Jun 22, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder team owner Clay Bennett and the team hold up the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after being announced NBA Champions at the end of game seven of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Oddsmakers really like Oklahoma City Thunder to continue their reign over the NBA and successfully defend their championship.
The Thunder, who concluded the regular season on Sunday with the league’s best record at 64-18 (.780), are the clear favorite to keep the Larry O’Brien Trophy at a range of +110 to +135, according to a survey of sportsbooks on Sunday night.
Conversely, the Portland Trail Blazers, playing beyond the regular season for the first time since the 2020-21 season, have the most convincing to do. The eighth seed in the Western Conference, Portland has a play-in game against the Phoenix Suns and is the biggest underdog to make it all the way and win the NBA Finals, with some odds at +250000.
The odds closely align with the records, as the San Antonio Spurs (62-20, .756) have the second-best odds at +450 to +550.
The Boston Celtics (56-26), fortified by the solid return of star Jayson Tatum from a ruptured Achilles in last year’s playoffs, are the next favorite. The Detroit Pistons (60-22) had the better regular season but perhaps not the track record of recent playoff runs compared to their Eastern Conference rival, who won the NBA title two seasons ago.
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DraftKings has the defending champion Thunder at +110, followed by the Spurs at +500, Celtics at +550 and Nuggets at +950.
Then there’s a jump to the Cleveland Cavaliers (+1600), New York Knicks (+1800) and Pistons (+2200).
The longest odds of the 20 teams are for the Trail Blazers at +200000. DraftKings favors the seventh-seeded Suns downing eighth-seeded Portland with a 4.5-point spread in their play-in game on Tuesday in Phoenix.
FanDuel also likes Oklahoma City to repeat as the NBA champion (+115), with San Antonio and Boston next (each at +550), then Denver and Cleveland (each at +1100) and New York (+1800).
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Here, Portland is at +75000 along with Phoenix and Miami as the three teams with the longest odds.
FanDuel takes the next step by putting odds on the finalists, with a Celtics-Thunder matchup the favorite (+330), which follows the conference breakdown of the overall winner odds.
The Thunder represent the Western Conference in the top four favored matchups, against the Cavaliers (+550), Knicks (+850) and Pistons (+900). Those predicting a Celtics-Spurs final can get +1000 odds, and Cavs-Spurs at +1500.
The longest odds are +75000 for Cavs-Warriors, Knicks-Lakers, Knicks-Clippers, Knicks-Warriors and Pistons-Lakers.
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Take the extra step and pick the matchup and winner, and that’s the Thunder over the Celtics at +500. A Boston series win over Oklahoma City is at +1200 odds.
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning NBA MVP, is favored to repeat as NBA Finals MVP at +135. Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is next at +500.
BetMGM likes the Thunder to win it all at +135, followed by the Spurs (+450), Celtics (+550), Nuggets (+1000) and Cavaliers (+1400). The Trail Blazers have the longest odds at +250000.
Olympique Lyonnais have returned to winning ways after a nine-game drought, climbing to fifth in the table and keeping their hopes of a Champions League spot alive. Meanwhile in England, Manchester City secured a comfortable win over Chelsea, piling pressure on Arsenal in the title race. The Gunners now lead by just six points ahead of their clash with City next week.
In cycling, Wout van Aert is the new King of the Hell of the North, finally triumphing in the legendary Paris-Roubaix after years of bad luck and disappointment. In tennis, Jannik Sinner has reclaimed the world number one spot, defeating his rival Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 final.
WWE’s chief of content Triple H has been under fire from fans heading into WrestleMania 42. A recent report has revealed that the head of creative is aware of what people are talking about online, which is mainly focused on the overall quality of storylines.
One of the biggest gripes of the fanbase is the involvement of Pat McAfee, as well as other celebrities, in the Road to WrestleMania 42. Others are not happy about how matches for the biggest show of the year have been built and how some of the most popular stars are not on the card.
Thanks for the submission!
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Speaking on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shared some insight about what is going on backstage in WWE, mainly about Triple H’s feelings about the recent air of negativity online about the product.
