NASCAR is quietly putting the groundwork for one of the most important shifts in its modern era, starting with a major renovation of Talladega Superspeedway and culminating in an expanded, refreshed 2027 Cup Series schedule with potential new venues.
Talladega Superspeedway is one of sports’ most historic and largest racetracks on the schedule. The venue is set to undergo a major renovation, a previously unreported renovation as part of sport’s long-term infrastructure plans, according to recent reports from Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern.
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While specific details are still emerging, the project is expected to modernize facilities, improve fan amenities, and enhance the overall race-day experience at the 2.66-mile-long Talladega racetrack located in Lincoln, Alabama.
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In Stern’s report, according to NASCAR Holdings Executive Vice President Ben Kennedy, the sanctioning body is exploring “a couple of potential new venues” for the 2027 schedule and beyond.
While no tracks have been officially revealed, Stern’s report indicates that several cities and regions are actively courting NASCAR, including offers to host big events such as the championship race.
Julie Giese, who successfully oversaw the Chicago Street Race launch, has been tapped to steer NASCAR’s scheduling efforts for 2027 and beyond.
According to Kennedy, she is already deep into shaping the next generation of the Cup Series calendar, including evaluating the venues of the Clash exhibition and the Championship Race in 2027 and beyond.
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NASCAR will begin a rotation system for the Championship race with this season. The 2026 season finale will be held at Homestead-Miami Speedway before future locations are announced. The next year’s finale race will be held at a different venue.
Kennedy, who also serves as chief venue and racing innovations officer, confirmed that several cities expressed interest in hosting series’ title race in 2027.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to kick off this weekend at Daytona
The 2026 Cup Series season officially starts with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15, 2026, the first of 36 points-paying races of the season. The race will begin at 2:30 pm ET.
However, the 2026 season unofficially kicked off with the preseason exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium last Wednesday, where RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece emerged victorious.
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Now, it’s time for the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500, often called “The Great American Race,” which kicks off Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.
All the track activity of the season-opening weekend will be telecast on FS1 and FOX.
Wiffen said he is expecting “to swim the best ever so I don’t have to make a decision” across the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m events he will be competing in, despite his recent lack of competitive action.
He outlined his goals as swimming the 400m around 4.33 seconds, the 800m below 7.42 seconds and the 1500m under 14.40 to assess whether his time spent in California has been successful.
The County Armagh man also cited Dublin as a potential future base if he does decide to move, but emphasised that doing so would be heavily dependant on his performances in Bangor.
“If I’m around those times, under or around PB, then that’s great. That obviously means the training is working, and if it doesn’t work then I [have to figure out] what I’m going do after,” he added.
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“I’m thinking of coming back to Dublin if it doesn’t go well, but, we have to see. If I swim lights out in Bangor, then my decisions obviously can’t have been made.”
Wiffen also explained the main differences he has encounter between training in England and in the US, where they use yardage instead of metres.
“The training is just quite different and, even though I don’t swim a lot of yards, I just think being in America is fun. There’s quite a lot of distractions, and it’s a good lifestyle but, it’s not the same as what Loughborough was like,” he said.
“[It was] all about grind, very similar weather to Ireland and I love swimming in the rain and when the weather is dull. When you’re in the sun everything becomes a lot harder and the motivation becomes a lot harder.
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“When I’m swimming in California, my motivation is I’m with a really good training group and everybody’s pushing each other, where as in Loughborough, I feel like it was more self-motivation, I was getting there because I wanted to win.
“I wanted to do all these things where I feel like another group is kind of pushing me to swim fast, which I like, but I think I want a bit of the self-motivation back, so we’ll have to see how the next week goes.”
Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan is unhappy with the massive fine imposed on fast bowler Naseem Shah by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for his reported comments against a political leader on social media, saying that such actions are not in the best interests of the players and the game. Shah was reprimanded and fined by the PCB’s disciplinary committee after a tweet from his social media account, in which he made some sarcastic remarks about Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who had visited the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on March 27 during the opening match of the Pakistan Super League.
The board’s committee reached its verdict in just three days, imposing a heavy fine of 20 million rupees on Shah for breaching the players’ code of conduct.
Younis said that the fine was excessive and could have been avoided.
“Once Naseem (Shah) had apologised for the tweet and also made it clear that his social media manager was behind it and that he had fired him, the board could have let Naseem off with a warning and a much lesser fine,” Younis said.
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He said such actions only contribute to demoralising players. “The board should be taking care of its players.” Younis added that if things are taken so seriously, then even selectors and board officials should be fined when they make misleading statements or fail in their duties.
