Pakistan’s recent struggles have sparked plenty of criticism of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), but former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes the players themselves must also take responsibility for the team’s alarming performances.The Babar Azam-led Pakistan side endured a miserable start to its England tour, suffering heavy defeats in the first two Tests at Headingley and Lord’s. The results prompted the PCB to make sweeping changes ahead of the third and final Test in Birmingham, including sending seven players home and replacing Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed with white-ball coach Mike Hesson.However, de Villiers believes the problems extend beyond the boardroom. The former Proteas skipper questioned whether enough Pakistan players are willing to put in the hard work required to succeed in Test cricket, particularly when conditions become difficult.
De Villiers questions Pakistan’s character
Pakistan’s struggles with the bat were particularly concerning during the opening two Tests. The first match finished inside three days, while the second went into a fourth day largely because of rain.Across four innings, Pakistan failed to score 200 even once, leaving de Villiers questioning the team’s ability to withstand pressure and fight through difficult periods.“I don’t often currently see a lot of Pakistan players individually being prepared to put in those extra hard yards. Especially with the batting unit. Not enough, what’s the word, guts. Fight. It doesn’t always have to be pretty. Lots of soft wickets, and that’s what it comes down to. It’s a decision that you make,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.The former South Africa captain explained that he viewed Test cricket as an opportunity to demonstrate mental strength rather than simply focus on aesthetics or personal statistics.“It’s sometimes ugly and terribly difficult to watch. If I played for my ego, I probably would have been a different player. It was always about how much character I could show out here today. It always felt like a threat to my character from the opposition. That’s the way I decided to play the situation,” he added.De Villiers believes that quality performances in Test cricket often come down to a player’s ability to respond when circumstances are stacked against them.“I always felt that Test cricket was a test of your character. That’s maybe what Pakistan is lacking at the moment. A bit of character, a bit of fight. An individual leadership group of four or five players who decide together, you know what, let’s be the leaders here and show the guys,” said the former Proteas skipper.He added: “Let’s be the example. Show the youngsters what it takes to win Test matches, ODIs, or T20S. Maybe that is the area they’re lacking in.”
PCB instability also a major concern
While de Villiers was critical of the players, he did not absolve the PCB of responsibility.Pakistan cricket has gone through repeated changes in leadership and coaching in recent years, with several coaches and captains coming and going. Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten, for instance, departed after allegedly being sidelined by the selection committee headed by Aaqib Javed.De Villiers believes this instability has played a part in Pakistan’s decline and stressed the importance of giving the current leadership greater continuity.“Also, a bit of mismanagement from the top. Lots of chopping and changing. Lots of changes in leadership. Babar is back now. So hopefully he gets an extended run, stays fit, and starts scoring runs again like we all know he can. And for his fellow teammates to start following that lead,” said de Villiers.Babar’s return to the leadership group comes at a difficult moment for Pakistan, with the team attempting to rebuild following the heavy defeats in England.
Advertisement
De Villiers hopes Pakistan can recover
Despite his criticism, de Villiers remains hopeful that Pakistan can rediscover the quality that has made them competitive across formats.He believes a stronger leadership group, greater character from the players and improved stability at the administrative level could help the team turn things around.“So that’s my long and short on Pakistan cricket. Hopefully they’ll make their way back to the form and to the team that we know they can be in all formats of the game,” he concluded.Pakistan will now have one final opportunity to respond on the England tour when they face the hosts in the third and final Test in Birmingham. With major changes already made before the series has concluded, the team will be under pressure to show considerably more fight and character in the final match.
The passing of former AEW star Andy Williams has broken the hearts of thousands worldwide. He was an amazing human being, a talented musician, and a good in-ring competitor. Many wrestlers paid tribute to him after his death. Even one of Triple H’s closest friends was shattered by this tragedy.
WWE Hall of Famer X-Pac was distraught when he learned of Andy Williams’s death. The 54-year-old retired from in-ring competition a few years back; however, he is still signed to the sports entertainment juggernaut under a legends contract. He shared screenshots of his chat with the departed wrestler a few hours ago on X.
