Like everyone, Tom Kim has seen how successful mallet putters have become at the highest levels of professional golf.

For a player who won his first three PGA Tour events with a blade-model putter, Kim started experimenting with different putters over the past three seasons, including both mallets and blades.

But earlier this spring, Kim decided to go back to what works and switched back to a Scotty Cameron Newport 2-style blade with a custom LA Golf graphite shaft.

That decision paid off big time as Kim has regained his form this summer, culminating in a two-shot victory last week at the Genesis Scottish Open, breaking a three-year winless drought.

“I’ve always putted my best with a blade,” Kim said when he switched back to the putter in March. “I was using a mallet for a couple of years, but I’ve won a lot of my tournaments with a blade, and I wanted to come back, kind of use something natural. Scotty and [Director of Player Fitting and Development] Paul [Vizanko] really helped me with this piece and it looks great with the mint blue [paintfill].”

The exact putter, a TourType GSS tour prototype, is the same one Kim used for his first PGA Tour win at the 2022 Wyndham Championship. He then used different Newport 2-style putters to win his next two Tour events.

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Putter

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He re-inserted the custom gamer in March and hasn’t wavered since. Last week in Scotland, Kim ranked 20th in Stokes Gained: Putting, picking up 3.658 strokes for the week and rolling in 296 feet of putts. Those numbers were even better during his final-round 64, when he gained 2.328 strokes, which was the sixth-best in the field.

Kim joins Matt Fitzpatrick as the only players to win on Tour this season while using a blade putter, as pros have increasingly valued the alignment and forgiveness benefits of mallets.

But not everyone is going to putt better with something larger, and some players might simply have an emotional connection to a blade shape, which is why the category likely won’t go anywhere for the foreseeable future.

The Delhi High Court has protected the personality rights of India cricketer Abhishek Sharma and restrained third parties from unauthorisedly misusing his name, image, etc., for any commercial or personal gain, including the dissemination of AI-generated content and the sale of merchandise. In an interim order passed on July 9 on Sharma’s lawsuit, Justice Jyoti Singh directed Meta Platforms and other online platforms, as well as e-commerce sellers hosting the infringing material, to take down the offending links.

The lawsuit stated that several social media users were using artificial intelligence (AI) to generate false images and videos of Sharma, which were not only spreading rumours but also lowering his commercial value and dignity.

The plea also highlighted that certain handles had created morphed images with abusive, offensive and uncivilised language, while some were selling apparel bearing the cricketer’s name, image and likeness without permission.

Justice Singh observed that Sharma is a prominent player of the Indian national team, widely recognised as a rising and influential figure in international cricket, and that the content in question was “false and obscene” and portrayed him in a bad light.

The judge said that in cases where personality rights are established, an individual is entitled to protection against the unauthorised use or exploitation of his attributes.

Several public figures, including actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Salman Khan, Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar, journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, podcaster Raj Shamani and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, had approached the high court earlier seeking protection of their personality and publicity rights.

The high court had granted them interim relief

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UK & Norway PM Sport Football Jerseys Ahead Of England, Norway Quarterfinal Clash

The Minnesota Vikings have not won a playoff game on Kevin O’Connell’s watch — he’s been in charge for four seasons — and unless that changes, he could be the proverbial hot seat, according to SB Nation‘s Bill Williamson.

He published a list last week for surprise skippers who could face the music after the 2026 campaign, and for better or worse, O’Connell made the cut.

Year Five Brings a Different Standard for O’Connell

Williamson: O’Connell May Be on the Hot Seat

On a list that included Detroit Lions boss Dan Campbell, Williamson scribed, “O’Connell’s situation is similar to Campbell’s. He is considered an excellent coach and he won the NFL Coach of the Year award in 2024, but if he fails to lead the Vikings to the playoffs for a second straight year, there could be consequences, especially if the quarterback situation is a mess again.”

“He was hired partly because of his prowess as a quarterback whisperer. If progress isn’t made, he could be in trouble. Remember, new Minnesota general manager Nolan Teasley doesn’t have ties to O’Connell, so he must prove himself in 2026.”

David Canales (Carolina Panthers), Demeco Ryans (Houston Texans), and Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders) also made the cut for fringe hot-seat contenders.