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“I think he cares more than they let on. They try to act like they don’t listen but then they make all these things and changes so much. My impression is that they outwardly, I mean the company directive is to say that you don’t care. That we don’t listen to these people that are negative. And you know what? You go by the numbers. You can’t listen to people because you could be doing the greatest stuff in the world and people are saying it’s terrible, but if the numbers are saying it’s good then it’s good. But does he listen? Is he aware? Yes, he’s aware and he’s certainly aware that they’ve booed him at certain points over the last couple of months,” Meltzer said. [H/T Cultaholic]
Triple H is currently under a microscope, with fans hoping for an overall better WrestleMania this year. There was plenty of negativity last year after Travis Scott’s involvement in the main event between John Cena and Cody Rhodes.
Triple H to be fired by TKO?
Some fans are already calling for Triple H to be replaced as WWE’s chief of content. TKO has the power to make it happen, but despite the slower ticket sales of this year’s WrestleMania can be attributed to many different factors that are out of Hunter’s control.
However, WWE Hall of Famer Billy Gunn stirred the pot at a recent appearance on Signed by Superstars for a live in-studio signing. Gunn, who was with his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, revealed that he heard from someone that Triple H might get the boot after WrestleMania.
Road Dogg, who recently left WWE’s creative team, quickly shut down the claim. It should be noted that he’s still under a Legends contract despite his exit last month.
It’s WrestleMania season, with WWE’s biggest event of the year closing in once again.
This spring brings the 42nd edition of WrestleMania and a surprising move from WWE, as it returns to Las Vegas just one year after Sin City hosted the last edition of the event. In fact, that move has disappointed many fans, who have also hit out at ticket prices and a lacklustre build to this year’s “Showcase of the Immortals”.
Still, WrestleMania tends to deliver, and WWE has begun to take some big swings in pursuit of winning over fans, such as installing the retired John Cena as this year’s host.
The reigning Undisputed WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes (Getty Images)
There will also be matches starring key names like Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes, while several celebrities will pop up – as is customary. But how much do WWE stars earn at WrestleMania?
Here’s all you need to know.
How much do WWE stars earn?
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The specifics of WWE contracts have long been hard to ascertain. However, WWE star-turned-executive Triple H (real name Paul Levesque) told The Athletic in 2022 that $250,000 is the minimum base salary for wrestlers in the company. That figure might have risen since, of course, and it reportedly only applied to members of the Smackdown and Raw rosters – not wrestlers on NXT, which is WWE’s developmental show.
However, wrestlers’ wages are boosted by merchandise sales and, it is believed, by cuts of pay-per-view sales as well. Of course, merchandise sales are likely to be significant on a WrestleMania weekend, as well as pay-per-view sales, so 18 and 19 April could be the most lucrative days of the year for most WWE wrestlers.
In 2023, The Mirror reported some of the highest WWE wages as these: Roman Reigns $5m per year; Randy Orton $5m per year; Seth Rollins $3.5m per year; Cody Rhodes $3m per year; Logan Paul $2m per year. These figures reportedly don’t include bonuses.
When is WrestleMania 42?
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WrestleMania became a two-night event in 2020, and this year it will take place on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 April at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. In the US, each evening of action will begin at 4pm PT / 6pm CT / 7pm ET. In the UK, that works out to 12am BST on Sunday and Monday morning.
How can I watch it?
WrestleMania 42 will stream live on Netflix in the UK and most territories worldwide, as part of subscribers’ existing plans (at no additional cost, in other words). In the US, however, the event will air live on ESPN.
Confirmed matches
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Night 1
Former WWE champion Roman Reigns (WWE)
Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso and LA Knight vs Logan Paul, Austin Theory and IShowSpeed
Drew McIntyre vs Jacob Fatu
Lash Legend and Nia Jax (Women’s World Tag-Team Champions) vs Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs Nikki Bella and Brie Bella
AJ Lee (Women’s Intercontinental Champion) vs Becky Lee
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Seth Rollins vs Gunther
Stephanie Vaquer (Women’s World Champion) vs Liv Morgan
Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Champion) vs Randy Orton
Night 2
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Penta (Intercontinental Champion) vs Rey Mysterio vs JD McDonagh vs Rusev vs Je’Von Evans vs Dragon Lee (Ladder Match)
Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi
Brock Lesnar is not only an ex-WWE champion but a former UFC heavyweight champion (WWE)
Sami Zayn (United States Champion) vs Trick Williams
Jade Cargill (Women’s WWE Champion) vs Rhea Ripley
YouTubers Logan Paul and IShowSpeed will compete, even teaming up together, while music star Jelly Roll will also feature in some capacity. The same applies to rapper Lil Yachty, while wrestler-turned-actor John Cena will act as the host of WrestleMania. NFL kicker-turned-sports analyst Pat McAfee is also expected to feature.
