In the end, this second Masters championship for Rory McIlroy is almost unavoidably going to become a milestone.
If last year’s emotional triumph to complete the Grand Slam was a destination – the destination – then retaining it puts him in rarefied air but doesn’t answer the only question which will ultimately matter when all is said and done; where this child prodigy from Northern Ireland turned golfing superstar will rank among the all-time greats.
That is the competition for him now: how many majors he can amass, how many records he can break.
By his own admission on this Sunday night in Georgia, at American golf’s most famous course in its crown jewel competition, he won’t always have this level of preparation for a major.
After 71 holes of rollercoaster golf, the 18th hole on Sunday was a microcosm of it all.
Needing to avoid a double-bogey on the last to win back-to-back Masters championships, McIlroy was once again wayward when the fairway was wide open for him.
“Coming off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was, that was probably the moment of most stress; thinking this could be anywhere.”
Not for the first time, McIlroy’s driving put him out of position heading down the 18th with a two-shot lead (AP)
The Ulsterman had been long but inaccurate off the tee all week, and found the pine straw yet again. An iron to salvage things ended up in the bunker, but he splashed out to give himself a par putt that would have won the Masters. Drifting only a matter of inches past the hole, a bogey was still enough.
On Tuesday, McIlroy had commented that he felt “winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one.”
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But last year’s triumph might not have helped in the way you’d expect, and it turns out that there are far greater advantages to winning the Masters than people might realise.
The obvious one of McIlroy no longer feeling that same internal pressure to complete the Grand Slam is something that is undeniable, and he admitted himself that he felt it might be simpler this year without the weight of the Grand Slam on his shoulders. But all those years of neurotically wondering how to best prepare in order to give himself the best chance of winning have also set him up for future success at Augusta that will extend far beyond this year’s triumph, his second in a row.
McIlroy with his family after winning a second Masters, including parents Rosie and Gerry McIlroy – who would not miss a second green jacket (REUTERS)
McIlroy tried a lot of different regimes as he looked to climb the mountain – arriving late, arriving early, practicing a lot, not practicing at all, playing in tournaments, skipping them – but this year’s preparation is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time.
From his base in Florida, he has been baking practice at Augusta into his weekly routine to the extent that it now “feels like my home course”. Skipping the three tour events running up to the Masters simply because he “doesn’t like them” will have made a couple of PGA Tour tournament directors wince, but it has allowed him time to effectively commute (via private jet, naturally) and practice around the course where a tournament that will actually matter to his legacy is taking place.
“I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her – or had dinner with Erica probably… a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio,” McIlroy admitted in typically frank fashion.
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“Monday, Tuesday last week, then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I was up here for a day the week before as well.
“I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks, and that’s been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out.”
McIlroy’s preparation for this year’s Masters is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time (REUTERS)
McIlroy revealed that it wasn’t about conserving energy, just spending productive time working on those details around on the greens where a major championship would be decided come this glorious mid-April Sunday.
And that level of practice has shown.
Ultimately what McIlroy has learned over his nearly two decades of playing years of playing here is that you need to be a killer with the wedges and putter in hand.
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After two days, McIlroy was second-best putting and second-best driving distance but 90th in driving accuracy. He missed every single fairway on the par 5s as he built up his six-stroke lead over Thursday and Friday’s rounds, all eight of them, but came away with seven birdies and a par.
That’s a guy who understands how to play the course.
“I feel like being up here a lot and I’ve prepared as well for this Masters as any other that I’ve played,” he said.
Indeed, his 3.1 strokes gained around the greens during Friday’s round was not just the best in the field all weekend, it was the best by miles. In fact, the gap from first to second was the same as the gap from second to 45th. His chipping and short game was on a different planet to everyone else unfortunate enough to be trying to catch him at Augusta this weekend.
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McIlroy was required to escape from the bunker on the 18th in order to avoid a double bogey (Getty Images)
“My scrambling, my putting and my short game are what won me this tournament,” he would say on Sunday night, that green jacket once again on his back.
While Saturday’s round had made the retrieval of that jacket more difficult, McIlroy leaned into practice as a means of dragging himself to the finish line.
After missing some key iron shots left on day three during a disappointing 73, his post-round trip to the driving range as the shadows disappeared and turned into night on Saturday was all about rediscovering the light fade and re-establishing control.