He urged the PCB to reconsider its decision, as Shah had shown his remorse for the incident.
After Shah’s tweet, the PCB issued fresh guidelines for all its centrally contracted and domestically contracted players, stating that they or their social media managers must first obtain clearance from the board before posting anything on social media and that no posts of a political nature would be tolerated.
The board has made it clear that any political posts can lead to a fine of 10 million rupees
It might take a miracle on the draftboard — or an expensive trade — but the Minnesota Vikings are evidently one of the best fits for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in three weeks, according to Bleacher Report.
Love would give the Vikings the explosive RB1 they’ve lacked for years and reshape the offense fast.
Love will expect to hear his name called somewhere in the Top 10 in 22 days, and among a handful of teams, he’d thrive in Minnesota, says the working theory.
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Love Keeps Showing Up as a Vikings Match
BR is in on Love to the Twin Cities.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr (13) hands the ball to running back Jeremiyah Love (4) during first-quarter action against Stanford at Stanford Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025, in Stanford, California. Love quickly found space off the exchange, showcasing burst and vision in Notre Dame’s ground attack during the road matchup. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Vikings Among Love’s Best Fits
BR’s Moe Moton named five teams that would especially cook with Love, and Minnesota got a shoutout.
He wrote, “At No. 18 in the draft order, the Minnesota Vikings would probably have to move up for Jeremiyah Love, but he’s worth it for what they need in the backfield. Entering his age-32 season, Aaron Jones Sr. is an aging running back who has missed 11 games over the last three years and saw a significant drop-off in production between his first and second seasons in Minnesota.”
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“In 2025, he logged 27 fewer carries than Jordan Mason, who led the team with 758 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Although Mason is a solid ball-carrier with good size (5’11”, 230 lbs) for short-yardage situations, he doesn’t have much pass-catching production.”
Love-to-Minnesota actually felt like a real possibility when the Vikings had a 4-8 record through 13 weeks last year. Minnesota later won its next five games, wiping Love off their realistic draft radar.
Moton continued, “In four seasons, the 26-year-old has 28 receptions for 173 yards. Jones is still an effective receiver, though he only has one more year left on his deal. The Vikings can add a much younger three-down tailback who’s also more versatile than Mason.”
“With the addition of quarterback Kyler Murray and Love, Minnesota would field an athletic, fast-paced offense capable of more explosive plays.”
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Moton also named the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and Tennessee Titans as sound fits for the Fighting Irish rookie.
Love’s Scouting Report
Love brings a 6’0″, 214-pound build with legit 4.36 speed. Over the last two seasons at Notre Dame, he piled up 2,497 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns, plus five more scores through the air.
He’s considered the single best player in the draft, according to ESPN, believe it or not. ESPN’s scouting department on Love: “Love is coming off two extremely productive seasons. He is an explosive runner who possesses great burst and acceleration, with the ability to create separation early and the top-end speed to take it the distance when he finds green grass.”
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“He is extremely light on his feet with great quickness and agility to maneuver through high traffic areas. Love has fluid hips and the suddenness to make defenders miss in the open field, too. He displays instincts and patience as an inside runner; Love has good vision, though will miss an occasional running lane. He has good core strength and contact balance to break tackles and consistently runs with determination and effort.”
The man could be a total game-changer for the Vikings, even if it will be really tricky to secure his services.
ESPN added: “Love is an extension of the passing game — he has receiver-like ball skills and is a natural route runner out of the backfield. He also brings value in pass protection, showing toughness and willingness to square up defenders at the point of attack.”
“Overall, Love was an extremely productive back at the college level and has the complete skillset to be a playmaker at the next level.”
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An Overdue Situation
Drafting Love could instantly transform Minnesota’s offense. He projects as a true RB1, capable of handling a significant workload, which would alleviate pressure on Murray as he acclimates to the new system in 2026. The Vikings could also establish a more run-oriented attack.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) fights for extra yards before being tripped by Pittsburgh defenders at Acrisure Stadium on Nov. 15, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Love’s physical running style stood out as he pushed through contact during a tough road contest against a physical Panthers defense. Mandatory Credit: Michael Longo-Imagn Images
Minnesota hasn’t drafted a back of Pro Bowl caliber since Dalvin Cook, and in the interim has experimented with Alexander Mattison, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and Cam Akers. While Jones provided some value, his age (31) is a concern.
Love has the potential to be an elite running back in this draft class, comparable to Ashton Jeanty or even Bijan Robinson. He’s that talented, and his bust risk is quite low. An injury or two would probably have to be the culprit.
Trade Partners?
