Former Aílton Gonçalves da Silva has given a strong opinion on why Victor Boniface has struggled during his loan spell at Werder Bremen.

Boniface joined Bremen with high hopes, but things have not gone as planned. The Nigerian striker has failed to score in 11 Bundesliga matches and has only provided two assists. His situation became worse after he suffered a serious knee injury in December 2025, which required surgery and kept him out for a long time.

Even before the injury, there were concerns about his fitness. Sporting director Clemens Fritz revealed that the club had to monitor his weight and put him on a special training and diet plan.

Now back from recovery with parent club Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface is trying to regain form quickly as Bremen battle to avoid relegation with only a few matches left this season.

Fritz remains careful but hopeful about the striker’s chances of helping the team. He stressed that Boniface must reach full fitness before he can make a real impact.

Despite his struggles, Bremen still believe in Boniface’s ability. However, there are doubts about whether he can regain his sharpness in time to help the team at such a crucial stage.

Aílton, however, has taken a more direct stance. The former Bundesliga top scorer said he expected more from Boniface but believes several issues affected his performance.

He pointed to the striker’s injury problems and poor physical condition, adding that the team’s bad form at the time also made things difficult for him.

According to Aílton, the long absence after surgery has made it even harder for Boniface to find rhythm. He warned that it may be difficult for the striker to score goals before the season ends due to lack of time.

Meanwhile, head coach Daniel Thioune has shown more belief in the Nigerian forward. Although he admitted Boniface is not yet fully fit, he said the striker can still contribute in short periods during matches.

Thioune explained that what matters most is the player’s attitude and finishing ability, not just his weight. He added that Boniface could be useful in key matches, especially against direct rivals.

Bremen will face 1. FC Köln, Hamburger SV, and VfB Stuttgart this April, knowing they need positive results to move away from the relegation zone.

Jenny Patrickson leaving Active IQ

After 12 years in the role she is moving into consultancy and advisory work

Lisa Skelton and Lee Buck will take the company forward

Jack Garner has recently joined as trustee of parent company, NCFE

Managing director of awarding body, Active IQ, Jenny Patrickson, is leaving to focus on consultancy, advisory and non-executive director roles.

Patrickson said about her decision: “After 12 incredibly rewarding years with Active IQ, I am immensely proud of all that it has achieved. It has been an honour and a privilege to work alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues, customers and partners. 

“Together, we have navigated challenges, celebrated significant milestones, and built a lasting legacy of quality, innovation, collaboration and meaningful impact within and for the sector.”

A new managing director will not be appointed, the company will be taken forward by the senior leadership team of Lisa Skelton, head of business development, and Lee Buck, head of employer product strategy. They will have the support of Jack Garner, head of business operations at The FA, who has recently been appointed as a trustee of NCFE, the parent company which acquired Active IQ in 2022. 

Going forward the focus will include the creation of market‑leading qualifications that meet industry demand and innovation in response to the challenges and opportunities across sport, active leisure, and wellbeing.

If recent form matters when making 2026 Masters picks, then three names should stand out from the others. Matt Fitzpatrick has a win and a runner-up in his last two starts, while Cameron Young has a victory and a third place over his last pair of tournaments. Then there’s Bryson DeChambeau, who won his last two events on LIV Golf as all three golfers bring momentum into the Masters 2026. This year’s tournament is the 90th edition and will tee off on Thursday at Augusta National.

None of the three has ever finished better than fifth at the Masters, but they still all find their names high up the PGA odds board. Only Scottie Scheffler (+550) is a bigger favorite than DeChambeau (+1000), with Fitzpatrick and Young both at +2200. How much should you prioritize recent results when placing 2026 Masters bets? Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

SportsLine’s proprietary golf betting model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulates every PGA Tour event 10,000 times. This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship. 

Now that the 2026 Masters field is locked in, the model simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected leaderboard. 

