The Minnesota Vikings set sail on the 2026 NFL Draft in 25 days, so let’s take a look at the past to size up the best selections in franchise history. Next week, we’ll profile the naughty list: the worst selections by Minnesota since 1961.
Ranking the Franchise Picks That Delivered the Biggest Payoff
The criteria are simple: the Vikings players who put the biggest thumbprint on the team.
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Ranking the Franchise Picks That Delivered the Biggest Payoff
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) celebrates after converting a first down in the opening quarter, Oct. 30, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, against the Arizona Cardinals as he signals to the crowd and energizes the offense during an early-game scoring drive. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
8. Justin Jefferson | WR
Total Years as a Starter in NFL: 6 Drafted: Round 1 (2020) 1st-Team All-Pro: 2 Pro Bowls: 4
Here’s the stat to know about Jefferson:
Most Receiving Yards thru First 6 Seasons of Career:
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Justin Jefferson (8,480) Randy Moss (8,375) Torry Holt (8,156) Jerry Rice (7,866) Calvin Johnson (7,836) Julio Jones (7,610) DeAndre Hopkins (7,437) CeeDee Lamb (7,416) Mike Evans (7,260) A.J. Green (7,135) Antonio Brown (7,093) Marvin Harrison (7,078) Larry Fitzgerald (7,067) A.J. Brown (7,026) Sterling Sharpe (7,015)
Not bad.
7. Adrian Peterson | RB
Total Years as a Starter in NFL: 15 Drafted: Round 1 (2007) 1st-Team All-Pro: 4 Pro Bowls: 7
Peterson’s off-the-field antics have turned wacky as of late, but before that, he was the best running back of his era in the NFL. In fact, no one has quite replicated him stylistically since he left the sport in 2021. Derrick Henry came close, but he’s just not quite as fast.
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The only player with more rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in NFL history than Peterson is Emmitt Smith, who was an obvious Hall of Famer.
Peterson will be up for Hall of Fame Consideration soon; he better get in right away without any voter shenanigans.
6. Chris Doleman | DE
Total Years as a Starter in NFL: 15 Drafted: Round 1 (1985) 1st-Team All-Pro: 3 Pro Bowls: 8
Doleman spent 10 years in Minnesota, appearing in 154 games and logging 96.5 sacks along the way. He navigated the rough stretch of mid-1980s Vikings football and helped get the Dennis Green era off the ground in style.
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He ranks seventh all-time in sacks on the “unofficial” leaderboard and fifth on the official version. He would’ve ranked No. 5 on this list, but No. 5 fundamentally changed how the sport is played.
5. Randy Moss | WR
Total Years as a Starter in NFL:12 Drafted: Round 1 (1998) 1st-Team All-Pro: 4 Pro Bowls: 6
Moss is widely known for revolutionizing the passing game in both the NFL and during his exciting 7.5 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
Jerry Rice is the only wide receiver in NFL history with more receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than Moss.
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4. Randall McDaniel | G
Total Years as a Starter in NFL:14 1st-Team All-Pro:7 Drafted: Round 1 (1988) Pro Bowls: 12
Though offensive guards rarely receive top billing, McDaniel’s accomplishments warrant consideration, as his resume speaks for itself.
Former Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel delivers his induction speech during the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony, Aug. 8, 2009, at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, as he addresses the crowd and reflects on his career during enshrinement into the sport’s most prestigious honor. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports.
From 1988 to 1999, McDaniel anchored Minnesota’s offensive line with remarkable consistency and versatility. After his departure to Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl the following season.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
3. Carl Eller | DE
Total Years as a Starter in NFL:15 Drafted: Round 1 (1964) 1st-Team All-Pro:5 Pro Bowls: 6
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Eller was a cornerstone of the Purple People Eaters and a Hall of Famer. Before joining the Vikings, Page starred at the University of Minnesota, further enhancing his already impressive credentials.
He ranks 19th all-time in sacks on the unofficial leaderboard, which includes numbers from before 1982, when official sack tracking began.