In McIlroy’s own words, the most important shot of Masters Sunday was his nine-iron off the tee on 12, where he pulled out that baby cut that he’d rehearsed so many times under the lights of the practice area and nailed it under the brightest lights of them all.
McIlroy highlighted his nine-iron off the tee on 12, which led to birdie, as his most important shot of the week (Getty Images)
“It was a really good golf shot at the right time, and probably a golf shot I wouldn’t have been able to hit yesterday before going to the range.”
That birdie, then another on 13, proved decisive. It was his golf through Amen Corner on Sunday and the resultant three-shot swing that was the difference between him and perennial contender Justin Rose, at one point a Sunday leader by two shots, and set McIlroy back on the path to glory after a wobbly start.
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McIlroy described himself on Friday as a “wily old veteran” and this victory provided some support for that. No longer is he the boy wonder who dreams of emulating the greats, he is the established hero who inspires those following around the world.
Could other players have turned up at Augusta over the last few weeks and played practice rounds to familiarise themselves with the angles and sightlines provided by this sternest of tests? Probably not. That’s the benefit of a green jacket. Besides, most of them will have had tournaments to play.
Make no mistake, though. McIlroy has earned the right to prepare how he wishes, he had toiled for more than a decade without tasting glory and tried every which way to prepare in order to win. Now that he’s found his formula, and it appears he truly has, good luck convincing him to change it.
McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond have cracked the code to win the Masters (Getty Images)
“I thought it was so difficult last year because I was trying to win the Masters and the Grand Slam but it turned it was just really difficult to win the Masters,” he laughed on a Sunday night that will once again be filled with champagne at the impeccable Augusta National clubhouse.
Yet he followed with a more important lesson, and a more pertinent one, as his smile melted into sincerity.
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“If you put the hours in and you work on the right things, it’ll work out for you.”
Apr 12, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Garrett Temple (17) dribbles against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Scottie Barnes had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists Sunday, and the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Brooklyn Nets 136-101 to clinch their first playoff spot since 2022.
In recording his third triple-double of the season and the ninth of his career, Barnes helped the Raptors (46-36) secure the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They face the fourth-seeded Cavaliers in the first round, beginning on Saturday in Cleveland.
RJ Barrett scored 26 points, and Brandon Ingram added 25 points for Toronto. Ja’Kobe Walter and Jakob Poeltl each scored 11 points, while A.J. Lawson chipped in with 10 points. Immanuel Quickley had four points and five assists for Toronto and did not return for the second half because of a tight hamstring.
Chaney Johnson had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Nets (20-62), who are in a lottery spot. Tyson Etienne scored 20 points, and E.J. Liddell had 17 points. Ben Saraf scored 15 points and also picked up six fouls.
76ers 126, Bucks 106
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Tyrese Maxey scored 16 of his team-high 21 points in the third quarter as the host Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from Milwaukee in the second half to win what could be Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ last game at the helm of the Bucks.
The club and Rivers are discussing a possible move to the front office for 2026-27, according to sources, after he has coached for parts of three seasons with the team. Rivers, 64, will be inducted as a coach into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in August. Quentin Grimes had four 3-pointers and scored 20 points for Philadelphia, which won its second straight and is locked into the play-in tournament. The seventh-seeded 76ers will host the eighth-seeded Orlando Magic on Wednesday. Center Joel Embiid was out again while recovering from an appendectomy.
AJ Green made five 3-pointers for Milwaukee (32-50) to finish the season with 232 treys, breaking Ray Allen’s single-season franchise record of 229 in 2001-02. Green was 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from 3 in the first half for 19 points; he failed to score after halftime.
Celtics 113, Magic 108
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Baylor Scheierman tossed in a career-high 30 points to lead Boston to a victory over visiting Orlando in the final regular-season game for each team.
The Celtics, who had already secured the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs, rested eight players, including their top seven scorers. Boston’s first playoff opponent will be the team that earns the No. 7 seed in the play-in tournament, either the Magic or the Philadelphia 76ers. Boston’s starting lineup was Ron Harper Jr., Max Shulga, Jordan Wash, Luka Garza and Scheierman.
The loss ended Orlando’s five-game winning streak. The Magic had won three in a row on the road. They will be the eighth seed in the play-in tournament and visit the seventh-seeded 76ers on Wednesday. The winner faces the Celtics, and the loser will host the winner of the 9/10 matchup on Friday.
