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BBC News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'I know what I need to do' - rising star Woad targets Open
Just a week after turning professional, Lottie Woad is favourite for the final major of the year - the AIG Women's Open at Royal is a startling rise for British golf's most exciting prospect. She arrived in Wales having been crowned Scottish Open champion on in the same month she ended her amateur career by winning the Irish Open and finished third at the Evian Championship, the most recent women's bookmakers have taken notice. Odds as stingy as 6-1 to win a golf tournament are usually reserved for the likes of Tiger Woods in his pomp and most recently Scottie Scheffler - not a rookie only days into her professional career. But the 21-year-old from Surrey is performing like a seasoned champion, demonstrating a golfing maturity way beyond her she win this week? "Yes, absolutely," former Women's Open champion and NBC commentator Karen Stupples told BBC Sport."I mean, she came 10th last year as an amateur and she almost won at Evian."The player herself seems unfazed by the attention she is generating but concedes her stunning start to life in the paid ranks has come as a bit of a surprise."I don't think you can predict that," she told BBC Sport. "I obviously was playing pretty well. But you can never expect to win an event, especially your first one."I was just looking to have a good experience that we could learn from and just try to play good golf, and that's how it happened. And then I guess I got the win."Woad, who played her first two rounds at Dundonald with world number one Nelly Korda and the current top Briton Charley Hull, added: "I think I've had so many experiences as an amateur playing in professional events."Playing with those players and being in the big groups, that didn't really feel too different."The next challenge is to maintain the momentum of this remarkable transition from world number one amateur to the most talked about current star in the professional game."I know what I need to do to perform well and there are always areas you need to tie up on and maintain," Woad said."So just having good prep and, I mean, knowing that you can't expect to play well all the time - especially on a tough course out here."Such perspective is another sign of Woad's maturity and is a striking element to her game."Lottie Woad is the most matter-of-fact golfer that I've ever really come across," Stupples said. "If you tell her she needs to make three birdies to win, she'll say: 'Oh, OK, I'll just make three birdies then.'"And if she does it, great; if she doesn't, it's not going to affect her one way or the other. It's as basic as that to her."She has intangibles that other players don't have," added the 2004 Women's Open winner."She's not afraid to look at her goals and say: 'OK, what do I have to do to achieve them?' And she accepts everything about achieving them."And that's where she differs from most people, because most players are a little scared of looking at a leaderboard. They're a little scared of what their reaction is going to be."She's not scared of that in any way, shape or form. And it's amazing."Which was precisely the word Korda used to describe the newcomer after playing the opening 36 holes with her on the Ayrshire coast last week. "Absolutely amazing," said the world number one."I was very impressed with her composure, her process. When it comes to her shot routine, especially under pressure and in the heat of the moment, sometimes people seem to fidget and kind of doubt themselves, but she stuck to it."She stuck to her process every single time, and I think that's one of the main things that I noticed is how mature she is for her age and how comfortable she was in the heat of the moment."You can see that she's put a tonne of hours in," Korda added. "Her putting is very solid, her game's solid, she hits it pretty far off the tee."Woad has been given another plumb draw this week, alongside the last two champions Lilia Vu and Lydia Ko, who triumphed at St Andrews last year after winning gold at the Paris is the stuff of golfing dreams for the English player. "I definitely love golf," she said."There's so many elements to it and you can practise so many things and improve in so many different ways. I just love practising and just love being very competitive."Woad listened on the car radio to the penalty shootout that brought more glory to England's Lionesses as she journeyed with her first professional trophy from Dundonald last Sunday now in Wales she might be on the threshold of prolonging the success story for English women's sport. The bookies certainly think so - and they are not alone.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
People are just realising Lucy Bronze's middle name after playing Euro 2025 with fractured leg
England star Lucy Bronze battled through injuries to help the Lionesses defeat Spain in the Euro 2025 final and retain the championship on Sunday Lucy Bronze produced a heroic effort to help lead England to glory at Euro 2025. The experienced full-back revealed that she had played the tournament with a fractured tibia in her left leg after helping the Lionesses retain the trophy. Bronze, 33, boasts 140 caps for her country, but she displayed a remarkable spirit to earn the most recent handful of those. Only three of her team-mates played more than Bronze's total 598 minutes in Switzerland, despite battling injuries throughout the Euros. The Chelsea star managed a herculean 105 minutes as England triumphed over Spain in the final, having also damaged her right leg in the dramatic quarter-final win over Sweden. That performance summed up Bronze - scoring to bring the tie back to 2-1 before strapping up her leg for the winning penalty in the shootout, and perfectly fits in with her middle name, Tough. Born Lucia Roberta Tough Bronze, the England icon was given her apt middle name as it is her mother Diane's maiden name. Bronze displayed more than her fair share of toughness as she revelled in England's penalty shootout triumph over Spain on Sunday. "I actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew," Bronze told BBC Sport."I just