Scroggins wins 6th PBA Tour title
CHICAGO – It may be the biggest Chicago road trip since the Blues Brothers hit town: The International Olympic Committee’s tour of sites where the city wants to hold the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Members of the IOC inspection team were driven on Sunday to existing facilities, such as Soldier Field, and to the sites of those still on the drawing board,such as the Olympic Stadium.
It is arguably the most important day of their nearly weeklong visit, which ends Tuesday, for the simple reason that it gives organizers the chance to drive home a key point of their bid – that Chicago’s Olympics would be a compact affair.
“Today is the day we can really show that,” United States Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said. “The significance of today is that it’s an opportunity not only to present plans, but to show those plans – bring them to life.”
Chicago is the first stop for the inspection team, which will also visit Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo before voting in October on which city is awarded the games.
On a cold, rainy and windy day that seemed more conducive to pitching the Winter Games, the IOC saw just how close together most events are to each other, the proposed Olympic Village and cultural spots such as the Field Museum and Millennium Park.
Bowling
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Mike Scroggins won his second career major, defeating Norm Duke 191-173 in the championship match of the 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open on Sunday.
Scroggins gained the finals by beating Chris Barnes 200-199 in the semifinals at the Brunswick Zone Carolier.
“It’s so satisfying to win it because it’s such a grind,” Scroggins said after his sixth PBA Tour title. “I just wanted to go out and bowl a decent game. Normally you’re going to have to throw a 220 or 230 so it was just karma, I guess, that I was able to beat Norm and Chris.
Scroggins earned $100,000 for his victory in the final match of the regular season, as well as a three-year PBA Tour exemption.
The losses by Duke and Barnes meant that Wes Malott won PBA Player of the Year honors.
Cycling
MEERBEKE, Belgium – Stijn Devolder of Belgium won the Tour of Flanders classic for the second time in a row, breaking away on the toughest climb for a solo victory ahead of Heinrich Haussler.
Devolder, a time-trial expert, broke away 12 miles from the finish and never wavered over the last stretch to win the 163-mile race in 6 hours, 1 minute, 8 seconds.
“Incredible,” Devolder said. “I lived for this moment.”
Haussler, who finished second at the Milan-San Remo race, broke away from the chasers in the final straight and just held off the sprinters, finishing 58 seconds behind Devolder.