Take Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, recently confirmed that GTA 6 will not be using generative AI to procedurally generate its world. Ever since the game’s development was officially announced, enthusiasts discussed whether Rockstar Games was using any Artificial Intelligence to build it. While modern titles often use different kinds of AI, GTA 6 will not be using Generative AI.
Speaking to Games Industry.biz, Take Two Interactive’s CEO explained that Rockstar Games create their games very carefully, developing every single world detail from the ground up. He added that because of such attention to detail, they can make gripping and immersive entertainment products.
Here’s what Strauss Zelnick said:
“Specifically with regards to GTA 6, Generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building. Their worlds are handcrafted. That’s what differentiates them. They’re built from the ground up, building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. They’re not procedurally generated, they shouldn’t be. That’s what makes great entertainment.”
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This is not the first time Zelnick has spoken against generative AI. In a conversation with CNBC a few months ago, he explained that anything created using the technology cannot be protected or copyrighted. Additionally, it might not be as good as real developers, creating a title from the ground up.
Despite GTA 6 not using Generative AI, Take Two CEO shows interest in use of AI in games
While Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that GTA 6 will not use generative AI, he stated that he has always been interested in other AI tools being used in the gaming industry. Speaking to Games Industry.biz, he said that Take-Two has been an industry leader in using various Artificial Intelligence, which have helped their studios save time and money.
Here’s what he said:
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“On the topic of AI, I’ve been enthusiastic since the very beginning. This company’s products have always been built with machine learning and artificial intelligence. We’ve actually always been a leader in the space, and right now we have hundreds of pilots and implementations across our company, including within our studios. And we’re already seeing instances where generative AI tools are driving costs and time efficiencies.”
One of the most commonly used AI in video games is when developers create NPCs (non-playable characters). These are characters that roam around or drive around the game world. They can react to various incidents and even remember the protagonists and their actions.
It is safe to say that GTA 6, which is set to release on November 19, 2026, will have a great NPC system, along with various other AI tools.
A two-goal deficit was overcome by Strasbourg, who, spurred on by their home crowd at the Meinau, thrashed Mainz to reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League. This is the first time the Alsatians have reached this stage of European competition. “We told ourselves that anything was possible,” said Abdoul Ouattara, the Ivorian RC Strasbourg midfielder who scored the equaliser.
In other news, the two Europa League semi-final fixtures are now known. Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike has spoken for the first time since sustaining a serious injury on Tuesday evening in the Champions League match against Liverpool, which rules him out of the World Cup with the French national team.
The French striker ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be sidelined for many months. In tennis, Arthur Fils comfortably reached the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 in Barcelona, getting his clay-court season off to a perfect start with Roland Garros just a month away.
Whenever the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) suffer an unfavourable result in the Indian Premier League (IPL), owner Sanjiv Goenka inevitably becomes a focal point of social media discourse. Goenka, a man of undeniable passion for the sport, is often seen engaging in on-field conversations with his players. A recent exchange with captain Rishabh Pant immediately drew comparisons to his animated discussion with then-skipper KL Rahul during the 2024 season. After fans shared edited clips of the interaction with Pant online, it sparked a fresh wave of controversy. In an exclusive interview with NDTV’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal in “Walk The Talk”, Goenka opened up about becoming a “punching bag” for social media platforms seeking views through unjust narratives.
The “Scolding” Myth
Addressing the recent chat with Pant, Goenka clarified that the interaction was far from the “scolding” it was portrayed to be.
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“Look, with a player like Rishabh, there is never a ‘daat’ (scolding) situation,” Goenka explained. “But on social media, even if Sanjiv Goenka moves his hands a certain way, it becomes breaking news. I’ve become a very convenient punching bag. If you run a headline saying ‘Sanjiv Goenka scolds his player,’ you get instant views.”
He emphasised that the public’s perception is often skewed by isolated moments. “People need to understand that one incident doesn’t define a person. We make mistakes, we learn, and we ensure we don’t repeat them. The dressing room is happy, and the environment is positive; these outside narratives aren’t actual issues.”
Goenka admitted that his natural communication style, specifically his hand gestures, has been repeatedly misinterpreted. This has reached a point where he is consciously trying to alter his physical presence during conversations.
