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ABC News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Elvis Smylie earns US PGA Championship spot after late exemption granted
Shooting golf star Elvis Smylie will get to test himself against Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and the like after being granted a special exemption into next week's US PGA Championship in North Carolina. Smylie had already earned a ticket back to this year's British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland after winning the 2024/25 Australasian Order of Merit. Now his US major championship debut is the latest perk for the 23-year-old's summer of excellence in Australia and New Zealand. Smylie follows on from the previous two Order of Merit winners, David Micheluzzi and Kazuma Kobori, who were also granted late exemptions to play the season's second major. While the US PGA marked major championship debuts for Micheluzzi and Kobori in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Smylie enters having played The Open Championship at Royal Troon last year. He earned that spot through final qualifying and, although he narrowly missed the cut, has shown since that he is not overawed by the game's biggest tournaments. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Victory in the third event of the season, the WA Open, was a precursor to That win secured immediate status on the DP World Tour, where the Golf Australia Rookie Squad member has since accrued three top-16 finishes, including in back-to-back events in his two most recent starts in China. "I'm really excited for this opportunity," Smylie said in a post to Instagram. "Thank you to the PGA of America for the invite and to Chairman, Ian Baker-Finch, and his team at the PGA of Australia for all the help with this process. "I can't wait and I'll see you all at Quail Hollow." Smylie's inclusion bolsters the Australian challenge at the PGA Championship to seven, joining 2015 winner Jason Day, fellow former world number one Adam Scott, Smith, Cam Davis and 2025 PGA Tour winners AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
04-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Australia wins historic World Curling bronze medal, but do not have an Olympic spot for Milano-Cortina yet
Australia's mixed curling pairing of Tahli Gill and Dean Hewitt have won a historic bronze medal at the World Curling Championships in Fredericton, Canada. However, they still have work to do in order to make a second consecutive Olympic Games appearance. In Canada, the Aussies beat Estonia 9-2 in the third-place play-off, having narrowly lost to Scotland 9-6 in the semi-finals. It is Australia's first curling medal at a World Championships. "It's been a fantastic feeling coming through and building throughout the entire year this year … that's close to 11 podiums for the entire year," Hewitt told World Curling. "We're proud of what we've done. "Coming up a little bit short for the Olympic qualification directly is bittersweet, "But getting the bronze? We can't be too disappointed with that." Loading Instagram content Gill and Hewitt's previous best performance was at the 2019 World Championships when they finished fourth, just a year after combining as a pair for the first time. They also finished in 10th spot at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing — an extraordinary achievement as the first Australian curlers to make an Olympics, but one that was tempered by Gill repeatedly testing positive for COVID-19 in the latter stages of the competition. Having lost four of their first five match-ups by a single point in the Beijing Ice Cube, the pair concluded their tournament by To make that Games, the Aussies had to go through the Olympic Qualification Event in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, where they won a spectacular seven matches out of seven To reach the Milano-Cortina Games in 2026, they will likely have to do the same. Despite their World Championships bronze and having won the third-most points of any team across 2025, a relatively poor 2024 season meant the Aussies fell just a single point short of the top eight teams through the qualification period. Teams earned points through their finishing positions at tournaments throughout 2024 and 2025. Only the top eight teams after the 2024/25 qualification period are guaranteed a spot at the Games. The qualified teams are Italy, Estonia, Sweden, Great Britain (competing as Scotland in World Curling events), Norway, Canada, Switzerland and the United States of America. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Victory over Scotland in the semifinal would have been enough for the Aussies to pip US pairing Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin to that sought-after top-eight spot. The final two places will be decided at the Olympic Qualification Event, set to be held in Kelowna, Canada, from December 6-19,2025. "It's huge for us," Gill said of winning bronze. "We've worked really hard for this moment. "It's a bittersweet feeling, but it definitely gives us a lot of confidence moving forward. "The momentum isn't going to stop and we're going to keep pushing." The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Australia Wallaroos defeat Fiji in women's rugby union Test match but lose key players to injury