Heat 143, Hawks 117
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Bam Adebayo produced 25 points and 10 rebounds, leading host Miami to a win over Atlanta in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Miami also got 26 points and five assists from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and 25 points from Norman Powell, who returned from a groin injury. The Heat next will play at the Charlotte Hornets in the first game of the play-in round. The Heat, 5-10 over their past 15 games, are in the play-in round for the fourth straight year.
Atlanta, which had already clinched its first playoff berth since 2023, sat its entire starting lineup plus three reserves. Veteran Buddy Hield led the Hawks with a game-high 31 points, and Corey Kispert added 21 points.
Rockets 132, Grizzlies 101
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Clint Capela produced a double-double in his third start of the season while Tari Eason and Reed Sheppard combined for 39 points as host Houston closed the regular season with a victory over short-handed Memphis.
The Rockets concluded the schedule with nine victories in their last 10 games. With the fifth seed in the Western Conference playoffs already secured, Houston rested four starters in its finale: Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. Capela paired a season-high 23 points on 9-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Eason added 20 points and eight rebounds while Sheppard posted 19 points.
Memphis had only seven players available. Dariq Whitehead scored a career-high 26 points; Rayan Rupert (21 points, 12 rebounds) and Jahmai Mashack (11 points, 11 assists) added double-doubles for the Grizzlies, who closed the season with 21 losses in 23 games.
Nuggets 128, Spurs 118
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Denver’s Nikola Jokic scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 18-plus minutes of court time — all in the first half — as the visiting Nuggets rolled to a win over San Antonio in the regular-season finale for both playoff-bound teams.
The Nuggets clinched the third seed in the Western Conference and will host sixth-seeded Minnesota for the first two games of their best-of-seven first-round playoff series. Denver ended the regular season with 12 straight wins and took three of the four games against the Spurs this year. Jokic played the necessary minutes to reach the league’s 65-game threshold for postseason award consideration.
Victor Wembanyama sat out the game for San Antonio, which already clinched the No. 2 spot in the West and had little to gain from Sunday’s game. The Spurs will host the winner of Tuesday’s 7/8 play-in tournament game between Phoenix and Portland in the opening two contests of a best-of-seven first-round playoffs series. The Spurs had a three-game winning streak snapped but finished the campaign with a 62-20 mark, their best since the 2015-16 season in which they won 67 games.
Cavaliers 130, Wizards 117
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Nae’Qwan Tomlin scored a career-high 26 points and rookie Tyrese Proctor collected 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists as playoff-bound Cleveland beat visiting Washington.
Jaylon Tyson had 18 points and rookie Tristan Enaruna had a season-best 15 points for Cleveland, which is the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will have home-court advantage over the fifth-place Toronto Raptors in their first-round series.
Rookie guard Jamir Watkins scored a career-high 24 points for the Wizards, who finished with the worst record in the league. Bub Carrington scored 20 points and dished out nine assists, and Sharife Cooper had 20 points and six assists off the bench. Cleveland had eight players reach double digits in points.
Pistons 133, Pacers 121
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Eastern Conference leader Detroit closed out just the third 60-win regular season in franchise history, leading wire to wire in a defeat of Indiana in Indianapolis.
With the East’s No. 1 seed in the upcoming NBA playoffs also secured, Detroit limited its entire starting five to fewer than 26 minutes in the regular-season finale. That was plenty of time for Paul Reed to make some Pistons history, as he became the organization’s first player ever to score 25-plus points on a perfect field-goal shooting performance. Reed scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-11 from the floor.
The Pacers finished the worst season by won-loss record in franchise history. Quenton Jackson and Obi Toppin led the Pacers with 21 points each, Kobe Brown added 20 and Ethan Thompson 18. Micah Potter finished with a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.
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Hornets 110, Knicks 96
Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball and Coby White each scored 19 points as visiting Charlotte earned the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament with a win over New York.
The Hornets will host the Miami Heat in a No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game on Tuesday. Kon Knueppel finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
New York had nothing to play for after already clinching the East’s No. 3 seed. With most of their regulars sitting out, the Knicks started Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Mikal Bridges, Mohamed Diawara and Ariel Hukporti. Bridges’ consecutive games played streak reached 638 — the eighth longest in NBA history — with his 23-second appearance. New York will face the Atlanta Hawks, the East’s No. 6 seed, in a first-round series beginning Saturday.
