Nation at a Glance — (06/19/18)
News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.
Mexico stuns Germany
MOSCOW — Mexico stunned World Cup holders Germany on Sunday, inflicting a 1-0 defeat that throws the Germans’ title defense into disarray as Neymar’s Brazil stuttered to a draw against Switzerland.
The outstanding Hirving Lozano smashed home the Mexican winner in the 35th minute at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, leaving Manuel Neuer clutching at thin air on his return to the German goal after a nine-month injury absence.
Toni Kroos crashed a shot against the crossbar for Germany but they were never able to get back into the match as they slid to their first defeat in their opening game of a World Cup since 1982.
“I don’t know if it’s the biggest win in Mexico’s history but doubtless it is one of the biggest for sure,” said 22-year-old Lozano.
Lozano’s winner made the earth move in Mexico City, where seismologists detected a minor tremor possibly caused by “widespread jumping during the goal.”
Germany coach Joachim Loew did not mince his words about his side’s performance, saying his team had played “very badly” in the first half of the Group F tie.
“We weren’t able to impose our usual way of playing, our attacking and passing was not effective,” he said.
“It goes without saying that the next match will be decisive for us, we have to win it,” Loew added ahead of his team’s next game against Sweden next Saturday.
If Germany finish as group runners-up, they could face Brazil in a clash of World Cup titans in the next round — a perfect chance for the Brazilians to avenge the humiliating 7-1 defeat to the Germans on home soil in 2014.
Brazil, and their star Neymar, made their bow in Russia in Rostov-on-Don but gutsy Switzerland battled back to cancel out a Philippe Coutinho strike midway through the first half of the Group E tie.
The Barcelona man found the top corner with a stunning curled effort in the 20th minute but Steven Zuber headed an equalizer from a corner shortly after half time and the five-time champions could not make their superior quality count.
Coach Tite blamed first night nerves.
“I’m not happy with this result. Our finishing wasn’t good. We had 20 chances, but too many shots were off target. We should have made their keeper work harder than that.
“I put it down to stress, first match nerves, that’s true for me too,” the Brazil boss said.
Four years after injury cut short his World Cup — Brazil suffered that defeat to Germany without him — Neymar is once again spearheading his country’s hopes.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker’s participation at the finals in Russia had been cast into doubt after he suffered a broken bone in his right foot in late February.
However, the 26-year-old forward has shown few signs of rustiness since returning for Brazil, scoring in consecutive friendlies in the buildup to the finals and started on Sunday.
GERMAN DISARRAY
Germany had breezed through qualifying, scoring 43 goals and conceding just four.
Loew has, like the Brazilians, transformed the team from 2014 to the extent that the man who scored the World Cup winning goal in Rio, Mario Goetze, is not in the squad.
But his plans to become only the third side in the World Cup’s 88-year history to successfully defend their title were in disarray on Sunday after the Mexicans tore into his defence from the start.
Mexico only lost one game in qualifying and have reached at least the second round of every World Cup they have played.
In the first game of the day, Serbia beat Costa Rica 1-0 thanks to a brilliant Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick in Samara.
The victory puts Serbia in a strong early position in Group E ahead of games against Brazil and Switzerland as they look to reach the last 16 for the first time since becoming an independent country.
Away from the football, Russian authorities said a taxi driver who ploughed into pedestrians on a crowded pavement near Red Square in Moscow on Saturday, injuring at least seven people, had been suffering from exhaustion.
The taxi driver, a 28-year-old man from the central Asian republic of Kyrgyzstan, told police during questioning that he had been working for 20 hours solid before the incident and had mixed up the brake pedal and the accelerator. — AFP
Back-to-back champion
SOUTHAMPTON — Brooks Koepka became the first player in three decades to repeat as US Open Champion here Sunday, firing a gritty final round 68 at Shinnecock Hills to beat Tommy Fleetwood by one stroke.
A year after he marched to victory with a 16-under total at Erin Hills, Koepka kept his nerve on the back nine to emerge with a one-over-par total of 281.
“I’m at a loss for words right now,” Koepka said. “We grinded our tail off this week to come back from seven-over (on Friday) and do what we did. It was pretty special.”
The world number nine is the first player since Curtis Strange in 1988-1989 to win back-to-back US Open titles.