The former AEW star had texted him back in April 2022. Williams’s wanted to help the legend recover from an injury.
Advertisement
“Hey brother! I know we don’t know each other, but I’ve torn both of my biceps and never had them repaired. Let me know if I can help in anyway. I’ve dealt with this for about 6 years now and it’s not the end of the world and pretty easy recovery!” read William’s text.
X-Pac’s reply was equally wholesome.
“Hey man! I appreciate you reaching out. I noticed you tore yours. I already tore the right one & didn’t get it fixed. Tore my pec at same time. Now this one. 🙂 saw my surgeon & had git an MRI when I got home Monday. I made it through my match I Dallas ok. At least my bicep made it through. My groin is pulled or torn, but whatever. So I’m waiting to see when I can get it fixed,” read his reply.
The veteran wrote in the caption of this post that he is sad that he never got to meet the former Butcher in person.
“I’m sad that we’ll never get that chance to meet. I wish we had more people with a heart like your’s in our industry. Rest well, Andy.🙏💔,” he wrote.
Andy Williams was with AEW from 2019 to 2026
Andy Williams was under All Elite Wrestling’s banner for seven years. He is best known for his partnership with the Blade. The duo was collectively known as the Butcher and the Blade.
Advertisement
Although the Butcher and the Blade never became AEW World Tag Team Champions, they had a strong fan base. They held the PWR Tag Team Championship once.
Why did you not like this content?
Advertisement
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Get all the hottest wrestling news FIRST by clicking here
A Wigan boy, Farrell came from a strong rugby league background, cousin of former Wigan Warriors captain Andy, now head coach of Ireland’s rugby union team.
Coming through the Warriors’ academy system, Farrell was handed his debut as a teenager in April 2010 and by the end of that year, he was appearing in Wigan’s Grand Final success over St Helens at Old Trafford, having also played a few games on loan at Widnes Vikings.
But since then, the forward has only ever played for the Cherry and Whites – a pillar of consistency in the pack.
As well as the team honours, Farrell has been included in the Super League Dream Team on six occasions, while he was also the Harry Sunderland Trophy winner as player of the match in the 2016 Grand Final win over Warrington Wolves.
Advertisement
He was the natural replacement to succeed Thomas Leulaui as Wigan skipper and his quiet steel and authority have been at the forefront of a new glorious era for the club under head coach Matt Peet.
Farrell has won seven of the 11 trophies up for grabs during his time as captain, the most recent being the Challenge Cup at Wembley in May, and he may add two more before he retires as Wigan chase the League Leaders’ Shield and the Grand Final next month.
“You have to make the right call at the right time, and I think I have done that,” he said. “Speaking to people close to me, professionals and the advice I have been given, it’s the right time.
“Playing one game for Wigan was always the goal for me. If I had have done that and never played again I’d have been immensely proud, my family would have been proud and we’d have gone back to being Wigan fans. So to have been able to play over 400 games in this jersey has been nothing short of incredible.”
Pakistan’s Babar Azam celebrates after taking a catch to dismiss England’s Ben Duckett during the second Test at the Lord’s against England. (AP)
NEW DELHI: The ghost of match-fixing has returned to haunt the Pakistan cricket team and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during the ongoing three-match Test series against England. After losing the second Test by 194 runs at Lord’s, PCB decided to drop Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Zafar. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the head coach, and Umar Gul, the bowling coach, were also released from their duties.In their place, seven players have been drafted into the squad, including five yet to make their international debuts. The two capped players are batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, while the uncapped group comprises pace-bowling all-rounders Razaullah Khan and Mohammad Imran, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, wicketkeeper Saad Baig and left-arm pacer Mohammad Imran Junior.It has been learnt that the drastic changes being made within Pakistan cricket were driven by reasons that were “more than cricket” and not merely a fallout of the team’s dismal performances. We have reached out to the concerned parties for a comment, including hosts the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and PCB. More than 72 hours later, we received no response.However, Amir Mir, PCB’s Director Media and Digital Communications, issued a public statement: “The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally. The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration.“According to Pakistani outlet 365 News, the players’ devices have been handed over to the PCB and will remain in the board’s custody until the conclusion of the final Test. The report did not disclose the identities of the players whose phones were confiscated, while the PCB has not publicly explained why the devices were taken into custody.
