GIO Stadium will play host to Sunday’s
Round 17 NRL game between Canberra Raiders and
St. George Illawarra Dragons. The game kicks off at 2:00 pm with Canberra Raiders heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Canberra Raiders vs.
St. George Illawarra Dragons
game and give you our free tips and bets.
Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Odds
Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Preview
Canberra will look to strengthen its finals credentials when it hosts St George Illawarra at GIO Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Raiders remain one of the competition’s success stories this season, but there have been signs the demands of a long campaign are beginning to test some of the club’s younger players. The return of Ethan Strange to his preferred side of the field provided a boost to the attack last week.
The Dragons continue to rely on effort and defensive resolve. While points have been difficult to come by at times, Shane Flanagan’s side has regularly remained competitive through strong field position and disciplined football.
Canberra has won four of its past five meetings against St George Illawarra, but the Dragons have consistently shown an ability to keep contests tighter than many expect.
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Canberra Raiders vs St. George Illawarra Dragons Teams
Raiders team: 1. Kaeo Weekes 2. Savelio Tamale 3. Simi Sasagi 4. Matthew Timoko 5. Xavier Savage 6. Ethan Strange 7. Ethan Sanders 8. Corey Horsburgh 9. Owen Pattie 10. Joseph Tapine 11. Hudson Young 12. Zac Hosking 13. Jayden Brailey 14. Tom Starling 15. Ata Mariota 16. Morgan Smithies 17. Sebastian Kris 18. Chevy Stewart 19. Jake Clydsdale 20. Coby Black 21. Jed Stuart 22. Vena Patuki-Case
Dragons team: 1. Clinton Gutherson 2. Setu Tu 3. Mathew Feagai 4. Valentine Holmes 5. Tyrell Sloan 6. Daniel Atkinson 7. Kyle Flanagan 8. Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga 9. Damien Cook 10. Toby Couchman 11. Dylan Egan 12. Hamish Stewart 13. Ryan Couchman 14. Jacob Liddle 15. Emre Guler 16. Josh Kerr 17. Luciano Leilua 18. Jacob Halangahu 19. Nicholas Tsougranis 20. Lyhkan King-Togia 21. Hame Sele 22. Christian Tuipulotu
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.
CROMWELL, Conn. — Matt Fitzpatrick put on a driving clinic Thursday in Round 1 at the Travelers Championship.
The World No. 4 missed just one fairway and gained more than a shot off the tee around TPC River Highlands, using a new Ping G430 LST driver for the first time.
It’s just one round, but Fitzpatrick’s mid-season search for a new gamer might be finally be over, and after his round, he dove into what that process was like.
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“It’s not as straightforward as everyone thinks,” he said Thursday.
Two months ago, Fitzpatrick was the hottest golfer on the PGA Tour, having won three tournaments in just over a month and helped his brother earn PGA Tour membership while doing it.
Then his driver, a Titleist GT3, cracked just before the start of his next event at the Truist Championship.
Entering that week, Fitzpatrick was 12th on the PGA Tour in SG: Off-the-Tee. He lost more than a stroke off-the-tee that week at Quail Hollow and lost strokes in the category in two of his next four events, falling to 46th. After winning three of four starts from March to the end of April, Fitzpatrick’s results since his driver broke were T52, T14, T36, 2nd and 22nd.
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“If you look at my off the tee from then, it’s quite telling that obviously there was something in that driver that was helping me out and I struggled to find one since,” he said Thursday.
Fitzpatrick tried a new GT3 head and then later an updated Titleist GTS2 at the Memorial, but nothing seemed to replicate what he had with his gamer.
“Through unbelievable effort from the staff at Titleist,” Fitzpatrick, a gear-free agent aside from his putter deal with Bettinardi, added. “You know, it’s nothing against those guys, but just for whatever reason, there hasn’t been one that’s kind of managed to suit my eye, I guess, and kind of match my swing intentions.”
This week at Travelers, Fitzpatrick tried a number of new drivers from other manufacturers and didn’t seem to make a decision on the new 430 LST until late on Wednesday afternoon.
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New driver again this week for Matt Fitzpatrick is a Ping G430 LST.
Fitz has been searching for a new big stick since his gamer since before the Memorial.
