IN BRIEF (Page 23)

Basketball

CCTV cancels NBA coverage

China Central Television (CCTV) canceled its coverage of the ongoing NBA playoffs due to the earthquake, said Jiang Heping, director of CCTV's Olympic Channel.

Jiang told reporters on Sunday that the coverage is not in step with the atmosphere of quake rescue. CCTV has yet to confirm when or if the schedule will resume.

In a poll conducted by Internet portal 163.com, 61 percent of participants say the cancellation will seriously impact their viewing habits, as CCTV is their major avenue for enjoying NBA games. But a CCTV host said the move will not hamper fans' interest in basketball.

"I don't know why they're stopping the coverage, but I don't think it is something that will have any negative influence on fans in the long run," Yu Jia, host of the Olympic Channel and also an NBA commentator, told 163.com. "We are negotiating with the people involved in this case and will try to resume the coverage as soon as possible."

GOLF

Liao crowned in China Tour

NANJING: Liao Guiming won his first Omega China Tour title after beating legendary Chinese golfer Zhang Lianwei in a playoff for the 800,000-yuan ($115,000) Sofitel Golf Championship in Nanjing.

The first person he celebrated with was his wife, who had flown in for the final day to surprise her husband.

"I didn't even know she was coming. She didn't tell me and then I saw her as I walked off the green. I was so happy," said the 30-year-old, who won the 150,000-yuan first-place check after Zhang scored a double-bogey on the playoff hole, the par-4 18th at the Nanjing Zhongshan International Golf Club.

Liao led the event from start to finish, with rounds of 66, 69, 69 and 74 giving him a 10-under-par total of 278.

Zhang closed with a 71, while 18-year-old Su Dong, who lost the lead after a triple-bogey on 16, also shot 71 after missing a four-foot birdie putt on 18 that would have put him in the playoff with his playing partner.

(China Daily 05/27/2008 page23)