JOHANNESBURG — Bryson DeChambeau looked exhausted, leaning on the edge of a desk in the LIV Golf media center Thursday afternoon. His chin sagged as he exhaled, only raising for a sip from his grape-flavored Celsius energy drink.
“It’s been a long couple weeks,” he said, referring to LIV’s trio of consecutive March stops: Hong Kong to Singapore to South Africa. “But this is what LIV is supposed to be.”
DeChambeau looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the media center at a golf course buzzing, spectators moving in every direction. The first round had just ended and he held a share of the lead.
“It might not work everywhere,” he said, “but in certain spots, it absolutely can.”
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That sentiment is the theme of the moment for LIV Golf as it leaves behind its fifth event of the year, in South Africa. Fourteen months ago, when Scott O’Neil took the helm from Greg Norman, the league was not ready for the African continent. But shortly after O’Neil arrived, Louis Oosthuizen convinced South Africa’s minister of sports, art and culture, Gayton McKenzie, to attend LIV’s Korea event to better understand the league. McKenzie met DeChambeau that week and quickly became enamored with LIV’s offerings. He is a boisterous man, unshy about his desires to bring big sport to his country and so keen to do so that he did a handshake deal with O’Neil on that Korea trip. Ten months later, LIV South Africa became one of the most successful events in the league’s four-year history.
The reasons behind that success, as ever, require context. How LIV creates its events is, now more than ever, plainly obvious, as if spelled out on a chalkboard at LIV HQ, or in the application the league requires municipalities to fill out. If a location checks enough boxes, LIV is likely to bring an event there. If it doesn’t check enough boxes, like, for example, receiving government funding, LIV is likely to look elsewhere.
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“Adelaide is the template,” LIV pro Brendan Steele told me on the range last week. He was giddy. There was anticipation in the air, with digital clocks ticking down everywhere you looked ahead of the first round. By Adelaide, Steele means Australia, but more specifically, the state of South Australia, which welcomed LIV years ago and has been hosting its most successful event ever since. That it coincided this year with an out-of-nowhere win by Anthony Kim was gravy.
Steele and I chatted only briefly, but he said great LIV events don’t necessarily need to “check all those boxes.” That feels optimistic, especially when it comes to LIV’s desire for government funding.
South Australia has signed on as LIV’s Australian home through 2031. New Orleans is getting its first LIV event this year, but only after earmarking $7 million to make it happen, from the same budget that offers public funding to host the Super Bowl and other major sporting events. LIV went to Chicago in each of its first four seasons — no other city could say that — but is not this summer, because sufficient state funding never materialized. If the Chicago Bears are going to struggle to get Illinois state money, to the point of considering a move to northwest Indiana, LIV Golf likely will, too. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, LIV has found a new Midwest home in Indianapolis.)
For LIV South Africa to become a reality, getting McKenzie to pursue government aid was step 1 — and McKenzie, who was out and about at the Club at Steyn City all week long, was the right man for the job. He so badly wants F1 to reroute its globe-trotting schedule through his country that he spoke up when multiple races were canceled recently in the war-torn Middle East. In hopes of landing an F1 race in the future, he recently promised to make an offer the racing circuit couldn’t refuse. He’ll now have a golfy case study to include in his proposal.
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It’s unclear what amount of public funding LIV Golf’s Joburg event landed, but it clearly led to a massive success. On Sunday morning, LIV announced it would return to South Africa next April, with McKenzie essentially opening the ticket window himself.
“LIV Golf is never leaving this continent again,” he said. “Which means we’re going to be here 2027, 2028, 2029, 20-forever. We’re going to be here.”
Branden Grace plays the final hole of LIV Golf South Africa Sunday.
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AFTER THE SECOND ROUND, DeChambeau is back in the media center, sipping another Celsius, panting less heavily this time.
“Be honest,” he starts, “how many PGA Tour events are like that?”
He’s referring to the sound, the fervor, the hanging-around-well-after-the-round element that happens when the golf is a lead-in to a performance by one of South Africa’s biggest DJs, Black Coffee. Between Friday and Saturday, event organizers had to replace the white picket fence surrounding the party hole with a metal one out of fear that the crowd would trample it.
