As Rory McIlroy put the finishing touches on his second straight Masters win, 144 miles away, James Holley watched with the TV blaring from a TaylorMade Tour truck.
He was already on-site for this week’s RBC Heritage on Hilton Head Island, but he couldn’t miss this moment — especially since he played a part in it.
“It’s always fun to see a putter you have a little bit a part of win on Sunday,” says Holley, TaylorMade’s putter rep and the man responsible for maintaining McIlroy’s Spider putter, the same one he used to win a green jacket last year as well. “And especially in a major it’s awesome.”
Holley will be a busy man on the putting green at Harbour Town as well, but it won’t faze him. That’s basically been the case every week this season on the PGA Tour.
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In a lot of ways, it’s fitting that a Spider putter won the Masters yet again. The putter family has won all but two Masters since 2020 and won three of the four majors last season. It was the winningest putter on the PGA Tour last year with 15 victories.
But the hype around the putter has hit a fever pitch to begin 2026 as pros seek to copy what is working for others. With McIlroy’s win at Augusta, that marks six wins by five different players already this season, including five of the first six events of the year.
McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, who finished second at the Masters, account for the majority of those victories last season, but the residual effects of their success are evident in other players.
New pros are adding the putter seemingly every week, including names like Brooks Koepka and Collin Morikawa, who won with a flow neck Spider Tour X after years of waffling between putters, mostly blade models.
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TaylorMade Spider Tour X Custom Putter
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THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION
We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance.
STEEL WIREFRAME
Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location.
HYBRAR ECHO® DAMPENER
HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feel on every putt with the best possible sensation.
DIFFERENT CG LOCATION
Each Spider Tour model features different CG locations for optimal putter fitting.
TSS WEIGHTING
TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths.
GUNMETAL PVD FINISH
The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish.
TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT
The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole.
WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT
Made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel. Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment.
REFINED HOSEL DESIGNS
Spider Tour Series includes two different hosel shapes and designs. The small slant produces toe hang, and the double bend produces a face balanced design.
“It’s definitely the hot putter and a lot of players you wouldn’t necessarily think want to try to tinker and switch into the putter have come up and we’ve built putters for them,” Holley said during an interview in March, just after Jacob Bridgeman won the Genesis Invitational with a Spider Tour. “It’s a good spot to be in.”
Holley sits firmly in the middle of all that success as TaylorMade’s putter rep, a job he’s had since the summer of 2024. In that time, Spider usage on the PGA Tour has exploded, in part led by Scheffler’s switch earlier that spring.
But just about everyone who has switched since, like Tommy Fleetwood, who got “Spidered” last spring, Holley has been the one helping them through the fitting and building process on the practice green.
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Holley had aspirations of being the guy fitted for putters, not necessarily the one doing the fitting.
He was a standout junior golfer and played at San Diego State from 2013 to 2015, the same time Xander Schauffele was an Aztec. In the spring of his junior season, he captured his only collegiate victory at the WIU/Carlton Oaks Invitational.
While he was in school, he also did product testing for TaylorMade, whose headquarters are in nearby Carlsbad. That introduced him to TaylorMade Tour reps Ryan Ressa, who took care of Holley’s club needs in college, and Bucky Coe, TaylorMade’s putter rep at the time.
Holley played the mini tours and worked as an instructor on the side, but he found out that life wasn’t for him.
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“I have a family, so it got kind of old,” Holley says. ”You know, making a lot of money one month and then no money the next month.”
It was around this time when Coe transitioned out of his role as TaylorMade’s Tour putter rep and posted the job on his Instagram. A lifelong putter nerd, Holley pounced on the opportunity.
“I’ve always kind of been a putter-tinker and would always jump on like the Quintic here and test a bunch of different stuff,” Holley says. “That’s probably what makes me a good tour rep but didn’t make me a good tour pro. The amount of putter knowledge I have is probably not super great for, you know, playing golf.”
He got the job on a Monday in August 2024 and flew to Memphis that evening for the first round of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs. The first person he was introduced to was Tommy Fleetwood, who ended up being one of his first major success stories.
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Fleetwood testing the Spider ZT with Holley at the 2025 RBC Heritage.
TaylorMade
At the end of 2024, Fleetwood was beginning his search for a new putter to replace his longtime Odyssey White Hot Pro 3 blade. The first try was a TaylorMade Prototype Truss Soto blade. The Truss putter line was released in 2020 and featured a unique triangular hosel that was aimed at reducing the twisting forces of the putter on mishits while retaining a traditional look.