As he stood in the pine straw late Sunday afternoon, deep in the trees, wild to the right of the 18th fairway, Rory McIlroy exhaled, rolled his eyes and shook his head, as if to suggest that even he had grown exhausted by the drama. Did it really have to be this hard? Apparently, it did.
After entering the weekend with a six-shot lead and a seeming stranglehold on the tournament, the man trying to become just the fourth Masters champion to defend his title had pressed repeat, all right, reprising the feast-or-famine play that marked his Grand Slam-capping run to victory last year. Much like 2025, the 2026 Masters had become his to lose, and for much of the day Sunday, he appeared intent on doing just that. A stressful par on the 1st hole. A three-putt double-bogey on the 4th to fall behind Cameron Young by two. And then another dropped shot on the 6th, with a birdie on the 3rd sprinkled in along the way.
Throughout the week, McIlroy had said that things felt different this time around, now that he had a green jacket to his name and a lifetime invite to the Masters. And yet what he produced on Sunday was more of the same, a nail-biting, whiplash-inducing thrill ride of spectacular shots and head-scratching mistakes.
Elsewhere on the course, the roars carried echoes of the recent past as well. Justin Rose, who fell to McIlroy in last year’s playoff, went out in 32 to vault in front, only to spring a leak around Amen Corner. Every Rose has its thorn, and it’s official: Justin’s is the Masters.
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For a nervy spell on Sunday, McIlroy looked destined for more Masters heartache. Never mind what he said about having the monkey off his back — slumping into Butler Cabin and slipping the green jacket onto someone else’s shoulders would have been a particular kind of torture.
Instead, he did what he did last year: playing with a red ass, he put up red numbers, rattling off birdies on 12 and 13 to take command (and then nearly letting it go again when his wedge on the par-5 15th barely made it over Rae’s Creek). He was two clear standing on the 18th tee, the green jacket all but back on his shoulders, if only he could stop being himself for a moment.
He could not. Pulling driver, he flared one far right into the Georgia pines, eliminating any chance of a tidy finish. The groan from the gallery was familiar, almost affectionate. This was vintage McIlroy: maddening, mystifying, marvelous all at once. He hacked out and made bogey, which was good enough. A tap-in for the win and a repeat in more ways than one.
“I just can’t believe I waited 17 years to get one green jacket,” he said afterward, “and I get two in a row.”
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With his second Masters, Rory McIlroy has left his demons in the distant dust. He’s chasing history now. It’s going to take a lot of energy to keep up.
Cloud9 remained undefeated and FlyQuest recorded their first win as Week 2 concluded on Sunday of the regular season of the LCS Spring event.
FlyQuest downed Disguised 2-0, and Cloud9 beat the Sentinels 2-1 in the other match of the day.
Eight teams will compete in best-of-three matches in the round-robin regular season before advancing to the playoffs of the League of Legends event, which will be contested in best-of-five matches in a double-elimination format. The top two teams will qualify for the Mid-Season Invitational.
FlyQuest swept Disguised 2-0, winning in 30 minutes and 27 minutes, both on blue. Micheal “Cryogen” Luu, a Vietnamese/American player, had a kill-death-assist ratio of 1-1-17 and Fahad “Massu” Abdulmalek, a Canadian/Iraqi player, had a K-D-A of 11-2-7 for FlyQuest.
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Cloud9 won the opener in 33 minutes on blue before the Sentinels drew even with a 34-minute victory on red. Cloud9 took the match in 31 minutes on red. American Eain “APA” Stearns had a 5-1-10 K-D-A and Canadian Philippe “Vulcan” Laflamme had a 3-0-12 K-D-A for Cloud9.
Week 3 begins on Saturday with Disguised facing Cloud9, and Sentinels taking on FlyQuest. The Sunday matches are LYON against Shopify Rebellion, and Dignitas versus Team Liquid.
