Bingham in Trump's section

 

World champion Stuart Bingham has been drawn in the same 'group' section as Judd Trump for next month's Champion of Champions tournament.

 Bingham and Trump will both be in action on the opening day - Tuesday November 10 - at Coventry's Ricoh Arena. They will face yet-to-be-decided opponents in their first-round matches, played over best-of-seven frames, with the two winners then meeting in the best-of-11 format in the evening.

The following day, defending champion Ronnie O;Sullivan and Joe Perry will be among those in action, while the Thursday group will include Neil Robertson and World Championship runner-up Shaun Murphy.

World number one Mark Selby and Barry Hawkins will feature on the Friday.

The player to emerge from each day's play will progress to the semi-finals (best of 11) on the Saturday. The final, a best-of-19 affair, will be held on the Sunday, November 15.

 

Floyd Mayweather's globetrotting continues as he travels to Hawaii post-retirement

It appears the world is Floyd Mayweather's oyster as the boxing superstar continues to enjoy life post-retirement.

After spending time in the French Polynesia with pop star friend Justin Bieber recently, the 38-year-old has embarked on a new destination as his globetrotting continues. 

On Tuesday, Mayweather took to Instagram to update his social media following that he is now in Hawaii - albeit briefly.

Floyd Mayweather took to Instagram on Tuesday to upload photos of a brief stay in Hawaii

Mayweather (right) recently hung out with pop star friend Justin Bieber (left) in the French Polynesia

'Hanging out in Hawaii texting my pilots telling them to gas up the jet I'm ready to move to another destination. #AirMayweather #tmt #Hawaii,' he wrote as a caption accompanying an image of himself alone.

That post was shortly followed by a picture of the undefeated boxer sitting at the bottom of the stairs of his jet ahead of boarding his aircraft. 'We move quick #AirMayweather www.themoneyteam.com,' the orthodox fighter added alongside it. 

Mayweather officially hung up his gloves last month after defeating Andre Berto with a wide points decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The 38-year-old was awarded the verdict by judges 120-108, 118-110 and 117-111 to secure the 49th professional victory of his career and equal the record of the legendary Rocky Marciano.

While Mayweather has repeatedly insisted that Berto was his final bout, plenty of pundits and fans alike suspect that the allure of surpassing Marciano and another big-money pay packet could tempt him to renege on his decision.

Factor in the newly-built indoor arena in Vegas and the lingering demand across the world for a rematch with rival Manny Pacquiao and there is plenty of cause for speculation.

Mayweather officially hung up his gloves last month after defeating Andre Berto with a wide points decision

38-year-old celebrates his victory at the end of the bout to take his professional record to 49-0 before retiring

Tiger Woods Still Cannot Swing Golf Club After Back Surgery

 

 Tiger Woods still cannot swing a golf club after his second microdisectomy surgery last month, but he's not fully backing out of his fall commitments.

In a post on TigerWoods.com, it was announced that Woods will travel to Mexico City for the America's Golf Cup, an exhibition to promote golf in Latin America but will not compete in the 72-hole best ball tournament or the afternoon teaching clinic. Matt Kuchar, who was scheduled to team with Woods in the event, will "do the heavy lifting, as Tiger cannot swing a golf club yet."

For all the sponsors, no fear! Woods will still host a breakfast before the tournament begins.
Woods had back surgery on Sept. 16 and is hopeful to return to competitive golf early in 2016.

 

Serena Williams stands to lose up to $3 million from WTA withdrawal

 

Serena Williams will not lose her No. 1 ranking any time soon.

But after withdrawing from the rest of the season, she's going to lose an enormous amount of money. Her fine for missing the WTA Finals in Singapore will be $125,000, which may seem like chump change to someone in Williams' tax bracket.
Williams could, however, avoid that levy if she agrees to show up in Singapore and make herself available for some promotional work.
By skipping the China Open, Williams will have failed to meet the required commitment to play in at least four of the five WTA Premier Mandatory events. Therefore, she forfeits the $450,000 she would have earned in bonus pool money as the No. 1 player.
And because Williams didn't play all nine of the WTA events that would have qualified her for a "Super Bonus," she can't claim that $100,000 either.
Those aren't exactly fines, but Williams had done almost all the heavy lifting to earn that money, and now all of it will be unavailable. It brings the total she's lost out on to $675,000.
With a $500,000 increase in prize money in Singapore, the WTA finalists will be vying for a potential undefeated champion's first-prize check of $2,360,000. Based on recent history, Williams would have had an excellent chance to sweep the field. Had she done that, the turnaround, including her bonus pool earnings, would have left her with a net gain of more than $3 million.
Sources at the WTA told ESPN that they are currently in talks with Williams' camp regarding the fines and her potential promotional appearances at the WTA Finals.

