Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.
DUBLIN, Ohio — Cameron Young has made his move to golf’s hottest new driver.
Young became the latest player to switch to one of Titleist’s new GTS drivers, opting for a 10-degree GTS3, moving from the 11-degree GT3 he switched to earlier this year before winning the Players and Cadillac Championships.
Young is the first player ranked inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking to add the new driver. Previously, the highest-ranked player was No. 16 Justin Thomas. The add makes Young the 65th player currently gaming a GTS driver, while over 70 players have played one.
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Young has had a unique driver build since his switch at Bay Hill, where he went back to his Mitsubishi Diamana PD 60TX shaft and changed to the 11-degree GT3, lofted down in the D1 setting, to help get more launch to match his prototype Pro V1x Double Dot golf ball.
While that switch put his spin in a great window, around 2,500 with an extra two degrees of launch at 11 degrees, his spin started creeping up as the season went on. Titleist rep J.J. Van Wezenbeeck told GOLF he was climbing into the upper 2,000s.
Big change for Cameron Young this week as he’s made the move to the Titleist GTS3 driver.
Down in loft to 10˚ from the 11.0 GT3 he was playing since Bay Hill.
“His spins have been kind of creeping up a little bit. So the spins have been getting a little bit closer to 28, 29,” he said. “At times when he’s swinging really fast, the 11-degree head is bordering on a little too high, and a 10 is bordering a little bit on the too low.”
This is where the GTS’s dual weighting system really came in handy.
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“Being able to utilize the dual weighting just lets us kind of get into a really nice in-between spot in terms of launch and spin for him,” Van Wezenbeeck said.
Because the GTS has both an adjustable front track weight and an adjustable rear flat weight, Titleist was able to put an extra two grams in the rear of Young’s new GTS3, which was just enough to give him the extra launch he needed, while staying at the 10-degree loft.
Young has been testing GTS3 since the prototype stage back in December, so he already knew the GTS3 was potentially going to be the right fit for him. Once he finally had some time off between this week’s Memorial and last month’s PGA Championship, he made the switch at home.
The new driver brings Young’s spin window into the 2,600 to 2,700 range and keeps it there thanks to the GTS platform’s improved spin consistency. While that’s a bit higher than it was at the beginning of the year, that extra spin helps Young manage his mishits and keeps them from falling out of the sky.
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“He kind of knew the spin stability that he gets with this driver,” Van Wezenbeeck said. “So that was kind of a big one, it’s really how well it manages his mishits. And so that was kind of a big one to have in play for him.”
Young also made a tweak to his iron set, soft-stepping his Dynamic Gold X7 shafts to give him back the ability to hit off-speed shots more effectively.
Similar to his driver setup, soft-stepping the X7 as opposed to going back to the X100s gave him a nice middle ground of control and feel, Van Wezenbeeck said.
This week, Rose made the most notable move yet, switching to a completely raw set of Series 1s.
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But don’t get too excited. McLaren doesn’t have any immediate plans to offer their new irons unfinished. Instead, the absence of the plating and polishing serves a functional purpose, McLaren Golf Senior Design Manager for Irons and Wedges JP Herrington told GOLF, as Rose works to tweak his new clubs.
“Right now we want to be able to move fast and get everything dialed in,” Herrington said. “It allows that flexibility to make some of those adjustments versus having to send them out and get them plated and then get them back.”
The change Rose and Herrington made at the Memorial this week? Moving toward less offset in the mid-irons.
At Rose’s request, the initial Series 1s had a unique progressive offset package with jumps between the short and mid-irons and the mid- to the long irons. With this new raw set Rose saw for the first time at Muirfield Village, the offset on the mid-irons was reduced by half a millimeter. That’s enough to make a difference to someone like Rose, who Herrington said has one of the most discerning eyes on Tour.
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A Tour blade with the feel you expect and the forgiveness you don’t.
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The result is performance without compromise – a blade for elite players who demand more from their irons.
“Having something that really feels comfortable looking down at it — and we’re talking those little minute changes, whether it’s a half or a quarter of a millimeter — make a difference, especially to someone like Justin,” Herrington said. “A lot of it, he talks about just that visual at address, how it meets his eye, and then that translates to confidence into the golf swing.”
