Happ, Springer open MLB season with homers in triumphs

Chicago Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ smashed the opening pitch of the 2018 Major League Baseball season for a home run Thursday as the Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 8-4.

Chicago Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ smashed the opening pitch of the 2018 Major League Baseball season for a home run Thursday as the Cubs beat the Miami Marlins 8-4.

Marlins pitcher Jose Urena endured a nightmare start in the first game of the new campaign, which will conclude with the World Series in October.

Happ, playing his first major league opening day after joining the Cubs in May last year, blasted the opening offering from 26-year-old Dominican right-hander Urena into the right-field stands.

It was not the first time a season's first pitch was swatted for a homer. Boston's Dwight Evans homered on the first pitch of the 1986 season at Detroit off Tigers star pitcher Jack Morris.

Happ wasn't the only leadoff hitter to homer as Houston's George Springer smacked the third pitch from Texas starter Cole Hamels over the rightfield fence to launch the new season for the World Series champion Astros.

"It felt great to hop on the first one and get us on the board," said Springer. "It's a great way to start the season."

Springer, last year's World Series Most Valuable Player, became the first season leadoff homer hitter for a defending World Series champion. He's also the only player to hit a leadoff homer on opening day in consecutive years, having also homered in last year's opener against Seattle.

Jake Marisnick also homered for the Astros in their 4-1 victory.

Happ, 23, became the youngest Cub to hit an opening-day homer since 1955. He smacked 24 homers and batted in 68 runs last year as a rookie for the Cubs.

Urena's horror show only began with the homer, however, as his first opening-day start saw the Marlins hurler surrender three runs on 57 pitches in the first inning. All nine Chicago batters came to the plate.

Happ became the first player to homer off the first pitch his team faced in a season since Japan's Kazuo Matsui in 2004 for the New York Mets.

School shooting tribute

Both teams paid tribute to the 17 people killed at a mass shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by wearing matches with the initials "MSD" and 17 stars.

Cubs first baseman Rizzo, who as a teen attended Stoneman Douglas, will host the school's baseball team at Friday's Marlins-Cubs game, when four families of victims or survivors are scheduled to make a ceremonial first pitch.

The Cubs showed support for the gun-control and voter registration pushes being made by student survivors, wearing special T-shirts before the game made by Cubs manager Joe Maddon's charity foundation.

"The kids are standing up for what they believe in," said Rizzo, who also homered in the game.

Ohtani singles to open

Japan's Shohei Ohtani, expected to be the first regular pitcher-batter in the major leagues since Babe Ruth's heyday a century ago, singled off the first major league pitch he saw for the Los Angeles Angels at Oakland, batting eighth in the lineup as a designated hitter in his debut after coming over from the Nippon Ham Fighters. The 23-year-old is scheduled to start on the mound Sunday against the A's.

Ohtani finished 1-for-5 as the Angels fell 6-5 in 11 innings, but said it was a day to remember.

"That (first) at-bat, I'm probably never going to forget the rest of my life," added Ohtani who is scheduled to start on the mound on Sunday for the Angels.

Dominican 38-year-old slugger Albert Pujols hit his 615th homer, seventh on the all-time list, for the Angels in the sixth inning.

An emotional pre-game ceremony before the New York Yankees opened at Toronto paid tribute to former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay, who was killed in a plane crash last November.

Halladay's sons walked to the mound and placed the ball there ahead of a moment of silence. The Blue Jays retired Halladay's number 32 jersey.


The Yankees, snapped a club-record six-opener losing streak with a 6-1 win over Toronto as Giancarlo Stanton homered twice in his Yankees debut.

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Ryder chases clubhouse leaders Glover, Tway at rain-hit Houston Open

Former US Open winner Lucas Glover and Kevin Tway ignited hopes of securing the last Masters berth on Thursday with seven-under par 65s at the rain-hit Houston Open.

Former US Open winner Lucas Glover and Kevin Tway ignited hopes of securing the last Masters berth on Thursday with seven-under par 65s at the rain-hit Houston Open.

Glover and Tway were out in the morning, teeing-off after a two-hour delay after heavy overnight rain that saturated the Golf Club of Houston course.

When darkness halted play, they were the clubhouse leaders, but American Sam Ryder was at eight-under through 15 holes and fellow American Beau Hossler was seven-under with two to play.