2026 Masters predictions for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm

One pick from the model for the Masters 2026: Rahm (+1000), the 2023 Masters champion and one of this year’s favorites, makes another strong run at the green jacket, but ultimately falls just short. Rahm historically plays some of his best golf at Augusta, finishing in the top 10 five times since 2018. He already has one professional win this season and hasn’t finished worse than fifth this year in any event, so the model is expecting him to contend at Augusta, giving him a 10.5% chance of winning it all and a 41.3% chance to finish top 5. 

The model has also locked in its projection for Scheffler (+550), a two-time Masters winner who is this year’s favorite. Scheffler is making his seventh start at Augusta National after winning the green jacket in 2022 and 2024. He has never finished outside the top 20 in the first major of the year, and he had top-10 performances in 17 of his 20 starts on the PGA Tour last year.

Scheffler opened the season with a win in the American Express before carding top-five finishes in the WM Phoenix Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, he has been outside the top 20 in his last two events, and he has not competed since mid-March due to the birth of his second child. This is the first time in his career that he made zero PGA Tour starts between the Players and the Masters, so rust could be an issue this week.

The model has also examined McIlroy’s (+1300) chances of becoming the fourth golfer to win back-to-back green jackets. After achieving the career Grand Slam with last year’s win, a comedown from that high was almost unavoidable. That’s happened with the Irishman as McIlroy hasn’t won any of his 14 PGA Tour starts since.

However, McIlroy’s metrics indicate he’s still elite and can win any time he steps on a course. He’s fourth in strokes gained: total and leads the tour in SG: tee-to-green and SG: off-the-tee. Since Tiger Woods became the last repeat Masters champion (2001-02), only three defending champions have finished better than 10th in their repeat bid, so McIlroy will be battling history as well as Augusta. See the full Masters projections from the model here.

How to make 2026 Masters picks

The model is also targeting two longshots of +4000 or greater, including one who is going off around +8000, who could make a stunning run at Augusta this year. You can only see the model’s picks here. 

Who will win the 2026 Masters, which massive longshots will stun the golfing world, and where will Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy finish? Check out the 2026 Masters odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected leaderboard, all from the model that’s nailed 16 golf majors, including three in 2025, and four straight Masters.

2026 Masters odds, favorites 

Get full 2026 Masters picks, best bets and predictions here. 

Odds via FanDuel (subject to change)

Scottie Scheffler +550
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1300
Xander Schauffele +1500
Ludvig Åberg +1700
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Cameron Young +2200
Tommy Fleetwood +2200
Hideki Matsuyama +2700
Robert MacIntyre +2700
Justin Rose +3000
Min Woo Lee +3000
Patrick Reed +3500
Collin Morikawa +3500
Si Woo Kim +4500
Jordan Spieth +4500
Brooks Koepka +4500
Chris Gotterup +5500
Russell Henley +5500
Nicolai Højgaard +5500
Viktor Hovland +5500
Akshay Bhatia +6500
Maverick McNealy +6500
Jake Knapp +7000
Shane Lowry +7000
Patrick Cantlay +7000
Justin Thomas +7000
Adam Scott +7500
Jason Day +7500
Sepp Straka +8000
Tyrrell Hatton +8000
Corey Conners +8000
J.J. Spaun +8000
Jacob Bridgeman +8000
Sam Burns +10000
Harris English +10000
Rasmus Højgaard +10000
Cameron Smith +10000
Marco Penge +10000
Sungjae Im +12500
Gary Woodland +12500
Kurt Kitayama +15000
Daniel Berger +17500
Ben Griffin +17500
Alex Noren +17500
Ryan Gerard +17500
Sam Stevens +20000
Keegan Bradley +20000
Harry Hall +20000
Aldrich Potgieter +20000
Kristoffer Reitan +22500
Max Homa +22500
Ryan Fox +25000
Casey Jarvis +25000
Aaron Rai +25000
Wyndham Clark +25000
Brian Harman +25000
Sergio Garcia +30000
Dustin Johnson +30000
Nicolas Echavarria +30000
Carlos Ortiz +30000
Michael Kim +30000
Max Greyserman +40000
Nick Taylor +40000
Haotong Li +40000
Matt McCarty +40000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +40000
Andrew Novak +40000
Tom McKibbin +40000
Sami Valimaki +50000
Michael Brennan +50000
John Keefer +50000
Bubba Watson +75000
Charl Schwartzel +75000
Zach Johnson +75000
Davis Riley +100000
Angel Cabrera +100000
Mason Howell +100000
Fifa Laopakdee +100000
Ethan Fang +100000
Brian Campbell +100000
Vijay Singh +100000
Jose Maria Olazabal +100000
Brandon Holtz +100000
Naoyuki Kataoka +100000
Danny Willett +100000
Jackson Herrington +100000
Fred Couples +100000
Mateo Pulcini +100000
Mike Weir +100000

