Latest news with #Kayo
Courier-Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Kaylee McKeown hits out amid special treatment claim following overturned disqualification at Australian national swimming trials
Don't miss out on the headlines from Swimming. Followed categories will be added to My News. Kaylee McKeown has hit out at claims she is given special treatment in the wake of her dramatic disqualification and then reinstatement at the Australian national swimming trials in Adelaide last week. McKeown – who holds the 50m backstroke world record at 26.86 seconds – was the clear fastest in last Monday's heats of the 50m backstroke but was disqualified over an issue with her start. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. McKeown, who claimed Olympic gold in both the 100m and 200m backstroke at the Paris Olympics, was informed by officials she had broken early, as she was ushered off the pool deck in tears. The ruling seemingly dashed her hopes of competing for a 50m backstroke world championships gold medal later this year. However, the 23-year-old protested the decision and in the end, it was overturned. McKewon was reinstated in the final which she won narrowly over Mollie O'Callaghan, securing her ticket to the world championships in Singapore from July 27 to August 3. You can watch her Australian swim trials victory in the player above. Kaylee McKeown has rejected claims she gets preferential treatment. Image: Getty But in the wake of the ordeal, McKeown was accused of receiving preferential treatment due to her reputation and status in the sport. And in an Instagram post on Monday, McKeown moved to clear up what went down as she rejected the notion there was any sort of favouritism at play. 'I've copped quite a bit of scrutiny over the past week for my DQ in the 50 backstroke,' she wrote. 'I'd just like to clarify that while it was a clear disqualification, I was able to lodge a protest due to movement directly behind my starting block. I followed all the standard procedures for my reinstatement! 'For those who know me well, you'll know I'm all for fair sport and certainly wouldn't have protested if I knew I didn't have a fair case. 'What I'm not for is people tearing others down … at no point was I shown any favouritism.' Kaylee McKeown is the 50m world record holder. (Photo by) After hearing her protest officials ruled in her favour, accepting she had been 'distracted by a movement' on the blocks. 'Things happen and it just crumbled that way,' she continued. 'I knew as soon as I started, what I had done. 'But thankfully we had the technology to look back at footage and saw the distraction and I got reinstated.' McKeown will next compete at the world championships in Singapore which get underway on July 27. Originally published as Kaylee McKeown hits out amid special treatment claim following overturned Aussie swim trials disqualification
Courier-Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Incredible second major on the cards as Adam Scott makes move in US Open thriller
Don't miss out on the headlines from Golf. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia's Adam Scott is one shot off the lead after the third round of the US Open after he fired the equal best round of the day courtesy of a back nine birdie blitz at Oakmont. The 44-year-old shot a three-under par round of 67, matched only by Mexico's Carlos Ortiz, to move to -3 overall after consecutive rounds of 70 to start the tournament, hot on the heels of leader Sam Burns (-4). Scott will join Burns in the final group on Monday morning Australian time after first round leader J.J. Spaun bogeyed the last to slip back to -3. Watch every round of the 2025 US Open LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on FOX SPORTS, available on Kayo. | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. The 2013 Masters champion strung together back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14 followed by another at 17, which lifted him to a share of the lead until Burns and Spaun both made birdies on the same hole in the group behind. Scott hit a cracking tee shot at the par 3 13th to have less than five feet for the hole, and then played one of the shots of the day with his approach into the par 4 14th, flying it past the hole, spinning it back and almost holing-out to leave a tap-in. The short par 4 17th is gettable, and he capitalised by draining a near-15 footer to cap off a great up-and-down form a greenside bunker. Scott made made bogey at the first hole, but recovered with birdie on the fourth hole to return to even par, where he remained until the 13th as he rattled off eight straight pars, playing the 'old man par golf' he joked about yesterday. Fellow Australian Marc Leishman (+4) held low round of the day of the honours for several hours before Scott and Ortiz pipped him. Leishman fired a two-under par 68, which Englishman Tyrell Hatton (+1) matched later in the day. Viktor Hovland (-1) is another contender as he shot an even par round of 70 playing alongside Scott. The US Open winner will take home A$6.6 million in prize money. Adam Scott is chasing his second major win. