Sports Briefs

FOOTBALL

Koo scores in 14th minute for Augsburg winning goal

FC Augsburg Koo Ja-cheol scored his fourth league goal on Monday in a 1-0 win against Hannover in the Bundesliga.

Starting the game as midfielder, Koo’s goal came in the 14th minute when he cut inside Hannover defenders before penetrating 40 meters into the penalty box. He curled a brilliant shot from the far post to net the ball on the right corner of the goalpost.

Having struggled with light injuries in the past few months, this was Koo’s first goal in three months since the match against VfB Stuttgart in Nov. 21 last year.

Owing to his topnotch effort, Koo was named the Man of the Match with 8.49 points out of 10. Augsburg also climbed up two steps in the league standing to No.13. Augsburg will play Liverpool of England on Feb. 26 in the UEFA Europa League.

PGA

Choi finishes a close fifth in Northern Trust Open

Choi Kyung-ju lost another close match on Monday when he finished fifth in PGA Northern Trust Open at Pacific Palisades, California. Choi carded 2-under 69 in the final round, concluding the tour with 12-under 272. He was three strokes behind Bubba Watson who rallied with two late birdies and closed with a 3-under 68 to win the tournament.

Choi grabbed four birdies up until the sixth hole to tie for the first past Watson and Dustin Johnson with 14-under par. However, Choi began to slip after the sixth hole. Choi fell behind the lead group when he bogeyed the 12th hole, only to add an extra bogey in the last hole to finish 12-under par. Even though Choi did not win the tour, his world ranking climbed up to No. 102, which helps his Olympic chances.

By Choi Hyung-jo