Wagner had access to an audio feed of the meeting and that McIlroy told world number 227 Grayson Murray to “just play better” as Murray criticised Monahan.
Murray responded by telling McIlroy to “f*** off”, although another player, Wesley Bryan, later confirmed the exchange on social media before adding: “They were cordial and pleasant post meeting.
“We chatted as a group of players and we were laughing about the comment. No beef or hard feelings either way.”
Monahan accepted that he will be labelled a “hypocrite” but insisted the players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour had made the right decision.
“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model,” Monahan said.
“We have significantly invested in our business in 2023, we’re going to do so in ’24. (But) we’ve had to invest back in our business through our reserves. Between our reserves, the legal fees, our underpin and our commitment to the DP World Tour and their legal fees, it’s been significant.
“But this puts us in a position where we’ve got capital that we can deploy to the benefit of our members and through our tournaments, and it gives us capital to deploy in growth businesses that ultimately will generate a return that we’ll reinvest in our players.”
Asked if the likes of Woods and McIlroy would be compensated for turning down lucrative offers from LIV, or whether those who took massive pay-outs to join the breakaway would have to pay that money back, Monahan said: “I think those are all the serious conversations that we’re going to have.
“Ultimately everything needs to be considered. Ultimately what you’re talking about is an equalisation over time and I think that’s a fair and reasonable concept.”
Courage Mon Ami has been given the go-ahead to contest the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in spite of his owner Anthony Oppenheimer’s concerns regarding his stamina for the testing trip.
As a late blooming three-year-old last year, he did not hit the track until mid-September, yet patience paid off as he won a pair of 12-furlong all-weather novice races at Kempton and Newcastle in great style for John and Thady Gosden.
Gelded over the winter, the son of Frankel stepped up to a mile and three-quarters for his handicap debut upon his return to action at Goodwood last month and justified favouritism with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory over Aggagio.
Following his impressive victory to remain unbeaten at the South Downs track, the lightly-raced four-year-old was cut to as short as 10-1 for the Gold Cup on June 22.
Oppenheimer is open-minded about whether Courage Mon Ami will stay the two and a half miles on what will be his first try in Group One company.
He said: “He’s a nice staying horse. I’m not sure he will stay that distance, but we are confident he will stay two miles, we’re just not sure about another four furlongs.”
He went on: “There are definitely possibilities he will stay, but without running we won’t see.
“He is a big, strong horse – a huge horse. We couldn’t really run him much last year because he was so big. With the firm ground, we had to wait and wait. It was a very nice, pleasant surprise when he did run. He strengthened up extremely well.”
With little rain in the forecast over the next week or so, it is a distinct possibility the ground will be on the fast side at Ascot.
“I don’t think the ground will be a problem,” added the owner. “He won the other day on good to firm. He is by Frankel and I don’t think there’s an issue there.
“But if it was heavy or a bit too soft, I’d not be too sure. Good to firm will be no problem at all.”
Jodie Burrage has the British number one ranking and a top-100 place in her sights as she looks to write a positive narrative this grass-court season.
Bone stress in her arm forced the 24-year-old to miss her chance to qualify last month for the French Open, where no British women were in the main draw for the first time since 2008.
It was particularly frustrating for Burrage because she had just reached her career-high ranking of 106 after winning a second-tier tournament in France and was only a win or two away from overtaking Emma Raducanu to become the country’s leading woman.
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“Obviously missing the French was a really tough call for me,” Burrage told the PA news agency. “I’m not good with missing tournaments anyway but it was kind of a conversation of, ‘you either play French and then miss grass or you miss the French and then play grass’.
“There’s quite a few things that I missed out on and could-have-beens but that’s just what tennis is, ups and downs. Hopefully I’ll get there at some point, and I believe that I can get there, I’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.”
Burrage and the rest of the leading British women are beginning their grass-court campaigns this week at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy, and there is a good chance that by the end of the week one of them will have passed Raducanu.
Burrage and Katie Boulter are best placed but Harriet Dart and Katie Swan are also in contention, with the quartet all looking to push on into the top 100.
Burrage is optimistic the domestic picture will look healthier come the end of Wimbledon, saying of the French Open wipe-out: “It is a bit of a timing thing. There are obviously quite a few of us that are 110-140 so I’m sure in the grass-court season some of those girls are going to push through.
“It is obviously disappointing from a British outlook but I can’t really focus on the whole of British tennis. I’m at my career-high ranking and have had some really good wins and a really good season.”
Burrage admits she follows the ranking permutations – “I just want to know where I could be if I get wins, it motivates me” – but she is thinking wider than simply British number one.
“It’s definitely a big goal to be British number one,” she said. “Obviously rankings and stuff is done throughout the world so I guess I kind of focus more on your actual ranking.
“I would love to be able to say I got to British number one but, one, I’m not there yet, two, it could not happen, so overall I’m just looking at boosting my ranking up to get me in grand slam main draws and that’s my real focus.”
Another major target is to force her way into Britain’s Billie Jean King Cup team for their play-off against Sweden in November.