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There’s a microscopic chance that Love experiences a total tumble all the way to Minnesota at No. 18, but that scenario might have Powerball odds.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) acknowledges fans while walking toward Notre Dame Stadium before a matchup with Syracuse on Nov. 22, 2025, in South Bend, Indiana. Love’s pregame routine reflected his growing profile as a key offensive contributor ahead of another home contest. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
So, the Vikings’ trade partners might have to look like this:
CLE (No. 6) — to get ahead of WAS | Price: No. 18 pick & Two 2nd Rounders
WAS (No. 7) | Price: No. 18 pick & a 2nd-Rounder and 3rd-Rounder
KC (No. 10) | Price: No. 18 pick & a 2nd-Rounder and 5th-Rounder
If the Vikings were forced to trade with the Tennessee Titans at Pick No. 4, they may have to surrender next year’s 1st-Rounder, which would feel like a non-starter.
Love hasn’t even turned 21 yet. The Titans and Commanders are the odds-on favorites to draft him.
Surfing Federation of India, the governing body for the sport of surfing in India, announced India’s 2026 surfing season opener, Little Andaman Pro 2026 – National Surf & SUP Championship, scheduled from April 9-12, 2026. The Little Andaman Pro 2026 will debut in a highly anticipated season of Indian surfing just ahead of India’s first-ever campaign at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan later this year. The four-day surfing extravaganza will see India’s top surfers and stand-up paddlers vying for the top honors at the stunning Butler Bay Beach in the Andaman Islands, bringing competitive surfing to one of the country’s most pristine and untapped coastal destinations for the very first time.
Presented by Andaman and Nicobar Tourism and organized by Surfing Federation of India, the event will bring together top surfers from across the country to compete in the Senior Division across Surfing and Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) disciplines, with registrations already underway for the event. TT group has come onboard as the official sponsor for the Surfing Federation of India.
The event assumes added significance in what is a breakthrough year for Indian surfing. The country secured its first-ever Asian Games quota at the 2024 Asian Surfing Championships and built on that momentum at the 2025 edition in Mahabalipuram, ultimately securing the maximum allocation of four slots, two each in the men’s and women’s categories for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
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“This is a landmark moment for Indian surfing. As we stare at India’s surfing debut at the Asian Games later this year, starting the national season at a world-class location like Little Andaman speaks loudly about our intent to take the sport deep into our coast-rich country. We are constantly working to give more competition time to our talented athletes across diverse conditions, which is critical for their growth at the international level. Surfing is a community driven sports and as we expand our reach to the Andaman’s we want to create opportunities for local communities, nurture young talent, and position India as a serious contender in global surfing”, said, Mr. Arun Vasu, President Surfing Federation of India.
Mr. Vasu further added “The progress of Indian surfers on the international stage has been extremely encouraging. From securing our first Asian Games quotas to winning medals at continental championships, we are seeing the results of sustained grassroots development and structured competition.”
The Little Andaman Pro 2026 will take place at Butler Bay, widely regarded as one of India’s most promising surf locations. Unlike many mainland beach breaks, the reef break at Butler Bay produces long, clean waves that allow surfers to execute more technical maneuvers and extended rides, making it ideal for high-performance competition.
For many Indian surfers who typically train on beach breaks, competing in reef conditions presents a valuable opportunity to enhance technical skills and broaden competitive experience. Events like this play a critical role in strengthening the national talent pipeline and preparing athletes for international challenges.
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Beyond competition, the championship also aims to highlight the Andaman Islands as a future hub for surfing and ocean sports in India. With its clear waters, coral reefs, and consistent swell patterns, Little Andaman is increasingly attracting attention from surfers and adventure tourism stakeholders alike. The initiative is expected to inspire local youth participation while contributing to sustainable development through sport.
Over the past few years, Indian surfers have steadily improved their presence on the international stage. The national team registered its first-ever team silver at the Asian Surfing Championships, alongside multiple deep runs including semi-final and quarter-final finishes, highlighting the country’s growing competitiveness against established Asian surfing nations.
The Surfing Federation of India has also unveiled an expanded 2026 Annual Competition Calendar for Surf and Stand-Up Paddle (SUP), featuring more events across the country than ever before. The national circuit will span multiple stops through the year, beginning with early-season competitions such as the Mumbai SUP Championship in January, followed by key national events from April onwards including stops in Little Andaman, traditional surf hubs like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and additional legs scheduled across mid-year and post-monsoon windows, ensuring consistent competitive exposure for athletes.
Adding to the excitement, 2026 will also mark the debut of the Longboarding Division in the national competition circuit, creating opportunities for athletes who specialise in classic surfing styles and traditional wave riding techniques.
