GOLF
American Justin Thomas has won his first major title.
He claimed the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, finishing two shots clear on 8 under par.
The 24 year old trailed Kevin Kisner by two shots heading into the final day, but hit a brilliant round of 68.
Francesco Molinari, Patrick Reed and Louis Oosthuizen finished in a three-way tie for second on 6 under.
Rory McIlroy ended up in a tie for 22nd on 1 over, with Shane Lowry back on 5 over.
McIlroy claims he may not play golf again this year because of injury.
The former world number one says back spasms have been affecting him.
BASKETBALL
Ireland’s unbeaten streak at the U18 Women’s European Championships came to an end in the final as they lost out 67-43 to Germany.
Promotion to Division A is still assured for the side, coached by Kerry’s Tommy O’Mahony.
“It’s incredible,” said O’Mahony. “Night after night we rolled from one game to the other, we didn’t get a chance to figure out what we’d just done. Tonight wasn’t our night, but the girls have to realize what they’ve done and how big it is in the whole scheme of things. It’s hard to believe, we won’t comprehend it for a few weeks I’d say, but it’s been great.”
It was the Germans’ athleticism that caused problems early on, particularly through 6’3 power forward Nyara Sabally, who will join Oregon Ducks in Division I of the NCAA after the tournament. Louise Scannell helped to lift the siege with a massive three-pointer and Sabally soon hit the bench as foul trouble stunted her side’s momentum. Ireland landed five free-throws from six attempts but couldn’t handle Luisa Geiselsoder, who muscled her way to eight points and seven rebounds in the first quarter alone. Sorcha Tiernan’s long two re-energized the crowd, before Laura Schinkel stroked home on the first quarter buzzer from 30 feet for Germany to lead 24-12.
The German’s had an average winning margin of 37 points in the tournament and looked even more potent with their main weapons on the floor. It was the game’s smallest player, Annaliese Murphy, who impressed with a long two but Ireland’s offence was misfiring. They were 20 points behind before Claire Melia rallied the troops with a three-point play and Bronagh Power Cassidy capped a 5-0 run for a 41-26 half time score line. Dayna Finn led the charge to eat into Germany’s lead in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, the winners were both penetrating inside and accurate from the perimeter, leaving Ireland short on means to shore up the defence. Once again it was substitute Annaliese Murphy who provided a spark with three-points from the win, but Germany had the game locked up at 60-35 by the end of the third. Ireland continued the fight in the fourth quarter, supported every step of the way by the sold out National Basketball Arena. Even as the game began to look out of reach, the crowd that had been around for every single one of Ireland’s games, cheered and chanted. Germany steadily maintained their lead and it was clear they would see the game out.
RUGBY
Ireland will face France in the Women’s World Cup on Thursday to decide who will qualify for the semi-finals as pool winners.
That’s after Tom Tierney’s side successfully reduced a 14-nil half-time deficit to Japan to win out 24-14.
The tries came from Alison Miller and two from Paula Fitzpatrick.
France were comfortable 48-nil winners over Australia, setting up Thursday’s winner-takes-all clash.
SOCCER
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill will name his preliminary squad for the upcoming crucial World Cup qualifiers later today.
Ireland travel to Georgia on the 2nd of September before welcoming Serbia to the Aviva for a huge top-of-the-table clash three days later.
ATHLETICS
Two athletics greats have bid farewell to the sport, on the final day of the World Athletics Championships in London.
Will Downing reports http://www.radiokerry.ie/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/sendoff.mp3
HORSE RACING
The Burleigh Accountancy Handicap Hurdle (7.00) is the feature event on a competitive seven-race jumps card at Ballinrobe on Monday evening where the first race is due off at 5.30pm.
Five runners face the starter in the €30,000 contest including top-weight Walkabout, who justified favouritism in the corresponding race 12 months ago for Cullentra House trainer Gordon Elliott. Davy Russell teams up with the five-year-old for the first time and the pair meet some stiff opposition including the Arthur Moore-trained light-weight Whats the Plot, a winner over hurdles here last May, and Denham Sound, who landed his second race over hurdles for Charles Byrnes at Limerick last month.
The J.J. Burke Peugeot 3yo Maiden Hurdle (5.30) gets the meeting underway with 11 runners, including three trained by Joseph O’Brien. With a creditable third place finish in the first juvenile hurdle race of the season at Cork last Monday, O’Brien’s Richard Strauss will be expected to build on that display but stable companion and hurdling recruit Thomas O’Malley has a recent course win to his credit on the flat and could well prove popular in the market.
Willie Mullins is not represented in the richest race of the evening but his winning pointer Fabulous Saga, successful since in a bumper at Tipperary before a few creditable placed efforts in winners’ company, looks to have found a nice opportunity on his hurdling debut in the Banks Of Ireland Maiden Hurdle (7.30) with champion rider Ruby Walsh on board.
The going at Ballinrobe is currently good.
SHOWJUMPING
In an ending that Hollywood script writers would be proud of, a horse called Beautiful Red won the Connolly’s RED MILLS 7 & 8 year-old international final at the Dublin Horse Show.
Following two qualifiers on Wednesday and Friday, the top 26 combinations from Ireland and abroad took their place in the RDS main arena for the Connolly’s RED MILLS final.
Dutch rider Frank Schuttert partnered Beautiful Red. an eight-year-old mare by Casall and owned by Ashford Farm, to the fastest clear round in a 10 horse jump-off to take home the winners prize.
Kilkenny’s Ger O’Neill and the Irish Sport Horse Castlefield Vegas finished as runners-up, just 0.18 behind the winner. Third place also went to an Irish rider in Philip McGuane with Judas vd Donkhoeve. Canada’s Tiffany Foster and Christos finished fourth, just ahead of Connolly’s RED MILLS Brand Ambassador Bertram Allen in fifth with Calafrieda. Greg Broderick finished sixth with Cartouche V Overis Z, while Clem McMahon filled seventh place with The Irish Sport Horse Pacifico.
MOTORSPORT
Dubliner Colm Blackburn dominated the Formula Vee race at yesterday’s Carlow Car Club Mondello Park meeting, despite only qualifying fourth on the starting grid. He made a storming getaway, jumping to second place behind pole starter Dan Polley into the first corner, and got past his class title rival on lap two to take the lead.
Half a lap later, a slip dropped Polley to fifth place, leaving Blackburn to cruise home to victory, more than three seconds clear, while a great recovery drive from Polley saw him claim runner up position by the chequered flag. Anthony Cross finished third after holding second place for much of the race, ahead of Jack Byrne and Justin Costello.
Shane McFadden won the first of the Fiesta ST races, but there was a surprise victor in race two when Galway’s Tom Fahy started from pole on the reverse grid, and led all the way despite huge pressure from the much more experienced John Denning and Michael Cullen. Owen Purcell scored a double in the Fiesta Zetec races.
The Porsche Carrera Cup made its annual trip to the home of Scottish racing this weekend at Knockhill in Fife.
Ireland’s Charlie Eastwood won an incredibly eventful second race, finishing ahead of title rival Dino Zamparelli. Starting from pole, Eastwood battled with reigning champion Dan Cammish and Zamparelli throughout before a late racing incident saw Cammish unable to finish.