Burrage was upset to miss out on selection for last year’s finals and then the qualifier against France in April, when she was the highest-ranked player available.
“It’s something that I would really love to do, to play a match for Great Britain,” she said. “I was disappointed not to be in the team but I can’t really do much about that now. My job now is to make sure I’m in the squad for next time. Hopefully I can do it because it’s one of my biggest goals.”
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Burrage talked things through with captain Anne Keothavong, and added: “If I take care of things week in, week out then I kind of take the question out of her hands a little bit so that’s what I’m trying to do.
“I spoke to Anne at length about it all. She’s got good comms. Hopefully for next time I can make it an easier decision for her.”
Burrage used the opportunities given to her on grass last year to push up the rankings, reaching the semi-finals in Surbiton and the final in Ilkley before beating then world number four Paula Badosa in Eastbourne.
She suffered a second first-round loss at Wimbledon, though, and bettering that is the first aim.
“I’m just looking forward to playing,” she said. “I’m still yet to win a match there so that’s my first goal, but I can’t wait. The ultimate goal is Wimbledon but we’ve still got five weeks before that so there’s a lot of work to be done first.”
Rory McIlroy was set to address the media on Wednesday for the first time since the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.
McIlroy and Tiger Woods had established themselves as the biggest supporters of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, but both were kept in the dark about the stunning deal announced on Tuesday.
Fellow players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
The announcement came after 12 months of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of LIV, which held its first event from June 9-11 in 2022 in Hertfordshire.
Defending champion McIlroy was scheduled to give a press conference ahead of the RBC Canadian Open following the pre-tournament pro-am on Wednesday.
Former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, one of the most high-profile recruits to LIV Golf, described the agreement as “the best thing that could ever happen for the game of golf.”
He told CNN: “The fans are going to get what they want. I want the fans, the players and the game of golf to win. In the end, the game of golf wins in this scenario.
“We are better together and not apart.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan accepted he will be labelled a hypocrite and admitted players who turned down millions to join LIV Golf could be compensated.
Players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news after 12 months of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of LIV, which held its first event from June 9-11 in 2022 in Hertfordshire.
Monahan faced calls to resign at a players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”, with his previous comments that anyone who took LIV money would never play on the PGA Tour again cited and greeted with applause, according to Tour Advisory Council member Johnson Wagner.
“I recognise that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” Monahan said.
“Any time I’ve said anything I’ve said it with the information I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that’s trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players.
“I accept those criticisms but circumstances do change and I think looking at the big picture got us to this point.
“It probably didn’t seem this way to them but as I looked to those players that have been loyal to the PGA Tour, I’m confident they made the right decision.
“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model. We have significantly invested in our business in 2023, we’re going to do so in ’24.”
Asked if the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy would be compensated for turning down lucrative offers to remain with the PGA Tour, or whether those who took pay-outs to join LIV Golf would have to pay that money back, Monahan said: “I think those are all the serious conversations that we’re going to have.
“Ultimately everything needs to be considered. Ultimately what you’re talking about is an equalisation over time and I think that’s a fair and reasonable concept.”
The manager of one high-profile DP World Tour member told the PA news agency that players were aggrieved at the lack of communication and “extremely shocked” by the decision given the long suspensions and heavy fines handed out to rebel players.
The New York Yankees will be without slugger Aaron Judge for at least the next 10 days, with the superstar going back on the injured list with a contusion and sprained ligament in his right big toe.
An MRI on Tuesday showed Judge has no break or fracture in his toe, but a sprain will keep him sidelined until at least mid-June.
The 2022 AL MVP sustained the injury while making a highlight-reel catch against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday. He knocked open the door of the visiting bullpen while making the catch and slammed his toe against the concrete at the bottom of the wall.
This is the second time this season that Judge will spend time on the injured list after a right hip strain forced him to miss two weeks in late April/early May.
Judge is putting together another stellar season, batting .291 with an AL-best 19 home runs and 40 RBIs in 49 games.
Leaders of the PGA Tour should be “ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed” in agreeing a deal with Saudi-backed LIV Golf, according to a group representing relatives of victims of 9/11.
After a turbulent year in the sport since the creation of the LIV Golf Tour, backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, a surprise deal was announced on Tuesday to work with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour (the European tour) on commercial matters.
But with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) backing the new, joint venture, 9/11 Families United said it is “shocked and deeply offended” by the move which it says is “bankrolled by billions of sportswashing money”.
A statement from the group said: “Saudi operatives played a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now it is bankrolling all of professional golf.”
The group’s chair Terry Strada, whose husband Tom died in the World Trade Centre’s North Tower, said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had “co-opted the 9/11 community” when the split between the tours happened.
She said: “Mr Monahan talked last summer about knowing people who lost loved ones on 9/11, then wondered aloud on national television whether LIV golfers ever had to apologise for being a member of the PGA Tour.
“They do now – as does he. PGA Tour leaders should be ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed.