Fleetwood had two different versions of his Truss prototype before Holley approached him in early 2025 about switching into a Spider.
“That’s the kind of art of being the rep of trying to go up to a guy who’s maybe been struggling, and if it’s the right time to ask him if he wants to try a putter or not,” Holley says. “I had been watching him putt for the last six to nine months, an hour each day during the week.”
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The key, Holley says, is never pushing a move on a player. While much of his job revolves around being ready for when a curious player walks up to his bag stationed at the putting green, the real work is biding his time to know when he’s going to approach a player.
The results for Fleetwood speak for themselves. He was 84th on the PGA Tour in SG: Putting entering the RBC Heritage and was 15th at the end of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. The putter change sparked the best summer of Fleetwood’s career, culminating in his first PGA Tour win at the Tour Championship, another victory at the DP World India Championship and a career-high World Ranking (3rd).
At his breakthrough at East Lake, he led the field in putting, picking up more than eight shots over the week on the greens.
Holley helped find Collin Morikawa a Spider Tour X putter earlier this season.
TaylorMade
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Fleetwood liked the milled True Path alignment aid on the Spider ZT, so Holley drew Sharpie lines on the top of the Spider Tour and Fleetwood liked it so much he stuck with that version until the Texas Open this season. (Holley redrew those lines by hand every few weeks, but it was worth it.)
The same success story holds true for TaylorMade’s two other top-ranked athletes. Scheffler was 143rd in SG: Putting during the 2024 season before making the switch to the Spider at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He improved to 69th by the end of 2024 and 18th by his final start of 2025.
McIlroy was 97th in 2018, the year before he started dabbling with the Spider. In the 2019 season, when he won three times, including the Players Championship and Tour Championship, he was 25th. Last year, his first full season using the custom torched Spider Tour X, he finished in the top 10 in putting for the first time in his career.
What makes the Spider so successful at taking long-time blade users and turning them into some of the top putters on the PGA Tour?
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Take it from Holley himself, who was a blade guy most of his playing career until he started using a Spider.
He was — and still is, as his Handicap Index is +5.4 — an extremely high-level player, giving him a unique perspective to pitch the Spider to Tour pros.
But the thing that makes the Spider tick, Holley says, is TaylorMade’s Pure Roll insert.
The insert is made from a blend of Surlyn and aluminium and has grooves angled at 45˚ that are supposed to help you produce immediate forward roll on your putts instead of skidding. The most common insert on Spiders on Tour is the 80/20 variant with 80 percent Surlyn and 20 percent aluminum, but Holley can also do a fully Surlyn insert to soften the feel or add more aluminum to make it more responsive.
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Holley preparing to glue a Pure Roll insert in a Spider ZT.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
“Any of the guys that have switched like Scottie or Tommy, they see such a big improvement inside that 20 feet,” Holley says. “Especially out on Tour, that’s where those guys make their money. Statistically, the best putter and the worst putter from 30 feet, there isn’t that big of a difference from a strokes-gained perspective.”
After Scheffler’s putter switch, he went from 151st from inside 10 feet in 2023 to 33rd last season.
That kind of statistical success is crucial for Holley, whose job is much different than a Tour rep dedicated to full swing clubs.
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Early in the week on a PGA Tour practice green, the perimeter is lined with staff bags, each with dozens of putters leaned up against them, just asking to be rolled. The putter reps stand nearby, waiting to spring into action. But because of the Spider’s success, players visit Holley often, curious about what so many pro are using and winning with.
Technically, Holley’s first putter switch was McIlroy’s move to the torched Spider Tour X at the 2024 Tour Championship.
“All I did on that was punch in the email,” he jokes. “So that was the extent of the switch that I had there.”
Holley also plays a role in the week-to-week maintenance of the putters. He takes care of loft and lie checks and regrippings, like the one he did for McIlroy at Bay Hill last month, the same putter that’s now responsible for two consecutive Masters wins and potentially many more victories.
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While McIlroy probably won’t change any time soon, these things have a domino effect. Not only will more players be curious to try a Spider after yet another win, but TaylorMade is launching a whole new line of Spiders on the PGA Tour this week, presumably the first step of a new retail release later this year. (From what Holley and TaylorMade are willing to divulge at this point, it doesn’t look like there’s been much of a change to the shape of the uber-successful Spider Tour or Tour X shapes, nor the Pure Roll Insert. But a new Spider Tour V and Spider Tour X are joining the fray.)