“It’s funny how a simple gesture or hand movement outside the field becomes a national headline,” he remarked. “I am naturally someone who speaks with a lot of hand movements, but seeing how things get misinterpreted, I am now literally learning to keep my hands behind my back while talking!”
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On Allegations of “Interference”
As a businessman leading a high-profile sports franchise, Goenka has frequently faced accusations of interfering in technical cricketing matters. He countered these suggestions by pointing out the illogical nature of such a move.
“How do I respond to critics who say I interfere? Honestly, for someone who has never played professional cricket, it would be foolish of me to tell my players how to play. I have a massive team of experts who handle the technical side of the game.”
While acknowledging his deep personal investment in the franchise’s success, he drew a firm line between passion and professional coaching.
“Yes, I am passionate about the team. I want them to succeed and do well, but I don’t understand the nuances of cricket the way an expert does. It would be completely out of place for me to give ‘cricketing lessons’ to professional athletes. My role is to support the team, not to coach them,” he asserted.
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IPL 2026 News | Shami’s Sensation Leads Lucknow to First Win of Season
Next week is the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Vikings go into it with a number of picks (eight overall and four in the first two days) but no seasoned general manager to call the shots. Cap guru Rob Brezinski is the Vikings’ acting GM (and he has Matt Thomas to help shepherd the process), so we know little about how it might go.
Will they trade up or back in the draft (as former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did in the past); will they stand pat and take the BPA (best player available); will they surprise fans and take a QB (very doubtful, but you never know); or will they strengthen the offensive and defensive lines, which will rank low on the “wow” meter?
It’s anyone’s guess what the team will do because the decision makers are new to the position. But it’s the job of the fellas at Vikings Territory Breakdown podcast—Joe Oberle, senior writer at vikingsterritory.com and purplePTSD.com and Mark Craig, NFL and Vikings writer for the Star Tribune and startribune.com—to speculate and postulate, regardless. And so we will.
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This week on the podcast, we look at some mock drafts offering their latest best guesses, and even offer up what we think the Vikings might do. The Vikings are loaded with picks, and the roster still has plenty of needs. The future is wide open for the Purple and it begins with the draft next Thursday. Tune in here to see what that future might bring. Skol!
Listen to Vikings Territory Breakdown here or on you favorite podcast network.
Joe Oberle is a veteran sportswriter/editor/reporter and has covered the Vikings since 2008. The author of three books, he … More about Joe Oberle
Now that the NHL regular season has come to a close, a couple players will have to clear some space on their trophy cabinets.
For the sixth time in his career, Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has won the Art Ross Trophy, while Colorado Avalanche counterpart Nathan MacKinnon will take home the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for the first time, the league officially announced Thursday night following their final regular-season games.
The Art Ross Trophy is given to the player who leads the league in points at the end of the regular season, and McDavid took the title after finishing the campaign with 138 points, eight more than second-place Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The “Rocket” Richard is awarded to the player who scores the most goals in the regular season, and MacKinnon’s career-high 53 goals were enough to secure the hardware, beating out second-place Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens.
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For McDavid, it’ll end his Art Ross drought, having lost the previous two trophies to Kucherov. He previously won in back-to-back years in 2017 and 2018, then won in three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2023.
His point total this season is the second most of his 13-year career after he put up 153 points in the 2022-23 season, becoming only the sixth player in NHL history to surpass the 150-point threshold.
MacKinnon, meanwhile, set a career-high in goals and surpassed the 50-goal mark for the second time, first doing so in the 2023-24 season when he potted 51 and won the Hart Trophy.
He and Caufield were the only players this season to score 50 or more goals. He also became only the second Avalanche player to have multiple 50-goal seasons, joining Joe Sakic. Prior to the team’s relocation to Colorado, Michel Goulet of the Quebec Nordiques had four 50-goal campaigns.
There’s been a lot of twists and turns in the saga of quarterback Taylor Elgersma and the start of his football career, but for now, he will be a Winnipeg Blue Bomber. Elgersma, a U Sports product from Canada, got a shot with the Green Bay Packers, despite being a top CFL prospect, last offseason. Elgersma was let go by the Packers at the cutdown deadline and did not re-sign with the team’s practice squad, but he did receive several visits with other teams during the 2025 season.
