To no one’s surprise, Kyler Murray has been named the Vikings’ starting QB after a two-week battle with JJ McCarthy. Did Kevin O’Connell err in letting it go on this long?

In hindsight, it’s easy to say that the competition was unnecessary: Kyler Murray is a Pro Bowl caliber QB, and JJ McCarthy had a disastrous first season as the Vikings’ starter in 2025. From the moment he signed with the team, Murray has been the clear favorite to start, and by putting us through this one-sided QB competition, the team has cost Murray valuable reps with the first-team offense. These reps are important for any QB, but they are especially valuable for someone like Murray, who is new to the team and the O’Connell system.

On the other hand, it’s somewhat unfair to second-guess O’Connell after the fact: no coach or executive is going to be as good as a casual fan who has the benefit of hindsight.

The case for giving McCarthy a fair chance was the same as it’s ever been: the youngster brings upside potential. The sad reality is that most NFL QBs—even QBs taken in the first round—never become franchise QBs. But there is always a chance that you’ll draft the next Mahomes. And as bad as he was last season, McCarthy still arguably has a higher ceiling than Murray, who is entering his 8th season as a starting QB and has likely already peaked.

Kyler Murray is the New Vikings Starter

Teams rarely give up on QBs taken 10th overall after one bad half-season, so it would have been unusual for the team to bring in a replacement without giving McCarthy a serious look.

Plus, even if McCarthy doesn’t play a down for the Vikings this season, the reps he’s gotten in training camp may pay dividends for him and the rest of the Vikings down the road.

Much of the discourse around the Vikings’ QB competition has treated the decision as a binary one: either let them compete for the job or else name Murray the starter. But the Vikings had other, intermediate options. Last season, for instance, the Vikings never officially declared that JJ McCarthy would be their starting QB: they simply gave him the lions share of first-team reps and marked him down as QB1 on the depth chart.

In plenty of other situations, the Vikings have initially placed a player with the second or third team, only to promote them to the first or second team after strong play. The Vikings could have followed a similar approach with Murray and McCarthy, letting the veteran start off with the 1s, giving McCarthy a few reps here and there, and perhaps even moving him up to QB1 if he showed significant improvement.

In other words, the Vikings could have given JJ McCarthy a legitimate chance to prove himself without sacrificing practice reps for the odds-on favorite Murray. (Of course, this strategy could backfire if McCarthy did ultimately snatch the starting job from Murray, since he would then be facing an even greater shortage of practice reps than Murray is currently).

The fact that the Vikings chose to give Murray and McCarthy approximately equal reps suggests that they viewed the QB competition as more of a toss-up than most fans did. Ultimately, there are pros and cons of every approach, and it’s virtually impossible to quantify them.

If Kyler Murray struggles out of the gate, it may suggest that he didn’t have enough practice reps in camp, but it could be that Murray simply isn’t very good anymore, doesn’t fit the Vikings’ offensive system, or isn’t getting enough help from the players around him.

The Vikings’ approach to the QB competition isn’t the one I would have taken, but it may prove insignificant or even beneficial in the long run.

Top trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre believes one man will “smash” the other when Teofimo Lopez and Rolando Romero collide on August 22.

The two welterweights will headline a Premier Boxing Champions event at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, with ‘Rolly’ making a first defence of his WBA world title.

It came as a sizable upset when the American outscored Ryan Garcia, who suffered a second-round knockdown and unanimous decision defeat in May 2025.

Since then, Romero has been upgraded from ‘Regular’ to full WBA champion, entering his maiden title defence after spending over a year out the ring.

Even without the inactivity, though, many would consider the 30-year-old a clear underdog against Lopez, who is making his 147lb debut while also bidding to become a three-weight world champion.

He is, of course, coming off a wide unanimous decision defeat to Shakur Stevenson in January, yet the result is perhaps more a reflection of Stevenson’s brilliance than Lopez’ lack of top-level credentials.

