RUGBY
British club helps develop Ukraine team
In 2018 eight Ukrainian international rugby players were welcomed to train with the Milford Marlins, a lower-tiered federation of local clubs (Community League) playing in England’s Rugby League. The reasoning behind the project was to allow the Ukrainians to gain valuable experience and improve the quality of their national team. The president of the Ukrainian Rugby League federation, Arthur Martyrosyan, searched for a club where the better Ukrainian rugby players could go and gain some high-level experience. Martyrosyan reached out to the Rugby Football League for assistance in finding a club in the Leeds region of England. The Milford Marlins eagerly responded, asking about some Ukrainian players and offering an immediate invitation to join their club.
Four Ukrainians joined Milford in April 2018: Oleksandr Skorbach, Mykhailo Troian, Yevgen Trusov and Oleksandr Shcherbyna. Later in 2018, Oleksandr Kozak, Sergiy Kravchenko, Bohdan Vepryk and Oleksandr Syvokoz joined Milford and helped the Marlins climb up the NCL Division One standings. Although Ukraine did not qualify for the 2021 Rugby World Cup, the national team has made significant strides and is on track to be a future force. The sport arrived in Ukraine in 2006 when Martyrosyan along with his father and a colleague established a domestic competition.
Prior to the current war with Russia-supported separatists, the domestic league included teams in the eastern Ukraine cities of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and in Crimea. In 2017 the competition was reorganized to include teams from western Ukraine. Many of these sides are affiliated with Super League clubs in England like the Lviv Tigers and Kyiv Rhinos. The combination of having established competitive league play in Ukraine with key players gaining valuable training and development in England means the Ukrainian Rugby League is heading in the right direction.
GOLF
Furyk finishes second at Players
“I was just proud of the way I played,” Jim Furyk said in his media session at the conclusion of The Players Championship on March 17. At the tournament’s end Furyk was left to congratulate Rory McIlroy for finishing 72 holes one shot better. He left as encouraged as he was disappointed, falling just short against a former world No. 1 and four-time major championship winner.
The 17-time PGA Tour winner is looking to add another title. Furyk barely squeezed into the field at the Players, qualifying in early March with his ninth-place tie at the Honda Classic. He arrived there with limited status after not finishing among the top 125 in the FedEx Cup standings a year ago when he was tied up with his Ryder Cup duties. He’s ranked at No. 49 as of June 2. Furyk’s four-day total of 273 included daily scores of 71, 64 (!), 71 and a final day 67. He earned a whopping $1.35 million for his second-place finish.
Kuchar wins Sony Open
Matt Kuchar won the Sony Open of January 13 at the Wai’alae Country Club in Honolulu. The victory marked the end of a four-year drought (besides his win at the Mayakoba Classic on November 2018). Kuchar grabbed complete control late in the final round with back-to-back birdie putts, the second of which on No. 16 prompted a rare emotional reaction with a fist pump. When he tapped in an easy birdie to conclude a four-shot victory over Andrew Putnam, he glanced back across the Honolulu sky only to see a rainbow stretching across the horizon.
“I was pretty frustrated,” Kuchar said. “I think the frustrating thing was I felt like I was doing some good things and just not seeing results. That sometimes is hard to take, when you think you’re on the right course and the right path and not seeing results. Nice to see it turn around.”
Playing from behind for the first time on the weekend, Kuchar was about to go down two shots when Putnam hit a 30-yard bunker shot to within inches of the cup. Kuchar blasted out weakly, but holed the 10-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth to stay in range. He caught Putnam on the 10th with an aggressive pitch-and-run up the slope. After trading birdies, they were all even with five holes to play. Putnam then bogeyed with a 9-iron into a deep bunker left of the 14th green. Kuchar followed with 12-foot birdie putts on the next two holes, on his way to his ninth career win. It was only the second time Kuchar has won twice in the same season. He finished at 22-under 258, the third lowest total in Waialae (golf course) history behind the PGA Tour record of 253 by Justin Thomas in 2017 and Jimmy Walker’s score of 257 when he won in 2015.
WRESTLING
Belenyuk shows Ukrainian pride
After winning the gold medal at the 70th UWW European Wrestling Championships in Bucharest on April 8-14, Greco-Roman wrestler Zhan Belenyuk (87 kg) danced the Hopak and announced he was dedicating his victory to his native country of Ukraine.
