To think that four-goal first-half performance didn’t even involve John McGinn.

A traditional 4-4-2 brought the best out of Scott McTominay, if that’s even more possible. Although we all know the Napoli star’s position was never in any doubt.

Bologna’s Lewis Ferguson, who captain Robertson said “turned into a man” , externalduring the qualification campaign, again showed his maturity and ability to dictate play in the middle of the park. Cultured, some might say.

But, in truth, the first half was dominated by the work done down the wings by Bournemouth pair Ben Gannon-Doak and Ryan Christie.

Long before he was even in the squad, Gannon-Doak excited supporters. He was the Billy Gilmour of the Euro 2024 team, picking up an injury before the squad jetted off to Germany.

Since then, he’s reminded everyone what they missed with his absence. The epitome of a Duracell Bunny, the 20-year-old dazzled on Saturday.

At times, his end-product has been his downfall, but it wasn’t of concern stateside.

“Ben did himself the power of good today,” Clarke acknowledged. “We know what he can give us.”

Clarke also knows what Christie can provide. In many positions. He was lively down the left, with an instinct to cut in and create.

Many were crying out for Findlay Curtis to start, given his first international goal last weekend, but its hard to make a case for Christie not starting somewhere on Sunday.

It’s perhaps the biggest head-scratcher of them all for Clarke, but what a problem to have.

Dana White has doubled down on claims he is playing a key role in Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua, despite Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren insisting otherwise.

Joshua and Fury have signed to face off later this year following almost a decade of being linked together. The fight still has its obstacles in the form of ‘warm-up’ fights for both men, with ‘AJ’ facing Kristian Prenga on July 25 and Fury prepping an announcement for his own interim bout.

Assuming both men navigate their interim bouts, Fury and Joshua are expected to meet in November. In the meantime, a war of words on the promotional status of the event has begun.

Dana White, of the UFC and Zuffa Boxing, has looked to continue his disruption of the sport by announcing that he will be promoting the historic British fight. Both Hearn and Warren, who represent Joshua and Fury respectively, have said that, contractually, that is not possible.

At the post-fight press conference for Zuffa’s first UK show, topped by Chris Billam-Smith’s win over Ryan Rozicki, White was asked once again about his involvement, and said that he has had more involvement than Hearn in the process so far, hinting that that will be the case going forward.

“Have they announced where that fight is? I know where it is. Watch what happens over the next 30 days. Do you think that I would publicly lie and then look like a f***ing idiot in front of everybody? Do you believe that I would? What would be the point of that? Call Eddie right now and ask him if he knows where the fight is. Call Eddie and ask him who negotiated the contract for the fight. It wasn’t him.”

Hearn recently revealed that both the UK and the US are in the running to host the event, but has consistently said that the final decision comes down to boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh, who has been instrumental in both Joshua and Fury’s fights in recent times.

The British promoters are yet to respond to White’s latest claims.

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with Boise State, which has played 300 games vs. regional foes, winning 224, losing 76, with zero ties for a winning percentage of .746.

The Broncos have recorded the most wins (33) and lost the most games (14) against Nevada. The Wolf Pack is also Boise State’s most-played opponent at 47 games.

Here is a breakdown of Boise State’s records vs. the region’s teams.

Most people know Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz for his prowess on the mound, but the 59-year-old has also become quite the golfer.

Smoltz qualified for the U.S. Senior Open in 2018 and is hoping to do so again this year. He said his game is in the best place it has ever been and credited his health for where it is today.

“The game is in its best place. The goal is you always wish you could play tomorrow when the game is in its best place, but that’s the beauty of golf. You know, you got to have it when it counts,” Smoltz told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.

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John Smoltz watches his shot from the eighth tee during the first round of the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 29, 2026. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

“The game is at a point now at 59 where I trust some of the things that I can do because I’m physically more able with two new hips and some procedures done. I’m at a point where I know that if I can continue to get a little bit better around the green, I’m going to play the kind of golf I want to play.”