After overpowering the wide-open Erin Hills, he kept his nerve through four brutal days at Shinnecock.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Koepka, who had battled a partially torn wrist tendon that sidelined him nearly four months since his major breakthrough last year. “I don’t think I could have dreamed of this, going back to back.”
A day after scores soared on the dried out greens, the US Golf Association admitted the course got out of hand, adding plenty of moisture and some slightly more forgiving pin positions.
England’s 12th-ranked Fleetwood seized the opportunity to match the lowest round ever in the US Open with a brilliant seven-under 63 for a two-over total of 282.
Fleetwood had stormed into the clubhouse with a round that included eight birdies, putting the pressure on overnight leaders Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Daniel Berger and Tony Finau.
Only Koepka met the challenge. He had broken out of the pack with three birdies in the first four holes.
Playing in freshening wind and knowing that Fleetwood was in the clubhouse on two-over Koepka produced a string of clutch putts on the back nine.
A six-foot birdie at the 10th gave him a two-stroke lead. A tough 12-footer limited the damage at 11 to a bogey after he hit into the greenside rough and from there into a bunker.
He got up and down for par at the 12th, and escaped with a par from deep rough at 14 before giving himself some breathing room with a birdie at the par-five 16th — where he stuck his third shot less than four feet from the pin.
His approach at 18 hit a grandstand and bounced off, but a closing bogey was all he needed.
GREAT DAY’ FOR FLEETWOOD
Fleetwood could only watch it all unfold. But after nearly equaling the best ever round in a major of 62 he was pleased with his day’s work.
“At the end of the day, I got within one of winning, when I was so far back at the start of the day,” said Fleetwood, who was nine adrift through 54 holes. “So it’s been a great day.
“It’s easy to look at it and think I was one shy, but there’s so many positives to look at and so much that you can take and learn from it.”
It was the first time since 2013 at Merion that no one broke par in the US Open, and of the four overnight leaders, Koepka was the only player to shoot an under par final round.
World number one Johnson, playing alongside Koepka in the penultimate group, saw the sure putting touch that had propelled him to a four-shot halfway lead, carded an even-par 70 to finish alone in third on 283.
Finau, playing in the final group with Berger, closed with a double bogey at the 72nd hole for a 72 that left him fifth on 285 — one stroke behind Masters champion Patrick Reed.
Reed fired five birdies in his first seven holes but cooled off coming in for a two-under 68.
Berger faded early, his 73 leaving him tied for sixth at six-over with England’s Tyrrell Hatton, American Xander Schauffele and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson. — AFP
FIBA extends Patrick Baumann’s contract as secretary-general until 2031
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
RECOGNIZING the key role he has played in the growth of world basketball governing body FIBA and the sport in general since coming on board, FIBA’s Central Board unanimously agreed at the weekend to extend the contract of Secretary-General Patrick Baumann until 2031.
While his current contract as an official of the basketball body does not expire until 2022, FIBA saw it fit to extend it some more to ensure continuity of the programs and advancements made under Mr. Baumann’s watch.
“We are really pleased with the work of Patrick Baumann. He has helped FIBA become a solid organization thanks to the implementation of concrete measures such as the introduction of a new, efficient modern structure and governance system, which unites the whole FIBA family, integrates its key stakeholders and protects our values; the construction of the House of Basketball, our first and very own purpose-built headquarters; and the signing of long-term commercial partnerships, providing for a stable and strong financial foundation which supports all of the FIBA family for the next decade,” said FIBA President Horacio Muratore in a statement shared to members of media.
“From a sporting perspective, he has been instrumental in the development of our new competition system that came into effect last year as well as the successful launch of 3×3, which has now become an Olympic discipline. These accomplishments, among others, have contributed greatly to FIBA’s vision of making basketball the most popular sports community. The Board felt it therefore essential to ensure stability in our work on the agreed road map towards this vision with Mr. Baumann at the helm of FIBA,” he added.
Swiss Baumann was first became part of FIBA in 1994 as a lawyer before being appointed deputy secretary-general a year later.
In 2002, he was unanimously appointed secretary-general by the Central Board and five years later became a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Incidentally, under the term of Mr. Baumann the Philippines has seen its stock rise as a FIBA stakeholder, having been chosen to host a number of high-profile FIBA tournaments, including FIBA Asia and the recently concluded FIBA 3×3 World Cup.
The Philippines, along with Japan and Indonesia, is also hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023.