At TPC River Highlands, the 2022 U.S. Open winner tested both Ping’s G430 LST and the newer G440 LST drivers, Ping’s Kenton Oates told GOLF.
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“Right away the 430 provided the launch and spin Matt was looking for,” Oates said. “We then focused on getting the right setting to maximize center contact. We found this in the neutral dot setting.”
Once contact was set, the next piece of the puzzle was the crucial one for Fitzpatrick.
“When you fit a golf club, everyone has tendencies, and not to bore everyone, but my tendency is like I like clubs or a driver with the CG closer to the heel,” he explained Thursday, certainly not boring any passionate gearheads. “That’s kind of where I’ve lived for basically my whole career. And certain golf clubs are, like, made without that. Just the box one, the one you buy off the rack might have it on the toe side, which if you gave that to me I would hit it 500 yards right or whatever it is.”
Fitzpatrick hits a pull-draw off the tee and hates to see the golf ball go right. To help that, almost all of his drivers throughout his career have been heel-weighted to allow the club face to close more easily.
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PING G440 LST Custom Driver
The G440 driver family (MAX, LST, SFT) is optimized to deliver more ball speed through multiple advancements, including PING’s deepest CG in a driver to date and a shallower, thinner face, while continuing to ensure the game-changing forgiveness expected from a PING driver. The G440 LST (Low Spin) design appeals to players with faster swing speeds, providing lower spin and more control in 9° and 10.5° lofts with the three-position back weight.
HIGHLY FORGIVING
Lighter head weight allows for heavier back weight.
FASTER FACE
Shallow, thinner, face increases ball speed for more distance, higher launch.
SOUND DESIGN
New shaping, carbon crown and internal ribs produce muted impact experience.
FREE-HOSEL DESIGN
Saves weight to lower CG, increase forgiveness. Allows for more heel-side face flexing for consistent ball speed across face.
Getting the weight just right and in the right spot is crucial. Too much weight or too close to the heel, and Fitzpatrick might hit it too far left or overcompensate. Not enough and he’ll start missing right.
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“The detail is really important and it’s important to try and get that right as best as you can,” Fitzpatrick explained. “Everyone is different, their habits, how they move the club, how they react to different clubs. I tried one in Canada where it was literally exactly that, like neutral, neutral, neutral and I hit it 50 yards right, and that’s just the way I react. So I think people think that guys just get driver and it’s just going to go straight and away you go and there’s obviously a lot more to it than that.”
To dial it in just right, the 17g CG shifter on the 430 LST was moved to the heel position and then added another 3g of hot melt to the heel. He also tried a head with 6 g of hot melt, but that proved to be too much.
Every gram matters at that level.
Matt Fitzpatrick’s new driver specs Ping G430 LST 9.0 Actual Loft: 8.2 Trajectory 2.0 hosel: DOT (Std) CG Shifter: Heel (17g) Hot melt: 3g heel Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 65TX Length 45.75″ Tipping: 1″ Swingweight: D7+
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Rickie, Rose, Spaun and Spieth all make (or almost make) major putter moves
The practice green at TPC River Highlands was busy early in the week as several big-name pros considered flatstick changes.
Perhaps the most notable was the one that never happened: Jordan Spieth spent all of Tuesday and most of Wednesday working with a L.A.B. Golf VZN.1i mallet and a Scotty Cameron Phantom 5 OC prototype, but ended up sticking with his T.P. Mills Trad Forged II blade.
Spieth spent lots of hours working with the L.A.B. Golf mallet on Tuesday under the watchful eye of Cameron McCormick, with the Mills blade nowhere in sight. Spieth revealed earlier this month to Golf on CBS’s Patrick McDonald that he had been fit for L.A.B. putters over the offseason, but said that the MOI benefit of a mallet wasn’t worth it in putting.
“The mallet, the increased MOI is just so minimal on putting,” Spieth said. “It’s making almost no difference unless you really hit it off-center with putts. Which for pros, they don’t. I mean, you’re talking about a difference of 5 mm toe or heel for the most part and it’s not going to make that much of a difference.”
