Champions League Knockout Phase Play-Off Draw: Everything You Need to Know
The league phase of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League has concluded after a dramatic final round, with the competition now moving into its first knockout hurdle.
While the top eight teams in the league phase have secured automatic qualification for the last 16, the next 16 sides must navigate the newly introduced knockout phase play-offs to keep their European hopes alive.
With fixtures piling up across domestic and continental competitions, that guaranteed rest for the top eight could yet prove decisive in the race for European silverware.
Last season showed that the play-off route is far from a dead end. Several heavyweights were forced to take the longer path through February before mounting deep runs in the competition, underlining how unforgiving the new format can be.
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Here is everything you need to know ahead of the draw.
When is the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw?
The 2025–26 UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-off draw will take place tomorrow, Friday January 30, at 11am Irish time.
The draw will be held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
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Which teams are involved in the draw?
The draw features the teams that finished ninth to 24th in the league phase. Those ranked ninth to 16th are seeded, while teams finishing 17th to 24th are unseeded.
Seeded teams (league phase finish in brackets):
Real Madrid (9)
Inter Milan (10)
Paris Saint-Germain (11)
Newcastle United (12)
Juventus (13)
Atlético Madrid (14)
Atalanta (15)
Bayer Leverkusen (16)
Unseeded teams:
Borussia Dortmund (17)
Olympiacos (18)
Club Brugge (19)
Galatasaray (20)
AS Monaco (21)
Qarabağ (22)
Bodø/Glimt (23)
Benfica (24)
How does the draw work?
Teams are paired based on their league phase positions.
The seeded pairs are:
9 & 10
11 & 12
13 & 14
15 & 16
The unseeded pairs are:
17 & 18
19 & 20
21 & 22
23 & 24
Each seeded pair will be drawn against a corresponding unseeded pair:
9 or 10 vs 23 or 24
11 or 12 vs 21 or 22
13 or 14 vs 19 or 20
15 or 16 vs 17 or 18
Unlike previous formats, teams from the same national association can face each other, and clubs that met during the league phase are also permitted to be drawn together.
One of AEW’s top stars, MJF, took aim at a former WWE World Champion on social media recently after the latter critiqued his performance on Dynamite. Now, the self-proclaimed generational talent is officially scheduled to face off with the talent in question, Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler).
For some time now, seeds were being planted for a potential showdown between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Nic Nemeth, especially after The Wolf of Wrestling issued a public challenge to the “Most Wanted Man” to lock horns with him in an AEW World Title match this past January. Following on the heels of Wednesday Night Dynamite this week, the erstwhile Dolph Ziggler offered some words of criticism to Friedman while appearing on Busted Open. This prompted MJF to explosively lash out at the ex-WWE superstar, going so far as to call the latter an “overhyped” mid-carder.
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It appears that a showdown between the AEW Men’s World Champion and the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is finally set to take place. The matchup will go down at Create A Pro Monumental Moment on May 1, at Melville, New York.
“. @Myers_Wrestling just hit me up and said this clowns down to throw hands. See ya there Nicky.” – posted MJF on X/Twitter.
This will seemingly be the first-ever in-ring singles encounter between MJF and the “Show-Off”.
MJF has a massive AEW title match scheduled for next month
Maxwell Jacob Friedman survived one of the biggest threats to his current World Title reign earlier this month at Revolution 2026, where he managed to retain his belt against Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match, and managed to lock him out of the World Championship picture as per the challenger’s own stipulation.
As he was celebrating his victory over The Cowboy this week on AEW Dynamite, The Salt of The Earth was interrupted and confronted by Kenny Omega, who earlier that night had become the new #1 contender for the “Triple B” by beating Swerve Strickland. The two stars exchanged words, leading to a World Title match between them being scheduled for Dynasty 2026.
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Match graphic for Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Kenny Omega at Dynasty (Image via X @WrestlePurists)
It remains to be seen whether the so-called “God of Pro-Wrestling” will be able to dethrone The Devil this coming month.
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Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 today, is already being counted among the most destructive hitters in Indian cricket and the Indian Premier League. His stunning 35-ball century in last season’s tournament was just the beginning, as he has continued to produce big runs and impactful innings across levels over the past year.Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise saw him make his India A debut towards the end of 2025, featuring in the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup under the leadership of Jitesh Sharma. The tournament provided him early exposure to a senior dressing room, allowing him to interact with players on the fringes of the national side and further underlining his immense potential.
