Kim wins Ladies European Masters

DENHAM, England (AP) ― South Korea’s Kim In-kyung won the Ladies European Masters on Sunday, closing with a 3-under 68 for a five-stroke victory in the final event before the Women’s British Open.

Kim had an 18-under 270 total at Buckinghamshire for her first victory since the LPGA Tour’s 2010 Lorena Ochoa Invitational. She opened with rounds of 68, 63 and 68.

“I just had a great time,” Kim said. “It’s great to win the tournament and this is my first time playing the course so I’m really honored to win the championship. I feel like I’ve been hitting the ball really well and putting really well so I just had to go out there and enjoy myself.”

Australia’s Nikki Campbell was second after a 67.

Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow, the former University of Alabama star playing her second event as a professional, tied for third at 11 under with South Africa’s Lee-Anne Pace and Germany’s Caroline Masson. Meadow matched the course record with a 63, Pace shot 68, and Masson 69. 


Cabrera takes Greenbrier 
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, West Virginia (AP) ― Angel Cabrera no longer has to fret about that streak of disappointments in non-major events on the PGA Tour.

The 44-year-old Argentine won the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday for his first victory in a tournament other than a major, closing with his second straight 6-under 64 for a two-stroke victory over a heavy-hearted George McNeill.

Cabrera, whose only other PGA Tour victories came in the 2007 U.S. Open and 2009 Masters, built a three-shot lead before making things interesting with a pair of late bogeys. He finished at 16-under 264 and now has another green jacket ― that as Greenbrier Classic champion. 

Cabrera had no top-10 finishes this season entering the tournament but had everything working Sunday, hammering drives and approach shots with precision and coming up with clutch putts, especially on the back nine. 


McDowell rallies at French 
SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France (AP) ― Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland came from eight shots back to retain his French Open title Sunday, shooting a 4-under 67 in pouring rain to win by one shot.

McDowell made the best of the tough conditions, making five birdies and a bogey for the lowest round of the day to finish with a 5-under 279 total.

“That goes back to my upbringing a little bit in my teens, playing through all weathers and conditions,” McDowell said. “Playing golf in bad weather is an art form. Some guys are good at it, some guys are not.”

Overnight leader Kevin Stadler only managed a 76 to share second place with Thongchai Jaidee.

[World Cup] Argentina’s Sabella: ‘Need perfect match’

RIO DE JANEIRO -- On the eve of the World Cup final, Argentina head coach Alejandro Sabella said his team would have to be focused, fast and cautious to play “the perfect match” against favorites Germany.

“We must have great concentration. We have to … occupy spaces very quickly. We (can’t) risk the ball in areas where we cannot take any chances,” especially against a physical and tactical rival with such a strong mindset, he said on Saturday at Maracana Stadium ahead of the team’s final practice.

“(Germany) is a team that was always extremely powerful. They have a system of play very well developed,” he added, explaining that the opponents take advantage of the depth and width of the field so that wingers can attack through the flanks. “So many times, we need the perfect match.”

Sabella’s Albiceleste are coming up against the hardest offense this World Cup has seen, with the Mannschaft scoring 17 goals over six games. Two came in extra time against Algeria in the round of 16 and seven were against Brazil on Tuesday in the biggest semifinal victory in World Cup history.
 

Argentina's forward and captain Lionel Messi runs during a training session at the Sao Januario Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on July 12, 2014, on the eve of the 2014 FIFA World Cup final football match Germany vs Argentina. (AFP-Yonhap)

Meanwhile, with injured forward Sergio Aguero playing just 40 minutes since the group stages and Lionel Messi yet to score in the knockout rounds, Argentina’s star-studded offensive lineup has yielded the spotlight to a defense that has conceded just three goals in the tournament.

Sabella praised his players for improving the balance between a strong offense and defense, and covering spaces better especially on the sides. 

“Previously we used to play with three midfielders, now we play with four,” he said. “Two (play) with offensive characteristics, but they occupy these external spaces in the field of play. And that has given us a greater balance.”

It’s been 24 years since Argentina last won the final, when Sabella watched from his club in Brazil as a Diego Maradona-captained Argentina conquered Germany 1-0 in Mexico City. 

But recent memory is more painful for the side, as Germany destroyed Argentina 4-0 in the 2010 quarterfinals. Germany had taken an early lead, which Sabella said threw off the team. He said he hoped that if that were to happen again, the tables would be turned.

“So let us hope that it does not happen, and if it does happen, it will be in our favor,” he said. He opined that his side was “much more conservative” than the one led by Sergio Batista in that loss, even with the many overlaps in the roster including Gonzalo Higuain, Lionel Messi and Angel di Maria. “Although most of the players are the same, the situation is different.” 