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Mavericks 149, Bulls 128
Ryan Nembhard notched the second-most assists in a game in franchise history as Dallas beat visiting Chicago.
Nembhard fell narrowly short of a triple-double in the season-ending clash, chalking up 15 points, nine rebounds and 23 assists. Only current Dallas coach Jason Kidd, with 25 assists in a two-overtime game in February 1996, has registered more for the Mavericks. Cooper Flagg scored 10 points, his stellar rookie campaign ending with 10:11 left in the second quarter after spraining his left ankle on a bad landing while leaping for an offensive rebound.
Rob Dillingham scored 25 for the Bulls. Collin Sexton contributed 19, Leonard Miller had 17 and Lachlan Olbrich added a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
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Timberwolves 132, Pelicans 126
Rookie big man Joan Beringer recorded career highs with 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Minnesota held on for a victory over New Orleans in Minneapolis.
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 26 points for the Timberwolves, who relied on young players and reserves in their final game of the regular season. Zyon Pullin scored 19 points off the bench, and Joe Ingles capitalized on a rare start to notch a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. The Timberwolves already were locked into the No. 6 playoff seed in the Western Conference and will face the third-seeded Nuggets, beginning Saturday in Denver.
Rookie Jeremiah Fears scored 36 points on 12-for-29 shooting to lead the Pelicans. Fellow rookie Derik Queen finished with 30 points and 22 rebounds, and Micah Peavy scored 21 points.
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Suns 135, Thunder 103
Jamaree Bouyea scored a career-high 27 points to help Phoenix close the regular season with a road win over Oklahoma City as both teams, with their playoff positions secure going into the game, sat the majority of their starters and major rotational players.
The Suns’ Ryan Dunn scored a season-high 20 points, shooting 8 for 11 from the field with a career-high tying 11 rebounds and a career-high five assists. Koby Brea added 20 points off the bench for Phoenix. Brea had scored just 25 points total in his first 11 NBA games. Rookie center Khaman Maluach had a career-high 18 points and tied his career high with 14 rebounds off the bench as well.
Branden Carlson tied his career high with 26 points to lead the Thunder. He also had 10 rebounds. Payton Sandfort added 23 points off the bench. Oklahoma City is the top overall seed in the NBA playoffs. Phoenix is the No. 7 seed and will open the play-in tournament at home Tuesday against eighth-seeded Portland.
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Lakers 131, Jazz 107
Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton each posted 22-point, 10-rebound double-doubles to help Los Angeles down visiting Utah in their regular-season finale.
LeBron James completed his 23rd regular season, finishing with 18 points in 17 minutes for the Lakers, who will be the No. 4 seed in next week’s Western Conference playoffs and face the Houston Rockets in the first round. Dalton Knecht scored 17 points, Nick Smith Jr. added 12 and Bronny James chipped in 11 for Los Angeles, which finished with its most victories in a season since the 2010-11 campaign (57).
Oscar Tshiebwe led the Jazz with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh added 15 points apiece. Cody Williams and Bez Mbeng both scored 14 points and Blake Hinson had 10 for Utah, which recorded its second 60-loss season in franchise history and second in as many years.
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Clippers 115, Warriors 110
Los Angeles sent a message to it play-in opponent, riding Bennedict Mathurin’s 20 points and a stingy defense to a home win over Golden State in what turned out to be an otherwise meaningless regular-season finale.
The Clippers lost a tiebreaker with eighth-place Portland and were relegated to ninth for play-in purposes, where they’ll get a home game Wednesday against the 10th-place Warriors. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
John Collins backed Mathurin with 18 points, and Mathurin and Collins each collected a game-high nine rebounds, while Mathurin also found time for a game-high eight assists. In just his third game after missing 27 straight with a sore right knee, Stephen Curry paced Golden State with a game-high 24 points.
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Trail Blazers 122, Kings 110
Deni Avdija recorded 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds and Portland secured the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference with a win over visiting Sacramento in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Jrue Holiday added 23 points and seven rebounds for Portland, which will play beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 campaign. The Trail Blazers will visit the No. 7 Phoenix Suns on Tuesday in the play-in round. The winner goes directly to the Western Conference playoffs against the No. 2 San Antonio Spurs while the loser will have a second opportunity on Friday.