“Not many,” I say. “But be honest, at how many places can this actually happen?”
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“Five or six internationally,” DeChambeau says, indicating he’s given the idea thought. He rattles off Australia, South Africa, Spain and England, maybe one in Asia.
“And definitely one in Chile, for Torque [GC].”
The globalist mind wanders. Santiago … Buenos Aires … DeChambeau was not the only LIV contractor to suggest this number of roughly six locations worldwide that could host the raucousness of 100,000 people who want a festival concoction that pairs golf with music, arts, food, etc. That is the LIV product now more than ever. It’s impossible to know how many attendees are treating the golf as an opener for Calvin Harris, or how many view Harris as a dessert following DeChambeau, but LIV sees either scenario as a market advantage.
South Africa is not necessarily starved for pro golf. The DP World Tour has played host to four tournaments in the country in the last four months alone. But what the DPWT brings to South Africa is so different from LIV that it’s almost offensive to each league to compare the two. The DPWT isn’t trying to create festivals. LIV isn’t trying to do anything but make a massive, memorable splash. All of which made event organizers, in the planning stages, think far more about the 2003 Presidents Cup — held in South Africa — than any Nedbank Challenges. Last week’s event was endlessly hailed as the biggest golf event in South African history, just like the Adelaide event in February was similarly dubbed for Australia.
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The architect of these events is Ross Hallett, who brings decades of golf-event experience from IMG. He wants every LIV event to be as big in scale as the Presidents Cup, but while feeling less like a traditional golf tournament. “Music works,” he says. “We know it. Easy. How do you incorporate art? We haven’t got it [figured out], but there’s [local] art on every TV tower.”
In Hong Kong, local celebrity chefs were cooking in the fan village all week, with mirrors placed above their heads so spectators could better see.
“They were mic’d up and I was like, This is awesome,” said O’Neil, LIV’s CEO. “Now, is it for everyone? No. Does it move the needle in selling more tickets? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe it doesn’t. But like the whole total experience. It’s like that fully cultural experience, which I love, and I think over time that wins because it’s right in the demo. It’s right in the demo: culture, food, art, music, golf.”
That O’Neil referenced golf last among those attractions might well have been unintentional but it does raise a question: Can the golf at LIV Golf matter significantly to hardcore, traditional golf fans? O’Neil obviously thinks so. And in person, the competition in South Africa was mostly riveting, even if the water-logged course lacked intrigue.
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In a dream scenario, the league’s two best players — and two of its most expensive signees — landed in a playoff. Suddenly, two of the best pre-Masters storylines are a result of LIV Golf, which hasn’t happened before. Adding more juice, South Africa’s Southern Guards were one 18th-hole birdie putt away from a playoff of their own.
On the final hole in regulation, with rope lines dropped, DeChambeau needed to get up and down for par; as he went to work, an enormous crowd tried getting in his head with a rendition of their national anthem. On the first playoff hole, more drama, with DeChambeau hitting a stunning 3-wood from a mud-ball lie to set up his winning birdie. The setting was special; it moved DeChambeau to tears. All week he’d been treated like Elvis — sometimes signing autographs for an hour at a time — and even acted like a frontman on the championship stage, coming back out for an encore of applause, throwing his hat into the crowd and shouting, “I LOVE YOU GUYS.”
Bryson DeChambeau bows to the crowd following his win at LIV South Africa.
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That this culmination happened at 8 a.m. on America’s East Coast matters because there tends to be this truism ringing through LIV’s best results: You kinda had to be there to appreciate them. Between time zones and lack of interest from the Golf Channel demo, there remains a disconnect between the action abroad and how it resonates at-large, particularly in the U.S.
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On a year-over-year basis, LIV’s international television numbers are up. But throughout its four-plus seasons, the American TV numbers have not been good, and the American TV market is where a dominant amount of value is derived for sports leagues all over the globe. For the PGA Tour, for example, TV rights make up nearly two-thirds of its “core business” revenues.