Thirty-four players in the field of 142 were still on the course and were to complete their rounds on Friday morning.

Glover, 38, capped his round with four straight birdies from his fifth hole and then birdied two of his closing three.

It was the South Carolina golfer's lowest tournament score by two shots in 45 rounds on the Houston course, where his best finish was seventh in 2005.

Despite owning a major title, Glover is not exempt into next week’s Masters having last competed at Augusta National in 2014.

"I like it here in Houston and I've had some success and then not, but that's every tournament, I guess, when you've been out here for 15 years," he said.

"But I do, I like it. I've got good vibes around here."

Tway, the 29-year old son of 1986 PGA Championship winner Bob Tway, highlighted his first appearance in Houston with four birdies over his closing eight holes, a good start in his quest for a win that would secure his first Masters appearance.

"Today was good and always close to home with the wind in Texas, the same in Oklahoma, so I felt pretty comfortable," he said.

"I kept the ball in play, made a few key putts. A couple up-and-downs to keep the momentum of the round going, so yeah, pleased."

If Tway should win through to the Masters he's no stranger to Augusta National having caddied many years for his illustrious father at the pre-tournament Par-3 Contest.

Rickie Fowler boosted his hopes of a first victory since capturing the Tiger Woods-hosted Hero World Challenge last December with a first-round 66.

The current World No. 8, third in Houston last year, was tied with Australian Rod Pampling, Julian Suri and Ryan Armour.

"The fairways are still pretty soggy and you have to make sure you catch the ball cleanly because if you don't it can make you look like a weekend golfer, at times, if you caught it a little heavy," Fowler said.

"But it was good to play good tee to green and also nice to make putts, including some longer ones and with the softer greens you could definitely putt more aggressively," he said.

'Good things coming' for Spieth

Struggling Jordan Spieth displayed a timely return to form, birdying his three closing holes in a four-under 68 and then marking the effort a "nine out of 10" as he looks to build confidence ahead of next week’s Masters.

"Given how I was feeling going into this week I call that a nine out of 10 for me today on the rebound on kind of where I've been my last two tournaments," he said.

"Only way it gets to 10 out of 10 is to be in the lead, right?" added Spieth, who finished with birdie putts of seven feet, six inches and three feet.


"I put in a lot of work the last few days and we're starting to get something out of it. I thought that four-under kind of felt more like a six-under to me, but that means that good things are coming."

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Referee warned about Smith, Warner in 2016: report

A match referee warned of disgraced Australian cricketers Steve Smith and David Warner "being involved in a ball-tampering incident" in the domestic Sheffield Shield in 2016, a media report said Friday.

The report came after Smith and Warner were stripped of the captaincy and vice-captaincy and banned for a year from the sport after being caught up in a plot to alter the condition of the ball during the third Test against South Africa on Saturday.

Daryl Harper said the pair were not engaging in fair play while representing New South Wales in a match against Victoria in November 2016, according to an email he sent to Cricket Australia's match referee and umpire selection manager Simon Taufel, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

"When David Warner repeatedly bounced his returns in to (NSW wicket-keeper) Peter Nevill on the first day, the umpires appealed to Smith to support their calls for fair play," the former Australian Test umpire reportedly wrote in the email.

"They weren't encouraged by his response. I assisted the umpires on the second morning by suggesting to (NSW coach) Trent Johnston that CA didn't need an issue with the national captain being involved in a ball-tampering incident."

Harper, who is Australian, said Smith had complained about the state of the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch after his team lost, and also "gave the impression that he wasn't happy to be playing the Sheffield Shield match".

"This was at the same time that the South African captain (Faf du Plessis) was under scrutiny (for ball tampering) and before he had been charged," Harper added.

"As it transpired, there were no further errant throws for the final three days of the game from either team. Steve's participation in the post-match meeting was quite limp, and not as I would expect from our national captain."

Cricket Australia has announced a review into team culture in the wake of the South Africa ball-tampering scandal.

Smith and Bancroft held emotional press conferences in Australia Thursday after returning from South Africa, while coach Darren Lehmann said he would quit after the fourth and final Test which starts Friday, despite being cleared of any involvement in the affair.


David Warner is due to address the media in Sydney on Saturday.

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Sweden's Lindberg surges to ANA Inspiration lead

Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg closed with back-to-back birdies to grab the first-round lead at the ANA Inspiration with a seven-under par 65.