Germany’s coach Joachim Low, leading the team in both outings, earlier in the day praised Argentina’s side for being more organized and versatile than in their 2010 faceoff.

Meanwhile, injuries still raise questions over the starting lineup, on top of the squad having one fewer day of recovery time than Germany since the semifinals. While Aguero is reported to be in shape for the final, Sabella said he would wait until after the final practice to see if Real Madrid midfielder Angel Di Maria would be fit to play, after he sustained a thigh injury in Argentina’s 1-0 quarterfinal over Belgium.

“It is fundamental to see how he has evolved, if he’s improved. Today we have special things planned for him, and after practice, I will have a better idea,” he said.

Sabella also dismissed “irrelevant” speculation about whether this would be his last match as coach, saying he had “not discussed anything with my family with regards to my future.”

“The most important thing is the match tomorrow,” he added. “Obviously, from the professional point of view, this might be the most important thing beyond the final of the Libertadores Cup but also in Brazil.”

By Elaine Ramirez, Korea Herald correspondent (elaine@heraldcorp.com)

[World Cup] Germany’s Low: ‘No fear whatsoever’

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Germany is not simply coming to the World Cup grand finale off the biggest semifinal victory in World Cup history. Reaching Sunday’s final against Argentina is not even the biggest challenge that coach Joachim Low said he has faced in his career. 

German football has been working up to this day for a decade, and Low is not afraid.

"I have no fear whatsoever because I know it is going to be a match between two teams who have had fascinating duels in the past,” he said on Saturday at Maracana Stadium, adding that it would be an “additional joy” to be crowned the first European team to win a World Cup on Latin American soil.

One of only two teams to reach every World Cup it was allowed to enter, Germany seeks its fourth World Cup trophy as Argentina vies for its third in a historic rematch of the two: Their last titles were both won over each other, Argentina 3-2 in 1986 and Germany 1-0 in the following tournament.

“Two teams are going to face each other at exactly the same level,” he said, adding that they have gathered the necessary self-confidence to win in light of the last matches. They return to the historic Maracana after beating France 1-0 here in the quarterfinals and devastating host country Brazil 7-1 on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte.

“And we know how strong the opponent is. We have respect. But we believe if we can tap into our potential and if we impose our game, we will win.”

Low said Argentina is versatile and better organized than in 2010 -- when he led Germany to knock the side out 4-0 in the quarterfinals -- and can either play hard defense or counterattacking as needed. He said he expects the team to play for possession and attacking.

“I think Argentina can play both styles. It’s a team that can defend early and put pressure on the opponent and sometimes they try to attack rather quickly,” he said. “And sometimes again they just sort of fall back and wait. This is also one of their great strengths. They have a good defense.”
 

German players stretch during a training session of Germany in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, July 12, 2014. Germany faces Argentina for the 2014 soccer World Cup Final on Sunday. (AP-Yonhap)

Germany and Argentina come to the final as respectively the best attacking and best defending teams of the tournament. While the possession-focused Germany has recorded three of the seven highest-scoring games, Argentina demonstrated its defensive grandeur on Wednesday, keeping out powerful Dutch strikers including Arjen Robben and Eden Hazard to a scoreless draw to win 4-2 in penalty kicks.

But he also said strikers such as captain and striker Lionel Messi and Real Madrid midfielder Angel Di Maria were “wide awake,” waiting at the front for long balls.

“They have shown very well they can be very stable with eight, nine players behind them and then counter,” he said. “So it could be that Argentina tries to be an obstacle for us and then fall back. We have to look forward to that.”

This team, with seven players based in the Bundesliga’s top club Bayern Munich, is often hailed as being the best generation yet and representing the culmination of a decade of reform. Low said the Germans have been traveling the world for the last few years, watching international football, looking for the “little things” and new tricks that would help win matches and learning from their mistakes.

Argentina’s coach Alejandro Sabella had on Wednesday praised the opponents for their mental poise and “certain South American touch.”

Even if the Germans lost on Sunday, they would be disappointed, but Low said this team and German football nonetheless has a future beyond this final and he sees no problems.

“I believe that we as a team are mature. Over the last few months and during this tournament we have shown what we can do, how well we can play,” he said. “And then over the last few years, we have been marching forward and forward and even if we are defeated, which I don’t think, nothing will crumble.”

By Elaine Ramirez, Korea Herald correspondent (elaine@heraldcorp.com)

[World Cup] More misery for Brazil as Dutch take third place

Brazil's traumatic World Cup ended with more pain on Saturday as they lost 3-0 to a superior Netherlands side in the third-place play-off at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium in Brasilia.

Still struggling to digest their record-breaking 7-1 loss to Germany in the semi-finals, Brazil had a similarly disastrous start against the Dutch, with Robin van Persie opening the scoring from the penalty spot inside three minutes.