‘The Takeover’ did, after all, manage to dethrone Vasyl Lomachenko and Josh Taylor at 135lbs and 140lbs, respectively, albeit with a series of less impressive performances hampering his elite-level status.

While speaking on the Last Stand Podcast, however, Terence Crawford coach BoMac nonetheless revealed his prediction of an emphatic Lopez victory.

“Teofimo gonna smash that dude [laughs]. I don’t even know why they made that fight. They giving Teofimo another title, man.”

While Romero is credited with possessing an unpredictable style and no shortage of physical strength, many would agree that Lopez’s overall athleticism and world-level experience makes him a sizable favourite.

The Vikings insist that keeping J.J. McCarthy is the best path forward. In all likelihood, that’s exactly right due to at least a pair of factors. First, Minnesota has seen some recent years — 2023 & 2025 — undermined by quarterback injury. Second, Mr. McCarthy is a 23-year-old 1st-Round passer who boasts ample talent.

Why the discussion of a swap with a Vikings NFC rival?

Well, Minnesota is sorting through a bit of an awkward situation. McCarthy has been demoted after being leaned on as the primary starter for the 2025 season. Worse yet, the executive who drafted McCarthy — Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — is no longer employed in Minnesota. Mr. Adofo-Mensah is now with the 49ers, a team that looks like a sneaky contender for McCarthy’s services.

A Vikings NFC Rival as Trade Fit for J.J. McCarthy

San Francisco isn’t unfamiliar with the turmoil of injury. Last season, for instance, Brock Purdy got into just nine games. Consider the quarterback room more broadly:

• QB1 Brock Purdy
• QB2 Mac Jones
• QB3 Adrian Martinez
• QB4 Kurtis Rourke

Once upon a time, the 49ers traded up to snag a new franchise passer, opting for Trey Lance. So, too, did they invest in Purdy late in the 7th. Seeing Lance struggle with injury opened the door for Purdy (a job he didn’t relinquish). The point, folks, is to note that San Francisco has worked with young passers before, developing one while seeing the other struggle due to health.

Of note, as well, is that Sam Darnold had a stop in the Bay Area prior to becoming the Vikings’ QB1. Kevin O’Connell got a pile of credit for developing Darnold but coming out of the Kyle Shanahan school of playing quarterback is a major deal.

The systems are quite similar but San Francisco has proven far more successful.

Similarly of note is that Adofo-Mensah is back in San Francisco. The 49ers therefore employ the man with the most responsibility for the Vikings drafting J.J. McCarthy.

Similar system? Check. Connection? Check. Need for depth? Somewhat debatable, but let’s say tentative check.

Quite possibly, the 49ers would be interested in sending over a selection from the middle rounds to pry away McCarthy. Maybe Minnesota says no, refusing to back down from the public proclamations about desiring to keep the 2024 No. 10 selection. Or maybe the new GM can be persuaded.

Going to San Francisco would likely do wonders for J.J. McCarthy. He could step into the QB3 job, functioning as the emergency passer for games. He could soak up the coaching as he maintains his health across several seasons and refine his mechanics.

Apparently, the folks over at Bleacher Report have connected the dots on McCarthy and the 49ers. Brevan Bane reacted to the possibility on PurplePTSD, commenting that “a Shanahan-McCarthy union could jump-start the latter’s career.”

Indeed, Kyle Shanahan is perhaps the NFL’s foremost offensive mind (alongside Andy Reid and Sean McVay). He’s a brilliant play caller and tactician, constructing an elite run game in a way that Minnesota hasn’t even sniffed over these past several seasons.

For a long time, the guess on this end of the internet is that McCarthy doesn’t start in Week 1 but ends up starting more games in the end. And while I continue to believe McCarthy will be needed before too long, that doesn’t mean other teams won’t be calling with offers.