But for Holley, there’s little time to celebrate. Back on Hilton Head Island, his week just got a whole lot busier.
Co-trainer Ben Hayes from Lindsay Park highlighted a significant equipment switch and jockey alteration as reasons behind Tycoon Star’s Morphettville success recently.
The team at Lindsay Park, including Ben, Will and J D Hayes, aims to leverage that performance for a Group 1 breakthrough as Tycoon Star contests The Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville this Saturday.
For his previous Morphettville appearance, visors were reinstated in Tycoon Star’s gear, complemented by the services of James McDonald.
“I think the visors did the trick,” Ben Hayes said.
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“It was a tough win also as he sat wide throughout and he won quite nicely, but I also got a big kick out of James riding his first winner in South Australia.”
Tycoon Star provided James McDonald with his first South Australian victory, and later on that day he piloted Chris Waller-trained Panova to Group 1 Australasian Oaks glory.
Visors will continue on Tycoon Star heading into The Goodwood, although McDonald is off to the Gold Coast Hollindale Stakes meeting, replaced by Luke Currie.
Tycoon Star copped a rough barrier draw, stuck in the wide outside berth of 16.
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Recent Goodwood results suggest three-year-olds excel, especially after taking the Tobin Bronze Stakes (1200m) as Tycoon Star managed last outing.
Reserve Bank in 2025 and Royal Merchant in 2023 were three-year-olds who pulled off that precise double lately.
“An interesting stat about him, he’s never not run in a Stakes race,” Hayes said.
“He’s been a very good horse, for a long time, running against the best and he’s always been thereabouts.
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“We purposely held him back from the early autumn to target this race and hopefully it can all align and he can run well.”
Hayes pointed out that wins lift spirits, as does a shift in locale.
Having remained in Adelaide since his last success, Tycoon Star has reportedly been in great shape.
“Ash, who has been looking after him, said he has been bright and well and really enjoying it,” Hayes said.
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“We’re really excited and think he’s a genuine chance.
“If he can win that race, he’s got a pretty good (breeding) page behind him, and being Group 1 placed and a Stakes winner as a two-year-old, you never know.
“He’s racing for his future (as a Yulong stallion), but three-year-olds in the Goodwood have a good record.”
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Ajla Tomljanovic vs Leolia Jeanjean preview
Tomljanovic at the Miami Open (Image Source: Getty)
Ajla Tomljanovic will take on French player Leolia Jeanjean in the qualification second round at the Italian Open. The duo will be in action on court number three at the Foro Italico at 10:00 AM local time on Tuesday, May 5 as they look to battle their way into the main draw.
Tomljanovic has struggled to find her winning form in recent tournaments. The Australian made opening round exits in three consecutive tournaments before arriving in Rome, losing to Donna Vekic at the Charleston Open and going down against Dalma Galfi and Sara Sorribes at the Madrid Open and a WTA 125 event in La Bisbal d’Empordà respectively.
However, the 32-year-old snapped her losing streak on Monday, ousting Marta Lombardini at the Italian Open in straight sets.
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Meanwhile, Jean delivered an impressive performance at the Madrid Open last month, moving past Rebeka Masarova and Oksana Selekhmeteva to enter the round of 64, where she fell short against two-time Grand Slam champion Coco Gauff. In Rome, the Frenchwoman began her campaign against compatriot Diane Parry, defeating the 15th seed 6-1, 7-6(0).
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Leolia Jeanjean head-to-head record
Jeanjean in action at the Mutua Madrid Open (Image Source: Getty)
Tomljanovic and Jeanjean have never faced each other on the WTA Tour. Their upcoming meeting in Rome will mark their first clash against each other.
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Leolia Jeanjean odds
Player Name
Moneyline
Handicap Bets
Total Games
Ajla Tomljanovic
-160
-2.5 (-118)
Over 21.5 (-118)
Leolia Jeanjean
+120
+2.5 (-120)
Under 21.5 (-120)
(Odds sourced from BetMGM)
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Leolia Jeanjean prediction
Tomljanovic at the Mutua Madrid Open (Image Source: Getty)
Going into the upcoming clash between Ajla Tomljanovic and Leolia Jeanjean at the Italian Open, the Australian will be the favorite for the win. Despite her recent dip in form, the 32-year-old’s extensive experience on court, which includes three quarterfinals finishes at Grand Slam events, will tip the scales in her favor on Tuesday.