Sweden's Pernilla Lindberg closed with back-to-back birdies to grab the first-round lead at the ANA Inspiration with a seven-under par 65.

Lindberg had seven birdies without a bogey at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, powering past Japan's Ayako Uehara and Spain's Beatriz Recari who shared second place on 66 in the first LPGA major of the season.

American Jessica Korda, South Korea's Jang Ha-na and Swiss amateur Albane Valenzuela were tied on 67.

Lexi Thompson -- who endured a rules nightmare last year that cost her a four-point penalty and a likely victory at Mission Hills last year -- headed a group of six players on 68.

Thompson was delighted to get a solid first round under her belt on a course she loves, but which inevitably brings back unwelcome memories of last year.

"I don't know if I would say it's a relief," she said. "I was just really looking forward to just playing this week. I love coming here, and the course can't be in any better shape. Probably the best I've seen it, and the greens are perfect.

"Overall I played really well today. So just going to take that into the next three days," said Thompson, who added she was touched by the fan support she received.

There was little to celebrate in defending champion Ryu So-yeon's return. The South Korean, who eventually beat Thompson in a playoff to lift the trophy last year, failed to make a birdie in a three-over 75.

Lindberg lights it up

Lindberg teed off on 10 and had three birdies on her outward run. Her four coming in included back-to-back birdies to cap her round.

"I just set a number for myself in my head every day," she said. "Today, I kind of kept adjusting that all day when I kept making birdies, and I even kind of upped my own number.

"That's what I'm going to do every day."

Uehara set the early pace, shaking off an opening bogey to take the clubhouse lead with eight birdies on the day.

"The beginning I had a three-putt, and I kind of played tight," said Uehara, who relaxed as she strung together three birdies around the turn and finished with two straight birdies.

Recari's six birdies included three in a row at 10th, 11th and 12th.

"From the beginning I felt very confident," Recari said after her bogey-free round. "I knew my strategy. I'll stick to it. Whenever I was in trouble I was actually in a good spot, and I was able to get up-and-down quite easily."

Korda burst out of the blocks with four straight birdies to start her round. She finished with eight birdies.

Korda is relishing golf, and life, after jaw surgery to correct a severe overbite.


"I didn't realize how much it affected me until I got the surgery done," said Korda, who won the Honda LPGA in Thailand in February, her season debut. "I'm just a happy person now. I wake up, no headaches. I get to wake up pain free every day and that's amazing to me."

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'Cruel betrayal': Cricket's heart broken in Australia

Being Australia's cricket captain is widely seen as the second most important job in the country behind prime minister. Many would argue it holds even more prestige.

National cricket captain is sometimes described as the second most important job in Australia, after prime minister. (AFP)


Being Australia's cricket captain is widely seen as the second most important job in the country behind prime minister. Many would argue it holds even more prestige.

This high esteem, and Australians' deep love of the game helps explain the stunned disbelief that has greeted skipper's Steve Smith's admission that he cheated, and even worse, that it was planned.

In an astonishing development, the captain said he hatched a plot to tamper with the ball in the third Test against South Africa, which saw team-mate Cameron Bancroft use yellow sticky tape on Saturday in Cape Town to try and alter its condition.

He was caught on camera and comically tried to hide the evidence by stuffing it down the front of his trousers.

Everyone from former Test greats, to the Australian Sports Commission, and the public condemned what happened, with the story dominating front pages, television news and coffee shop chatter.

Even Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he was "shocked and bitterly disappointed".

"It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating," he said.

Australian media have been united in their condemnation of the ball-tampering scandal. (AFP)

Cricket, long considered the gentleman's game, is more than a sport in Australia -- it is widely seen as helping shape the country itself, with its British origins helping foster and develop the national character, morals and ideals.

Wearing the baggy green cap of the national team is sacred, an honour earned by barely 450 people.

With that accolade comes great responsibilities in a former colony whose national identity owes much to its prowess in sport.

"To cheat is just not in the spirit of what Australians do. They fight hard, they play hard, but they don't cheat," cricket fan Steve Chaka told AFP in Sydney.

Another, Giovanni Cettolin, said Smith's lapse of judgement was "definitely not good sportsmanship for an Australian".

"Us Aussies all dig in and fight hard, you know, and obviously he didn't do that. It's a shame, it really is."