2. Alan Page | DT
Total Years as a Starter in NFL:15 Drafted: Round 1 (1967) All-Pro:5 Pro Bowls: 9
Page’s 148.5 sacks rank eighth all-time, a remarkable achievement for a defensive tackle. While the choice between him and Eller for this spot was extremely close, Page’s statistics give him a slight edge, earning him the No. 2 spot.
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He also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 to 2015.
1. Fran Tarkenton | QB
Total Years as a Starter in NFL:18 Drafted: Round 3 (1961) All-Pro: 1 Pro Bowls: 9
Tarkenton’s No. 1 spot stems from three key factors: his position as quarterback, the most impactful on the field; his unexpected arrival to the Vikings as a 3rd-Round pick 65 years ago; and his remarkable longevity with the team.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton (10) lines up at the line of scrimmage alongside guard Ed White (62) and tackle Grady Alderman (67), date and location unknown, as the offense prepares for the snap during a classic era moment captured in this archival file photo. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports.
Tarkenton’s career spanned roughly the length of Harrison Smith’s current tenure, plus another rookie contract — all while playing quarterback. Imagine Smith playing until 2029; that’s Tarkenton’s career.
Upon his retirement in 1978, he held the league’s top records in major passing categories, marking the end of an era closely tied to Minnesota’s Super Bowl aspirations.
KELOWNA, B.C. — Sam O’Reilly stepped up again. Jared Woolley did his part, too. And Jussi Ahokas made history in the process.
Together, they led the Kitchener Rangers to their third Memorial Cup championship, culminating with Sunday’s 6-2 victory over the Everett Silvertips.
“To win this, it’s a hard trophy to win, and how we did it, it’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Ahokas, who became the first European head coach to win the Memorial Cup on the same day his home country of Finland won the world men’s hockey championship. “Proud moment, of course, and maybe I might open up some doors for some other European coaches who might come over. So it’s big.”
O’Reilly came up big in the final with a four-point performance, including three assists, to earn another MVP award — becoming only the fourth player to be named most valuable in the regular season, playoffs and at this tournament, joining past and present NHL stars Brad Richards, Corey Perry and Mitch Marner.
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O’Reilly finished tied for the tournament lead with eight points, alongside teammate Jack Pridham, who scored his tournament-best fifth goal in the final, and Everett’s Matias Vanhanen.
“Unreal. I can’t say enough about him,” Ahokas said of O’Reilly, a first-round pick who was traded from the Edmonton Oilers to the Tampa Bay Lightning last off-season. “He’ll play in the NHL next year. An unbelievable player to coach.”
Woolley scored what stood up as the winner, with the physical shutdown defender netting his second clutch goal of this showcase. He made it 3-1 with the lone tally of the second period against Everett after giving Kitchener a 2-0 lead late in the middle frame of their tournament-opening 5-0 triumph over the host Kelowna Rockets last Friday.
“He’s the backbone of our team, and he does so much for us,” O’Reilly said of Woolley, a sixth-round pick for the Los Angeles Kings. “He might not get all the love, but he’s a huge piece to our team and we wouldn’t be here without him.”
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O’Reilly and Woolley repeated as Memorial Cup champions, also winning last year with the London Knights before being acquired at the January trade deadline to put this Kitchener club over the top. London knocked Kitchener out of the playoffs en route to winning OHL titles the two previous seasons.
“They’re winners. We knew how good of players they were,” Ahokas said of adding rivals to their roster. “Winners are winners. If you get two players like that, of course you take them.”
The Rangers were also happy to take Pridham, when he left the West Kelowna Warriors of the B.C. Hockey League to join Kitchener in November 2024 after changes to the NCAA eligibility rules. This time he is leaving the Okanagan as a Memorial Cup champ.
“It’s just so special. My family is here, they’re all down, so it’s great to be able to celebrate with them and my old billets,” said Pridham, a third-round pick who needs to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday or re-enter the NHL draft later this month after decommitting from Boston University.
