While it was Europe's day overall on Friday at the Ryder Cup, one of the standout performances of the opening matches came in the morning session from rookie American pair Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed in the fourballs.
Reed, 24, and Spieth, 21, the youngest American partnership in the tournament’s history, were a surprise pairing by United States captain Tom Watson, and they paid back his faith by comfortably defeating Ian Poulter and Stephen Gallacher 5 and 4.
Reed said the familiarity he and Spieth had for each other had helped them as they gave Poulter, one of Europe’s leading players, only his fourth defeat in Ryder Cup action since 2004.
“When Tom told us we were going out together, we were excited,” Reed said. “I’ve played a lot of golf with Jordan, not only professionally but amateur and junior career.
“I was very comfortable playing with him.”
The American duo never trailed and rode a red-hot run of five birdies in six holes around the turn helped by the confident putting of Reed, which silenced a partisan Gleneagles crowd.
“It was very, very quiet out there compared to what I think Patrick and I expected in the first round of a Ryder Cup over here, and that’s the goal,” Spieth said.
“Our team goal is just go out there and play and kind of listen to it [the quiet] like it’s just Sunday with your buddies.”
Reed and Spieth were rested for the foursomes yesterday as Europe fought back, but Reed hinted he believed Watson had erred by not sending them out again in the afternoon. “Whenever you feel like you’re playing really well – I felt like in alternate shot, him and I would have been great to go back out and take the momentum of what we just had done,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, Captain Watson, he picks pairings for a reason.”
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
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Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Naga
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
Specs
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