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The Little Andaman Pro 2026 aims to celebrate the spirit of surfing while promoting responsible tourism and environmental awareness, aligning with the region’s strong conservation ethos.
About the Surfing Federation of India
The Surfing Federation of India is the national governing body for surfing in India and works to develop the sport through competitions, athlete development programs, and international representation. Led by President Arun Vasu, SFI plays a central role in building the country’s surfing ecosystem and supporting emerging talent from coastal communities across India.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a press release)
Mar 31, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Andrew Painter (24) responds to interview questions after the game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Andrew Painter struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut as the Philadelphia Phillies topped the visiting Washington Nationals 3-2 on Tuesday.
The Phillies’ top pitching prospect, Painter (1-0) allowed one run, four hits and a walk against a Nationals team that entered the game tied for the major league lead in runs scored. Kyle Schwarber and Adolis Garcia homered for the Phillies, who had lost three of their first four games.
Daylen Lile had three hits for Washington, which had won three of its first four contests. James Wood came up with the tying run on second and two outs in the ninth, but Brandon Marsh tracked down his liner to deep left for the final out.
Philadelphia scored a run in the third, fourth and fifth innings against Zack Littell (0-1) to stake Painter to a 3-0 lead. Jhoan Duran worked the ninth for his second save.
Giants 9, Padres 3
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Willy Adames led off the game with a homer and finished with a career-high-tying four hits to go with two RBIs and San Francisco’s offense finally exploded during a victory over host San Diego.
Jung Hoo Lee had three hits and three RBIs, and Matt Chapman (solo homer) and Rafeal Devers had two hits apiece as the Giants racked up 16 hits. Heliot Ramos drove in two runs for the Giants, who went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position while beating San Diego for the second straight night. Giants starter Logan Webb (1-1) gave up three runs and three hits over six innings.
Jackson Merrill and Miguel Andujar had RBI hits for the Padres, who have lost four of five games to start the season. German Marquez (0-1) struggled in his San Diego debut, serving up two homers while pitching just three innings. He gave up four runs and eight hits.
Yankees 5, Mariners 0
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Max Fried pitched seven innings of three-hit ball as New York blanked host Seattle, their third shutout win in five games this season.
Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs as the Yankees evened the three-game series at one victory apiece. New York’s Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice each had two hits. Fried (2-0) walked one and struck out six.
Seattle’s Josh Naylor lined a single to center with two outs in the fourth inning. It was Naylor’s first hit of the season, breaking an 0-for-20 slump. The Mariners’ only other hits off Fried came in the seventh, an infield single by Julio Rodriguez and a two-out liner to right by Brendan Donovan. Logan Gilbert (0-1) allowed five runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.
Dodgers 4, Guardians 1
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Shohei Ohtani gave up one hit over six scoreless innings in his season pitching debut and Max Muncy hit a home run as Los Angeles earned a victory over visiting Cleveland.
Andy Pages collected two hits and two RBIs and Teoscar Hernandez drove in his first run of the season. Ohtani (1-0), who was placed in the No. 5 spot of the rotation to start the season as the Dodgers look to manage his pitching workload, walked three batters and struck out six.
Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee (0-1) gave up one run on four hits over four innings after his start was in doubt because of shoulder inflammation that developed during his Opening Day outing at Seattle. Brayan Rocchio broke up the Dodgers’ shutout bid with an RBI single in the ninth.
Cardinals 3, Mets 0
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Andre Pallante and a quartet of relievers combined on a three-hit shutout for host St. Louis, which beat New York in the middle game of a three-game series.
Ivan Herrera had a two-run double in the third and Ramon Urias added a homer leading off the seventh for the Cardinals, who recorded their first shutout since last Sept. 16. Pallante (1-0) gave up all three hits over five-plus innings.
Kodai Senga took the hard-luck loss after whiffing nine over six innings. The Mets were blanked for the first time since a 4-0 loss to the Miami Marlins in the season finale last Sept. 28 — a defeat that eliminated New York from playoff contention.
Rangers 8, Orioles 5
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Danny Jansen hit a three-run homer for one of his three hits as Texas beat host Baltimore.
Ezequiel Duran and Corey Seager also homered for the Rangers, who have won four in a row. Rangers starter Jacob deGrom was strong through three innings, but he was charged with three runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings in his rescheduled start. Neck stiffness delayed his season debut from the weekend.
Pete Alonso, the Orioles’ highly acclaimed free-agent signee, smacked his first home run with his new team. Taylor Ward had four hits from Baltimore’s leadoff position, and he and Gunnar Henderson each produced a two-run double.