Smoltz will be competing in this year’s American Century Championship, which takes place July 10-12 at Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. The Atlanta Braves legend has come close to winning, finishing in second place last year to NHL great Joe Pavelski, but he has never won.

The American Century Championship uses a Modified Stableford scoring system rather than traditional stroke play, which means that instead of counting total strokes, players are instead awarded points based on their score for each hole.

An albatross is worth 10 points, a hole-in-one is worth eight points, an eagle is worth six points, a birdie is worth three points, a par is worth one point, a bogey is worth nothing and anything two over par or worse is worth minus two points.

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Hall of Famer John Smoltz is introduced during the Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y., on July 27, 2025. (Gregory Fisher/Imagn Images)

Smoltz said he has not started nearly fast enough in the first round, forcing him to play catch-up.

“I get off to a slow start. Every tournament I rally second and third round with too big of a hole. I make a ton of pars. It’s so frustrating to say that I make a ton of pars. That would be normally good, but it’s not in this tournament. I think at one point I made 29 pars in a row in one tournament and it was nauseating. It was like I’d rather bite the head of my putter off because you only get one point for a par,” Smoltz said.

Smoltz attributed his slower starts to a conservative mindset and stressed the importance of making birdie putts.

“You get three times the value for a birdie. So, like last year, I think I made seven or eight birdies the last round to finish second. Couldn’t chase down Pavelski, but I’m like, where has that been? Where’s those birdies in the first round?” Smoltz said.

“So, I definitely have to get off to a better start. I kind of am too conservative in a first round of a three-round tournament, which always puts me in the mix, but doesn’t give me the best fighting chance to maximize a round when I’m hitting the ball pretty good.”

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John Smoltz tees off during the Capital One MLB Open at Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas Nov. 14, 2025. (Lucas Peltier/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Smoltz played in the American Century Championship in 2000, when he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the whole season, and got permission from his late, legendary manager Bobby Cox to go play.

“I had a sneak preview of it when I was playing. I had Tommy John surgery. I had the greatest manager in the world in Bobby Cox. He let me play because I was out all year and that was when it was stroke play back in the day, when Michael Jordan and all those high-level athletes were playing in stroke play. I did okay. I hung my own,” Smoltz said.

The World Series champion called the event something you mark on your calendar and said it’s a great event.

“American Century is unbelievable. They do a great job putting on the event all these years. It’s a mark on your calendar and nothing-better-get-in-the-way type event. But I think the biggest thing about the golf course and just the whole thing is I get so excited to play and want to win so bad that I have to temper all of that when I get there,” Smoltz said.

The tournament has raised more than $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates fundraising at the tournament to drive direct donations to Stowers each year.

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John Smoltz watches his tee shot on the second hole during the first round of the American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis., June 11, 2021. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

The tournament will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The eight-time All-Star spent 21 seasons in the big leagues, 20 of those with the Braves. He spent his last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox.

Smoltz has a career record of 213-155, an ERA of 3.33 and 154 saves, as he converted to a reliever for a few seasons after his Tommy John surgery.

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In a matter of days, Minnesota will see its newest girls’ flag football champion crowned.

After officially commencing play in 2024, the second season of high school girls flag football will wrap up on Monday, June 8, at TCO Stadium in Eagan.

Minnesota’s Fast-Growing Sport Gets Another Showcase

The sport, while drawing some big names, like recent Vikings retiree Harrison Smith, is not quite at the level of official sanction in the state of Minnesota. But this year saw a major step forward in the game’s growth.

As Alyce Brown of USA Today writes,

The Minnesota Vikings will be hosting their second annual high school girls flag football state championship Monday, in partnership with the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Thirteen qualifying schools will play for a state title at TCO Stadium in Eagen, Minn.