Pick: Ajla Tomljanovic to win in straight sets.
Ajla Tomljanovic vs Leolia Jeanjean betting tips
Tip 1: Both players to win at least one game.
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Tip 2: Tomljanovic to win at least one set 7-5 or better.
We can call this current iteration of the PGA Tour the “Signature Event Era” in part because of how transitional the league feels at the moment. It won’t look the way it does now forever. So how will the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 (and possibly even 2027, depend on the speed of changes) will be remembered? Chiefly for what they brought to the fore — limited-field, often-no-cut events played for $20 million. They were an attempt at clarifying the Tour’s “product” as well as a wartime device crafted to maintain loyalty from the best players in the sport, and they were an intriguing answer to a fundamental question about what makes professional golf compelling. But they also made things plenty awkward for the PGA Tour.
Make enough institutional moves on behalf of the Tour Elite, the Scottie Schefflers and Xander Schauffeles of the world, do enough to protect your brand names and it can start to feel like you’re neglecting the midfield, the up-and-comers. The tension of that ecosystem created some natural angst around these Signature Events, and never more than with the four sponsor exemptions offered into each of them.
Those sponsor exemptions are, in theory, a boon for events. They ensure that figures who may not have qualified can still have a positive impact on field strength, ticket sales, sponsor value, etc. But Signature Events were created during a time when the PGA Tour was fighting off LIV Golf and thumping its metaphorical chest about being the most meritocratic of the elite golf tours. Giving spots in a field to players as interest boosts is not pure meritocracy.
And so these exemptions have come under scrutiny. At times they’ve been controversial. The companies and tournament directors who select these exemptions put a lot of thought into the decisions, but the tourney spots don’t always go to the best or most in-form players not already in the field. They may go to a player who won that tournament years ago. They may go to a player who is universally beloved and whose game has gone through a rough patch. They may go to a player lucky enough to be sponsored by the same company sponsoring the tournament.
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So who is getting those invites, and how have they performed? Looking at the 19 most recent Signature Events and before this week’s 20th gets underway (we’re starting this tally in 2024, when the current system really took shape), we can do some proper analysis of those exemption decisions. Below is a scrollable chart that includes the world golf ranking of each player at the time of their exemption, as well as their finish that week.
At this point, no player has gotten more looks than Gary Woodland, who has received seven exemptions. He recently won the Houston Open in March, meaning he could enter the remaining Signature Events for 2026 without needing an exemption. Before that win, Woodland had banked invites into more than a third of the Siggies.
And you know what? The golf world has felt pretty good about those. Woodland has been battling challenges with his health since before his 2023 brain surgery. The 2019 U.S. Open champ is widely considered one of the kindest players on Tour. He recently came forward about his struggles with PTSD following that surgery, too, and remains one of the most impressive stories going, particularly in light of his recent Houston Open victory.
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Greater scrutiny has followed exemptions given to players outside the world top 100. While those are the minority, one is happening this week, with No. 441 Webb Simpson getting a nod. It’s not hard to see why Simpson is in the field this week. Simpson has been a PGA Tour policy board member, is among the most beloved figures at the sponsorship level, and also happens to live on the property at Quail Hollow, host of this week’s event. But just know that not every Tour member on the outside has loved seeing Simpson receive these exemptions constantly. He’s received the second-most exemptions, with six — alongside Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott — but has never been in the top 200 in the world during any of those tournaments. To his credit, Simpson finished T24 on exemption at the 2024 Truist — but hasn’t fared any better since.
Sixteen of the 76 exemptions to date have been given to players outside the top 150 in the world at that time, and only Brandt Snedeker — ranked 430th ahead of the 2025 Memorial — was able to crack the top 10 the week of that exemption. As with all explanations for who receives these invites, there were plenty of reasons why Snedeker earned that invite, but an obvious connection is embroidered across the front of his hat: Workday, one of Snedeker’s most prominent sponsors, also sponsors the Memorial.
Kevin Kisner (then ranked 526), Michael Thorbjornsen (then 710) and Tiger Woods (893) also all received exemptions while outside the top 500 in the world, but each of those cases was extremely different. Kisner was 40 years old and had gone a full year without a top-30 finish. Thorbjornsen, a Massachusetts native and a top young talent, was invited to the Travelers Championship, widely regarded as the Signature Event of the Northeast. (He was 22 years old then, has since won on Tour and is now ranked 62nd in the world.) And then there’s Woods, who would get any sponsor exemption he wanted if he needed it, but in this case is the host of the Genesis Invitational and received the exemption before the Tour went so far as to manufacture a new, 80-win exemption category for him alone.