hurt my knee today on the other leg. That is why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I have been in a lot of pain. "But if that's what it takes to play for England, that's what I'll do - they know that. We inspire each other by playing through things like that and it got us to the end, in the end." Asked if her injuries would dampen her celebrations, Bronze added: "It's very painful. I am going to party, I am going to enjoy it and that's it." Taking to X, one fan wrote: "Lucy 'TOUGH' Bronze, you are superhuman." A second posted: "Looked up Lucy Bronze to see how old she was and thought someone had been at the Wiki editing again, but no, no, her middle name really is Tough..." A third said: "Nobody suits their name quite as much as Lucy Tough Bronze." A fourth agreed: "There's no one else but Lucy Bronze who would play the whole tournament with a fractured tibia. Her middle name is Tough for a reason." Bronze's determination to help England win the Euros was encapsulated by her continuing to play through the pain until she was in tears when she was finally substituted. England boss Sarina Wiegman, who has won the Euros for the third time in a row as a manager, singled Bronze out for praise. "She had some issues with her tibia so of course we tried to manage that," Wiegman said. "When you play 120 minutes you're not managing it are you? The whole team has a great mentality but she has a crazy mentality, it's unbelievable." Bronze's efforts were also not lost on her fellow Lionesses. "Lucy, I don't… I have no words," England centre-back Jess Carter said, as reported by The Athletic."Lucy Bronze is just… I don't even know. She's incredible. "Also, so stubborn to continue playing when she can't run or walk. She'll find a way through. Stubborn is the first thing but she's a winner and winning is in her DNA. That's what she wants to do. We all know that she'll give absolutely everything for this team." Lionesses Bring It Home Again - Souvenir Edition Bronze has represented England at seven major tournaments, but did not give a definitive answer over whether she would aim to be part of the 2027 World Cup squad. However, her England and Chelsea team-mate Niamh Charles was unsurprised by Bronze's sacrifice to help England to victory. 'She just gets on with it,' England and Chelsea team-mate Charles said of Bronze. 'No one really truly knows how much she's dealing with. To play on, that is pretty incredible but if there was anyone to do it, it would have been her.' Summing up Bronze's legacy, Charles concluded: 'Yeah, proper, proper English. She's a credit to that and an England legend.'
India Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Harry Brook on how Brendon McCullum encouraged England at Lord's: No more nice guys
Harry Brook revealed that Brendon McCullum felt England were being "too nice" during the Lord's Test against India. The comment stemmed from incidents that began late on Day 3, when Indian captain Shubman Gill sledged Zak Crawley over what he perceived as time-wasting tactics by Crawley and Ben Duckett, with the match hanging in the escalated further on Day 4 when Mohammed Siraj celebrated aggressively after dismissing Duckett. As a result, Siraj was fined 15 per cent of his match fee and received one demerit point for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of came at the perfect time'It was on the evening of Day 4 that McCullum reportedly told the team they were being "too nice." Brook later remarked that, given what had transpired on Day 3, England players couldn't afford to continue in that manner. "He actually said a few days before that we are too nice sometimes. I brought it up the night before the last day: 'Baz said the other day we're too nice, I think tomorrow is a perfect opportunity to really get stuck into them',' Brook told BBC Sport."It came at the perfect time. The opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys was because of what they did the night before. We watched two of our guys out there on their own, going back at the Indians after they were going at them. We just thought 'we're not standing for that'."We had a conversation and said 'it's time to not be those nice guys that we have been before',' Brook fight back at Lord'sWith scores level at the end of the first innings, India bowled England out for 192 in the second, putting themselves in a strong position to take a 2-1 lead in the series. However, England mounted a spirited fightback to clinch a dramatic Brook had a quiet outing in the first innings but contributed a crucial 23 off 19 balls in the second. Despite the modest score, his quickfire cameo proved valuable. Brook has been in fine form throughout the series, amassing 314 runs from three matches at an average of 52.33.- EndsMust Watch
Daily Mirror
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Emma Raducanu's terrifying stalking ordeals from sick gift to tears on court
British tennis star Emma Raducanu has been subjected to terrifying stalking incidents, including one that took place during a match in Dubai and the stalker later being blocked from buying Wimbledon tickets British tennis star Emma Raducanu has endured a string of terrifying stalking incidents during her career, and it's left her feeling weary of leaving her home. At just 22 years old, Raducanu has already reached a world number 10 ranking and is the current women's British number one. She was the 2021 US Open champion and became the first British woman to win a singles match during the tournament since 1977. She returned to Wimbledon this year after missing the 2024 competiton because of the birth of her son, but her journey was cut short after being knocked out of the third round last Friday by the current world number one for ladies' singles, Aryna Sabalenka. While it was a dissapointing finish, Raducanu has sadly experienced much worse on the court as the disturbing behaviour of one 'fixated' spectator once reduced her to tears. During a match at the Dubai Tennis Championships in February this year, Raducanu was visibly distressed during her second-round against Karolina Muchova. So much so that she was left seeking refuge in tears behind the umpire's chair after spotting a man in the audience who