Herrington wasn’t sure Rose would end up gaming the raw set this week, but it looked like from watching Rose’s first testing session on Tuesday that a lightbulb went off on the first swing. He immediately noted that he was reaching apex heights of more than 130 feet with the raw irons, something he said he hadn’t seen in a long time.
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The ball also seemed to be holding his line better, Herrington said.
That probably had more to do with visual comfort than any performance difference with the clubs.
The raw finished irons could remain in the bag, but Herrington said it’s unlikely. Rose even asked if the specific set he had could eventually be polished and plated.
After a rough start with the new irons at the Cadillac Championship, Rose seemed to find a groove at the PGA Championship with a T10 finish. This week, he opened with a 69 on Thursday and led the field with 15 greens in regulation.
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Maybe he continues with the raw irons if he keeps hitting the ball like that.
Fleetwood sees ‘shadows’
Tommy Fleetwood is looking for a “shadow” on the greens this week and it might have finally jump-started his putting slump to begin the season.
The reigning FedEx Cup champion made his fourth putter switch this season and perhaps the most significant one yet. After playing with TaylorMade’s larger Spider Tour since moving to the mallet platform at the RBC Heritage last year, Fleetwood is gaming a new, smaller Spider Tour X this week at the Memorial.
Tommy Fleetwood is testing a new Spider Tour X Black putter this week.
He’s had this putter for a few months now and it has the same pilot’s eye alignment that he switched to on his Spider Tour in March.
Despite earning five top-10s already this season, Fleetwood has struggled on the greens, losing .064 strokes a round and ranking 93rd on the PGA Tour. Last season he gained more than four-tenths of a stroke and ranked 20th.
At the Valero Texas Open, Fleetwood changed his alignment aid on the Spider Tour Black from the custom Sharpie lines hand-drawn on the top by TaylorMade putter rep James Holley to a “pilot’s eye” aid. He then used a similar model in the new 2026 Torched finish at the RBC Heritage before returning to the black finish for his next start at the Cadillac Championship.
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But this week, he’s gone to a different head entirely with the Spider Tour Black X with the same “pilot’s eye” alignment aid and short slant hosel.
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TaylorMade 2025 Spider Tour X Black Custom Putter
BLACK PVD FINISH The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish with sole plate, back badge and copper accents.
TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole.
WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERTMade from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel. Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment.
THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance.
HYBRAR ECHO®DAMPENER HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feel on every putt with the best possible sensation.
TSS WEIGHTING TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths.
STEEL WIREFRAME Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location.
“The main reason Tommy switched to the X was the slightly more forward CG and the alignment benefits of the true path,” Holley told GOLF. “He started lining up the Clear Path on his TP5 pix more often and although the TruePath is blacked out, the ‘shadow’ of the true path matched up nicely to that.”
While Fleetwood’s new Spider Tour X is still all black with no TruePath aid like his previous putters, the Spider Tour X has the outline of the True Path built into the top, while a Spider Tour without TruePath is smooth.
That outline of the TruePath turned out to really help Fleetwood with his alignment on the greens. Fleetwood has actually had the putter for a few months leading up to the change.
In Round 1 at Jack’s place, that paid off as Fleetwood was third in the field in SG: Putting, picking up nearly two and a half shots as he fired a 67 to co-lead going into Friday.
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Fleetwood also got two new replica putters this week to celebrate his FedEx Cup victory last year. Holley had the original Sharpie lines scanned and then laser-etched them into the toplines of the putter. The replicas also came with custom Winston Collection headcovers with the same design embroidered on top.
TaylorMade gave Tommy Fleetwood a replica of the Spider Tour Black putter he used to win the FedEx Cup with last summer.
Instead of rep James Holley drawing the sharpie lines on the top alignment aid, this version has been lasered on to exactly mimic the imperfections of the… pic.twitter.com/WzhbSWKCbo
Rory McIlroy leads the PGA Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee this season, but he’s still finding the fairway just 55 percent of the time.
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McIlroy is switching this week to the Fujikura Ventus Black 7-X shaft, up in weight from the 6-X he has played for the past several years. McIlroy also added weight to the head of his TaylorMade Qi4D driver, going up to two 13g weights in the rear instead of the 11s he had to begin the year.