Every match of a series is important for us and we are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them
Mohsin Naqvi | PCB Chairman
A couple of days after making sweeping changes to the squad, PCB Director of High Performance Aaqib Javed launched a scathing attack on opening batter Imam-ul-Haq, who suffered a low-grade calf tear at Lord’s. Aaqib criticised Imam for not batting in either innings of the Lord’s Test and vowed to “take action” against him.“The Imam injury is a big question mark, and a deep disappointment. Players in the past used to get injuries, but they used to put on casts and still tried to play. We’ll take action against this. How is it possible that a pulled muscle ruled you out of batting in both innings? He should have tried and fought. He’ll have to face an inquiry; I can’t say he faked it, but a muscle pull like that cannot stop you from batting altogether,” Aaqib said in an interview with Pakistan broadcast network Geo.Aaqib had also defended the number of changes that were made mid-series. “The message we’re sending to the recalled players is that you have to raise your game on important tours and compete, and we should be able to see some effort,” he said.PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi echoed Aaqib Javed’s sentiments and defended their knee-jerk reaction in a vociferous manner. “Every match of a series is important for us and we are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them,” Naqvi told Geo Network.Incidentally, Lord’s was the venue for one of the biggest spot-fixing scandal in cricket and it involved the Pakistan cricket team. Then, captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were handed prison sentences and banned for taking bribes from a bookmaker to deliberately bowl no-balls at certain pre-aranged moments during the Test match in 2010.(The story will be updated once we receive responses to our queries.)
Scott White identifies 10 streaming pitchers for Fantasy Week 25, with Jacob Lopez and Andrew Painter leading the options to trust
•
1 min read
Advertisement
Streaming pitchers isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you find yourself without enough reliable options in a given scoring period, it may be what you need to stay afloat. Scott White has 10 recommendations for the upcoming scoring period, all rostered in no more than 80 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Generally, only the top two or three are full-throated endorsements, while the rest are more about making the best of a bad situation.
Jan 4, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) teammates greet him on the sideline against the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
The final lingering question of the Vikings offseason has finally been answered. After an offseason of “will he, won’t he,” Harrison Smith has finally been announced as returning to Minnesota. It’s another year in purple for the Hitman.
While sending some credit to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the NFL’s social media sent the details: “Vikings S Harrison Smith agrees to terms to come back for 15th season on a 1-year, $12.25M deal with playoff incentives worth up to $16.25M.”
The Pros and Cons of Harrison Smith’s Return
It felt like a goodbye when he left the field to a hero’s reception in the Vikings’ final game of the 2025 season. While CJ Ham and Adam Thielen officially announced their retirements, Smith never said a word, which led to ongoing talk of one more season. It became official on Saturday when the team released the news of Smith’s return and a timely boost to the Vikings safety group.
Advertisement
Members of the Minnesota Vikings defense, including Harrison Smith, participate in a postgame interview with WWE superstar Seth Rollins and NFL insider Dianna Russini after defeating the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Dec. 25, 2025. The nationally televised Christmas matchup featured a festive atmosphere as Minnesota celebrated the division victory in front of the home crowd. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
He agreed to terms to come back for his 15th season in the league, all of which have been as a Viking, on a 1-year, $12.25 million deal with playoff incentives. A Vikings legend is back for what seems like one last rodeo, which is exciting news for an extremely popular player as we head into opening week of the 2026 season. The return of the Hitman will be popular, but is it all good news? I take a look at the pros and cons of Harrison Smith’s return.
Pro – Leadership
Smith has been a huge figure for the Vikings for a long time now. He isn’t necessarily a big talker, but he leads by example, and his presence in the locker room will have a positive effect. You just have to look at how the team’s coaches and players spoke about him over the last few months when they were constantly questioned about his potential return.