TV can be less important for LIV Golf, but can it be unimportant? On LIV’s current TV deal, its events bounce among FS2, FS1 and FOX and have been out-rated by similarly scheduled PGA Tour events by a factor of 10x or 11x, according to Nielsen Big Data + Panel. LIV hopefuls believe in time the league will pull market share from the PGA Tour. But if LIV wants to put a dent into its American TV deficit this season, it’ll have to do so against five Signature Events on the PGA Tour. That’s not an uphill climb; it’s a vertical-face ascent.
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THERE IS A SENSE OF AMAZEMENT, for Johannesburg locals at least, at how quickly LIV erected its business in their backyard. One person who lives on property at the Steyn City Estate said the event buildout sprouted out of the ground like mushrooms.
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When the Southern Guards approached McKenzie to get the government green-light, they thought it would probably happen in 2028, maybe by 2027 if they were lucky, but certainly not 2026. But McKenzie made it happen. O’Neil says local sponsors are almost just as important as local government support, and while they didn’t get a title sponsor this year — like LIV had in Hong Kong — he thinks they will next year.
Stroll the Steyn City property and you’ll see far more local and global brands leaning into LIV than it had during its first season. Coca-Cola’s suite of products — from Powerade to Monster Energy — were well placed throughout the fan village. The concert stage was sponsored by Castle Light, South Africa’s leading beer producer. Saudi Arabian companies such as Roshn, Riyadh Air, Maaden and Aramco, are also well repped, a vital reminder that the big money required to bring this tour to the African continent is still coming from the Middle East. The Saudi Public Investment Fund also has continued to inject investment into the league.
LIV has been able to lower costs over time, but O’Neil projected to the Finanical Timesthat it will take between five and 10 more years for the league to become profitable. All of which means Saudi money will continue to be a requirement to reach markets like South Africa. (One reason F1 might be taking its time with going to South Africa is that it may not generate the same amount of revenue — from tickets or sponsorship — as it could elsewhere.) LIV will obviously continue seeking other markets that could mimic its recent success. And when it does, is it filling a gap within the global golf ecosystem?
Early in the week, I was curious to discuss that idea of “gaps” in the pro game, as promises rained down about how special LIV South Africa would be. The notion of LIV satiating thirsty markets has caught hold enough that Rory McIlroy even praised LIV for finding its footing in Australia.
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South African fans were out in full force at LIV Golf’s event in Johannesburg.
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DeChambeau and his Crushers GC teammates were doing a pre-tournament press conference where, unsurprisingly, the captain received a majority of the questions. But sitting next to him was Paul Casey, a 48-year-old veteran who grew up traveling the DP World Tour, spent five straight years serving on the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council and now sits on the player advisory group at LIV. I asked him, as he looks at the pro-golf ecosystem, what gaps is LIV filling?
“That’s a good question,” Casey said. “It’s a complicated question and one I’d probably defer to answer some other time because it’s nuanced. Yeah, product-market fit is a real thing that we discuss. We talk about it a lot as players actually. I don’t think it ever gets talked about enough.”
Product-market fit is a mostly simple business idea where companies reach a specific audience with unique needs by offering a product that meets them. In Silicon Valley, it’s easier to point at. Applied to the complex (and competitive!) golf world — emphasis on world — it can be a tricky thing to analyze. LIV Golf will always stage an event in Saudi Arabia, for obvious reasons. It will probably always stage events in Australia, given its success there. Will it go to Chile, as DeChambeau wants?
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A few minutes later, when the press conference had finished, Casey pulled me aside.
“I think it just comes back to, What do the fans want?” he told me. “I keep going back to the Charlie Munger quote: ‘You show me the incentives, and I’ll show you the outcome.’”
By that Casey meant executives from any tour tend to take their leagues in such obvious directions that it’s not hard to see their goals. And if you look at the golf world, it’s not surprising where certain tours end up, based on the incentives they’re in pursuit of. Casey thinks it would take a bottle of wine — maybe two — and a few hours of chatting to solve the schedule of global golf. He’s not wrong.
The next time I saw Casey was five days later behind the 18th green. He was standing next to me as the Rahm-DeChambeau playoff began.
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“So,” I asked him. “Does this suffice for product-market fit?