Watch
RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute & squad update
Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Jitesh shared insights into the youngster’s journey and the bond they developed, both during their India A stint and from Sooryavanshi’s time at the Rajasthan Royals academy near Nagpur.“Today he told me, bhaiya if you say something about me then watch out,” joked Jitesh. “Very cute boy. He used to come to Talegaon for practice, where RR’s academy is. That’s where I got to know him, then we went to play in Qatar, where I was captain, so that’s where we made our bond.”When asked about the source of Sooryavanshi’s remarkable hitting power, Jitesh pointed to his natural strength, particularly his wrists.“It’s all natural power, he’s very strong. His wrists are bigger than my wrists – I gave him my watch to wear and it was tight for him,” he said, highlighting the physical attributes behind the youngster’s explosive batting.“Chhota Hulk hai woh (he’s baby Hulk),” Jitesh added, drawing a comparison to the iconic Marvel character. The description fits, considering Sooryavanshi smashed 11 sixes during his IPL hundred and has consistently relied on big hitting to dominate bowlers.Jitesh also revealed the fear factor the youngster has already created among bowlers in the nets.“He swings his bat so hard that the bowler is afraid that if he hits it straight, he might die. RR’s nets bowlers, I know them, they say that they don’t pitch the ball up because he can hit it straight back. So they bowl short balls to have him hit it away from them,” he explained.With Sanju Samson no longer in the setup, Sooryavanshi is set to take up a regular role at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals. He will be part of a youthful batting unit featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Riyan Parag, both of whom understand the pressures of performing early in their careers.“He’s created that fear. He’s like Nicholas Pooran, lefty-lefty, very hard hitter. You have the fear that he can hit you,” said Jitesh, comparing him to Nicholas Pooran. “And Nicholas also listens to Hindi songs,” he added humorously.Turning 15 just a day before IPL 2026 begins, Sooryavanshi heads into his second season with massive expectations. Oppositions are likely to come prepared with specific plans, targeting him with short balls, slower deliveries and wider lines. How the young batter from Bihar adapts to these challenges could shape the impact he makes in the upcoming season.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – MARCH 26: Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates against Francis Tiafoe of the United States during the Men’s Singles Quarterfinals on Day 10 of the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Jannik Sinner delivered another ruthless performance at the Miami Open 2026, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6–2, 6–2 to reach the semifinals.
It was controlled from start to finish.
The win sees Sinner continue a remarkable run: 15 consecutive wins in Masters 1000 events 30 consecutive sets won in Masters events (record) 10 consecutive wins overall 32 wins in his last 34 matches
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He also reaches: his 15th Masters 1000 semifinal his 4th Miami semifinal his 10th consecutive win in Miami
After the match, Sinner pointed to his fast start as the difference:
“I feel like starting the match is very important. When you start with a breakup it gives you slightly good confidence.”
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“I try to stay as compact as possible with my shots, also mentally.”
“I try to be very calm, taking the chances I can get. I think today that was the key.”
The Italian continues to make history: First man to win 14 consecutive matches at the Sunshine Double without dropping a set Reached the semifinals or better in 4 of his first 5 Miami appearances
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have raked in billion-dollar valuations, opening a window into how the cash-rich league has evolved from a cricket tournament into a tightly held sports-media economy.
This raises the question about how IPL teams are valued and whether these valuations are justified.
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What does valuation mean in IPL’s context?
To understand how valuation is done, let’s first understand the difference between sale price, business value and brand value. A sale price is what a buyer agrees to pay at a point in time. A business valuation, by contrast, is an estimate of what the franchise should be worth based on expected future cash flows. Brand value is narrower still – it captures the worth of the name, identity and goodwill, but not the full business.
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Houlihan Lokey’s 2025 ‘IPL Valuation Study’ defines this distinction. It says brand value is embedded within business value, not equal to it. That is why a brand estimate and a sale price can sit far apart without either being “wrong”.
The report valued RCB’s brand at $269 million and Rajasthan Royals’ at $146 million in 2025. RCPL’s revenue was ₹504 crore in FY25.
Santosh N, managing partner at D&P Advisory, says the reported franchise prices are “at a significant premium to intrinsic value”. If annual revenue for an IPL team is roughly ₹700 crore to ₹800 crore, or under $80 million, then valuations of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion imply revenue multiples of around 20x to 22x.
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How are IPL teams valued?