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“I was just focusing on playing here and ultimately winning the final. I’m just going to celebrate with my teammates here tonight and soak it all in.”
Billed as a battle of the favourites from the outset, Kitchener proved to be the class of the Canadian Hockey League this year — sweeping Barrie to win the OHL and earning a bye to the final here by running the table in round-robin play, also downing the QMJHL champion Chicoutimi Saguenéens 3-2 on Tuesday.
The Silvertips were trying to avenge Monday’s loss by the same score, which was Everett’s only other blemish of the tournament — previously defeating Chicoutimi 5-3, then rebounding to beat Kelowna 4-0 before blowing out Chicoutimi 6-1 in their rematch during Friday’s semifinal to earn another shot at Kitchener in the championship final.
“They were built to win. A mature team,” said Everett head coach Steve Hamilton, also acknowledging the impact of O’Reilly and Woolley as veteran ringers. “You add players with that kind of experience at the deadline and bringing them into the fold. They were built for this. I can’t sit here and say that we could have done anything miraculously different.
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“They’re deserving champions. I have all kinds of respect for the way they played. They were very, very professional in the way they handled this tournament.”
Christian Kirsch made 30 saves for the Rangers, who struck twice on a 5-on-3 power play to start the third period — pulling away for a repeat of Monday’s result after leading 2-1 and 3-1 at the intermissions. They never trailed, with Luke Ellinas opening the scoring and Dylan Edwards making it 2-1.
Christian Humphreys rounded out the scoring with a short-handed empty-net goal and Haeden Ellis had two assists for the Ontario Hockey League champions.
Vanhanen and Carter Bear, both with their fourth goals of the tournament, provided the offence for the Western Hockey League champs.
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Everett’s exceptional status defender Landon DuPont had a point in every game he played here, assisting on both goals in the final. DuPont, who turned 17 on Thursday, finished with six points in four games (two goals, four assists). He sat out Everett’s round-robin finale on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury but returned to score twice in the semifinal.
Anders Miller stopped 26 shots for the Silvertips in suffering his second defeat to Kitchener, with the WHL’s drought still dating back to 2014 for the league’s last Memorial Cup win.
Celine Boutier won the ShopRite LPGA on Sunday, although it might be Arpichaya Yubol who was left wondering what could have been.
Yubol fired a five-under 66 on the Bay Course at Seaview Hotel and Golf Club in Galloway, N.J., on Sunday, which was good enough to push her into solo second and earn $183,814 in the 54-hole event. At eight under, she finished a stroke behind Boutier.
But then you remember what happened on Saturday.
The LPGA Media account tweeted Saturday evening that Yubol was assessed a one-stroke penalty for slow play during her second round on Saturday. The tweet said she was penalized for “exceeding her maximum time allowed for her total strokes timed on hole #13.”
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Arpichaya Yubol was assessed a one-stroke penalty for exceeding her maximum time allowed for her total strokes timed on hole #13. @LPGA | @ShopRiteLPGA
It’s just the second time a pace of play penalty has been issued on the LPGA this season. Jin Hee Im was also penalized one shot during the third round of the JM Eagle.
In February 2025, the LPGA announced its new pace of play policy that went into effect that spring. The LPGA already had a warning system and timing guidelines in place for players out of position, but the updated policy included a new penalty structure for plus times. Under those changes, one to five seconds over a time would be a fine; six to 15 seconds would be a one-stroke penalty, and 16 seconds or more would lead to a two-stroke penalty.
Yubol’s 73 Saturday was changed to a 74. Under the LPGA’s policy, a player is timed for the accumulation of shots for a hole and not one specific shot.
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Despite the rare penalty, it was a good week for the 24-year-old Yubol. After missing the cut in back-to-back starts earlier this season, she has now turned in her second runner-up finish of the year. Although she still finished one shy of Boutier, who closed with a 66 to come from four strokes back to win. The 32-year-old pro also won the ShopRite in 2021; this was her first win since the Maybank Championship in 2023.
