Record crowd of 300k expected at St. Andrews British Open
ST. ANDREWS, April 27: The 150th edition of golf’s oldest championship really is cause for celebration. The R&A reports Tuesday it anticipates a record 290,000 spectators at St. Andrews for the British Open this summer. That would smash the previous record of 239,000 fans who watched Tiger Woods complete the career Grand Slam at the Old Course in 2000. The Open typically draws the most fans at St. Andrews, followed by clubs in the northwest of England (Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham & St. Annes). The R&A allowed 32,000 fans for Royal St. George’s last year in the gradual return from the COVID-19 pandemic, and with a 150-year anniversary at the home of golf, organizers received more than 1.3 million applications in the ticket ballot. (AP)
Serbia, Spain to square-off in Davis Cup Finals group stage
MADRID, April 27: Serbia and Spain will square off in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals, organizers said after holding a draw. That could mean a matchup of Novak Djokovic against Rafael Nadal when their nations play as part of Group B along with Canada and South Korea in Valencia from Sept. 14-18. Nadal did not play for Spain last year; Djokovic helped Serbia reach the semifinals. Group A, hosted by Bologna, will include Croatia – last year’s runner-up – along with Italy, Argentina and Sweden. Group C, in Hamburg, will pit Germany against France, Belgium and Australia. Britain, the United States, Kazakhstan, and the Netherlands will play in Group D in Glasgow. The entire competition will be played on indoor hard courts. (AP)
Italy women footballers now allowed to turn professional
ROME, April 27: Female football players in Italy will finally be able to turn professional next season after years of amateur-only status that limited their salaries. The Italian Football Federation’s executive board approved new regulations on Tuesday that open the way for a women’s professional era starting July 1 – in time for the next Serie A season. “Today is a big day,” federation president Gabriele Gravina said. “We’re the first federation in Italy to put this change into effect.” Italian law had limited female players to amateur status, meaning that they couldn’t earn more than 30,000 euros per year before taxes. Many of the men’s clubs – Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Roma and Lazio – have teams in the Serie A women’s league. (AP)