Week in Sportbiz: Castore eyes Chinese market with Wolves kit deal; Rosberg signs up IG Prime to Extreme E team; Koepka does rival DeChambeau a favour May 27, 2021 Change is in the air at Wolves, and not only because manager Nuno Espirito Santo departed this week. The Black Country’s finest have also signed a new kit deal with fast-growing premium British sportswear brand Castore. Castore has been canny in its choice of sportspeople and teams to get behind, from Andy Murray to Owen [...]
Sam Torrance: Phil Mickelson winning the US PGA Championship is among the greatest major wins ever May 24, 2021 “I absolutely believe a player in their fifties will win a major,” Bernhard Langer said last month. He didn’t have to wait long to see that prediction realised by Phil Mickelson in a quite incredible performance at the US PGA Championship. Mickelson, who turns 51 next month, was sublime at Kiawah Island last week. He [...]
US PGA Championship prize money 2021: How much is at stake at Kiawah Island and how does it compare to other paydays in men’s golf? May 19, 2021 The Wanamaker Trophy is the target for the cream of men’s golf this week at the US PGA Championship – and the prize money isn’t bad either. A total purse of $11m is up for grabs at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, where play is due to begin on Thursday. From that, the winner will [...]
Sam Torrance: History and form point to Rory McIlroy as US PGA Championship returns to demanding but exciting Kiawah Island May 18, 2021 The US PGA Championship doesn’t need any extra spice but the return to form of Rory McIlroy has provided it anyway. McIlroy won this tournament by eight shots the last time it was held at this week’s venue, Kiawah Island, in 2012. So, having ended an 18-month drought with victory at the Wells Fargo Championship [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Succession at Matchroom; PGA Tour’s $40m fame fund; taking knee banned at Tokyo 2020; India warms to The Hundred; NFL’s paint job April 23, 2021 It’s been a busy week for shifts in power at the top of sports organisations, splitting with old partners and signing megabucks new deals. Away from European football’s attempt to eat itself, Matchroom announced that founder Barry Hearn would be stepping down after 40 years at the helm. Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn is succeeding [...]
Sam Torrance Masters review 2021: Why Matsuyama’s win is the best result for golf, heartache for Schauffele and a brilliant debut from Zalatoris April 13, 2021 You couldn’t pick a better Masters winner for world golf than Hideki Matsuyama. Japan has long had a huge involvement in the sport. They have a fantastic tour and have produced players like Jumbo Ozaki and Tommy Nakajima. They have also had women’s major champions, in Hisako Higuchi and Hinako Shibuno, but not men’s – [...]
Keith Pelley interview: European Tour chief on PGA Tour alliance, why 2021 is even tougher than 2020, and when fans can return to golf April 9, 2021 Since 14 April 2020, Keith Pelley has been getting used to a new way of starting each day. At 7:45am the chief executive of golf’s European Tour dials into a conference call with 14 colleagues to discuss which tournaments are on, which are off and need replacing at short notice, and which hang in the [...]
The Masters 2021: How much prize money players can at this week’s iconic golf tournament April 7, 2021 Winning the Masters is more about Green Jackets than greenbacks, but the prize money isn’t to be sniffed at either. This article details how payouts at men’s golf’s most iconic tournament compare with those at the other three majors. It will also illustrate how the Masters prize money has increased over time, and reveal who [...]
Sam Torrance Masters 2021 preview: The five players I expect to challenge at Augusta – and why I’d love to see Rory McIlroy or Lee Westwood triumph April 6, 2021 Whether it’s in November or April, the Masters is special. I enjoyed the last one as much as any other, despite it taking place in autumn rather than the traditional spring conditions. But I’m very excited for this week’s 85th outing at Augusta, which I expect to play harder than it did five months ago. [...]
Sam Torrance: Justin Thomas underlines Masters credentials with sublime showing at Sawgrass March 16, 2021 One moment in the final round on Sunday summed up the whole weekend for Justin Thomas at the Players Championship. Leading by one as he stood over the final tee, Thomas launched a perfect shot that sailed dangerously close to the water before skipping to safety after a kind bounce. There is no way he [...]