Pak among 3 tied for early lead in LPGA Lotte tournament

KAPOLEI, Hawaii (AP) ― South Korea’s Pak Se-ri, Kim Hyo-joo and Ryu So-yeon each shot a 4-under 68 on Wednesday for a three-way tie atop the leaderboard after a breezy first round of the LPGA Lotte Championship.Winless in 2013, Pak played the back nine in 2-under 34 in her afternoon round. She had birdies on the par-5 13th and par-4 17th, to go along with an eagle on the par-5 5th.Kim, the 2012 China Ladies Open champion, had five birdies. She had her only bogey on her final hole of the day on t

GolfApril 17, 2014

Park resumes quest for first win of 2014

South Korea’s Park In-bee hopes to celebrate a year atop the women’s golf world rankings with her first victory of 2014 in the LPGA Lotte Championship this week.“Obviously the time has gone really fast,” Park said. “This was the week I took over the No. 1 spot last year, and a lot of things happened since this week last year.“I’ve had a lot of wins, and I’ve experienced a lot of things. “A lot of things going well for me in my career. I feel like I’m probably a lot more mature player than I was

GolfApril 16, 2014

Fielder ends HR drought as Rangers win

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) ― Prince Fielder ended his Texas home run drought, and Robbie Ross finally got some help from the offense as a starter.Fielder and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit back-to-back homers, Ross limited Seattle to five singles in seven-plus innings and the Texas Rangers beat the Mariners 5-0 Tuesday night.Fielder ended a 13-game homerless streak to start the season with a line drive to right-center field off former Texas first-round pick Blake Beavan (0-1) to lead off the second inning. Two

BaseballApril 16, 2014

Following World Cup success, Son eyes Asian Games title

INCHEON (Yonhap) ― Having grabbed multiple medals on the World Cup circuit, South Korean rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae said Tuesday she has set her sights on this year’s Asian Games on her native soil.Son returned home after competing at FIG World Cup events in Portugal and Italy earlier this month. She captured four titles at a FIG World Cup stop in Lisbon during the first weekend of April, including the individual all-around gold medal. Son is the first South Korean rhythmic gymnast to win an

More SportsApril 15, 2014

Badminton star Lee reinstated

Olympic badminton champion Lee Yong-dae, suspended earlier for failing to follow anti-doping protocol, has been reinstated, officials here said on Tuesday, a dramatic turn of events that allows the shuttler to compete at this year’s Asian Games on home soil.Shin Geh-ryuen, head of the Badminton Korea Association, announced at a press conference that one-year suspensions imposed earlier on Lee and a second South Korean player, Kim Ki-jung, have been lifted.In January, the Badminton World Federati

More SportsApril 15, 2014

Gold rush resumes

Michael Phelps is coming out of retirement, lured back into the pool by the fun of it and the possibility of swimming at a fifth Olympics in Rio in 2016.The 22-time Olympic medalist will compete for the first time since the 2012 London Games at a meet in Mesa, Arizona, on April 24-26.Bob Bowman, the swimmer’s longtime coach, told the Associated Press on Monday that Phelps is entered in three events ― the 50- and 100-meter freestyles and the 100 butterfly.“I think he’s just going to test the wate

More SportsApril 15, 2014

Double Bubba

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) ― Bubba Watson’s second Masters title was nothing like the green jacket he won two years ago.The only daring shot Watson hit was one he really didn’t need. The wild swing in momentum came on the front nine, not the back nine of Augusta National. And the sweetest difference of all Sunday was seeing his 2-year-old son walk toward him on the edge of the 18th green after his three-shot victory over Jordan Spieth.Watson turned in another masterpiece and joined an elusive group a

GolfApril 14, 2014

Liverpool outlasts City, nears title

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) ― Liverpool took command of the captivating Premier League title race by beating Manchester City 3-2 in a match of wide-ranging emotions at Anfield, although the destiny of the trophy is also in Chelsea’s hands after its win at Swansea on Sunday.Liverpool is two points ahead of Chelsea in the Premier League, while Atletico leads La Liga by three points over Real Madrid following a 2-1 win at Getafe.Philippe Coutinho scored in the 78th minute to help Liverpool become the f

SoccerApril 14, 2014

Lim Chang-yong picks up first KBO win since 2007

It’s been a long time coming for right-hander Lim Chang-yong of the Samsung Lions ― 2,408 days, to be exact.Recently released by the Chicago Cubs, Lim, who rejoined his former Korea Baseball Organization club before the start of this season, picked up his first win of the year on Sunday against the SK Wyverns.The Lions defeated the Wyverns 10-9, and Lim, 37, was credited with the win thanks to 1 2/3 innings of scoreless work in relief.Lim’s previous KBO appearance had come on Oct. 5, 2007, and h

BaseballApril 14, 2014

The future is now

Son Heung-min is part of a new wave of players aiming to enhance South Korea’s status at the World Cup, no longer content with merely being Asia’s most successful performer on soccer’s biggest stage.The South Koreans have progressed past the group stage in two of the last three World Cups, reaching the semifinals as cohost in 2002 and the last 16 in 2010.Approaching its eighth consecutive appearance at the World Cup, South Korea boasts a young team full of players with European experience and le

SoccerApril 13, 2014

Barcelona loses again

LONDON (AP) ― Barcelona isn’t used to such demoralizing weeks. After being eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday, the Catalan giant made a miserable return to Spanish league action, losing 1-0 at Granada on Saturday and dropping to third place.It also looked like a bleak day for Arsenal until Arsene Wenger’s side scraped into the FA Cup final by beating second-tier club Wigan in a penalty shootout.Barcelona’s loss ensured the same Atletico Madrid that ousted it from the Champions Lea

SoccerApril 13, 2014

Gonzalez homers again as Dodgers roll

PHOENIX (AP) ― Adrian Gonzalez must love it when he sees the word “Arizona” on the opposing uniform.Chances are he’s in for a big night.Gonzalez did it again Saturday night, hitting a two-run homer to help the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks 8-5.Zack Greinke (3-0) scattered eight hits but allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings for Los Angeles.Gonzalez, who had a two-run homer and five RBIs in the series opener Friday, followed that up with a shot to the left-field seats off Wade Miley (2-2)

BaseballApril 13, 2014

Haas surges to early Masters lead

AUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) ― No nerves. No worries. Adam Scott never knew the opening round at Augusta National could be so enjoyable.With his green jacket upstairs in the locker room for Masters champions, Scott made only one bad swing that cost him two shots in a round of 3-under 69. It was the lowest opening score by a defending champion in 13 years, and it left Scott one shot behind leader Bill Haas on an otherwise demanding day.“It was really how you hope to come out and play at any major, and e

GolfApril 11, 2014

Armstrong provides names in testimony

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ― Lance Armstrong has given sworn testimony naming several people he says knew about his performance-enhancing drug use, insisting he didn’t pay anyone or any organization to keep his doping secret.The testimony came in written answers to questions in a lawsuit that was settled in late 2013. The previously undisclosed documents were filed this week as part of the federal whistle-blower lawsuit over his team’s sponsorship by the U.S. Postal Service that could lead to fines in e

More SportsApril 11, 2014