The Daily Telegraph - 27.08.2019

By James Corrigan

GOLF CORRESPONDENT

Copying Brooks Koepka’s ruthless

attitude has already benefited Rory

McIlroy to the extraordinary tune

of $15 million (£12.2 million) and the

Irishman believes this hard-nosed

approach will mean the pair

develop a rivalry that will decide

who is the player of their genera-

tion.

After Sunday’s heroics at the

Tour Championship in Atlanta –

where he prevailed by four shots

with a brilliant 66 – McIlroy yester-

day arrived in the Alps to contest

this week’s Omega European Mas-

ters in Crans-sur-Sierre.

Another win and then another at

the BMW PGA Championship at

Irishman triumphs after

copying ruthless streak

America star Kerr not

picked for Solheim Cup

Wentworth in three weeks could

take McIlroy above Koepka to

world No 1. But if not that soon,

then the 30-year-old is certain he

will have other battles with Koepka.

Following the last round of the

2019 PGA Tour season, McIlroy

made no secret of his desire to ex-

act a measure of revenge over the

big-hitting American. McIlroy had

gone out in the fourth round of the

World Golf Championship in Mem-

phis with a one-shot lead over

Koepka, but in their first Sunday fi-

nal-group showdown, Koepka cut

him down with a 65 to McIlroy’s 71.

This time, the

spikes were on the

other foot, as

Koepka took a

one-shot advan-

tage over McIlroy

into the final

group at East

Lake – and the

latter repaid the

favour with a 66

to his playing

Pay day: Rory

McIlroy took Tour

Championship

By Ben Coles

Eben Etzebeth will remain part of

South Africa’s World Cup squad,

despite allegations that he was

involved in an assault and racial

slur against a homeless person over

the weekend which the forward has

firmly denied.

“It is completely untrue and

unfounded to claim that I physically

or racially abused anyone in Lange-

baan [in South Africa] as has been

reported on social media. Multiple

witnesses can corroborate that,”

Etzebeth stated. The South African

Rugby Union has publicly backed

I want to be more like

Koepka, says McIlroy

South Africa stand by Etzebeth

RUGBY UNION

Wiggins trains as social

worker ‘to help people’

By Ian Parker

Sir Bradley Wiggins is taking a

degree in social work as he looks to

redefine himself after his cycling

career.

The 39-year-old was the first

Briton to win the Tour de France in

2012 and took Olympic time trial

gold just days later, but said he no

longer wants to be defined by his

sporting success and is instead try-

ing to find ways to help people.

“I don’t give a s--- about my

cycling career now,” Wiggins told

The Big Issue magazine. “I’m just

detached from it, I don’t want to

live off the back of it. I live off being

me, and I’m happy in my own skin.”

Wiggins, who briefly attempted

to become an elite rower after his

cycling career ended, has now

found success as a pundit for Euro-

sport and during this year’s Tour he

drew rave reviews for his commen-

tary when riding on a motorbike,

laughing and joking with riders in

the peloton.

However, Wiggins, who had a

difficult relationship with his es-

tranged father after growing up in

Kilburn, said he also wanted to

move into social work.

“When I was offered a TV role,

I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it,” he

said. “It took me a while to find my-

self, redefine myself, and come

back to cycling without an ego.

“So now I can do the TV job, but

I’ve also enrolled to do an Open

University degree in social work.

I want to help people.

“Those horrific things I saw

when I was growing up ... nothing

can shock me now, and I want to

use that mental toughness working

as a social worker.

“And when people say, ‘Oh,

you’re that cyclist,’ I’ll say, ‘No, that

was a few years ago. I’m a social

worker now’.”

The interview in The Big Issue

will appear just a few days after it

was announced that Team Wiggins

Le Col, the professional develop-

ment team Wiggins formed in 2015,

will close its doors at the end of the

season, having helped a number of

young British riders to reach the

UCI WorldTour.

Etzebeth, while adding that it will

continue to cooperate with the

authorities.

The news comes after Springbok

wing Aphiwe Dyantyi, the World

Rugby Breakthrough Player of the

Year last year, tested positive for an

unspecified banned substance.

Dyantyi has denied any wrong-

doing, but could face a two-year

suspension if his B sample returns a

positive result. Rassie Erasmus

named his 31-man squad yesterday,

with six Premiership players se-

lected: Vincent Koch, Franco Mos-

tert, Lood de Jager, Francois Louw,

Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach.

Meanwhile, lock Will Skelton has

signed a new contract with

Saracens until 2021.

Lucky

escape

Two-time

Olympic

800m

champion

David

Rudisha

thanked

“Almighty

God” after

escaping

unhurt

from a

head-on

car crash

in Kenya.

Sport

GOLF

Change of tack:

Sir Bradley

Wiggins is

studying for

a degree

eca. c oy ad

n the fourth round of the

f Championship in Mem-

a one-shot lead over

ut in their first Sunday fi-

showdown, Koepka cut

with a 65 to McIlroy’s 71.

me, the

e on the

ot, as

took a

advan-

McIlroy

final

East

nd the

aid the

ha 66

playing

ry

k To u r

hip

partner’s 72. At the end of a cam-

paign in which he has preached the

merits of mindfulness, McIlroy saw

the killer in Koepka’s eyes and de-

cided to emulate him.

“Brooks went out there in Mem-

phis and shot 65 and dominated the

tournament, dominated me. I real-

ised if I want to become the domi-

nant player in the world again, I

need to be more like that,”

McIlroy said. “Sometimes I’ve

tried to treat Sundays the

same as a Thursday or Friday,

and they’re not. I’ve gone into

them a little too relaxed, and

it’s about trying to get yourself

in the right mindset. The ulti-

mate compliment I can give

Brooks is that I wanted to be a

little bit more like him.”

McIlroy is adamant this is

simply the start of his duelling

with Koepka: “I definitely

expect more Sundays like that

between the both of us.”

Cristie Kerr, America’s most

successful Solheim Cup player,

has been left out of the match

against Europe at Gleneagles.

Morgan Pressel and Stacy

Lewis are the wild cards.

CYCLING

Denial: Eben

Etzebeth has

refuted claims of

assault and racial

slur against a

homeless person

The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 27 August 2019 *** 13
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