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BBC News
27-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
England's Penge claims maiden DP World Tour title
Hainan Classic - final leaderboard-17 M Penge (Eng); -14 S Crocker (US), K Reitan (Nor); -13 R Neergaard-Petersen (Den); -12 M Couvra (Fra); -11 E Molinari (Ita), S Bairstow (Eng), X Bowen (Chn)Selected others: -7 C Purcell (Ire); -6 B Schmidt (Eng), M Baldwin (Eng), G Forrest (Sco), A Sullivan (Eng); -5 J SeniorFull leaderboard England's Marco Penge claimed his maiden DP World Tour title - just two months after returning from a betting 26-year-old was given a three-month ban in December for placing bets on multiple events, with one month suspended for a returning to action, Penge had finished third at the South African Open in March, and followed that up by securing a three-shot victory at the Hainan Classic in China on who joined the European-based tour last year, started the day in a share of the lead with China's Xiao Bowen and was one shot behind Sean Crocker as he began the back he hit three straight birdies from the 12th to go clear before finishing with a five-under 67 to seal the win on 17 under Crocker finished in a tie for second with Norway's Kristoffer Reitan on 14 under, with Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen a shot further back."This means the world to me," said Penge. "It's something that I've always dreamt of achieving - winning on the biggest stage."After my time off it was the thing that I wanted to really prove to myself and prove to everyone, to show what a player I am."My caddie, through that time, has been my rock. And my wife and my whole team - I wouldn't be where I am without them."Victory saw Penge finish third on the DP World Tour's Asian Swing standings so he also earned a spot at the US PGA Championship at Quail Keita Nakajima, who finished in a tie for 11th on Sunday, was top of the standings ahead of Spain's Eugenio Chacarra, so both will also be heading to the year's second major next month.
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
GRAHAM GRANT: Swinney still can't say what a 'woman' is but voters know a 'leader' when they see one and he doesn't fit the bill
John Swinney has defied the well-established political dictum that when you're in a hole, you should stop digging. After last week's landmark Supreme Court gender judgment, he's still in that hole, shovel in hand – busily turning it into a chasm. Far from providing a degree of clarity for the First Minister, that seismic ruling seems to have muddied the waters. Asked twice at the weekend whether he accepted 'a trans woman is not a woman', Mr Swinney would not explicitly say so - and instead repeatedly said that he accepted the court's ruling. It said the definition of 'woman' in UK equality law was based on 'biological sex', not preference or having a gender recognition certificate (GRC). SNP ministers had argued the term 'women' should include biological males who have legally changed gender - which the Supreme Court said would create 'incoherence' in practice. The ruling means that men who change gender and have a GRC are not legally women and that women-only spaces such as toilets, changing rooms and rape crisis centres can exclude trans women if it is 'proportionate'. Adding insult to injury, Mr Swinney refused to apologise to those brave women who stood up to his government's transgender stance, and he even appeared to open the door to a revival of Nicola Sturgeon's abortive 'self-ID' legislation. It would have allowed 16-year-olds to secure a GRC – down from the current minimum age of 18 – but was blocked by the UK Government and later dropped by the SNP – or so we thought. Mr Swinney is doubling down when he should be rowing back because he can't bring himself to concede that for years his government backed an agenda whose fundamental pillars were built on sand - and now face being swept away. Radical trans policies have been hard-wired into the public sector and will now have to be unpicked, doubtless over a long period of time and at great cost to the taxpayer – adding to the £1million the SNP has already wasted on defending its position in court. As an unrepentant cheerleader of the transgender lunacy which we now know was founded on a false proposition, Mr Swinney should be pleading for our forgiveness. Instead we're told that a statement at Holyrood on Tuesday by Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville will set out the government's response to the Supreme Court judgment. Anyone expecting clarity would be well-advised not to hold their breath, given that Mr Swinney has set the tone for what she's likely to say. The chances are that it won't be an admission of error, an apology, or an announcement of a determination to change direction. Mr Swinney and his ministers are content to pay lip service to respecting the court's opinion but that's as far as it goes – otherwise, it seems, it's business as usual for the SNP. That shouldn't surprise us, as the party hasn't always seen eye to eye with the justices of the UK's highest court. Kenny MacAskill, as Justice Secretary, criticised Supreme Court judges for their ignorance about Scotland, claiming their knowledge of it was limited to their trips to the Edinburgh Festival. He