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He specifically left the door open to trying something else down the road, which he did this week. He ended up using the L.A.B. during Wednesday’s Pro-Am, but walked off the course with at least three L.A.B. headcovers in his bag. By the end of Wednesday, the Mills had reappeared and he played it in Thursday’s round of 71.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler and J.J. Spaun all went through with putter changes.
And it seems like Justin Rose is reuniting with Axis1 in gaming the company’s new SP Series Axiom putter with Stroke Profile adjustability.
Rose went through a long testing process yesterday at TPC River Highlands and seemed to narrow it down to the Axis1, a TaylorMade Spider… pic.twitter.com/tGDhUkgBBU
For Rose, he spent lots of time on Wednesday testing different putters on a Grasp Technology putting gate, before narrowing it down to his gamer Scotty Cameron Phantom 5, an updated version with a softer Studio Carbon Steel insert and standard top rail alignment aid, a Spider Tour F single-bend and an Axis1 SP Series-Axiom.
After some more work on the green, the Axis1 got the nod. Rose consulted on the design of the “zero-torque” putter, which has no shaft lean, minimal onset and adjustability weighting to help fit a player’s stroke profile.
Rose gained more than 2.3 strokes putting in an opening-round 65.
Really interesting move here from Rickie Fowler as he is switching from his Scotty Cameron GoLo 7 S1 to a new Xperimental Phantom prototype.
Fowler told me the putter is all an all aluminum and something he’s had for a while.
Fowler’s move was perhaps the most surprising of the bunch, setting aside his Scotty Cameron GoLo 7 S1 prototype for a new Xperimental tour prototype Phantom mallet. The shape resembles an oversized Phantom 11 and Fowler told GOLF the putter is an entirely aluminum construction.
While aluminum typically makes the sound a little brighter and feel firmer, Fowler said this one actually feels soft to him, possibly owing to the extreme MOI created by the entirely aluminum construction.
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Notably, it’s the same traditional center-shaft design from his GoLo that he said he’s really become fond of over the offseason. After Fowler started using it, the center-shafted GoLo had a bit of a resurgence this season, with both Gary Woodland and Bud Cauley earning victories after switching to the model. Fowler was 34th in SG: Putting entering the week, his best standing since 2019, using the GoLo.
J.J. Spaun also made a switch to a new Scotty Cameron this week, going to a Phantom 9.5R with a custom flow neck and bronze finish.
It also looks to have some sort of different insert, wouldn’t be shocked if it’s aluminum as that seems to be a material Cameron is more willing to… pic.twitter.com/SM3cFayl9Z
And lastly, Spaun tested numerous putters this week before leaving the L.A.B. Golf catalog entirely for a highly custom bronze-finished Phantom 9.5R with a flow neck. It also has an aluminium face, which is something Cameron has been doing more and more of recently.
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Spaun made a mid-tournament switch at the U.S. Open to a VZN.1i after starting his title defense with an OZ.1i HS. He’s been testing putters each week since benching his U.S. Open-winning DF3, which he won again with earlier this year in San Antonio.
Hideki Matsuayama immediately put into play the new ZXi RKT LS T262, which carries over the same prototype silver face he played on his current ZXi LS T252 gamer.
Ryan Fox added the ZXi RKT LS+ after some thorough testing on the range and Lucas Glover added the standard LS model late on Wednesday.
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At Hazeltine for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Jenny Shin and Nasa Hataoka also gamed the new Srixon drivers.
Check this out
This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. This week, check out U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark’s driver setup. Before winning at Shinnecock, Clark dropped from a 10.5˚ to a 9˚ head.
Few putts intimidate golfers more than the slick, downhill breaker. The combination of speed and slope makes these putts difficult to judge, causing many players to misread the line or instinctively steer their putter toward the hole—resulting in a putt that misses on the low-side or races past the cup.
Luckily, the solution is simpler than most golfers realize. According to GOLF Top 100 Teacher David Armitage, the mistake most amateurs make on these tricky breaking putts isn’t with their stroke or technique — it’s focusing on the wrong target.
Stop focusing on the hole
To master slippery, sidehill putts, Armitage says golfers need to rethink their approach.
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“They [amateurs] are trying to almost make the putt turn a corner,” Armitage says. “The hole is the distraction.”
