Digest

GOLF

Nicklaus says he tested positive for COVID-19

Jack Nicklaus revealed on Sunday that he and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus at the onset of the pandemic.

Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, turned 80 a month apart at the start of the year.

Speaking at the Memorial tournament in Dublin, Ohio, he said his wife had no symptoms, while Nicklaus had a sore throat and a cough. Nicklaus said they were home in Florida, for over a month "until we were done with it".

"Barbara and I are both of the age, both of us 80 years old, that is an at-risk age. Our hearts go out to the people who did lose their lives and their families. We were just a couple of the lucky ones," said Nicklaus.

Tiger Woods, who finished 15 shots off winner Jon Rahm on Sunday, said he had known for some time Nicklaus had tested positive.

Rahm's three-shot victory saw him become the first Spaniard since Seve Ballesteros in 1989 to hold golf's world No 1 ranking.

Two of Rahm's family members have died from COVID-19, and he said: "Anytime I can join Seve at anything, it's incredible. It's hard to process right now. There are so many things going through my mind right now that have nothing to do with golf."

BASKETBALL

LeBron rookie card fetches record $1.8m

NBA superstar LeBron James is a record-setter in the memorabilia world as well as on the court.

A rare James trading card from his rookie season with the Cleveland Cavaliers－one of only 23 manufactured－sold for $1.8 million on Saturday.

James signed the card, which features a patch from one of his jerseys, and it was graded at 9.5-"Gem Mint condition" according to Goldin Auctions.

"The incomparable superstar has penned a vivid blue ink signature on the obverse of this ultra-premium collectible," Goldin Auctions said in the description of the item. "Its card-front presentation also incorporates an exceptional, tricolor James-worn jersey patch relic."

Bidding began on the card at $150,000. The Cavaliers selected James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. He is now a 16-time All-Star and three-time NBA champion.

The previous record for most expensive sports trading card belonged to baseball's Mike Trout. In May, one of Trout's cards sold for $923,000.

SOCCER

Goulart completes loan move to Hebei

Naturalized Chinese player Ricardo Goulart has completed his loan move from Guangzhou Evergrande to Hebei China Fortune, the latter team confirmed on Sunday.

The 29-year-old midfielder, who moved from Cruzeiro in his native Brazil to the Chinese Super League in 2015, played a crucial role in Evergrande's 2015, 2016 and 2017 CSL title wins as well as its 2015 AFC Champions League triumph.

Goulart was briefly loaned to Palmeiras in 2019 and returned to Evergrande in May of the same year.

Hebei also confirmed that Buya Turay, the Sierra Leone striker from Belgian club Sint-Truiden, has completed a transfer to the team.

According to Hebei, Turay is a speedy striker with quick reactions and the ability to make attacking runs to beat the defensive line.

Zahavi raring to kick off 'special' CSL season

Guangzhou R&F talisman Eran Zahavi says this year's pandemic-postponed Chinese Super League campaign feels "extra special".

After being delayed for nearly five months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the 2020 CSL season will finally kick off this weekend with behind-closed-doors matches in two hub cities－Dalian and Suzhou－where players are observing strict lockdown measures.

"This year is very special to us, even to the world," said Israeli Zahavi. "The league's staff have made efforts to ensure our safety, so we appreciate what they have done."

Featuring a revised competition format, the CSL's 16 teams have been split into two groups for the first phase of the restart, with each based in either city until Sept 28. R&F will start its campaign against Shenzhen at Jinzhou Stadium in Dalian on Sunday.

"To me, the new format has no difference, my job is to score. And what I expect is to have a good performance through the cooperation of our team," said Zahavi, who broke the CSL single-season scoring record with 29 goals last year.

Messi bags milestone Spanish top-scorer title

Lionel Messi won a record seventh top-scorer title in La Liga on Sunday after netting twice in Barcelona's 5-0 rout of Alaves.

Messi ended with 25 goals, four more than Karim Benzema, who did not score in Real Madrid's 2-2 draw at Leganes.

Messi is the first player to finish as the league's top scorer in seven different seasons. He reached the milestone despite missing minutes with an early-season injury. The Argentine's 25 goals came in 33 matches.

Messi was tied with Telmo Zarra with six scoring titles. He has also now equaled Hugo Sanchez's feat of four straight top-scorer trophies.

"Individual achievements are always secondary," said Messi, whose Barca team finished runner-up behind Madrid. "I wished it could have come along with the league title."

SWIMMING

Legendary coach Xu passes away at 50

Renowned Chinese swimming coach Xu Guoyi passed away of cerebral cancer at the age of 50 on Sunday.

Xu, who formerly swam competitively for his country, retired in 1993 to become a coach.

His proteges include Olympic champion Ye Shiwen, world champions Xu Jiayu and Fu Yuanhui, as well as rising star Li Zhuhao.

Xu Guoyi was diagnosed with cerebral cancer at the end of 2015, but he concealed his diagnosis in order not to affect his swimmers' preparations for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He was back to work only five months after the surgery.

Fu, who won bronze in the 100-meter backstroke in Rio, posted a poem she wrote on Sunday on Weibo to lament Xu's death.

Xinhua - Agencies