Precious Achiuwa registered 27 points and 11 rebounds and Nique Clifford added 24 points and seven rebounds for the Kings. Maxime Raynaud had 21 points and nine rebounds for Sacramento (22-60), which finished with the second-most losses in franchise history. The Kings went 17-65 in 2008-09.
The 2026 RBC Heritage, the first PGA Tour event after the 2026 Masters, begins this week at Harbour Town, and the runner-up from the Masters is the favorite to win. Here is everything you need to know about the RBC Heritage odds and other betting favorites to start the week.
RBC Heritage betting favorites
Heading into this week’s RBC Heritage, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite, coming in with +350 odds-to-win.
Scheffler nearly won his third Masters title on Sunday at Augusta National, eventually finishing runner-up behind winner Rory McIlroy. He already has one win on the season, though, and his Masters result was his fourth top-4 finish of the year.
Though McIlroy won’t be in the field, virtually everyone else from Masters will be joining Scheffler on Hilton Head Island this week.
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Xander Schauffele is in second place in the pre-tournament odds at +1600 odds-to-win. Cameron Young, who was tied with McIlroy for the Masters lead heading into Sunday, is tied for third in RBC Heritage odds at +1800. Tommy Fleetwood is right there with him.
Filling out the top 5 are three other players who had solid performances at the Masters: Matt Fitzpatrick, Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay (+2200).
You can see the top 20 and ties in the 2026 RBC Heritage betting odds as of Monday morning below, or download the Fanatics Sportsbook app to see the full list of odds and bets for this week.
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Scottie Scheffler (+350) Xander Schauffele (+1600) Cameron Young (+1800) Tommy Fleetwood (+1800) Matt Fitzpatrick (+2000) Russell Henley (+2000) Ludvig Aberg (+2200) Patrick Cantlay (+2200) Collin Morikawa (+2500) Sam Burns (+2500) Jake Knapp (+3250) Justin Thomas (+3500) Robert MacIntyre (+3500) Jordan Spieth (+4000) Maverick McNealy (+4000) Si Woo Kim (+4000) Viktor Hovland (+4000) Ben Griffin (+4500) Jason Day (+4500) Shane Lowry (+4500)
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New York Yankees Aaron Judge heads to the dugout after striking out during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 11, 2026.(Jason Behnken/AP)
Aaron Judge put the team’s offensive struggles on notice after a 5-4 loss on Sunday.
“We need to simplify some things at the plate,” Judge told reporters via MLB.com. “We’re trying to hit every single pitch we see up there and getting ourselves in some bad counts and bad situations. As a group, if we simplify our approach a little bit, hunt the pitch that we’re looking for and pass the baton, I think we’ll be in a better spot.”
Judge has also been lethargic at the plate as he’s coming off three American League MVP awards in the last four seasons and some time with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge hits a two-run home run during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., on April 12, 2026.(Jason Behnken/AP)
Through 15 games, Judge is only hitting .218 with four home runs, nine RBI and a double. He was 2-for-10 against the Rays, despite a two-run homer on Sunday.
It was the Rays’ first three-game sweep of the Yankees since 2021.
“We didn’t get a lot of traffic when we needed to in this series,” Judge added. “We had one hit for the majority of the game, and a couple of these games. I think if guys take their walks when they need to and focus on a pitch they can drive, we’ll be in a better spot.”
New York is now 8-7 this season and in a three-way tie for the American League East division lead.
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New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge strikes out during the fifth inning against the Athletics in New York on April 8, 2026.(Heather Khalifa/AP)
The Yankees return home Monday for a seven-game home stand. The team will welcome the Los Angeles Angels for four games and then turn their attention to the Kansas City Royals.