This offseason, he signed with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions and even practiced with the team leading up to their season, but he ultimately ended up back up north. He also threw at the 2026 scouting combine as an extra arm during the event, likely a last-chance opportunity to show his skills to NFL teams before deciding between the UFL and CFL.
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According to 3DownNation, Elgersma’s rookie contract with the CFL will take him through the 2028 season. Elgersma was taken 18th overall, a second-round pick, by the Bombers in 2025, with the hopes that he would eventually end back up in Canada. The Canadian scouting service ranked Elgersma as the 14th overall prospect in the 2025 CFL crop, behind just one other quarterback, Kurtis Rouke. Rouke was picked 25th, behind Elgersma, in part because he was drafted in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers that year. Rouke has yet to sign with a CFL team.
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3DownNation also has stated that Elgerma’s work visa was an issue with him playing at the UFL level. To play in the league, he would have had to be an unpaid player
Now, the question is how quickly Elgersma will get on the field. At the moment, Winnipeg has Zach Collaros, Terry Wilson, Bryce Perkins, Payton Thorne and Chase Artopoeus under contract at the position. Canadian quarterbacks playing the position in the CFL are viewed as “ratio breakers,” as there are rules about how many non-Canadians can be on the field at one time. Generally, Americans play quarterback up north, so the fact that Elgersma can credibly line up under center could allow the Bombers to play another American elsewhere on the offense.
The NFL Draft is here, and the Fantasy landscape is about to change dramatically. Some draft picks will work in our favor, while others will cause chaos. It’s the same drill every season, and it’s fun to react to the rookies.
Prior to the NFL Draft, we have our wish list for each AFC West team — pros and cons — of what we want to see happen. While the obvious choice is upgraded offensive lines across the board, we won’t get into that here. We also want to avoid as many crowded backfields as possible.
Ultimately, we want situations that will make our Fantasy rosters better. Hopefully, that’s what will happen when the NFL Draft is done.
Denver
Picks: Round 2 (62 overall), Round 4 (108), Round 4 (111), Round 5 (170), Round 7 (246), Round 7 (256), Round 7 (257) Team Needs: TE, LB, DL, IOL, OT, CB, S Fantasy Want: Tight end Fantasy Don’t Want: Wide receiver
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The Broncos addressed two significant needs this offseason by trading for receiver Jaylen Waddle from Miami and re-signing free agent running back JK Dobbins. The receiving corps is now loaded with talent with Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr., so no additions are needed there. I would draft Waddle in Round 4 in the majority of leagues, and Sutton is worth drafting in Round 6. Dobbins and RJ Harvey will share the workload in the backfield, and Harvey will likely need another Dobbins injury to maximize his Fantasy value, which is what happened last year. The earliest I would draft Harvey is Round 5, and Dobbins is worth drafting as early as Round 6. Tight end is the only potential area of need for the Broncos’ skill players after Evan Engram disappointed with his production in 2025. He’s also 31 and will be a free agent after this year, so finding his eventual replacement in the NFL Draft is a good idea.
Kansas City
Picks: Round 1 (9 overall), Round 1 (29), Round 2 (40), Round 3 (74), Round 4 (109), Round 5 (148), Round 5 (169), Round 5 (176), Round 6 (210) Team Needs: CB, OT, S, DL, RB, EDGE, WR, TE Fantasy Want: Running back depth Fantasy Don’t Want: Wide receiver
Kansas City’s receiving corps is a little thin right now, with Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy locked into the top two spots, and Tyquan Thornton is currently the No. 3 receiver. While the Chiefs will likely add someone to that group, I want to see Rice, Worthy and Travis Kelce get as many targets as possible, especially if Patrick Mahomes (knee) is healthy for Week 1. Rice is worth drafting as early as Round 2 in the majority of Fantasy leagues, and Worthy and Kelce should be mid-round selections. Kansas City can also try to find its tight end of the future since Kelce, 36, will likely retire after this season. I can also see the Chiefs adding another running back for depth behind Kenneth Walker III, and that rookie could be the handcuff to target with a late-round pick. While Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado have potential, I don’t see either one as a featured running back if Walker were to miss any time due to injury.