It’s the culmination of this year’s Minnesota high school girls flag football season, run by a league the Vikings piloted in 2024 and officially launched in 2025. The 2026 season saw exponential growth for the league, with participation more than doubling from 51 teams in 2025 to 106 teams in 2026.

But with the growth of high school girls’ flag football on the rise, this is starting to become an exciting time for the gridiron. So, which teams are participating in this year’s championship? And what is the current status of girls’ high school flag football? Let’s take a closer look.

Girls’ High School Flag Football In Bloom In Minnesota

First off, let’s discuss the bracket for the upcoming event on Monday.

As already mentioned, 13 teams will take part in the competition, which begins at noon Central Time, with eighth-seeded St. Cloud Tech facing ninth-seeded Park Cottage Grove. The other game at noon will be fourth-seeded St. Louis Park High School taking on the number 13-ranked Rogers High.

The 1 o’clock game will feature seventh-ranked Eden Prairie squaring off against the number ten seed Minnetonka, and at 2 p.m., sixth-seeded Centennial will do battle against number 11 seed Waterville-Elysian-Morristown [try saying that three times fast].

Two games will start at 3 p.m., with the winner of the eight vs nine matchup playing the top-seeded Washburn High School [Minneapolis], and the winners of the four-13 battle and the 5-12 matchup playing each other.

The 4 pm window sees the winner of the seven-ten game doing battle against second-seeded Rosemont, while the victor of the six-11 showdown gets a date with third-seeded La Crescent-Hokah. All four winners of those games will meet in two semifinals that kick off at 5 p.m., and the championship game featuring the two semifinal winners will commence at 6 p.m.

Girls Flag Football On The Rise In The U.S.

However, Minnesota is not the only state seeing increased participation in girls’ flag football at the high school level.

As Brown references, “Flag football is not yet an officially sanctioned high school sport in Minnesota, making the Vikings-backed league the state’s main pathway for girls flag football. The Minnesota State High School League tabled a proposal Tuesday that would have granted the sport ’emerging status,’ the next step toward becoming an official high school sport, and they plan to review the proposal in October.

The sport will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and its popularity at the high school and college levels has been skyrocketing as the Games get closer. It is currently an official high school sport in 23 states, with 16 of those sanctioning it within the past two years, and numerous more are currently running pilot programs.”

So, the Vikings are not the only team picking up on and capitalizing on the trend of girls’ high school flag football. Perhaps this could mean an even bigger and even brighter future for the sport.

The death of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew was an unimaginable tragedy, but their family is making sure that they continue to do a lot of good on their behalf.

This week, the Gaudreau family helped dedicate a new adaptive playground for children with special needs at Archbishop Damiano School in Westville, New Jersey.

The playground’s name? “The Gaudreau Brothers’ Wings of Hope & Chrysalis Corner.”

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“When the sign was unveiled, all I kept thinking about was the boys, how they would be so excited to see this,” the brothers’ mother, Jane Gaudreau, said, according to NHL.com. “This school has been part of our family for so long. I’m so proud that the playground is named in honor of them.”

The playground was built using funds raised by The Gaudreau Family 5K. The first annual event was held last year, while the second was held just last month.

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Johnny Gaudreau of the Columbus Blue Jackets looks on during warmups before the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C., on April 7, 2024. (Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)

Gaudreau said that the event raised “98 percent” of the funds to build the playground, which was completed with a community build.

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were killed after being hit by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bikes in New Jersey back in August 2024.

At the time, Gaudreau was playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets after first spending nearly a decade with the Calgary Flames. Meanwhile, Matthew had played college hockey at Boston College, just like his brother, and went on to play in the AHL and ECHL.

Gaudreau was honored earlier this year at the Olympic Games in Milan when the U.S. Men’s Hockey team — which he was likely to have been a part of — won gold. The team took post-game photos with a No. 13 jersey as well as Gaudreau’s children.