“Our entire community has been betrayed by Commissioner Monahan and the PGA as it appears their concern for our loved ones was merely window dressing in their quest for money – it was never to honour the great game of golf.”
Mr Monahan said he realised people would call him a “hypocrite” after the announcement and that he “expected a lot of questions and criticisms”.
Mrs Strada’s comments follow criticism by Amnesty International which said the merger – which will see PIF governor Yasir Al Rumayyan chair the new board of governors and allow the fund exclusive rights to further investment and first refusal on any other capital – was drawing attention away from the country’s human rights record.
Amnesty International UK’s head of priority campaigns and individuals at risk Felix Jakens said: “While this may have taken some golf fans and commentators by surprise, it’s really just more evidence of the onward march of Saudi sportswashing.”
“It’s been clear for some time that Saudi Arabia was prepared to use vast amounts of money to muscle its way into top-tier golf – just part of a wider effort to become a major sporting power and to try to distract attention from the country’s atrocious human rights record.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan accepted that he will be labelled a hypocrite and admitted players who turned down millions to join LIV Golf could be compensated following the shock declaration of peace in golf’s civil war.
Players reacted with surprise and a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.
The stunning announcement came after 12 months of unprecedented disruption in the men’s professional game following the launch of LIV, which held its first event from June 9-11 in 2022 in Hertfordshire.
Monahan faced calls to resign at a players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”, with his previous comments that anyone who took LIV money would never play on the PGA Tour again cited and greeted with applause, according to Tour Advisory Council member Johnson Wagner.
“I recognise that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” Monahan said.
“Any time I’ve said anything I’ve said it with the information I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that’s trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players.
“I accept those criticisms but circumstances do change and I think looking at the big picture got us to this point.
“It probably didn’t seem this way to them but as I looked to those players that have been loyal to the PGA Tour, I’m confident they made the right decision.
“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model. We have significantly invested in our business in 2023, we’re going to do so in ’24.”
Asked if the likes of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy would be compensated for turning down lucrative offers to remain with the PGA Tour, or whether those who took payouts to join LIV Golf would have to pay that money back, Monahan said: “I think those are all the serious conversations that we’re going to have.
“Ultimately everything needs to be considered. Ultimately what you’re talking about is an equalisation over time and I think that’s a fair and reasonable concept.”
Monahan said he could not envisage a scenario where LIV events would run concurrently with PGA Tour events from next season and said the deal enabled his organisation to take a competitor “off the board… and for us to be able to control the direction going forward”.
DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley had earlier described the deal as a “great victory for global golf”.
However, the manager of one high-profile DP World Tour member told the PA news agency that players were aggrieved at the lack of communication and “extremely shocked” by the decision given the long suspensions and heavy fines handed out to rebel players.
In April, the DP World Tour won its legal battle against 12 players who committed “serious breaches” of its code of behaviour by playing in LIV Golf events without permission.
The subsequent increased fines and suspensions prompted Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson to resign their memberships and become ineligible for the Ryder Cup, where Stenson had been due to captain the European team.
Those players could now return, with the tours pledging to establish a “fair and objective process” to re-apply for membership, although Pelley confirmed they would need to pay their fines and serve their suspensions before being considered for reinstatement.
In response to accusations that the deal amounted to what Amnesty International described as part of the “onward march of Saudi sportswashing”, Pelley said: “We brought the Saudis into the game in 2018 and we had no challenge with what they were trying to do (with the Saudi International).
“The challenge that we had is that they were playing outside the ecosystem (with LIV) and outside of the global professional golf infrastructure, and now they are playing inside it, and I’m energised by the fact that the PIF (Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund) and the PGA Tour will both be working closely with the DP World Tour to grow our tour and grow it for our members.”
The announcement will lead to a “mutually-agreed” end to all pending litigation between the various organisations.
An anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour was originally filed last August by 11 golfers before being taken over by LIV Golf. It was due to be heard in 2024.
PIF will initially be the exclusive investor in the new entity and have the right of first refusal on any capital to be invested.
The PGA Tour will appoint a majority of the board and hold a majority voting interest in the combined entity, with PIF’s governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan the chairman and Monahan the CEO.
Pelley said he had “every confidence” that the DP World Tour would have a seat on the full board when it is finalised but admitted it was too early to tell exactly what the merger would mean for its 2024 schedule, due to be released next month.
Reaction to the merger from rank-and-file members of the PGA Tour was not positive, with Wesley Bryan writing on Twitter: “I feel betrayed, and will not be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA TOUR for a very long time.”
Former BMW PGA Championship winner Ben An wrote: “Win-win for both tours but it’s a big lose for who defended the tour for last two years.”
McIlroy and Woods emerged as the biggest defenders of the PGA Tour and both had called for LIV CEO Greg Norman to step down before there could be any chance of peace talks.
Norman’s name was conspicuously absent from the announcement of the merger, while defending champion McIlroy is due to speak to the media on Wednesday ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.
Norman later wrote on Twitter: “A great day in global golf for players and fans alike. The journey continues!!”
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