Pirates 8, Reds 3
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Oneil Cruz hit a pair of home runs and Ryan O’Hearn and Bryan Reynolds hit back-to-back home runs as Pittsburgh’s offense broke out during a win over host Cincinnati.
O’Hearn and Reynolds’ successive homers highlighted a five-run second inning. Cruz smacked a towering 444-foot blast in the fourth inning, and later added a two-run homer in the ninth to pad Pittsburgh’s lead after Cincinnati cut it to 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth.
Pirates rookie Bubba Chandler didn’t allow a hit but issued six walks through 4 1/3 innings. The Reds were held to one hit through seven innings before Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart opened the eighth with back-to-back home runs.
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Angels 2, Cubs 0
Jose Soriano allowed two hits over six shutout innings and Logan O’Hoppe hit a two-out, two-run single in the sixth inning as Los Angeles won at Chicago.
Relievers Chase Silseth, Drew Pomeranz and Jordan Romano followed Soriano to complete a four-hit shutout. Romano got the last two outs for his second save.
Cubs starter Jameson Taillon tossed 4 2/3 scoreless innings. Ian Happ saw his three-game homer streak come to an end, as he went 0-for-2 with two walks.
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Astros 9, Red Sox 2
Hunter Brown allowed one run and struck out eight in six innings to help Houston stretch its winning streak to four games by beating visiting Boston.
The only hit Brown (1-0) allowed was a Connor Wong RBI double in the fifth. Cody Bolton struck out five over the final three innings to earn his first career save.
Yordan Alvarez and Cam Smith each hit solo home runs for the Astros. Alvarez, Christian Walker and Carlos Correa each had two hits and two RBIs in the win. Ceddanne Rafaela homered for the Red Sox. Brayan Bello (0-1) yielded six runs (five earned) in 4 2/3 innings.
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Marlins 9, White Sox 2
Griffin Conine, Liam Hicks and Owen Caissie drove in two runs apiece as host Miami defeated Chicago.
After Janson Junk’s 4 1/3-inning start, four relievers — Andrew Nardi, Anthony Bender (1-0), Calvin Faucher and Pete Fairbanks — combined to deal eight strikeouts and hold Miami hitless over the final 4 2/3 frames.
Erick Fedde (0-1) took the loss, allowing six hits, one walk and four runs (three earned) in five innings. The White Sox, who are coming off three straight 100-loss seasons, made three errors, all on throws to the plate. Two of the miscues were charged to center fielder Luisangel Acuna.
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Athletics 5, Braves 2
Andy Ibanez and Jacob Wilson both drove in their first two runs of the season to help the Athletics earn their first victory of the year over host Atlanta.
Ibanez went 2-for-4, scored a run and drove in two. Wilson was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. A’s starter Aaron Civale (1-0), signed as a free agent in the offseason, worked five innings and allowed two runs on four hits and one walk, striking out three.
Drake Baldwin hit his third homer of the season to lead the Braves.
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Blue Jays 5, Rockies 1
Max Scherzer pitched six effective innings in the 41-year-old’s season debut and Toronto defeated visiting Colorado.
Scherzer (1-0) allowed one run, four hits and one walk while striking out four in six innings. Jesus Sanchez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes each had two hits and an RBI to help Toronto split the opening two games of the three-game series. It was the fourth win in five games for Toronto, while Colorado has dropped four of five.
Hunter Goodman hit a solo home run for the Rockies. TJ Rumfield added three hits. Colorado starter Ryan Feltner retired his first eight batters before Andres Gimenez lined an infield single off his right hip with two outs in the third. Feltner finished the inning with a walk and groundout but did not return for the fourth because of a contusion in the hip area. He allowed no runs, one hit and one walk with four strikeouts in three innings.
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Brewers 6, Rays 2
Gary Sanchez and Jake Bauers homered and Brandon Woodruff pitched five effective innings in his season debut, pacing Milwaukee past visiting Tampa Bay.
The result spoiled the first appearance for Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan in 972 days. McClanahan, who was back on a major league mound for the first time since Aug. 2, 2023, allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits in 4 2/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three in a 79-pitch outing.
Woodruff (1-0), who sustained a season-ending lat injury in late September that kept him out of the playoffs, allowed two solo homers and four hits while striking out six without a walk. Woodruff also missed all of 2024 following shoulder surgery.
Bjorn Baker has the durable sprinter Overpass, unlikely to chase a third Quokka success out West, meticulously readied for his seasonal bow as a seven-year-old gelding.
