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SPORTS Tuesday 27 November 2018

Ernie Els pulling out all stops as International captain

By DENNIS PASSA the Royal Melbourne club-
AP Sports Writer house to unveil a new logo
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) for the International team.
— As hard as he tried, Ernie The logo attempts to give
Els couldn't put the ball in the team a more unified
the cup. focus while also allowing
The Big Easy wasn't on a members from different
green at Royal Melbourne, countries to have the flags
though. This was on a plas- of their home countries rep-
tic grass strip in the middle resented.
of Brighton Beach, famous "It's a special group of guys
for its iconic beach houses, from all over the world that
on Melbourne's Port Phillip make up the Presidents
Bay. Cup International team," Els
The cup was a giant plas- said. "Being from across the
tic replica of the Presidents globe, we don't all play for
Cup trophy, and despite the same flag. This special
trying a dozen or more group of people needed
times with a wedge from something to identify with.
about 20 meters, the clos- To lift the spirit of the team,
est the ball came Monday we felt like we needed a
was to ricochet off part of logo for ourselves."
the oversized trophy. By Monday afternoon, he
Els is pulling out all the stops was dressed more casu-
to make sure the Interna- ally in slacks and a polo
tional team, of which he is shirt for his beach outing
captain, hoists the real Pres- and a catered barbecue
idents Cup next Decem- featuring lamb chops and
ber when the tournament prawns. And, of course, in
is held for the third time at Ernie Els, captain of the International Team at next year's Presidents Cup, sits in front of a beach the Australian beach tradi-
house which has been painted with the Presidents Cup trophy, at Brighton in Melbourne,
Royal Melbourne. The Inter- Australia, Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. tion, beers from an "esky,"
national team had its only Associated Press or portable cooler, tucked
win over the United States in the stand.
in 1998 when it was first held round of the World Cup at officials at Royal Melbourne next year, will make a simi- The front of one of the
at Royal Melbourne, but it Metropolitan Golf Club that to get some insights on how lar trip to Melbourne in ear- beach houses, many of
has had a dry spell since Australian veteran Geoff he might, as captain of the ly December to check out which are worth a half-mil-
— no wins and just a tie in Ogilvy would be one of host team, be able to help the golf course and make lion dollars despite the fact
South Africa in 2003. his captain's assistants for set up the course to suit his some promotional appear- they are no bigger than a
So Els came into Melbourne the Dec. 9-15, 2019 tourna- players. ances. garden shed, was repaint-
on the weekend to an- ment. And to meet with the Tiger Woods, the U.S. cap- On Sunday night, Els was ed to feature a Presidents
nounce during the final head greenskeeper and tain for the Presidents Cup off to host a reception at Cup trophy.q
Koreas win UNESCO recognition of traditional wrestling

By HYUNG-JIN KIM Korean reconciliation,"
Associated Press UNESCO director-general
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) Audrey Azoulay said in a
— Divided for about seven statement. "It reminds us of
decades, North and South the peace-building power
Korea together won their of cultural heritage, as a
first international recogni- bridge between peoples.
tion of Korean traditional This marks a victory for the
wrestling as one of the longstanding and profound
world's cultural treasures on ties between both sides of
Monday.The Koreas had the inter-Korean border."
earlier pushed separate South Korean President
bids for the sport's UNESCO Moon Jae-in hailed the
recognition before merg- UNESCO inscription, calling
ing their applications amid it a "result of recent South-
an easing of tensions this North cooperation."The
year. Local media reports South's Cultural Heritage
said South Korea had first Administration said that
proposed the joint bid after the two Koreas have been
a leaders' summit at a Ko- given a new opportunity to
rean border village in April. further promote exchanges
On Monday, UNESCO in the field of cultural heri-
said Korean wrestling was In this Nov. 16, 2016, photo, ssireum wrestlers compete during the Korea Open Ssireum Festival in tage. It said in a statement
added to a list of "Intan- Seoul, South Korea. the joint nomination is the
gible Cultural Heritage of Associated Press "fruitful outcome of a meet-
Humanity" on the basis of ing" between Moon and
an application by the two Koreas."The joint inscription marks a highly symbolic step on the road to inter- Azoulay in October.q