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A22 SPORTS
Saturday 24 November 2018

Rain, cold, wind combine to make life miserable for golfers

By DENNIS PASSA Green said. "Just keeping
AP Sports Writer our clubs dry was a bonus."
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Marc Leishman, who de-
— Ducks waded through scribed the conditions as
standing water on fairways. "brutal," grew up in Victo-
Some bunkers flooded. ria state not far from Mel-
Golfers put waterproof bourne.
winter mittens on between "You know when it's like this
shots. in Melbourne, especially on
Ah yes. Welcome to the a golf course like this, it's go-
World Cup of Golf on Fri- ing to be tough," Leishman
day at Metropolitan. If the said after he and Australia
format was match play, teammate Cameron Smith
the rain, cold and windy finished with 76. "Bogey on
weather would have beat- the last, but it was probably
en the golfers 10 and 8. not a terrible round."
But it was foursomes, where Smith said he and Leish-
players hit alternate shots, man had a typical Aussie
and where one might attitude to the atrocious
curse under their breath conditions.
at the predicament their "We tried to keep it light-
teammate had left them hearted out there," said
in — the rough, on mud, in Smith, who is from subtropi-
a bunker or with a difficult cal Queensland state. "We
angle into the green. Tyrrell Hatton of England, bottom right, plays out a fairway bunker on the first hole during the knew it was going to be
If so, there was a lot of that second round of the World Cup of Golf tournament at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne, a long day. I was so cold
Australia, Friday, Nov. 23, 2018.
going on Friday with a high Associated Press all day I couldn't feel my
temperature of 14 Celsius hands. I couldn't really feel
(58 Fahrenheit) and winds Poulter, bogeyed the hole. ourselves in was some wa- "We both have some ex- anything."
gusting to 35 kilometers an "Obviously that wasn't a ter in quite a few bunkers," perience playing links golf The effect of the rain was
hour (20 mph). great moment, it was kind he said. "We had to play and you can draw to that obvious early: scores from
Survival mode, for the most of a reaction without think- a number of shots from a with this," Lahiri said. "We the first six teams on the
part. And Belgium and ing," Hatton said. "The shot decent amount of water in both played overseas and par-4 first hole were two
South Korea survived it wasn't much better, either." the trap and that's difficult you needed that today." pars, a bogey, two double
best, tied for the lead after Poulter wondered if play to do." Gavin Green of Malaysia, bogeys and a triple bogey.
two rounds. should have been stopped, Anirban Lahihri, who com- also two strokes behind Zimbabwe's Scott Vincent
England's Tyrrell Hatton an- saying it was "questionable" bined with Gaganjeet Bhul- with partner Ben Leong, and Benjamin Follett-Smith
grily smashed the tee mark- if the course had become lar to have India just two said he'd gladly take his were among those six
er on the 10th hole after his unplayable. strokes behind the leaders, team's 73. teams, and it didn't get any
shot went into the woods. "The only questionable is- said it was like playing in "Wind was everywhere, better for them. They fin-
He and his partner, Ian sue I think that we found Scotland. it was cold, it was wet," ished with 84.q

Bottas fastest in 2nd practice; Hamilton struggles with grip

By JEROME PUGMIRE also need to find more per-
AP Sports Writer formance from myself," the
ABU DHABI, United Arab Finn said. "My goal for the
Emirates (AP) — Eyeing his weekend is to repeat last
first win in a year in which year's result."
he has taken a back seat to Red Bull driver Daniel Ric-
Lewis Hamilton, teammate ciardo was third fastest in
Valtteri Bottas was fastest in the second practice, fol-
the second practice for the lowed by Hamilton.
season-ending Abu Dhabi Vettel, second to Hamilton
Grand Prix on Friday. in the championship for a
Hamilton has nothing to second straight year, was
prove after winning 10 rac- sixth in the second prac-
es on the way to his fifth For- tice, trailing teammate Kimi
mula One championship. Raikkonen.
However, he had an awk- The session started at 5 p.m.
ward time on Friday as he and finished under flood-
struggled with the grip on lights to mirror conditions
his tires in both sessions. for Saturday's qualifying
Bottas, who has not won and Sunday's race.Earlier,
this year, was .044 seconds Verstappen was fastest in
quicker in his Mercedes the first practice by about
than Red Bull driver Max half a second. Ricciardo
Verstappen on the Yas Ma- Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland steers his car during the second free practice at the was next,
rina circuit. The last of Bot- Yas Marina racetrack in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Friday Nov. 23, 2018. Bottas third, and Hamilton
tas' three career F1 wins Associated Press fourth about one second
was here last year. "It's nice to be on top of the timesheets, but we now need to build on that and I behind.q