Paul Skenes is already one of the biggest stars in the sport, and whenever he takes the mound, it feels like a must-see event. Monday is another one of those occurrences when the Skenes and the Pirates take on the Washington Nationals, providing a thrilling player to factor into options to utilize the latest DraftKings promo code to get $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 wager wins. Given his name appeal, it’s no surprise to see Skenes’ MLB player prop totals on the higher side, and with that, the SportsLine Projection Model sees value in backing Skenes Under 6.5 strikeouts at +114 odds for Monday MLB best bets at DraftKings.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every MLB game 10,000 times. It was a profitable 35-29 on top-rated MLB money-line picks last season. It also excelled at making home run prop picks in 2025, returning nearly 30 units of profit. Anybody following its MLB betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Skenes has failed to record more than six strikeouts in any of his first three starts this season. The Nationals only struck out 18 times in 27 innings in their three-game sweep over the Brewers, and they’ve only been struck out 20 times over their last four contests. Skenes is averaging one strikeout per inning this season, but he’s only averaging four innings per start. The model projects Skenes for 6.2 strikeouts on Monday, given Washington’s heavy bat-to-ball approach. At plus-money odds for prop betting, the model projects value in fading Skenes’ strikeout total. Back Skenes’ Under at DraftKings here, and claim $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins as a new user:
Blues (+110) to defeat the Wild
“This is another game where I expect a Minnesota Wild team locked into the 3 seed in the Central to rest some key contributors over the final two games,” SportsLine expert Todd Fuhrman said. “While we don’t know who will sit in this game, I actually show value in the dog if the Wild were at full speed. Look for the Blues to potentially close as a short favorite before puck drop on Monday night.” Back the Blues to win at DraftKings here, and claim $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins as a new user:
Mets (+1.5) vs. Dodgers (-149)
Baseball is a funny game. Although the Mets have lost five straight, including being swept at home by the A’s, there’s no reason why they can’t fly cross-country and defeat or play with the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers on Monday. The Mets are starting David Peterson, who was an All-Star last year, and the Dodgers are starting 25-year-old Justin Wrobleski. The Mets had the second-best odds behind the Dodgers to win the National League this season, so this streak of bad baseball likely won’t last the whole season. Last year, the Mets went 2-2 in L.A., and both of their losses came by one run. The model projects the Mets to cover in 61% of simulations. Back the Mets to cover at DraftKings here, and claim $300 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins as a new user:
Olympique Lyonnais have returned to winning ways after a nine-game drought, climbing to fifth in the table and keeping their hopes of a Champions League spot alive. Meanwhile in England, Manchester City secured a comfortable win over Chelsea, piling pressure on Arsenal in the title race. The Gunners now lead by just six points ahead of their clash with City next week.
In cycling, Wout van Aert is the new King of the Hell of the North, finally triumphing in the legendary Paris-Roubaix after years of bad luck and disappointment. In tennis, Jannik Sinner has reclaimed the world number one spot, defeating his rival Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 final.
WWE’s chief of content Triple H has been under fire from fans heading into WrestleMania 42. A recent report has revealed that the head of creative is aware of what people are talking about online, which is mainly focused on the overall quality of storylines.
One of the biggest gripes of the fanbase is the involvement of Pat McAfee, as well as other celebrities, in the Road to WrestleMania 42. Others are not happy about how matches for the biggest show of the year have been built and how some of the most popular stars are not on the card.
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Speaking on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shared some insight about what is going on backstage in WWE, mainly about Triple H’s feelings about the recent air of negativity online about the product.
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“I think he cares more than they let on. They try to act like they don’t listen but then they make all these things and changes so much. My impression is that they outwardly, I mean the company directive is to say that you don’t care. That we don’t listen to these people that are negative. And you know what? You go by the numbers. You can’t listen to people because you could be doing the greatest stuff in the world and people are saying it’s terrible, but if the numbers are saying it’s good then it’s good. But does he listen? Is he aware? Yes, he’s aware and he’s certainly aware that they’ve booed him at certain points over the last couple of months,” Meltzer said. [H/T Cultaholic]
Triple H is currently under a microscope, with fans hoping for an overall better WrestleMania this year. There was plenty of negativity last year after Travis Scott’s involvement in the main event between John Cena and Cody Rhodes.
Triple H to be fired by TKO?
Some fans are already calling for Triple H to be replaced as WWE’s chief of content. TKO has the power to make it happen, but despite the slower ticket sales of this year’s WrestleMania can be attributed to many different factors that are out of Hunter’s control.
However, WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn stirred the pot at a recent appearance on Signed by Superstars for a live in-studio signing. Gunn, who was with his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, revealed that he heard from someone that Triple H might get the boot after WrestleMania.
Road Dogg, who recently left WWE’s creative team, quickly shut down the claim. It should be noted that he’s still under a Legends contract despite his exit last month.
It’s WrestleMania season, with WWE’s biggest event of the year closing in once again.