Next up? The U.S. Women’s Open begins Thursday at Riviera in Los Angeles.
“It’s definitely always good to come back after a win,” Boutier said. “I think it’s going to be a very different challenge for sure with different course conditions, but I’m excited to see what the course is going to be like. Happy where my game is at, so let’s see what I can do there.”
Man Utd have made an important academy appointment, hiring a new employee from another Premier League club
Manchester United have appointed Harvey Busby as the new lead national scout between the Under-14 and Under-18 age groups in the academy. Busby moves to Manchester after being headhunted from Newcastle.
The Lead National Scout vacancy opened at Carrington following the internal promotion of Connor Hunter, who recently became head of academy recruitment after working as the U14 to U18 national scout.
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Busby was identified as a standout candidate to be appointed to Hunter’s previous role in the academy, and he has officially started work at United after making the switch from Newcastle.
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Busby played a key role in Newcastle’s academy recruitment during his time in the north east, helping the Magpies to sign talented prospects ahead of other Premier League clubs.
He will work closely with Hunter to attract the best young players to United’s academy.
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United’s academy recruitment has been narrowed to the British shores in the post-Brexit era, which means scouting talented young players closer to home has become even more important.
The Reds completed the signing of talented goalkeeper Charlie Hardy from Derby in December, while the likes of ChidoObi, James Overy and Samuel Lusale arrived in the 2024 summer transfer window.
The signing of Obi from Arsenal was viewed as a coup in the industry. The young striker made eight first-team appearances last season, but he was told he would play exclusively in youth games this term.
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Obi will audition for first-team involvement under Michael Carrick during pre-season this summer.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
The 2026 Melon Music Awards (MMA) is expected to take place in late 2026. However, as always, early predictions are out. X user @KoWatermelon, a K-awards prediction account, shared detailed forecasts on May 31, 2026, based on data up to May 30.
These predictions use the typical Melon Music Awards criteria of Digital 60 percent plus, Votes 20 percent plus, Judges 20 percent, with a tracking period starting from November 20, 2025. The account also provided separate Millions Top 10 predictions based on Digital 80 percent plus Votes 20 percent. All information comes directly from the posted charts by @KoWatermelon.
Moreover, these remain early predictions and are subject to change with ongoing activity.
List of early 2026 Melon Music Awards predictions: BTS, ARIRANG, IVE, AKMU, and more
Here’s the full prediction list by X user Kowatermelon for the 2026 Melon Music Awards (MMA):
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Top 10 Artists
BTS
AKMU
IVE
KiiiKiii
ILLIT
PLAVE
Hearts2Hearts
NCT WISH
HAON
fromis_9
Millions Top 10 Albums
ARIRANG (BTS)
FLOWERING (AKMU)
REVIVE+ (IVE)
Ode to Love (NCT WISH)
Caligo Pt.2 (PLAVE)
REVERXE (EXO)
Fame (RIIZE)
EUPHORIA (ALPHA DRIVE ONE)
Unfiltered (WONPIL (DAY6))
7TH YEAR: A Moment of Stillness in the Thorns (TXT)
Artist of the Year
BTS
AKMU
IVE
KiiiKiii
ILLIT
PLAVE
Hearts2Hearts
NCT WISH
HAON
fromis_9
Album of the Year
ARIRANG (BTS)
FLOWERING (AKMU)
REVIVE+ (IVE)
Delulu Pack (KiiiKiii)
Ode to Love (NCT WISH)
ALLDAY PROJECT (ALLDAY PROJECT)
LOVE CATCHER (YENA)
Caligo Pt.2 (PLAVE)
GREEN GREEN (CORTIS)
REVERXE (EXO)
Song of the Year
404 (New Era) (KiiiKiii)
BANG BANG (IVE)
RUDE! (Hearts2Hearts)
NOT CUTE ANYMORE (ILLIT)
Paradise of Rumors (AKMU)
White Memories (fromis_9)
SWIM (BTS)
365Days (Lee Chang Sub)
TICK TOCK (TEAM ZICO X Crush)
Catch Catch (YENA)
Best Male Solo
HAON
NOWIMYOUNG
Raf Sandu
Marv
Jung Joon Hyuk
Best Female Solo
YENA
TAEYEON
Heize
WENDY
MILLI
Best Male Group
BTS
PLAVE
NCT WISH
CORTIS
EXO
Best Female Group
IVE
KiiiKiii
ILLIT
Hearts2Hearts
fromis_9
Best New Artist
ALPHA DRIVE ONE
LNGSHOT
HADES
Lee Ji Min
Song ziu
About the Melon Music Awards
The Melon Music Awards (MMA) is an annual music ceremony organized by Kakao Entertainment through its Melon music streaming platform. It began as an online fan-voted event in 2005 and has been held as an offline ceremony in Seoul since 2009. The awards evaluate artists based on digital performance data from Melon, along with online voting and judges’ evaluations.