McCarthy, 23, is the current QB2 in Minnesota.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

St Jude Championship – round two leaderboard

-11 S Scheffler (US); -8 Im (Kor), V Hovland (Nor); -7 L Aberg (Swe); -6 Nico Echavarria (Col), T Fleetwood (Eng), J Spieth (US), B Harman (US)

Selected others: -3 M Fitzpatrick (Eng), J Thomas (US); -2 A Rai (Eng); E H Hall (Eng); +1 S Lowry (Ire); +3 J Rose (Eng); +4 R McIlroy (NI), J Smith (Eng); +5 A Fitzpatrick (Eng)

Full leaderboard

Scottie Scheffler equalled the course record with a nine-under-par 61 as he opened up a three-stroke lead at the end of the second round of the St Jude Championship in Memphis.

The world number one, who already led the FedEx Cup standings heading into the first of three play-off events, birdied the first five holes at TPC Southwind.

The American proceeded to knock in a further six birdies, with bogeys on the eighth and 12th holes the only blemishes on his scorecard as he recorded his fourth career round of 61 or better on the PGA Tour.

“Really just a dream start. Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on tour, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time where I’ve been lower early in the round,” said Scheffler.

“My swing has felt really good in the past couple weeks, especially playing at home. It was nice to get out there and get things rolling early in the round and was able to keep the momentum going and shoot myself a nice round.”

South Korea’s Im Sung-jae is tied for second with Norway’s Viktor Hovland at eight under overall, with Ludvig Aberg a shot further back.

Reigning FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood is the highest placed British player and in a quartet that also includes Jordan Spieth at six under.

Matt Fitzpatrick and fellow Englishman Aaron Rai, who collected his first major at the US PGA Championship in May, are at three under and two under respectively, with Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy at four over.

With there being no 36-hole cut at any FedEx play-off event, six-time major winner McIlroy will hope to fare better over the weekend.

One player who will be absent though is Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who withdrew prior to the start of play on Friday with a knee injury.

MacIntyre, who had limped to a 12-over 82 during the first round on Thursday, currently sits at 31st on the FedEx Cup points list.

The top 50 will head into next week’s BMW Championship.

Kai Rooney has opened up about a major recent development at Manchester United

Kai Rooney announced he has returned to action for Manchester United after suffering a season-ending injury last term.

The 16-year-old has enjoyed a sensational rise since joining the Reds back in 2020. The youngster has sought to follow in his dad Wayne’s footsteps, who is the club’s all-time leading goal-scorer and one of the best to ever play at Old Trafford.

However, the young Rooney’s blossoming career hit a stumbling block back in March as he suffered an injury which brought his campaign to a premature end. Having already been left in a protective boot earlier in the campaign, the latest injury notably ruled him out of a possible cameo in the blockbuster FA Youth Cup final defeat to Manchester City.

He posted on his Instagram story at the time: “Disappointed to be out for the rest of the season. Back stronger next pre-season,” alongside a red love heart emoji. The caption was written on top of a black-and-white image of him in a United kit during a game.

But his hard work and rehabilitation have paid off as the teenager confirmed on Friday that he is set to make his return to the field. Rooney, along with first-team manager Michael Carrick’s son Jacey, are both part of a 23-man United squad that will compete in the eight-team Otten Cup in Eindhoven this weekend.

The youngster once again took to Instagram, this time posting a positive update as he stood on the PSV Eindhoven pitch with team-mates. He captioned the photo: “First game back from injury. PSV (A).”

United’s first game of the tournament was against hosts PSV on Friday afternoon, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. Another match against Brazilian side Palmeiras will take place in the evening. They then take on Australian outfit Adelaide United on Saturday.

Despite his recent injury, Rooney will look back on 2025/26 fondly, having also won the Super Cup NI with the younger age group. He earned his breakthrough with Darren Fletcher’s Under-18s as a 15-year-old in January, managing two goals and an assist in six U18 Premier League fixtures.