Prior to joining FIBA, Mr. Baumann was involved in basketball as a player, coach and referee in Switzerland and Italy.
The North Face backstops PHL National Climbing Team
THE Philippine National Climbing Team (PNCT) recently got a new supporter in its quest to make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the group signed a partnership with world leading outdoor sports brand The North Face.
In line with its efforts to empower sporting communities across borders, The North Face said it is very excited to link up with the PNCT as it tries to become one of only three representatives from Asia to qualify for a spot at the Olympics.
Apart from aiding the PNCT to see its Olympic dreams through, The North Face through the tie-up aims to spark hope among young athletes who are aspiring for international athletics as well as develop more outdoor climbing areas throughout the country.
As part of the deal with The North Face, the PNCT will be equipped with the most cutting-edge gears and equipment to enhance and improve its overall performance.
Among them are those found in the outdoor sporting brand’s Terra Metro Series that features a selection of outdoor training clothes that combine high-tech performance, innovative material, and pioneering aesthetics like the Terra Metro Supa Stretch Jacket and the Terra Metro Lite Tights.
Also available for the team are those in the Flight Series and Ultra Endurance II.
The former features The North Face’s most advanced running apparel collection such as the Men’s Flight RKT jacket, Flight Better Than Naked T-Shirt, and the Flight Better Than Naked Shorts for both men and women while the latter is a series of versatile trail running shoes that will deliver stable rides and unparalleled traction thanks to its TPU toe tip, Vibram Megagrip, Xtrafoam, and Fastfoam features.
Backed by the Sport Climbing Association of the Philippines, the national sports association dedicated to the promotion of sport climbing in the Philippines, the PNCT currently boasts of a team which consists of 15 daring athletes who have spent the last few years gaining experience competing and excelling in competitions both here and abroad.
Under the guidance of coaches Miel Pahati and Jao Sauco, both of whom are former athletes of the PNCT, the athletes of the PNCT are emboldened to make their mark in the global climbing scene at the upcoming Olympic Games especially now that The North Face has vowed to support their team from training all the way to competition season.
The PNCT members are Gerald Verosil, Paul Eli Suson, Zoren Legaspi, Iman Lorenzo Mora, Washington Jusay, Mhik Tejares, Liana Mora and Joanne Ala in Team A while in Team B are Brandon Graega, John Joseph Veloria, Kranz Matthew Moreno, Adrian Phornchai B. Deetaisong, Ajina Carampel, Derille Pagayon and Rochelle Suarez.
In the formal unveiling of their partnership with The North Face, held at the R.O.X. Bonifacio High Street, PNCT members “vowed to do their best” in competitions ahead to validate how deserving they are of the support of the brand. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell an athlete since day one
BRIEFLY in town for his “Spida in Manila Tour,” young Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell took time to meet with members of local media where he shared some of his thoughts, including the impressive rookie season he had in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and how growing up in a “sports household” honed the person he has become.
One of the favorites to win rookie of the year after averaging 20.5 points, tops among first-year players in the 2017-2018 season, to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists while helping the Jazz all the way to the Western Conference semifinals, Mr. Mitchell, nicknamed “Spida,” said that he enjoyed learning in his rookie season in addition to what he already knew as an athlete prior to entering The Association.
“I grew up in a household where sports was a huge part. It played a role in preparing me in a way for the NBA. I think one of the first things I was introduced to is the routine that an athlete has like training and all. I got used to it early,” said Mr. Mitchell, whose father, Donovan, Sr., was a minor league player and coach with the New York Mets and is now an executive of the baseball franchise.
“[In the NBA] Listening to other people helped me in a big way. I think that was one of the main reasons why I was able to do what I did this entire year. Just listening to my veterans and my coaches, and finding ways to continue to get better. It’s not easy, the games are exhausting. If you don’t listen to your teammates or listen to your elders, you really don’t have a shot,” added the Jazz guard, who was selected 13th overall in the 2017 rookie draft.
Having landed in Utah, Mr. Mitchell, 21, and the latest brand ambassador of global sports apparel brand adidas, joining the likes of James Harden of Houston and Damian Lillard of Portland, said he likes where he is at, saying the Salt Lake City is a great place and his teammates have been helpful to him.
“I’m from New York but I would say Salt Lake City is great place. We have a crowd that sells out every night,” he said.