'Cricket helps define us'

As Jaimie Fuller, executive chairman of the Skins compression wear group of companies, explained in a full-page newspaper advert Monday: "Cricket is such a part of our national psyche that it helps define us.

"It helps give us a sense of what is fair, and what is not; what is right and what is wrong."

He said Cricket Australia had a moral responsibility to display good governance in how it responds to the scandal.

"If you don't, it's not just the Australian cricket team who is shamed, but it will be all of you. It will be cricket. And it will be all of us."

Catherine McGregor, author of the book "An Indian Summer of Cricket", said it would take a long time for the Australian public to forgive "this cruel betrayal".

"No other game is so self-conscious in revering noble defeat, nor in insisting how it is played is more important than the result," she wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.

"Cheating in order to win at any price 'just isn't cricket'."

She added that the anger of cricket lovers around the country was understandable.

"They are the true believers. This team is unworthy of them."

Australian cricket fans have long regarded the national team's style as hard but fair, but there has been mounting concern about the perceived arrogance from some, with the cheating scandal a step too far.

Peter Lalor, cricket correspondent for The Australian and Sydney's Daily Telegraph, said the conspiracy clearly showed "there is something rotten at the heart of the Australian cricket team".

"The public has struggled to love a side that wins ugly, but success and nationalism and tradition have patched the frayed fabric," he wrote Monday.

"A conspiracy to cheat, however, has ripped the cloth and major repairs will be needed."

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Stung Mercedes vow to bounce back after 'one that got away'

Mercedes have vowed to bounce back in Bahrain next month after throwing away Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix to Ferrari, with team boss Toto Wolff admitting it was tough to take.

Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel (right) celebrates winning the Formula One Australian Grand Prix on the podium beside second-placed Lewis Hamilton (AFP)

Mercedes have vowed to bounce back in Bahrain next month after throwing away Sunday's season-opening Australian Grand Prix to Ferrari, with team boss Toto Wolff admitting it was tough to take.

Sebastian Vettel got the jump on world champion Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes blundered their calculations on the Ferrari ace's pit stop under Virtual Safety Car (VSC) conditions.

Vettel went on to keep Hamilton at bay for his second straight win in Melbourne and third overall.

It's a defeat that sticks in the craw of Mercedes and team principal Wolff, who is determined the champion team will not repeat the same error again.

"This was one that got away and it's a bitter pill for us all to swallow," Wolff said.

"Following Lewis's pit stop, we believed that we had the scenarios of both the safety car and the virtual safety car covered, so that Sebastian could not pit and come out ahead of Lewis on track.

"We should have been several seconds safe, then suddenly saw on the TV screens that we were not.

"Of course, under the VSC sometimes you benefit and sometimes you lose out -- but it was clearly a problem on our side and we need to analyse that to understand what happened and correct it."

Wolff said what was particularly frustrating was that Mercedes had the pace to win the Melbourne race.

Frustrated: Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff (AFP)

"Lewis was in control through the opening stint, then after the pit stop as well, and looked on course for a strong victory but it wasn't to be," he said.

"Congratulations to Ferrari on their win. For us, it's a tough one to take, but there are lots of lessons to be learned so we can come back stronger next time."

Mercedes have already set their sights on the second race of the season in Bahrain on April 8.

'Not where we want to be'

Hamilton said he was bewildered to find himself behind as Vettel emerged from the pits to hold on to the lead around the notoriously-restrictive Albert Park street circuit.

"I did everything I could, but it's not what anyone expected to happen," said the Briton.

"I'm still in a little bit of disbelief as I don't really understand what happened yet.

Sebastian Vettel leads Lewis Hamilton during the Formula One Australian Grand Prix (AFP)

"At least in my heart I know that I gave everything this weekend. I'm sure the team is feeling pain right now but we will regroup and we'll work on it."

For his part Vettel believes Ferrari's 2018 car is not currently "a true match" for Mercedes, despite having won the first race.

Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen had been unable to challenge Hamilton in Melbourne qualifying, both finishing almost seven-tenths of a second off the defending champion.

The German conceded he was "a bit lucky" to win, and admitted Ferrari was not yet where it wanted to be.

Sebastian Vettel takes the chequered flag to win the Formula One Australian Grand Prix (AFP)

"If you look at the gaps the whole weekend, we are not yet a true match (for Mercedes)," he said.