Rooney made his first appearance at OId Trafford last term, playing 21 minutes in the FA Youth Cup fourth-round win against Derby County, while he was an unused substitute in the quarter-final success against Sunderland. He was also part of the Under-16s side that won the Premier League Shield.

That progress culminated with him signing his first year scholarship contract in July, taking the next step towards a potential professional contract once he turns 17. The Manchester Evening News understands that both Rooney and Carrick Jr will feature heavily for the U18s in the new campaign.

Rooney has not yet started training with the senior team like high-profile academy talent, JJ Gabriel, who is aged 15. He is, however, expected to get the chance to play in the Youth Cup this season.

The forward transitioned from playing as a striker, where his father played, to operating on the wing because he likes to cut inside with his left foot as he ascended the youth team ranks. Parents Wayne and Coleen were regularly seen in attendance watching his matches this year prior to his injury.

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(clockwise from top left): Dravid, Yuvraj and Kaif after Jamaica Test; Brian Lara falls; R Ashwin in Kanpur; Mohammed Shami after his wicket of Mark Craig in Kanpur; A picture of All India Cricket side which played first Test in 1932.

Ninety-four years after Colonel Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu (CK Nayadu) led a motley crew of a resurgent nation in their first Test match at Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 25 1932, India will play their 600th game in the cricket’s oldest and toughest format at Galle International Stadium in Sri Lanka on Saturday.The men-in-Blue, led by Shubman Gill, are set to become only the third team after England and Australia to reach the milestone, that too on the day when the nation is celebrating its 80th Independence Day from the colonial rule.A total of 319 lucky players have donned the India cap in Tests so far, Manav Suthar being the latest among them, and Sachin Tendulkar holds the record of most Test caps – 200.From Colonel C K Nayadu to Rishabh Pant, Indian men’s cricket team have been led by 38 captains in these ninety-four years, under whom they have been through the lowest of lows to the highest of highs but constantly aspiring to be better.Virat Kohli holds the record for captaining India in the most Test matches, having led the team in 68 Tests from 2014 to 2022. Under his leadership, India secured 40 wins, making him also India’s most successful Test captain.As India are set to create history at Galle, here’s a look at India’s 1st, 100th, 200th, 300th, 400th nd 500th match:

India’s first Test: England vs India, Lord’s, June 25 – 28, 1932

The Maharajah of Porbandar was named captain of the touring Indian side but good sense prevailed and CK Nayadu was nominated to lead the side in India’s first-ever Test, however not before some off-field drama.England captain Douglas Jardine rescued his side after Mohammad Nissar rocked England as he clean bowled Percy Holmes and Herbert Sutcliffe, on 6 and 3, respectively.Jardine’s 79 and Les Ames’ 65 took England to 259 in the first innings. Nasser (93/5) took India’s first five-wicket haul in Tests.India were bowled out for 189 in their first innings as Bill Bowes (49/4) and Bill Voice (23/3) ran through Indian batting, giving England a lead of 70 runs, which they capitalized on, and declared their second innings at 275/8.

India had 346 runs to chase and England easily won the match by 158 runs despite Amar Singh’s (51) gutsy knock.

India’s 100th Test: India vs England, Birmingham, July 13 – 15, 1967

Led by one of India’s greatest Test captain, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, India toured England England for a three-match Test series.Having lost the first two Tests, India entered the third match looking to avoid a series whitewash.England won the toss and scored 298 in the first innings. India’s four spinners — Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwath Chandrasekhar, Bishan Bedi and Erapalli Prasanna — took all 10 English wickets.India’s batting line-up featured Farokh Engineer, Ajit Wadekar, Chandu Borde and Pataudi, but the visitors struggled against the England attack. India were bowled out for just 92, with only four batters reaching double figures. Engineer was the top scorer with 23.Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Prasanna then took nine of England’s 10 second-innings wickets. However, England had already built a lead of more than 400 and set India a target of 410.Wadekar scored 70, but India were dismissed for 277. England won by 132 runs and completed a 3-0 series sweep.