Augusta National Golf Club has played home to the Masters since the 1930s. The iconic course has stood the test of time. However, the course has been lengthened significantly over the years as players hit it farther and farther.

So what is Augusta National’s length now? Here’s a complete review of the total length, and the distance of each hole at Augusta ahead of the 2026 Masters.

Augusta National distance: What you need to know

Modern pros like defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy have gained tremendous length on their historic predecessors. With equipment innovations, new swing techniques and intense fitness routines, today’s Masters participants simply bomb the ball.

Alister Mackenzie, who designed Augusta National alongside club co-founder Bobby Jones, could never have envisioned how short their prized 18 holes would become in the face of the modern game.

Largely beginning with Tiger Woods’ dominant 1997 Masters victory, for which he often hit driver-wedge into Augusta’s famed par-5s, the course has been lengthened (and lengthened again) to defend against long hitters.

Augusta National: Total length

The total length of Augusta National for the 2026 Masters will be 7,565 yards, with the first nine playing 3,775 yards and the second nine stretching to 3,790 yards. That will change slightly each day as tees are moved forward and back.

However, the course members play on a normal day is far shorter than what the pros play. If you were playing Augusta National from the members tees this year, you’d face a course closer to 6,400 yards. That’s over a thousand yards shorter than the pros will play at the Masters.

Augusta National’s longest hole (and shortest hole)

Unlike at many other tournaments, all players begin each Masters round on Augusta National’s 1st tee. But they quickly run into the longest hole they will face all day.

The par-5 2nd hole, known as Pink Dogwood, could reach 585 yards during the 2026 Masters. Even so, many pros will attempt to reach the difficult 2nd green, found at the end of a long fairway that swoops downhill and to the left, in two shots.

As for Augusta National’s shortest hole, it also happens to be the course’s most famous. That would be the par-3 12th, Golden Bell, which will play to 155 yards during this year’s Masters.

Despite its short length, the 12th is typically one of the toughest holes at the Masters thanks to the nervy tee shot over water amid swirling winds. Many Masters Sunday charges have met their ends on this hole.

Augusta National hole-by-hole length for 2026 Masters

Here’s the standard length for each Augusta National hole at the Masters.

Hole No. 1 – Tea Olive, par-4: 445 yards

Hole No. 2 – Pink Dogwood, par-5: 585 yards

Hole No. 3 – Flowering Peach, par-4: 350 yards

Hole No. 4 – Flowering Crab Apple, par-3: 240 yards

Hole No. 5 – Magnolia, par-4: 495 yards

Hole No. 6 – Juniper, par-3: 180 yards

Hole No. 7 – Pampas, par-4: 450 yards

Hole No. 8 – Yellow Jasmine, par-5: 570 yards

Hole No. 9 – Carolina Cherry, par-4: 460 yards

Hole No. 10 – Camellia, par-4: 495 yards

Hole No. 11 – White Dogwood, par-4: 520 yards

Hole No. 12 – Golden Bell, par-3: 155 yards

Hole No. 13 – Azalea, par-5: 545 yards

Hole No. 14 – Chinese Fir, par-4: 440 yards

Hole No. 15 – Firethorn, par-5: 550 yards

Hole No. 16 – Redbud, par-3: 170 yards

Hole No. 17 – Nandina, par-4: 450 yards

Hole No. 18 – Holly, par-4: 465 yards

You can find more detailed information on each hole at Augusta National here on Masters.com.

The Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao rematch promotional run is not going smoothly following the official announcement.