Instead of trying to guide the ball, Armitage says to think of breaking putts as straight putts to a specific point: the apex, or the highest point on the intended line before breaking toward the hole.
Concentrating on the apex allows you to start your putts on line and let the green do the work. And to find the apex, you just need a reliable green-reading routine. Whether you prefer to walk around the putt to study the slope from multiple angles, use AimPoint or another method, the key is developing a consistent process that you trust.
“Reading greens is a skill set that you’ve got to practice,” Armitage says. “You’ve got to have a process — something that you believe in.”
A dominant India thrashed arch-rivals Pakistan 7-1 in their return leg match of the FIH Pro League here on Friday.
In their previous fixture, India were held 2-2 by hosts England in regulation time, but then lost 1-4 in the shootout.
In their earlier meeting, India clinched a 4-3 win against Pakistan, courtesy goals from Abhishek, Nilakanta, Sukhjeet and Rajinder.
India will take on England in their final match here on Sunday.
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In the match against Pakistan on Friday, India secured a penalty corner in the ninth minute, but Harmanpreet’s flick was denied by the Pakistan defence.
Pakistan shocked India by taking the lead in the 13th minute when Abu Mahmmod converted a penalty corner with a powerful flick.
India responded back in the 20th minute, when Harmanpreet’s flick was neatly deflected in by Sukhjeet from a set piece.
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India secured another penalty corner in the 26th minute and this time Harmanpreet scored, finding the top corner of the Pakistan goal.
India earned another penalty corner in the 29th minute but failed to capitalise on the chance.
India had six penalty corners in the first 30 minutes against Pakistan’s one.
India secured back-to-back penalty corners four minutes into the third quarter which resulted in a stroke and vice-captain Hardik Singh made no mistake from the spot.
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Pakistan secured two penalty corners in quick succession but faltered, resulting in India’s fourth goal from a counter-attack through Jugraj Singh after being fed by Dilpreet Singh.
Abhishek made the scoreline 5-1 in favour in the 41st minute with a superb reverse hit after receiving a fine ball from Sukhjeet.
Pakistan had another penalty corner soon but wasted the chance.
India secured four back-to-back penalty corners in the 44th minute and Rajkumar Pal scored from a rebound from the last set piece.
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India secured another penalty corner in the 50th minute, but they miscued the opportunity.
Dilpreet Singh extended India’s lead with a fine scoop goal from in front after being brilliantly fed by Mandeep Singh in the 54th minute.
Pakistan secured two consecutive penalty corners seconds later but lacked firepower to breach the Indian defence.
Ellyes Skhiri’s unfortunate own goal in Tunisia’s 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands took the tally of own goals at the FIFA World Cup 2026 to 12, equalling the record for the most in a single men’s World Cup tournament, previously set in Russia in 2018. Tunisia captain Skhiri inadvertently turned Denzel Dumfries’ low cross into his own net in the third minute of Thursday’s Group F clash in Kansas City, handing the Netherlands an early lead on their way to sealing top spot with an unbeaten group-stage campaign.
The 12th own goal of the tournament continues an extraordinary trend, with more than 18 per cent of all own goals in men’s World Cup history coming in the ongoing edition, according to Opta Analyst. A total of 66 own goals have now been recorded across all FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The run of own goals began when Paraguay’s Damian Bobadilla turned the ball into his own net against the United States. Switzerland defender Miro Muheim then gifted Qatar a dramatic stoppage-time equaliser before Qatar’s Mohamed Manai scored into his own goal in a 6-0 defeat to Canada.
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Other players to score own goals at the tournament are Egypt’s Mohamed Hany, Iraq’s Aymen Hussein, Jordan’s Yazan Al-Arab, Australia’s Cameron Burgess, Saudi Arabia’s Hassan Al-Tambakti, Uzbekistan goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov, Qatar’s Mahmud Abunada, Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou and Tunisia’s Skhiri.
Hussein’s own goal carried an unusual statistical footnote as he also scored for Iraq in the same match against Norway, making him only the third player in men’s World Cup history to score at both ends in a single game.
Qatar have become only the third team to score two own goals at a single men’s World Cup, matching Bulgaria’s unwanted feat in 1966 and hosts Russia in 2018.
