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sports Tuesday 12 January 2021
English wins Kapalua in playoff for 1st victory in 7 years

By DOUG FERGUSON the year. Because of the
AP Golf Writer COVID-19 pandemic that
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) shut down the PGA Tour for
— Harris English was that three months, the field was
player who always wanted expanded to include any-
the ball for the last shot. His one who reached the Tour
trouble the last couple of Championship. Niemann
years was getting off the also didn’t win last year.
bench and into the game. But the fact he made it to
English completed his turn- the Tour Championship
around from a seven-year speaks to his turnaround.
drought with a victory that He did everything but win
he felt was long overdue, last season, and then he
making a 6-foot birdie putt took care of that in the first
on the first playoff hole tournament of the year.
against Joaquin Niemann English now goes to No. 17
to win the Sentry Tourna- in the world, a career-best.
ment of Champions. “It’s awesome to get some
He had the ball. And he validation,” English said.
was clutch. Justin Thomas stayed in
He ran off four birdies in the mix one day after he
a five-hole stretch on the was heard uttering a ho-
back nine to catch Nie- mophobic slur under his
mann. Needing a birdie on Harris English holds the champions trophy after the final round of the Tournament of Champions breath after missing a short
the 18th at Kapalua, English golf event, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, at Kapalua Plantation Course in Kapalua, Hawaii. putt. Thomas apologized,
Associated Press
hit a 3-iron so pure from a and did so again after a 66
downhill lie that it rolled out Niemann did his part with birdie attempt from 15 feet ment was decided by a left him one shot out of the
to 10 feet for an eagle putt a 9-under 64, matching the was short. “I had a perfect playoff. playoff.
that he narrowly missed, low score of the tourna- line the second shot, I just English once was among He missed an 8-foot birdie
settling for a 4-under 69 to ment, impressive consider- mishit it a little bit,” Niemann the rising American starts, chance on the 16th, and
force extra holes. ing the blustery wind finally said. “I got a little lucky that winning a Nationwide Tour then three-putted from
In the playoff, he lagged a showed up on the Plan- it carried the hazard and event while still an ama- long range on the 17th for
long putt from off the front tation Course for the final then it was not an easy lie.” teur and picking up two bogey. A birdie on the final
of the green to 6 feet for day. Niemann started the final victories in 2013. But then hole wasn’t enough.
the winner But he missed a 6-foot round five shots behind and he got into a funk, and he Dustin Johnson, in his first
“When I was a kid, I loved birdie putt on the 18th that would have been happy at fell so far that he lost his full start since winning the Mas-
having the ball when the cost him. And on the same the start of the day to be in card in 2019 and was No. ters on Nov. 15, made an
clock’s running out in bas- hole in the playoff, with a a playoff. But he couldn’t 369 in the world. He played early run until he lost a tee
ketball,” English said. “I love 30-yard advantage off the help but think of the 18th. so well from there that he shot in the native grass on
— I love — the situations, tee, he tugged his shot just “I just look back and I see reached the Tour Champi- No. 12 and made double
and I crave getting back enough that it tumbled those two par 5s. I made onship, and it paid off in a bogey. He shot 69 and tied
into that. I hadn’t had it in a down the shaggy slope left par.” big way. for 11th, ending his streak of
long time. ... You’ve got to of the 18th. A full swing with They finished at 25-under In a normal year, English seven consecutive top 10s
have confidence in your- a lob wedge only got it up 267. It was the second wouldn’t be at Kapalua dating to the first week in
self.” the hill to the fringe, and his straight year the tourna- for the winners-only start to August.q

80% say Tokyo Olympics should be called off or won’t happen

By STEPHEN WADE Tokyo is battling a surge broadcasters. It is not clear
AP Sports Writer of COVID-19 cases that if fans from abroad will be
TOKYO (AP) — More than prompted the national allowed, or if local fans will
80% of people in Japan government last week to attend events.
who were surveyed in two call a state of emergency. Japan has attributed about
polls in the last few days say In declaring the emergen- 3,800 deaths to COVID-19
the Tokyo Olympics should cy, Prime Minister Yoshihide in a country of 126 million.
be canceled or post- Suga said he was confident The TBS poll asked if the
poned, or say they believe the Olympics would be Olympics can be held. In
the Olympics will not take held. the telephone survey with
place. Japan has controlled the 1,261 responding, 81% re-
The polls were conducted virus relatively well but the plied “no” with only 13%
by the Japanese news surge has heightened skep- answering “yes.” The “no”
agency Kyodo and TBS — ticism about the need for responses increased 18
the Tokyo Broadcasting the Olympics and the dan- percentage points from a
System. ger of potentially bringing similar survey in December.
The results are bad news 15,000 Olympic and Para- In Kyodo’s poll, 80.1% of re- In this Dec. 1, 2020, file photo, the Olympic Symbol is reinstalled
for Tokyo organizers and lympic athletes into the spondents in a telephone after it was taken down for maintenance ahead of the postponed
Tokyo 2020 Olympics in the Odaiba section in Tokyo.
the International Olympic country. survey said the Olympics Associated Press
Committee as they con- The Olympics could also at- should be canceled or re-
tinue to say the postponed tract tens of thousands of scheduled. The same ques- or postponement. ed households with eligible
Olympics will open on July coaches, judges, officials, tion in December found Kyodo said the survey cov- voters. Neither poll listed a
23. VIPs, sponsors, media and 63% calling for cancellation ered 715 randomly select- margin of error. q