did pay a high price for that intervention – the late Lord McCluskey, writing in the Mail, launched a broadside against Mr MacAskill over this slight and a series of other issues and he was later sacked by Nicola Sturgeon. She has also kept a low profile since the Supreme Court bombshell, though her ex-chief of staff Liz Lloyd said she didn't 'think either side of this debate could really walk around with a halo over their head saying, you know, we got this absolutely right'. You might think that's a significant concession from the Sturgeon camp, but this goes far beyond halo slippage. Ms Sturgeon and her colleagues demonised critics of their doomed self-ID law and ploughed ahead with some of the most divisive legislation MSPs had ever considered. The resulting row was a contributory factor to Ms Sturgeon's downfall, and it robbed her of a longed-for legacy. Trans rights became the defining theme of her administration, and the failure of the Gender Recognition Reform Bill meant she had little to show from her eight years in office - bar baby boxes. Mr Swinney's evasion and bluster are driven by the same instinct for political damage limitation – but it's too late for that. The scale of this defeat is so great that in any sane universe, heads would roll – including Mr Swinney's. Meanwhile, like Ms Sturgeon, Sir Keir Starmer has maintained a monastic silence on the ruling, and the Mail on Sunday revealed that some of his frontbenchers are plotting to defy it. In WhatsApp messages sent on Thursday evening, culture minister Sir Chris Bryant joined an attack on Baroness Falkner, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which must draw up guidance for organisations to follow when enforcing the ruling. Earlier that day, Baroness Falkner had said that the ruling clearly meant that trans women could not use single-sex female facilities or compete in women's sports. After Labour MP Steve Race said Lady Falkner's words were 'pretty appalling', Mr Bryant replied: 'Agreeed [sic].' Another MP on the WhatsApp group wrote it was 'sad to see some institutions choose to ignore the Supreme Court's very strong line that trans people are protected by the Equality Act too'. Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle replied: 'They won't be feeling that way now and we need to remember that and organise.' It's yet another display of brazen contempt and it's all the more sickening when you consider that the campaigners who took the SNP government to court have been subjected to an outpouring of hate since the judgment was handed down last Wednesday. Messages sent to For Women Scotland's email address included one hours after the ruling which said: 'You're a group of disgusting murderers and deserve death. God will rip you from your family one day and nobody will mourn you.' Another read: 'Your inhumanity makes me vomit. 'You stupid women should feel deeply ashamed for being so stupid.' Wearied campaigners say they haven't reported this barrage of abuse to police, while officers have defended the right to protest while condemning threats as 'senseless and unacceptable'. The same description could be applied to the SNP's failure to accept that it's game over for the trans radicalism which became its raison d'être - once it was clear that its crusade for independence was in the deep freeze. If shameless Mr Swinney wants to keep pursuing this madness, Scots will pass judgment on his actions and those of his ministers at the ballot box next year. Mr Swinney may struggle to define a 'woman' but voters, male and female, will have no such trouble defining a 'leader' - and it's clear that he falls woefully short of the necessary criteria.
Daily Record
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Raging Hearts demand SFA answers over Cammy Devlin red card and claim blundering VAR officials have cost them all season
Tynecastle chiefs have taken issue with the two yellow cards shown to Cammy Devlin and previous VAR errors Hearts have demanded an explanation from the SFA over John Beaton's Hampden display in their Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen. And the capital club have also raised what they see as a lack of balance over the season in terms of VAR errors for and against them, based on the results of the KMI Review Panel. The Jambos were reduced to ten man just before half-time at Hampden when Michael Steinwender was sent packing for wiping out Topi Keskinen. But it was Beaton 's call to book Devlin twice that Hearts are taking issue with. The Aussie's first yellow card came for a late challenge on Shayden Morris, which occurred during a delayed offside call against the Aberdeen winger. Devlin was then shown a second yellow with just four minutes of extra-time remaining, catching Dante Polvara in an attempt to clear a bouncing ball. Jimmy Thelin's side took advantage of their two extra men just two minutes later as sub Oday Dabbagh struck late to book a cup final date with Celtic on May 24. Now Tynecastle chiefs are seeking dialogue with the beaks to air theirs and their fans' grievances over Beaton and other calls during the campaign. The full statement read: "Now that the dust has settled on Saturday's Scottish Cup semi-final, everyone at Heart of Midlothian Football Club would like to say thank you to our