The Logic Is Not Terrible

While most Vikings fans exalt O’Connell as a wonderful head coach — he has the NFL’s fifth-best winning percentage on his watch — Williamson’s classification of the hot seat is not outrageous.

For example, how much longer would the Vikings’ ownership group and new general manager Nolan Teasley allow O’Connell to stick around without a playoff win? The clock has reached four years. Is it five years? Six? Or — the year is 2028, and the Vikings haven’t won a postseason game with O’Connell in charge. Does the man just have untouchable job security?

In the last several decades, these coaches, like O’Connell, have entered Year No. 5 without a playoff win:

• Jack Del Rio (Jaguars)
• Jeff Fisher (Titans)
• Dennis Green (Vikings)
• Dick Jauron (Bears)
• Marvin Lewis (Bengals)
• Kevin O’Connell (Vikings)
• Dan Reeves (Broncos)
• Jim Schwartz (Lions)
• David Shula (Bengals)
• Norv Turner (Commanders)
• Dave Wannstedt (Bears)
• Sam Wyche (Bengals)

None ultimately won a Super Bowl, though Wyche and the Bengals reached the big game in 1988.

The Viking Age‘s Chris Schad noted last month, “It appears that O’Connell’s job isn’t in jeopardy. O’Connell has a 43-25 record and won an NFC North title since being hired by the Vikings in 2022, but he’s the only head coach in the division without a playoff win.”

“It’s also fair to note that Hall of Famer Tony Dungy and future Hall of Famer Andy Reid have been fired for the worst track records in the playoffs. But it feels like the Vikings are invested in O’Connell the same way the Cincinnati Bengals were invested in Marvin Lewis, who coached the team for 16 seasons without a playoff victory from 2003 to 2018.”

Likelihood of a Poor Season Is Low

Thankfully for O’Connell, his roster is in decent shape to end the drought. His defense ranked third overall in 2025 per DVOA and EPA/Play. The unit lost Jonathan Greenard via trade in April but welcomed newcomers like Caleb Banks (DT), Domonique Orange (DT), Jake Golday (LB), Jakobe Thomas (S), and James Pierre (CB). Because Brian Flores remains the defensive coordinator, the defense should be in good shape and is probably good enough to win a Super Bowl, so long as the offense does its part.

On that note, the Vikings signed two main free agents for O’Connell’s side of the ball: quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Jauan Jennings. In 2025, the offense was doomed by poor and inconsistent quarterback play; the working theory heading into 2026 is that Murray will provide a new level of production and stability.

The only thing that would surely get O’Connell fired in 2026 would be a terrible season, such as 3-14 or 4-13. At the roster’s current level, those scenarios are unlikely.

Just Win, Baby

This is “easy” for O’Connell to fix. Just win a damn playoff game. It’s not complicated.

O’Connell has reached the postseason twice — his first season and in 2024. It’s time to take the next step. A single playoff win would change the narrative on O’Connell’s outlook, as it would show growth and a step in the right direction. For example, Mike Zimmer won a postseason game in 2019, and that arguably bought him two more seasons as the skipper.

Now, O’Connell needs that.

The 40-year-old may not be explicitly on the hot seat entering 2026, but if his team misses the postseason tournament or gets clobbered in the Wildcard Round, Williamson is correct that hot-seat chatter would be inevitable.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker

France team at FIFA World Cup (AP Photo)

Spain’s former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has come under fire after claiming that France’s national football team has “no French players” ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two countries.The remark, made in an opinion piece for Spanish news website El Debate, sparked widespread criticism from political leaders in both Spain and France, who described it as xenophobic and racist. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez condemned the statement, writing on X: “There are those who still measure belonging by surname, place of birth, or skin colour. Others measure it by our roots in a country and our will to contribute to it.” He added, “Spain belongs to those who love it and work for it. Not to those who shame it with xenophobic statements.”

