TUESDAY, 12.30PM:
WORLD number three golfer, South African Ernie Els will play only two tournaments in the Vodacom Golf Tour this season. He said he will only play in the South African Open and Alfred Dunhill PGA and will try to win the Nedbank Million Dollar at Sun City in December.
“I’d love to play more, but it is just impossible for me to play a full schedule in South Africa any more,” said Els.
He said he has a lot of commitments overseas and the timing is just not right. He however denied earlier reports that he will not defend the World Cup if selected. “We [Els and Wayne Westner] were always going to defend, but we had to wait for certain things to happen. We could not make ourselves available without being asked if we would play,” said the US Open champion.
He said he wants to cut his tournament schedule to under 30 next year. By the end of this year he will have played 34 — the fourth consecutive year he has done so — and now he feels it is too much.
SPORT BRIEFS
U21 BRAWLERS SUSPENDED THE Natal Rugby Union on Monday night suspended two under-21 players, fullback Dirkie Strydom and hooker Damien Rudham, for the rest of the year for foul play in the match against Gauteng Lions on Saturday. NRU CE Brian van Zyl said the pair was suspended for the massive brawl in the main curtain-raiser at King’s Park Stadium on Saturday. “After studying the video recording of the incidents, in slow motion and blow by blow, the under-21 management recommended the suspensions of the two players,” said van Zyl.
Gauteng Lions Rugby Union have convened a meeting for Wednesday and it is expected that they will also take similar action.
BOTILE LIGHTENS UP FORMER International Boxing Federation (IBF) Champion Mbulelo Botile will come back to the ring to campaign as a featherweight. Promoter Rodney Berman said the East Londoner will resume his career in the 57,15kg class in England next month. “We’ll kill him staying at bantamweight,” said Berman.
HOCKEY MEN VICTORIOUS THE SA men’s hockey team beat Russia 7-1 to win a Four Nations Tournament in Moscow at the weekend. Greg Nicol and Mike Cullen both scored twice and Gary Boddington, Cregg Clark and Kevin Chree sealed victory for the South Africans. Clark was voted player of the tournament.
AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ORLANDO Pirates went down 2-1 to USMA of Algeria in the African Champions League in Algiers on Friday. Hadj Adlane scored a second half winner.
Defending champions Zamalek lost 2-0 to Club Africain in Tunis in Tunisia at the weekend. Faozi Rouissi and Jamel Litmam scored the goals.
Primeiro de Agosto of Angola, who were held to a 1-1 draw by Raja Casablanca of Morocco, are joined on top of the log by USMA with four points.