Rory McIlroy is making a slight tweak to his driver setup, going to a heavier Fujikura Ventus Black OG 7-X shaft, up from the 6-X he’s used this year.
Caddie Harry Diamond told me he was seeing a bit extra stability out of the heavier build.
Explaining Project X’s Titan Yellow wood shaft – Clark earned his win the week he switched to Project X’s new counterbalanced Titan yellow wood shaft. Jake Morrow explains how the new shaft works.
David Benavidez moved up in weight and became unified cruiserweight world champion last month, leading to Canelo Alvarez suggesting that a fight between them will never happen because not only will Benavidez never make super-middleweight again, but he will struggle to drop back down to light-heavyweight.
Benavidez demanded a fight against Alvarez when campaigning at 168lbs, with his WBC interim world title making a strong case for it to happen. His interest was not reciprocated, and, rather than waiting around, ‘The Mexican Monster’ chose to move up to light-heavyweight where he soon became a world champion.
Benavidez moved up once again in May and emphatically dethroned unified titlist Gilberto Ramirez in one of the standout performances of 2026 so far. While weighing up his next move, he again called for a fight with Canelo.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Benavidez disputed the claims.
“I can still be semi-complete at 175, he fought like two or three times there. If he wants to make the fight there, I can lose that weight.
“He is saying it’s impossible, that I can’t go down. I can go down, and if they want that fight, I am 100% ready to give this fight.
“Now, I am kind of frustrated by it. Every time that I do something or win a belt, win a fight, Canelo is there [being mentioned in the background], Canelo, Canelo, Canelo. I can’t do anything there, I want that fight too, [just] as you [fans] want the fight.”
AAMI Park will play host to Friday’s
Round 14 NRL game between Melbourne Storm and
Newcastle Knights. The game kicks off at 6:00 pm with Melbourne Storm heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Melbourne Storm vs.
Newcastle Knights
game and give you our free tips and bets.
A genuine top-four test awaits Newcastle when it travels to AAMI Park to face a Melbourne side beginning to resemble its usual premiership-contending self. After enduring a difficult mid-season stretch, the Storm have won three of their past four matches, highlighted by a clinical defensive performance against the Roosters last weekend. Newcastle arrives with confidence after four consecutive victories, although the Knights were made to work hard against Parramatta and now face a much sterner challenge. Kalyn Ponga remains central to Newcastle’s hopes, while Melbourne’s electric fullback Sua Faalogo continues to grow in influence. History heavily favours the Storm, who have won 13 of the last 15 meetings and have not lost a home game against Newcastle since 2015. With both sides carrying momentum, this shapes as one of the round’s most significant contests.
Melbourne Storm vs Newcastle Knights Teams
Storm team: 1. Sualauvi Faalogo 2. William Warbrick 3. Jack Howarth 4. Manaia Waitere 5. Moses Leo 6. Cameron Munster 7. Jahrome Hughes 8. Stefano Utoikamanu 9. Harry Grant 10. Josh King 11. Cooper Clarke 12. Ativalu Lisati 13. Trent Loiero 14. Trent Toelau 15. Alec MacDonald 16. Jack Hetherington 17. Josiah Pahulu 18. Joe Chan 19. Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown 20. Shawn Blore 21. Keagan Russell-smith 22. Angus Hinchey
Knights team: 1. Kalyn Ponga 2. Dominic Young 3. Dane Gagai 4. Fletcher Hunt 5. Greg Marzhew 6. Fletcher Sharpe 7. Dylan Brown 8. Jacob Saifiti 9. Phoenix Crossland 10. Trey Mooney 11. Dylan Lucas 12. Jermaine McEwen 13. Mathew Croker 14. Harrison Graham 15. Tyson Frizell 16. Pasami Saulo 17. Thomas Cant 18. Cody Hopwood 19. Francis Manuleleua 20. James Schiller 21. Kyle McCarthy 22. Elijah Leaumoana
Venue: Court Philippe-Chatrier, Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France
Prize Money: €61,723,000
Live Telecast: USA – TNT, truTV, HBO Max | UK – TNT Sports, HBO Max | Canada – TSN, RDS
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Mirra Andreeva vs Maja Chwalinska preview
Eighth seed Mirra Andreeva will take on unseeded Maja Chwalinska in the final of the 2026 French Open on Saturday.
