Golf rewards early dedication. Most elite players are prodigious talents who started young and stayed committed, progressing from the junior circuit to college programs and then on to the professional game. Of course, a few take detours. But there’s one main road, and it’s long and narrow.

Golf course architecture could hardly be more different. For every great designer who took to doodling golf holes when they were still in diapers, there are others who fell sideways into the field. Alister MacKenzie was a surgeon in the British army long before he routed his first course. Kye Goalby worked in finance. Bill Coore studied classics in college, with an eye toward becoming a professor.

Then there’s Mike Koprowski, among the most unlikely stories of them all.

Though Koprowski played golf in high school, he never considered the game as a career. At the University of Notre Dame, he enrolled in ROTC and, after graduation, served as an Air Force intelligence officer overseas. He went on to stack degrees from Duke and Harvard and built a résumé in public policy and education. Golf architecture filled a quieter corner of his mind: a fascination, not a plan, and certainly not a way to make a living.

Eventually, in a move that felt equal parts reckless and inevitable, Koprowski turned his back on Beltway stability and cold-emailed the architect Kyle Franz, which led to an apprenticeship in the Sandhills outside Pinehurst. He learned the craft from the dirt up — shaping, clearing, studying soils — and, before long, did something even bolder: He bought a rumpled stretch of sandy ground outside Columbia, S.C., and set about building his own course.

The result is Broomsedge, set on 197 acres of blowy terrain, its fairways stitched between native grasses and sandy scrapes. It is, by any measure, an improbable achievement.

A few weeks ago, the Destination Golf podcast team visited  Broomsedge, where we recorded an on-course episode with Koprowski. You’ve heard of playing lessons. This was a playing interview. During the round, Koprowski talked about his unlikely path into architecture and the hard lessons that came with betting on himself. There were moments, he admitted, when the bank balance was bleak and his pie-in-the-sky project appeared doomed. But the vision held.

Others have taken notice. With Broomsedge up and running to rave reviews, Koprowski is fielding opportunities for additional work. One project, Candyroot — a destination resort in the works at the edge of the Carolina sandbelt — is still under wraps, with details to be unveiled soon. For a guy who once wondered how anyone breaks into this business without inherited land or inherited wealth, the irony isn’t lost.

Koprowski says he almost has to pinch himself when someone asks him to price out his services.

“I have a really hard time knowing what I should charge, because I’m having so much fun, I’d probably do it for free,” he says.

As for advice to aspiring architects? It’s disarmingly simple. Read books on design. Travel to see as many great courses as you can. Study the ground. And then, he says, offering counsel that applies well beyond golf, “throw caution to the wind.” 

Life, after all, is like a twilight golf. You only go around once. You can watch the entire episode on Spotify here.

Pakistan players (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has stirred debate at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after urging Pakistan to make a bold selection call ahead of their must-win Super 8 clash against England in Pallekele on Tuesday. Taking to social media, Ashwin advised Pakistan to promote Fakhar Zaman to the middle order if they are serious about staying alive in the tournament.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“If Pakistan are serious about this World Cup campaign, they need to think about giving Fakhar Zaman a go in the middle order,” Ashwin wrote on X. He emphasised Fakhar’s ability to counter England’s spin threat, particularly leg-spinner Adil Rashid and left-arm spinner Liam Dawson.

“He can sweep and use his feet against Rashid and Dawson to inflict some serious damage through the middle overs. This was Nepal’s success formulae against Rashid and there are some key learning’s that the other teams can try to imbibe. Access the square boundaries to earn balls in the step hit zone,” Ashwin added.Ashwin pointed to Nepal’s success against Rashid, even sharing a wagon wheel graphic to illustrate how accessing square boundaries and using footwork disrupted England’s control in the middle overs.The suggestion comes as spin is expected to dominate at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, where slowing surfaces have already influenced results. England’s spinners, supported by pacer Jofra Archer, played a decisive role in their commanding win over Sri Lanka, while their batting has found unlikely heroes.Despite inconsistent performances from senior players like Jos Buttler, England have continued to win, with captain Harry Brook backing his experienced core to deliver soon. Opener Phil Salt has also rediscovered form at a crucial time.Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, face a far more precarious situation. Their opening Super 8 match against New Zealand was washed out, leaving them with little margin for error. While their spin attack offers variety, their batting has struggled for consistency beyond leading scorer Sahibzada Farhan.

Great Britain’s Menna Fitzpatrick will compete in the Winter Paralympics, almost three months after suffering a significant knee injury.

Para-alpine skier Fitzpatrick, Britain’s most decorated Winter Paralympian with six medals, sustained the injury in training in December but opted against surgery in a bid to compete at the Milan-Cortina Games, which start on 6 March.

The 27-year-old and her guide, Katie Guest, are among the second wave of athletes named in the GB team., external

Fred Warburton and guide James Hannan, Sam Cozens and guide Adam Hall, Hester Poole and guide Ali Hall, and Dominic Allen also make the Para-alpine team.

Snowboarder Davy Zyw has been included and is thought to be the first snowsport athlete with motor neurone disease (MND) to compete at the Games.

Devin Haney’s father and trainer, Bill Haney, has named six potential opponents that his son could face in the near future.

‘The Dream’ claimed his WBO welterweight title in November, securing a second-round knockdown before unanimously outpointing and dethroning Brian Norman Jr.

In doing so, the 27-year-old became a three-division world champion and cemented himself as a top 10 pound-for-pound star, with many considering him the flagship fighter at 147lbs.

But despite having only just made his mark on the welterweight division, Haney must now turn his attention towards a selection of fearsome rivals.

