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Pia Babnik excited to defend individual title in Jeddah finale of Aramco Team Series

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One of the most exciting golf events on the schedule returns to Saudi Arabia over the weekend of November 9, as the Aramco Team Series reaches its final leg.

There is great excitement among all players involved, but few players will be as happy to return to the course as Pia Babnik, as the defending champion looks to land a second straight victory in the event. But, what should golf fans be aware of this weekend, and how does the competition work?

How Does The Aramco Team Series Work?

The Aramco Team Series has grown in popularity throughout its short history, which led to the 2021 season being expanded. Nowadays, there are events held across the globe, with competitions also taking place in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain. All events on the circuit boast a purse of $1 million, with the event in Saudi Arabia being the final event of the series.

It is an interesting concept for fans, as players compete in individual and team competitions. In total, there are 36 teams, with each consisting of three professionals and one amateur player. Drafts are used to form the teams, with the captains being the highest-seeded players in the rankings.

Previous Aramco Team Series Events This Season

The first Aramco Team Series of the season took place in Bangkok in May, with Manon De Roey claiming victory by three shots from Johanna Gustavsson. A team made up of Whitney Hillier, Chonlada Chayanun, Krista Bakker and Pattanan Amatanon won the team event in Thailand by three shots.

The action moved to London in the middle of June, with Bronte Law taking a home success after finishing one shot clear of compatriot Georgia Hall. Success in the team event was claimed by Nicole Garcia, Kelly Whaley, Madelene Stavnar, and Mia Baker, who won a playoff in England.

Spain took center stage in the Aramco Team Series in August, with one of the best players in the world taking her team to glory in Sotogrande. Jessica Korda was in fine form, as she led Noora Komulainen, Tereza Melecka, and Malcolm Borwock to a win by one shot. The individual event was also won by Kelly Korda, as she finished three shots clear.

The penultimate event on the Aramco Team Series schedule was staged in New York in the middle of October. There would be further American success, as Lexi Thompson finished three shots clear of Brooke Henderson and Madelene Sagstrom. Meanwhile, the team event was won by Johanna Gustavsson, Jessica Karlsson, Karolin Lampert, and Jennifer Rosenberg.

Golf Betting Information

Like all golf events, the Aramco Team Series is a huge betting event for golf fans and attracts many bettors from the Arabic regions. Some of the largest betting operators, including 888sport, 10Bet, and BetFinal even offer special campaigns to Saudi Arabian betters in Arabic. Betting markets are available on the outright winner of the event, as well as the leaders on each of the respective days that are competed. Meanwhile, bettors can also wager on whether a hole-in-one will be scored at the event this year.

Aramco Team Series Jeddah Information

The final leg of the Aramco Team Series gets underway on November 9, with the team finale reaching its conclusion the following day. Meanwhile, the individual action will run until November 11. This event will take place at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club, which is a prestigious 18-hold championship course offering picturesque views of the Red Sea coastline.

The event was won in 2021 by Pia Babnik, as she finished one shot clear of Olivia Cowan with an Aramco Team Series record aggregate score of 200. Babnik will once again be a leading contender for the event this year, as she looks for a famous second victory in the event in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Emily Kristine Pederson was the winning captain in the team event last year, and she could have a fine chance in the individual event in 2022.

Conclusion

The Aramco Team Series is one of the most interesting events on the women’s golfing calendar, as there is both competitive team and individual action taking place. This year’s event promises to be no different, and fans of the sport can get involved in the action by placing wagers with some of the most trusted sportsbooks available online.

Recommended reading: 6 facts about Saudi Arabia’s First Grand Prix in Jeddah

 

 

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Red Deer

St. Joseph High School Celebrates Brody Andrie’s National Boxing Championship Victory

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News release from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools 

St. Joseph High School (SJHS) is thrilled to announce that Grade 12 student Brody Andrie has been crowned the National Champion in the 57 KG youth division at the prestigious Canada Cup & Junior Youth Canadian Championships. The championships were held at the Genesis Centre in Calgary from March 20 to March 24, 2024.

Brody, a dedicated member of Team Alberta and a fierce competitor from the Shadow Box Boxing Club in Lacombe, has achieved a remarkable milestone by winning gold in his division. This victory not only highlights his outstanding skills and dedication to the sport of boxing but also marks him as the first central Alberta boxer to be crowned a national champion in decades.

Reflecting on his victory, Brody shared, “This win is not just for me but for everyone who has supported me along the way. I’m proud to bring this championship back to Lacombe and hope to inspire other young athletes in our community.”

SJHS Principal, Gary Gylander, expressed his admiration for Brody’s achievement, stating, “Brody’s success is a testament to his hard work, perseverance, and the support of his coaches and community. We are incredibly proud of him and look forward to seeing what the future holds for this outstanding young athlete.”

This is a historic moment for both Brody and central Alberta, shining a spotlight on the talent and potential within our community.

