Short Sport, March 3, 2013

Golf officials denied rumours of a malaria outbreak on the LPGA Tour yesterday after Natalie Gulbis and Pak Se-ri pulled out of the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore due to illness and staff members also fell sick. Tournament officials said South Korea's Pak had been cleared of malaria, while Gulbis was awaiting test results but attended a function in Singapore on Friday and did not appear to be seriously ill. "Pak Se-ri withdrew this week due to illness. She does not have malaria, just flu-like symptoms," said a spokesperson for the LPGA Tour. "Natalie Gulbis withdrew from the event on Friday due to illness. She is getting checked in Singapore, but has not been given a diagnosis yet. LPGA officials are in contact with both players." Some of the LPGA's rules officials have also fallen ill but they have not been diagnosed with malaria and were still going about their duties, officials added. Fears of an outbreak swirled after top coach Butch Harmon tweeted that America's Gulbis and Pak, who withdrew on Wednesday and is now back in South Korea, were in hospital in Singapore with malaria. AFP

Wild card Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat third-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia at the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur to reach her first WTA singles final in two years. Mattek-Sands won the first set 6-4 yesterday before the semi-final match was suspended for an hour because of rain. When play resumed the American quickly took the second set 6-1 to set up a final against Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic. The 127th-ranked Pliskova defeated fourth-seeded Ayumi Morita 6-0, 6-2 of Japan. AP