Browsing: American

September 30, 2025

(By Bowmar Sports/ Edgardo Vazquez)

We are proud to share the participation of Puerto Rico’s youth delegation in the Rosario 2025 Pan American Youth Championships, where our athletes demonstrated talent, passion, and dedication, achieving historic results for the island.

Our delegation was composed of:

• Edgardo Vázquez (coach sponsored by Butterfly America)
• Edmarie León (player sponsored by Butterfly America)
• Krystal Meléndez
• Carlos Gracia
• Alahia Medina
• Yadiel López
• Valentina Dávila
• Jerall Montijo
• Enrique Ríos
• Ariana Aponte
• Aurora Bonome
• Owen Shemesh (player sponsored by Butterfly America)
• Sergio Pérez (player sponsored by Butterfly America)
• Brianna Rodríguez
• Matthew Cao
• Esteban Ayala
• Naimaris Hernández
• Alexis Pietri
• Edgarz de Jesús

Highlighted Results:

Boy and Gir Teams Event

🥈 Junior Girls†Team – Puerto Rico Puerto Rico runners-up
🥈 Junior Boys†Team – Puerto Rico runners-up

Doubles and Mixed Event
🥇 Junior Mixed Doubles – Steven Moreno (PUR) & Edmarie León (PUR)
🥉 Junior Mixed Doubles – Enrique Ríos (PUR) & Krystal Meléndez (PUR)
🥇 Junior Girls†Doubles – Edmarie León (PUR) & Krystal Meléndez (PUR)

Singles Event
• 🥈 Junior Girls†Singles – Krystal Meléndez (PUR)

💥 Overall Medal Table:
1ï¸âƒ£ United States
2ï¸âƒ£ Brazil
3ï¸âƒ£ Puerto Rico 🇵🇷

This third place globally is a demonstration of the growth, discipline, and talent of our young players, who continue to consolidate Puerto Rico among the powers of youth table tennis. America and the world.

A very special thanks to Butterfly, sponsor of our Federation and fundamental supporter along this path. Thanks to their support, our athletes have the best conditions to compete at the highest level.

Puerto Rico continues to grow, dream, and demonstrate that with hard work and heart, anything is possible.

 

  Stay “In The Loop†with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Share the post “Puerto Rico shines at the Rosario 2025 Pan American Youth Championships”

Source link

What made Keegan Bradley’s opening ceremony blooper, when he muddled surnames, so outstanding was not the basic fact Justin Rose is an Englishman who could not possibly have sunk the winning putt for the USA in the 1999 Ryder Cup. Instead, this was simply such a much-needed antidote to the micromanagement that now dulls the buildup to a biennial joust between a continent and a country. Golfers who ordinarily have plenty to say and who revel in the rarity of team combat find themselves delivering anodyne soundbites. Bradley’s blunder was such an endearing reminder of days gone by, when the Ryder Cup was more open to rogue elements. The whiff of cordite was never far away.

The Ryder Cup needs a little more fizz. That may well be provided by a volatile New York crowd, the arrival of a US president who polarises opinion and stars such as Rory McIlroy or Bryson DeChambeau who should not be backwards in coming forwards when the proper stuff starts. The shadow boxing is now over. What is so striking and impressive is that golfers who bump into each other on Floridian school runs somehow manage to summon the spirit of a great rivalry for one week out of every 104.

More pertinent, the Ryder Cup requires even the occasional away win. This is the weekend for Europe to seize that opportunity, with Luke Donald’s class of 2025 the best-placed team since 2012 to hand the US a bloody nose in their own backyard. That European win in Medinah was dubbed a miracle. In 2016 and 2021, just as in 2008, Europe were trounced. Home wins in 2014, at Gleneagles, 2018, in Paris and 2023, in Rome, were similarly comprehensive. The Ryder Cup has grown – perhaps too much – as an event and corporate attraction. For it to remain competitively valid, home teams cannot prevail time and again.

Keegan Bradley’s opening ceremony blooper was an endearing reminder of days gone by. Photograph: Vaughn Ridley/Sportsfile/Getty Images

“It has been pretty one-sided either way,†said McIlroy. “So whatever team, whether that’s Europe or America that is the one to break that duck, I think honestly is going to go down as one of the best teams in Ryder Cup history.