“A lot of guys helped me. Ricky (Rubio) teaches me on how to be a point guard and a leader. Joe Ingles with just life in general and what to expect. Thabo (Sefolosha), he taught me how to take care of my body and how to eat right, which I’m still working on,” Mr. Mitchell added.
Placed in what he considers as an “ideal situation,” Mr. Mitchell said it is something that he would like others to experience as well, which is why he is going out of his way to pitch Utah to high-profile free agents to consider as a destination, in particular Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George.
“I’ll make a pitch to Paul George right now. We want to win, we’re not selfish. If he comes in, it’s going to make life a lot easier on the offensive end. He’s also a great defender,” Mr. Mitchell said during the press conference hosted for him by adidas at its store in Bonifacio Global City.
“Our coach Quin Snyder could be the Coach of the Year and we have a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Rudy Gobert,” he added in a making a case for Mr. George, who could choose to leave the Thunder when free agency kicks in next month.
Looking ahead, Mr. Mitchell said the learning and development continues for him.
“I’m happy with the rookie season I had but it is over with. I have to continue getting better especially on defense; taking less shots, making better passes and creating less turnovers. I have to find a way to become 10 times better than I was last year,” he said. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Wesley So in Stavanger
6th Altibox Norway Chess 2018
Stavanger, Norway
May 27-June 8, 2018
Final Standings
1. Fabiano Caruana USA 2822, 5.0/8
2-4. Magnus Carlsen NOR 2843, Hikaru Nakamura USA 2769, Viswanathan Anand 2760, 4.5/8
5-6. Wesley So USA 2778, Levon Aronian ARM 2764, 4.0/8
7. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov AZE 2808, 3.5/8
8-9. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2789, Sergey Karjakin RUS 2782, 3.0/8
Average ELO 2790 Category 22
Time Control: 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves followed by the rest of the game in 15 minutes. Sixty seconds is added to your time after every move starting move 61
Wesley So has a bad score against world champion Magnus Carlsen. In 12 previous classical chess encounters he had lost 4 and drawn the rest. The 4 losses included this bad beating from the Bilbao Masters 2016 where he was outplayed like a child.
Carlsen, Magnus (2855) — So, Wesley (2770) [C65]
9th Bilbao Masters (4), 16.07.2016
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Qe2 Qe7 7.Nbd2 Bg4 8.h3 Bh5 9.a3
Carlsen: “I won’t hide the fact that playing h3 and a3 on consecutive moves in the opening gave me pleasure.”
9…Nd7 10.b4 Bd6 11.Nc4 f6 12.Ne3
Carlsen: “A key point of the a3–b4 operation is that the e3–square is freed up for the knight. The knight can later jump to f5 without having to play g4 first.”
12…a5 13.Nf5 Qf8 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.0–0 Qf7
With just natural moves Magnus Carlsen has obtained a strong hold on the position. For example, Black won’t be able to castle for some time here because of White’s Bh6.
16.a4 Nc5 17.Qe1 b6 18.Nd2 Rxa4 19.Nc4 Bf8?! 20.Be3 Kd7 21.Qc3!
The threat is 22.Nxb6+ cxb6 23.Bxc5 Rxa1 24.Rxa1 and now Black can’t recapture on c5 because of the Ra7+ threat.
21…Nxe4
[21…Rxc4 22.dxc4 Nxe4 23.Qd3+ Nd6 24.g4 Bg6 25.Rfd1 Black is threatening both Bxb6 and Ra7.]
22.Nxb6+! cxb6 23.dxe4 Qc4
Of course not 23…Rxe4 24.Ra7+
24.Qd2+ Kc7 25.g4 Bg6 26.Rfd1 1–0
[26.Rfd1 Rxa1 27.Qd8+ Kb7 28.Rxa1 with forced mate]
That was before the two of them met in the 6th Altibox Norway Chess tournament.
In Norway it looked for a while like Magnus Carlsen was on track to win the tournament with a huge score. He beat Fabiano Caruana in the first round (the two of them will be playing for the world championship in November of this year) and Aronian (last year’s Altibox winner) in the third. This early he had already opened up a full point lead against the rest of the field. Then he played Wesley So.
In Magnus’ own words: “Great start, and then my tournament kind of died, but I guess it all boils down to the game with Wesley. If I don’t lose that then I’m cruising, but with that loss I couldn’t really recover.”