French leaders unite in condemning remarks

The criticism quickly spread across France. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez called Rajoy’s comments “absolutely unacceptable”, while Minister against Discrimination Aurore Berge denounced the “repeated racist outbursts” and said, “It’s time they stopped and that sport becomes sport again: a place where you are judged on your talent and by no other criteria.”Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel compared Rajoy’s remarks to earlier racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator about Kylian Mbappe, saying, “They just can’t stop themselves from slinging this disgusting racism.”French leaders stressed that the national team represents the country’s diversity. Overseas Territories Minister Naima Moutchou said, “Every time Les Bleus win, the same racist obsessions and insults re-emerge.” Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure added that “France has no skin colour or religion.”France’s embassy in Madrid also responded, saying, “All the players of the French team are French. Of 26 players, 23 were born in France. The three who were born abroad are also French.”French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo also criticised Rajoy’s statement, describing it as carrying an “intolerable undertone of racism.”The controversy has overshadowed the build-up to the highly anticipated World Cup semi-final, with political leaders on both sides insisting that players should be judged by their talent rather than their background.

Almost a week after the United States became the final co-host to exit World Cup 2026, the fallout from the suspension of striker Folarin Balogun’s red card ban continues.

Organizers FIFAtook the near-unprecedented decision to suspend the forward’s ban after an intervention from US President Donald Trump and despite FIFA having statutes forbidding political interference.

“FIFA’s judicial bodies are independent,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino when defending the process.

“They operate autonomously … Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected.”

This particular decision was taken by FIFA’s 18-strong disciplinary committee, or at least this was the impression given by FIFA’s communications. But a report from UK newspaper The Times stated on Monday that the committee’s chairman, Mohammad al-Kamali, made the call unilaterally.

“Senior figures in football have questioned why FIFA has declined to publish the written reasons for the Balogun decision, adding to the lack of transparency around the case, or even to explain why Balogun’s ban was waived,” Times report reads.

“It is the first time since automatic suspensions for red cards were introduced to the World Cup that one has been lifted.”

Committee decisions consistently taken by an individual

FIFA has not yet responded to questions on the matter from DW or any other outlet. Al-Kamali is a lawyer from the United Arab Emirates, which has strong links with the US, and heads the committee made up of legal experts, practicing lawyers and officials from football federations.

However, the committee’s power now appears to lie almost entirely in al-Kamali’s hands. The Financial Times reported last week that the body’s last 110 published decisions were made by one person, with al-Kamali “allowed to make rulings alone or delegate that power to someone else. Not all decisions are made public.”

Despite a host of other controversial decisions, no other rulings have been made by the disciplinary committee at the World Cup.

Infantino looks to expand World Cup still further

Though politics have been a constant theme, the newly expanded tournament has been widely hailed as a success on the pitch. Now Infantino has hinted that he is looking to further expand from 48 to 64 teams for the next men’s tournament in 2030.

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“When organizing a World Cup, it’s important to organize it for the whole world. Not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” he told Swiss pay TV station blue Sport

“You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.”

Infantino called the 2026 expansion a “huge success” and nine that nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout rounds. However, only two of the nine Asian teams advanced from their groups and only one team from outside Europe and South America (Morocco) made the quarterfinals.

South American governing body CONMEBOL put forward an official proposal to expand the tournament to 64 teams in April 2025, but no decision has yet been made on the 2030 tournament.

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The 2030 World Cup is to be predominantly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the first three matches to be hosted by Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. This is ostensibly to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup, but it is also being seen as a way to pave the way for Saudi Arabia to host in 2034 as it means three continents (Europe, South America, Africa) all get a turn at hosting a competition at once, thus fulfilling FIFA’s remit to rotate tournaments around the continents.

The further expansion has not been entirely well received by other continental federations. Victor Montagliani, head of North American and Caribbean federation CONCACAF, said it “doesn’t feel right” and would harm “the broader football ecosystem.” His counterpart at the Asian federation, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, said such a move would mean “chaos.” The European federation, UEFA, who are at loggerheads with FIFA, have said it is a “bad idea,” both for the tournament and qualifiying process. Complaints about an increased player workload also seem likely to be raised once again.

Despite the criticism, Infantino is expected to be easily reelected for another term next year, which would enable him to secure the expansion.

Edited by: Chuck Penfold

WWE will swing for the fences for the second straight year when it hosts one of its major premium live events of the year at a Major League Baseball ballpark.