As for how these players are performing? The results are all over the place. And maybe that should be the expectation. The average finish for sponsor exemptions has been around 38th to 40th, directly in the middle of these 72- to 80ish-man fields. There have been nine top-10 finishes by sponsor exemptions and 11 who have finished 70th or worse — missed cuts and withdrawals included. Everyone else nets out somewhere in the middle of those two poles, which, again, might be exactly what’s expected. Below is a list of the players who have received exemptions, ranked from most to least.
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7 invites: Gary Woodland
6 invites: Webb Simpson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth
5 invites: Billy Horschel
4 invites: Tony Finau, Matt Kuchar
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3 invites: Keith Mitchell, Max Homa, Mackenzie Hughes
2 invites: Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Max Greyserman, Brandt Snedeker
1 invite: Peter Malnati, Maverick McNealy, Harry Hall, Sahith Theegala, Tiger Woods, Will Zalatoris, Nicolai Hojgaard, Rafael Campos, Justin Rose, Chris Kirk, Kevin Kisner, Wyndham Clark, Marco Penge, Alex Noren, Michael Thorbjornsen, Luke Clanton, Joel Dahmen
Manchester City were forced to settle for a point in a 3-3 draw with Everton in the Premier League on Monday night
Manchester City dropped valuable points in the Premier League title race with a draw at the hands of Everton on Monday night. City were forced to settle for a point in a 3-3 stalemate with the Toffees, a result which has seen them lose ground on Arsenal in the title race.
Jeremy Doku had given City the lead in the first half, before a Thierno Barry brace and a goal from Jake O’Brien gave Everton a 3-1 lead heading into the closing minutes at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
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City then responded with a goal from Erling Haaland and a long-range strike from Doku, but it was not enough to claim the victory.
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Pep Guardiola’s side are now five points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table and have just one game in hand, which will see them face Crystal Palace later in the month.
NEW DELHI: The last time Sanju Samson was here at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, his international career was almost on the brink. Pencilled into the Indian XI only because Abhishek Sharma fell ill before the T20 World Cup match against Namibia in Feb, a deflated Samson walked off after scoring 22 off eight balls.On Tuesday, he will be back here as the toast of the nation. Samson’s counterfeit Chennai Super Kings jerseys will make for the majority of the inventory with the street vendors. Samson has been at the crossroads for much of his career. But seldom has his stock been so high. His turnaround at the back end of the T20 World Cup was an answer to years of doubts over his consistency. Now that he has cemented himself as the biggest superstar in the CSK XI, it’s time he consolidated his IPL form to run for a spot in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup team.Both DC and CSK are in the logjam in the middle of the table. The losing team on Tuesday will be on the brink of elimination from the league.Despite scoring two centuries, Samson has 315 runs to his name in nine matches. As much as he has been the facesaving force for CSK, his allor-nothing form will frustrate the franchise. But then, that has been the norm with Samson’s IPL seasons.
If he has to compel the national selectors to consider him for the second wicketkeeper’s role, he may have to replicate the T20 World Cup performances for CSK.It won’t be easy though. The Capital has become cooler with rain in the air. The last match at the venue saw Royal Challengers Bengaluru seamers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar blow away DC for 75. And at the top of the mark will be the lethal Mitchell Starc looking to expose Samson’s technique against top quality pace, movement and bounce. It’s up to Samson to dispel doubts. Tuesday will be a test of his technique and temperament to play the lead batter.
“We are dealing with it, of course. I have personally sent two employees to Rwanda to monitor the situation. Our colleagues will return this week and report back.”
Those were the words of Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen to DW at the beginning of February. There has been no word since.
Dreesen was responding to comments from Congo’s (DRC) foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, who had called on clubs who deal with Rwanda to end their agreements.
“Countless lives have been lost; rape, murder and theft prevail. Your sponsor is directly responsible for this misery,” she wrote at the time.
“M23 has been complicit in and responsible for committing serious violations of international law involving the targeting of women and children in situations of armed conflict in the DRC including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, and forced displacement,” reads a United Nations report on the group.
A repeated request for comment for this story went unanswered by the Bundesliga club, with the sponsorship deal set to run until 2028.
Fan pressure
The deal has been met with opposition by some Bayern fans, most notably when a banner was raised behind the goal in a match against Eintracht Frankfurt in February:
“Visit Rwanda — Whoever looks on with indifference is betraying the values of FC Bayern,” it read.