A comprehensive Test win for the Wallaroos over Fijiana has come at a cost, with star winger Maya Stewart going down with a knee injury. Saturday's battle for the inaugural Vuvale Bowl trophy was effectively over by half-time after the Wallaroos ran in five tries to one to power to a 31-7 lead by the break. The visitors extended their advantage further in the second half to run out 43-7 winners in Suva. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Also injured in the contest was outside centre Bienne Terita, who was hurt while diving in the corner for her second try of the match in the 27th minute. Terita lay on the turf in pain for a couple of minutes before being piggy-backed off the pitch. Her exit brought star recruit Charlotte Caslick into the game for her Wallaroos debut. Australia led 19-7 at the time, and continued the momentum on the way to the seven-tries-to-one victory. But the win was soured by the loss of Stewart, the team's 2024 player of the year, who injured her right knee and limped off the field. "We talk about growth, and super proud of our girls. There were a few debutants, opportunities out there," Wallaroos captain Siokapesi Palu told Stan. "But we've got to give credit to Fiji. They're a physical team, and in that second half you could see that." Fiji took a surprise 7-0 lead in the seventh minute after Alfreda Fisher barged through for the opening try. It was all one-way traffic from that point on as the visitors took control of the contest. Full-back Caitlyn Halse managed to keep control of the ball while falling backwards to score the Wallaroos' first try in the 10th minute. A double strike from Terita, which was followed by a try to captain Siokapesi Palu gave the Wallaroos breathing space. And when winger Desiree Miller crossed on the stroke of half-time, the Wallaroos already boasted a match-winning lead. They scored another two tries in the second half — via Layne Morgan and Tania Naden — to run out comprehensive winners. The Wallaroos will be back in action next Saturday when they take on the Black Ferns in Newcastle. AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Stephanie Gilmore accepts wildcard entry to the Gold Coast Pro
Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will return to the World Surf League for a cameo at the Gold Coast Pro after almost two years away from competition. The 37-year-old will take up a wildcard for the event, which she has won an unprecedented six times, with the opening round scheduled for this weekend. Last competing in August 2023, Gilmore took the 2024 season off to focus on her mental health, and then days out from this year's season-opener decided to extend her break. But competition returning to home territory at Burleigh Heads for the first time since 2019 was enough to lure her back into action. Photo shows Jack Robinson, holding the Australian flag above his head, sitting on the shoulder of supporters after winning at Bells Beach Aussies Isabella Nichols and Jack Robinson have completed one of the finest days in Australian surfing, claiming the women's and men's finals at Bells Beach. "I'm super excited to have this opportunity to get back in the jersey for the CT's return to the Gold Coast," Gilmore, who is set to return to the tour full-time next year, said. "I've been enjoying my time away from tour, but I'm still a competitor at heart, so I am really looking forward to clicking back into that mindset and testing myself after some time away from competition. "It's so close to home as well, so it's really a no-brainer. "I'm definitely not as in tune with Burleigh as I am with Snapper (Rocks), but it's still a perfect right point, so I feel like it's a spot that suits my style. "It will be my first time competing at Burleigh since I was a junior, so I'm looking forward to it." Gilmore has a tough opening heat, drawn against reigning world champion Caitlin Simmers and Brazilian Luana Silva, who finished runner-up at Bells Beach last weekend. The event was relocated from Snapper Rocks to Burleigh Heads, which has not hosted a Championship Tour event in more than a decade, due to the change in waves from the recent cyclone that hit Queensland. Gilmore will replace Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb while Spanish surfer Nadia Erostarbe will step in for French veteran Johanne Defay, who has withdrawn from the remainder of the season while she prepares to welcome her first child. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Hawaiian Ian Gentil has taken a wildcard to replace Gabriel Medina, while Sydneysider Jordy Lawler will start in place of injured Moroccan Ramzi Boukhiam. Callum Robson has been awarded the event wildcard, while a further two will enter the main draw following the trials. Fellow Australians Jack Robinson and Isabella Nichols will look for successive titles after victories at Bells Beach. Robinson has climbed to world number three, trailing Brazilian rankings leader Italo Ferreira and Queenslander Ethan Ewing while Nichols is up to number four, one place behind Molly Picklum. AAP The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Alex de Minaur wins into fourth round of Madrid Open as Novak Djokovic pulls out of Italian Open
