Sports digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Teen prodigy Thompson to play full-time on LPGA Tour

GOLF: Teenage prodigy Alexis Thompson will compete full-time on the LPGA Tour next year after her petition for membership was approved yesterday.

The 16-year-old American, who is now ranked 44th in the world, became the youngest winner ever on the US circuit earlier this month and is widely viewed as one of the game’s most exciting prospects.

There is an 18-year-old age requirement for Tour membership but the LPGA agreed to bend the rules for her.

“Lexi Thompson is a unique talent who has continued to grow, develop and mature both on and off the golf course since turning professional in 2010,” LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said.

“Her overall performance, most recently demonstrated by her win at the Navistar LPGA Classic, has currently placed her among the top 50 in the world.”

Thomson won the Navistar LPGA Classic in Alabama by five shots, to become the youngest winner on the US women’s circuit.

Bologna line up deal for Bryant

BASKETBALL: NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant is on the verge of making a remarkable move to the modest Italian league after Virtus Bologna president Claudio Sabatini described the deal as "95 per cent done".

With the NBA in lockout, the Los Angeles Lakers player could be set for a return to Italy having been brought up in the country when his father played there.

“We have reached a financial agreement,” Sabatini was quoted in Italian media.

Engine trouble ends Loeb's race

RALLYING:Sebastien Loeb retired from the French rally with an engine failure after just two stages yesterday, ending the Citroen driver's hopes of winning his home event and blowing the championship wide open.

Citroen said the seven-times world champion, who leads Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen by 15 points with two rounds remaining after France, would not be able to re-start today.

With Loeb sidelined in the days third stage while leading the rally, Spaniard Dani Sordo led by a second from Petter Solberg, with Loebs team-mate Sebastien Ogier in third place and 2.8 seconds off the pace.

Hirvonen was back in sixth place, one minute 20 seconds behind Sordo and a strong result by him or Ogier will slash Loebs lead.

Ireland’s Craig Breen made a blistering start in the Academy race to take a lead of 26.3 seconds from Spaniard Yerey Lemes. Estonia’s Egon Kaur, who is 26 points clear of Breen at the top of the standings, crashed on stage three and is over 30 minutes adrift.

Ireland miss out on first senior crown

GOLF: Ireland were cruelly denied a first-ever senior women's Home International title at Tramore in Waterford yesterday as defending champions England pipped them 4-3 in a desperately tense winner-takes-all final singles session.

Thursday’s programme that was suspended due to a thickening sea mist was completed yesterday morning with Ireland seeing off Wales 5-3 and England overwhelming Scotland 7-1.

That meant Ireland and England went head to head over seven singles with the title at stake,the organisers cancelling the final day foursomes.

Pat Doran was held to a share of the spoils by Janet Melville , while Helen Jones looked like winning her match against Caroline Marron to force a tie and deny England the Triple Crown, but in the end she lost the last hole so had to be content with a half, giving the English a 4-3 verdict. Sheena McElroy and Carol Wickham were the two Irish golfers to win their matches.

Murray targets Federer in rankings

TENNIS: British number one Andy Murray secured his place in the Thailand Open semi-finals with a straight-sets win over promising Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

The top seed powered to a 6-4 6-4 victory and will face France’s Gilles Simon in the last four today.

Murray later said he hoped to overtake Roger Federer and become the world number three by the end of the year.

“Roger is not playing for a couple of weeks,” he said. “I’m trying to finish third which I have never done before.”

Murray, 24, broke Dimitrov in the ninth game of their quarter-final yesterday, and then held his serve to love in the next game to take the first set.

The second set was also keenly fought but the world number four’s quality saw him through.