The main financial method is discounted cash flow, or DCF. Houlihan Lokey says its IPL business valuation primarily hinges on the income approach, specifically DCF, which estimates the present value of projected future cash flows and terminal value discounted back to today.
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For brand valuation, it uses the relief-from-royalty method, which estimates what a franchise would have had to pay to license its own brand if it did not own it. The methodology explicitly considers the role of marquee players such as Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, along with the importance of the brand to sponsors, advertisers and fans.
Why media rights matter most
The biggest anchor in any IPL valuation is the central revenue pool, especially broadcasting and league sponsorships. The Houlihan Lokey report says top franchises generate around ₹650 crore to ₹700 crore in annual revenue, with up to 80 per cent visibility secured before the tournament begins, helped by long-term media rights and front-loaded sponsorship deals.
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According to Santosh, around 70 to 75 per cent of franchise revenue comes from the central pool, with only about a quarter coming from team-level sources such as sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandising. Of that central pool, he said, each team gets about ₹500 crore a year from the BCCI and around 70 to 80 per cent of that comes from broadcasting.
This is also why IPL teams are increasingly viewed less as conventional cricket clubs and more as scarce media-linked assets. When media-rights expectations rise, franchise values tend to rise with them.
But Santosh also flags a constraint. The broadcasting market has consolidated, mainly by JioHotstar, making it harder to assume a sharp rise in rights values in the next cycle. “So it is difficult to argue that team revenues will rise 30 or 40 per cent, or even 20 to 30 per cent, in the near term. That is why, from a pure valuation standpoint, these numbers are hard to justify,” he says.
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What makes IPL teams valuable
The central pool sets a floor. Team-level strengths then determine the premium.
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Fan base is one factor. A large, nationwide and digitally active audience improves sponsor pull, merchandise potential and pricing power. Another factor is sponsor quality. Teams that consistently attract blue-chip partners are seen as stronger businesses, not just louder brands.
Houlihan Lokey’s study also argues that IPL franchises benefit from an asset-light structure, salary-cap discipline and low fixed-asset exposure compared with many global sports teams.
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Scarcity matters too. There are only 10 IPL teams, and not all are realistically available for sale. “Out of 10 teams, maybe only one or two are realistically open to investment or sale. When many investors chase very few assets, premiums rise sharply,” says Santosh.
Why RCB’s valuation is not much higher than RR’s
The sale of both RCB and RR begs another question: why is the valuation of a popular franchise like RCB not significantly higher than that of RR?
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On one hand, RCB boasts one of the league’s biggest fan bases, mainly driven by Virat Kohli’s stardom, a premium Bengaluru market and strong sponsor appeal. RR, on the other hand, never had a marquee player like Kohli, or boasts of a die-hard fanbase.
Santosh says that even though there is a gulf between the brand values of both teams, their revenues may still be nearly the same.
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“Each franchise gets around ₹500 crore from the BCCI’s central pool, regardless of whether it is at the top or bottom of the table. Team-owned revenue is typically in the ₹200 crore to ₹300 crore range. A team like RR may generate around ₹220 crore on its own, while RCB may generate ₹270 crore to ₹300 crore. So the overall revenue gap remains modest,” he says.
On star power, Santosh says the Kohli effect on RCB should be viewed with caution. “Virat Kohli adds value, but RCB has not yet been able to monetise that value at a dramatically higher level,” he said.
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What are the risks behind these valuations?
The bull case is not without caveats. Santosh identifies three major risks:
Media consolidation could weaken future bidding intensity for IPL rights.
Regulatory or policy action affecting key advertiser categories could hurt broadcaster economics and reduce future rights aggression.
Some investors may be building in aggressive assumptions about a much longer IPL window, which remains uncertain because it depends on player availability, support from other cricket boards and sustained viewer appetite.
Why buyers may still pay up
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Santosh says that these assets are not being bought like hold-forever dividend plays. “These (teams) are like trophy assets. For many investors, especially ultra-rich individuals and strategic buyers, the appeal may go beyond return on investment. Ownership brings status, access, visibility and proximity to the worlds of sport, entertainment and business,” he says.
The second reason is the exit value. According to Santosh, investors may believe that five or six years from now, demand for these assets will remain strong and someone else will be willing to pay $2.5 billion or $3 billion. In that case, their return comes from capital appreciation, not operating cash flow.