 

After a season of doing so much, Harden seeks more

Houston's superstar guard says 'I am the best player in the league' and is out to prove his Rockets squad didn't peak in 2014-15

HOUSTON — When the knee injury first flared up a year ago that eventually forced center Dwight Howard to miss exactly half the regular season schedule, there was only one thing for James Harden to do.

More.

When forward Terrence Jones went from nerve inflammation in his leg to the flu to a collapsed lung that kept him sidelined for 49 games, point guard Patrick Beverley tore ligaments in his left wrist in March and forward Donatas Motiejunas needed back surgery in April and both players missed the playoffs, the ask of Harden was the same.

So after averaging 27.4 points, 7.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game while at times solely dragging his Rockets to the Western Conference finals for first time in nearly two decades and it was still not enough to win the 2015 Kia MVP award, Harden has a plan.
"You don't think I can do more?" Harden asks. "Just wait. I'll show you."
The beard mostly covers up the defiant grin that practically dares you to tell him he's already scraping at the ceiling.
"I am the best player in the league. I believe that," he said. "I thought I was last year, too."

                             

There's so many factors. I led the league in total points scored, minutes played. Like I said, I'm not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me.

– Houston Rockets guard James Harden

                                                                                                                                                                         

That runner-up finish to the Warriors' Stephen Curry is still harder to swallow than a chicken bone.
"I know I was the MVP," Harden said. "That's 100 percent given all the things that happened last season.
"Credit the Golden State Warriors for an unbelievable year. They had an unbelievable team, coaching staff, everything.
"But that award means most valuable to your team. We finished second in the West, which nobody thought we were going to do at the beginning of the year even when everybody was healthy. We were near the top in having the most injuries. We won our division in a division where every single team made the playoffs.
"There's so many factors. I led the league in total points scored, minutes played. Like I said, I'm not taking anything away from Steph, but I felt I deserved the Most Valuable Player. That stays with me."
What also stays with him is the nagging memory of being eliminated in Game 5 of the West finals on a night when Harden shot just 2-for-11 from the field and committed a playoff record 12 turnovers.

  

"To be honest, I thought I had more in the tank when I went out onto the court that night," he said. "But it was a long, tiring, beat-down season ... Playing the most [total] minutes in the league, dealing with so many injuries every single day ... It's a wear-and-tear. It's a grind.
"It was so frustrating, because in that Game 5 I turned the ball over 12 times. I pride myself on creating opportunities to score for my team. So those 12 possessions, instead of getting a shot for myself or one of my teammates, I'm giving an extremely talented Golden State offensive team extra possessions. And you just can't do that in the playoffs.
"So that's what my offseason has been all about -- better conditioning and better preparation for this time."
Harden's offseason has also included signing a lucrative endorsement contract with adidas for $200 million, continuing a high-profile relationship with Khloe Kardashian that makes him an A-lister by any measure, practically sprinting up the ladder of celebrity two rungs at a time.

"I wasn't thinking about any of this when I came to Houston three years ago," he said. "I had goals, but this is beyond my expectations.
"If I had stayed in Oklahoma City, I would still probably be in a very good situation, coming off the bench and playing a key role on a really good team. But I don't think anything like the sneaker deal, the other opportunities that are starting to lay out in front of me, would have happened.
"I know I would not have developed as an all-around player, as a person, as a leader. There's a lot that I didn't know and understand about what I was walking into -- the responsibility that comes with the position."
Harden hit the ground running, arriving in Houston just days before the start of the 2012-13 season and fired in 37 points at Detroit and 45 points in Atlanta in his first two games and his ball of white-hot fire hasn't stopped burning.
"All I knew when I got here is I wanted to make positive things to happen," he said. "I was thinking how was I going to fit? How was I going to put a stamp on the organization.
"I was confident in my ability, but I didn't know everything that was going to be required, expected. My first two years I was just trying to learn to score the ball at a high level every night, trying to build on that. Then I'm starting to hear, 'Oh, he can't lead a team. He can't play both ends of the court.' So I had to figure out how to play defense at a higher level and I think last year I did that."

