GOLF
Greg Norman says he has been asked not to attend the QBE Shootout in December, a PGA Tour-sanctioned event he started in 1989 as the Shark Shootout that is held at the Tiburon Golf Club course he designed.
It was not clear who asked that he not attend the Dec. 9-11 tournament. The tournament director says it was a collective decision.
Norman, who is in Washington to meet with members of Congress about his Saudi-funded LIV Golf series, revealed the news in an Instagram post late Tuesday afternoon without saying who was behind it.
“Why one might ask? Perhaps it is because I am helping to give golf a new heartbeat, creating new value and delivering a new product that is loved by players, fans and broadcasters alike,” Norman said. “And in doing so, finally giving players their rights as independent contractors to benefit from their performance and brand.
“In some people’s mind this is too disruptive and evolution is perceived as a bad thing. I disagree – competition breeds excellence.”
The QBE Shootout was the first of the PGA Tour’s unofficial season late in the year to raise more than $1 million for childhood cancer, a figure he says now tops $15 million. It is comprised of 12 two-player teams competing in various formats.
Jason Kokrak and Kevin Na are the defending champions. They will not return this year because the PGA Tour suspended the players who signed with LIV Golf, and the QBE Shootout is a tour-sanctioned tournament.
OLYMPICS
MUNICH: The head of the International Olympic Committee apologized for the organization’s longtime failure to commemorate 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian militants at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Thomas Bach spoke at a ceremony in Tel Aviv marking the 50th anniversary of the deadly attack on the Munich Olympics, two weeks after Germany’s president apologized at a memorial ceremony in Germany for his country’s failures before, during, and after the attack.
On Sept. 5, 1972, the Palestinian group Black September attacked the Israeli Olympic delegation at the Munich Olympic Games, killing 11 Israelis and a police officer.
A moment of silence was held at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Games last year – the first time the Olympic Games’ organizers marked the killing of the Israeli athletes in nearly half a century.
PARIS: Paris Olympic organizers appointed prize-winning French theater director Thomas Jolly to direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2024 Games and the Paralympics.
As artistic director, the 40-year-old Jolly will be tasked with bringing to life Paris’ ambitious plan to hold the July 26, 2024, opening ceremony in the French capital’s city center, along the Seine River, taking it out of the traditional Olympic Stadium setting for the first time.
HOCKEY
NHL: Young 40-goal scorer Jason Robertson is expected to miss the start of training camp for the Dallas Stars because the team and the restricted free agent haven’t agreed on a new contract.
General Manager Jim Nill said there’s been steady, ongoing negotiations over the last couple of weeks with Robertson and his representatives. Nill wouldn’t say what has kept the two sides from reaching a deal, adding there have been “very good discussions.”
• Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams signed a contract extension, an indication that ownership believes he has the franchise pointed in the right direction.
Terms of the extension were not revealed. Adams, who’s in his third season as GM, signed the deal as players reported for the start of training camp.
BASKETBALL
NBA: Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball is scheduled to have surgery on his left knee next week for the second time in less than a year and figures to miss the start of the season.
The Bulls said Ball will undergo an arthroscopic debridement in Los Angeles. He will be re-evaluated in 4 to 6 weeks.
PREP SCHOOLS
GIRLS’ SOCCER: Chili Dowd had two goals and an assist, and Grace Metcalf and Juliette Lohnes scored one goal each as Berwick Academy (6-0) cruised past host Kents Hill 4-0.
SOCCER
PREMIER LEAGUE: Fans who run onto the field or use objects like smoke bombs and pyrotechnics at league matches will receive automatic bans from clubs for a minimum of a year.
Top-flight teams agreed to introduce the sanction with immediate effect at a league shareholders’ meeting, as part of measures to tackle increased anti-social behavior at matches.
The league said the bans could be extended to accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in such conduct. The ban is applicable to home and away matches.
Concerns were raised about safety issues inside stadiums following incidents that marred the end of last season in the Premier League and lower leagues.
TENNIS
PAN PACIFIC OPEN: Top seed Paula Badosa, second-seed Caroline Garcia and Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina were knocked out in Tokyo.
Badosa was overwhelmed by Qinwen Zheng, the 19-year-old rapid improver from China, 6-3, 6-2. Qinwen won 10 of the last 12 games, playing fearlessly on Badosa’s serve to break her four times.
Garcia was upset in the second round by Zhang Shuai, who prevailed 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5) in 2 1/2 hours.
Rybakina was coming off losing a three-set final in Slovenia last weekend but struggled to find any rhythm against an in-form Liudmila Samsanova, who won their tournament opener 6-2, 6-4.
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