Regular season standings (Win-loss total, map differential)
Arjun Tendulkar with wife Saaniya Chandhok and sister Sara Tendulkar (Image credit: X)
NEW DELHI: After a home defeat to Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants will next face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. LSG are currently placed sixth on the table, with two wins and two losses from four matches.In their previous outing, Lucknow Super Giants managed 164/8 in 20 overs against Gujarat Titans. Chasing 165, Gujarat Titans cruised to 165/3 in 18.4 overs, sealing a comfortable win at the Ekana Stadium on Sunday.Arjun Tendulkar, son of legendary Sachin Tendulkar, who did not feature in the playing XI against Gujarat Titans, was spotted at the airport with his LSG teammates. He was seen alongside his sister Sara Tendulkar and wife Saaniya Chandhok.Sara and Saaniya had earlier been present in the stands in Lucknow, cheering for LSG during their clash against Gujarat Titans.Arjun tied the knot with Saaniya in a grand ceremony in Mumbai on March 5, 2026. He is part of the Lucknow Super Giants squad this season, having been bought for Rs 30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction.LSG captain Rishabh Pant admitted that his side fell short with the bat in the loss to Gujarat Titans.“See, definitely not enough runs. There’s nothing. From the fact that they bowled well. I think in a wicket like this, a score like 170 to 180 is a really good score. But, you know, the wicket kept on falling, and they put enough pressure on us to get those wickets going,” Pant said.He added that although LSG had their chances, they failed to capitalise on crucial moments.“There were opportunities in the game. We just couldn’t grab it enough,” he said.Pant, however, backed his batting unit, stressing that it is still early in the tournament and there is no need to panic. He expressed confidence in the experienced players to step up in the coming matches.“See, definitely it’s a great lineup. But the tournament has just started here, you know. We’re not putting pressure on players because, especially the senior guys, they know what to do,” he said.
Zuffa Boxing have announced their latest high profile recruit after signing former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith.
Billam-Smith defeated Lawrence Okolie to win the WBO cruiserweight title back in May 2023, before successful defences against Mateusz Masternak and Richard Riakporhe.
That marked Billam-Smith’s last ring appearance, and after spending the last few years working with BOXXER, he will now make the switch to join Dana White’s Zuffa.
Billam-Smith has signed a multi-fight deal with the company and will see his fights broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, something that the Bournemouth man is looking forward to.
“I’m really excited by this opportunity to work with Zuffa and Sky Sports. When two powerhouses in the world of entertainment come together like this, you know it will be a success, and you want to be a part of that.
“This move is about proving I am the best in the world. I can’t wait to get back in the ring, headlining shows, live on Sky Sports.”
Perhaps Zuffa’s most impressive fighter is Opetaia, and now that Billam-Smith has joined the ranks, it could lead to a showdown between the cruiserweight duo in the future.
The Brit is currently ranked number 4 with the WBC, 3 with the IBF and 5 with the WBO. Intriguingly, he could be set to be ordered to fight for Opetaia’s old IBF belt, after the Aussie was stripped when the sanctioning body took issue with the Zuffa belt also being on the line in his fight against Glanton.
Saturday’s fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov earned Tyson Fury a huge £18.6m payday on his return to the ring
He might have brought in millions from his fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov but Tyson Fury isn’t spending it all at once. Fury was spotted taking a budget flight with his wife and kids after beating Makhmudov by unanimous decision in London.
Fury, 37, was back in the ring for the first time since 2024. Netflix bought the streaming rights and the former world champ banked the best part of £19million, though a chunk of that is expected to go to the taxman.
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Such a hefty payday might have prompted some to splash out on a private jet. He was doing nothing of the sort, though, taking a LoganAir flight from London City Airport to his Isle of Man home.
Fury, wife Paris and their seven children were spotted at the airport preparing for a commercial flight back to the island. Tickets for the journey can cost as little as £40 and even more expensive commercial journeys are still far cheaper than private flights.
The Manchester fighter is believed to have moved to the Isle of Man in late 2025. His new home on the tax haven is reported to have set him back around £8m and is near the island’s capital of Douglas.
Fury and his family had been living in Morecambe, Lancashire, before making the move. The Gypsy King decided to relocate after a scary incident with an intruder and considered other options before settling on their new home.
