bits and pieces

Donald to debut in Maybank Malaysian Open

KUALA LUMPUR: World No 2 Luke Donald will star for the first time in this year’s $2.75 million Malaysian Open golf tournament to be held from March 21 to 24, organisers said on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old former world No 1 is determined to regain the top title this year from Rory Mcllroy.

Donald, who won the Money Lists on both sides of the Atlantic in 2011, has accrued seven European Tour titles, including back-to-back success in the tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship.

The Englishman was also part of the Ryder Cup European Team on four occasions, the last being 2012.

Donald will be joined by other star players who are in the world’s top 50 including some who are major champions.

Jumeirah Group ends sponsorship with McIlroy

DUBAI: Jumeirah Group is not renewing its five-year sponsorship deal with top-ranked Rory McIlroy amid expectations that the Northern Ireland golf star will sign with Nike next week.

The global luxury hotel company based in the United Arab Emirates signed the deal with McIlroy when he was 18 and was one of his first corporate sponsors.

The announcement allows McIlroy to pursue a lucrative endorsement contract, with strong indications that he will sign with Nike in a deal that one industry observer estimated at $20 million a year.

David deserves Olympic squash medal: Pendleton

SINGAPORE: Double Olympic gold medallist Victoria Pendleton has thrown her support behind squash’s bid for Olympic inclusion and thinks seven-times world champion Nicol David should have the chance to win Malaysia’s first gold at the 2020 Games.

One sport will be added to the programme for the 2020 Games with squash up against karate, the Chinese martial art of wushu, baseball/softball, roller sports, wakeboarding and climbing.

“Squash is a very physically demanding sport and it’s also very spectator-friendly,” Pendleton, who won track cycling gold medals in Beijing and London, was quoted as saying in a World Squash Federation news release.

“The nature of the game means that it works really well — it’s fast and exciting — and has all the qualities required to make it a great Olympic sport.

Pendleton hailed David’s consistency and showed the world No 1..

“You so deserve to have one of these,” she told the Malaysian.

Rower Searle, who won gold in the coxed pairs at the 1992 Barcelona Games and bronze medals in Atlanta and London, said one of the positives about squash was the game’s global reach.

“I think it’s really interesting that you can have a sport like squash which is so universal.” said Searle.

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