So, Wesley (2778) — Carlsen, Magnus (2843) [D13]
6th Altibox Norway Chess Stavanger (6.1), 03.06.2018
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5
Wesley thought for eight minutes before executing this move which led some onlookers to conclude that he was in unfamiliar territory. That is of course not true — c’mon, we are only on the third move. It was later revealed that Wesley had studied the Exchange Slav recently with another GM and was going over the lines in his head to decide whether to use it or not. It turned out to be an inspired choice.
3…cxd5 4.Bf4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 a6 7.Rc1 Bf5 8.e3 Rc8
We all know that in the Slav whenever the c8–bishop goes to f5 or g4 Black has a weakness on the queenside. Some people have tried to address that weakness with 8…Qb6 9.Bd3 (9.Na4?! Qa5+ 10.Nd2 Ne4 White is already on the defensive. Mitchell,M (2266)-To,N (2413) Budapest 2010 0–1 34) 9…Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Qxb2 11.0–0 Qa3 12.Qb1 Nb4 13.e4! White is fully developed and switches over to the attack which is properly played should be fatal for Black. Nester,I (2352)-Buturin,V (2298) Lvov 2010 1–0 20.
9.Be2 e6 10.0–0 Nd7!?
Nakamura: Magnus played a line which is slightly dubious. Wesley wasn’t ready for the Slav, so he played this boring exchange, and Magnus tried to provoke him and now Magnus is in a lot of trouble.
According to the Chess Openings website www.chessopenings24–7.com the best mutual play in this line is 10…Bd6 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.Na4 0–0 13.Nc5 Rc7 14.Qb3 Qe7 15.Rc3 Bg4 16.Rfc1 e5 with a balanced struggle ahead. Khenkin,I (2609)-Karjakin,S (2732) Dagomys 2008 1/2 22.
Black has to know his theory. Who would think, for example, that 10…Be7 is considered inferior here? Take a look at the following game: 11.Qb3 Na5 (11…Qd7 12.Na4 Na5 13.Rxc8+ Qxc8 14.Qb6 Nc4 15.Qa7! 0–0 16.Rc1 Nh5 17.Be5 f6 18.b3 Ba3 19.Rc3 Qc6 20.Bb8! g6 21.bxc4 Qxa4 22.c5 Bb4 23.Rb3 White is clearly better) 12.Qa4+ Nc6 13.Bxa6! Ra8 (13…bxa6 14.Ne5 Qb6 15.Ne2 Nh5 16.Nxc6 Qb5 17.Qxb5 axb5 18.Rfd1 White is clearly better) 14.Bxb7! Rxa4 15.Bxc6+ Kf8 16.Nxa4 g5 (16…Ne4? 17.Bb7 Nd6 18.Bxd6 Qxd6 19.Rc6 White is clearly winning. V. Kramnik-V. Anand, Moscow (blitz) 2007 1–0 21) 17.Bxg5 Kg7 18.Nc3 Rg8 19.Ne5! Qa5 20.Ba4 Qb6 21.Bc2 Bg6 22.Bxg6 hxg6 23.Rc2 Qa6 24.Rfc1 Bb4? 25.Bxf6+ 1–0 because if 25…Kxf6 then you have Nxd5+ followed by Rc6+. Zhang,P (2657)-Zhao,Z (2554) China 2007.
11.Na4 Be7 12.h3!
According to Wesley this move is important. If he plays 12.a3 immediately then Black quickly develops a kingside pawn storm with 12…g5! 13.Bg3 h5 Black quickly gains an initiative on the dark-squared bishop and launches a pretty intense pawn storm.
12…0–0
Now if Black proceeds with the pawn storm then 12…g5 13.Bh2 h5 14.Nd2 g4 15.hxg4 hxg4 16.Bxg4 White has gained a pawn and Black’s kingside action can be parried.
13.a3 Na5 14.Nc5 Nc4 <D>
POSITION AFTER 14…NC4
15.b4!
Only a temporary sacrifice of the a3–pawn. Wesley will get it back soon with a dominant position.
15…Nxc5 16.dxc5 Nxa3 17.Nd4 Be4 18.f3 Bg6 19.Qb3 Nc4 20.Bxc4 dxc4 21.Qxc4
Wesley: “Here I’m a little better.”