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United States ice hockey players celebrate with a team photo while holding Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey after defeating Canada in the men’s gold medal game at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 22, 2026. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

Sean M. Higgins, the man accused of killing the Gaudreaus, faces six charges, including two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.

According to ESPN, a motion to dismiss some of the charges was denied last month, and Higgins’ next court date is scheduled for June 16.

Golden Tempo’s incredible 2026 season continues with a second Triple Crown win at the Belmont Stakes

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Could Rory McIlroy win one Masters? He did, two years ago. 

Could McIlroy repeat? In April, he did, becoming just the fourth player to do so. 

You know the next question. Three-peat, which no one has done. Oh, how far we’ve come. One player who went back-to-back at Augusta National thinks McIlroy can do it — but Jack Nicklaus wonders about one thing.   

This week, the Golden Bear is front and center as his Muirfield Village Golf Club hosts his Memorial Tournament, where McIlroy is tied for 12th midway through the suspended third round. And on Nicklaus’ visit to the CBS booth during Saturday’s third-round play, talk got to the 2024 and ’25 Masters winner. What did Nicklaus think of his latest win? He said it was “pretty darn good” — then he looked at McIlroy’s game. 

“If you look at the leaderboard here this week,” Nicklaus said, “anything that kills Rory, it’s his double bogeys and more. He has a tendency to get himself into places where you can make more than bogey. I know he doesn’t like that; nobody likes that. 

“I said to him this week, Rory, you got plenty of places to drive the golf ball. But there are times where maybe that little cut shot or that little 3-wood or whatever it is, put the ball in play. I said, you hit it so far, it won’t make a difference. But just keep yourself in a position where you’re not going to make high scores.”

Analyst Trevor Immelman, himself a Masters winner, then asked Nicklaus if McIlroy sometimes plays too aggressively because of his strength and his skill in driving — and Nicklaus said McIlroy has “as good and as solid of a swing as there is in the game of golf.” He then talked about Muirfield Village. A few holes you can “whack it.” Others, you want just to get the ball in play. “Places where you’re going to give yourself a chance to make birdie,” Nicklaus said on the broadcast, “and if you are going to make a mistake, it’s not going to be double bogey.” 

At this point, announcer Jim Nantz then asked about the three-peat. 

And Nicklaus started his answer with a question of his own. 

“I think he’s got every opportunity in the world to take it three times. Again, is Rory going there with a little bit of discipline?” Nicklaus said on the broadcast. 

“He’s such a good player. And there’s so many great shots that he can play. I mean, you saw the shots he played a couple of years ago — 15, 17, at 7. Some of the shots that he hit to win that golf tournament, he’s got that in the bag. But you don’t have to have those shots all the time. You want to put the ball in play and be smart. Because the way he plays, if he just plays smart, he’s got a very good chance to be a three-peat.”

The Stanley Cup Final shifted to Las Vegas for Game 3 with the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes knotted at 1-1 after splitting the opening two games in Raleigh.

And, as you’d expect from the Golden Knights, this one got started with some theatrics, plus a little help from the city’s latest hope at quarterback, who was getting in on the festivities.

That’s right. Who better to put on siren duty than Raiders draft pick and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza?

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There was a big surprise when the game got underway: Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb — who took a slapshot straight to the face on Thursday in Game 2 — was in the Vegas lineup, albeit with a full cage.

It goes without saying, but hockey players are just built different.

The first period was physical but ultimately scoreless, with Carolina getting more offensive opportunities, leading Vegas in shots 7-2.

Vegas captain Mark Stone found the back of the net just 36 seconds into the second period; however, it was ruled offside after a Carolina challenge.

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A few minutes later, Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel found the back of the net, but Carolina challenged this goal as well after Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev made contact with Canes goalie Frederik Andersen’s head.

It was another cut-and-dried review that kept a Golden Knights tally off the board.

The first penalty of the night was a self-inflicted one, when the Hurricanes were called for too many men, and it didn’t take long for Tomas Hertl to make them pay.