Top of his list, according to Bill, is Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who was stripped of his WBA lightweight title last month following a series of domestic violence charges. Even if the controversial Davis returns to the sport, he would face a big size disadvantage against Haney.

Elsewhere on the list is WBO super-lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, yet the four-division world champion has said he would only fight Haney at a catchweight of 144lbs, or at welterweight with a 10lbs rehydration clause.

Even so, it appears the American has afforded himself plenty of alternative options, with Bill Haney revealing several of them to ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT.

“I think ‘Tank’ is at the top of [Devin’s list], maybe Shakur is next.

“Jaron Ennis; Conor Benn might be on there towards the bottom. I think Ryan Garcia is No.10; Brian Norman was on there.

“Keyshawn Davis is on there too. He can get it too.”

With Ennis campaigning at 154lbs and aiming for his own intriguing contest with Vergil Ortiz Jr before targeting belts, Haney is unlikely to deliver on that particular fight just yet.

Potential bouts with Garcia, Keyshawn Davis and Benn, however, could soon become far more realistic, especially now that Garcia offers a unification as well as a storyline from their first controversial encounter.

Dynasty ranking changes from January to February are generally pretty minimal. They are mostly influenced by the smattering of news we get and my first run at 2026 Fantasy Football projections. This year, at quarterback, the changes in the rankings are almost completely nonexistent. Just don’t get used to this static situation because before I release my March rankings, there are at least eight quarterbacks who could change uniforms and their Dynasty outlook radically altered.

My way-too-early 2026 quarterback projections are here.

The first two obvious names are Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa. Both of their respective teams have new coaches and have expressed at least some interest in moving on from their very expensive quarterbacks. The risk of them not finding starting jobs has already been factored in to some degree, but it could be worse. For either of these quarterbacks, if their situations are unresolved a month from now, I will be more nervous. At the same time, if they find a new home as a starter in March, they could be risers. I am more optimistic both about Murray’s chances of finding a starting job and his Fantasy upside if he does, which is why he is ranked considerably higher than Tagovailoa.

Earlier in February, I had Jay Felicio from QB List on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty to discuss the state of the quarterback position. Check it out:

The free agent I am most interested in monitoring in the next month is Malik Willis. From my view, those two teams we just talked about, the Dolphins and the Cardinals, are the two most likely to give Willis a starter’s contract in 2026. The path to him being a riser in the next month is if Willis receives a contract that offers him more long-term security than what Justin Fields received last year. These two coaching staffs have close connections to the Packers, so if anyone is willing to take that risk, it should be them. Over the past two seasons, Willis has thrown 89 passes and averaged 10.9 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Combine that with his rushing upside, and if Willis gets a three-year deal, he could vault into the top 20 in the rankings below.

Other quarterbacks who could see the biggest gains or losses in the next month are Jacoby Brissett, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, and Geno Smith. Of course, we have no reason to expect Rodgers to make a decision that fast, and we’ll have to wait until August at least to see how Jones’ rehab is coming. One thing is for sure: We should expect far more changes in the Dynasty QB rankings next month than we got this month. We may even get to add Derek Carr back in if he decides to return to the NFL.

I don’t rank rookies until they are drafted, but I have already started to think about where I will put them. Assuming Fernando Mendoza is taken first overall by the Raiders, I anticipate he will rank somewhere between QB15 and QB18 in the rankings below. I would be surprised if any other rookie cracks the top 25.

Here are my updated Dynasty QB rankings:

Match Details

Fixture: Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Tournament: ATP Mexican Open 2026

Round: First Round

Category: ATP 500

Surface: Hard (outdoor)

Venue: Arena GNP Seguros, Acapulco, Mexico

Prize Money: US$2,469,450 (total prize pool)

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet preview

Alexander Zverev is set to get his 2026 Mexican Open campaign underway with a potentially tricky first-round outing against Corentin Moutet.

The World No. 4 German is the top seed in Acapulco, and the ATP 500 hardcourt event will mark his first competitive outing since his heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Zverev finished as the runner-up in Acapulco back in 2019, but two years later, managed to win the title by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Moutet, the World No. 35 from France, like Zverev, was beaten by Alcaraz in Melbourne. The crafty Frenchman then took a short break before featuring in ATP Tour-level action once more at the recently-concluded Delray Beach Open. Here, eventual runner-up Tommy Paul dashed his hopes in the very first round.

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet head-to-head

Zverev and Moutet have locked horns twice in the past and on both occasions, the German has come out on top. Their first meeting, at the ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart last year, resulted in a straight-set win for Zverev. However, their second clash, at last year’s China Open, went the distance, with the German ultimately downing the Frenchman 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet odds

(Odds via BetMGM)

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet prediction

Zverev is a heavy favorite to defeat Corentin Moutet in their upcoming first-round match at the 2026 Mexican Open. The German, the 2021 champion in Acapulco, has started 2026 strongly, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and boasting a 5-1 record in his recent matches.

Conversely, Moutet has struggled with form, losing four of his last six matches, and has never defeated the German. Zverev’s superior power, consistent serving, and experience on the hard courts of Mexico make him far too strong for the Frenchman.

While Moutet is talented, he is unlikely to break through Zverev’s defense. Expect a dominant performance from Zverev, cruising to a straight-sets victory.. The match should confirm Zverev’s status as a top contender for the 2026 Acapulco title.

Pick: Zverev to win in straight sets.

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet betting tips

Tip 1: An upset is possible given Zverev’s return from a break, making ‘Corentin Moutet +4.5 Games’ a potential alternative for those expecting a closer contest than the straight-set prediction.

Tip 2: Zverev to win all his service games.