Con – Steady Decline
Aug 5, 2023; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) during training camp at Twin Cities Orthopedic Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
There’s no getting away from it. The Hitman isn’t the same player he was in 2017, when he was named first-team All-Pro. There has been a steady decline over the years, and questioning how much he has left in the tank is valid. He wasn’t terrible last season; he still made interceptions, sacked the quarterback, and earned a respectable Pro Football Focus grade of 68.9, but he isn’t the force he once was.
Pro – Football Intelligence
Smith has never lacked anything physically, but his football IQ has set him apart and is why he should eventually find his way into the Hall of Fame. In Brian Flores’ notoriously complicated defense, you need intelligent players to make it work. A master of the disguise that Flores wants at the line of scrimmage, Smith has no peers when it comes to fooling quarterbacks by showing pressure and then either either coming downhill or backing out. There’s great nuance needed to do it successfully, and Smith is the best.
Con – No Preseason
Oct 14, 2018; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings free safety Harrison Smith (22) reacts during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Smith had a slow start to last season and got better as the year went on. Maybe sitting out the preseason is what he needed to revitalize himself and hit the ground running in 2026. However, I do have a concern about how sharp he will be on the field. Of course, he will have kept himself fit, and his football IQ will help, but it might take him a while to get up to full speed.
Pro – Mentoring the Young Vikings Safeties
Josh Metellus has probably finished his mentorship under the Hitman, which helped a late-round draft pick become a hugely valuable member of the roster. Minnesota has a couple of promising rookies this year in Jacob Thomas and Jakobe Thomas. They will now get a year sat under the learning tree with one of the best to ever do it. That will be a positive for both.
Advertisement
An Overall Positive
Smith brings so much wisdom to the team that, as long as there isn’t a big decline from last season, I view his return as an overall positive. It will be interesting to see if he remains an every-down player or is used more sparingly. The price tag for his return would suggest that the Vikings will still want a lot from him. Smith should still have something to give, its just a case of how much.
Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.
Aramburu, 42, was with another player sitting at a brasserie in Paris in the early hours of March 19, 2022 when they argued with Loik Le Priol and Romain Bouvier.
After the sportsmen left, the two accused are suspected of having fired several shots at Aramburu, who died of his wounds.
Advertisement
Le Priol, 32, and Bouvier, 35, have been charged with murder and attempted murder respectively in the trial to last several weeks, and risk up to life in jail if they are found guilty.
Le Priol, a former commando and member of a now dissolved ultra-right movement GUD, is suspected of having fired the shots that killed the rugbyman.
He was arrested several days later at the Hungary-Ukraine border, where he told police he was “going to Ukraine to fight” after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Aramburu had been living in the southwestern French town of Biarritz after retiring. He played club rugby for Perpignan, Biarritz and Dax in France, as well as for the Glasgow Warriors.
Advertisement
He earned 22 caps for Argentina from 2004 to 2009.
Le Priol and Bouvier were at the time of the killing already under investigation over the 2015 beating of a former GUD official. A court in 2022 sentenced them to two and three years in jail over the incident.
According to the investigation, tensions soared at the restaurant after Aramburu’s friend, fellow rugby player Shaun Hegarty, criticised Le Priol for the way he snapped at another customer. Le Priol tapped him on the head.
As the rugby players left, Aramburu grabbed him by the hood, slamming him to the ground. The ensuing exchange of blows left Le Priol with a few broken teeth, as the rugby players fled the scene.
Advertisement
After catching up with them in the vehicle of Le Priol’s then girlfriend, Bouvier shot at Aramburu, before escaping. Le Priol then turned up on foot, firing again at the Argentine and killing him.
Did you watch this Walker Cup at Lahinch, in Ireland? Maybe you were one of the 8,000 or so people on hand, watching up close. (Single-day tickets were about $50; kids were free.) Maybe you were watching on Golf Channel, with the American Curtis Cup star Emilia Migliaccio Doran and the former GB&I Walker Cup player Paul McGinley presiding. Poor McGinley, about the most refreshing voice in golf broadcasting today and an Irishman’s Irishman. He must be worn out. He was wearing his big heart on his green sleeve as he practically begged the home 10 to scratch out this half-point or that one.