“This is definitely product-market fit,” Casey said, pausing for a few beats. “There aren’t many tournaments in the world like this one.”
Esteemed trainer and former world champion Robert Garcia has revealed who he believes is the “fresher man” between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
The two pound-for-pound icons are set to enter a professional rematch on September 19, headlining a Netflix event at The Sphere, Las Vegas.
Their first encounter, which took place over a decade ago, saw Mayweather claim a comprehensive points victory, before taking his record to 50-0 with a 10th-round finish over Conor McGregor in 2017.
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Pacquiao, however, has fought as recently as July 2025, boxing to a contentious draw against then-WBC world welterweight champion Mario Barrios.
Instead, the 49-year-old has been involved in several exhibition matches, a trend he is expected to resume with Mike Tyson and Greek kickboxer Mike Zambidis.
Whether these two non-competitive affairs actually materialise, it remains to be seen, but Mayweather has nonetheless agreed to face Pacquiao in September.
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Speaking with BoxingScene, top coach Garcia has opined that, while being the marginally younger man, Pacquiao is perhaps approaching their rematch with more miles on the clock.
“Manny takes training camps very [seriously]. We see him running in the mountains, and running around so many fans and boxers.
“He doesn’t want to be the last one [to finish], so he’s running hard. At 47 [years old], that’s not easy. But he wants to prove to everybody that he’s still a great athlete.
“When it comes to sparring, I guarantee you he’s sparring hard. Whoever they bring in for sparring wants to look good against Manny.
“On the other side, Mayweather is doing this without even showing it to the world. I guarantee you he’s staying in shape… and I think he’ll be the fresher man.”
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Initially, it was reported that Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 would be a professional bout, only for Mayweather to later claim that it would instead be an exhibition.
Indian cricket’s talent pipeline has given the selectors an opportunity to think big. With the IPL continuing to churn out match-ready performers, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is planning on building a 30-35 player pool capable of fielding two competitive T20 sides simultaneously. Plans beyond a single core squad have to be framed immediately as India faces overlapping international commitments later this year, with the Asian Games clashing with a T20 series against the West Indies.
A BCCI official told NDTV, “The Asian Games and India vs West Indies T20 Series are going to be at the same time. So we have to look at two T20 teams playing. It is important from now to have a pool of 30-35 cricketers who can be called up for International assignments. For the upcoming Ireland tour, like most tours to UK, a bigger pool of players will be kept in the squad. This will extend for the Asian Games.”
The Board is actively planning for parallel assignments this year and in the future as well since cricket is now a part of multi discipline sporting fixtures as well, including the Olympic Games in 2028. The emphasis is on depth, flexibility, and readiness. These are the qualities increasingly demanded in a packed global calendar.
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The upcoming Ireland tour is expected to serve as a testing ground. Tours like these have traditionally been used to blood fringe players. This tour could now feature an expanded squad, mirroring the long-term vision of a larger talent pool extending through the Asian Games. India are also set to play Afghanistan in a 3-match T20I series in September, though the schedule for the tournament is yet to be finalised.
The all-rounder slot, often the backbone of T20 balance, could see opportunities for players like Shashank Singh, and Anukul Roy, the cricketers who bring versatility and adaptability.
Behind the stumps, Dhruv Jurel is among the leading contenders. It is likely to be a team led by Punjab Kings Captain, Shreyas Iyer.
With IPL throwing up a massive pool of youngsters, Indian cricket is preparing to utilise their services by making a parallel force capable of winning and defending titles. Keeping up with the demands of international cricket and coping up with the challenges of changed international fixtures will require two strong T20 teams, that could soon become a necessity.
It is a message to all youngsters this IPL season that BCCI is not just looking for the best 15, but the best 35.
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Rinku Singh fought through his lean patch to once again emerge as Kolkata Knight Riders’ saviour. After registering back-to-back low scores, Rinku rediscovered his form against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday and guided KKR to a four-wicket victory. The win also marked KKR’s first of the season after suffering five consecutive defeats. Chasing a target of 156, KKR lost wickets in quick succession. However, Rinku-renowned for his finishing prowess-rose to the occasion with a composed and match-winning unbeaten knock of 53 off 34 balls. He steered his side home with two balls to spare, showing remarkable calm under pressure.
