Page 15 - aruba-today-20240719

A15
SPORTS Friday 19 July 2024
Dan Brown makes late birdies for a 1-shot lead over Shane Lowry

in wind-challenged British Open

By DOUG FERGUSON it was only one day. But he
AP Golf Writer sure knew what to expect.
TROON, Scotland (AP) — “Fortunately enough, I came
Daniel Brown had a major here two weeks ago and I
championship debut he won’t played this wind on the sec-
soon forget. He birdied two ond day that I played here. I
of the last three holes Thurs- saw the golf course in every
day in the British Open, giv- wind possible I could see it,”
ing him a 6-under 65 with just Lowry said. “Yeah, I guess that
enough spectators still left in was a good thing to do, and
the twilight of Royal Troon to it’s out there paying off a little
celebrate with him. bit today.” Justin Thomas is
It gave him a one-shot lead off to another great start for
over Shane Lowry, who played the second straight week in
bogey-free for a 66 and his Scotland, even if his score
best start in 46 majors. doesn’t look that way.
Lowry at least knew what He had a 68 — he shot 62 last
to expect with an opposite week in the Scottish Open
wind that seemed to catch — and feels as though he
just about everyone off guard. played better because the
He came to Troon two weeks misses are more severely pun-
ago and knew what to ex- ished at Troon.
pect, and it paid off hand- Shane Lowry of Ireland catches the ball as he prepares to putt on the 18th green during his opening The group at 68 included
somely for the Irishman. round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Troon golf club in Troon, Scotland, Thursday, PGA champion Xander
The surprise was Brown. July 18, 2024. Schauffele and Justin Rose,
A one-time winner on the Associated Press who also played bogey-free
European tour, he arrived at with greater appreciation of
Royal Troon having failed to finished 61st. start-to-finish. Rory McIlroy cer- Tiger Woods, who had a 78 this Open because he had to
make the cut in seven straight But this day was all about the tainly found that to be the for his highest start in a major endure 36-hole final qualify-
tournaments dating to March wind yes, it was fierce, but it case. He shot 78 with a pair since an 80 in the 2015 U.S. ing just to get in.
until a couple of good events. was different. Instead of play- of double bogeys. Ditto for Open at Chambers Bay. Throw in the occasional rain,
One was the final qualifying ers trying to make a score on U.S. Open champion Bryson Lowry motored along, putting and Masters champion Scot-
to earn a spot in his first major, the downwind front nine and DeChambeau, who went out as well as he has all year, soak- tie Scheffler found it plenty
the other at the Scottish Open keeping it together on the in 42 on his way to a 76. Every ing up the warm applause difficult after battling his way
when he made the cut and way back, it was tough from major is tough on 48-year-old all while reminding himself to a 70.q

Campenaerts wins a 3-man sprint to take Tour de France stage as

Pogacar keeps yellow jersey

BARCELONETTE, France attacked. He stayed in the rollercoaster 180-kilometer Earlier, Healy attacked A pivotal moment came in
(AP) — Belgian rider Victor wheel of Kwiatkowski, then stage featuring five climbs twice from the leading the Cote des Demoiselles
Campenaerts posted the launched his sprint from be- as riders tried to break group in the Cote de Saint- when Kwiatkowski ac-
biggest win of his career hind. away before the first as- Apollinaire but his move celerated to move away
Thursday as he claimed the The Lotto Dstny rider cele- cent, the Col du Festre. But eventually backfired as and was later joined by
tough and hilly 18th stage brated his win with his part- the peloton rode at a high the Irishman got dropped Campenaerts and Verch-
of the Tour de France after ner and baby on a video speed, thwarting all those when others upped the er. q
a three-man sprint. call straight after the finish. early efforts. pace.
Two-time Tour champion “After the (spring) clas- About 20 riders finally man-
Tadej Pogacar kept the sics, I had a very difficult aged to open a gap during
race leader’s yellow jersey time,” Campenaerts said, that climb and were joined
as the top of the overall holding back tears. “I had by Wednesday’s stage win-
standings remained un- a verbal agreement with ner Richard Carapaz and
changed with just three the team about extending other talented contenders
days of racing left. the contract and I got ig- for the stage win, includ-
Campenaerts spent most nored for a long time and ing Ben Healy and Geraint
of the day at the front it was really difficult. I was Thomas.
and jumped away from a on a long altitude camp With the best-placed rider
breakaway group some 35 but my girlfriend was there in that large group already
kilometers (22 miles) from and she supported me ev- lagging nearly 34 minutes
the finish together with ery day, highly pregnant, behind Pogacar overall,
Frenchman Matteo Verch- and I was struggling to fin- the pack let the break get
er and former world cham- ish my training schedules. away. The main contend-
pion Michal Kwiatkowski of But I changed my mind, I ers for the overall win, in-
Poland. have a bright future now cluding Pogacar and his Belgium’s Victor Campenaerts celebrates as he crosses the
Campenaerts, who won a still in cycling, I became a rivals Jonas Vingegeaard finish line ahead of France’s Matteo Vercher, hidden behind
Giro stage in 2021, patiently father and it was like blue and Remco Evenepoel, Campenaerts, and Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski, left, to win
during the eighteenth stage of the Tour de France cycling race
waited behind his rivals in skies, only blue sky.” finished 13 minutes and 40 over 179.5 kilometers (111.5 miles) with start in Gap and finish in
the last kilometer and did There was a flurry of at- seconds behind Campen- Barcelonette, France, Thursday, July 18, 2024.
not panic when Vercher tacks at the start of the aerts. Associated Press