Then, just moments later — 16 seconds to be exact — Mitch Marner was credited with a goal after Carolina defenseman Sean Walker tipped his shot into the back of his own net.

But, hey, those own goals are no fun; Marner wanted to get one the old-fashioned way, which he did.

What’s that, you want more?

Well, Mitch Marner — who is having the playoffs of his life — had more for you.

That’s right, Marner potted a hat trick in just six minutes and 10 seconds. That’s an NHL record.

Although, I bet The Rocket’s first goal of his lightning-quick hatty wasn’t an own goal, but hey, they count the same.

Vegas star Mitch Marner took over in the second period of Game 3 with a natural hat trick in just six minutes and ten seconds. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)

What a performance. Maybe he was just doing that so that the next time the team puts him on a rally towel it actually looks like him.

After the second intermission, Andersen was pulled in favor of Brand Bussi, who made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut.

Carolina was in a state of disarray in the third, and after going on a power play, Sebastian Aho slashed Marner, who was headed to the net on a short-handed breakaway.

Marner was awarded a penalty shot, but Bussi didn’t give him much to shoot at, and Marner missed his attempt on the backhand.

While it may have looked bleak after a dominant second for Vegas, in the third, Carolina dropped the fastest three goals in Stanley Cup Final history to make it a game. (Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images))

Carolina’s Jordan Martinook got the Hurricanes on the board a little under halfway through the third period to make it 4-1.

Just moments later, Taylor Hall tacked on another one to cut Vegas’ lead to 4-2.

And, while they’re doing goals, how about you just throw a Jordan Staal tally in there?

Carolina scored those three goals in 39 seconds, the fastest three goals by a single team in Stanley Cup Final history, making what looked like a no-doubt Vegas win into a game once again.

Carolina killed off a delay-of-game penalty, which was crucial for staying in the game.

Then, Vegas’ Shea Theodore airmailed a puck into the stands for delay of game, giving Carolina a late power play.

Then — as if it couldn’t get wilder — Andrei Svechnikov tied the game on the power play and with the goalie pulled.

And with that, it was off to overtime for the second game in a row.

In the extra frame, both teams got their share of chances and opportunities to put a pin in this one and hit the craps tables, but the first overtime period didn’t yield a winner.

In the second overtime, we finally got a winner, and as wild as this game was, it was only fitting that the game-winner would be unbelievable.

That’s the same Shea Theodore, by the way, who skied the puck into the stands to set up the tying goal, and he did it after 39 minutes of ice time.

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Vegas players Brett Howden (21), Shea Theodore (center), and Mitch Marner (93) celebrate the game-winning goal in double overtime. (Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images)

What. A. Game.

I think after this one, Game 4 — which will be on Tuesday in Las Vegas — is officially appointment viewing.

McTominay got the second and Adams the third and fourth following fine work from Ben Gannon-Doak, who was another positive for Clarke.

His run downfield was a big part of Adams’ fourth. The Bournemouth youngster is still raw, still searching for consistency with his final ball, but he looked sharper here.

The head coach said Gannon-Doak got so excited before the Curacao game that it ran away from him. He looks a real contender again.

Adams is a curious sort, a player Clarke cherishes but who has never evoked major support among the Tartan Army. He is a willing and hard-working striker, a selfless sort, but not a natural goalscorer.

Here, though, his partnership with Shankland looked convincing. They looked to have a burgeoning understanding. The smart money has to be on both of them to start next Saturday.

Eight goals in two games is a handsome way to enter the tournament. This preparation was never about Curacao and Bolivia, but it was about getting enough positivity to propel Scotland into Haiti week. They have that.

Clarke was reluctant to big things up in the aftermath, but he was pleased, you could tell. Four years ago he led his team into the Euros on the back of demoralising form.

It feels different now. Dangerous talk, of course, but they’re in decent fettle one week out from the biggest game of their international lives.