Historically, Mexico hold the record for the most own goals by a nation with four, while France have benefited the most, with opponents scoring six own goals in their favour.
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The first own goal in World Cup history was scored by 18-year-old Mexico defender Manuel Rosas during a 3-0 defeat to Chile at the inaugural tournament in 1930. Five World Cup editions have finished without an own goal, with Italy 1990 the most recent.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans
Uruguay face Spain in a crucial World Cup clash on Saturday, but a number of players, including Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte, have turned against manager Marcelo Bielsa
Manchester United and Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte has been involved in a ‘revolt’ against his national team manager Marcelo Bielsa just hours before their must-not-lose World Cup encounter against Spain.
La Celeste face Spain knowing they need to avoid defeat to stand any chance of qualifying for the Round of 32, following a disappointing start to the tournament. Uruguay have picked up just two points from their opening two matches, having been held to a draw against minnows Saudi Arabia and then Cape Verde.
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And now, it is suggested that a group of players have begun to rebel against Bielsa after injuries were sustained in training due to excessive preparation. GiveMeSport report that Ugarte, Federico Valverde, Rochet and Rodrigo Bentancur – amongst others – called their coach to a meeting before their forthcoming fixture against Spain, dissatisfied with gruelling training sessions organised by Bielsa.
It is added that Uruguay pressed the former Leeds United boss to implement tactical adjustments before their next fixture, following a disappointing run of results. However, Bielsa then countered with a team meeting of his own, rejecting the notion of adopting a defensive approach against Spain and maintaining that they would persist with their existing tactics, potentially exposing themselves to more injuries.
El Espectador, meanwhile, reported that he also accused his players of attempting to force him out over his choice to leave Luis Suarez and Nahitan Nandez out of his squad selections.
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The 70-year-old also allegedly claimed that he had played a significant role in shaping the careers of several national team players, including Maxi Araujo and Sebastian Caceres.
Uruguay sit second in Group H but are guaranteed to drop out of the top two and fail to secure qualification for the knockout phase if they lose to Spain on Friday.
A draw would guarantee a place in the Round of 32 if Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia draw in the other final group game, while a draw for Uruguay and a win for either Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia would drop them to third and leave them an anxious wait of progressing via the best eight third-place route.
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Speaking openly about his preparations for Uruguay’s fixture against Spain, Bielsa stated at a press conference: “We are approaching tomorrow’s match as a final. One of the best ways to defend is to make sure the opponent has the ball for less time.”
He further commented on Luis de la Fuente: “It seems to me that, with the type of soccer that he achieved with Spain, which is unique, and his entire work there, which is significant, it definitely doesn’t reflect my own style. It’s a type of soccer a lot more beautiful than what I achieved with my team. The truth is that what he has accomplished with Spain is admirable.”
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This is not the first occasion that Bielsa has attracted attention at this summer’s tournament across North America. Earlier this month, the experienced head coach declined to participate in a World Cup photoshoot with the media, pictured staring at the ground while photographers attempted to capture his portrait.
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Providing a justification for the peculiar display, Bielsa added: “I don’t have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken. I’m not a model.”
He added: “There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain. If I’m wearing glasses, ‘why am I wearing glasses?’
“You look somebody in the eye, ‘why do you do that?’ There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody’s eyes or looking down.”
Uruguay are set to play Spain at the Estadio Guadalajara at 1am BST on Saturday morning. Cape Verde are also in action against Saudi Arabia simultaneously in Houston, as Group H reaches its conclusion.
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Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
Norway vs France Live Score, FIFA World Cup 2026 Match Updates and Scorecard: Half-time: FRA 3-1 NOR; Ousmane Dembele hits a stunning first half hat-trick
Norway vs France Live Score: Team news: Haaland and Odegaard benched! Both playing elevens announced
We have a massive twist from the Foxborough dugout! Following his “pressure cooker” comments yesterday, Norway head coach Stale Solbakken has thrown a tactical curveball by heavily rotating his squad. Generational superstar Erling Haaland and captain Martin Odegaard both start on the bench tonight.
Meanwhile, Les Bleus field an incredibly formidable starting eleven under assistant Guy Stéphan, led upfront by the explosive Kylian Mbappé.