Andreeva has enjoyed a superb 2026 campaign and established herself as one of the most consistent performers on the WTA Tour. She began the season by winning the Adelaide International title, defeating Victoria Mboko in the final. The Russian has since piled up a series of deep runs, including multiple quarterfinal and semifinal appearances. She also captured a clay-court title at the Linz Open and finished runner-up at the Madrid Open. At Roland Garros, Andreeva has defeated Fiona Ferro, Marina Bassols Ribera, Marie Bouzkova, Jil Teichmann, Sorana Cirstea, and Marta Kostyuk 6-1, 6-3 to secure her place in the championship match.
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Meanwhile, Chwalinska arrived in Paris with far less attention surrounding her name, but has emerged as the surprise package of the tournament. The Pole spent much of the season competing on the WTA 125 circuit, where her standout result was winning the WTA 125 Oeiras 3 title. She then began her Roland Garros campaign in qualifying and has authored a remarkable Cinderella run, defeating Zheng Qinwen, Elise Mertens, Maria Sakkari, Diane Parry, Anna Kalinskaya, and Diana Shnaider 7-6(4), 6-4 to reach the first Grand Slam final of her career.
Mirra Andreeva vs Maja Chwalinska head-to-head
Their current head-to-head record stands at 0-0.
Mirra Andreeva vs Maja Chwalinska odds
Player
Match odds
Handicap bets
Total Games
Mirra Andreeva
Maja Chwalinska
(Odds will be updated when available)
Mirra Andreeva vs Maja Chwalinska prediction
Andreeva has a rare ability to make difficult matches look straightforward. She combines consistency, court awareness, and tactical flexibility, allowing her to adapt to different styles and find solutions as matches unfold. Whether rallies are short or extended, she is usually comfortable adjusting her approach.
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Chwalinska has been one of the surprise packages of the tournament, using her variety, touch, and resilience to put together an impressive run. She is capable of disrupting rhythm, creating awkward patterns, and forcing opponents to think their way through points.
The challenge for Chwalinska will be sustaining that pressure against a player who thrives on problem-solving. Andreeva is rarely rushed into poor decisions and tends to grow stronger as she gathers information throughout a match.
In this matchup, Andreeva’s ability to absorb different looks and gradually take control of the tactical battle could be the defining factor. Chwalinska has the creativity to make things interesting, but the Russian’s balance between consistency and adaptability makes her difficult to unsettle over an extended contest.
Pick: Andreeva to win in three sets.
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Mirra Andreeva vs Maja Chwalinska betting tips
Tip 1: Andreeva will win at least one set with a score of 7-5 or better.
You can love Cristiano Ronaldo. You can hate Cristiano Ronaldo. But if you are a football fan, it is almost impossible to ignore Cristiano Ronaldo. At 41, the Portuguese superstar still dominates headlines, splits opinions when it comes to deciding the greatest footballer of the modern era and he remains the most-followed personality on Instagram. If we look at the past 10-15 years, his on-field rivalry with Lionel Messi took the game to unbelievable heights and Ronaldo is just 27 goals away from reaching the mythical 1000-goal milestone. However, there is one thing missing from his legacy – a World Cup trophy.
When Argentina won the FIFA World Cup title in 2022 after a blockbuster final against France, it felt like the end of a story for Lionel Messi. The sight of Messi with the trophy and surrounded by his teammates became a part of football folklore and for neutral fans, it was a moment of satisfaction as a modern great completed his legacy with the biggest prize in the game.
However, the story continues to elude Ronaldo. During the 2026 edition, Ronaldo will play in a World Cup for the sixth time but the closest that he ever got to the title was way back in 2006 when Portugal finished fourth. In 2022, they looked in stunning form in the initial half of the competition but a shock loss against Morocco stopped their run in the quarterfinals.
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All that is now in the past. One may think that a 41-year-old star must have lost his sheen when it comes to the World Cup but that is far from the case. With Messi realising his dream, the focus is even more on Ronaldo. The player himself has not lost a step as he recently lifted the Saudi Pro League title with Al-Nassr in a season where he scored 28 goals.
