But considering what they offered, I took it as a joke.”Richardson did confirm that the Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman is on the verge of leaving Highfield Road.Everton are ready to sign Rocar Bucharest’s Daniel Prodan on a free transfer. The Romanian centre-half is expected to travel to Merseyside to discuss terms and undergo a medical soon. Prodan has recovered from a knee injury that wrecked his spell at Rangers, where he played under the Everton manager, Walter Smith.Everton also have an interest in Celtic’s Alan Stubbs, although the Liverpool-born defender is in talks with the Scottish club about a new deal.The midfielder Lee Clark is ready to pledge his future to Fulham and end chances of a move to Newcastle United or Manchester City.Hull City are in talks with the veteran winger Peter Beagrie. The former Everton and Manchester City player is a free agent after leaving Bradford.Birmingham City have signed the Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Nico Vaesen for an undisclosed fee. The 31-year-old turned down a new contract at the McAlpine StadiumNorwich City have agreed a £500,000 with Crewe for striker Mark Rivers.Hibernian unveiled the Ecuador international wing-back Ulises de la Cruz yesterday.
The Edinburgh side paid Liga Deportiva Universitaria a club record £700,000, eclipsing the £425,000 they paid for Celtic’s Pat McGinley in 1994.The Hibs manager, Alex McLeish`, spotted De la Cruz on television when he saw the defender score in a World Cup tie against Brazil and went to Ecuador to watch him against Peru before moving for the 42-times capped player The 27-year-old has signed a four-year deal.. Any danger that golf was getting far too predictable was eliminated by the 18th hole at Southern Hills. The brute has not been conquered yet, and certainly not on Sunday night at what should have been the conclusion of the 101st United States Open. After half an hour of madness on the final green, the outcome was an 18-hole play-off yesterday between Mark Brooks and Retief Goosen. Any danger that golf was getting far too predictable was eliminated by the 18th hole at Southern Hills.
The brute has not been conquered yet, and certainly not on Sunday night at what should have been the conclusion of the 101st United States Open. After half an hour of madness on the final green, the outcome was an 18-hole play-off yesterday between Mark Brooks and Retief Goosen.
“There must be some ghosts around here,” Brooks said. “From what I have read no one has parred the 18th to win here.” A par would have done for Brooks, Goosen or Stewart Cink, who were all at five-under par on the tee. All three took three putts at the last, but Goosen’s, alas, was the most shocking. “It’s the saddest thing I’ve ever seen in sports,” Paul Azinger said.The last green had been a concern all week, with officials of the US Golf Association watching worriedly during the practice rounds as players struck approach shots on to the green, which is titled back to front, and saw them run down the slope in front of the putting surface.
To prevent the best players in the world being embarrassed, the green was hardly mowed for the rest of the week, with the result that it was running a fraction slower, and developed a more grainy character, than the other 17. It was enough to throw off the leaders as they came to the final hole.Brooks, who was two under for the back nine at that point, was the first to do battle with the 18th and after safely finding the middle of the green, putted up the slope seven feet past the hole. He read a right-to-left break but the ball stopped just short of the right lip “I hit it on the perfect line,” Brooks said. “It would have gone in if I had hit it the right speed.”The three-putt gave Brooks a 70 for a four-under par 276.