BTS leads the early 2026 predictions and has won a record 40 awards at the Melon Music Awards in previous years, including 13 daesangs. IVE appears high in several categories and has secured multiple wins in past ceremonies, such as Best Female Group and Album of the Year. AKMU has earned several category awards over the years. Newer acts such as KiiiKiii, ILLIT, PLAVE, and others in the lists have begun collecting their first awards in recent editions, including 2025.
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These are just predictions, and the nominations may vary. Official nominees and winners will depend on full-year performance, voting, and judging.
Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, our writers look ahead to the U.S. Women’s Open and discuss the most important parts of the PGA Tour’s long-term schedule.
The 81st U.S. Women’s Open kicks off Thursday at Riviera with lots of intrigue surrounding the championship. It’s the first time the tournament has been held at the historic Los Angeles course, and the top player, Nelly Korda, enters playing some of the best golf of her career. Is this the best chance she’s ever had to win a U.S. Women’s Open?
Josh Berhow, managing editor (@Josh_Berhow): She might have had more pressure on her at the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open, since she entered it coming off a victory that was a part of a stretch that included six wins in seven starts. But she somehow shot 80 and missed the cut — and then missed cuts in her next two tournaments. Although this season is starting to look a lot like that dominance we saw two years ago, where she won seven times in 16 starts. In seven events this year she’s won three and finished as the runner-up three other times. Her last start she tied for 8th, which is her worst of the season! She’s more consistent this season, and plus, that 2024 U.S. Women’s Open disaster can now be chalked up to a learning experience. That could help her this week. I also think Riviera suits her game well.
Zephyr Melton, associate game-improvement editor (@zephyrmelton): It’s pretty wild that Nelly doesn’t have a USWO title to her name at this point in her career. With her length and ball-striking prowess, the sorts of setups the USGA likes to present should play right into her hands. She’ll certainly be the favorite to hoist the trophy Sunday night, but the mental battle will be as difficult as the physical one. With how she’s playing this year, it would be surprising if she isn’t the winner, but as we saw at Lancaster in 2024, anything can happen.
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Alan Bastable, executive editor (@alan_bastable): Thing is, she has been so much more dominant this year than in 2024. Her strokes gained in ’24: 2.86. This year through seven starts: 4.03! A nearly 1.2-shot differential! Stunning stuff. She’s also 10 yards longer off the tee than she was two years ago. Her only bugaboo, relatively speaking, is her putting. If she can find a way to get hot on the greens at Riv, this thing could be over in a hurry.
While Korda’s quest for her fourth major title will be the big talker, there are plenty of other good storylines at the U.S. Women’s Open. What’s one of your favorites?
Berhow: Whether it’s top-ranked Kiara Romero, defending Augusta National Women’s Amateur champ Maria Jose Marin or Stanford’s Paula Martin Sampedro, who just helped her team win a NCAA title last week, there’s a ton of really good amateurs who have promising pro careers teeing it up this week. I’m curious to see if any can contend on the weekend.