If Ronaldo is at the final stage of his hero’s journey, the supporting cast has also developed a lot over time. The Portugal team topped their qualification group with just one loss and they ended up scoring 20 goals in 6 matches. Ronaldo was the top-scorer with 5 goals but Bruno Fernandes and Joao Neves also contributed with 3 each. Such was the prowess of the team that 2 players scored 2 goals each and 5 players scored once during the impressive qualification campaign.
Under Portugal coach Roberto Martinez, Ronaldo has also assumed a more significant role in the team and according to data available online, he has played an average of 73 minutes in their last 10 matches. Over the years, one thing that has never been contested is Ronaldo’s fitness and even ahead of the 2026 World Cup, he made it clear that he was up to the challenge.
Sadly, we have been at this position before. A stellar qualification campaign that led to tremendous fanfare and hopes that this will be the year that he finally does it. However, the story never quite got the conclusion that he wanted.
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With the 2030 World Cup taking place in Portugal, there is a chance that he may decide to continue playing. However, the stage is set, the spotlight is solely on him and this feels like the tournament that can end up defining Ronaldo’s legacy for years to come.
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The Minnesota Vikings’ OTAs (Organized Team Activities) continued this week and, as per usual, plenty of news has come out of TCO Performance Center. The announcement that the Vikings hired former Seattle Seahawks assistant GM Nolan Teasley as their new general manager grabbed the headlines, while the continuing quarterback strife percolated online and on the field.
It is the season of hope, so most Vikings fans hope that the fellows occupying both positions will help the Purple reach the promised land. For his part, Teasley comes from an organization where he helped them win two Super Bowls under GM John Schneider. Meanwhile, there is all kinds of hope circling around the quarterback position (a seemingly typical Vikings scenario) as Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy circle each other in a position battle that has taken on a life of its own online.
Folks have blasted J.J. for his comments last week in which he implied the pair are more “frenemies” than teammates at this point, since he hasn’t been gifted the starting role like he was last season. At the same time, Murray has been praised for his poise in front of the microphone, which should have been expected from an eight-year vet. Sound bites aside, however, let’s allow each signal-caller to spend some time behind center before we throw out the young QB just 10 games in for not yet uttering every clichéd platitude we have come to expect from pro athletes.
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That is one man’s opinion, anyway—one of the fellas on the Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast—Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com, and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com. We will weigh on the Murray-Mac mixed tape, the Teasly presser and more OTA news. Tune in and check it out. Skol!
Listen to Vikings Territory Breakdown here or on your favorite podcast network
Joe Oberle is a veteran sportswriter/editor/reporter and has covered the Vikings since 2008. The author of three books, he … More about Joe Oberle
England vs New Zealand Highlights, 1st Test Day 2: Gus Atkinson struck twice late on Day 2 as England pressed for victory in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. New Zealand were 36-3 in their second innings at stumps, needing a further 218 runs to reach a victory target of 254 — what would be the highest total of a match where batsmen on both sides have struggled on a bowler-friendly pitch. Earlier, Jamie Smith helped England recover from a middle-order collapse before they were dismissed for 226 in their second innings of a frenetic clash in north London. New Zealand’s Nathan Smith took 6-70, the second five-wicket haul of the paceman’s six-match Test career. But given New Zealand were dismissed for just 113 in the first innings, they need a vastly-improved batting effort to prevent England going 1-0 up in the three-match series. Debutant opener Emilio Gay was England’s top-scorer in their second innings with 57 and wicket-keeper Smith made 39. (Scorecard)
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Thundering On (5/1) and Dylan Browne McMonagle landed the Group 1 Betfred Oaks at Epsom on Friday afternoon.
It was a second British classic training success for the successful handler, Joseph O’Brien, who previously won the Betfred St Leger with Galileo Gold.
The second English classic of the season saw nine fillies go to post – four of them trained by an O’Brien, one by Joseph, and three by his father Aidan.
Amelia Earhart (7/4f), the choice of Ballydoyle stable jockey Ryan Moore was the race favourite, with the Colin Keane-ridden Legacy Link (3/1) the second choice of the bookies.
Sugar Island (25/1) and Ronan Whelan set the early pace, closely followed by stable companion Cameo (7/1), the mount of last season’s Epsom Derby-winning rider Wayne Lordan.
The eventual winner, Thundering On, was towards the rear of the field for much of the one mile four furlong race.