He posted a video on Instagram that included the following quote: “Thank you to all who supported and believed! I dedicate this gold to Ukraine and all Ukrainians! The true emotions of people are the main thing that motivates me to train and win! I am confident that with maximum efforts my ultimate victory is still ahead.”
TENNIS
Yastremska wins third career title
Dayana Yastremska won 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-3) against Caroline Garcia of France on May 25 at the Strasbourg International in France. This was Yastremska’s third title in eight months, having won at the Hong Kong Open (October 2018) and the Hua Hin Championships in Thailand (February 2019). In the longest WTA final of the season, the sixth-seeded Ukrainian upset the fourth-seeded Garcia, earning her first victory on clay. The tense final took two hours and 58 minutes to play out. Yastremska wasted two match points in the second set before saving one in the third set prior to finally closing out the encounter.
“Excited and very emotional, that’s the two feelings I’m most feeling now,” said an elated Yastremska in a post-finals press conference. “I tried my best, I did work hard. I don’t know how to describe it – I had match points, she had match points, it’s just very emotional. I had to stay focused and be calm.” “You had two match points, the title in your hands, and then it’s just gone,” Yastremska admitted. “Then you have to not put extra pressure on yourself, you have to forget (them), you have to remind yourself that the games continue. Next game, next point, next set. I’m proud that I could find somewhere the passion and the power, especially in the third set, when I was losing 6-5,” she continued. “I felt really tired, I had a blister in my foot, it was bleeding and so painful.”
French Open update
Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia lost 5-7, 2-6 in the women’s doubles quarterfinal of the French Open against Elise Mertens of Belgium and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus. Kichenok and Ostapenko won the third round 7-5, 6-1 against Su-wei Hsieh of Taipei and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic. Nadiia Kichenok and Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan won 6-3, 6-4 against Hao-ching Chan of Taipei and Oliver Marach of Austria in the mixed doubles quarterfinal, but lost the semifinal 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 2-6 (7-4), 1-6, 8-10 against Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Mate Pavic of Croatia. Kichenok and Abigail Spears of the U.S.A. were eliminated in women’s doubles after losing 3-6, 2-6 the third round against Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium and Johana Larsson of Sweden. In women’s singles, Lesia Tsurenko and Elina Svitolina made it to the third round before both were eliminated. Tsurenko lost 2-6, 1-6 against No. 1 Simona Halep of Romania 2-6, 1-6 and Svitolina lost 3-6, 3-6 against Garbine Muguruza of Spain.
HOCKEY
Makar wins Hobey Baker, scores first NHL goal
Cale Makar won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in college hockey on April 12. He completed his second season playing a key role in the University of Massachusetts Minutemen’s advance to their first Frozen Four championship game against defending NCAA champ Minnesota-Duluth. (UMass lost 3-0). He led all NCAA defensemen in scoring with 16 goals, 33 assists for 49 points in 41 games played. He was the first defenseman to lead Hockey East in scoring. Makar edged out Harvard’s Adam Fox and St. Cloud State’s Jimmy Schuldt, the first time the award’s three finalists were all defensemen.
The Calgary native, Colorado’s first-round selection (fourth overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, finished his 2018-2019 year with the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Makar was signed to a three-year entry-level contract on April 14 and joined the Avelanche for Game 3 of their first-round series with Calgary. In his first-ever NHL game he scored a goal on his first ever shot, a wicked wrist shot half way in from the right point. His goal helped his team to a 6-2 victory. Avalanche coach Jared Bednar told the Denver Post: “Makar, obviously an elite player. I think there’s obviously potential for him to be able to come in and help us.”
Keith Gretzky interim GM at Oilers
Keith Gretzky, younger brother of Wayne Gretzky, was tapped as interim General Manager for the Edmonton Oilers following the firing of GM Peter Chiarelli in January. Hiring from within the organization was no surprise, but those expecting former NHL managers, like Craig MacTavish, Kevin Lowe and Scott Howson were surprised by the announcement of the younger Gretzky.
Observers note that the position is more of a figurehead, as the Oilers operate on a group brain trust comprising President/CEO Bob Nicholson, Vice-President of Hockey Operations MacTavish, Howson, Lowe and Wayne Gretzky. Keith brings with him two-and-a-half-years experience as assistant GM to Chiarelli in Boston as director of amateur scouting and as a scout. His NHL career began with the Phoenix Coyotes after older bother Wayne became part owner of the club. Keith was also a scout for six years for the Coyotes prior to becoming director of amateur scouting for four seasons.
With contribution by Ihor Stelmach.