"Therefore at this point we know that we are not yet where we want to be, because we want to be fastest."

In this case, it’s asking us where to grab the photos, how to name them and where it should put them. All you have to do is click on the Add ingredient, make your selection from the drop-down box, and hit the Create Action button.

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Australian cricket faces huge backlash over ball-tampering scandal

Australian cricket was facing perhaps the toughest week in its history on Monday as a backlash grew over a ball-tampering scandal which is likely to cost Steve Smith the Test captaincy.

Steve Smith (R) and Cameron Bancroft admitted plotting to tamper with the ball. (AFP)

Australian cricket was facing perhaps the toughest week in its history on Monday as a backlash grew over a ball-tampering scandal which is likely to cost Steve Smith the Test captaincy.

Sponsors expressed "deep concern" as media and fans called for widespread changes following the shock admission that Smith and senior team members plotted to cheat in South Africa.

Smith, 28, was suspended as skipper for the remainder of the third Test against South Africa on Sunday and was then banned for one match by the ICC.

His team's weekend of shame then ended in a crushing 322-run rout. Set an unlikely 430 to win, Australia were bowled out for a paltry 107 with fast bowler Morne Morkel taking five for 23.

Now Smith is expected to face a harsh sanction from under-pressure Cricket Australia for his role in the plot which saw team-mate Cameron Bancroft tamper with the ball by using yellow sticky tape, before desperately trying to conceal the evidence down the front of his trousers.

Cricket Australia said in statement Monday that Smith and all members of the team would remain in South Africa for the time being to assist in its probe into the circumstances around what happened.

But Smith, whose talents with the bat have drawn breathless comparisons with Aussie great Don Bradman, is not the only man caught in the crosshairs.

David Warner also stood down from his role as vice-captain, while questions remain over coach Darren Lehmann although Smith said the former Australian international was not involved in the conspiracy.

Pressure was also mounting in Australia for CA chief James Sutherland to take responsibility for the "rotten" team culture and quit.

'Reality has started to sink in'

"It's been a horrible 24 hours -- I want to apologise to our fans and those back home," said Tim Paine, who was handed the stand-in skipper role on Sunday.

"We're struggling but the reality and the enormity of what's happened has probably started to sink in. I don't think we expected this to be as big as it has been, the fall-out we have seen from back home."

Smith, also docked 100 percent of his match fee by the ICC, will miss the fourth and final Test in Johannesburg from Friday due to his ban.

However, Bancroft, the 25-year-old opening batsman, escaped an ICC suspension. He was instead fined 75 percent of his fee, warned, and hit by three demerit points.

"The decision made by the leadership group of the Australian team to act in this way is clearly contrary to the spirit of the game," said ICC chief executive David Richardson.

Smith, who was out for just seven runs on Sunday, Warner and Bancroft were loudly booed by fans during Australia's second-innings surrender.

The admission of cheating brought a firestorm of anger, with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull saying he was "shocked and bitterly disappointed".

'Sorry' for cheating

In scathing commentaries Monday, Australian media said the team had heaped "disgrace and humilation" on the country, while sponsors also weighed in.

"This is deeply disappointing and certainly not what anyone expects from our national cricket team," airline Qantas, whose logo is on the team shirts in South Africa, told AFP in Sydney. "We are in discussions with Cricket Australia as this issue unfolds."

Sutherland issued an apology to fans.

"To our Australian cricket fans, we are sorry," he said.

"This behaviour calls into question the integrity of the team and Cricket Australia."

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, who has himself twice been sanctioned for ball-related offences, gave Smith qualified support for coming clean.

"Obviously he's trying to take responsibility so there is right in that but there's also a right in that people are responsible for their own actions," he said Sunday.

"I don't know what the right answer is but I can understand it's a really tough time for him to be in right now."

Smith had insisted on Saturday he wouldn't resign the captaincy he has held for three years since succeeding Michael Clarke, but his position appears to be increasingly tenuous.

Several former Australian Test stars have said it was impossible for him to continue, with Clarke insisting Smith had made "a big mistake" and must suffer the consequences.

But Clarke added: "I think it's important that we do over time forgive as well."

Smith on Saturday took responsibility for Bancroft's actions, admitting he was involved in planning the move at lunchtime with "the leadership group".

"I'm not proud of what happened. It's not in the spirit of the game," he said.