Overpass instead lines up for a third bid in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) come Saturday at Randwick, after fifth to Nature Strip in 2022 and second to Briasa in the previous edition.
His first-up ledger stands impressively at 4 wins with 4 further placings across 10 goes, prompting Baker to apply rigorous measures for the seasoned Vancouver gelding whose prizemoney exceeds $12 million.
Two powerful trials have been administered to Overpass, culminating in a 1050m hit-out on March 27th ridden hands and heels, aimed at peaking him for the $3 million spectacle.
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“He’s in really good order. As we know, he’s great first-up,” Baker said.
“The track definitely didn’t suit him in that trial, but Josh says he’s going as well as ever.
“We’re just mindful as he gets older, a bit stronger and bigger every preparation, we’ve got to make sure he’s that little bit fitter and we do that touch more.
“He’s had a couple of good trials, a gallop away from home. We’ll give him an easy gallop on Tuesday and into the T J.”
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This season’s Australian sprint division lacks a standout star, leaving Baker optimistic of claiming the TJ Smith should Randwick firm for Day 1 of ‘The Championships’ under expected warm spells.
“The firmer the track, probably the better, but he can get through a softish track as well,” Baker said.
“If you look at his first-up runs in recent campaigns, he was a very good fourth in the Everest. In the T J Smith last year he was second first-up as well.”
The stable of Bjorn Baker extends to the card’s other trio of Group 1s, with Green Spaces eyeing the Australian Derby, Pericles the Futurity Stakes winner in the Doncaster Mile, plus Paradoxium tackling the Inglis Sires.
The 2026 Valero Texas Open begins Thursday, April 2, with the opening round at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course in Texas. You can find full Valero Texas Open tee times for Thursday’s first round at the bottom of this post.
Featured tee time for Round 1
Popular veteran Rickie Fowler has only one thing on his mind heading into the Valero Texas Open: winning.
Beyond capping off a resurgent start to the 2026 season, a victory this week would accomplish two important things for Fowler.
First, it would break a nearly three-year win drought and give Fowler seven career PGA Tour victories. But perhaps just as importanly, it would earn him a spot in next week’s Masters, where he’d make his first start since 2024.
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But the same is true for most of the field at the Valero Texas Open, so Fowler won’t be the only one hoping to translate a Texas Open victory into tee times at Augusta National.
You can watch Thursday’s first round of the 2026 Valero Texas Open from 4-7 p.m. ET on Golf Channel. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage starting on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. ET in addition to featured group coverage.
Check out the complete Round 1 tee times and groupings for the Valero Texas Open below.
With an ESPN+ subscription, you gain access to PGA Tour Live, where you can stream the best PGA Tour events live from wherever you want.
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2026 Valero Texas Open tee times for Thursday: Round 1 (ET)
Tee No. 1
8:30 a.m. – Lanto Griffin, Kevin Streelman, Max McGreevy 8:42 a.m. – Nick Hardy, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Austin Smotherman 8:54 a.m. – Taylor Moore, Sam Ryder, Bronson Burgoon 9:06 a.m. – William Mouw, J.T. Poston, Lucas Glover 9:18 a.m. – Sami Valimaki, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman 9:30 a.m. – Adam Schenk, Matt Kuchar, Alex Noren 9:42 a.m. – Joe Highsmith, Davis Thompson, Ryo Hisatsune 9:54 a.m. – Rafael Campos, Emiliano Grillo, Rico Hoey 10:06 a.m. – Austin Eckroat, Peter Malnati, Doug Ghim 10:18 a.m. – David Ford, Neal Shipley, Davis Chatfield 10:30 a.m. – Frankie Capan III, Luke Clanton, Austin Wylie 1:30 p.m. – Tom Kim, Lee Hodges, Alex Smalley 1:42 p.m. – Matt Wallace, Tom Hoge, Carson Young 1:54 p.m. – Erik van Rooyen, K.H. Lee, Eric Cole 2:06 p.m. – Ludvig Åberg, Robert MacIntyre, Jordan Spieth 2:18 p.m. – Sepp Straka, Brian Harman, Billy Horschel 2:30 p.m. – J.J. Spaun, Russell Henley, Stephan Jaeger 2:42 p.m. – Mark Hubbard, Kevin Roy, Danny Walker 2:54 p.m. – Matthieu Pavon, Denny McCarthy, Johnny Keefer 3:06 p.m. – Kensei Hirata, Adrien Saddier, Paul Waring 3:18 p.m. – Pontus Nyholm, Marcelo Rozo, Charlie Crockett 3:30 p.m. – Jimmy Stanger, A.J. Ewart, John VanDerLaan
