The Sport Matrix: Tuesday 9 December 2014

Meadow loses after 11th hole of play-off

Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow has lost out in an 11-hole play-off for a full LPGA Tour card in Florida.

The 22-year-old from Jordanstown was pipped by American Karlin Beck in a tense battle for the last of 20 cards available in the Daytona Beach qualification tournament.

Meadow had started the day in a three-way battle, which also included Casey Grice of the United States.

After Grice slipped out of contention, Beck birdied the 11th play-off hole to leave Meadow disappointed.

Games braced for a cheaper future

Future Olympic Games may be unrecognisable from the current format after the biggest shake-up in 15 years was ratified at the IOC’s annual meeting. Multiple cities could host a single Games, and there will no limit on sports included, leaving the door open for the likes of skateboarding, squash and surfing. Established sports, such as athletics and swimming, may lose certain disciplines and future hosts will also be pushed to utilise existing venues, to avoid “white elephants” after a Games has taken place.

Froch would be a worthy Personality

Carl Froch is on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, which is only fair after his single-punch finish against George Groves. Last year, Froch asked me what he had to do to be a contender for the elegant trophy. There is no answer to that.

Wenger pleads for patience at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has asked to be judged only at the end of the season following sustained calls for his resignation after Saturday’s league defeat at Stoke. “We want to be judged at the end, not after every game when emotion is high,” he said ahead of tonight’s Champions League trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray. “Let us get stability back and see at the end of the season where we are.”

Carroll’s strength exposes weakness

Watching Andy Carroll score two perfectly executed headers for West Ham against Swansea on Sunday, the thought was not so much that, almost four years on from his move to Liverpool, he has finally caught up with modern trends in football. Rather, by staying the same he finds himself more suited to exposing the weaknesses of the modern defence. He was as thrillingly retro as flecked trousers or a 1984 Ford Sierra XR4i. There is nothing wrong with that, so long as it works.