21…Qe8
Wesley was surprised by this move — he expected 21…Bg5 to exchange some pieces. “I thought for some reason he is playing for a win again.” Black’s idea is to play 22…e5 23.Bxe5 Bxc5 with muddied waters.
22.Bg3 e5 23.Nb3 Bd8?
The alternative 23…e4 is not so appetizing either, but this move appears to be based on a miscalculation, as Wesley pointed out after the game.
24.Qd5
Simply winning a pawn, either on e5 or b7.
24…Qb5 25.Bxe5 Be7
The miscalculation Wesley was talking about is that now 25…Qxb4 is refuted by 26.Bd6 Re8 27.c6 discovering an attack on the black queen.
26.Qd2 Rfd8 27.Bd6 Bf6 28.e4 h6 29.Nd4 Bxd4+ 30.Qxd4
Bishops of opposite color have appeared on the board. This is drawish in a king+bishop+pawns endgame, but, as our BW readers know, in the middlegame the opposite colors favor the attacker.
30…Re8 31.Rfe1 Kh7 32.g4 f6 33.f4 Qc6 34.f5 Bf7 35.h4 Ra8 36.Rc2!?
A loss of time. He should have played 36.g5 right away as after 36…Bh5 37.Rc3 a5 38.Rg3 the white rook gets to the g-file right away.
36…a5 37.g5
Now 37.Rg2 allows Black to get his queen back into action with 37…Qb5 38.g5 Qc4 White is still clearly better but at least Black is still fighting.
37…Bh5 38.g6+
Wesley did not want to take any risk. It appears that 38.gxf6 is very strong but 38…Rg8! complicates matters a bit. White had only a little more than a minute left to reach the time control so he chooses prudence.
38…Kh8 39.b5 Qxb5 40.Rb2 Qc6 41.Rb6 Qc8 42.Qd5 a4
Wesley had to calculate to ensure that 42…Bxg6 does not lead to perpetual check: 43.fxg6 Qg4+ 44.Kf2 Qxh4+ 45.Bg3 the checks end.
43.Rxb7 Rg8 44.c6 1–0
And with c6–c7 followed by Rb3 staring him in the face Magnus Carlsen resigns.
Here is what Magnus Carlsen said the day before the game: “To be honest, usually nothing happens in these games. I can’t remember him ever being close to beat me. If I want a draw, I will often get it easily.”
And here is what Magnus Carlsen said after:
Carlsen: “This was not fun. Well played by So. Credit goes to him, because he played a great game.”
Finally, some respect.
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant, he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net
Lapse in judgment
By all accounts, Phil Mickelson did well at the United States Open yesterday. He teed off early, close to six hours before the final pairing, and posted a 69 that could well have been a handful of strokes better. Still, he’s not likely to complain about his performance, not with majority of the field still coming up with over-par scores despite the US Golf Association’s conscious effort to soften up the course, and especially it followed a third-round 81 that included a serious breach of etiquette.
For the record, Mickelson finished tied for 48th, 18 spots higher than when he began his final 18. At any other time, it would have been an affirmation of his capacity to bounce back from a poor showing even at 48. Considering how he set up his comeback, however, any assessment of his 2018 standing in the one major championship that has given him the most heartbreaks cannot but include the gaffe he committed on his 49th green of the tournament. Clearly overcome by the moment, he shocked all and sundry by hitting his ball with his putter while it was still moving.
Mickelson received a two-stroke penalty for doing the same thing John Daly did in the 1999 US Open, so the USGA wasn’t really being kind. Sure, he could have been disqualified for his misstep. And, sure, his explanation in his post-round presser didn’t help his cause any; even taking at face value his contention that the move was planned, it made him out to be a rules-bending competitor at best. Not quite the picture he would want to paint of himself as a practitioner of a gentleman’s game.
Clearly, Mickelson was not at his best over the weekend. And so rattled was he that he went so far as to blame critics for thinking he disrespected the game. Really, now. A simple apology would have sufficed for the erstwhile people’s champion. Instead, he dug deep, and put himself in a corner where he looked more guilty. Perhaps fans, who have notoriously short memories when it comes to their sports heroes, will forgive him for his lapse in judgment. Nonetheless, the asterisk will stay and serve to discount an otherwise-stellar career.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
BusinessWorld Discussions | Episode 03 | Arlynn Camorongan and Marigail Esteban
Before they drove for Grab, both Arlynn Camorongan and Marigail Esteban taught for a living — the first as a lecturer at a tourism school, and the second as a trainer for a business process outsourcing firm.
