Golf
Madeira Islands wind blows away a first round
SANTO ANTONIO DA SERRA, Portugal – Organizers reduced the Madeira Islands Open to 54 holes and suspended play Thursday because of high winds sweeping the Portuguese archipelago.
No players managed to take to the Clube de Golf Santo da Serra course.
Round one was rescheduled to start Friday.
Last year, heavy fog during the first three days of the event forced organizers to reduce it to 36 holes.
MLB
Starting fresh: Rockies tab newbie for Opening day
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Colorado Rockies picked newcomer Kyle Kendrick to start the season opener in Milwaukee.
The move means left-hander Jorge De La Rosa will start the home opener April 10 against the Chicago Cubs.
The 30-year-old Kendrick signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal with the Rockies last month after spending the past eight seasons in Philadelphia. The right-hander never has started on opening day.
De La Rosa twice had his first spring start delayed by groin tightness. He’s set to make his Cactus League debut Friday after pitching in a “B” game Sunday.
NFL
Tamme spreads his wings, flys to the Atlanta Falcons
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Falcons signed free agent Jacob Tamme looking for help at tight end one year after the retirement of Tony Gonzalez.
Tamme had 14 catches for 109 yards and two scores with the Denver Broncos last season. He set career highs with 67 catches for 631 yards and four touchdowns with quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts in 2010. He then followed Manning to Denver, where he played the last three seasons.
Tamme has 178 catches and 10 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Colts and Broncos. He was a fourth-round pick by Indianapolis in 2008 and spent four seasons with the Colts.
Soccer
2022 World Cup final set for a Qatar holiday
ZURICH – The final match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be played Dec. 18, the country’s national holiday.
FIFA spokesman Walter De Gregorio confirmed the date Thursday but did not say when the tournament would start. He said the governing body’s executive committee prefers a 28-day tournament – starting Nov. 21.
De Gregorio said the executive committee could confirm the kickoff date Friday.
By rejecting UEFA’s preferred Dec. 23 final, the FIFA executive committee helped protect the English Premier League’s traditional Dec. 26 program.
A 28-day World Cup, four days fewer than usual, cuts the time clubs must release players to national teams.
Associated Press