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) The Norwegian made birdies either side of the turn, including a curling 18-footer at ten, made another birdie at 17 but dropped a shot at 18 that could be costly. There were plenty of horror shows throughout the field again, but none worse that Australian Cam Davis' (+19) nightmare round as he shot a 12-over par 82. Jason Day (+5), meanwhile, struggled to keep pace as he followed up his second round 67 with a 72. The former world No.1 provided one of the best moments of the day as he came within an inch of making a hole-in-one at Oakmont's notorious 253-yard par-three eighth. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY Rory McIlroy only found more misery at rain-soaked Oakmont. McIlroy made bogeys on three of his last five holes to fire a four-over par 74 and stand on 10-over, 13 strokes adrift. 'I was hoping to play better, but I didn't,' McIlroy said, calling his tournament 'pretty average' so far as he broke his media silence. 'The name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there,' McIlroy said. 'But it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly.' McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters for his fifth major title, missed a seven-foot putt to bogey the third hole and took a penalty drop leading to a bogey at nine. He dropped his approach inside four feet to set up a birdie at the 10th but found a greenside bunker at 11 and made bogey then lipped out from inside four feet to bogey 14 and missed the green at the par-three 16th on the way to bogey. Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the ninth hole during the third round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Oakmont Country Club Saturday, June 14, 2025, in Oakmont, Pa. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel) McIlroy found a greenside bunker off the 17th tee but blasted out inches from the hole and tapped in for birdie, only to find the right rough off the 18th tee on the way to bogey. Asked what he looked for on Sunday, McIlroy said, 'Hopefully a round in under four and a half hours and get out of here.' X SUBSCRIBER ONLY - Scheffler holds firm - Third-ranked American Xander Schauffele, the reigning British Open champion, fired a 71 to stand on seven-over 217. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, seeking back-to-back major titles after taking last month's PGA Championship, had two birdies and three bogeys in his first nine holes to fall to five-over. Scheffler opened with a three-putt bogey, dropped in a 13-foot birdie putt on the right side of the hole at two, curved in a 19-foot birdie putt at the par-three sixth but made a three-putt bogey at the par-three eighth and a bogey at nine after a penalty drop. But the world No.1 clawed his way back with birdies at the par 5 12th and the par 4 17th taking him back to even par for the day, eventually signing off on a round of 70 to remain at +4 overall. Two-time major winner Jon Rahm of Spain sank a birdie putt from just inside 14 feet at the second, made bogey at three after finding a fairway bunker, then sank a 23-foot birdie putt at the par-three eighth to stand on +3 for the tournament. That number, and seemingly Rahm's hopes, blew out on the back nine with poor chipping and putting leading to a bogey at the 10th and a double bogey at the 15th. There were bright spots, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre among them. The reigning Scottish Open champion birdied the second on a 12-foot putt and the sixth from 19 feet on his way to a round of 69 that took him to +3 overall. Denmark's Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen reeled off four consecutive birdies on the front nine and he stands at +2 after a round of 69. Originally published as Incredible second major on the cards as Adam Scott makes move in US Open thriller
Courier-Mail
7 days ago
- Politics
- Courier-Mail
Anthony Albanese makes bombshell Olympics call
Don't miss out on the headlines from Olympics. Followed categories will be added to My News. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared New South Wales and Victoria could host several of the 2032 Olympic Games sports, in a bombshell revelation that has left Queenslanders furious. The Aussie PM – appearing on the Two Good Sports podcast on Friday – suggested sports such as tennis would be better suited to the facilities in Melbourne, while rowing could be carried out in Sydney's west. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. 'I've been meeting with (2032 Organising Committee President) Andrew Liveris as well as with the Queensland Premier (David) Crisafulli about where it goes,' he told the podcast. 'For example, are we really going to do rowing in Rockhampton on the Fitzroy River when there are some pretty good facilities at Penrith? 