Amid his struggles earlier in the season, Rinku had been subjected to severe trolling on social media. Some fans even made classist remarks, suggesting that the KKR batter was a “better player when he was underprivileged.”
Former India opener Aakash Chopra came out strongly in Rinku’s support following his decisive knock and slammed those making such insensitive comments.
“I feel very good for Rinku because he was being trolled a lot. The kind of nonsense people say is unbelievable. I heard many saying, ‘Rinku was good when he was poor.’ Aren’t you ashamed of saying that? How would you feel if someone said the same thing about you?” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
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“People called him a useless player and forgot that he is a world champion. He doesn’t get many chances. The position he bats at is not easy, and the team hasn’t always used him well. Everyone goes through bad form. Rinku was trolled as if he had committed a crime,” he added.
After the win, Rinku spoke about his mindset during the innings and revealed that his sole focus was on taking the game deep and finishing it for his team.
“My mindset was to take the game till the end because I had conversations with the coach and also with my batting partner. The idea was to take it deep since the match was in a tricky situation. (When he got a reprieve early in the innings) That’s what happens sometimes, sir. In that moment, the mind doesn’t work properly and you end up playing such shots,” said Rinku.
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MADRID — Defending two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz has put his participation at the French Open in doubt because of a right wrist injury.
Medical tests in the next few days will determine whether Alcaraz will be able to play in the Grand Slam tournament in a month, he said on Monday.
“We’ll see,” he said when asked whether he’ll play. The Spaniard was at the Laureus Awards in Madrid with his right wrist immobilized. He pulled out of the Madrid Open last week.
“The next (medical) test will be crucial,” the seven-time Grand Slam champion told Spanish television channel TVE.
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“We’ve been trying to do everything we can do to make sure that this test goes well. I’m trying to be very patient. But we are good, we are just waiting a little bit. We have a few tests in the next few days and then we will see how the injury is, and what the next steps will be.”
No. 2-ranked Alcaraz withdrew in Barcelona a day after he had his wrist treated during his opening match, a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Otto Virtanen.
The next tournament after Madrid is the Italian Open, which he won last year.
“For now, I’ve been trying to stay positive, to stay upbeat, even though these days have become a bit too long,” said the 22-year-old Alcaraz, who was awarded Laureus’ world sportsman of the year on Monday.
Kyren Wilson produced a superb fightback from 6-2 and 7-3 down by winning seven frames in a row to deny 19-year-old Stan Moody a memorable victory on his World Championship debut at the Crucible.
English teenager Moody led 6-3 at the mid-session interval and was on course to become the youngest player to win a match at the famous Sheffield theatre since a 19-year-old Ronnie O’Sullivan beat Dave Harold and Darren Morgan before falling to Stephen Hendry in 1995.
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In a thrilling match, arguably the best of the championship so far, 2024 champion Wilson punched the air in delight when he won the 17th frame on a black-ball finish to seal a 10-7 success after Moody had missed a chance to extend the match.
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“Just too many bad frames,” said Moody. “I had the match won at 7-3 but then I missed the red to go 8-3 and he won it with three snookers.
“I felt comfortable out there, but bad frames like that hurt. But I will come back stronger. Hopefully I will be here next year. I just try to learn what shots to play at the right time and to miss less balls.”
Moody, 44th in the world rankings, had to win two matches to qualify.
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On the day before his final qualifying match, last Tuesday, he had been in hospital with tonsillitis. But Moody discharged himself before playing, going against medical advice, and beat China’s Jiang Jun 10-9, with a century in the deciding frame, to earn his Crucible spot.
Stan Moody is 44th in the world rankings and had to win two matches to qualify [PA Media]
Higgins and Ding advance into last 16
John Higgins has won the world title in 1998, 2007, 2009 and 2011 [Getty Images]
Four-time champion John Higgins had led 4-0 against Ali Carter on Sunday, only for the Englishman to win five frames in a row to hold the overnight lead.
Higgins, 50, made breaks of 63 and 81 to go ahead, before Carter’s 106 in frame 12 made it 6-6, although the Scot won four of the next five frames to advance 10-7.