“Luke said it in his opening [ceremony] remarks but we are playing for history and we’re playing for the players that came before us and the people that basically laid the foundations for what the European Ryder Cup team is.

“We are also playing for the guys that are going to come behind us, as well, the young boys that are dreaming of becoming European Ryder Cup players. We want to try to leave a legacy for them as well. We have a wonderful opportunity this week but we also understand it’s going to be very difficult.â€

McIlroy’s status has only been enhanced by his triumph at Augusta National in April. Donald is calling upon only the sixth man in history to complete a career grand slam. The European team supposedly exist without hierarchy but McIlroy’s approach here, with arms round teammates throughout the Ryder Cup lead-in, is of a true leader. Europe are so lucky to have him. “He’s gone from obviously being an incredibly good player to a great Ryder Cup player to now being, I would say, the cornerstone that Europe needs,†said Jon Rahm of McIlroy. “It’s special to have him around. He’s a heck of a superstar. My respect for his game only grows the more time I spend with him.â€

The consistency Donald sought from the team that prevailed in Rome has been delivered. There was a scouting trip to Bethpage last week. The level of detail and preparation attached to this European side gives cause to ponder when they might ever win on the road if Sunday does not deliver the legacy McIlroy dreams of.

skip past newsletter promotion

The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s action

Privacy Notice:Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

Scottie Scheffler is a dominant force but there are questions surrounding some of his US teammates. Photograph: Harry How/Getty Images

Bradley has Scottie Scheffler, so imperious and dominant in individual golf. Questions hover, though, above other members of the US team. Four are rookies, which in theory is less of an issue at home but could be significant if the backdrop is febrile. DeChambeau could be terrific or terrible, Xander Schauffele has been out of sorts all year and Collin Morikawa wobbles more than a 3am drunk. The unlikely star of this US team could well be JJ Spaun. Bradley’s contingent have been irked by questioning about the move to pay them to perform here, which is a live and legitimate issue despite protestations to the contrary.

Bethpage, once regarded as an X-rated venue, has been tamed by heavy rain. Soft greens combined with a lack of truly punishing rough offers scope for excitement. There are half a dozen par fours where players will require only a wedge for approach shots if tackling them boldly. Europe have the talent level, camaraderie and confidence to shatter American hopes. The Ryder Cup generally would benefit from that outcome. Every serious sporting competition needs jeopardy.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – U.S. captain Keegan Bradley on Monday defended the PGA of America’s decision to pay American players a stipend to play in the Ryder Cup.

This year, for the first time, each U.S. player will receive a $200,000 stipend in addition to $300,000 that will be distributed to charity.

That’s an increase from the $200,000 that was strictly earmarked for charity previously. It’s a similar payment scheme to what the PGA Tour has for Presidents Cup participants.

Bradley has already said that he will donate the entirety of his $500,000 bonus. He did not disclose how many of the U.S. players will follow suit, saying it’s a “personal decision.â€

“The PGA of America asked me to help out with this,†Bradley said, “and this is the best way we came up with to do it.â€

Added PGA CEO Derek Sprague on Monday’s “Live From the Ryder Cup”: “[Bradley] wanted to do more good with the money, so that’s why there is $300,000 out of the $500,000 allocation going to charity. … At the end of the day, charity’s going to win again.â€

The pay-for-play issue dates to the 1999 matches but came under the spotlight once again two years ago in Rome, with reports that U.S. players wanted to be compensated for participating in the PGA’s biggest money-making event.

Bradley was asked four questions – by two U.K.-based journalists – about the new plan, and if it creates a perception that it “means more†to the European players because they’re not being paid to play.

On the first official day of Ryder Cup week, as his team began its preparations in earnest, U.S. captain Keegan Bradley admitted Monday that he thought about playing “every second.â€

“Well, I’m not concerned about what Europe does or what they think. I’m concerned about what my team is doing,†Bradley said. “We did the best we could, and I think a lot of good is going to come from this. I think the players are going to do a lot of good with this money, and I think it’s great.â€

European captain Luke Donald was seated beside Bradley on Monday afternoon but did not receive any questions about the Americans’ new monetary arrangement.