India’s 200th Test: India vs Pakistan, Lahore, December 10 – 15, 1982

Their was no Covid-19 in 1982, but there were no spectators in Lahore’s historic Gaddafi Stadium to see the Test match as the Pakistan Cricket Board – then Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP), had sold the entire series to a private party for around £800,000. The contractor set high entry prices, keeping many spectators away. The rates were cut by half after the second day, but the crowds did not return.The match, first of the six-Test series, had some terrific performances from batsmen of both sides. Zaheer Abbas played a monstrous knock of 215 runs, which was also his 100th first class ton, as Pakistan finished their first innings at 485, after being asked to bat by Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar.Returning to the side after nearly two years, Mohinder Amarnath led India’s reply with an unbeaten knock of 109 runs. Sunil Gavaskar also scored 81, and passed the 7,000 Test run mark, while Sandeep Patil played a quickfire knock of 68 off 56 balls. India scored 379 in their first innings.Pakistan scored 135/1 in their second innings, and the match ended in a draw.

India’s 300th Test: India vs South Africa, Ahmedabad, November 20 – 23, 1996

It was the first Test of the three-match series against South Africa, and VVS Laxman also made his Test debut in this match. India captain Sachin Tendulkar put India into advantagious position by batting first on a brown, dusty pitch.Tendulkar’s 42, Manjrekar’s 34, Azharuddin’s 35 helped India reach 223 in their first innings even as Allan Donald took 37 for 4.India however hit back with spin and the then trio of Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi and Narendra Hirwani scalped 8 South African wickets, and South Africa could take just 21-run lead.India struggled again with the bat and were reduced to 123/6 in their second innings. Laxman scored 51 and helped India reach 190.South Africa needed 170 to win but lost two wickets without adding a run to the scoreboard. Javagal Srinath then took six wickets as South Africa were bowled out for 105.

India’s 400th Test: West Indies vs India, Sabina Park, Jamaica, June 30 – July 02, 2006

All previous three of the Tests in the series had ended in a draw and both teams reached Sabina Park for the last Test.Brian Charles Lara’s side were bundled out for a mere 103 with Harbhajan Singh (13/5) being the wrecker-in-chief.Rahul Dravid, India’s captain, won the toss and chose to bat. India struggled with the bat again, but Dravid scored 81 as they made 200.

India had a 97-run lead but could not build a big advantage with the bat. Dravid again led the way, scoring 68 as India were dismissed for 171. West Indies were set 269 to win. Anil Kumble took six wickets as India bowled them out for 219.India won by 49 runs in their 400th Test.

India’s 500th Test: India vs New Zealand, Green Park, Kanpur

India reached Kanpur’s iconic Green Park stadium to play the 500th Test, led by Virat Kohli. It was the first Test of three-match series.The Test match was being played at the time when India were at peak of their home domination with Ashiwn and Jadeja at their best. Murali Vijay (65), and Cheteshwar Pujara’s (62) half-centuries took India to 318 in the first innings on a decent pitch.While Tom Latham (58), New Zealand captain Kane Williamson (75), and Luke Ronchi (38) played promising knocks as Black Caps batted for almost 96 overs, Jadeja (73/5), and Ashwin (93/4) made sure India had a lead of 56 runs.Four Indian batters – Vijay, Pujara, Rohit Sharma, and Jadeja – scored fifties in the second innings as India declared at 377/5 on day 4, setting an improbable target of 434 runs for New Zealand.Of course Ravichandran Ashwin finished the job in the fourth innings, taking a six-wicket haul, and India scripted a famous win by 197 runs at Green Park.India went on to win the series 3-0.

Keely Hodgkinson offered a blunt assessment of her feelings after graciously conceding European 800m gold to Swiss rival Audrey Werro and settling for silver on home soil.

After days of controversy over empty seats, Birmingham finally delivered a capacity crowd, no doubt drawn to the Alexander Stadium to watch the Olympic champion and the three other fastest women in Europe clash in the most hotly-anticipated race of the championships – if not the season.

