Latest - New Zealand golfer Danny Lee has been given the last spot into next week's US Open in New York.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Lee makes the 144-strong field following the completion of the Tour Championship yesterday with five spots up for grabs.
The top five points leaders not otherwise exempt earned spots into the U.S. Open.
Lee was the lowest ranked of the five.
The completed field, which was constructed through 28 exemption categories, features 11 past champions and 13 amateurs and includes players representing 25 countries.
Because of Covid-19 there was no qualifying for the tournament.
Fellow New Zealander Ryan Fox is also in the field.
Semenya loses appeal
Double Olympic 800 metres champion Caster Semenya has lost her appeal to the Swiss Federal Tribunal to set aside a 2019 Court of Arbitration ruling that female athletes with a high natural level of testosterone must take medication to reduce it.
South African athlete Caster Semenya. Photo: Photosport
South Africa's Semenya approached the tribunal in May last year after CAS, sport's highest court, ruled that World Athletics regulations were necessary for athletes with differences in sexual development in races ranging from 400 metres to a mile, to ensure fair competition.
The tribunal found the requirement of subjecting certain female athletes to drug or surgical interventions as a precondition to compete does not amount to a violation of Swiss public policy, Semenya's lawyers said in a statement on Tuesday.
Testosterone increases muscle mass, strength and haemoglobin, which affects endurance. Some competitors have said women with higher levels of the hormone have an unfair advantage.
"I am very disappointed by this ruling, but refuse to let World Athletics drug me or stop me from being who I am," Semenya said referring to the sport's governing body.
Semenya has already indicated that she would focus on the shorter 200-metres sprint event, which falls outside of the regulations, at the Tokyo Olympic Games that were postponed to next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
-Reuters
Brady into last four in NY
American upstart Jennifer Brady continued her surprising surge at the U.S. Open tennis tournament with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The 28th-seeded Brady, who has yet to drop a set at this year's U.S. Open, used her massive forehand and impressive court coverage to deny Putintseva in her bid to become the first Kazakh woman to reach the final four of any major.
Brady, whose lead-up to the U.S. Open included a maiden WTA title at Lexington, had all facets of her game clicking early as she broke twice to race to a 4-0 lead before wrapping up the first set in 34 minutes.
Putintseva, seeded 23rd, had no answer in the second set as Brady broke three times for a 5-2 lead before sealing the match on her serve.
Up next for Brady will be the winner of the clash between former champion Naomi Osaka, the fourth seed, and unseeded American Shelby Rogers.
-Reuters
Games must go ahead
The rearranged Tokyo Games must be held "at any cost" in 2021, says Japan's Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto.
Hashimoto said the Games should be held for the benefit of the athletes, regardless of the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Japanese government and the International Olympic Committee took the unprecedented decision in March to postpone the Games, originally scheduled to begin in July, until 2021 because of the virus.
Officials from the Japanese government, local Tokyo government and the Olympics organising committee met for the first time last week to develop steps to counter the coronavirus at the Games.
Organisers are looking at over 200 proposals on how best to deal with the virus, including easing travel restrictions for foreign athletes, anti-virus measures at the Athletes' Village and how to handle spectators.
-Reuters
Eels pair back for Warriors
Parramatta loan players Daniel Alvaro and George Jennings return after a one-game absence for the Warriors' NRL match against the Cronulla on Sunday.
Interchange prop Alvaro and winger Jennings made five appearances in the Warriors' run of four wins from five starts but Parramatta then opted not to allow them to line up against their contracted club in last Sunday's loss in Gosford.
While agreement has been reached for them to reunite with their loan club, prop Jack Hetherington hasn't been cleared by Penrith to return after completing his four-game suspension.
Jennings regains his spot on the left wing replacing veteran Gerard Beale, while Alvaro is on the bench.
Alvaro and Jennings are the only personnel changes but interim head coach Todd Payten has made a switch in the forwards with Isaiah Papali'i starting in the front row ahead of Lachlan Burr.
The Warriors can no longer make the play-offs.
Roberts promoted at Williams
The Williams Formula One team has promoted managing director Simon Roberts to the role of acting principal following the departure of the founding family after last weekend's Italian Grand Prix.
Frank Williams was previously the principal but his daughter Claire ran the team day-to-day as his deputy. Both have now left after the former champions were sold to U.S.-based Dorilton Capital last month.
Roberts joined the British-based team in June from McLaren, where he had been chief operations officer, and will take charge immediately with Formula One racing at Italy's Mugello circuit this weekend.
Williams have not won a race since 2012 and their glory days are long past, with the sport's third most successful team struggling to score even a point.
-Reuters
Thomas named PGA golfer of the year
Justin Thomas added a further accolade to a stellar campaign when he was named the PGA of America Player of the Year, while Webb Simpson won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average.
Thomas, who won three events during the season and finished joint runner-up in the FedExCup playoffs, edged Spaniard Jon Rahm to capture the award, which is based on a points system, for the second time in his career.
Simpson posted an adjusted scoring average of 68.978 through 52 complete rounds to edge out Rahm (69.127), for the Vardon Trophy.
-Reuters