“I looked at moving abroad, but it turned out that the Isle of Man is the perfect place for me,” the heavyweight said. “It’s English-speaking, has English pound notes, and I can get an English newspaper from the local petrol station with my coffee and speak my own lingo.”
“I want to give you the fight you’ve all been waiting for,” Fury said. “I want you, AJ, Anthony Joshua. Let’s give the fight fans what they want – the Battle of Britain.
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“I challenge you Anthony Joshua to fight me the Gypsy King next. Do you accept my challenge?”
Joshua fired back, though. “Tyson, you are a clout-chaser. I’ve never had no problem getting in a ring with you, I punched you up as kids, watching you tonight I’ll punch you up again,” he said.
“You won’t tell me what to do. I’ve been chasing you the last 10 years, when you’re ready you come and see me. I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord. You work for me.
“When you’re ready you come and see me and tell me your terms and conditions. I’m the boss, you work for me. I’m the landlord remember that, you work for me.”
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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.
Former LSU women’s basketball guard Bella Hines transferred to TCU, per a report from On3’s Talia Goodman on Sunday. The move comes after her lone season in Baton Rouge.
Hines was part of the top signing class in the 2026 recruiting cycle. She averaged 4.2 points per game, shooting 44% from the field. Most of her shots came from beyond the arc, helping stretch the floor for LSU’s playmakers.
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Early in SEC play, Hines saw few meaningful minutes but that changed in February. She played over 10 minutes five out of the seven games LSU played that month, upping her game as a scorer and defender.
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Hines’ decision to transfer came as a surprise, considering her strong finish to the season. She would’ve been in the running to start or be one of the first two players off the bench, but instead, she’ll head to the Big 12.
TCU developed a reputation for scoring big pickups in the transfer portal. Last season, head coach Mark Campbell secured a commitment from former Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles and former Tiger Hailey Van Lith ahead of the 2024-25 season.
In the end, this second Masters championship for Rory McIlroy is almost unavoidably going to become a milestone.
If last year’s emotional triumph to complete the Grand Slam was a destination – the destination – then retaining it puts him in rarefied air but doesn’t answer the only question which will ultimately matter when all is said and done; where this child prodigy from Northern Ireland turned golfing superstar will rank among the all-time greats.
That is the competition for him now: how many majors he can amass, how many records he can break.
By his own admission on this Sunday night in Georgia, at American golf’s most famous course in its crown jewel competition, he won’t always have this level of preparation for a major.
After 71 holes of rollercoaster golf, the 18th hole on Sunday was a microcosm of it all.
Needing to avoid a double-bogey on the last to win back-to-back Masters championships, McIlroy was once again wayward when the fairway was wide open for him.
“Coming off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was, that was probably the moment of most stress; thinking this could be anywhere.”
Not for the first time, McIlroy’s driving put him out of position heading down the 18th with a two-shot lead (AP)
The Ulsterman had been long but inaccurate off the tee all week, and found the pine straw yet again. An iron to salvage things ended up in the bunker, but he splashed out to give himself a par putt that would have won the Masters. Drifting only a matter of inches past the hole, a bogey was still enough.
On Tuesday, McIlroy had commented that he felt “winning a Masters makes it easier to win your second one.”
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But last year’s triumph might not have helped in the way you’d expect, and it turns out that there are far greater advantages to winning the Masters than people might realise.
The obvious one of McIlroy no longer feeling that same internal pressure to complete the Grand Slam is something that is undeniable, and he admitted himself that he felt it might be simpler this year without the weight of the Grand Slam on his shoulders. But all those years of neurotically wondering how to best prepare in order to give himself the best chance of winning have also set him up for future success at Augusta that will extend far beyond this year’s triumph, his second in a row.
McIlroy with his family after winning a second Masters, including parents Rosie and Gerry McIlroy – who would not miss a second green jacket (REUTERS)
McIlroy tried a lot of different regimes as he looked to climb the mountain – arriving late, arriving early, practicing a lot, not practicing at all, playing in tournaments, skipping them – but this year’s preparation is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time.