'There's a debate over tennis and what's needed there in Brisbane as well.' Anthony Albanese suggested tennis and rowing could be held outside of Queensland at the 2032 Olympics. Image: Getty The PM, who has flown to Canada for the G7 summit, cast doubt on Queensland's ability to accommodate certain sports and questioned if it is the best use of taxpayers' money to develop new facilities to host those events when there are perfectly good venues available in Sydney and Melbourne. 'You have pretty good tennis facilities here (in Melbourne),' Mr Albanese told the podcast. X SUBSCRIBER ONLY However, the Crisafulli state government was quick to fire back, stating there was no chance any Olympic event would be held in another Aussie state. A Queensland government spokesperson told the Courier Mail on Friday that 'we are working with all levels of government to implement the 2032 Games Delivery Plan, which will see Rowing in Rockhampton and Tennis played at the upgraded Queensland Tennis Centre.' While Mr Crisafulli previously stated that his government guarantees 'Melbourne will not be taking the tennis from Brisbane'. Premier of Queensland, David Crisafulli has shut down talks of moving any Olympic sport away from Brisbane. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass Many have called for the rowing at the 2032 Games to be moved away from Fitzroy River. Picture Instagram A team of talented Northern Territory crocodile wranglers will travel to Rockhampton's Fitzroy River to relocated crocodiles in preparation for the Olympic rowing in 2032. Questions continue to be raised over 2032 rowing location Hosting the rowing in the crocodile 'infested' waters of the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton has created plenty of controversy. The ridicule only intensified after a recent hydrological study also concluded the river drops to almost zero flow in the winter months when the games are scheduled to be held. A Brisbane 2032 spokesperson said issues are still being ironed out but said there will be no issue holding the event in Queensland. 'Delivering world-class fields of play that provide an optimal performance environment for athletes remains key for Brisbane 2032 and ensuring International Federations are involved in planning and delivery will help achieve this outcome,' a Brisbane 2032 statement read. Originally published as Anthony Albanese makes bombshell Olympics call
Courier-Mail
7 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Adam Scott in contention at the US Open, Cameron Smith hits major career low
Don't miss out on the headlines from Golf. Followed categories will be added to My News. Adam Scott is among the contenders at the half way mark but it was Jason Day who got the better of Oakmont in the second round as Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee missed the cut at the US Open. Scott sits in fourth place at even par overall, three shots behind leader Sam Burns after a second successive round of 70. The 2013 Masters champion will be joined on the weekend by Day (+3), who shot the equal second best round of the day with a three-under par 67 to move into a share of 12th, Marc Leishman (+6) and Cam Davis (+7). Adam Scott is in contention at the US Open. Picture: Warren Little / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP Watch every round of the 2025 US Open LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on FOX SPORTS, available on Kayo. | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. As his scorecards suggest, Scott has been one of the most consistent golfers across the opening 36 holes on a brutal layout that contributes to wild fluctuations in scoring for most of the field. 'I guess I would have expected to be in this position if you said even par through two rounds,' Scott said. 'It's just hard out there. It's hard to keep it going when guys have got on a run. It seems like they've come back a bit. 'I'm playing old-man-par golf at the moment.' The 44-year-old made three birdies for the day, including one to kick-off his round at the first hole – where he stuck his second shot from 212 yards out on the long par 4 to a little more than six feet from the hole. He drained a near 22-footer for birdie at the par 4 tenth, and stuck a wedge to roughly six feet at the short par 4 14th to set up another birdie. Scott was once again impressive off the tee and with his irons, hitting nine of 14 fairways and 13 of 18 greens in regulation. His iron play had been letting him down of late, he even said it was the worst part of his game, but rediscovering his groove has him buoyant about his chances of claiming a second major title. Scott, who is playing in his 96th successive major, was asked if that feat goes underappreciated, and said that 'maybe it does'. 'But I'd be pretty proud of winning this thing on the weekend,' he added. 'Right now, that's really what I'm here to do, and I feel like there's probably not been many signs to anyone else but me the last month or six weeks that my game is looking better. 