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“So this is not a hold-forever, collect-dividends investment. It is more likely a prestige asset plus a bet on future resale at a higher price,” he says.
During the Hoosiers’ title run, Cignetti became known for his demanding coaching style. Indiana opened spring practice Thursday, and incoming transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh got a crash course in what it means to play for Cignetti.
Marsh, who transferred from Michigan State, arrived at practice in gold cleats. After noting Marsh’s productive two-year stint in East Lansing, Cignetti pivoted to the wideout’s footwear.
Nick Marsh (6) of the Michigan State Spartans runs the ball up the field during the first quarter of a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ford Field Nov. 29, 2025, in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
“I didn’t love those gold shoes he came out in today,” Cignetti said. “He learned what getting your a– ripped is all about. I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started.”
Marsh totaled 1,311 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at Michigan State. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover also headlines Indiana’s transfer additions.
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An Indiana Hoosiers helmet during a game against the Ball State Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium Aug. 31, 2019, in Indianapolis.(Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Cignetti added that the coaching staff has “more work to do with this group than the first two teams,” noting the group is still learning more about players the team will likely rely on next season.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti during the second quarter against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff national championship at Hard Rock Stadium Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla.(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Indiana went 16-0 en route to a thrilling win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship in January.
Wardley became world champion after being elevated from interim status in December, and he will be looking to continue the form that saw him claim stoppage victories over Joseph Parker and Justis Huni last year.
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As for Dubois, he is attempting to earn world honours once again after losing his IBF title to Oleksandr Usyk in July 2025, though he famously secured a knockout win against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
Usyk is likely to be an interested spectator for the Wardley vs. Dubois showdown, after revealing his intentions to potentially take on the winner in the near future, though for now the British duo will firmly have their sights set on one another.
More fights for the card in May have been revealed, with the most notable seeing American heavyweight Jared Anderson compete for the first time since signing with Queensberry, making his UK debut when he meets former English champion Solomon Dacres.
Elsewhere, unbeaten hopeful Jack Rafferty is set to move up a division and face Ekow Essuman in a welterweight contest, while Liam Cameron and former European champion Brad Rea meet in a light heavyweight bout.
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Rounding up the list of fights announced, unbeaten Khaleel Majid faces ex-British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Gavin Gwynne.
The third-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini take on the second-seeded Houston Cougars in a 2026 NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday. Illinois is coming off a 76-55-88 last-second victory over VCU on Saturday in the second round, while Houston defeated Texas A&M 88-57 on Saturday. The Illini (26-8), who finished in second place in a three-way tie in the Big 10 Conference, have won four of the last five games. The Cougars (30-6), who came in second in the Big 12, have also won four of five games.
Tipoff from Toyota Center in Houston is set for 10:05 p.m. ET. The all-time series is split 3-3 as the programs meet for the first time since 2022. The Cougars are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Illinois vs. Houston odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 139.5. The Coogs are at -141 on the money line (risk $141 to win $100). Before making any Houston vs. Illinois picks, check out the Illinois vs Houston predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 Sweet 16 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.
After 10,000 simulations of Illinois vs. Houston, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (139.5 points). The total has gone Over in three of Illinois last four games. Houston’s last game also came in Over the total. The Illini are 10-2 straight up in their last 12 games played on a Thursday.
The model projects the Illini to have four players score 12 points or more, including Keaton Wagler, who is projected to score 15.7 points. The Cougars are projected to have three players score 12 points or more, led by Emanuel Sharp, who is projected to score 16.2 points. The model is projecting 149 combined points as the Over clears in 74.3% of simulations. You can get the spread pick at SportsLine.
How to make Illinois vs. Houston picks
Now, the model simulated every possession of Illinois vs. Houston 10,000 times and says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
Originally, Garcia had threatened to return to the 140lb division in order to challenge for Stevenson’s title, but the Californian has now u-turned on those plans and instead demanded that the Newark southpaw comes up to welterweight in order to make the fight happen.
In an interview with FightHype, Benavidez spoke with excitement ahead of the potential clash and encouraged Stevenson to test himself and grow his legacy whilst he is in his prime.
“It is not an easy fight, it is a 50/50 fight. I’m not going to say that Ryan Garcia is going to knock Shakur out and I am not saying that Shakur is going to go and knock Ryan Garcia out – it is a 50/50 fight and that is what we want to see.