Tee No. 10
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8:30 a.m. – Ryan Palmer, Dylan Wu, Mac Meissner 8:42 a.m. – Joel Dahmen, Bud Cauley, Chandler Phillips 8:54 a.m. – Will Zalatoris, Patrick Rodgers, S.H. Kim 9:06 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood, Hideki Matsuyama, Rickie Fowler 9:18 a.m. – Maverick McNealy, Tony Finau, Max Homa 9:30 a.m. – Si Woo Kim, Michael Thorbjornsen, Marco Penge 9:42 a.m. – Andrew Novak, Garrick Higgo, Sudarshan Yellamaraju 9:54 a.m. – Brice Garnett, Adam Svensson, Thorbjørn Olesen 10:06 a.m. – Seamus Power, Michael Kim, Vince Whaley 10:18 a.m. – Kris Ventura, Chandler Blanchet, Zach Bauchou 10:30 a.m. – Adrien Dumont de Chassart, Dan Brown, Christo Lamprecht 1:30 p.m. – Brendon Todd, Jimmy Walker, Hank Lebioda 1:42 p.m. – Camilo Villegas, Takumi Kanaya, Kristoffer Reitan 1:54 p.m. – Nick Dunlap, Andrew Putnam, Justin Lower 2:06 p.m. – Ricky Castillo, Jhonattan Vegas, Brandt Snedeker 2:18 p.m. – Nick Taylor, Matt McCarty, Kevin Yu 2:30 p.m. – Steven Fisk, Karl Vilips, Chris Kirk 2:42 p.m. – Mackenzie Hughes, Chad Ramey, Beau Hossler 2:54 p.m. – Patton Kizzire, Keith Mitchell, Jordan Smith 3:06 p.m. – Zecheng Dou, Jackson Suber, Gordon Sargent 3:18 p.m. – Patrick Fishburn, Alejandro Tosti, Jesper Svensson 3:30 p.m. – Haotong Li, John Parry, Jeffrey Kang
Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), Jack Hirsh details the one club he can’t live without from Fully Fit 2026, his Cobra 3DP MB 5-iron. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:
If I was shocked by one thing during my Fully Fit 2026 journey, it’s how easy this muscle back 5-iron could be to hit.
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Long irons and I have always had a love-hate relationship.
I’ve hit some incredible shots with them. You know the ones that launch high off the face and rocket into the air directly on line before gently rolling over to the left as they fall back to earth, landing gracefully on the green and releasing toward the pin? Bliss.
But even when I play some of my best golf, long-iron shots can still give me the most trouble. Despite finishing runner-up in my club championship this past summer, the multiple 200-plus-yard par-3s at my club often left me feeling like I couldn’t get a shot airborne. Thank god for match play — but still, I bowed out of the final match after pulling a 5-iron 25 yards left on one of those par-3s.
And that was with an iron set that included a larger and more forgiving 5-iron.
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Fast forward to the start of 2026 and now I have a 5-iron — a Cobra 3DP MB — I can stand over and be truly confident that I’ll hit it flush, exactly how I want to. The surprising twist? It looks nothing like the 5-iron I thought would be my solution.
How I ended up in an MB 5-iron
Heading to Cobra’s fitting day for Fully Fit 2026, I had expected to find a set of the new 3DP MB and Tour irons that would be best for my game.
I just didn’t think the long irons would wow me so much.
At first, the new muscle back intimidated me. I’ve never played blades seriously before. Surely I was going to skull or, worse yet, present the hosel, with these compact irons. But I was shocked by how easy they were to hit. That’s owed to the unique 3D-printed construction of the 3DP MB, which you can read more about here.
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I compare the feeling to hitting a mini driver off the deck for the first time. It seemed like I was about to drive the ball into the ground, but the soles on modern mini drivers make them almost as easy as a 3-wood to hit from the deck.
Working with Cobra fitter Andrew Lusty, we started with the 7-iron, as most iron fittings do, and it didn’t take us long to see how effortlessly I could hit the new 3DP MB while getting similar numbers to my gamer. We also dialed in a shaft change and a flatter lie angle that has virtually eliminated the left side of the golf course for me.
Still, as small as the 3DP MBs look to me, I couldn’t wrap my head around playing the line’s long irons.
Jack Hirsh/GOLF
That’s when Andrew offered me stock 4- and 5-irons to hit to see if I could hit the intended ball speeds. These were softer and shorter shafts than what I’m spec’d for, but the idea is if you can hit designated ball speeds and peak height windows with stock setups, you should easily be able to with the proper specs.