A lot of players think they want to be the man and they want to get all the attention. They want all of the positives, everything that comes with it. But they don't know how difficult it is to actually to be in this spot.

– Houston Rockets star James Harden

Harden's burden is to continue clearing a bar that he keeps raising along with his game and his image and he's not at all shy about his reach. At 26, he is the franchise player the Rockets have been seeking since Hakeem Olajuwon's prime and, unlike the Hall of Fame big man, swallows up the spotlight like it's champagne and caviar. He bathes in the attention, craves it and even thrives with the same air of supreme confidence that lets him extend one arm and hold the ball out in front on a crowded drive through the lane, daring anyone to stop him.
"Look, this is a grind," Harden said. "That's why not a lot of players can be in this position. A lot of players think they want to be the man and they want to get all the attention. They want all of the positives, everything that comes with it. But they don't know how difficult it is to actually to be in this spot.
"Every time you lose, anytime you're not winning, you're blamed. It's a tough position to be in. But that's why the ones that are successful are truly meant to be in the position. For me, it's just about continuing to work and focus on what I can control.

James Harden Interview

James Harden sits down with Matt Bullard during Rockets media day.

"Now you see the front office went out and got us Ty (Lawson). By having a guy who can take the ball out of my hands on a few possessions every game, it will keep me fresh later in games, later in the postseason. Doing a little less helps me do more. That's a great way to put it."
The space to move up has narrowed now that that Rockets have reached the conference finals, but that step to a championship is considerable.
"Last year we added Trevor (Ariza) and added Jet (Jason Terry)," Harden said. "Then Brew (Corey Brewer) and Josh (Smith) came part way into the season. We never had an opportunity to have a training camp together, to have guys locked in for an entire season. Then Dwight was out and all the [other] injuries. But somehow we managed to get to the conference finals.
"So I'm excited now to hopefully have a full roster healthy for an entire season and see where that takes us. I'll put my team up against any other team in the league. Nobody is better and we're ready."

          

 

Klopp can be Liverpool 'immortal' - Hamann

Jurgen Klopp can become an "immortal" at Liverpool if he is appointed manager, according to former midfielder Didi Hamann.

Ex-Borussia Dortmund coach Klopp is expected to be named Brendan Rodgers' successor on a three-year deal with Goal understanding he will fly to Liverpool on Thursday to finalise the details.

Hamann, a Champions League winner at Liverpool, has backed his German countryman to be a success and feels that if Klopp was given time to settle, he could lead the club back to their former glories.

"I know managers always say they know all about the history and tradition of clubs when they arrive, but no-one can really be expected to know that when they first come in," he is quoted as saying by The Mirror.

"It took me maybe six, 12 months to realise exactly what Liverpool was all about.

"When I went to my first Hillsborough memorial service, I started to think a bit deeper about what this club truly means, and what it represents.

"If he gives himself 12 months to take it all in and understand fully what the club and the fans are all about, then I really do believe he can be an immortal at Liverpool.

"Jurgen is a top-class manager, and he has the passion to connect to the people."

 

Beckham: Man United won't suffer Liverpool title drought

The Reds haven't won the English top-flight for 25 years, but the ex-England captain is sure that his former club will not suffer the same fate

  

Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham is confident the club won't have to wait as long as Liverpool before winning another Premier League title.

United last finished top of England's top flight in 2012 during Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge - a success which saw them overtake the Reds' haul of 19 league titles.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have gone 25 years without tasting domestic success, but Beckham - who won the Premier League six times at Old Trafford - is confident United won't suffer the same fate as their arch-rivals.

"I can't see that happening," said Beckham. "I never think we'll not be in contention to win trophies. Obviously you have to stay on the ball with that, but there's too much embedded into this club to let it slip away like that."

Beckham was talking after returning to the club he joined as a teenager ahead of a UNICEF charity match. Check out our gallery of images of the former England international back at Old Trafford.