Alex de Minaur has charged into the fourth round of the Madrid Open with a powerful performance as electricity returned to Spain. The Australian number one took fewer than 90 minutes to defuse the big-serving Canadian Denis Shapovalov with a straight-sets 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) win on Court Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. Sixth seed de Minaur and Shapovalov The pair returned to the same arena to open Tuesday's play, and de Minaur was soon flowing. He broke in the fifth game of the first set after Shapovalov double-faulted on break point, and again in the ninth, closing out the set with a love game. The second set went to a tie-break, but de Minaur took that easily to draw level with Carlos Alcaraz with a tour-leading 24th win of the season. Loading Twitter content "He's got tremendous firepower from every part of the court, and I had to do my best to neutralise it and not let him dictate as much as he could," said de Minaur, who has won all five matches with Shapovalov. De Minaur is now into his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 last 16 and will next face Lorenzo Musetti, who defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5, 7-6 (7-3). In a boilover, world number 21 Francisco Cerundolo defeated top seed and two-time Madrid winner Alexander Zverev 7-5, 6-3. But it was perhaps not such a shock as the Argentine beat Zverev at the same stage last year and has now won all three of their meetings. Grigor Dimitrov also advanced. He had been 6-4, 5-4 up against Jacob Fearnley when the power went out with the Briton about to serve to stay in the set. He did so successfully when play resumed but the Bulgarian won the tie-break for a 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory. ABC Sport Daily is your daily sports conversation. We dive into the biggest story of the day and get you up to speed with everything else that's making headlines. Americans Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe also won on a morning when there were a few teething problems following the power outage. Other winners included teenager Jakub Mensic, Canada's lucky loser Gabriel Diallo, who beat a subpar Cameron Norrie 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, and Jack Draper, who progressed after Matteo Berrettini retired when a set down. The blackout brought much of Spain and Portugal to a standstill, knocking out subway networks, phone lines, traffic lights and ATM machines. At the Madrid Open players had to eat by candlelight and Brazilian doubles player Fernando Romboli, who was partnering Australia's John-Patrick Smith, had to be rescued after getting stuck in a lift. It was not ideal preparation and the duo lost their match on Tuesday 6-0, 6-3 to Argentine pair Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni. Djokovic pulls out of Italian Open amid losing streak Novak Djokovic pulled out of the Italian Open on Tuesday in the midst of a three-match losing streak, shedding doubt on how well he will be able to play at the upcoming French Open as he continues to seek a record 25th Grand Slam trophy and 100th tournament title overall. The clay-court event in Rome, which will be held next month, posted on social media that Djokovic would not be participating and wrote: "See you next year, Nole," referring to the 37-year-old Serbian star by his nickname. Djokovic has struggled this season, going just 12-6 and dropping his past three contests in a row — at the Miami Open, the Monte Carlos Masters and, on Saturday, at the Madrid Open. After losing to Matteo Arnaldi 6-3, 6-4 in Spain, Djokovic said: "It's a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis. It's a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in tournaments." Djokovic has repeatedly said that what now matters to him is adding to his major championships. The next such event begins in Paris on May 25. He had to withdraw during last year's tournament at Roland Garros because of a knee injury that required surgery. Djokovic also stopped during the Australian Open this January because of a torn hamstring muscle. The ABC of SPORT Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday. Your information is being handled in accordance with the Email address Subscribe AAP/AP