Los Angeles Chargers
Picks: Round 1 (22 overall), Round 2 (55), Round 3 (86), Round 4 (123), Round 6 (204) Team Needs: IOL, DL, EDGE, LB, CB, S, WR Fantasy Want: Wide receiver depth Fantasy Don’t Want: Running back depth
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I’m excited about the Chargers this season, and I like most of their personnel as is. The biggest thing for Los Angeles is keeping the offensive tackles healthy after Rashawn Slater (knee) and Joe Alt (ankle) missed most of the 2025 campaign. The addition of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is fantastic, and I expect Justin Herbert, Omarion Hampton and Ladd McConkey to be Fantasy starters all season, while Quentin Johnston and Oronde Gadsden II offer sleeper appeal. I could see the Chargers looking to add another receiver, but I want to see what Tre Harris or KeAndre Lambert-Smith can do in an expanded role this season. Hopefully, the backfield remains as is with Hampton, Kimani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell as the top three options. Hampton is one of my favorite breakout candidates for 2026, and Vidal proved capable of being a solid handcuff when Hampton missed time due to a foot injury as a rookie in 2025. Mitchell will also get touches, but I don’t want someone to mess with Hampton’s upside. He’s someone to target in Round 2 in all Fantasy leagues this year.
The Raiders need a lot, starting with a quarterback, but we know they plan to select Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall. He will hopefully become a starting Fantasy option sooner rather than later, but he’s only worth a late-round flier in one-quarterback leagues this season. Ashton Jeanty is a top-10 Fantasy running back, and he’s worth drafting as early as Round 2 in the majority of leagues. I wouldn’t be surprised if Las Vegas drafted his backup or at least someone to compete with Dylan Laube, so keep an eye on what happens there. Wide receiver could use an upgrade as well, even though the Raiders added Jalen Nailor as a free agent this offseason. The rest of the receiving corps is led by Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr., so adding to that group is a priority. As it stands now, I wouldn’t plan to draft any of the Las Vegas receivers until Round 10 at the earliest, and Nailor would be the one to target first. Tight end is set for the Raiders with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, so no one else is worth adding in the NFL Draft. Bowers should be the TE2 in all Fantasy leagues behind Trey McBride, and I would draft Bowers toward the end of Round 2.
Ingle has come a long way since beginning her junior career with Vale Wanderers, a boys’ team in Barry.
She was forced to give up the sport when aged 12 because Football Association of Wales (FAW) rules meant she could no longer play with the boys.
Thankfully for Welsh football, Ingle returned to the pitch when her Vale Wanderers coach set up a girls’ team when she was 14.
She then played for Dinas Powys Ladies and Cardiff City Ladies before joining Chelsea for the first of two spells in 2012.
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By that stage, Ingle was an established Wales international, having made her senior debut in a 2-1 World Cup qualifying defeat to Azerbaijan three years earlier, only a matter of weeks after her 18th birthday.
Ward scored Wales’ goal in Baku, with Ingle coming off the bench.
“It was a horrible game, horrible pitch, but this kid just made it look like she’d been doing it her whole life,” Ward remembers.
“She’s just a top player… technique is unbelievable, the way she reads a game, the way she can find a pass.
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“She’s my favourite footballer in the world.”
Adrian Tucker was the manager who gave Ingle her first cap, in an era when the landscape was very different in women’s football.
“She was good technically but she was also really good on the physical side, which was a really big thing at that time,” he says.
“Did I think she would go on to win 150 caps? In 2009, I didn’t think Wales would play 150 games. We were struggling to get five games a season.
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“But since then there has been a boom in women’s football and Sophie has been on the crest of that wave.”
R Vaishali delivered a composed and resilient performance in the final round to defeat Kateryna Lagno, securing the Women’s Candidates Tournament crown outright on Wednesday. After a tense phase in the game, Vaishali regained control at a crucial moment and turned things around brilliantly to finish on 8.5 points and seal the title.
A Defining Career Breakthrough
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Often mentioned alongside her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali has now stepped firmly into the spotlight with this landmark achievement. Her victory earns her a place in the upcoming World Championship match, where she will challenge reigning champion Ju Wenjun later this year. In doing so, she joins Koneru Humpy as another Indian to reach this stage, highlighting the continued rise of women’s chess in the country.
Open Section: Sindarov Emerges on Top
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In the Open Candidates, Javokhir Sindarov secured his spot as the challenger for the world title after drawing with Wei Yi in the final round. He will now face reigning world champion D Gukesh.
Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa signed off his campaign with a draw against American star Hikaru Nakamura.
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Key Performances in Final Round
Anish Giri secured second place overall, finishing 1.5 points behind Sindarov after defeating Matthias Bluebaum. Fabiano Caruana also ended on a high note with a win over Andrey Esipenko.
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In the women’s section, Bibisara Assaubayeva drew with Divya Deshmukh, while other boards saw competitive finishes involving Anna Muzychuk, Zhu Jiner, Tan Zhongyi, and Aleksandra Goryachkina.
Vaishali’s triumph marks a significant milestone, reinforcing India’s growing influence on the global chess stage.
At 37, Tyson Fury’s career is entering its final chapter, much like those of his long-time heavyweight rivals. While still a driving force in the sport, Fury has identified one heavyweight as “the future” of the division he has twice ruled.
However, since then, the Anderson hype-train has slowed down, with a devastating knockout defeat to Martin Bakole forcing the American to pump the brakes on a surge toward title contention and take a more considered route to the top.
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Now, Fury has named a new man as the heavyweight scene’s champion-in-waiting, telling Tyrone Gordon that 21-year-old Moses Itauma is the ‘future’ of the division, during a game of word association.
Despite his youth, Itauma is being lined up for a world title shot before the end of the year, potentially against Murat Gassiev for the WBA ‘regular’ title, or the winner of Frank Sanchez vs Richard Torrez Jr for the IBF belt, should Oleksandr Usyk vacate.
Itauma is set to return to the ring in July, as he attempts to best prepare himself for the opportunity to become one of the youngest heavyweight champions in history. He will look to build on a fifth round stoppage over durable Jermaine Franklin last month – notable due to Franklin pushing both Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte the full distance in the past.
Along with the high praise for Itauma, Fury has also said that he has no interest in fighting the rising star, content with fighting the men of his generation, notably Joshua, before a final retirement.
At the Masters last week, our fleet of content producers told a lotof stories — but not all of them! As ever, they came home with unused material still in their notebooks and noggins, which we’d couldn’t bear to see to go waste. So kick back, pour yourself one last Azalea and enjoy a few of our untold tales.
What Rory’s nervy moment looked like up close
by Dylan Dethier
Rory McIlroy’s most stressful moment on Masters Sunday? It didn’t come until after he’d hit his tee shot on the 18th hole.
“I’d say walking off the 18th tee not knowing where my ball was,” McIlroy said post-round. “It could go anywhere. It could be anywhere.”
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He was right to be concerned; he needed just bogey to win but had blasted driver so far right that it was well out of his sight and, as social-media griping will tell you, out of the reach of CBS’s cameras, too.
But based on sheer luck I was, at that moment, wandering up the right side of the 18th hole with a couple writers, including our James Colgan. A spotter found the ball first, a crowd began to swarm and form around it, and we joined the fray.
When McIlroy arrived on the scene he seemed to sigh with relief. His ball had traveled so far right that he had a window. Punching back to the 18th fairway would have been treacherous, but an easier line existed: He could look up the 10th hole instead, allowing him to hit a high hook around and over the trees (and the massive leaderboard by the 18th green) to settle somewhere around the putting surface.
Two problems remained. The first was there were suddenly about a thousand people in his way. McIlroy and caddie Harry Diamond walked up their target line, working with marshals to try to push back the patrons. But McIlroy’s start line was so far right, and so many more people were flowing into the area, that eventually he seemed to just give up. He and Diamond had a short discussion: McIlroy confirmed that his ball would come out spinny, because it was sitting on pine straw. And then he readied to hit.
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Then came the second problem: Actually executing that high hook, off pine straw, starting it over the heads of a massive group of patrons. I’m sure I see worst-case scenarios differently than one of the best golfers in the world, but I wondered if there would be any flinch from McIlroy, knowing that if he slipped and thinned one — or something similarly catastrophic — he could drill someone and blow the Masters all at once.
But McIlroy played quickly, as he had all Sunday afternoon. He hit a high hook, definitely a little hookier than necessary; I wondered if he’d started it a little further left, subconsciously, to avoid my catastrophic scenario. And then, as he strode after his ball, following its flight, the crowd began to close in around him.
