The United States Golf Association (USGA) have flirted with the idea of bringing the US Open back to Merion, if the club and local residents are happy to do so.

The US Open returns to Merion for the first time since 1981due to problems with the infrastructure at the venue.

The practice range is located on the West Course and the gardens of adjacent houses are being used for corporate hospitality, but USGA executive director Mike Davis would be happy to return to the club.

Davis said he had “not seen anything to say we would not come back here,” but added: “Personally I’d already like to see us return. I’m not sure Merion wants us to return.”

With the range a long way from the first and 11th tees which will be used in the first two rounds, players will be shuttled between the two locations, although fears of players missing their tee-times remain.

Graeme McDowell warned: “If you want 50 minutes hitting golf balls, you’re going to have to be getting out of your car literally an hour and 30 minutes before your tee time.”

The tournament committee will have some leeway in assessing penalties or disqualification for late arrivals on the tee, but Davis stressed that responsibility remained with the players.

“We go through this whether it’s at Pebble Beach, Bethpage or wherever,” Davis added. “We have a wonderful transportation system set up. They can get from point A to point B without traffic. That’s not going to be an issue.

“But if we erred, then we would make provisions to where the player wouldn’t be penalised.”

Meanwhile, the USGA are again refusing to change their policy on preferred lies despite the adverse weather which has saturated the course this week.

USGA vice-president Tom O’Toole said: “It’s been a long-standing philosophical point of view from the USGA to not adopt that local rule (allowing preferred lies) in our national championships.

“And the current championship committee is consistent with that long-standing philosophical point of view.”

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner, who also owns Premier League side Aston Villa, is in potential talks with Tennessee businessman Jimmy Haslam to invest in the NFL franchise.

“In connection with current rumors and press inquiries, I can report that I’ve been approached by Mr. Jimmy Haslam, who is interested in making an investment in the Cleveland Browns,” said Lerner.

“We are currently in negotiations and both sides have agreed to keep that dialogue and its details private. Given that any transaction would require league approval, care has been taken so that this process will not be disruptive to the organization, in particular the football team, as it prepares for the upcoming season.”

Lerner took control of the Browns in October 2002 following the death of his father, Al, and the team has failed to make the playoffs since losing in the wild-card round of that season.

The Browns are worth an estimated $977 million, 20th among the NFL’s 32 teams, according to Forbes.

Haslam, whose brother Bill is the governor of Tennessee, has been a minority owner in the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2008.

Paul Vaughan the man charged with running the Rugby World Cup 2015 events believes the key to selling out the tournament is a flexible pricing structure, doctor which could see tickets on sale for as little as £7 and the British public’s love of big events will help ensure that Rugby World Cup 2015 is a 3 million seat sell-out.

Speaking on the first day of the sell-out Rugby Expo 2011 at Twickenham, viagra Vaughan, click former commercial head of the RFU, told a standing-room-only session that marketing of the event would focus first on the 9million active rugby followers in England but that the “British big event mentality” and fans from the rest of the UK and overseas would ensure the success of the tournament.

“The British love a big event, just look at the way that the Olympics have sold out. Even sports like handball – which is not that popular here, sold out almost immediately,” he said.

“Compared to the recent New Zealand World Cup our challenge is to make England 2015 not bigger – the size of the country will determine that – but to ensure that it generates a lot of cash for the world game and that it is a fantastic experience for fans,” he said.

“We want to ensure a long term legacy for the game and you will see some activity in the next few months here.

“But, importantly, we will also be working with emerging nations such as Georgia and Spain to help them achieve the biggest possible impact from the event.”

Vaughan was speaking on Day One of Rugby Expo 2011, the leading conference, exhibition and networking event for rugby worldwide.

Rugby Expo 2011, supported by the IRB, RFU, SRU, Premiership Rugby, the RFL, RaboDirect PRO12 and other leading rugby bodies, attracted hundreds of key decision makers to Twickenham for a packed programme of conference sessions’ and specialists workshops.

iSportconnect are also the official networking tool for the expo which allows the delegates to connect and schedule meetings. iSportconnect throughout the expo are doing live updates via their twitterfeed and on their website.

John Hockey, chairman of Rugby Ventures which operates the event, added: “There has been a fantastic response from the rugby community.

“We have been delighted with the way that the leading clubs and Unions have embraced the opportunity presented by Rugby Expo and look forward to building on the platform the 2011 event has provided.”

Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif have been left distraught after been found guilty today of their part in a “spot-fixing” scam that has left the sport in taters.

The men will be sentenced later this week and Butt faces up to seven years in jail or a fine. They have already been banned from playing by the International Cricket Council for at least five years,

Former captain Butt, 27, and opening fast bowler Asif, 28, had pleaded innoncence to the charges in the past to cheating and conspiracy by accepting corrupt payments to bowl no balls at pre-arranged times during a Lords test. It has now been revealed that Asif had pleaded guilty to the charges.

But a jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court found Butt guilty of both charges and Asif guilty of conspiring to cheat. They plotted to deliberately bowl no-balls during a Lord’s Test match against England last summer.

Spot-betting involves gamblers staking money on specific details of sporting encounters such as the exact timing of the first throw-in during a football match or, as in this case, when a no-ball will be bowled.

After deliberating for nearly 17 hours, the jury unanimously convicted Butt and Asif of conspiracy to cheat. The jurors also found Butt guilty of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments by a majority of 10 to two.

The jury has not yet reached a verdict on whether Asif was also guilty of conspiracy to accept corrupt payments, and is continuing its deliberations.

Butt and Asif were charged after a tabloid newspaper alleged they took bribes to bowl deliberate no-balls.

The court heard the players, along with fast bowler Mohammad Amir, conspired with UK-based sports agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, to fix parts of the Lord’s Test last August.