In the end, his prayers were answered. In this 51st edition of the Walker Cup, the two-day event that unfolds with stunning speed, Great Britain and Ireland defeated a stacked American team, 13.5 to 12.5. Sunday afternoon, in the decisive singles play, GB&I won seven matches, halved two and lost one. GB&I won the event for the first time since 2015. It was amazing.
People will say that the GB&I golfers have more experience playing links golf. That might be true, but seven of the fellas play college golf in the U.S. In other words, they play a lot of their golf shots in the air, often hot, humid and still air, to soft and watered greens. People will say that the GB&I golfers have more experience playing alternate shot. Hmm. Nobody has much experience playing alternate shot.
Cypress Point, where last year’s Walker Cup was played, is at least kinda linksy. The Americans won, 17-9. In 2023, the Walker Cup was at the Old Course — you know, the original links course. The Americans won, 14.5 to 11.5. At National Golf Links, tumbling and firm and oh-so-Scottish, in 2013: America 17, GB&I 9.
Advertisement
What happened was . . . two spirited teams went out for two days of that’s-the-spirit golf, and as the former Walker Cup golfer Rory McIlroy has noted before, one of the most powerful, mysterious and exciting phenomena in all of sports was fully on display. A team on a roll. Any team. Any sport. What is there like it? What George H. W. Bush (41) liked to call the big mo. And that’s what happened Sunday at Lahinch, the so-called St. Andrews of Ireland, where golf has been played for more than 130 years.
Now would be a good time to recycle what McIlroy wrote the morning after the 2017 Super Bowl, when the Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots 28-9 after three quarters and lost in overtime, 34-28:
“What the Patriots did was the most incredible comeback I think I’ve ever witnessed in sports. The massive intangible of momentum was with the Patriots and the Falcons could do nothing to stop it. The thing that will stay with me from watching that game unfold was the total belief the Patriots had, and that all came from their two big leaders in Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
“People call it getting ‘in the zone’ and I’m fortunate to say I’ve experienced it a few times on the golf course. It’s a massive sense of self-belief and conviction that, no matter what you do, things are going to work out in your favor. The power of the mind, I guess! When you’re on the other side of it, like the Falcons were, it’s only right to give yourself time to be upset and dejected. But in time, you can see the positives and pick apart the negatives so you can make certain those mistakes won’t happen again. They didn’t get to the Super Bowl for nothing.”
Advertisement
This guy would make a good TV analyst — and a good team captain, too.
Stuart Grehan of GB&I celebrating his team’s win with his young son.
getty images
McIlroy’s final event of his short amateur career (he turned pro at 18) was the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down, down the road from his childhood home in Holywood, Northern Ireland. The Americans won, 12.5-11.5, and he and Billy Horschel have been best friends ever since.
No, not really. Match-play golf is always personal.
Advertisement
OK, we’re straying here from the Sunday action at Lahinch. Suffice it to say, for here and for now, that what McIlroy observed with the Pats at the Super Bowl in 2017 is, in its own way, what happened with the GB&I team at the Walker Cup at Lahinch on Sunday afternoon. Blue (for the home team) was all over the board early, and on it went from there. The American first-aid kit did not have a tourniquet strong enough to stop the bleeding.
This was golf at its best.
In case you’re groggy:
THIS WAS GOLF AT ITS BEST!
Advertisement
Men’s professional golf, for many years and decades, was one of the coolest things on the world’s sporting stage because the golfers really, really seemed as if this most difficult and cerebral game meant more to them than the money they earned (not discounting that as a motivation). In recent years, a small group of elite male pros have disabused us of that notion. For years and decades, the Ryder Cup, featuring the best American pros playing the best European pros, was the biggest TV show in golf — until the players, the captains, the broadcast partners and the media in general started emphasizing all the wrong things, and the heart of the matter — match-play golf — got trampled.
In its place: the rise and rise of Walker Cup golf.
I realize this next part will seem to be sacrilegious to many, many golf purists. But the Walker Cup — which will be played in even-numbered years going forward, with Bandon Dunes next in 2028 — is in a great spot to become the greatest team event in all of golf. Because the Walker Cup is all about the golfers, the golf they play, the courses where they play it.