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This referenced the words of Bayern President Herbert Hainer, who had said: “We must stand united against divisive forces that undermine democracy. Anyone who looks on indifferently is putting democracy at the mercy of its enemies” in relation to Germany’s recent general election.
Bayern can no longer fall back on the position of the German government to justify its partnership in Rwanda, which Dreesen said means “Bayern can become active on the African continent and gather important experiences” as well as “help Rwanda grow in sports with projects for youth football.”
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In March, the German government restricted the terms of its bilateral cooperation agreement with Rwanda and put a halt to any new funding.
“The German government, like the European Union and the Security Council of the United Nations in its Resolution 2773, has repeatedly expressed its views on the situation in Eastern Congo and on the actions of the M23, which is supported by Rwanda, and of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), including the capture of the provincial capitals of Goma (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu). We utterly condemn these actions,” a statement read.
The “Visit Rwanda” slogan is a common sight at Bayern Munich matchesImage: Bernd Feil/M.i.S./IMAGO
Rwanda soon hit back, with the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation saying the measures were “wrong and counterproductive” and “let the DRC off the hook.”
“Countries like Germany that bear a historical responsibility for the recurring instability in this region should know better than to apply one-sided, coercive measures. Rwanda will continue to protect its national security while remaining fully engaged in the ongoing regional peace process,” the statement read.
Rwanda set to take Champions League stage
All of which calls into question the PR value for elite European clubs of sponsorship deals worth about €5 million ($5.7 million) a year to Bayern and a little more to others — pocket change to such rich organizations. The soft power goals of recognition, support and sales in the emerging African market play a significant role, but Bayern’s ending of a similar deal with Qatar appeared to be a warning sign of the negative effects of such deals.
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For Rwanda though, things are going well in this regard. Next Tuesday the other two clubs with Visit Rwanda deals — Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain — meet in London in the UEFA Champions League semifinals. This means a global audience of millions will see the Visit Rwanda logo, and one of them will be in the final in Munich on May 31. It is all part of a larger strategy to burnish the country’s image using sports through Visit Rwanda, the government’s tourism arm.
Supporters of both clubs have joined Bayern fans in voicing their discontent, though it is yet to make any difference. Despite nearly 75,000 PSG fans signing a petition to end the Rwanda deal, the club renewed it on April 16.
“Together, we help showcase the cultural richness and natural beauty of Rwanda, while demonstrating that football can inspire and bring communities around the world closer together,” said club CEO Victoriano Melero.
Arsenal to take action?
Arsenal fans are hoping their club doesn’t follow suit. A social media video from the Gunners for Peace group uses humor to get the message across, making a fake tourism video for the home of their local rivals, Tottenham.
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“The Rwandan government is taking money away from its own people and giving it to a terrorist gang accused of brutal atrocities in the DRC, to make themselves rich and oppress their neighbors,” Gunners for Peace said. “They are also giving money to Arsenal in an effort to gain an appearance of respectability that they don’t deserve. The Visit Rwanda sponsorship is sportwashing in action, and it’s time for Arsenal to ditch it.”
Unlike Bayern, whose deal runs to 2028, Arsenal can end their association at the end of this season, when their contract ends. Rumors in the English press suggest they may do so. This bears a resemblance to how Bayern Munich ended their previous controversial sponsorship agreement with Qatar Airways in 2023 – before signing up with Rwanda immediately after.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers combine to tackle Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy during first-half action at AT&T Stadium, with Dec. 14, 2025, in Arlington capturing a strong defensive sequence as Minnesota limited yards after catch in a competitive road matchup. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
On paper, from a May 2026 viewpoint, the 2027 offseason is scheduled to feature a mass exodus of veteran talent for the Minnesota Vikings. The club didn’t spend much in 2026 free agency — probably because it knew that extending existing players would be a top priority. And as soon as now and during the summer, several players are in line for extensions.
Minnesota can still spend smart by keeping a few familiar names in place.
The Vikings won’t extend all of the following players in 2026, but each has a case to ask for more time and money.
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Internal Contract Decisions on Tap for Minnesota’s Summer
Listed in alphabetical order, you can tentatively expect extensions for these players:
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison celebrates with quarterback Sam Darnold after a scoring play, with Dec 29, 2024 placed at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as the duo shares energy following a third-quarter touchdown against the Packers, highlighting offensive chemistry during a key divisional matchup late in the season. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Jordan Addison (WR)
The Vikings will probably slow-roll Addison’s extension to ensure he stays out of trouble. They are not required to extend him this summer, but for a player with zero off-the-field transgressions, now would be the time.