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Kerr says 'no way' Curry plays first round of NBA playoffs

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says there's "no way" injured star guard Stephen Curry will be available to play until the second round of the NBA post-season.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says there's "no way" injured star guard Stephen Curry will be available to play until the second round of the NBA post-season (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP)

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says there's "no way" injured star guard Stephen Curry will be available to play until the second round of the NBA post-season.

The playoffs begin on April 14 and Kerr said Sunday that Curry will need more time to complete rehab on his sprained knee and get back into game shape once he resumes practising with the reigning NBA champions.

"There's no way he's playing in the first round," Kerr said.

The Warriors said Saturday that they would re-evaluate Curry in three weeks after an MRI showed a grade two medial collateral ligament sprain in his left knee.

Curry also spoke to reporters prior to Golden State's game on Sunday against the Utah Jazz and said his hope is that he will be ready sooner than the second round.

"I am not going to let it be a defeating situation," he said. "I treat it with a sense of humour.

"It is a tough turn of events but I will have an opportunity to play in games that matter in the playoffs and that is the focus."

Curry said he is trying to keep his spirits high and look at the positive side of the injury which took place in his first game back on Friday night after missing six contests with an ankle injury.

"It could be worse," he said. "I count that as a blessing.

"Our team has been through a lot in the injury department. We all go through individual things but at the end of the day none of this is going to shake us from our ultimate goal of a championship."

The revolving door on the Warriors' infirmary is spinning.

The ailments also extend to All-Stars such as Draymond Green (flu), Kevin Durant (ribs) and Klay Thompson (right thumb).

Kerr said the others will all return "within the next week or 10 days."

Curry hopes the others can get back on the floor as quickly as possible.

"We've got four all-stars sitting in the back and one is at home. I will have some company but eventually I will be the lone solider out there and that is not a bad thing," he said.

Curry also missed a half a dozen games during the 2016 playoffs with a right knee injury.

"We have to be ready to play without him and see how he's coming along," Kerr said. "The good thing is we've been through this."

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Venus outlasts Bertens to book Konta clash

Three-time winner Venus Williams saved three match points in a three-set victory over Kiki Bertens on Sunday, lining up a fourth-round clash with reigning champion Johanna Konta at the Miami Open.



Three-time winner Venus Williams saved three match points in a three-set victory over Kiki Bertens on Sunday, lining up a fourth-round clash with reigning champion Johanna Konta at the Miami Open.

Williams, ranked eighth in the world, labored nearly three hours to beat 29th-ranked Bertens 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.

The 37-year-old American was cruising with a 5-0 lead in the opening set, but she squandered three set points as Bertens reeled off seven straight games to snatch it.

The second set was another streaky affair, but Williams gained a decisive break for a 5-3 lead and fought off a break point in the next game to force the decider.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion would have to dig deep when she fell 1-4 down to her Dutch opponent in the third.

Bertens served for the match at 5-3 but was unable to convert two match points as Williams broke to put the match back on serve.

Williams would face one more match point against her own serve in the next game, but she held on as Bertens appeared to struggle with cramps in the final games.

Williams sealed the win with an emphatic forehand winner, giving a little leap of elation.

"It didn't look good sometimes, that's why you keep playing until the last point," said Williams, who lifted the trophy in Miami in 1998, 1999 and 2001. "And that's why I love this game."

Konta, whose victory here last year propelled her into the top 10 in the world rankings, advanced with relative ease, beating Belgian Elise Mertens 6-2, 6-1.

Konta exchanged early breaks with Mertens, but gained the upper hand with a break for 3-2 when the Belgian double faulted four times in one game.

It launched a streak of four straight games for Konta that gave the Briton the opening set.

She powered through the second to reach the fourth round, where the 26-year-old will try to get past the last 16 of a tournament for the first time this season.

Svitolina, Ostapenko advance

Fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina and sixth-seeded Jelena Ostapenko, the reigning French Open champion, also advanced, as did 2016 Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig.

Ukraine's Svitolina beat Daria Gavrilova 4-6, 6-0, 6-1, her fourth straight win over the Australian.

In a match of tense rallies Svitolina finished with 28 winners and won 70 percent of her first-serve points.

Svitolina will battle for a quarter-final berth against another Australian, 21st-seeded Ashleigh Barty, who beat Croatia's Petra Martic 6-4, 6-3.