This is the part some people will despise: In the name of competitive balance and some other things, the GB&I team could be expanded to include amateurs from Continental Europe, just as the GB&I Ryder Cup team became the European Ryder Cup team in 1979. The lovely and quaint custom by which Walker Cup captains are amateur golfers themselves could be lifted, too. This year’s GB&I captain, Dean Robertson, is a professional golfer, but he was never a household name as a touring pro, to say the least. The Americans have generally had lifelong amateurs as captains, including Bob Jones and Fred Ridley, as well as the late Jay Sigel, who later turned pro.
Advertisement
But can you imagine Tiger Woods as an American Walker Cup captain? Or Rory McIlroy as a European Walker Cup captain? With the event at Pine Valley or Bandon Dunes or Portrush or St. Andrews? With a few months of buildup on Golf Channel and in golf publications so we can get to know these players before they enter the fray?
Day 3 of the FFMIC 2026 Fall Knockout Week 2 was held on September 6, 2026, with the top performers progressing to the Grand Finals and the bottom 10 teams moving to Week 3. A total of six teams from Week 2 secured their spots in the Grand Finals. The remaining six finalists will be chosen from the third and final week of the Knockout.
TSG Pros was the top performer of Day 3 with 112 points and one Booyah. The team clinched 81 eliminations in six games. The lineup registered a mammoth 43-point win in the last match of the day, with Blood14 grabbing 36 eliminations.
Team GodLike claimed second place with 107 points and one Booyah. The club accumulated 72 eliminations and 35 placement points in six matches, with Marco racking up 25 eliminations.
Day 3 leaderboard of FFMIC 2026 Fall Knockout Week 2
Advertisement
Here is the points table of Day 3
TSG Pros – 112 points
Team GodLike – 107 points
Revenant XSpark – 107 points
NG Pros – 93 points
S8UL Esports – 90 points
Insane Power – 83 points
Resurrection Esports – 81 points
LR7 Esports – 80 points
Clutza Esports – 71 points
Nebula Esports – 62 points
Black Flag Army – 61 points
Rackers Esports – 44 points
Revenant XSpark narrowly missed out on a place in the FFMIC Finals on Day 3. The team ranked third with 107 points, including 69 eliminations. They emerged victorious in the fourth game, scoring 31 points, with Sohan notching up 24 eliminations.
NG Pros was fourth with 93 points and one Booyah. The lineup grabbed a 27-point win in the second encounter. S8UL Esports had an average run on Day 3 of the FFMIC Knockout Week 2, as the club finished fifth with 90 points, including 63 eliminations. Their pros Bunny and Troll took 20 and 19 eliminations, respectively.
Insane Power and Resurrection were sixth and seventh with 83 and 81 points, respectively. LR7 came eighth with 80 points, including 54 kills. Clutza ended up in ninth position with 71 points. Nebula was inconsistent on Day 3, as they finished 10th with 62 points despite winning one Booyah. BFA and Rackers were in the bottom two with 61 and 44 points, respectively.
Advertisement
Week 3 of the FFMIC Knockout will be held from September 11 to 13, 2026. The bottom 10 teams of Day 3 and the 17th- and 18th-placed teams of Week 1 will fight over three days for six spots in the Grand Finals.
Why did you not like this content?
Advertisement
Was this article helpful?
Thank You for feedback
Check out the latest Free Fire MAX redeem codes here.
Before the Europeans made their historic comeback at the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah, fiery Englishman Ian Poulter had to make five consecutie birdies to help him and Rory McIlroy win their Saturday match and trim Team USA’s lead to 10-6 heading into Sunday.
“This has given us a heartbeat,” Poulter said that Saturday night. One day later, the Europeans had stormed back to snatch the Ryder Cup away from the Americans in historic fashion. But the comeback all started with Poulter creating momentum out of thin air for his team to feed off — creating belief.