Minnesota exercised his fifth-year option last week. So long as he stays out of trouble, Addison will be around for the long haul.
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In fact, if the Vikings hopped on his extension now, they might save themselves over $10 million, since the NFL market resets every offseason.
Blake Brandel (C)
This man is probably head coach Kevin O’Connell’s starting center. Fans expected Minnesota to draft a center early in last month’s draft, but it waited until Round 7 to bring home Gavin Gerhardt of Cincinnati.
The Vikings love Brandel, and he deserves a new deal. His contract runs out after the 2026 season. The man can play every offensive line position, which is not normal.
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Blake Cashman (ILB)
With Cashman entering the final year of his contract, the Vikings face a crucial decision regarding his future.
Currently earning $7.5 million per season, Cashman’s compensation no longer accurately reflects his on-field production. A short-term extension, perhaps for two years at approximately $20 million, appears to be the most logical step, a deal interim boss Rob Brzezinski is likely to finalize before the season begins.
His stats in 2025 strongly support this. Cashman averaged an impressive 11.07 tackles per game. Over a full season, this pace would have accumulated 188 tackles, placing him eighth all-time in NFL history. Despite missing four games, which lowered his overall total and may have obscured his exceptional performance, his per-game impact was undeniable.
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Beyond the numbers, Cashman is an ideal fit for Brian Flores’s defense. The Eden Prairie native plays as if he were tailor-made for Flores, having truly found his rhythm and delivered significant plays.
Cashman’s future is also fascinating because the Vikings just drafted Cincinnati’s Jake Golday in Round 2 of the draft. In theory, Minnesota could let Cashman walk and promote Golday in 2027.
Jordan Mason (RB)
The Vikings signed Mason to an extension last offseason after landing him via trade with the San Francisco 49ers. That deal runs out at the end of the upcoming season.
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Brzezinski re-upped with Aaron Jones in March, as Jones accepted a small paycut to remain with the team. The deal ensured that Jones and Mason will probably share RB1 carries this year.
If Minnesota values Mason, he could be extended this summer, as his career’s prime should have a couple of years remaining. That would likely cost around $6 million or $7 million per year.
Brian O’Neill (RT)
The Vikings will soon need to re-evaluate O’Neill’s contract, and the reasons are evident. He remains the team’s most reliable offensive lineman, excelling in performance and durability for years. While he will turn 31 soon and age is now a part of the conversation, top offensive tackles typically maintain their performance longer than players at more volatile positions. O’Neill has given Minnesota no reason to believe he’s on the verge of a decline.
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Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill acknowledges the home crowd following a strong performance, with Dec 1, 2024 centered at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as he reacts postgame against the Arizona Cardinals, showcasing leadership and connection with fans after contributing to the team’s effort in front of a home audience. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
However, the more pressing concern is timing. O’Neill is set to become a free agent in 2027, and the Vikings will undoubtedly want to avoid that period of uncertainty. An extension that includes guaranteed new money would be a shrewd move for all parties. If the Vikings aim to maintain offensive stability, O’Neill needs to remain a core part of the picture.
O’Neill is probably the most likely player on this list to grab a new deal.
Isaiah Rodgers (CB)
Rodgers delivered the game of a lifetime last September, personally slaughtering the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Along the way, he made a name for himself and played quite well for the whole season, though Rodgers is not the greatest tackler.
But he’s fast as hell, and he’s a playmaker.
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His extension might look like two years and $25 million or something in that ballpark.
Andrew Van Ginkel (OLB)
Van Ginkel is suddenly more vital to the Vikings than ever. The team traded Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles during the draft, nominating Van Ginkel and teammate Dallas Turner for starting OLB duty. Beyond the pair, that’s pretty much it for credible OLB depth on the Vikings’ roster.
Minnesota added $23 million to his contract about one year ago. It could do the same this summer, connecting Van Ginkel to the club through the end of 2027.
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He’ll turn 31 this summer; age is now a factor in his long-term outlook.
Jay Ward (S)
Ward excelled when given opportunities last season, injecting grit, physicality, and much-needed youth into the secondary. Drafted in 2023, Ward is now entering the final year of his rookie contract, making this an opportune moment to explore a modest extension before his market value escalates.
