IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Golf

Over 9,000 sign up for US Open

Tiger Woods heads a list of 9,000-plus golfers who have registered for entry to the US Open at Pebble Beach, officials said on Thursday.

The world No 1 was among nine former winners given automatic entry into the June 17-20 championship.

The number of exemptions will increase on May 24 with the inclusion of players on rankings and money lists but the vast majority of the 9,052 entrants must chance their luck in qualifying tournaments in the US, Japan and Britain.

Only 156 players will make the final field. The youngest entrant was a 10-year-old from Louisiana while the oldest was an 81-year-old from California.

Basketball

LeBron has strained elbow

Cleveland forward LeBron James has a strained right elbow but should be fit to play on Saturday when the Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics to open the second round of the playoffs, the team said on Thursday.

The reigning NBA Most Valuable Player has been experiencing stinging pain and numbness for several weeks and was forced to shoot a free throw left-handed in Tuesday's 96-94 win over the Chicago Bulls.

James is to undergo daily treatment before having an examination next week.

Outdoor Quest

Team MacPac win in Baise

Team MacPac, an international combined team, won the third Baise Leye International Outdoor Quest, which ended in Leye County of Baise, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Thursday.

Team Thule Adventure and Team Smartwool/Polar NZ finished second and third respectively.

About 50 top outdoor quest athletes representing 30 teams contested the multi-sports endurance race over three days and across 244 kilometers.

The best Chinese finishes were achieved by the team from the China Geoscience University and Team Kolumb, at fifth and sixth respectively.

Soccer

Fans' festival

The penultimate weekend of the English Premier League campaign and the destiny of the trophy lies in Liverpool's hands.

In China, millions of Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool fans will be watching closely the outcome of the encounter between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.

Liverpool's team jersey sponsors, Carlsberg, said the players will wear jerseys with Chinese characters to thank the Chinese fans for their support.

Also, a billboard on the sidelines will congratulate the World Expo in Shanghai in Chinese and there will also be Chinese slogans on an electronic billboard.

Finally, a Chinese female fan at the game will conduct an interview with Liverpool players, present gifts from China and also the best player award.

Aussie Rules

Bombers fly high

The Beijing Bombers retained the China Cup last weekend with an 11.6-72 to 8.5-53 victory over an improving Shanghai Tigers team at Xiaowuji sports ground in Beijing. Playing before an enthusiastic crowd, the hosts managed the blustery conditions slightly better than their southern rivals in the ANZAC Day weekend Aussie Rules encounter.

The teams, mainly comprising Australian expats, are expected to take the field again in October as the curtainraiser to a match between Australian Football League sides the Melbourne Demons and Brisbane Lions at Expo 2010 Shanghai.

Reuters-China Daily

(China Daily 05/01/2010 page24)