On Sunday at the 51st Walker Cup, Great Britain and Ireland faced a similar mountain to climb. After getting whitewashed in the morning foursomes, GB&I entered Sunday singles trailing the Americans by three points. The Americans needed just 3.5 points from their 10 matches to retain the cup and 4 points to win outright. GB&I captain Dean Robertson believed his team could mount the biggest comeback in Walker Cup history, but first it needed a pulse.
Enter 33-year-old mid-amateur Stuart Grehan.
Advertisement
The Irishman already authored a Walker Cup moment to remember on Saturday when he won the final three holes of his match against World No. 1 amateur Preston Stout to steal a crucial point. After pouring in the winning putt on Saturday, Grehan and his son were mobbed by Irish fans as chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” filled the air.
Grehan called that moment at Lahinch, one he had envisioned for over a decade, a memory of a lifetime. But ensuring it wasn’t in vain would be key to cementing it in Walker Cup lore.
On Sunday, Grehan did one better.
With his team needing momentum and belief, Robertston sent Grehan out first in singles again against Stout. With Roberton walking with him, Grehan set out to give GB&I a heartbeat. He lost the first two holes to Stout, but Robertson implored him to stick in and believe that he could flip the match, and with it, the momentum of the Walker Cup.
Advertisement
“I was telling Stuart — Stuart is 2-down, and I’m saying, ‘These guys will do it behind you. You need to bring the energy, Stuart, come on.’ And he did. Literally, that was it,” Robertson said on Sunday night as the sun set over Ireland’s west coast.
Just as he did on Saturday, Grehan started to claw back against the world’s top amateur. He won the fifth and sixth holes to even the match. He fell 1 down at the turn, but he won the 10th to bring the match all square. Then, an eagle-birdie run at 12 and 13 put him 2 up on Stout. After Stout bogeyed 14, the lead was three, and Grehan closed out the match with a par on 17 to win 2&1.
Grehan faced Stout in all four matches across the two days, going 2-1-1, including two pivotal singles wins against the Americans’ best player.
“He’s probably sick of the sight of me as well,” Grehan told The Irish Independentafter beating Stout on Sunday. “Look, I knew that [I’d be going out first] to start the day. Just really proud of the way that I hung in because the start was not very good.”
Advertisement
As Robertson predicted, as Grehan flipped his match against Stout, the rest of GB&I followed suit. U.S. Amateur champion Jack Whaley ran over William Jennings 8 and 7, Luke Poulter dispatched Ethan Fang 3 and 1 and Tyler Weaver did away with Jay Leng Jr. 4 and 3 to put blue flags on the board in the first four matches and give GB&I the lead.
But even with a 10-9 lead, GB&I still needed things to break perfectly to pull off their historic comeback. Ryder Cowan and Josiah Gilbert both put points on the board for USA, but GB&I got a half point from Niall Sheils Donegan and a full point from Eliot Baker, who defeated Stewart Hagestad with a birdie on 18. That meant that GB&I needed a point and a half from the two remaining matches.
Miles Russell, who led Connor Graham all day, made a mess of 17 to lose the hole and then missed his birdie attempt on the par-5 18th to retain the cup. When Graham answered by making his own birdie to halve the match, GB&I needed Josh Hill, who was all square with Tyler Watts coming up 18, to win his match. Watts lost his tee shot to the left in the rough and gauged out to 170 yards. Hill put his second in the greenside bunker but played a brilliant bunker shot to five feet. Watts missed a lengthy birdie attempt and then Hill rolled in the five-foot birdie to put the exclamation point on the comeback and set off a celebration at Lahinch.
“We are so elated. It’s hardly — we’re hardly able to put it into words,” Robertson said after the improbable win. “There’s a lot of emotion, a lot of happy tears. But pride, pride is the word I would use to describe.”
Advertisement
For GB&I to erase a three-shot deficit and win its first Walker Cup in six tries, everything had to go according to plan. But it all started with Stuart Grehan, his refusal to relent against the World No. 1 and the energy and belief he delivered to the rest of the team.
“He showed grit,” Robertson said of Grehan. “He showed character. He showed tenacity, and he brought what was required, which was the 11th man, the Irish crowd, and that energy was fed by it.”