'But I definitely feel more confident than I have been this year. I feel like this is what I've been working towards. Adam Scott during the second round of the 125th U.S. Open. Picture:'I was kind of in the mix late at the PGA, and now kind of putting myself in this one for the weekend. It's a long way to go, but I feel like my game is in good enough shape to do this.' Scott was then asked how energised he was to be in this position at his age, to which he said, 'I have a put together a nice career, but I think another major more would really go a long way in fulfilling my own self, when it's all said and done.' 'HOW I USED TO DO IT': DAY'S OLD SCHOOL MOVE Only Burns' second round 65 and overnight leader J.J. Spaun's opening round 66 bettered Jason Day's 67. The former world No. 1 fired four birdies and an eagle as he was back to his best after dealing with troublesome wrist and neck injuries in recent times. The eagle came at the par 5 12th, his third hole of the day, as Day drained a 20-foot putt after launching a 3-wood from more than 300 yards out onto the green. Two holes later, he stuck a wedge to tap-in range for birdie at the 14th and chipped to inside five feet to set up another birdie at another short par 4, the 17th. Back-to-back birdies courtesy of a pearler of a tee shot at the par 3 sixth and holing a near 25-footer at the par 4 seventh then wrestled back momentum in the late stages of his round. The 2015 PGA champion was pleased with his work on the greens as he needed only 27 putts for the round with help from his stellar short game. 'Putted a lot better today. Obviously I hit it nice on the front side, which was the back side,' Day said. 'I got into a little bit of trouble kind of midway round. Just didn't, just started missing a few greens. 'Then kind of settled it a little bit with a birdie on 6 and 7 for me. So that was, it was a big day to come back and shoot 3-under to make the cut.' Jason Day looks on from the 18th green at the U.S. Open. Picture:Day's change in fortunes with the flat stick came after some old school improvisation after the feel and look was off. 'I bent my putter. Yeah, no, I just manually bent it myself. Stood on it,' he said. 'That's kind of how I used to do it back in the day. 'It just hadn't been looking very good to me personally, kind of looks a little bit hooded, the grip's on a little bit closed too, so that's not a positive for me. 'But I bent it enough to make it look more open, which is good.' Jason Day lines up a putt on the second green at Oakmont. Picture: Gregory Shamus / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP As for his chances across the weekend, Day is confident he can continue to make up ground after a disappointing opening round of 76. 'I feel like you're going to make bogeys out here and try and get the birdies when you can,' he said. '3-over right now, if I can just keep climbing the leaderboard, get into contention on Sunday that would be great.' In his first major since 2022, Marc Leishman advanced to the weekend despite shooting the worst round of the day among his countrymen with a 75. Marc Leishman collapsed in the second round but still made the weekend. Picture: Getty Images via AFP Leishman's first round 71 had him well-placed but then he held his nerve to make the cut across the back nine after reaching the turn in 40. Meanwhile, Cam Davis made the cut on the number with a second round 73. Davis bogeyed his second last hole to put himself under the pump, but calmly two-putted for par at the par 4 ninth, his final hole, to advance. Cam Davis also advanced to the weekend. Picture: Getty Images via AFP 'A LITTLE TOO LATE': SMITH'S WORST RUN CONTINUES Cameron Smith will not play the weekend for the fourth straight major championship. The 2022 Open champion is officially in the worst stretch of his career in the majors after missing the cut by two shots at +8. Smith signed off on a second round 73 that included a back nine fight back in a last-ditch attempt to salvage his tournament. The LIV star made birdies at 11, 14, 15 and 17, but a front nine of 41, which included a three-putt triple bogey at the first, and bogeys at the 16th proved too costly. Cameron Smith did not make the cut. Picture: Getty Images via AFP Smith hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation in the second round, but his much-lauded putting deserted him around the 36 holes, taking 63 putts which ranked him 138th out of a field of 156. 'We've all known about his driver struggles but it's that club in the bag that has kind of left him,' former Australian professional James Nitties said on commentary. 'We all know how good of a putter he is and he's doing it now (on the back nine), but it's a little too late.' Min Woo Lee also did not make the weekend. Picture: Getty Images via AFP Min Woo Lee also finished one shot worse at +9, but was much improved in his second round with a 72. The 26-year-old simply made life too difficult for himself after a first round 77 and missed the cut for the second straight major. Originally published as Adam Scott in contention at the US Open, Cameron Smith officially hits major career low
News.com.au
11-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Lawnmowers at ‘unplayable' US Open golf course go viral