But now, Arlynn and Marigail are Grab’s partner-drivers.
When not behind the wheel, Arlynn spends her time with her family and looks after her baby, just like any regular mom.
The same could be said about Marigail, who also works as a financial adviser in her spare time. Sometimes, she’s even sold several insurance policies to her customers, she said.
BusinessWorld sat down with these two female drivers to talk about life with Grab, adventures behind the wheel, and why women are better drivers than men.
These and more are on this episode of BusinessWorld Discussions, a collaboration between BusinessWorld and Grab Philippines.
Asian equities hit as Trump tariffs spark trade war fears
Fresh fears of a trade war between the world’s top two economies sent most Asian markets tumbling on Monday after the United States and China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars of imports.
Energy firms were among the biggest losers as oil prices plunged ahead of a key OPEC meeting, where Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to lift a two-year-old production cap.
Donald Trump’s decision to hit China with 25 percent levies was met with an immediate retaliation, moving the two closer to a trade war that could potentially batter the global economy.
The announcement came despite weeks of talks between the two sides.
The developments sent stocks into the red across Europe and on Wall Street, and Asian investors followed suit on Monday.
Tokyo ended 0.8 percent down, while Singapore sank more than one percent, Seoul dropped 1.3 percent and Manila tumbled 2.5 percent.
Wellington and Bangkok were both down but Sydney eked out a 0.2 percent gain.
Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for public holidays.
“Many folks will tell you this isn’t a trade war. But when one side whacks a bunch of tariffs and the other side retaliates with its own set of tariffs against the other side, that looks very much to me like the battle has been joined,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader.
“Whether it escalates is a different question.”
Oil prices sink
With traders fleeing to safer assets, the yen rose against the dollar, while the greenback rallied against most high-yielding currencies with the Australian dollar, South Korean won and Mexican peso all sharply down.
After losing around four percent last week, oil plunged again Monday as investors fret over Russia and Saudi Arabia’s expected move to ramp up output at an OPEC meeting that starts Friday.
The two major producers have kept a ceiling in place since late 2016, which has helped ease a supply glut and lift prices, which had fallen to multi-year lows.
“Russia has been aggressively affirming itself by adding oil to market ahead of the upcoming meeting and is pushing for a significant output hike, Saudi Arabia is suggesting for a modest increase and others are in favour of the status quo,” said Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trade at OANDA.
“While most industry observers are expecting a production rise, the magnitude and timing of the boost remain uncertain.”
Benjamin Lu, a commodities analyst at Phillip Futures Singapore, said crude was also being weighed by trade war fears.
“We expect for global trade tensions to weigh on prices sporadically as populist sentiments pervade the financial markets,” he said.
“Enhanced volatility can be expected… as markets worry about the prospect of weaker trade activity, with economic battle lines being drawn.”
In early European trade London rose 0.1 percent but Paris fell 0.3 percent and Frankfurt was 0.4 percent off.
Key figures around 0720 GMT
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.8 percent at 22,680.33 (close)
London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 7,638.09
Hong Kong – Hang Seng: Closed for a public holiday
Shanghai – Composite: Closed for a public holiday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1596 from $1.1606 at 2100 GMT on Friday
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3270 from $1.3281
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 110.47 yen from 110.68 yen
Oil – West Texas Intermediate: DOWN $1.21 at $63.85 per barrel
Oil – Brent Crude: DOWN 68 cents at $72,76 per barrel
New York – Dow Jones: DOWN 0.3 percent at 25,090.48 (close)
— AFP
Google to invest $550 million in China e-commerce giant JD.com
Google will invest more than half a billion dollars in China’s second-largest e-commerce company JD.com as part of a move to expand retail services around the world, the companies said Monday.
The announcement comes as US giant is pushing Google Shopping, a platform allowing customers to compare prices between different sellers, which poses a challenge to Amazon.
The firms will marry JD’s supply chain and logistics experience with Google technology to create “next generation” personalised retail in regions including Southeast Asia, the US and Europe, the joint statement said.
“This partnership with Google opens up a broad range of possibilities to offer a superior retail experience to consumers throughout the world,” JD.com’s chief strategy officer Jianwen Liao said.