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That sets up a last-16 match against either seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or Chinese debutant He Guoqiang.
“That’s the first time here I’ve been 4-0 up and then gone 5-4 behind so it was not a great sleep,” said Higgins. “But I tried to forget about that and get on with my game.
“There’s nobody that has more respect for Ali as a snooker player than me, I’ve played him so many times and sometimes he has been cueing like a dream.
“Deep down when my name was pulled out against him I was not happy – you know you’re in for a mammoth game so I’m over the moon I got the win.”
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Carter, beaten by O’Sullivan in the 2008 and 2012 finals, has now gone out in the first round in the Crucible in four years in a row.
“I made a couple of mistakes and got punished severely, just a little bit of a run of the balls – I’m as sick as a dog,” said Carter.
Ding Junhui, the 2016 runner-up, completed a 10-5 win over David Gilbert, having held a 7-2 lead following Sunday’s opening session.
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In an all-Chinese last-16 tie, Ding will take on Zhao Xintong, who became the country’s first world champion in 2025.
China’s 10th seed Wu Yize made one century and five half-centuries in a one-sided session to lead compatriot Lei Peifan 8-1.
The Washington Capitals are doing right by their franchise player as he mulls over one of the biggest decisions of his life.
With Alex Ovechkin‘s retirement decision looming over the team’s off-season plans, the Capitals have decided to give the franchise legend some space and time as he weighs the possibility of hanging up his skates.
“Team’s position is we’re giving him some time here to get away from the season a little bit and think things through and talk to his family, and then he’ll meet with both [president of hockey operations Brian MacLellan] and I, and we’ll continue to support him in however his decision process plays out,” Capitals general manager Chris Patrick told reporters at his end-of-season availability on Monday.
“We could’ve met with him the day after the season ended, but I don’t think he was ready at that point to have that conversation. I think he needs to take some time. Just get away from it, I mean, he just played 82 games in a really hard season, just have a few days with his family to just kind of veg out a little bit then he can start thinking about what the future holds.”
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Last week, at his own end-of-year availability, Ovechkin said that he hopes he hasn’t played his final NHL game and that he’s not yet ready to give a definitive answer on what his future holds.
He told reporters that he has something of a timeline figured out, stating that he may have a clearer idea of where he stands in two weeks, but that he’s “pretty sure it’s not my last game.”
Though Patrick said that the team would “like to know going into the draft” as to whether or not Ovechkin would return, he made it clear that the NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer had “earned the right to do the process how he wants to. So we’ll just work with whatever we get from him, information-wise.”
Either way, the Capitals are heading into the off-season prepared.
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With $36.5 million in projected cap space to work with this summer, per PuckPedia, the team believes they have the financial flexibility to improve their roster whether Ovechkin returns or not.
“I think we’ll be able to have a plan with or without him. No different than really any off-season where you have some players that are expiring. You can go down different paths depending on what happens with them,” Patrick said. “So same thing with him, even though he’s the greatest goalscorer of all time. If he decides to stay, we’ll go one way; if he decides to retire, we’ll go a different way.”
Ovechkin is coming off another solid campaign that saw him build on his all-time goal-scoring lead, potting 30 markers while suiting up for all 82 games at 40 years old. He also surpassed the 900-goal plateau, becoming the only player in NHL history to do so.
What may be harder to deal with should Ovechkin retire is the impact he provides off the ice, for the Capitals, the community, and for the game of hockey.
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“I think his presence is huge. When he decides to leave, it’s gonna leave a big hole, personality-wise, leadership-wise,” MacLellan said. “You see he brings it to the team plane, the team bus, to the dressing room, to pre-game warmup — he’s got a big presence.”
Mick Price, the trainer, harked back to his pre-training experience by personally parading The Speed Machine at Mornington.
Trained by Mick Price alongside Michael Kent Jnr, the two-year-old gelding turned tricky at saddling time, leading Price to take charge of strapping duties prior to Saturday’s Mornington Sires (1000m).
The approach succeeded brilliantly as The Speed Machine ($3), ridden by Thomas Stockdale, dashed to the lead and held on by a half-neck from favourite Luna Vega ($2.50), with Zynaro ($11) 2-½ lengths adrift in third.