Three intentional no-balls were delivered during the match between Pakistan and England from August 26 to 29 last year.

Prosecutors said Butt and Asif had been motivated by greed to “contaminate” a match watched by millions of people and “betray” their team, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the sport itself.

Prosecutor Aftab Jafferjee QC said the case “revealed a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket”.

Following the verdict, former Pakistan cricket captain Asif Iqbal told BBC 5Live it was a “sad day for cricket” and said the case would send out a “huge message”.

Former England fast bowler Angus Fraser said it could be a “watershed” for cricket.

“It shows young cricketers that there is a consequence to their behaviour. In the past players have been banned and then they have come back,” he told BBC 5Live.

“The International Cricket Council has got to support the players, see these signs and help them out of predicaments, but also see (that) if players do commit these offences they are punished severely.”

London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has confirmed that troops serving in the UK’s Armed Forces are being given the chance to win tickets for next year’s Olympic Games in ‘Tickets For Troops’ initiative.

The share-out will allow 10,000 tickets to be given to members of the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force and their families and LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said he was “absolutely delighted” troops could receive tickets.

Tickets For Troops is being funded by London 2012’s Ticketshare scheme, which sees proceeds from prestige hospitality seats used to provide tickets to worthy causes. All serving members of the Armed Forces and those medically discharged since the start of military action in Afghanistan in 2001 are eligible to register for tickets, which must be done online at the Tickets For Troops website.

Coe said: “Through the sale of our prestige tickets we are enabling the donation of tickets to a number of deserving causes – it would be unimaginable that we wouldn’t include our armed service personnel.”

Tickets For Troops chairman Lord Marland added: “This support makes a real difference to the troops who are doing such an extraordinary job during these difficult times.”

In addition, young people are also to be given the chance to win free Olympic tickets in return for taking part in sport by joining in the Sportivate mass participation scheme.

Sportivate aims to give 14 to 25-year-olds the chance of six to eight weeks of sports coaching and is designed to get 300,000 youngsters playing sport.

Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said: “Lots of young people think sport isn’t for them. I would like them to have the chance to discover whether there is a sport they really enjoy, so this programme is all about choice.

“Everyone who takes part will receive high-quality coaching – giving them the confidence and skills which will make them want to keep playing in the future.“

London’s bid to host the 2015 World Athletics Championships has been abandoned over the uncertain future of the 2012 Olympic Stadium.

The capital could instead be put forward to host the event in 2017.

The Government was unable to commit to a 2015 bid because a number of the tenders for the stadium have plans that would see the running track removed.

The decision means Beijing is the sole remaining bidder and they should be confirmed as hosts later this month.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will announce their final decision on 20 November.

Some bids for the use of the stadium post-2012 Games, including the one from West Ham and Newham Council, include the retention of the track but others, including the one from American sports company AEG and Tottenham Hotspur, have plans that would see it removed.

UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner said: “Obviously we are disappointed not to be pursuing our 2015 bid, especially after securing the support of both the Government and the Mayor of London.

“However, we need to present the IAAF with a bid that is free of any uncertainties.

“That is not something we can commit to until the process regarding the future of the stadium, which we fully support, is concluded.”

IAAF President Lamine Diack added: “We fully understand and respect the reasons for UKA moving their bid from 2015 to 2017. We are delighted that London are still in the race.”

Football Federation Australia (FFA) says it has launched legal action against the Fairfax newspaper group over claims it made that the FFA’s bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup was marred by corruption.

The FFA confirmed it had begun defamation proceedings against the newspaper in Sydney’s Supreme Court over a number of recent articles relating to the bid.

An FFA spokesperson said: “The articles contain serious defamatory allegations regarding the conduct of the Bid, including FFA’s accounting practices and its compliance with FIFA regulations and its Government Funding Agreement.

“FFA completely rejects these serious allegations and is seeking damages.”

The Australian Government had cleared the FFA of any wrongdoing after the Fairfax had claimed it had spent “secret millions” on lobbyist fees and gifts to FIFA executives and their wives.

Leading full service sports data and media company Infostrada Sports today announced it has signed a data partnership with the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).

Infostrada Sports will become the official data partner of the IWF for a three year period until the end of 2017.

Infostrada Sports and the IWF will exchange sports data and content. Infostrada Sports will receive the IWF official results and returns full athlete biographies, amongst other products and services to the IWF. 

Infostrada Sports will also be delivering a selection of its renowned “Facts & Figures” to the IWF Media & Communications team around the 2014 World Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Infostrada Sports will deliver a media guide, general statistical previews about the favourites, about the specific tournament and about historical results.

Infostrada Sports manages the world’s largest sports database, covering close to 300 sports worldwide. Over the past 15 years a data platform has been developed in order to centralise in one place and in a single format, the storage of sports results and biographical data of athletes, which can be exchanged through a universal protocol, thus providing turn-key solutions to its clients in professional sports such as the IWF.

“Infostrada Sports is delighted to enter into this ground breaking arrangement with one of the oldest and most respected international federations, to exchange data and ensure the best quality for media and sports fans,” said Danny Menken, CEO Infostrada Sports.

“We have a proven track record of delivering quality operations and first class content. With our unique services we take a huge issue off the shoulders of the IWF media office in providing media and the weightlifting community with the best possible content. At the same time we are proud that we will collaborate with the IWF to ensure their official results data forms the quality base of our data analysis.”

“Recently the IWF has significantly enhanced the sport presentation and the services to its media and public clients including its Social Media, appearance, branding etc. In addition to its traditionally available athlete database and result service on its website the IWF with this partnership is now able to satisfy the demand from its stakeholders with personalized content,” said Dr. Tamas Ajan, IWF President.