Baniyas leads table as Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship kicks off

WASHINGTON: Jack Nicklaus said Tuesday that he was surprised Masters winner Rory McIlroy did not tell him in advance that he was not playing in this week’s Nicklaus-hosted PGA Memorial tournament.

Nicklaus, an 18-time major winner, predicted McIlroy’s triumph last month at Augusta National after hitting his own ceremonial opening tee shot.

Nicklaus said he has not heard from McIlroy since the Northern Ireland star captured his fifth major title and first Masters to complete a career Grand Slam.

McIlroy will miss the Memorial for the first time since 2017, instead playing next week’s Canadian Open as his tuneup for the following week’s US Open at Oakmont.

“I didn’t have a conversation with him, no,” Nicklaus said, calling that “a little bit” of a surprise.

“It surprised me. But guys have got schedules and got things they do. And I haven’t talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It’s just his call,” Nicklaus said.

“I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play... sometimes you have to make those calls.

“I don’t hold anything against Rory for that. I know he likes to play so many in a row. He likes to play the week before a US Open. And so that’s what he’s doing.

“I mean, I’m a big Rory fan, I always have been. I’m sure that I will remain that way. I just, I was a little surprised, yes.”

Nicklaus said he had no problem about McIlroy not giving him advance warning about his absence.

“I’m not going to throw Rory under the bus. I like Rory too much,” said Nicklaus. “He’s got to make his own calls on things. Could he have done ‘em differently? Probably. But that’s all right. I probably could have done some of mine differently too. So I’m not complaining about Rory.”

Nicklaus said he sent McIlroy a congratulatory letter shortly after the Masters victory last month.

“I told him I don’t think anybody has won by having four double bogeys,” Nicklaus said. “And I said, ‘But that just showed me how much talent you have to overcome that to win and how you played some unbelievably spectacular shots.

“I was very happy for him. It was a great win.”

LUCKNOW: Skipper Jitesh Sharma hammered an unbeaten 85 and Virat Kohli hit 54 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru stormed into qualifier one of IPL playoffs with a six-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday.

Bengaluru chased down 228 to go second in the 10-team table in the last league match of this season and set up a meeting with table-toppers Punjab Kings on Thursday.

The result pushed Gujarat Titans into third spot. They will face Mumbai Indians in the eliminator on Friday.

The top two teams have two shots at reaching the final on June 3 as the loser of qualifier one will face the winner of eliminator in qualifier two to decide the second finalist.

Lucknow skipper Rishabh Pant signed off with an unbeaten 118 off 61 balls in his team’s 227-3, but in reply Bengaluru achieved victory with eight balls to spare.

Kohli set up the chase with his 30-ball knock and after his departure stand-in-skipper Jitesh put on an unbeaten stand of 107 with Mayank Agarwal, who hit 41, to trump Lucknow, who were already out of the playoffs.

The 36-year-old Kohli, who earlier this month announced his Test retirement alongside Rohit Sharma, went past 9,000 runs for Bengaluru — the most by a batsman for one team in men’s T20 cricket. The next is Rohit for Mumbai with 6,060.

Kohli put on 61 runs with opening partners Phil Salt, who made 30, but the chase wobbled after Lucknow hit back with wickets. New Zealand quick Will O’Rourke took two in two.

Jitesh turned things around with his first IPL fifty. He hit eight fours and six sixes, including the winning hit over the fence, in his 33-ball knock.

Earlier Pant, who struggled for runs after being brought by Lucknow for a record $3.21 million in the auction, saved his best for last as he hit his season-best score.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Pant, a swashbuckling left-hander, reached his 100 in 54 balls and celebrated with a somersault. He had scored only 151 runs from 12 previous innings and averaged just 13.72.

Pant led the charge in a 152-run second-wicket stand with Mitchell Marsh, who hit 67 off 37 balls, after the captain promoted himself to number three in the batting order.

Pant, who hit 11 fours and eight sixes in his 61-ball knock, went past his previous best of 63 this season but Bengaluru and Kohli had the last laugh as they hunt for their first IPL title.