A "star in the making" were the prophetic words of an announcer who had just witnessed 16-year-old Missy Franklin slice up the competition at swimming's 2011 world championships.

John Daly, known as "Wild Thing" during his heyday on the PGA Tour, has said he was only trying to get some laughs when he jokingly said this month that a bottle of vodka and some Diet Coke is the cure for COVID-19.

Staging this year's Ryder Cup without fans is not in the event's best interests but it might have to "take one for the team" and proceed that way amid the COVID-19 crisis, Team Europe captain Padraig Harrington told The Times newspaper.

Qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic golf tournament will be extended to June 2021 to accommodate the year-long delay caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the International Golf Federation (IGF) said on Wednesday.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is hoping to get the 2020 season under way with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational from July 15-18, the start of what will be a busy second half of the year.

The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is hoping to get the 2020 season under way with the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational from July 15-18, the start of what will be a busy second half of the year.

The PGA Tour will extend its exempt player membership status into next season due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has interrupted this year's schedule, it said on Thursday.

Former world number one Adam Scott put a rustic country golf course on the map on Friday after live-streaming a nine-hole round in the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Australia's northeastern state of Queensland.

The North of Ireland Amateur Open in 2005 was not an event expected to produce much glamour, but a 16-year-old Rory McIlroy was dressed to impress.

The Harding Park golf course which is scheduled to host the PGA Championship in August will reopen on Monday.

Harold Varner III is getting impatient to play professional golf again, and has no qualms about jumping straight back into the water when the PGA Tour resumes next month amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 4 (OPTA) - The PGA Fedex Cup Rankings on Mar 8 Rnk Prv Total 1. (2) Sungjae Im (Korea Republic) 1458 2. (1) Justin Thomas (US) 1403 3. (3) Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) 1179 4. (5) Brendon Todd (US) 1110 5. (4) Webb Simpson (US) 1083 6. (6) Patrick Reed (US) 1077 7. (13) Marc Leishman (Australia) 1059 8. (7) Lanto Griffin (US)

Rory McIlroy will team up with Dustin Johnson to take on American duo Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff in a $3 million charity skins match on May 17 as televised golf returns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA Tour said https://www.pgatour.com/news/2020/05/04/rory-mcilroy-dustin-johnson-rickie-fowler-matthew-wolff-taylormade-driving-relief-live-golf-covid-19-coronavirus-relief-efforts.html on Monday.

SOCCER - Inter Milan striker Ronaldo rounds Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani before slotting home into an open net to seal a 3-0 win in the UEFA Cup final.

Europe captain Padraig Harrington let slip that former world number one Luke Donald is one of his vice-captains at this year's Ryder Cup during a live broadcast on Tuesday.

This year's World Amateur Team Championships (WATC), scheduled for October, have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Golf Federation (IGF) said on Tuesday.

Organised sport will only resume in the Netherlands from Sept. 1, but recreational golf and tennis will be allowed from Monday, Dutch prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday as he announced an easing of COVID-19 lockdown measures.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews to break with tradition and nominate, for only the second time in 266 years, its captain to serve for two successive terms.

Sergio Aguero may be scared about returning to action in the Premier League but the Manchester City striker will join Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo on a Formula One esports grid this weekend.

The coronavirus relief golf match featuring Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will be on May 24 at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, WarnerMedia's Turner Sports said on Thursday.

Major sports events around the world that are in the process of re-starting or have been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

England's Jason Roy is ready to play in empty stadiums if the post-coronavirus situation demands so, said the opener who got a taste of it in his last outing.

Usman Khawaja believes he is still among Australia's top six batsmen and can force his way back into the squad after being dropped a few days ago from the list of contracted players.

Alexander Albon won a virtual Formula One thriller, against a field that included England cricketers Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad, around Brazil's Interlagos circuit on Sunday to deny Charles Leclerc an esports hat-trick.

Women's cricket risks losing momentum after the launch of The Hundred competition was postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, former England captain Charlotte Edwards said.

MOTOR RACING - Briton Damon Hill of Williams salutes the crowd as he passes the chequered flag at the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher was second and Gerhard Berger in a Benetton finished third.

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has committed to playing for his country in all three formats of the game in the 2020/21 season, a boost for a test side that lacks experience and depth in the batting lineup.

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne wants to enhance his power-hitting ability in one-day internationals as he seeks to establish himself as an all-format player, the 25-year-old said on Monday.

England's players would have to "make do" with limited chances to prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup scheduled for later this year in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan said.

Australian spin great Shane Warne has suggested using weighted balls to help pace bowlers generate swing without risking health when cricket resumes after the coronavirus shutdown.

English cricket is braced for losses of up to 380 million pounds if no matches are played this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Tom Harrison, CEO of The England and Wales Cricket Board.

The British government is looking at the option of restarting sports leagues behind closed doors, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Tuesday.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes says playing in closed stadiums would not dampen the competitive side of matches and that players "would do anything" to get cricket back on television screens for fans to watch during the COVID-19 crisis.

England's World Cup winning captain Eoin Morgan says cricket's 10-overs format would be ideal for a global multi-sport event such as the Olympics as the entire tournament could be squeezed into 10 days.

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara will be offered a one-year extension as president of the Marylebone Cricket Club in the "extraordinary circumstances" resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the MCC said on Wednesday.

Having been struck down by a fatigue illness last year, Australia opener Joe Burns sees a silver lining in cricket's long offseason due to the coronavirus shutdown.

SOCCER - Manchester United great George Best poses with a life-size version of a Royal Mail stamp featuring former United midfielder Duncan Edwards.

India captain Virat Kohli and his team mates would be ready to spend two weeks in quarantine in Australia if that helped the tour go ahead as planned later this year, a top official of the Indian board has said.

England test captain Joe Root is keen to play international cricket this summer but not by compromising on quality of the game or its intensity, the 29-year-old has said.

The magical atmosphere will be missing if the cricket season currently stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic resumes in empty stadiums, India captain Virat Kohli has said.

Playing against India behind closed doors in the much-anticipated test series at the end of the year might end up being an advantage for the home side, according to Australia batsman Usman Khawaja.

Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey Baldwin are opening up in an intimate series for Facebook Watch in which they discuss their marriage, their problems and their lives together.

Author Stephenie Meyer thrilled fans of her best-selling "Twilight" novels on Monday by announcing she will release a prequel that explores the characters' love story from the perspective of vampire Edward Cullen.

Oscar-winning "Jojo Rabbit" screenwriter Taika Waititi will direct and co-write a new "Star Wars" feature film for theaters, Walt Disney Co said on Monday.

A 1966 manuscript, on which a young Bob Dylan typed and wrote lyrics for a track on his "Blonde on Blonde" album and another song he later abandoned, went on sale at Sotheby's auction house from Tuesday.

Londoners locked out of galleries can find an alternative art fix on a wall under under some railway arches after street artist Lionel Stanhope painted a Caravaggio classic, updated for the coronavirus age.

Fox News Media, a unit of Fox Corp, said on Tuesday it has partnered with digital streaming services company Spotify Technology SA to distribute its podcast catalogue featuring more than 20 original series.

Action star Tom Cruise is working on a movie shot in outer space, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said on Tuesday.

Walt Disney Co. will kick off its strategy next week to begin restoring its lucrative parks business that has suffered $1 billion in lost profits from the coronavirus-led shutdown.

Philippine legislators pushed on Wednesday to get the country's biggest broadcaster back on air, amid widespread shock and dismay over an order by the industry regulator for the station to cease operations after its 25-year licence expired.