Melton: Seeing if Jeeno Thitikul can finally rid herself of the best-player-without-a-major moniker. She’s been close many times before, but winning the first one is always the hardest. She’s in fine form with a win at the Mizuho earlier this month, but major championship golf is a whole different animal.
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Bastable: Yes, Jeeno Watch always fully on in these big weeks. I’m also intrigued by Julia Lopez Ramirez, the second-year player from Spain who is the LPGA’s longest hitter (291-yard driving average) and 10th in greens in reg, and who finished top 20 at the USWO as a rookie last year. I don’t see her contending — her short game and putting just isn’t there — but if you’re lucky enough to be on-site, she’d be great fun to follow.
What’s the more likely scenario come Sunday — Korda lifts the U.S. Women’s Open trophy for the first time, or Scottie Scheffler three-peats as champion at the Memorial? (The last time someone won the same event three years in a row, by the way, was when Steve Stricker won the John Deere in 2009, 2010 and 2011.)
Berhow: This actually is a tough one. Scottie Scheffler is definitely due — third or better in four of his last five starts — and besides his two wins at Muirfield Village he’s also finished third twice. But I really like Nelly Korda to pick up the biggest win of her LPGA career this week.
Melton: I’ll go with Scottie. He’s been close too many times this season to be stuck on one win. I like him to get it done at Jack’s place.
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Bastable: Scottie who? Our guy hasn’t won in — gasp! — 10 starts. Gimme Korda, for all the reasons we laid out above. I truly believe if she can find a rhythm with her putting, this could be a transcendent week for her on one of golf’s greatest stages.
Scheffler will have stiff competition at the Memorial, which includes Rory McIlroy. Oddly enough, this will be the first Signature Event Scheffler and McIlroy have both played since the Arnold Palmer Invitational three months ago. Forget bigger fields and bigger markets and relegation highlighting a potential two-track PGA Tour schedule coming in 2028, is this the best example of why the Tour schedule might need a major overhaul?
Berhow: Yes, but I also think the Tour knows that. There is too much golf. And even with the two-track system, there will still be too much golf. But if we can have the very best players compete in the same events 20 times a year or so — and have them actually all show up — it’s a win. But more importantly, it has to stick. The Tour schedule needs stability for people to know what’s coming instead of the constant tweaks. Is this a Signature Event? A Florida Swing shakeup? The playoffs format changing again? When it comes to the schedule, the PGA Tour’s continued evolution, while at times necessary, has also been somewhat of an own-goal. It’s hard to keep up.
Melton: I agree with all points raised by Josh. We need to see the stars together more often, but we also can’t oversaturate. It sounds like Brian Rolapp knows this — but crafting a schedule that toes that line correctly won’t be easy.
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Bastable: Of greater concern to me than having every star in every marquee event is reinstituting cuts in all of them (so we get some mid-tourney drama) and expanding the fields (so we get some more underdog stories). I like the idea of relegation, but if the A flight is too exclusive, it could start to feel stale.
The Stanford women’s golf team won its third NCAA title in five years last week, and now it’s the men’s teams’ turn at the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa, which is taking place now and finishes next week. One name to watch is Jackson Koivun, the Auburn junior who has won six of his last nine starts and could turn pro this summer. For those uninformed, what makes Koivun one of the best pro prospects we’ve seen in years?
Berhow: Koivun seems to be the real deal. Six wins in nine starts?! That’s hard to do at any level. Plus he’s already flashed in PGA Tour starts. His coach raves about him, and lofty expectations like that wouldn’t be put on someone if they couldn’t handle them. He’s already in the U.S. Open (but has to remain amateur to keep his spot) but he could turn pro after that. He’s a name golf fans should know.
Melton: I can’t say that I watch a ton of collegiate golf, but it seems like Koivun has that “it” factor. However, dominating the pros and dominating in college are two different things. We’ve seen plenty of “can’t-miss” prospects this decade that have faltered early on (Gordon Sargent, Luke Clanton, etc.), so for now, I’m in wait-and-see mode.