Price noted that red earmuffs are fitted to The Speed Machine for the pre-race parade and removed at the barriers.
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Observing the gelding as half-asleep, Price dispensed with the headgear post-saddling.
“His father (Hanseatic) used to have a bit of feist about him,” Price said.
“His father used to always have two strappers on him, and I did take the red earmuffs off him while we were saddling him up, because I thought he was half asleep.
“But I found out the wrong way. He was not asleep and I had to do my own work.”
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The Speed Machine has won both his starts, including a 1000m victory in a four-runner field on debut at Morphettville Parks last month.
Price doesn’t see him as solely a 1000m specialist and plans to test him at 1200m eventually.
The colours belong to Kempinsky, victor of The Vase at Moonee Valley and second in the Group 1 Victoria Derby at Flemington back in 2003.
“We’ve had horses together for 30 years, but we haven’t had a lot of starters over that time,” Price said.
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“He buys them, I move them on, but this one, he’s a keeper.
“He a fast horse, and he’s a strong horse, and he’s very sound, an easy horse to train.”
Discover the best betting sites offering markets for the Mornington Sires race.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has addressed the reports and rumors involving LIV Golf’s future, or potential lack thereof, with a straightforward message about where the Tour’s priorities lie amid uncertain times.
Last week, it was widely reported that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) was preparing to cut off its funding of LIV Golf after announcing a five-year investment strategy focused on reprioritizing spending. With the Saudis being the sole funders of the breakaway golf circuit, a stoppage of funds would, in all likelihood, end the current iteration of LIV Golf.
LIV Golf Mexico went on as scheduled over the weekend amid the very loud rumors. Two-time major champion Jon Rahm won the event, and on Sunday, LIV formally announced it would be returning to Mexico in 2027 at a currently unspecified date.
Jon Rahm in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 4, 2026.(Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters)
Rolapp, the former Executive Vice President of NFL Media, joined Monday’s edition of ‘The Pat McAfee Show‘ on ESPN and was transparent while sharing his thoughts about the reports and rumors involving LIV Golf.
Most notably, Rolapp admitted that the PGA Tour is thinking about potential pathways back for players who left the Tour to join the Saudi-backed league.
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“I think we’re thinking about it,” Rolapp said when asked about players potentially returning. “Listen, we’re reading all the same headlines you’re reading, we don’t know what’s going on over there [at LIV Golf]. We know that those guys are under contract, we’ll respect that.
PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp addresses media members at a press conference prior to THE PLAYERS Championship at Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.(Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“Brooks [Koepka] came back onto the Tour because he made a phone call and said, ‘Look, I’m out of my contract, I’m ready to come back.’ So, we’re thinking about it, and we’ll react when we have an opportunity to react, but right now we’re focused on making the PGA Tour better. I’ve said it publicly, and I’ll say it again, I’m interested in making whatever makes the PGA Tour better. That’s what my job is, that’s what I’m interested in doing, and that has no limit.”
Koepka, a five-time major winner, returned to the PGA Tour at the start of 2026 after joining LIV Golf in June 2022. He did so via the Tour’s ‘Returning Member Program,’ made only accessible to previous Tour members who have won The Players or a major championship between 2022 and 2025.
Brooks Koepka of the United States reacts after chipping in for birdie on the 17th hole during the second round of the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on June 13, 2025, in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Koepka agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution upon his return to the Tour. He also agreed to include a five-year forfeiture of potential equity in the PGA Tour’s Player Equity Program, which estimates his potential losses to be approximately $50-$85 million. Koepka will also not receive any FedEx Cup bonus payment in 2026.
Patrick Reed also left LIV Golf in early 2026 to seek a return to the PGA Tour. The former Masters champion is serving a one-year suspension that will end in August and is well on his way to earning back his PGA Tour card for 2027 with a pair of wins earlier this year on the DP World Tour.
Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann, Cameron Smith, and Rahm remain the most high-profile players competing on LIV Golf, and their return to the PGA Tour would undoubtedly fit into Rolapp’s focus of making the PGA Tour better.