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I was shocked when it took me just one swing to flush the stock MB 5-iron: 141 mph, 110 feet in the air. Exactly the numbers we were looking for.
We broke the set with the 4-iron because I was only able to muster around 141-143 mph out of the MB 4-iron, short of the required 5 mph ball-speed gap. Past the 5-iron was clearly my point of diminishing returns. Switching to the 3DP Tour 4-iron, the feeling of effortlessness returned.
The 3DP MB iron combines the looks and feel of a traditional forged muscle back with the forgiveness of a cavity back iron. The most forgiving blade on the market, the MB has captivated Tour players by checking all the boxes and exceeding expectations with its exceptional stability and feel.
FORGIVING MUSCLE BACK BLADE SHAPE
A slightly revised shape from the KING MB inspired by feedback from PGA Tour player Max Homa, the MB features a thinned topline and enhanced offset. The internal 3D printed lattice and heel, toe and hosel tungsten increases MOI for stability, and positions the CG perfectly centered and lower than the KING MB to promote higher launch.
EXTREME FORGIVENESS MEETS SOFT FEEL
The 3D printed internal lattice structure not only optimizes weight savings, but also provides the stiffness and strength to support the face and fine-tune the acoustics of each iron to produce the most appealing impact sound and feel.
TUNGSTEN WEIGHTING
The discretionary weight savings from the 3D printed lattice allowed for up to 55g of tungsten to be positioned low in the heel, toe and hosel resulting in the perfect blend of a compact blade shape with a low CG and high MOI that mirrors a game improvement iron.
While I had hoped to have played more golf by this point in the year, I’ve hit enough shots to know how much of a game-changer this 5-iron is.
During indoor testing, I hit 8 shots with the 5-iron and recorded a 3.7-yard carry standard deviation with an average carry of 204.5 yards. That basically means my 5-iron is like a pitching wedge, but from 205 yards.
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Knowing that is confidence-inspiring, but the ease with which I can still work the ball up, down, left or right has really proved the club’s worth.
My goal with long irons is to make sure I’m just not losing strokes, but with this MB 5-iron, I feel like I finally have a weapon with which I can attack greens from 200 yards.
Trainer Glen Thompson from Flemington expects Benagil’s suitability to 2000m to spark a sharper display at Caulfield.
This Saturday’s Group 3 Easter Cup will be the mare’s fourth race back from rest.
Thompson recalled Benagil taking out a 2000m Group 1 contest as a three-year-old, and securing two Group 1 minor placings—at 2000m and 2200m.
Over 2000m most recently, she was well-beaten into last place by Via Sistina in the Champions Stakes at Flemington last spring.
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The track was notably heavy, occurring as her season wrapped up.
Three starts into the current campaign without a placing, yet Thompson is content with Benagil’s work.
Her freshest run was eighth to Treasurethe Moment in the 1600m Sunline Stakes at Caulfield, March 21.
“She’s going really well,” Thompson said.
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“Her first run, she wasn’t ready, then in her second run she was a little plain.
“I thought her run the other day was great. Her sectionals were the second fastest of the race where she was back last and ran on.
“She won at the 2000 metres in the Australasian Oaks (at Morphettville), and she got to 2200 metres, running third in the Queensland Oaks.
“I’m thinking getting her back up to 2000 metres, we’ll see an improved run from her.”
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Down the line, Thompson keeps options open for Queensland’s Winter Carnival, though after Saturday’s Easter Cup, attention turns to the April 18 Mornington Cup (2400m).
“At this stage she’ll go Easter Cup, Mornington Cup, and if she can win that, then she can go to the paddock and get ready for the spring,” Thompson said.
“It will then all be about one race for her.”
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Visit trusted betting sites to check out the best markets for the Easter Cup.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly released his annual SP+ rankings as Spring Practice gets underway across the country.
The Pac-12 got a great piece of news heading into its first full year.
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, I look at the pending quarterback battles in Chapel Hill (UNC) and Tempe (ASU).
Will the Sun Devils’ long-term outlook be as good as it seems for Kenny Dillingham?
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Tulane made the 12-team Playoff last year and lost Jon Sumrall to Florida.
Is Will Hall the right hire to keep the Green Wave in the national CFP landscape?
00:00 Pac-12 ranked best by metrics 04:17 Conference rankings and coaching impacts 07:05 Mountain West team rankings 14:38 Quarterback struggles and transfers 19:50 Arizona State quarterback depth plan 23:49 Tulane’s playoff chances 28:26 Tulane’s football program outlook
;)
Tulane made the 12-team Playoff last year and lost Jon Sumrall to Florida. 
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