Digest

GOLF

PGA Tour bumps prize money to $415 million

The PGA Tour on Monday announced its schedule for the 2022-23 season, including total prize money that balloons to a record $415 million.

Furthermore, the tour will dole out an additional $145 million in bonus money, including $75 million for the FedExCup. The announcement comes a week after the renegade LIV Golf Series announced a 14-event schedule that will award $405 million in prize money in 2023.

The PGA Tour's 44-event regular-season slate kicks off Sept 15 at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California. It will conclude with the FedExCup playoffs, which will include just the top 70 players－down from 125－for the first event, the St. Jude Championship.

"We've heard from our fans and the overwhelming sentiment was that they wanted more consequences for both the FedExCup regular season and the playoffs, and to further strengthen events that traditionally feature top players competing head-to-head," PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a news release.

Barkley politely turns down LIV's TV offer

Charles Barkley pulled the plug on talks to join the LIV Golf Series as a broadcaster and will stay with Turner and Inside the NBA.

"I want to thank Greg Norman and LIV for their interest in me," Barkley said in a phone interview with the New York Post. "I wish those guys great success and nothing but the best. But, in my best interest, and being fair to Turner－because Turner and basketball have given me every single thing in my life－it is best for me to move on and I'm staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career."

Barkley played in the LIV Pro-Am event Thursday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, one week after dining with Norman in Atlanta. His current contract with TNT includes three more years at a total of $30 million, Barkley has said.

Barkley, 59, said on Thursday he felt he was in a "win-win" scenario but added many companies with whom he has endorsement agreements had reached out regarding their position on the LIV chatter.

A power forward, Barkley was an 11-time All-Star over 16 NBA seasons from 1984-2000. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006

BASKETBALL

Former CBA ace Vonleh agrees to Celtics deal

Free-agent forward/center Noah Vonleh has agreed to a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics, ESPN reported on Monday.

Details of the deal have not yet been released. Vonleh will attend training camp with the Celtics looking to secure a spot on Boston's regular-season roster.

Vonleh, 26, played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association last season, where he averaged 15.0 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting 44.6 percent from the field.

Before heading overseas, Vonleh spent seven seasons in the NBA. He has had stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Hornets after being drafted by Charlotte with the ninth overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.

His most recent NBA experience came with Brooklyn during the 2020-21 season, when he appeared in four games.

Vonleh now has the chance to suit up for his hometown team, as he is a native of Salem, Massachusetts, which is around 30 kilometers northeast of Boston.

SOCCER

Female referee seeks justice for attack

Argentine referee Dalma Cortadi appealed Monday for justice to be done after she was punched from behind by a male player who disagreed with one of her decisions during a regional league match.

Cortadi, 30, laid criminal charges against her attacker, 34-year-old Cristian Tirone, who was arrested on the pitch. Tirone knocked down the referee after she yellow-carded him for a foul. Cortadi was taken to hospital and spent several hours under observation after the attack, which was caught on video.

The footage shows Tirone seemingly aiming his fist at the back of Cortadi's head, missing, and connecting with her neck. She falls to the ground, but gets up immediately as Tirone is pulled away by others on the field.

"I fell and I don't remember anything else. When I got up I was dizzy and nauseous. Nothing like this has ever happened to me," she told the Ole sports daily.

Fabregas joins Italian second-tier side Como

Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who won the World Cup in 2010, has signed for Como and was unveiled by the Italian Serie B club on Monday.

"I want to bring Como back to where the club deserves to be, in Serie A," Fabregas told a news conference.

"I wasn't chasing money. I was looking for a project that I was enthusiastic about," he added, stressing that he was committing himself to the "long term" beyond his two-year contract and was thinking of becoming a shareholder in the club, which is run by former Chelsea and England midfielder Dennis Wise.

Fabregas, who previously played for Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea, had a frustrating season last year, not playing for Monaco's first team after September.

"On an individual level, it's ending badly, that's for sure. Every professional wants to play and feel important," the 35-year-old Spaniard told AFP in May, claiming to have experienced the "worst" season of his long career.

Agencies