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr celebrates a defensive takeaway alongside teammates, with Nov 27, 2023 set at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis as he reacts with Jay Ward and Pat Jones II after a fourth-quarter fumble recovery against the Bears, capturing a momentum-shifting moment during a divisional contest. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports.
His usage late last season is also significant. Flores’s apparent trust in Ward, even favoring him over Theo Jackson at times, spoke volumes. Turning 26 this summer, Ward embodies the type of younger defensive talent Minnesota should prioritize retaining.
Especially with Harrison Smith’s future in jeopardy, now is the time to lock down Ward.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Simply put, the Blue Jays don’t have much going on offensively.
That might change relatively soon — it should, in fact. But in the meantime, games like this are going to happen far more often than they might like.
Back at the newly restored but still exasperating Tropicana Field for the first time since 2024, the Blue Jays scored just one run on the way to a 5-1 loss that brings their season record to 16-19.
Despite a new-look batting order that featured Daulton Varsho at designated hitter for the first time this season and Yohendrick Piñango in the leadoff spot for the second day in a row, the Blue Jays had trouble reaching base or making loud contact against starter Nick Martinez and the four relievers who followed.
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Piñango contributed three hits while No. 2 hitter Kazuma Okamoto walked and singled to continue his hot streak, but otherwise the visiting lineup stayed quiet. A ninth-inning rally loaded the bases and forced the Rays to bring in closer Bryan Baker, but it all added up to just one extra-base hit and one run.
A day after being removed from the game due to an at-bat he later described as “trash,” Tyler Heineman was on the bench. Since manager John Schneider removed him late Sunday, it was no surprise to see Brandon Valenzuela get the start while Heineman prepared for his next start.
Behind the scenes, Alejandro Kirk’s expected to start swinging a bat soon, a significant step as he works his way back from a fracture in his left thumb. In the meantime, Valenzuela contributed a hit while catching a would-be base stealer.
Meanwhile, George Springer continues making progress after fouling a ball off his broken left toe Saturday. In fact, he stepped out onto the field to pinch hit in the ninth inning before a double play led Schneider to hold him back a little longer.
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The manager also indicated that Addison Barger is expected to be activated by Friday, at which point the Blue Jays will have a tough decision to make about which position player comes off the roster. While Piñango has options, he’d be tough to remove from the lineup at a time that he’s hitting so well.
As for the Blue Jays’ pitching, it was solid if unspectacular on Monday. Starter Eric Lauer pitched into the fifth inning while allowing three earned runs, all of which came on a Ryan Vilade three-run homer in the first inning.
From there, the Blue Jays’ bullpen kept it close, allowing two more runs over 3.2 innings of work to allow for the possibility of a comeback. But there was no comeback to be had, so the search for offensive answers continues a little longer.
Everton and Manchester City played out an exciting 3-3 draw in a dramatic Premier League clash on Monday night.
The result dealt a major blow to Manchester City’s hopes of retaining the Premier League title as they now trail leaders Arsenal by five points.
City controlled most of the first half and finally went ahead in the 43rd minute through Jeremy Doku. The winger fired a brilliant left-footed shot from outside the box past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
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Everton responded strongly in the second half after substitute Thierno Barry punished a costly mistake from Marc Guehi to level the score in the 68th minute.
Just five minutes later, the home side turned the match around when Jake O’Brien headed home from a corner delivered by James Garner.
Everton looked set for a famous victory in the 81st minute after Merlin Rohl set up Barry for an easy finish to make it 3-1.
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However, City refused to give up. Erling Haaland quickly pulled one back after racing through the middle to score City’s second goal.
Deep into stoppage time, Doku struck again with another superb curling effort to complete the comeback and rescue a point for City.
The draw leaves Manchester City needing Arsenal to drop points in their final three league matches, while City still have four games left to play.
Sep 19, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) dribbles against the Phoenix Mercury during the first half of game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at PHX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu is out at least two weeks with an ankle injury, the New York Post reported Monday.
An MRI showed the four-time All-Star guard avoided “significant injury” when she rolled her left ankle in Sunday’s preseason win at Connecticut, per the report.
Ionescu, 28, played 16 minutes in the 79-67 victory against the Sun and finished with six points and two assists.
The Liberty open the 2026 WNBA regular season against the Sun on Friday night in Brooklyn.
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Ionescu averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 38 games (all starts) for the Liberty in 2025.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft has averaged 16.7 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 181 career games (177 starts) for New York. She helped the Liberty win the WNBA championship in 2024.
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