From his base in Florida, he has been baking practice at Augusta into his weekly routine to the extent that it now “feels like my home course”. Skipping the three tour events running up to the Masters simply because he “doesn’t like them” will have made a couple of PGA Tour tournament directors wince, but it has allowed him time to effectively commute (via private jet, naturally) and practice around the course where a tournament that will actually matter to his legacy is taking place.
“I did a couple of days where I dropped Poppy to school, flew up here, played, landed back home and had dinner with her – or had dinner with Erica probably… a couple of day trips like that where I felt it was a better use of my time than going to Houston or San Antonio,” McIlroy admitted in typically frank fashion.
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“Monday, Tuesday last week, then Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. I was up here for a day the week before as well.
“I’ve been on this golf course so much the last three weeks, and that’s been a combination of practice and chipping and putting around greens, and then just playing one ball and shooting scores and ending up in weird places that you maybe never find yourself and just trying to figure it out.”
McIlroy’s preparation for this year’s Masters is almost certainly what he will continue for the rest of time (REUTERS)
McIlroy revealed that it wasn’t about conserving energy, just spending productive time working on those details around on the greens where a major championship would be decided come this glorious mid-April Sunday.
And that level of practice has shown.
Ultimately what McIlroy has learned over his nearly two decades of playing years of playing here is that you need to be a killer with the wedges and putter in hand.
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After two days, McIlroy was second-best putting and second-best driving distance but 90th in driving accuracy. He missed every single fairway on the par 5s as he built up his six-stroke lead over Thursday and Friday’s rounds, all eight of them, but came away with seven birdies and a par.
That’s a guy who understands how to play the course.
“I feel like being up here a lot and I’ve prepared as well for this Masters as any other that I’ve played,” he said.
Indeed, his 3.1 strokes gained around the greens during Friday’s round was not just the best in the field all weekend, it was the best by miles. In fact, the gap from first to second was the same as the gap from second to 45th. His chipping and short game was on a different planet to everyone else unfortunate enough to be trying to catch him at Augusta this weekend.
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McIlroy was required to escape from the bunker on the 18th in order to avoid a double bogey (Getty Images)
“My scrambling, my putting and my short game are what won me this tournament,” he would say on Sunday night, that green jacket once again on his back.
While Saturday’s round had made the retrieval of that jacket more difficult, McIlroy leaned into practice as a means of dragging himself to the finish line.
After missing some key iron shots left on day three during a disappointing 73, his post-round trip to the driving range as the shadows disappeared and turned into night on Saturday was all about rediscovering the light fade and re-establishing control.
In McIlroy’s own words, the most important shot of Masters Sunday was his nine-iron off the tee on 12, where he pulled out that baby cut that he’d rehearsed so many times under the lights of the practice area and nailed it under the brightest lights of them all.
McIlroy highlighted his nine-iron off the tee on 12, which led to birdie, as his most important shot of the week (Getty Images)
“It was a really good golf shot at the right time, and probably a golf shot I wouldn’t have been able to hit yesterday before going to the range.”
That birdie, then another on 13, proved decisive. It was his golf through Amen Corner on Sunday and the resultant three-shot swing that was the difference between him and perennial contender Justin Rose, at one point a Sunday leader by two shots, and set McIlroy back on the path to glory after a wobbly start.
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McIlroy described himself on Friday as a “wily old veteran” and this victory provided some support for that. No longer is he the boy wonder who dreams of emulating the greats, he is the established hero who inspires those following around the world.
Could other players have turned up at Augusta over the last few weeks and played practice rounds to familiarise themselves with the angles and sightlines provided by this sternest of tests? Probably not. That’s the benefit of a green jacket. Besides, most of them will have had tournaments to play.
Make no mistake, though. McIlroy has earned the right to prepare how he wishes, he had toiled for more than a decade without tasting glory and tried every which way to prepare in order to win. Now that he’s found his formula, and it appears he truly has, good luck convincing him to change it.
McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond have cracked the code to win the Masters (Getty Images)
“I thought it was so difficult last year because I was trying to win the Masters and the Grand Slam but it turned it was just really difficult to win the Masters,” he laughed on a Sunday night that will once again be filled with champagne at the impeccable Augusta National clubhouse.
Yet he followed with a more important lesson, and a more pertinent one, as his smile melted into sincerity.
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“If you put the hours in and you work on the right things, it’ll work out for you.”
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