This spring brings the 42nd edition of WrestleMania and a surprising move from WWE, as it returns to Las Vegas just one year after Sin City hosted the last edition of the event. In fact, that move has disappointed many fans, who have also hit out at ticket prices and a lacklustre build to this year’s “Showcase of the Immortals”.
Still, WrestleMania tends to deliver, and WWE has begun to take some big swings in pursuit of winning over fans, such as installing the retired John Cena as this year’s host.
The reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes (Getty Images)
There will also be matches starring key names like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, while several celebrities will pop up – as is customary. But how much do WWE stars earn at WrestleMania?
Here’s all you need to know.
How much do WWE stars earn?
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The specifics of WWE contracts have long been hard to ascertain. However, WWE star-turned-executive Triple H (real name Paul Levesque) told The Athletic in 2022 that $250,000 is the minimum base salary for wrestlers in the company. That figure might have risen since, of course, and it reportedly only applied to members of the Smackdown and Raw rosters – not wrestlers on NXT, which is WWE’s developmental show.
However, wrestlers’ wages are boosted by merchandise sales and, it is believed, by cuts of pay-per-view sales as well. Of course, merchandise sales are likely to be significant on a WrestleMania weekend, as well as pay-per-view sales, so 18 and 19 April could be the most lucrative days of the year for most WWE wrestlers.
In 2023, The Mirror reported some of the highest WWE wages as these: Roman Reigns $5m per year; Randy Orton $5m per year; Seth Rollins $3.5m per year; Cody Rhodes $3m per year; Logan Paul $2m per year. These figures reportedly don’t include bonuses.
When is WrestleMania 42?
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WrestleMania became a two-night event in 2020, and this year it will take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. In the US, each evening of action will begin at 4pm PT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET. In the UK, that works out to 12am BST on Sunday and Monday morning.
How can I watch it?
WrestleMania 42 will stream live on Netflix in the UK and most territories worldwide, as part of subscribers’ existing plans (at no additional cost, in other words). In the US, however, the event will air live on ESPN.
Confirmed matches
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Night 1
Former WWE champion Roman Reigns (WWE)
Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight vs Logan Paul, Austin Theory and IShowSpeed
Drew McIntyre vs Jacob Fatu
Lash Legend and Nia Jax (Women’s World Tag-Team Champions) vs Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs Nikki Bella and Brie Bella
AJ Lee (Women’s Intercontinental Champion) vs Becky Lee
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Seth Rollins vs Gunther
Stephanie Vaquer (Women’s World Champion) vs Liv Morgan
Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Champion) vs Randy Orton
Night 2
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Penta (Intercontinental Champion) vs Rey Mysterio vs JD McDonagh vs Rusev vs Je’Von Evans vs Dragon Lee (Ladder Match)
Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi
Brock Lesnar is not only an ex-WWE champion but a former UFC heavyweight champion (WWE)
Sami Zayn (United States Champion) vs Trick Williams
Jade Cargill (Women’s WWE Champion) vs Rhea Ripley
YouTubers Logan Paul and IShowSpeed will compete, even teaming up together, while music star Jelly Roll will also feature in some capacity. The same applies to rapper Lil Yachty, while wrestler-turned-actor John Cena will act as the host of WrestleMania. NFL kicker-turned-sports analyst Pat McAfee is also expected to feature.
As he stood in the pine straw late Sunday afternoon, deep in the trees, wild to the right of the 18th fairway, Rory McIlroy exhaled, rolled his eyes and shook his head, as if to suggest that even he had grown exhausted by the drama. Did it really have to be this hard? Apparently, it did.
After entering the weekend with a six-shot lead and a seeming stranglehold on the tournament, the man trying to become just the fourth Masters champion to defend his title had pressed repeat, all right, reprising the feast-or-famine play that marked his Grand Slam-capping run to victory last year. Much like 2025, the 2026 Masters had become his to lose, and for much of the day Sunday, he appeared intent on doing just that. A stressful par on the 1st hole. A three-putt double-bogey on the 4th to fall behind Cameron Young by two. And then another dropped shot on the 6th, with a birdie on the 3rd sprinkled in along the way.
Throughout the week, McIlroy had said that things felt different this time around, now that he had a green jacket to his name and a lifetime invite to the Masters. And yet what he produced on Sunday was more of the same, a nail-biting, whiplash-inducing thrill ride of spectacular shots and head-scratching mistakes.