Lawn lovers, behold the wild scenes playing out at the US Open golf tournament this week. The US Open has long been renowned as arguably the most difficult of the four golf majors, with birdies hard to come by on the course chosen for the major. Watch every round of the 2025 US Open LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on FOX SPORTS, available on Kayo. | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. It's no different at this year's course, the Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, where keeping the ball on the fairway will be more important than usual. US Open organisers are notorious for keeping the rough on the edge of the fairway so tall that it's nearly impossible to find your ball if it lands in the long grass, and even harder to hit it out of there. Footage shared by the US Open this week of the thick rough being tamed by greenkeepers shows just how tricky it will be to play at Oakmont. An army of Oakmont Country Club greenkeeper armed with lawnmowers have been wading through the rough to try and make things slightly easier. Videos circulating on social media show that a ball dropped from knee height into the rough is almost completely lost in the thick stuff. Sportswriter Chris Harlan described the scene: 'Oakmont Country Club has a fleet of lawnmowers out today for the US Open.' Golf fans were stunned by the rough grass, as well as the fact the ground staff opted to used push mowers instead of tractor mowers. One person commented: 'I can't think of a more inefficient way to do things than mowing a golf course with push mowers.' Another said: 'There's gotta be a better way in today's world.' Golfer Jhonattan Vegas wrote on X: 'Good news guys, they are cutting the rough but, it's still unplayable. Have fun.' Fox Sports golf expert Paul Gow told he expects it to a golfer's nightmare this week, and the player that keeps their cool the most will come out on top. 'This is the best week of the year, you get to watch golf pros get upset with themselves,' Gow chuckled. 'Oakmont is one of the hardest golf courses in the world. It requires a player to hit so many different shots. 'It's a frustrating golf course because there's a lot of different angles and 175 bunkers around the golf course. You've got to navigate yourself around 'The rough is nice and deep so there's an emphasis on hitting it on the fairway. 'Some of the scores to win the US Open here have been over par. 'It's one of those golf courses the players love to hate because the greens get up ridiculously quick — quicker than Royal Melbourne. 'The greens will be running at 14 and a half to 15 on the stint meter. That will make difficult putting. And they're big, large greens that move the ball around a lot. And there's these little subtle breaks that will really frustrate the players. 'It's one of those places that a player needs to turn up with a really, really good attitude. If they don't, well, the most will pack their bags on Friday afternoon and go home.' Fresh off his PGA Championship win, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is chasing his fourth major title and first US Open victory. Scheffler is in a stellar patch of form having won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the PGA Championship and the Memorial Tournament in the past month. 'You can't go past Scheffler,' Gow said. 'I like Jon Rahm, he definitely is trending towards a better week. He played well at the PGA Championships at Quail Hollow. He fell over the last couple of holes, but he drove the ball really well. 'But you can't go away from Scottie Scheffler, it's just ridiculous how good he's playing, he's definitely the in-form player.' Australia's Marc Leishman will play his first major since 2022, while Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Cameron Smith, Cameron Davis and Jason Day are the other Aussies playing this week. It will be Scott's 96th consecutive appearance at a major. Players have voiced their concerns for just how difficult it will be to play in the conditions at Oakmont this week. Rory McIlroy, chasing his second major of the year after his Masters triumph, struggled playing the course during a practice round last week. 'Last Monday felt impossible,' McIlroy said. 'I birdied the last two holes for 81. It felt pretty good, it didn't feel like I played that badly. It's much more benign right now than it was that Monday. They had the pins in dicey locations and greens were running at 15.5 (on the stimpmeter measuring green speed). 'It was nearly impossible. This morning it was a little softer. The pins aren't going to be on 3 or 4 per cent slopes all the time. 'If you put it in the fairway, it's certainly playable. But then you just have to think about leaving your ball below the hole and just trying to make as many pars as you can. You get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that's a bonus. 'I'm glad we have spotters out there because last Monday you hit a ball off the fairway and you were looking for a good couple of minutes just to find it. It's very penal if you miss. Sometimes it's penal if you don't miss. 'The person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that's going to win.'