Werro, the favourite before she fell in the semi-final and was controversially advanced, overtook Hodgkinson on the back straight in the first lap and never relinquished her lead after 200m, winning in a championship-record one minute and 54.81 seconds, and bronze went to the Netherlands’ Femke Broeders-Bol.

“I don’t want it to be easy,” said Hodgkinson, who experienced her own knee-scraping freak fall in training before the Prefontaine Classic.

“We’re all going to win some, lose some. S*** happens. Audrey fell over yesterday, she did amazing to bounce back. I know what that took out of me a few weeks ago. So yeah, incredible to her. And, yeah, life goes on. I’ll go back and train, and just hope I get it next time.”

Hodgkinson, who set a new indoor 800m world record in March, had insisted before this race that Birmingham gold would mean almost as much as her Olympic title at Paris two years ago.

She said: “Yeah, that last 50m, I really thought I had it. But she’s a strong athlete. Sometimes you want it so much, and sometimes in terms of real parts it might just not be enough.”

Werro, who like Hodgkinson is targeting the 43-year-old women’s 800m world record, has enjoyed a spectacular season, flawless outdoors before the Birmingham semi-final.

That included her shock victory over Hodgkinson in Stockholm – despite a national record from the Briton – to move third on the women’s 800m all-time list, then lowered her personal best to 1:53.80 a few weeks later.

Two-time world 400m hurdles champion Broeders-Bol entered Birmingham with just four professional outdoor 800m races under her belt, having debuted at the Ostrava Golden Spike in June and was a dark horse.

Hodgkinson added: “It doesn’t sting because I was beaten by a great athlete. I think I put together a pretty good race. I don’t think I did anything wrong.

“The thing about the 800m is you have a million different ways it could go in your head. Nobody really knew, so you have to think on your feet, but I think I covered every move well. I just didn’t have enough.”

Earlier, Zharnel Hughes had to settle for silver in the men’s 200m final behind Germany’s Owen Ansah.

Ansah clinched gold with a time of 19.95, while Hughes followed him home in 20.16s and the bronze medal was shared by Fausto Desalu and Timothe Mumenthaler.

Ansah is a controversial winner as he faces possible sanctions by the National Anti Doping Agency of Germany for alleged whereabouts failures, but the German has denied any wrongdoing.

The 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship continues on Saturday with Round 3 at TPC Southwind in Memphis. You can find full FedEx St. Jude Championship tee times for Saturday’s third round at the bottom of this post.

FedEx St. Jude Round 3 tee times: What to know

Saturday is traditionally referred to as Moving Day on the PGA Tour, but World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler made a big statement one day early during Friday’s Round 2.

Scheffler birdied 11 of 18 holes in the second round, ultimately signing for a nine-under 61 and launching himself 16 places up the leaderboard and into the top spot at 11 under par — good enough to lead Sungjae Im and Viktor Hovland by three shots.

Scheffler came into the week as the top-ranked player in the FedEx Cup points rankings, despite the fact that he has only one win on his resume in 2026: his first tournament of the year, the American Express. Since then, he’s finished in the top 5 an impressive 10 times, including five runner-up finishes.

Scheffler will continue to chase his second win of the year and 21st of his Tour career on Saturday, when he tees off for Round 3 at 1:45 p.m. ET alongside Im.

You can watch Saturday’s third round of the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship from 1-3 p.m. on Golf Channel, followed by the CBS broadcast from 3-6 p.m. ET. PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will provide exclusive early streaming coverage starting at 7:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, in addition to featured group and featured hole coverage.

Check out the complete Round 3 tee times and pairings for the FedEx St. Jude Championship below.