had reportedly approached her earlier in the tournament. Following the incident, the WTA issued a statement detailing the distressing incident: "On Monday, February 17, Emma Raducanu was approached in a public area by a man who exhibited fixated behaviour. This same individual was identified in the first few rows during Emma's match on Tuesday at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and subsequently ejected. "He will be banned from all WTA events pending a threat assessment. Player safety is our top priority, and tournaments are advised on security best practices for international sporting events." Dubai authorities issued a restraining order against the stalker, whose information is now circulated among international tennis tournaments. The Dubai incident was the fourth consecutive event after Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, during which the individual had been present during Raducanu's matches. The day before the incident in Dubai, he even confronted her in a café. Raducanu bravely spoke out about her ordeal earlier this year. "It was difficult," she told BBC Sport."It was emphasised by the fact I didn't necessarily feel certain or comfortable in my own set-up and team so it just added to the anxious feeling. "I'm obviously wary when I go out. I try not to be careless about it because you only realise how much of a problem it is when you're in that situation and I don't necessarily want to be in that situation again. "Off the court right now, I feel good, I feel pretty settled. I feel like I have good people around me and anything that was negative, I kind of brush it off as much as I can." Ahead of this year's Wimbledon, the All England Club spotted the man from the Dubai incident through their public ballot system and promptly cancelled his ticket application. While the Wimbledon draw closed doors last year, refunds could have still lead to ticket redistribution right until The Championships started on June 30, the Express reports. Terrifyingly, it's not the first time Raducanu has been stalked. Amrit Magar, who was not the individual in Dubai, was convicted of stalking Raducanu between November 1 and December 4, 2021. At the time, Raducanu was just 18-years-old. The court heard that Magar, originally from Harrow, north-east London, went to Raducanu's home on three separate occasions, loitering around the premises, leaving unwanted cards and gifts including a note that said the tennis player 'deserved love' along with a map illustrating the 23 miles he had walked from his home in Edgeware. He also decorated a tree in her garden with Christmas lights and stole the trainer from her porch believing it belonged to her rather than her father. Raducanu's father, Ian, first became aware of Magar's actions after being alerted by a doorbbell camera, discovering his trainer had been taken from the porch. In February 2022, the judge handed Magar a five-year restraining order and sentenced the 35-year-old to an 18-month community order. The sentence included 200 hours of unpaid work and an eight-week curfew between 9pm and 6am monitored by an electronic tag. When asked about the incident, Raducanu previously said: "Since all this has happened, I have felt very creeped out. I feel very apprehensive if I go out, especially if I am on my own. "I feel like my freedom has been taken away from me. I am constantly looking over my shoulder. I feel on edge and worried this could happen again. I don't feel safe in my own home, which is where I should feel safest."
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon star issues apology to crowd after winning match in 55 seconds
American tennis star Ben Shelton is safely into the third round of Wimbledon after overcoming Rinky Hijikata in a match that was controversially split in two Ben Shelton issued an apology after winning his latest Wimbledon outing in less than a minute. The American took on Rinky Hijikata in the second round of the tournament. And he safely made it through by winning in straight sets. But his win came in bizarre circumstances having originally got underway against Hijikata on Thursday. He was two sets up and was leading 5-4 in the third, putting him on the verge of victory. However, the umpire on court two then brought proceedings to a close at 9:30pm, claiming that there was not enough light. That triggered a furious reaction from Shelton, who was determined to play on. In the end, it only took Shelton 55 seconds to eventually secure victory on Friday, while he then apologised to the Wimbledon crowd for the lack of action. "I'm sorry that you guys didn't really get to see much tennis," he said in his on-court interview. "No rallies but hopefully the rest of the matches today and hopefully in my match tomorrow you guys see a little bit more." Shelton then claimed he might have to visit the practice courts given the lack of play that he had faced on Friday. He added: 'I was hoping to maybe hit a few groundstrokes today! I might have to go to the practice courts. Overall, I couldn't be more happy being in the third round of Wimbledon. "I thought it was a great match, a clean match. I thought Rinky played really well. My shot-making was really hot last night, the crowd was in it with me. I'm not sure how many of you guys were in the crowd last night but thanks everybody for staying late and then coming back." Shelton will now take on Hungarian Márton Fucsovics as he aims to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon. Elsewhere, tournament director Jamie Baker has defended the decision for the game to be stopped on Thursday. Who will win the men's singles title at Wimbledon? Share your predictions in the comments below "We gave the players as much time as we possibly could to try to finish that match. We played till very, very late. It was extremely dark," he said to BBC Sport."Ultimately, we have a team of officials who are on the court, and they're making a judgment call on several different factors. "They just did not feel comfortable with the match continuing in almost complete darkness. So we do stand by the decision. Sometimes these things happen. [We have] lots of matches to get on court - it was definitely the right decision from the officials."