Latvian Ostapenko defeated Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-2, 7-6 (7/2). She led by a set and a break before Haddad Maia battled back to level the set.

Ostapenko twice served to avoid a third set. She fell behind 0-2 in the tiebreaker before winning seven straight points for the victory.

"In the tie-break, I showed my great tennis, and I won the match," Ostapenko said. "I'm really glad it happened that way."

She next faces ninth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, who rallied for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over American qualifier Sofia Kenin.

Puerto Rico's Puig followed up her upset of second-seeded Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Greece's Maria Sakkari.

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Hole-in-one helps Ji Eun-hee to Kia Classic crown

South Korea's Ji Eun-hee aced the par-three 14th hole en route to a two-shot victory on Sunday in the LPGA Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California.

Eun-Hee Ji of Korea tees off during the LPGA KIA CLASSIC on March 25, 2018 in Carlsbad, California (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP)

South Korea's Ji Eun-hee aced the par-three 14th hole en route to a two-shot victory on Sunday in the LPGA Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California.South Korea's Ji Eun-hee aced the par-three 14th hole en route to a two-shot victory on Sunday in the LPGA Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California.South Korea's Ji Eun-hee aced the par-three 14th hole en route to a two-shot victory on Sunday in the LPGA Kia Classic in Carlsbad, California.

Ji finished with five birdies and her eagle one in a five-under par 67 at the par-three 14th at Aviara Golf Club.

Her 16-under par total of 272 put her two strokes in front of Americans Cristie Kerr and Lizette Salas.

Ji began the day in a three-way tie for the lead with compatriot Kim In-kyung and Salas.

Her four birdies on the front nine included three in a row at the sixth, seventh and eighth, and she added another at the 10th.

Her lead had been trimmed to one, however, when her tee-shot at 14 bounced on the green and rolled in, boosting her advantage back to three.

She maintained that edge despite a three-putt bogey at 15 when Kerr bogeyed the 17th.

Ji dropped one more shot with another three-putt at the last, where her first putt raced past the hole.

By then, however, her fourth LPGA Tour title was virtually in the bag.

"I hit it pretty well today," said Ji, who hit all 18 greens in regulation. "I was driving the ball really nice and I rolled in nice putts."

She laughed when she learned she'd won two cars from tournament sponsor Kia -- the one that comes with the trophy and one on offer for the ace at 14.

"Really?" she said. "I didn't know that!"

Even better, she gained a big boost heading into the first major of the year, the ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage, California, next week.

"I'm really confident," said the 31-year-old, who won the 2009 US Women's Open.

Her latest win comes five months after she ended an eight-year title drought with a victory at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Taiwan in October.

Kerr, who led after 36 holes after a second-round 64 but stumbled with a three-over 75 on Saturday, was pleased to put herself back in contention with a four-under 68 that included six birdies.

"Eun-hee's playing some great golf," Kerr said after reaching the clubhouse on 274. "I did my best. I had a tough day yesterday and it would have taken a super-low round today to catch Eun-hee. I'm happy with my first good tournament of the year."

Salas had three birdies in her three-under 69.

Kim had five birdies and three bogeys in a two-under 70 that left her tied for fourth on 275 along with Americans Jane Park (67) and Kris Tamulis (68).

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Woods at Ryder Cup would be unbelievable - Europe captain Bjorn

European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn has said that having a rejuvenated Tiger Woods playing in September for the Americans against his team in Paris would be a "massive bonus" for golf.

Fourteen-time major champion Tiger Woods has impressed since returning to the PGA Tour after a series of injury problems (GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP)

European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn has said that having a rejuvenated Tiger Woods playing in September for the Americans against his team in Paris would be a "massive bonus" for golf.

Fourteen-time major champion Woods has impressed since returning to the PGA Tour after a series of injury problems, notching back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time since 2013.

Bjorn insisted that he wouldn't be disappointed if his players have to face up against the former world number one, saying a fit and firing Tiger at the Ryder Cup would be "unbelievable for the game".

"Tiger Woods' involvement for the game of golf is hugely important," Dane Bjorn told AFP.

"He is the ultimate superstar in sport and that's very important for the game that he's involved.

"I think it'll be great for the game if he (Woods) plays and a massive bonus for the Ryder Cup in France. If he got back to a place where he was among the best 12 players in America... I think for the game of golf that would be unbelievable."