With injured star Neymar watching on from the bench, Daley Blind then capitalised on more calamitous defending to make it 2-0 with 17 minutes played, and Georginio Wijnaldum rubbed salt into the hosts' wounds by adding a third in injury time.

Brazil have now lost back-to-back home games for the first time since 1940, and they end the tournament having conceded 14 goals altogether, the most of any side at a World Cup since 1986 and the most ever for a host team.

Netherlands' Daley Blind celebrates after scoring a goal during the third place play-off match between Brazil and Netherlands of 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Nacional Stadium in Brasilia. (Xinhua-Yonhap)

In contrast, Louis van Gaal's Netherlands leave with the consolation of taking third place and end the competition unbeaten, with their semi-final exit against Argentina only coming after a penalty shoot-out.

Dutch forward Arjen Robben said: "It was a great end -- you can get rid of a bit of the shock of not going to the final, but not completely. The disappointment stays, we've been so close. We deserved more.

 "I'm finished, I've given everything. We've come so close.

"That's why the third place is so deserved.

"I'm so proud of this team, compliments to them."

The day had not started well for Holland, who saw playmaker Wesley Sneijder withdraw at the last minute due to an injury suffered in the warm-up, with Jonathan de Guzman replacing him in the starting line-up.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had made six changes to his team following the Germany debacle, with one seeing captain Thiago Silva make his return after suspension.

The absence of Silva, along with that of Neymar, was a contributing factor in the semi-final humiliation, but the usually inspirational centre-back was at fault as Brazil conceded a penalty with less than two minutes played.

Silva was caught the wrong side of Robben as the winger latched onto a pass from Holland captain van Persie and was left with a clear path on goal.

   

 Silva escapes with yellow -

 

Robben was pulled back by the defender, with the contact starting outside the box and carrying on into the area. Algerian referee Djamel Haimoudi decided to award a spot-kick but controversially opted against showing Silva a straight red card.

 If Silva was let off the hook, van Persie made no mistake from the spot, lashing his kick high into the top right-hand corner to give goalkeeper Julio Cesar no chance.

Once again Brazil's defensive frailties were hopelessly exposed when the Netherlands' second goal arrived in the 17th minute.

De Guzman broke in behind Maxwell in the Brazilian left-back position and got to the byeline, from where his cross was headed back out by David Luiz and straight into the path of Blind, who had time to take the ball down 12 yards out and volley home.

 Fortunately for a fragile Brazilian side, Holland were not quite as relentless in their attacking as the Germans had been in Belo Horizonte, but the hosts never appeared capable of breaking down the opposition defence.

While Jo, starting in attack instead of the much-maligned Fred, toiled against van Gaal's well-drilled three-man central defence, Jasper Cillessen saved comfortably from Oscar, the most enterprising Brazilian on the field.

At the other end, Julio Cesar got down well to keep out a van Persie volley, but Brazil still needed to become the first side to recover from a two-goal half-time deficit and win a World Cup match.

They had little sympathy from the referee as they chased the game, however.

When Oscar went down in the box following a Blind challenge midway through the second period, the official booked the little midfielder for diving rather than point to the spot, summing up a desperate end to the tournament for the hosts.

Blind injured himself making the challenge, and his replacement Daryl Janmaat was the provider for the third goal, his low ball from the right being swept home by Wijnaldum. (AFP)

Samsung Electronics launches ‘Galaxy Apps’ store

South Korea’s leading tech giant Samsung Electronics said Friday it has renovated its application store as “Galaxy Apps” to provide users with a wider choice for customization of mobile devices.

The version is an update from the company’s previous “Samsung Apps” store and offers hundreds of apps exclusively available to users of Samsung Galaxy smart devices. Samsung said the new app store will be available to 130 million users in 161 countries. 

“At Samsung, we continuously strive to create value for our customers by providing differentiated solutions and services coupled with innovative devices,” said Hong Won-pyo, who heads Samsung’s Media Solution Center. 

“Samsung Galaxy Apps is an extension of that promise, as it offers our customers exclusive apps to enrich their experience,” Hong said. 

Samsung said the new application store will provide users with intuitive interface. The main page is divided into three categories-Best Picks, Top and For Galaxy-where users can find Galaxy-only apps including Samsung Contents Viewer and Samsung Wallet. (Yonhap)

Samsung, Kakao may enter mobile payment market

South Korean tech giants Samsung Electronics and Kakao are expected to muscle into the domestic mobile payment market, which has long been dominated by financial companies, industry sources said. 

A recent media report said that Samsung Electronics was exploring the business potential in cooperation with local retail companies. 

Shares of related companies including Korea Cyber Payment, Korea Information & Communications, and Danal all rose on Friday, following the media report. 

Samsung Electronics’ spokesperson denied the report, saying, “We are not working on direct mobile payment systems.”

