Virginia Water: Francesco Molinari flourished while five of his European Ryder Cup team mates fell flat on their faces as the Italian grabbed the lead after the PGA Championship second round on Friday. Luke Donald, the 2011 and 2012 winner, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Paul Lawrie all missed the halfway cut after struggling in cold, dank conditions at the European Tour's flagship event.
A miserable Wentworth course almost turned into 'Wetworth' as driving rain, eight-degree temperatures and 15-mph winds brought out the multi-coloured umbrellas, waterproofs, mittens and beanies for the second day in a row. The bad weather played right into Molinari's hands though as he fired a four-under 68 for a six-under tally of 138.
British pair Marc Warren (70) and Mark Foster (69), Spain's Alejandro Canizares (70) and South African George Coetzee (70) were all one stroke off the pace. "This weather is the same for everyone but I think in some ways, for me, it's almost better because it makes it even tougher," Molinari told reporters.
"If I'm playing well I hit quite a lot of fairways and greens so I can take advantage of it," said the Italian who is renowned for the excellence of his long game. "I'm hitting the ball well off the tee and with the irons, I'm getting a few chances and the putter is working well so I'm really happy where I am at the moment."...
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10:06 AM, May 25, 2013
Rome: Sania Mirza and her American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands scored a straight set win over Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur to move to the quarter-finals of the WTA Premier event, here. The sixth seeded Indo-American pair registered a 6-4 6-3 win over the Italian-Australian combination in one hour and 13 minutes in the second round of the prestigious clay court tournament. There was little to separate the two teams as...
03:55 PM, May 16, 2013
Milan: Palermo were relegated from Serie A after losing 1-0 to Fiorentina from former player Luca Toni's goal on Sunday. The result left the Sicilian side five points behind 17th-place Genoa, which drew 0-0 at home to Inter Milan. With one round remaining, Torino also secured safety with a 1-1 draw at Chievo Verona. It is six points above Palermo. Genoa's result meant Siena was also relegated, without kicking a...
08:21 AM, May 13, 2013
Barcelona: Cesc Fabregas's 26th birthday celebrations on Saturday may have been more subdued than usual after Barcelona's Champions League exit to Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the latest in a series of key matches in which he has failed to impress. The former Arsenal captain has struggled to live up to sky-high expectations since returning to his boyhood club in the summer of 2011, even prompting media speculation he may move...
10:02 AM, May 05, 2013
Pep Guardiola is not the only connection between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who meet in their Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Both teams are dominating their leagues to an almost embarrassing extent, have won the Champions League four times apiece, share an acrimonious rivalry with Real Madrid, and owe part of their success to the flamboyant Dutchman Louis van Gaal. Both have also been...
06:27 PM, Apr 22, 2013
Palermo: Roberta Vinci will face Petra Kvitova on the opening day of the Fed Cup semi-finals between Italy and the two-time defending champion Czech Republic. Vinci beat former Wimbledon champion Kvitova in straight sets in Poland last weekend to move up to a career-high ranking of No. 12. The semifinal opens Saturday with seventh-ranked Sara Errani facing the 25th-ranked Lucie Safarova. After reverse singles on Sunday on the red clay...
06:22 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Rome: Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta are back in Italy's team for a Fed Cup semi-final against the Czech Republic. The veterans sat out the first round when Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci led the Azzurre to a 3-2 comeback win over the United States. Errani and Vinci remain in the team. The semi-final is scheduled for April 20-21 on red clay at the Palermo tennis club. It's the fifth...
11:50 PM, Apr 10, 2013
Rome: Brazil playmaker Hernanes put Lazio ahead but later missed a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Roma in the city derby on Monday that left both clubs still battling for Europa League spots. Hernanes also fouled Miralem Pjanic to give away a penalty for Roma in the 56th minute that was converted by 36-year-old captain Francesco Totti. Hernanes scored in the 16th with a spectacular effort from 25 meters...
05:15 AM, Apr 09, 2013
Barcelona: Cesc Fabregas scored his first hat-trick to shine in place of the injured Lionel Messi, powering Barcelona to a 5-0 thrashing of Mallorca in La Liga on Saturday. The Catalan club's festive night got even better in the 70th minute when Eric Abidal went on for his first game with Barcelona since a liver transplant last year. "Tonight is for Abi," said Fabregas. "Any other night would have been...
03:42 AM, Apr 07, 2013
The 36-year-old Totti's contract runs out next year and he is keen to sort out a new deal. ...
03:19 PM, Mar 29, 2013
In the slowly shifting landscape of Italian football, the past week has marked a relatively quick change of focus. ...
08:43 AM, Mar 26, 2013
Tributes flowed for Totti after he converted a penalty against Genoa last Sunday to score his 225th goal to equal Gunnar Nordahl's total and became joint highest all-time scorer in Serie A history. ...
05:04 PM, Mar 07, 2013
Serie A leader Juventus fell to a surprise 1-0 defeat at struggling Roma. ...
09:51 AM, Feb 17, 2013
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova eased into the third round of the Qatar Open on Tuesday, dominating their opponents with straight-set victories. ...
11:42 PM, Feb 12, 2013
Cesc Fabregas opened the scoring in the 50th minute and the 19-year-old Raphael Varane headed an equalizer in the 81st for Real Madrid. ...
04:07 AM, Jan 31, 2013
Former Wimbledon champion Kvitova has advanced to the second round with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 victory over Schiavone. ...
10:10 AM, Jan 15, 2013
The Frenchman agreed it was difficult when top players walked away, especially when they were reaching their prime. ...
09:02 PM, Dec 13, 2012
The Spain international will miss Spanish league games against Atletico Madrid and Valladolid and the Copa del Rey match versus Cordoba. ...
09:13 AM, Dec 10, 2012
Totti scored twice and set up two more goals in a 4-2 win that ended Fiorentina's nine-match unbeaten run. ...
08:06 AM, Dec 09, 2012