Rhea Ripley shared a heartfelt reaction to a personal moment with Bianca Belair at WWE WrestleMania 42. Ripley won a major title match at the biggest show of the year over the weekend.
Bianca Belair returned during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42 to make a huge announcement. The former champion made a surprise appearance at The Show of Shows to announce that she was pregnant.
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Belair and the 29-year-old then had a heartfelt backstage interaction after her appearance, and the two stars shared a hug. Ripley reacted to her backstage moment with Belair today on her Instagram story with a heart emoji, and you can check it out in the image below.
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Ripley shared a heartfelt message today (Source: Rhea Ripley on Instagram)
Bianca Belair has not competed in a match since WWE WrestleMania 41. She has missed over a year of action due to a hand injury suffered in the Triple Threat match against IYO SKY and Ripley last year on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match to earn a title match against Jade Cargill at WrestleMania 42. Ripley defeated The Storm at the PLE to become the new WWE Women’s Champion.
Rhea Ripley opens up about using social media as a WWE Superstar
WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley recently discussed how difficult it was to use social media as a public figure.
Speaking on Pod Meets World, The Eradicator opened up about the negativity she experiences on social media. Ripley stated that she needed to delete Twitter because all she sees are negative comments about herself when she uses the social media app.
“It’s really hard going on to Twitter. I need to delete that. It’s really hard going on and trying to make it a work environment. But then because it is a work environment, I get all these things coming up on my ‘For You’ page. As soon as I click on the app, it’s just negativity towards me,” she said.
Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY had a brief reign as Women’s Tag Team Champions earlier this year. SKY was not booked for a match at WrestleMania but did get involved in Ripley’s match against Cargill at WWE WrestleMania.
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B-Fab and Michin both attacked the challenger, but Sky made the save. Ripley connected with Riptide on Cargill to become champion, and it will be interesting to see what the promotion has planned for her title reign moving forward.
Manchester United are reportedly tracking a Real Madrid star as they draw up a shortlist to replace Casemiro, who will depart Old Trafford this summer
Aurelien Tchouameni features prominently on Manchester United’s shortlist of candidates to replace Casemiro.
It has long been reported that United’s priority this summer is to revamp their midfield, and the Telegraph is reporting the France international is being eyed as a replacement for Casemiro, who will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer. However, the report also claims that the midfielder’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu could hinge on whether Rodri leaves Manchester City this summer.
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Rodri, whose contract expires at the end of next season, threw his City future into doubt last month when he said, “You can’t turn down the best clubs in the world” after being asked about the prospect of joining Real. But since then, Pep Guardiola has claimed that the Spain international will sign a new deal with City, though he also wouldn’t stand in the midfielder’s way if the La Liga giants came calling.
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Tchouameni is contracted until 2028, but reports from Spain in recent weeks have indicated that Real are also willing to listen to offers for his club and international team-mate, Eduardo Camavinga, as an alternative route to raise funds.
The 26-year-old, who has won the Champions League and La Liga during his four years at Madrid, recently opened up on his struggles at the Santiago Bernabeu over the past couple of seasons.
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He said: “I was made a scapegoat. In the first 10-20 minutes, the stadium was booing every time I touched the ball.
“That situation either destroys you, or you think, “That’s just how it is,’ let’s see what I can control, and the only thing I can control is my performance.
“The level of pressure at Real Madrid is something different. People are going to talk about everything you do, whether it’s good or bad.”
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The report from the Telegraph also claims that United want to sign at least two midfielders this summer, but could even look to bring in a third should Manuel Ugarte leave.
Both City and United are also monitoring Elliot Anderson’s progress before a potential summer move for the £100million-rated Nottingham Forest star.
Since joining Forest from Newcastle United in the summer of 2024, the 23-year-old has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in the Premier League.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are also believed to be keen on signing Anderson this summer, but a two-way battle between City and United is expected to take place.
But as recently reported, Guardiola’s side are believed to be right at the front of the queue to sign Anderson, who is expected to leave the City Ground this summer, regardless of whether Forest avoid relegation or not.
Adam Wharton has also been linked with a move to United after impressing for Crystal Palace.
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.
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