supporters. "Your backing is never taken for granted, particularly when it has been a challenging, and ultimately disappointing, season. To have nearly 22,000 Jambos inside Hampden Park was an incredible feat, and your support undoubtedly inspired the team on the pitch to battle until the very end, where, against all odds, it looked as if the players had earned the opportunity to take the match to penalty kicks, and deservedly so. "While we give credit to Aberdeen for making the most of their opportunity in the 118 th minute to win the tie, we take issue with the refereeing decision immediately preceding it. It is the club's view that neither yellow card issued to Cammy Devlin in the match was warranted and we should not have been put in the position of having to finish the game with nine men, which directly affected the outcome. "Saturday came on the back of other decisions this season that have also not gone in our favour. It is often quoted that errors generally balance themselves out across a season. "However, a cursory glance at the KMI Review Panel published reports show that we have benefitted once from errors in our favour – the joint second lowest in the Premiership – and have suffered four errors against – the joint second highest in the Premiership. Public silence on our part should not be mistaken for inaction. "Throughout the season we have maintained dialogue with the Scottish FA on these matters, and while we always prefer to air our grievances in private, on this occasion, given the magnitude of the occasion that was a Scottish Cup semi-final and what was at stake, we believe that the club and, most importantly, its supporters deserve better. "Once again, we will engage with the Scottish FA in an attempt to understand why these decisions are made, see acknowledgement as to when they are indeed wrong and determine what can be done to learn from them to ensure that they are not repeated. "When circumstances are under our control we will do our best to act appropriately. The club has recently publicly declared that this season has not been good enough and it is our intention not to see it repeated. "When circumstances are outwith our control, such as refereeing decisions, then our supporters should know that be it publicly or privately, we will always challenge for the benefit of the club and its fans, because as owners, they deserve to have their voices heard. "Again, we thank our supporters for their unrivalled backing, not just on Saturday but across the entire season, and we look forward to welcoming them back to Tynecastle Park this weekend as we all strive to finish this campaign as strongly as possible."
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hill wins Joburg Open after 62 forces play-off
Final leaderboard -14 Hill (Sco), Norris (RSA), Kruyswijk (RSA); -13 Frittelli (RSA); -12 Van Tonder (RSA); -11 Vincent (Zim); -10 Robinson-Thompson (Eng), Skov Olesen (Den) Selected others: -9 Clements (Eng), Syme (Sco), Bairstow (Eng); -8 Tarren (Eng), Brown (Eng); -7 Penge (Eng) Scotland's Calum Hill shot a magnificent eight-under par final round of 62 and prevailed after a three-man play-off to win the Joburg Open. The 30-year-old started the day eight shots back on overnight leader Shaun Norris, who faded badly but sneaked in a birdie putt at the last to set up a three-way shootout with Hill and Jacques Kruyswijk. All three recorded par on the first play-off hole but, after Norris found the water on the second and Hill tapped in for par, Kruyswijk raced a five-foot putt past to gift the Fifer victory. It is Hill's second DP World Tour win, following the Cazoo Classic in August 2021, and it shoots the world number 286 into 11th place in the Race to Dubai rankings. "It's awesome. I think that might be my first play-off ever," he told Sky Sports. "It was a little bit by surprise at the end - I thought we'd have to do again - but I'm delighted. It was a fantastic day and winning was the cherry on top." More to follow.
BBC News
09-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hill wins Joburg Open after 62 forces play-off
Final leaderboard-14 Hill (Sco), Norris (RSA), Kruyswijk (RSA); -13 Frittelli (RSA); -12 Van Tonder (RSA); -11 Vincent (Zim); -10 Robinson-Thompson (Eng), Skov Olesen (Den)Selected others: -9 Clements (Eng), Syme (Sco), Bairstow (Eng); -8 Tarren (Eng), Brown (Eng); -7 Penge (Eng) Scotland's Calum Hill shot a magnificent eight-under par final round of 62 and prevailed after a three-man play-off to win the Joburg 30-year-old started the day eight shots back on overnight leader Shaun Norris, who faded badly but sneaked in a birdie putt at the last to set up a three-way shootout with Hill and Jacques Kruyswijk. All three recorded par on the first play-off hole but, after Norris found the water on the second and Hill tapped in for par, Kruyswijk raced a five-foot putt past to gift the Fifer is Hill's second DP World Tour win, following the Cazoo Classic in August 2021, and it shoots the world number 286 into 11th place in the Race to Dubai rankings."It's awesome. I think that might be my first play-off ever," he told Sky Sports."It was a little bit by surprise at the end - I thought we'd have to do again - but I'm delighted. It was a fantastic day and winning was the cherry on top."More to follow.