Google will put $550 million in cash into JD.com and in return, the California-based company will receive 27.1 million newly issued JD.com Class A ordinary shares.
The shares are equivalent to a nearly one percent stake in the company, according to a JD.com spokesman.
Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler said the move will give customers “the power to shop wherever and however they want.”
However, the partnership is unlikely to affect Google’s status in mainland China, where Gmail, Google Search and Google Maps are all blocked in China.
“The announcement isn’t focused on China,” JD.com spokesman Josh Gartner confirmed to AFP.
Chinese internet users face fines or even jail for unfavourable social media posts. Authorities have further tightened internet controls in recent months, shutting down celebrity gossip blogs and probing platforms for “obscenity”.
In China, JD.com competes aggressively with e-commerce leader Alibaba, which runs the popular Taobao and Tmall shopping platforms. — AFP
In Uganda, football fever causes betting flutter
On a pot-holed street by Uganda’s sprawling central jail, young men stream into a luminous betting shop that stands out from the surrounding dingy grocery stores lit by paraffin lamps.
Inside, dozens of men clasp handfuls of betting slips as they huddle around a flat-screen television blasting out live commentary from the opening game of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Ronald Nyenje, a driver, is backing the hosts to win against Saudi Arabia. “I support Russia because they’re the hosts and they’ll win this game and the whole competition,” said the 25-year-old who staked 50,000 Uganda shillings ($13; 11 euros) on the curtain-raiser.
“I’ll try to watch every game of the World Cup,” said Nyenje, who gambles at the same betting shop every day.
Sports gambling has become a phenomenon across East Africa in recent years, driven by the ubiquity of satellite and digital television, and smartphones that enable online and app-based gambling.
“I feel very good when I’m betting,” said Innocent Opiyo, a 26-year-old bricklayer.
“Sometimes I bet because I just want to pass time. I win. I lose. I win. I lose. So I don’t know exactly if I have eaten them or they have eaten me, but I think I’ve eaten them,” he said, totting up a vague but optimistic mental ledger of his six-year contest with the bookmakers.
In just a few years, betting shops have become a feature of cities, towns and villages across Uganda.
And while the national side failed to qualify for the World Cup — which kicked off in Russia on Thursday — Ugandan fans are set to flood betting shops during the month-long competition.
Good/not good
“Betting is good, but also not good,” said Opiyo, acknowledging that a gambling addiction can cause you to bet money you don’t have.
Government efforts to regulate gaming have proved patchy.
The National Gaming Board, established in 2016, has few resources, said boss Edgar Agaba, and little idea even of the scale of the industry.
New laws on the location, opening hours and minimum age for betting are widely ignored and rarely enforced.
On a recent big game night a bookie was open late at night, in a busy market, and heaved with young men, many apparently under 18, thus breaking the rules in three different ways.
Eddy Wanyangha, 24, said he once won 250,000 Uganda shillings ($65; 56 euros) betting on a football match. He spent his winnings on a goat and hopes for more success during the World Cup.
“I take it as leisure,” he said, “but there are some people who take it as a job.”
Ivan Kalanzi, 30, has found a less risky way to cash in on the sports betting craze, running a specialist consultancy offering advice on how to beat the bookies.
He claimed to have thousands of clients in Uganda and among the far-flung diaspora, running his global operation from a computer in the back of a small sportswear shop in a shabby Kampala mall.
Betting with heart or head
Using social media groups and text message platforms Kalanzi tips thousands of subscribers on which games offer the best chance to overcome the odds, keeping tabs on form in leagues “from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan all the way to Zambia.”
Gamblers typically stake just 2,000 Uganda shillings ($0.50 dollars; 0.44 euros) but in a poor country like Uganda even small losses can quickly add up and the promise of a life-changing win encourages risky behaviour, according to researcher Sylvan Herskowitz.
With few functioning public services, problem gamblers commonly lack support.
But Kalanzi says he has a rule of thumb that excludes vulnerable clients: if you understand the odds system then, he reckons, “It’s most likely you understand the meaning of losing a bet.”
He predicts business will surge as the World Cup hots up but complains that with such a high-profile tournament the heart frequently rules the head.
“Most people think they know the results so they don’t come to me,” he said.
As an avid fan, Kalanzi is no different. When asked which team will win, he answers, “Brazil” without hesitation and not even a glance at his spreadsheets. — Michael O’HAGAN, AFP