Sep 21, 2025, 05:32 PM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Toronto Blue Jays became the first American League team to secure a spot in the postseason on Sunday with an 8-5 victory against the Kansas City Royals.

The AL-best and AL East-leading Blue Jays locked up a playoff spot with a week remaining in the regular season after a less-than-stellar start of 16-20 in early May and trailing by as many as eight games in the division in late May.

“I remember back when we were in Tampa in May, we weren’t playing very well and we got swept there,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “I think these guys did a great job of rallying around each other, but the turning point was really when we came out of Tampa and went into the Texas series.”

The Blue Jays, who lead the American League East and have the best record in the AL, are returning to the playoffs after missing out in 2024. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

This is Toronto’s third playoff berth in four years and fourth in six seasons. They missed the postseason in 2021 and 2024. Playoff success has been elusive for the Blue Jays, who haven’t won a postseason game since 2016. And, unlike the past three trips, they hope this year they won’t have to play in the AL wild-card round as they try to win their first division title since 2015 as they close out the regular season with a six-game homestand against Boston and Tampa Bay.

“You could feel it with this group in spring training,” Schneider said. “I know that sounds really cliché, but when you get a group of men that are committed to the same goal, you can do things like this.”

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

The Blue Jays’ 90-66 record is tops in the AL and they lead their division by 2½ games over the New York Yankees. If Toronto wins the AL East and has one of the two best records in the league, it will advance to the AL Divisional Series, which starts Oct. 4.

The last time Toronto made it that far was nine years ago.

“I’m just so happy for them,” Schneider said. “It’s hard at this level for everyone to put their egos aside and to play for one another. It’s so cool to see these guys completely happy for one another when they get the job done no matter who it is. This is the most fulfilling team I’ve ever been a part of with different characters, different skill sets, guys coming together for one common goal which is what’s important now. This is something you always celebrate.”

The Blue Jays are trying to win their first World Series since 1993.

“Today we go back to the postseason, but the journey is not over yet,” Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said. “We still want to win the division over the next six games. Since spring training, everyone has been together and when you see a team like that you start believing.”

Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak with Sunday’s win, and after the game popped champagne in the visitors clubhouse in Kansas City.

Source link

Sep 21, 2025, 11:49 AM ET

PARIS — American Michael Kim holed a 15-foot par putt at the last hole to seal a one-shot victory at the French Open on Sunday for his first worldwide title in seven years, while former No. 1 Brooks Koepka faded to a fourth-place finish.

Kim left his bunker shot short on the par-3 18th but rolled in for par to complete a 6-under 65 and end the week at 16 under.

“I kind of blacked out when that putt went in,” said the 64th-ranked Kim, whose last win came in 2018 — by eight shots — at the John Deere Classic on the PGA Tour.

This victory didn’t come so easy, with Elvis Smylie of Australia and Ko Jeong-weon of France both shooting 65s to be tied for second place.

Koepka, who started the final round in a tie for the lead, made eight pars and a bogey on the back nine to fall out of contention. The five-time major winner shot 68 and was alone in fourth place.

Koepka last won in August 2024 on the breakaway LIV Golf circuit at the Greenbrier in West Virginia and was playing a third straight week on the European tour. He missed the cut in the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

Kim, who has established himself as an unlikely social media star in recent years, became the first American to win the French Open in 53 years, since Barry Jaeckel in 1972. Walter Hagen and Byron Nelson were other U.S. players to win the title.

Yesterday, we examined some of the top sleeper names among National League hitting prospects. Today, we’ll do the same for…

At just 17 years old, American rising star Iva Jovic has already won a WTA title – the youngest player…

September 14, 2025 (by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The ITTF Pan American U11 & U13 Championships concluded last week in…

It’s been more than three decades since the New York Yankees had a losing season.With a 4-1 win over the…

Image credit: Juan Soto (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) The World Baseball Classic will return in 2026 with the best…