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2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship tee times for Saturday: Round 3 (ET)

Tee No. 1

8:00 a.m. – Ryan Fox, Ricky Castillo
8:10 a.m. – Matt McCarty, Alex Fitzpatrick
8:20 a.m. – Rory McIlroy, Jordan Smith
8:30 a.m. – Akshay Bhatia, Eric Cole
8:40 a.m. – Matti Schmid, Ben Griffin
8:50 a.m. – Kristoffer Reitan, Nicolai Højgaard
9:00 a.m. – Justin Rose, Harris English
9:10 a.m. – Aldrich Potgieter, Michael Brennan
9:20 a.m. – Rickie Fowler, Corey Conners
9:35 a.m. – Tom Kim, Russell Henley
9:45 a.m. – Jackson Koivun, Sepp Straka
9:55 a.m. – Shane Lowry, Sahith Theegala
10:05 a.m. – Michael Thorbjornsen, Ryan Gerard
10:15 a.m. – Collin Morikawa, Sam Stevens
10:25 a.m. – Max Homa, J.J. Spaun
10:35 a.m. – J.T. Poston, Harry Hall
10:45 a.m. – Xander Schauffele, Ryo Hisatsune
10:55 a.m. – Si Woo Kim, Jacob Bridgeman
11:10 a.m. – Maverick McNealy, Kurt Kitayama
11:20 a.m. – Aaron Rai, Cameron Young
11:30 a.m. – Min Woo Lee, Bud Cauley
11:40 a.m. – Gary Woodland, Justin Thomas
11:50 a.m. – Pierceson Coody, Alex Noren
12:00 p.m. – Nick Taylor, Michael Kim
12:10 p.m. – Matt Fitzpatrick, Sam Burns
12:20 p.m. – Alex Smalley, Hideki Matsuyama
12:30 p.m. – Adam Scott, Patrick Rodgers
12:45 p.m. – Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup
12:55 p.m. – Patrick Cantlay, Jake Knapp
1:05 p.m. – Sudarshan Yellamaraju, Keith Mitchell
1:15 p.m. – Jordan Spieth, Brian Harman
1:25 p.m. – Nico Echavarria, Tommy Fleetwood
1:35 p.m. – Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg
1:45 p.m. – Scottie Scheffler, Sungjae Im

Devin Haney had been expected to take on Keyshawn Davis in October, until the latter withdrew from the contest, and Haney has now been accused of using one fighter as a ‘decoy’, in order to gain leverage in negotiations for an alternate fight.

Davis had been calling for a shot at Haney throughout 2026 and was eventually mandated by the WBO for a shot at the welterweight champion, only to then pull out of the fight after Top Rank won the purse bids, believing that he was worth more than the $2 million purse he was set to earn for his title challenge.

Since then, Haney has been linked to a unification bout with newly-crowned IBF titleholder Liam Paro, but it was then reported that the Aussie had priced himself out of the scrap, with Haney appearing to move on to a dust-up with WBA (Regular) champion Jack Catterall instead.

When that news became public, fans questioned whether Catterall should proceed with the opportunity or not, given the fact that he is well positioned for a shot at the victor of Rolando Romero and Teofimo Lopez’s WBA (Super) title bout next weekend.

On X, Catterall’s manager Sam Jones shared his concern that Catterall was being used as a pawn by Haney, hoping to drive Paro’s asking price down.

“What I hope isn’t the case is that Jack is been used as a decoy so that Paro is scared into taking the fight for less money than he’s wanting. 

“All I can tell you is we’ve accepted the fight and the date and location, so if the fight doesn’t happen it’s not on Jack.”

Now, Catterall has spoken out, admitting that he believes Jones’ fears have come true, insinuating that Haney-Paro is now back on the cards and that he will instead wait to take on either Romero or Lopez for the WBA crown later in the year.

“Devin was never going to fight me it was this [what Jones feared] all along. I’ll be in Vegas next week for Rolly-Lopez and I’m in line for the winner.” 

Jones has since confirmed to Boxing News that he believes Haney and Paro have come to an agreement, with Saturday, October 3, understood to be the date for the proposed unification.