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Once into the home straight, the chestnut daughter of Frankel, out of Thundering Nights, struck for home alone the stands’ side rail.
Colin Keane, wearing the Juddmonte Farms colours aboard Legacy Link, looked the biggest danger to the Salsabil Stakes winner.
Despite the strong challenge of the Dubawi filly, Legacy Link, Thundering On held on comfortably for a three-and-three-quarter length victory to give Donegal rider McMonagle a first British classic success.
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The John and Thady Gosden-conditioned Legacy Link took the runner-up position ahead of the outsider of the Ballydoyle trio, Sugar Island (25/1).
Race favourite Amelia Earhart and Ryan Moore finished sixth.
SUBIC BAY—Five-time world champion Craig “Crowie” Alexander will be a source of inspiration to the Century Tuna full Ironman Philippines and the IM 70.3 Subic Bay fields blasting off this Sunday, as he watches the action where participants from 45 countries have signed up.
The Australian icon, the 70.3 Subic champion in 2016, is retired from competitive racing, but has come to the country to join in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the event and the fifth holding of the full Ironman.
More than 1,500 participants have so far entered as slots to the World Championship will be dangled in the tournament seen as one of the best stops of the circuit with Subic Bay maintaining the world-class course.
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Widely regarded as one of the greatest endurance athletes in history, Alexander cemented his legacy in 2011 by capturing both the Ironman and IM 70.3 World Championships on the same year, a historic “double” that remains the stuff of triathlon lore.
His arrival has already supercharged the energy in Subic Bay, as action kicked off on Friday with the vibrant Sun Life Underpants Run.
It all leads to the weekend’s crowning jewels on Sunday, where close to 500 elite endurance athletes will push their minds and bodies to the absolute limit in the punishing full Ironman event–a grueling 3.8-kilometer swim, 180-km bike, and a full 42-km marathon run.
The others will see action in the IM 70.3, a 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike, and 21-km run event.
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Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak sent out a deliberate message as he addressed supporters at the end of the season.
Every year Khaldoon Al Mubarak sits down for one interview about Manchester City and no more. The club chairman has been giving his annual interview to the same interviewer, making his summer address a part of the club’s calendar.
It is a rare chance to hear the views of the City hierarchy, although at the same time, unlike an interview with external media, there is absolutely nothing that goes out without Al Mubarak wanting it to go out. His words are always worth noting, but so too is the very fact that they are being presented.
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The theme of this year’s address is stability and growth. Al Mubarak baulks at the suggestion a club that has won 20 trophies in 10 years under Pep Guardiola has peaked, promises they have found the best possible successor and pledges more commitment and investment from owner Sheikh Mansour.
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Nobody had even been thinking that Mansour might sell up, and yet here is the chairman on the one time each year he goes on the record to state that there is no chance of it. The show, under Mansour and Enzo Maresca, will absolutely go on.
There is even a retelling of the dynamic between Al Mubarak and Guardiola with the serial-winning coach likened to the boy who cried wolf as fans are told how he resigned ‘100 times’ in ten years. Each time, of course, Al Mubarak was the one to guide him to the right decision just as this time the City chairman knew that it was time for him to go.
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It certainly feels a little rose-tinted, and Guardiola is no longer here to offer any more balance to the story, but then maybe that is the point. Fans are understandably worried about how the club can move on from the most successful coach in their history as they struggle to appoint Maresca and key players publicly flirt with a move away.
In that vacuum, Al Mubarak has stepped up to tell supporters that not only are the hierarchy here to oversee what comes next but they always were during the Guardiola era having more of an influence than has perhaps been recognised. The manager will be missed, yet everything is under control.
Of course, as you would expect with a skilled negotiator who is trusted by the United Arab Emirates to speak on their behalf around the world, none of this is explicit. There will be people who haven’t got this far in the article before rushing to the comments to scream ‘MUEN’ into the corners of the internet, outraged at the idea that there could be more to Al Mubarak’s message than meets the eye.
But it is a very deliberate interview, as they are every year, that deserves to be deconstructed with the same care and attention that it was put together with. Whether City fans needed to hear it or not, Al Mubarak has made a conscious effort to reassure them over who is running their club and what they should expect to come.
;)
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