Here are the official, full-name lineups for both teams:
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Norway Starting XI: Goalkeeper: Egil Selvik
Defenders: Fredrik André Bjørkan, Henrik Sælebakke Falchener, Leo Østigård, Fredrik Aursnes
Midfielders: Thelo Aasgaard, Patrick Berg, Kristian Thorstvedt
Forwards: Andreas Schjelderup, Jørgen Strand Larsen, Oscar Bobb
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Subs: Ørjan Nyland, Egil Tangvik, Morten Thorsby, Kristoffer Ajer, David Møller Wolfe, Alexander Sørloth, Sander Berge, Erling Haaland, Martin Ødegaard, Marcus Holmgren Pedersen, Torbjørn Heggem, Antonio Nusa, Jens Petter Hauge, Sondre Langås, Julian Ryerson.
Jun 14, 2026; Washington, D.C., UNITED STATES; Justin Gaethje holds his championship belt after his win against Ilia Topuria (not pictured) during UFC Freedom 250 at White House South Lawn. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images
The total viewership for this month’s UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House was raised to an estimated 34 million viewers in numbers released Friday.
That is nearly double the initial total announced on June 19, five days after the event held on the South Lawn on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday.
The updated figures released by the UFC for the Washington, D.C., event include international audiences from countries such as Australia, China, India, South Korea, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, making it one of the most-watched events in the history of the promotion.
UFC said several countries still have not reported their data. Spain and France, which had athletes competing in the event, will not report their viewership until mid-July.
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The audience enjoyed unprecedented action inside the Octagon.
For the first time in UFC history, every bout on the card ended by knockout or technical knockout. In the main event, Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria by corner stoppage following the fourth round to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
Domestically, the audience of 17 million viewers established a record for a Paramount+ live event based on numbers from Nielsen, which tracked the U.S. markets, and Adobe Analytics, which tracked Latin America.
WWE star Sami Zayn is set to take on Cody Rhodes and Gunther in a triple threat match for the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions on Saturday.
Since the calendar flipped to 2026, Zayn has elicited a different reaction from the crowd. The smattering of boos toward him that started the year have grown louder. Zayn’s complaints about not being respected enough or not getting the opportunities he believes he deserves have also reached a fever pitch.
Sami Zayn and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes speak during SmackDown at Unipol Arena in Bologna, Italy, on June 5, 2026.(Andrew Timms/WWE)
There have been complaints about Zayn’s different character work over the last few months. But anyone who has been in a position where they are the veteran of an organization and have seen the rest of their colleagues gravitate to the new shiny object or the rockstar of the group, they might be able to feel for Zayn a bit more.
He told Fox News Digital in an interview that his character now is a “bit of a choose your own adventure.”
“Well, it’s kind of interesting because it might mean something different to different people. … There’s so much to say about this. I don’t even know where to start. It’s basically something where it’s up to you. It’s a bit of a choose your own adventure,” he said. “I think if you’re a fan of mine and have been for a long time and you kinda wanted to see me win the big one and this and that and you just stuck with me and you weren’t like as fickle or as fair-weather as some fans who tend to tire out a bit quicker. If there’s a bit more of an emotional connection there and you have not yet been alienated, then you still might very much be on my side – the ‘ride or die fans’ as I call them. But they might be totally with me and to them, not a whole lot has changed, and to these other fans, they might have gotten sick of it.
“And you know, when I was working with Trick Williams and wrestling Trick Williams, it became very evident that here’s this new thing that’s very exciting and it’s like, ‘We’ve seen this. We’ve seen you. And it’s like you’re this comfortable pair of jeans and we get it but we want this now.’ And so then to kind of take that and go, ‘Ah, noted,’ and play with that a little bit and turn it to your advantage, it’s going to mean something different to those fans. So, that’s kind of the goal with this character at the moment. You can have it one way or you can have it another way. It’s kind of up to you. And the behavior will mean something different to one group of fans versus another.”
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Zayn suggested he took some inspiration from how fans reacted to John Cena and Roman Reigns over the years.
He said Cena and Reigns didn’t necessarily change who they were. They just leaned into where the fans were taking them.