“Everybody moves at their own pace. I think that Shakur has done a hell of a job, he is a great fighter, he is definitely going to be a legend and I just think that you should try and make the legend as big as you can, while you can.”
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Stevenson has maintained that he would require a rehydration clause in order to accept a fight above his natural weight division – a proposal that Garcia appears unwilling to agree to.
Craig Bellamy admitted Wales would have to “let it hurt” after their World Cup dream was destroyed by a penalty shoot-out play-off defeat.
Bosnia and Herzegovina prevailed 4-2 on spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw following 120 tension-packed minutes at Cardiff City Stadium.
Wales were four minutes from booking a home play-off final against Italy – 2-0 winners over Northern Ireland – on Tuesday after Daniel James’ stunning strike just after half-time, but 40-year-old veteran Edin Dzeko saved Bosnia by heading home from a corner.
“We’re going to hurt, let it hurt,” said boss Bellamy after history cruelly repeated itself as Wales had lost a Euro 2024 play-off final to Poland in Cardiff on penalties.
“I haven’t really felt this towards a group of players, because I’ve probably never had a group of players for myself as a coach.
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“Getting to back-to-back World Cups was really our target. To know you’ve not got there, and when you see players really disappointed, it hurts you more.
“I hurt tonight as it sinks in now. It will be a sleepless night, difficult to sleep off the back of this one. But it makes me even more determined tomorrow.
“The sun will rise, and I’m going to watch that sun rise. Then straight away, how do I go again? How do I improve? How does this team get better?
“Let’s get over tonight, but there’s a bright future. If I was playing, imagine looking forward to what’s coming up.
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“As a group of players, you have the Nations League coming up. Group A.
“You have a home nation Euros coming. It’s not a bad time to be a Welsh footballer.”
Wales seized the initial advantage in the shoot-out as Karl Darlow saved Ermedin Demirovic’s kick.
But Brennan Johnson blazed over and Neco Williams saw Nikola Vasilj push away his penalty, allowing Kerim Alajbegovic to seal Wales’ fate.
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Bellamy said he had not yet spoken to Johnson, who left the pitch in tears after his crucial penalty miss.
“Of course I’ll speak to Brennan. Let’s get through this moment (first),” said Bellamy.
“It’s a hard one and we practice pens. We’ve done all our research on it, we spent all week doing it.
“So we couldn’t have done any more on penalties. Honestly, I don’t believe in luck on pens.
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“You’ve got to be prepared and rehearse them every day in training. The analysis on penalties we went really through it.
“That leaves me more bewildered. when they missed the first one. I thought ‘yeah, this is exactly what we practice for’, but it wasn’t the case.”
Wales had the best first-half opportunities with Harry Wilson striking the upright midway through.
James hit the woodwork for the second time after lashing home from 25 yards, but Bosnia had threatened increasingly before Dzeko scored his 73rd international goal.
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Bellamy said: “If there’s any learning from it, which is really difficult right now with the disappointment, it is when the heat comes you’ve got to be even calmer.
“What happened is not what we want for this team. Bosnia are drilled for chaos, and we allowed chaos to creep in for 20 minutes.
“We’re not built that way. We don’t play that way. But I do understand it’s a play-off and they’re going out.”
As a full-time member of the PGA Tour, Paul Waring’s best finish has been a T47 at the 2025 Canadian Open. He has battled injury and his game, but on Thursday at the 2026 Houston Open, it all came together for the 41-year-old Englishman, who opened his tournament at Memorial Park with a bogey-free 7-under 63 to command the first-round lead.
Waring arrived in Houston this week with a medical extension. His rookie season on the PGA Tour was tough sledding with 10 missed cuts and a withdrawal across 12 tournaments as he tried to power through the pain of injury. His first three starts on the PGA Tour in 2026 produced the same — three straight missed cuts — but with missed cuts came a chance to find his game.
“To be fair, I found a little bit of momentum coming forward in the last few weeks,” Waring said. “I know [I] missed cuts at Valspar [Championship] and Cognizant [Classic], but [I] felt like my golf game was in a good spot. … I gave too many shots away in the first few weeks, where this week, a lot tidier, no bogeys and holed a good amount of footage today. I think I’ve just been told I holed over 160 feet of putts today, which is massive and gives you a massive advantage.”
Waring’s 63 was the best around Memorial Park by a stroke as Gary Woodland made birdie on three of his final four holes late in the evening to post his 64. Another man who is going through a fight of his own, Woodland revealed at The Players Championship that he has been battling post-traumatic stress disorder following his 2023 brain surgery.