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Bruce Dowbiggin

From Hall of Fame To Hall of Shame? Shohei Faces Banishment

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Holy Backtrack, Batman. With MLB Opening Day— the North American, not Korean version— days away, the sport’s biggest star is up to the bill of his new L.A. Dodgers cap in gambling controversy. Turns out that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s closest companion since coming to North America in 2018, has committed “massive theft” and stolen a reported sum of at least $4.5 million to pay off debts to an alleged illegal bookmaker.

At least that is one story. There are others. After the Dodgers’ first of two games in Seoul last week, Mizuhara admitted that his buddy Ohtani had “loaned” him $4.5 million to pay off a gambling debt which has a paper trail to California and possibly Japan. Sooner than you can say Cy Young, Ohtani’s lawyers said, nay, nay… he didn’t lend anything to Ippei, and Ohtani is severing his relationship with him.

(Which is just as well, because the Dodgers were firing Mizuhara already.) Then Mizuhara did a complete reversal, telling ESPN that Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts, and that Ohtani had not transferred money to a bookmaking operation in California, where there is no legal gambling. About this time someone got to Mizuhara and told him it might be a good idea if he 黙って (Japanese for damare or STFU).

Friday, reports emerged showing large amounts being bet in Japan on games played by Ohtani and his lousy performance in those games. While no one has been able to say the bets were placed by the pitcher or those around him, there are a few games that look highly suspicious. Monday, Ohtani sought to distance himself from his former buddy.

What is undeniable is that payoff money came from Ohtani’s account. And that for almost five years, a gambling addict had complete access to the inner workings of the California Angels dressing room. What injury insights and insider knowledge might Ippei Mizuhara have traded for gambling debts or favours? MLB and the police say they are investigating, but if it can be shown the Ohtani had any betting interest in his own team or other MLB games he will— based on the Joe Jackson and Pete Rose examples— be banned for life from MLB.

Also, are these stories exposing Ohtani about something else? Some believe the allegations may be revenge for Ohtani signing a friendly contract that backloads most of his compensation till after he retires— thereby depriving tax-hungry California of hundreds of millions in taxes.  Finally, why was MLB, which purports to have a security department, caught flat-footed here, and why are they only “gathering information”? Not a good look on any of these fronts for a business already struggling to re-capture lost audience share.

For those who like comedy we can only hope this mess has the entertainment value of the NHL when its greatest star ever was caught gambling with a shady character outside Philly. Okay, Wayne Gretzky never bet on sports , which was then illegal everywhere in North America outside Las Vegas. Never. Perish the thought.

When the Gretzky story broke in 2006 we were informed by people throughout hockey—including many sniffers in the sports media who still have jobs— that it was Wayne’s wife Janet and his pal Rich Tocchet who had the gambling problem. The walls around No. 99 went up quickly to protect him. There was concern about Gretzky’s eligibility to manage the 2006 Olympic mens hockey team.

VANCOUVER, BC – OCTOBER 20: Head coach Wayne Gretzky and assistant coach Rick Tocchet (R) of the Phoenix Coyotes discuss a play during their game against the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place on October 20, 2005 in Vancouver, Canada. The Canucks defeated the Coyotes 3-2. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

For weeks the police and the NHL did a dance around the Gretzkys, placing most of the blame on Tocchet as the point man who financed and placed bets. Much was made of No. 99’s simon-pure record, even though wiretaps later showed his knowledge of the scheme and of Janet’s “involvement”.

Janet, who was taking the heat for hubby, later whined to Chatelaine Magazine. “It’s unfair that Wayne and I have had a great marriage for 20 years and a nice family, and the people in the media could care less if they are trying to cause friction in your marriage, trouble in your family, and make your kids feel a certain way. That was a little hurtful, because it was like, ‘Why? What have we ever done to you?’”

Um, as the wife of a hockey legend, you were, at the very least, dealing with illegal gambling when any such activity at the time was strictly verboten in the NHL and with the cops. That’s what you did. Your marriage had nothing to do with it.

Just to prove that Gretzky is not the type to get involved with the sleaze of gambling he immediately signed up to advertise sports betting as soon as it became legal in 2022. He’s done commercials with Connor McDavid yukking it up over parlays and teasers. He’s the hockey face of legal gambling. But he’s not a gambler.

This story was never going to be told straight in 2006 with Gretzky’s name involved. He’s just too big in Canada to be taken down for a silly betting scheme with a few goombahs in Tony Soprano’s old Jersey neighbourhood. You could tell by the indignation of Team Gretzky in the day that they were calling in their markers… er, discussing the issue with friendly media on burying the story.

MLB can just hope that it has enough lackeys of its own in the press and friends in the DOJ to keep the Japanese Babe Ruth out of trouble. But the bases are full and the runners will be in motion with the next pitch

Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster  A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, he’s a regular contributor to Sirius XM Canada Talks Ch. 167. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History, his new book with his son Evan, was voted the seventh-best professional hockey book of all time by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted sixth best on the same list, and is available via brucedowbigginbooks.ca.

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