24 Jul 2021

Today's sports news: What you need to know

9:44 am on 24 July 2021

Latest - Jeongeun Lee6 birdied her final four holes at the Amundi Evian Championship to shoot a 10-under-par 61 and tie the lowest round ever in major championship history.

Jeongeun Lee6 of Korea

Jeongeun Lee6 Photo: PHOTOSPORT

She led after the second round with a 36-hole total of 127, good for 15-under par. That also was a record for two rounds in a men's or women's major championship, breaking the 128 shot by Brooks Koepka at the 2019 PGA Championship. South Korean In Gee Chun shot a 129 at the 2016 Evian Championship.

Lee6, 25, tied the 61 fired by another South Korean, Hyo Joo Kim, in the 2014 Evian in Evian-Les-Bains, France.

The winner of the US Women's Open in 2019, Lee6 had 10 birdies and no bogeys to hold a three-stroke lead over Thai compatriots Ariya Jutanugarn (63) and Pajaree Anannarukarn (65). Lee6 needed only 23 putts over 18 holes.

New Zealand's Lydia Ko (65), who won the 2015 Evian tournament, and 19-year-old Yealimi Noh (68) are tied for fourth place at 9-under for the tournament.

-Field Level Media

Bad weather forces changes to Olympic rowing schedule

Monday's Olympic rowing races have been moved to Sunday, the World Rowing executive committee said, citing concerns over an inclement weather forecast.

Jackie Gowler, Beth Ross, Kerri Gowler, Grace Prendergast, Kelsey Bevan,  Lucy Spoors, Emma Dyke and Caleb Shepherd. New Zealand women's eight 2019 World Championships.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

"Adverse weather is expected on Monday 26 July 2021 which would bring high winds and strong gusts creating probably unequal and potentially unrowable racing conditions," the committee said in a statement.

As a result, the men's and women's eights heats will also be moved from Sunday to Saturday to accommodate the schedule changes for Monday.

The announcement follows in the footsteps of the 2016 Rio Olympics, when high winds forced disruptions to the competition schedule.

The scheduled change presents a challenge for New Zealand's double world champions Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast, who will now race their pair heat followed by the heat for the eight less than three hours later.

- Reuters

Saints win NBL title

The Wellington Saints added title number 12 to their trophy cabinet after a nail-biting National Basketball League grand final win in Wellington, pipping the Hawke's Bay Hawks 77-75.

The Saints celebrate their win during the NBL finals between the Wellington Saints and Hawkes Bay Hawks

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Only four points separated the league's top-two seeds as the clock entered the last minute.

The victors set the tone early in the decider, kicking it off with a 9-0 run.

The typically reliable long-range shooting of the Hawks wasn't there in the opening passages as they missed all four of their first-quarter attempts.

The third quarter was always going to be telling between the two power houses and surprisingly it was the Saints who were the step behind - managing just three points as the first five minutes of the spell ticked over.

The Hawks capitalised on the cold streak by taking their first lead of the night just after the midway point, going into the fourth ahead 60-56.

Saints: Taane Samuel (26 points), Kerwin Roach Jnr (16pts and 7 rebounds) Dion Prewster (15pts and 5rbs).

Hawks: Devondrick Walker (31pts and 7rbs), Hyrum Harris (22pts and 11rbs), Rhys Vague (8pts and 6rbs).

Osaka's opening Olympic match delayed

Japan's Naomi Osaka has had her opening match in the Olympic women's singles event pushed back by a day to Sunday following a request from Tokyo 2020 organisers.

Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka.

Naomi Osaka Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who is returning to tennis after a two-month mental health break, was scheduled to kick off Olympic proceedings on Saturday against China's Saisai Zheng on the main showcourt at the Ariake Tennis Park.

"The request came from Tokyo 2020 organisers to move her match to Sunday," an ITF spokesperson said.

There was no reason given for the switch.

Osaka on Friday lit the Olympic cauldron to mark the formal start of Tokyo 2020, in an opening ceremony shorn of glitz and overshadowed by a pandemic but celebrated as a moment of global hope.

- Reuters

Name change for Cleveland

Cleveland's Major League Baseball team will change its name to the Guardians from the Indians starting next season.

In December, the team started a search for a new name to replace one that was criticised by Native Americans, who consider it disparaging.

The team had been called the Indians for more than 100 years.

Team owner Paul Dolan said more than 1000 names were considered, including the Spiders, which is a nod to the team's history.

Cleveland's pro baseball team from 1887 to 1899 was known as the Spiders.

Cleveland shared the new logo as part of the announcement. The team moved away from the controversial Chief Wahoo logo in 2018.

- Reuters

Costly crash for Red Bull

Max Verstappen's British Grand Prix collision with Lewis Hamilton cost Red Bull $1.8 million with 'massive ramifications' for a team operating under Formula One's budget cap, principal Christian Horner said.

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

In a combative column on the Red Bull website, Horner revealed the championship leader's seat was broken by the first lap impact in last Sunday's race at Silverstone.

He continued to blame Hamilton and said Mercedes' race winner and seven-times world champion had got off lightly with a 10-second penalty.

"Given the severity of the incident and the lenient penalty, we are reviewing all data and have the right to request a review," said Horner.

"We are therefore still looking at the evidence and considering all of our sporting options."

Verstappen had started the race 33 points clear of Hamilton, after winning a Saturday sprint, but ended up only eight ahead after crashing out when they made contact at Copse Corner.

Hamilton had tried to pass on the inside and Verstappen moved across, with the cars colliding.

- Reuters