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Open and honest, Woodland shared that the emotional and mental toll from his operation has been crippling. The PGA Tour has brought in additional security measures for when Woodland plays, as he is engulfed with anxiety and hyper awareness — common traits associated with PTSD — and has felt a massive weight lifted off his shoulders since the interview.
“The response has been … big, and it’s also been big for me because I got a lot of relief,” Woodland said. “I literally feel like I got a thousand pounds off my back that day. It was hard to do. I was crying going into the interview, and I left feeling a thousand pounds lighter.
“I have a battle that I’m fighting, but it’s nice to not do that alone, I can tell you that. We’ll take it one day at a time and continue to get better. But the Tour out here is a family, and they’ve been amazing. The golf world’s been amazing, and I’m very thankful.”
Meanwhile, Rickie Fowler is fighting for more than just a trophy this week. Ranked No. 61 in the Official World Golf Rankings, Fowler needs a high finish to climb inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Rankings and earn an invitation to the first major championship of the year.
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“I had a great run last year, kind of second half of the year, and felt like I was in a good spot with my game,” Fowler said. “Was able to get some downtime to work on the body and get my shoulder in a better spot, where I wasn’t having to play through the pain. So, luckily, had played well through the summer. I had confidence knowing we could go out and kind of play some simple golf. Kind of picked up at AmEx and did a good job there of continuing that.
“A lot of it is on the mental side, not trying to do too much or anything special, trying to kind of let the rounds come to me and piece things together and kind of plot my way around.”
Fowler stands at 3 under with world No. 80 Sahith Theegala, who is also in need of a massive performance at the place he once called home. Former Texas Longhorn Pierceson Coody fired a 70 and will battle the cutline on Friday to get the finish he needs to go from outside the Masters bubble at world No. 51 to inside that magic number.
Leader
1. Paul Waring (-7): Waring spent 2008-24 on the DP World Tour and was able to make his way to the PGA Tour thanks to a win at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship during the postseason. He would be a fool not to jump at the opportunity to play stateside, but it has been a difficult go of things ever since. Despite this, Waring believes he is close to his 2024 form. While his putting proved to be the biggest difference maker, he still connected on 14 greens in regulation and hit 9 of 13 fairways in Round 1, showing the tee-to-green play is not far behind.
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“It’s not a million miles away. That week [in Abu Dhabi in 2024], I felt like I was exceptional with the wedges, which was the reason I managed to score so low,” Waring said. “I was aggressive off the tee that week, gave myself all the chances. This golf course is quite nice for me. … I would say it’s wide off the tee, it’s quite forgiving off the tee, so it gives me a chance to move the body at speed and without any fear.
“So I could swing freely, I could and get myself into those wedge positions, especially on the par 5s. Again, all the work has been around what I did that sort of couple years ago to get myself sort of back in this place that I am now. So hopefully I can build on this today. See how the week goes.”
Contenders
2. Gary Woodland (-6) T3. Sam Burns, Michael Brennan, Tom Hoge (-5) T6. Marco Penge, Stephan Jaeger, Kurt Kitayama, Matt Wallace (-4)
It’s as cool as it gets. One week after Woodland opened up, he notched a top 15 finish at the Valspar Championship, and now, one week after that, he is in the mix at the Houston Open. This has been a happy hunting ground for the former U.S. Open champion in recent years with a runner-up performance a season ago to go along with finishes of T21 and T9.
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Statistically, Woodland was awesome in Round 1. He ranked second in greens in regulation and top 10 in both ball striking categories as well as putting. That’s great on paper, but even more importantly, Woodland felt comfortable inside the ropes.
“At the end of the day, it’s confidence,” Woodland said. “I’ve had some good practice over the last couple of months and I hadn’t seen anything on the course, so it’s trying to stay patient. Last week, I started to see some signs on the course. Even when I got behind the 8-ball in a couple of rounds early last week, I fought back hard at the end. I was able to get off and running today, really just played solid. Felt good out there all day, that’s a big plus.”
Theegala at 32-1 is still a great play. The former Houston resident did everything one is supposed to do Thursday as he made three birdies on the three par 5s, picked one up elsewhere and dropped only one shot. He gained strokes throughout the bag and should be able to give it a good go Friday afternoon after some much-needed rest following his TGL championship and an early Round 1 tee time.
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