karlpejera: Sport news in brief

Linggo, Marso 18, 2012

Sport news in brief

? Luke Donald falls away after Retief Goosen beats the pain
? Tom Daley returns to form after winning silver

GOLF

South Africa's Retief Goosen overcame the pain of a long-term back injury to claim a share of the lead after the third round of the Transitions Championship in Florida.

Goosen, twice a winner of the event, carded a six-under-par 65 at Innisbrook to join Jim Furyk (66) on 11-under par. The halfway leader, Jason Dufner, is a shot behind alongside South Korea's Bae Sang-moon, with Ernie Els and Luke Donald three off the lead.

Goosen needed only 25 putts to card seven birdies and one bogey as he looks to climb from 52nd in the world rankings to inside the top 50 to qualify for next month's Masters. But he revealed he is not a certainty to play at Augusta after scheduling treatment for his back problem next week. "It's been a struggle for the last year with my back and I'm going to get some injections."

Donald needs to win to reclaim the world No1 spot from Rory McIlroy and he made the ideal start when he holed out from a greenside bunker for an eagle on the par-five opening hole. However, that was followed by four bogeys and three birdies in an erratic round of 70.

Padraig Harrington, who led by three shots after an opening 61 ? the lowest round of his career ? added a 72 to his second-round 73 to lie seven under.PA

BOXING

Kell Brook proved his world title credentials with a classy, high-profile points win against his British welterweight rival Matthew Hatton in Sheffield. Brook, 25, was under pressure to impress as he topped the bill in front of 10,000 fans at the Motorpoint Arena in his home city. He managed to do that against Hatton, boxing smartly in a scrappy encounter, to win a unanimous decision and move himself even closer to an inevitable world title shot later this year.

Brook was a heavy favourite with bookmakers who perhaps overlooked Hatton's experience and recent form. The 30-year-old has hit his peak in recent years and showed he can mix it with the best when he survived 12 rounds against the WBC light-middleweight champion Saul Alvarez last year. Reuters

DIVING

Tom Daley proved his Olympic platform medal hopes are very much alive after winning silver at the first leg of the World Series in Dubai.

The 17-year-old former world champion has been criticised for his work ethic in recent months but proved his world-class credentials with an impressive score of 539.40. That placed him only behind China's all-conquering world champion Qiu Bo, who admitted this week that an Olympic gold medal was his to lose in London this summer.

Daley's medal was Great Britain's only one of the two-day meeting, in which China again scooped all the golds. PA