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Bastable: Wait and see?! We already have seen, Melton! In seven PGA Tour starts last year, Koivun racked up four top-11 finishes, and in his last three of those starts went T6-T5-T4. Then he went back to little old Auburn, where all he did was post a 67.9 (!) scoring average this season. I’d say the kid is destined for big things.
Nigeria’s sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan produced an outstanding performance to win the women’s 100m hurdles at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco on Sunday.
The 29-year-old crossed the finish line in 12.28 seconds, finishing ahead of Devynne Charlton, who recorded 12.40 seconds, and Nadine Visser, who came third in 12.47 seconds.
The victory marked Amusan’s second career win in the event at the Rabat Diamond League and saw her set a new meeting record. Her time of 12.28 seconds erased the previous mark of 12.45 seconds, which she established at the same competition last year.
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It was also Amusan’s first Diamond League triumph of the season after finishing third and second in her opening two races.
Starting strongly from lane four, the Nigerian matched her rivals over the opening hurdles before taking control of the race after the third barrier. She gradually increased her advantage and pulled clear of the field in the closing stages.
With victory already in sight, Amusan powered through the final hurdles and comfortably crossed the line first, equalling her season’s best time.
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The former world champion will now turn her attention to the next Diamond League meeting, the Golden Gala Pietro Mennea in Rome, Italy, scheduled for June 4.
Rajasthan Royals saw their 15-year-old prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, truly rise to the occasion and deliver a career-defining performance in the IPL 2026. The youngster took home the Orange Cap after emerging as the top-scoring batter this season, with 776 runs to his name. He was truly a bargain buy for the Royals, who brought him into the franchise for a fee of Rs 1.10 crore in the mega auction before last season. While Sooryavanshi’s retainer this year was the same, his actual earnings were much more, thanks to his consistent performances for the franchise.
Though Rajasthan Royals failed to qualify for the IPL final, Sooryavanshi attended the title-decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. After the Royal Challengers Bengaluru clinched the title for the second time in two years, he was called to the presentation ceremony and was honoured as the Most Valuable Player of the season.
He earned several other awards in the presentation ceremony, while also earning cash rewards associated with them. The awards and their respective cash prizes were:
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– Most Valuable Player (MVP): Rs 15 lakh
– Orange Cap (Tournament Top Scorer): Rs 10 lakh
– Super Striker of the Season: Rs 10 lakh (plus the Tata Sierra)
– Super Sixes of the Season: Rs 10 lakh (for hitting 72 sixes)
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– Emerging Player of the Season: Rs 10 lakh
On top of the annual retainer of Rs 1.10 crore and cash rewards, Sooryavanshi also earned a match fee of Rs 7.5 lakh for every game he featured in. In total, he played 16 games for Rajasthan this season, hence earnings a total of Rs 1.20 crore through match fee alone.
The teenager also earned cash rewards through Player of the Match and other match-day performance awards. He earned Rs 1 lakh each for individual match honours like Electric Striker of the Match or Most Sixes of the Match, which he picked up multiple times during his high-scoring campaign.
In total, his earnings from the IPL 2026 season went over Rs 2.50 crore.
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IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season
Feb 21, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; Miami Marlins relief pitcher Zach Brzykcy (62) delivers a pitch against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Right-handed pitcher Zach Brzykcy is set to make his Marlins debut, as Miami will be selecting his contract prior to Monday’s game with the Washington Nationals, Fish on First reported Sunday night.
Brzykcy, 0-1 with a 10.05 ERA in 32 career appearances (no starts) for the Nationals the last two seasons, has spent all of this season with Triple-A Jacksonville. He has a 5.24 ERA over 22 1/3 innings and could be in line to return to the majors against his former team, as the Marlins ran through several pitchers in a 10-1 loss to the New York Mets on Sunday.
The Marlins would need to make roster space to accommodate the move. Possibilities include right-hander Josh Ekness, seen on crutches Sunday, or left-hander Andrew Nardi (ribs), who is expected to miss three months.
Miami claimed Brzykcy off waivers when he was designated for assignment by the Nationals last November.
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