Mayweather and Pacquiao faced off back in 2015, where ‘TBE’ claimed a legendary decision win over the Filipino phenomenon before hanging up the gloves two years later.

‘Pac Man’ revealed that he had suffered a severe right rotator cuff tear before the fight and has later said opting not to postpone the clash was the biggest regret of his career. He had surgery on his shoulder shortly after the fight but was unable to secure a rematch, that was until earlier this year, with a shock second encounter announced for September – undoubtedly one of the biggest events of the 2026 boxing calendar despite disapproval from many fans.

However, in recent days the fight has been thrown into doubt after Mayweather said that the venue was not finalised and that it would be an exhibition, not a pro contest as announced. Pacquiao’s team say he is in breach of contract for that, as well as other reasons.

Now, in an interview with FightHype, Shane Mosley, who lost to Mayweather in 2010 and Pacquiao the year after, declared that he has heard rumours that Pacquiao’s shoulder is hindering him once again.

“Floyd’s not the same Floyd that he was … but Manny also has some complications. I don’t know if it’s his shoulder, in his sparring or something like that. There’s stuff going on with him too.

“I’m seeing that he [Pacquiao] is having complications with his shoulder and stuff, so I don’t think that he will be able to train the same way that he did to get ready for the [Mario] Barrios fight. So, that could be something.

“Before [hearing of the shoulder injury] I was saying Pacquiao [will win], now I am saying that I don’t really know because I don’t know what Pacquiao can do. I don’t know if he can still run or spar, he can’t do what he used to do.”

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It remains to be seen whether those whispers are true or not, with Pacquiao claiming to be fighting fit ahead of what is, until official word says otherwise, a professional rematch with Mayweather, scheduled for Saturday, September 19, live on Netflix.

Coco Gauff released a shocking 8-minute response addressing the backlash to her Miu Miu campaign. The American star spoke out in defense of her natural hair and used the moment to stand up against the criticism faced by Black individuals.

The controversy around Gauff and Miu Miu started after their latest campaign began circulating online. While many fans loved seeing her step into the fashion space, the reaction quickly turned negative on social media.

A lot of the criticism was focused on her hair. Gauff chose a simple, natural look, where she put her hair in a bun, but some comments were unnecessarily harsh and crossed the line. Some users made offensive comparisons between the tennis star’s look and historical civil rights imagery, which many found deeply inappropriate.

Initially, Gauff did not respond publicly. However, after returning to X following a month-long break, she came across the negative comments and called them out. A few days later, she addressed the backlash more directly, sharing an 8-minute video response on TikTok.

The two-time Grand Slam champ explained that the photoshoot was a simple setup in her parents’ backyard. The outfit choice, she made clear, was entirely hers.

“First of all, it’s Miu Miu. That’s their aesthetic. I love the Miu Miu aesthetic. So if you don’t like it, the girls who get it, get it. The girls who don’t, don’t. I picked the outfit out,” she said.

She also addressed comments about her hair, explaining why she chose the natural bun.

“I personally don’t like to slick back my hair super sleek because it does damage my hair.”

She added that she prefers to let her “4C hair” be natural, especially as a tennis player. Gauff emphasized representation as well, saying:

“I’m not going to apologize for the way that my hair looks… There are other girls who have the exact same hair as me.”

She added that if her hair was good enough for a high-fashion campaign, “then yours is good enough” too.

“Black people are beautiful” – Coco Gauff’s positive message to people after Miu Miu controversy

The latter half of Coco Gauff’s response video was filled with positive messages. She explained that people who criticize others are insecure about themselves, and no one should pay much heed to such criticism.

Sharing a beautiful and positive message for black people, Coco Gauff said:

“Black people are beautiful. Black hair texture, kinky afro hair texture is beautiful. You don’t need people on the internet who don’t like themselves, who are insecure about themselves to tell you that. Because, people who are secure will also find my shoot beautiful.”

On the tennis side of things, Gauff is gaining momentum in 2026. She started slowly but has reached the semifinal in Dubai and the final in Miami recently. She lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the final in Miami, but will move into the clay season with confidence as she looks to defend her French Open title.