Elsewhere on the course, the roars carried echoes of the recent past as well. Justin Rose, who fell to McIlroy in last year’s playoff, went out in 32 to vault in front, only to spring a leak around Amen Corner. Every Rose has its thorn, and it’s official: Justin’s is the Masters.
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For a nervy spell on Sunday, McIlroy looked destined for more Masters heartache. Never mind what he said about having the monkey off his back — slumping into Butler Cabin and slipping the green jacket onto someone else’s shoulders would have been a particular kind of torture.
Instead, he did what he did last year: playing with a red ass, he put up red numbers, rattling off birdies on 12 and 13 to take command (and then nearly letting it go again when his wedge on the par-5 15th barely made it over Rae’s Creek). He was two clear standing on the 18th tee, the green jacket all but back on his shoulders, if only he could stop being himself for a moment.
He could not. Pulling driver, he flared one far right into the Georgia pines, eliminating any chance of a tidy finish. The groan from the gallery was familiar, almost affectionate. This was vintage McIlroy: maddening, mystifying, marvelous all at once. He hacked out and made bogey, which was good enough. A tap-in for the win and a repeat in more ways than one.
“I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket,” he said afterward, “and I get two in a row.”
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With his second Masters, Rory McIlroy has left his demons in the distant dust. He’s chasing history now. It’s going to take a lot of energy to keep up.
Cloud9 remained undefeated and FlyQuest recorded their first win as Week 2 concluded on Sunday of the regular season of the LCS Spring event.
FlyQuest downed Disguised 2-0, and Cloud9 beat the Sentinels 2-1 in the other match of the day.
Eight teams will compete in best-of-three matches in the round-robin regular season before advancing to the playoffs of the League of Legends event, which will be contested in best-of-five matches in a double-elimination format. The top two teams will qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational.
FlyQuest swept Disguised 2-0, winning in 30 minutes and 27 minutes, both on blue. Micheal “Cryogen” Luu, a Vietnamese/American player, had a kill-death-assist ratio of 1-1-17 and Fahad “Massu” Abdulmalek, a Canadian/Iraqi player, had a K-D-A of 11-2-7 for FlyQuest.
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Cloud9 won the opener in 33 minutes on blue before the Sentinels drew even with a 34-minute victory on red. Cloud9 took the match in 31 minutes on red. American Eain “APA” Stearns had a 5-1-10 K-D-A and Canadian Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme had a 3-0-12 K-D-A for Cloud9.
Week 3 begins on Saturday with Disguised facing Cloud9, and Sentinels taking on FlyQuest. The Sunday matches are LYON against Shopify Rebellion, and Dignitas versus Team Liquid.
Regular season standings (Win-loss total, map differential)
Arjun Tendulkar with wife Saaniya Chandhok and sister Sara Tendulkar (Image credit: X)
NEW DELHI: After a home defeat to Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. LSG are currently placed sixth on the table, with two wins and two losses from four matches.In their previous outing, Lucknow Super Giants managed 164/8 in 20 overs against Gujarat Titans. Chasing 165, Gujarat Titans cruised to 165/3 in 18.4 overs, sealing a comfortable win at the Ekana Stadium on Sunday.Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who did not feature in the playing XI against Gujarat Titans, was spotted at the airport with his LSG teammates. He was seen alongside his sister Sara Tendulkar and wife Saaniya Chandhok.Sara and Saaniya had earlier been present in the stands in Lucknow, cheering for LSG during their clash against Gujarat Titans.Arjun tied the knot with Saaniya in a grand ceremony in Mumbai on March 5, 2026. He is part of the Lucknow Super Giants squad this season, having been bought for Rs 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction.LSG captain Rishabh Pant admitted that his side fell short with the bat in the loss to Gujarat Titans.“See, definitely not enough runs. There’s nothing. From the fact that they bowled well. I think in a wicket like this, a score like 170 to 180 is a really good score. But, you know, the wicket kept on falling, and they put enough pressure on us to get those wickets going,” Pant said.He added that although LSG had their chances, they failed to capitalise on crucial moments.“There were opportunities in the game. We just couldn’t grab it enough,” he said.Pant, however, backed his batting unit, stressing that it is still early in the tournament and there is no need to panic. He expressed confidence in the experienced players to step up in the coming matches.“See, definitely it’s a great lineup. But the tournament has just started here, you know. We’re not putting pressure on players because, especially the senior guys, they know what to do,” he said.
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