Sami Zayn makes his entrance during SmackDown at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I., on June 12, 2026.(Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
“And the reason why I think this is a little different and I don’t want to get into the whole psychology of it all or get into big character breakdown but when I’m envisioning things about this, I look at guys who really split the crowd in the past like Cena for years, or Roman Reigns when he was like ‘The Big Dog’ and he was clearly the No. 1 good guy but a lot of fans were booing him and all this kind of stuff, those guys, the one thing I noticed about them is their behavior didn’t really change whether they liked them or they didn’t,” he said. “They were just themselves. And the idea of being like my behavior changes depending on whether you like me or you don’t like me, which I think could be really interesting. And part of what excites me about that is it really kinda goes from crowd to crowd.
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“So, when I go to Saudi, I don’t know if I’m going to be treated the same way by Boston and I don’t know if it’s going to be same as when I go to New York. And I don’t know if it’s the same when I go to Montreal or Toronto or London or Paris. So, that, to me, is very exciting.”
Zayn had been one of the top babyfaces for a few years and his popularity sky-rocketed when he joined The Bloodline as the “Honorary Uce” and later turned on Roman Reigns and Jey and Jimmy Uso.
He still heard cheers in the years after the moment at Elimination Chamber 2023. Fox News Digital asked Zayn whether it was “refreshing” to feel some heat from the crowd.
“Yeah, it depends. I guess it depends on what your goals are,” he responded. “I don’t know maybe I’m old school in this way even though I’m playing with a new school idea here but I’m a little old school in that if I want to be cheered then I’m working toward getting cheered. If I want to be booed, then I’m working toward getting booed. But now I’m playing with this kind of avant garde sort of new thing where it’s a bit more like, let’s see what happens here. Let’s see what happens there and maybe I will take those cheers thank you very much and maybe I will nudge some boos if the situation calls for it.
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Sami Zayn and Trick Williams react during the United States Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 19, 2026.(Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“So, it’s a bit different. To me, it really depends on what the goal is. If this was two or three years ago and I’m going and I’m trying my best to get people to get on board with me for the sake of the story, the character, whatever and they’re outright rejecting me, I don’t think that would feel great. It feels better when you’re the manipulator because that’s what we are in a way. If I take them where I want to be taking them, then it feels great.”
Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the hottest players in the game right now.
The 31-year-old Englishman is the only PGA Tour player with three wins thus far this season, and is fresh off a 22nd-place finish at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock.
Fitzpatrick is a famously data-driven player in his approach to each golf course, and is known to take copious notes on every shot he hits. Those insights are aided by his official performance data partner Protiviti, which works closely with Fitzpatrick and his team to help turn his practice observations and tournament-round statistics into actionable insights for smarter preparation via a custom-built analytics platform, mobile app and AI powered tools.
On this week’s episode of Subpar, hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz asked Fitzpatrick if he would be willing to share one of his written observations after something bad happened on the course.
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“None of them were written down,” Fitzpatrick said with a laugh. “They were more said out loud.”
Fitzpatrick has played in 12 U.S. Opens since 2014 and won the 2022 edition of the championship at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Stoltz decided to put Fitzpatrick on the spot: Which U.S. Open venue is his favorite, excluding the course where he won?
Despite the recent sting of a difficult weekend in Long Island with rounds of 74-73 on Saturday and Sunday, Fitzpatrick acknowledged that Shinnecock would still be his pick.
“I really like Shinnecock, to be fair,” he said. “I’ve played two U.S. Opens there. I think that’s the place I’ve played the most. I really liked the setup in 2018. I thought it was really difficult, but it was really fair.
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“I think people forget that the one thing that I feel that that place offers you, for the most part, apart from maybe a couple of greens, is that if you are out of position, you can get it into a position where you still have a chance of an up and down,” he continued. “And I think that is a big thing. Yeah, the up and down is tough, but you could still be fat side of the green and have a chip, and I felt, that year, it played well from that standpoint. I figured it was the same this year, obviously different conditions with how soft the greens were the first two days, but I would honestly say, Shinnecock is a great venue.”
For more from Fitzpatrick, including a course he’d like to see host a U.S. Open return, check out the full episode of Subpar below.
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