Kakao is more proactive than Samsung in tapping the mobile payment market. The nation’s top mobile messenger service provider has already unveiled its plan on its mobile payment system early this year. The system is expected to be launched in the second half of this year in partnership with 15 local banks.

“Through the system, users can put up to 500,000 won ($490) in Kakao’s account and can send the money to their friends or buy goods displayed on Kakao stores,” the company’s spokesperson said. 

Industry watchers said the mobile payment business can be a new income source for IT companies. 

“It will be an attractive market for tech companies as the money transaction through mobile devices can enable them to complete a mobile eco-system through the business. 

“To be successful, it will be important for tech giants to form partnerships with retail and financial companies on a large scale,” said Kim Joon-sub, an analyst at E-Trade Investment and Securities.

“As the competition becomes fiercer with more players, it will be important for tech companies to lead the market with more convenient services,” said Jin Seung-hun, head of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute’s cybersecurity research team. 

The global mobile payment market is a high-growth market, expected to reach $720 billion in 2017, from $235 billion in 2013, according to a study by research firm Gartner. 

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)

Korea to announce rice market opening next week

The Seoul government is set to announce its final plans for opening the rice market as early next week despite strong objections from farmers as well as ongoing debates about high import duties, a pre-condition for the market opening. 

“We could no longer delay our decision. We have no other alternative, but to accept the market opening by imposing tariffs (on rice imports),” Yeo In-hong, vice minister of agriculture, food, and rural affairs said during the last public hearing, held at the National Assembly on Friday.

His comments came as the Seoul government is set to make a decision on opening its rice market with the deadline set by the World Trade Organization approaching in September. 

Farmers take to the streets in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on June 17, to protest against Korea’s rice market opening to foreign producers. (Yonhap)

The vice minister said the ministry concluded that it would be a better choice to open the market by slapping high tariffs on rice imports instead of putting off liberalization to protect the local farm industry.

The ministry will reportedly announce tentative tariff rates for rice imports as early as next week, with experts predicting that the import duties will range from 400 to 500 percent. The vice minister said the duty rate had not yet been fixed. 

Local farmers are still divided over the market liberalization. The Korean Advanced Farmers Federation, a lobby group of local farmers, said they can accept the opening of the market if the government keeps tariffs for imported rice as high as possible. 

The progressive Korean Peasants League, however, is strongly protesting the market opening, citing worries about free trade agreements’ potential threats to the local agricultural industry.

“The government is saying there is no other option without even trying to begin negotiations (with WTO),” Park Hyung-dae, an official from the Korean Peasants League said Friday.

The progressive farmers’ group insists that the government should request a waiver from the WTO to keep its restrictions on imported rice, though it still requires approval from the members of trade organization.

The government said earlier it would make its stance before the end of June but delayed its decision, citing more time needed to consult with the National Assembly before it notifies the WTO in September.

South Korea must make a decision on the rice market as the current waiver deal with the WTO ends this year. The country was allowed to delay its rice market liberalization for 10 years under a 1993 agreement with the WTO in which the country agreed to increase its minimum market access import quota by 20,000 tons per year. The government extended the agreement by 10 years in 2004.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)

Hyundai-Kia tops Russian car sales in June

Hyundai Solaris

Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors seized the top spot in the Russian car market last month, beating homegrown brand Avtovaz. 

According to industry data on Friday, Hyundai and Kia sold 16,754 and 17,023 vehicles, respectively, in Russia last month. Avtovaz, Russia’ largest carmaker, fell to second, selling 30,114 units. 

It was the first time that the two Korean siblings outsold Avtovaz in monthly sales on the Russian auto giant’s home turf.

Market shares of Hyundai and Kia soared to 16.9 percent in June, which also outpaced Avtovaz with 15.1 percent. 

Until 2011, the sales gap between the Korean and Russian carmakers reached some 330,000 vehicles annually. But the discrepancy has been reduced to some 9,300 vehicles this year, largely driven by the gradual expansion of Hyundai’s production in Russia in recent years.

Kia Rio

Last month, Russian car sales fell 17.4 percent, hit hard by a prolonged market slowdown following ever-rising consumer prices and the Ukraine crisis. 

While key rivals, including Avtovaz, saw their sales decrease more than 10 percent, Hyundai and Kia posted a moderate decline of 2 percent to continue their recent sales momentum there.

The strong sales in Russia are currently led by two compact cars ― the Hyundai Solaris (Accent in Korea) and Kia Rio (Pride) ― that are produced at the Russian factories. 

The Solaris and Rio sold 10,565 and 8,696 vehicles last month, respectively, becoming the two best-selling models among foreign car brands in the market. 

“One of key success factors is the firm’s effective response to the market demands, based on the local production and the expanding dealership network,” said a Hyundai official.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)