Woods will head into the Masters next month as one of the favourites for the green jacket, a remarkable situation given he was ranked outside of the world's top 1,000 just last year.

The 42-year-old, a veteran of seven Ryder Cups, has only been part of one winning American side -- back in 1999.

But Bjorn warned against underestimating "the best that's ever played".

"Now that he's back on the golf course and playing well, once he starts getting confident he's the best that's ever played and he can do incredible things," he added.

"It will be interesting to see how the next three or four months develop in Tiger Woods' golf life, because there seems to be the thing about him that's a bit more humble.

"I think he's really happy with the way things have developed and I think he'll go and do really good things."

Woods, who will be hoping to claim an 80th PGA Tour title in the coming months, has already been appointed as a vice-captain to US skipper Jim Furyk for the matches in France.

But Bjorn knows that having an in-form Woods playing instead of on the sidelines would be anything but a boost for Europe's chances of regaining the trophy.

"He can play himself into the team and then the vice-captaincy disappears a little bit because he has to focus on his playing," said Bjorn.

"But America have a very good set-up now with Jim (Furyk) being captain and guys like Davis Love and Steve Stricker. They've been around a long time and they know each other very well."

With Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas fighting it out for the world no. 1 spot and the likes of Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed hitting form, the addition of Woods could make an already-formidable American line-up look even stronger at Le Golf National in six months' time.

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Hello halo: Thong-like safety device divides F1

It's the most controversial Formula One introduction since the 2016 qualifying elimination clock, but unlike that ill-fated change the halo should last more than two races.

It's the most controversial Formula One introduction since the 2016 qualifying elimination clock, but unlike that ill-fated change the halo should last more than two races.

The new cockpit head protection system, to give it its full name, is highly divisive: team principals, drivers and fans are split over whether it is the right safety solution when the new grand prix season roars into life in Melbourne this week.

After years of research and development, the FIA settled on the halo -- a thong-like titanium and carbon fibre structure above the cockpit -- to protect drivers from flying debris following the fatal crashes of Jules Bianchi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix and Justin Wilson in an IndyCar race in the US the following year.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is firmly among the halo haters. "If you give me a chainsaw I would take it off," he said at the launch of the team's 2018 car last month.

"I think we need to look after the driver's safety, but we need to come up with a solution that simply looks better," he added.

Motor racing purists are aghast because they say grand prix racing is supposed to be an open-cockpit formula; other fans moan it is just plain ugly; some drivers have said it restricts vision.

'It's just a big mess'

World champion Lewis Hamilton doesn't like the halo's looks but said: "We have known for some time it was coming and I think after a few races we will forget it is even there."


But Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo complained it makes cockpit access difficult -- the Williams team even resorted to stepladders at pre-season testing to help drivers get in and out of their cars.

Toro Rosso driver Pierre Gasly said he had ripped several race suits. "I don't like it. It's just a big mess to get in the car and get out," he said.

Haas pilot Kevin Magnussen also can't stand it. "It's difficult to get into the car, difficult to get out of the car, difficult to get the steering wheel on and off, just awkward and annoying," he said.

But not all drivers are against the innovation. "It's going to save lives, no doubt," said Williams' Canadian teenager Lance Stroll.

And two-time world champion Fernando Alonso believes there "should not be any debate" over a measure that improves safety.

The president of governing body FIA Jean Todt said that if the halo saves one life it will be worth it.

"Last year we had 42 fatalities in motor racing. It's unacceptable," Todt told reporters in London last week.

"Can you imagine how we would all feel if something happened and if we would have had the halo it would not have happened?"

'Aesthetics aren't the best'

At least the halo has been well researched, unlike the last rule change to cause as much controversy.

At the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, with barely two weeks' notice, former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone introduced a new qualifying system which saw the slowest car being eliminated every 90 seconds, in a bid to bring more edge-of-the-seat action for fans.

It did the opposite, resulting in an empty track for much of qualifying, and was scrapped after just two races.

The halo should last the season at least, but Todt offered some crumbs of comfort to those who can't stand the sight of what resembles a bent scaffolding pole above the driver's head.

"If we are able to find something better, I am sure we will be able to over the years," said Todt.

Alonso agreed: "Aesthetics aren't the best at the moment, and in the future I'm sure that the sport and the teams will find a way to make it a little bit nicer."

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