The company announced on Monday that Survivor Series: WarGames will take place at Daikin Park in Houston – the home of the Astros – on Saturday, Nov. 28. It follows up the success of last year’s Survivor Series: WarGames event, which took place at Petco Park in San Diego – the home of the Padres.

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Roman Reigns lands a Superman Punch on Brock Lesnar during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Nov. 29, 2025. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

“Houston is the perfect host city to celebrate this milestone chapter in Survivor Series’ storied history, and we look forward to partnering with Houston First and the Houston Astros to deliver an unforgettable event,” WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque said in a news release.

WarGames is a highly anticipated match, which has taken place yearly among wrestlers on the WWE roster since 2022. The premium live event has also seen some dramatic returns.

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Stephanie Vaquer enters the ring during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE via Getty Images)

In 2023, CM Punk came back to WWE at the end of the show and shocked the entire sports world. Randy Orton also made his in-ring return during the match. Last year, a mystery attacker interrupted the WarGames match and gave the win to The Vision and company.

It’s unclear what is in the cards right now for the 40th edition of the event.

“We are proud to be able to help bring one of the world’s premier entertainment brands to Houston for what promises to be an unforgettable holiday weekend,” said Michael Heckman, President and CEO of Houston First, which partnered with WWE to bring the event back to Houston.

Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio celebrate their win during Survivor Series at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

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“Hosting WWE Survivor Series will bring thousands of passionate fans to our city and generate a significant economic impact for community. Houston has earned a reputation for delivering world-class entertainment events, and we look forward to welcoming the WWE Universe to our destination.”

LOS ANGELES — The Arizona Diamondbacks placed right-hander Zac Gallen on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation, while left-hander Mitch Bratt was recalled to start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Gallen was supposed to start the final game before the All-Star break before manager Torey Lovullo announced a late change.

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Gallen, 30, has struggled for more than a month, going 0-5 with an 8.24 ERA over his past eight starts, going back to May 29. He is 3-9 on the season with a 6.34 ERA over 19 starts.

“I think he felt something and he spoke up and that’s when we decided to get him examined,” said Lovullo, who added that a timeline for recovery will be established during the All-Star break.

A veteran of eight major league seasons, Gallen is 69-61 with a 3.83 ERA over 195 career starts for the Miami Marlins and Diamondbacks. He was a National League All-Star in 2023 when he finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting.

Bratt, 23, is making his second appearance on the Diamondbacks’ roster. He made his major league debut June 24 when he allowed one run over three innings in a start against the St Louis Cardinals.

Jos Buttler and Joe Root of England (Getty Images)

England have promoted Jacob Bethell to open the batting alongside Ben Duckett for the first ODI against India at Edgbaston on Tuesday, while experienced wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler is set to celebrate a major career milestone with his 200th appearance in the format.The move sees Bethell entrusted with a key role at the top of the order as England continue their search for a settled opening combination. The left-hander, who has featured in 21 ODIs, will become Duckett’s fifth opening partner in recent times after Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Zak Crawley and Rehan Ahmed. Harry Brook’s side have also opted for a spin-heavy attack to counter India’s formidable batting unit of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and veteran leg-spinner Adil Rashid have all been included in the playing XI.England have also recalled Jofra Archer to their ODI side for the first time since November last year. Archer returns after impressing during England’s 4-0 T20I series victory and will lead the pace attack alongside Josh Tongue, with Gus Atkinson missing out on selection.The match will be a landmark occasion for Buttler, who is set to become only the latest England player to reach 200 ODIs. Since making his debut against Pakistan in Dubai on February 21, 2012, the wicketkeeper-batter has scored 5,515 runs at an average of 39.11, including 11 centuries and 29 half-centuries.The three-match ODI series will continue in Cardiff on July 16 before concluding at Lord’s on July 19.England XI: Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook (captain), Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Jofra Archer, Liam Dawson, Josh Tongue and Adil Rashid.

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From the show

World Cup Debrief

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1 min

Les Bleus have arrived in Dallas, where they will take on the European champions for a place in the World Cup final. Both sides are expected to face their toughest test yet, with Spain having conceded just one goal so far, while France have kept clean sheets in each of their last three matches.