All weekend, Grehan and Stout had been linked. They halved their foursomes match on Saturday when Stout missed a short birdie putt on 18. Grehan stole their Saturday singles match with a late flurry, but Stout and Fang triumphed early Sunday morning during the Americans’ historic sweep. Grehan won the final match, though, delivering another critical point while taking out Team USA’s top gun.
Over an hour after his last victory over Stout, Grehan was no longer alongside the No. 1 amateur. He had long since dispatched him. It was just Grehan, his toddler son, his wife and his GB&I teammates soaking in an unforgettable comeback that will live in Walker Cup lore — one that Stuart Grehan made possible.
Advertisement
“Yeah, it’s definitely the highlight of my golf career, to be honest,” Grehan told the Irish Golfer of a dream week that saw him provide vital heroics against the World No. 1 amateur on home soil. “Individual titles are great, but to win as a team on the biggest stage, you could do it really, it’s amazing.”
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty say staying “mindfully aggressive” helped them break the China Masters jinx and the triumph has provided a “big boost” ahead of the Asian Games where they will go “all guns blazing”.
It was third time lucky for the Indian duo as they produced a stirring comeback to beat China’s He Ji Ting and Ren Xiang Yu 11-21 21-13 21-17 and clinch the USD 1,250,000 China Masters Super 750 title here on Sunday on their third attempt.
It was their second title of the 2026 season and first at this event.
“Playing here is always good. We have always played (well) coming back from injury. In 2024 after Olympics we played here, we played semis. Then last year we played, we weren’t in a good shape. We played finals,” Satwik said.
Advertisement
“I think this also, after coming back from injury, this has been a tournament where it gave us a lot of confidence. This week has been the same story. Except the first round, all the games we have played three games.” Talking about the final, Satwik said: “Today, we kind of held the nerve. We didn’t make easy mistakes in the end. So that was a positive from today’s match. And we are just sticking to the game plan.” “We made a game plan before coming. We wanted to do that. If it works, then it’s good. If not, we’ll go back and work again. So I think that has worked today and really happy. We kind of broke the jinx and I think second title in 2026. Really happy.” The title comes just weeks ahead of their title defence at the Asian Games, which is scheduled to be held from September 19 in Japan.
Talking about the Asian Games, Chirag said: “It feels really special. Obviously, going into the Asian Games, winning a title definitely gives a huge boost that yes, what we are working for is in the right direction.
“We will go back home, push ourselves to the limit, train for the next 10 days and go all guns blazing at the Asian Games. We want to go out there and have some fun.” Asked whether they were not aggressive enough in the opening game, Chirag said the issue was their shot selection.
Advertisement
“In the first game, it wasn’t lacking but we were not playing the right strokes. We were playing a style which favoured them. And when we play a style which favours them, they come all guns blazing. You don’t really find any space to play against them because they are extremely fast and furious,” Chirag said.
“So in the second game when we started, we wanted to be aggressive, but mindfully aggressive. And that’s what he (coach) was telling.” Satwik, who opted for a flick serve and gained several points, said he sharpened his service and receive during his recovery from a recurring shoulder injury that has bothered him for most of the season.
“It’s very rare I get five points on my service. It’s always Chirag who takes the game. In quarterfinals when we played with Kim-Anders, I think that match gave confidence,” he said.
“Same scenario, 17-17, we are down. I was serving then. I was practising more on the services because I was injured. When I was injured also, I was doing a lot of services and catching it. So I think that has helped me in the last two tournaments. But I think it’s just a feeling, mental thing.
Advertisement
“You just need to catch something, serve and believe in yourself. There has been a lot of behind-the-scenes with the coach, training, the same thing. Because we know opponents will target me when I’m serving. So we have seen a lot of videos, people targeting me in the service. They want to challenge me. So I think I have been practising that. I think that has helped me.” It was a battle of nerve in the end game as Satwik and Chirag, after lagging for all the game, caught up at 16-16 before prevailing.
“In the third game, we were pretty much calm. Even Chirag was telling, ‘we are under control’. We didn’t panic much, actually. So we just served and played according to the schedule. That has helped us,” Satwik said.
;)
You must be logged in to post a comment Login