This sort of swarm never really happens at the conclusion of the Masters, at least not in recent decades; the rope lines are well established. (Granted, Tiger Woods was nearly taken out at the knees in a similar situation in 2019.) But quickly, almost from nowhere, security appeared from the crowd and the trees, and an informal barrier went up to give McIlroy a lane to hustle back to the fairway. We headed up the right side of the hole and around the green, hoping for a glimpse of the final putt, glad to have had a front-row seat to the final full swing of an historic Masters.
The *other* happiest place on Earth
by Josh Berhow
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At the Masters, you’ll find cheap sandwiches, really green grass and well-behaved patrons. Those are givens. But what always gets me is that everyone is so happy.
And they should be! Think about it — where else on Earth is everyone universally thrilled to be in one place? (As a parent who went to Disney World a week before the Masters, I can promise you Magic Kingdom is not the answer.)
And that blissfully hypnotic state lingers well after patrons leave Washington Road. Because the second-happiest spot I found last week? It was the tiny bar at the Augusta Regional Airport, where, as I waited for my return flight home, a Masters after-party was in full swing.
Few of the revelers knew one other but happily mingled at shared tables. Drinks were flowing, and the bartender generously poured doubles. Everyone shared stories about where they went and what they saw and what they ate and how it felt. Most were sunburned, several were clad in Masters gear and everyone agreed the course is — stop us if you’ve heard this one before — way hillier than it looks on TV.
One guy from Iowa paid John Daly $100 to sign his brother’s stomach and had the video to prove it. Another from Minnesota raved about his first time in swanky Berckmans Place. Plastic bags stuffed with thousands of dollars’ worth of Masters merchandise — hats, mugs, polos, posters — lined the floor.
“The only thing I didn’t get was a gnome,” one man said. “I’d offer anyone $200 for one right now.”
I smiled and nodded. He seemed so happy I didn’t have the heart to tell him what was hiding in my backpack.
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My favorite Masters Sunday tradition
by Alan Bastable
At a tournament defined by traditions, my colleagues and I have one of our own: Masters Sunday lunch in the Augusta National clubhouse.
Around 11:30 a.m., before the leaders have put their pegs in the ground in earnest, seven or eight of us pile into golf-cart shuttles outside the Press Building for the short ride to the shuttle drop-off by the leader board near the golf shop. From there, it’s a short hike up a tightly mown slope, a hard left turn at the famed old oak where golf’s sparkly people convene (is that . . . Sir Nick?!) and in through the back door of the clubhouse where a guard carefully eyes our credentials. Then it’s a few paces through a well-appointed dual-winged reception room and up a spiral staircase to a floor that houses, to your left as you exit the stairwell, the Champions Locker Room, and, to your right, a rectangular dining room that spills out on to a veranda that offers bird’s-eye views of all the sparkly people and even glimpses of the first tee.
If there’s a better way to start your Masters Sunday (other than smoothing balls on ANGC’s range in preparation for a starting time), I’d like to hear it! Some years we get a table outside; other years, like this one, the only available tables are in the dining room, which lacks the more casual al fresco appeal of the balcony but comes with its own perks such as having a front-row (table?) seat to such miscellany as the names on the Augusta National Jamboree honors board or the display case with President Eisenhower’s stylish knit polo.
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Comme nos maîtres (not ANGC’s version!).
The menu, like just about everything else at the club, is clean, simple and elegant. Green ink on white stock. The kitchen’s offerings aren’t fancy, either. Cheeseburger, flounder sandwich, spicy chicken nachos, a sampler plate with three of Augusta’s signature sandies, etc. In one of the dining room’s corners, a door leads to a small men’s room, where you’ll find a framed print of “Comme nos maîtres,” a famous cartoon by the French artist Boris O’Klein that playfully depicts seven dogs doing their business on their hind legs. The name of the piece translates to “Like their masters.” That’s another thing about Augusta, you notice something new on every visit.
But back to our meal. It’s always an in-and-out affair — maybe 45 minutes tops — but in the quiet of the clubhouse, away from the pressures of our keyboards and cameras, time has a way of slowing down. We share stories from the week, toast with Azaleas (pro move: swap out of the vodka for tequila) and generally enjoy one another’s company in a setting unlike few others. Then the check comes. Back to work.
Loitering with intent (around Tommy Fleetwood!)
by Michael Bamberger
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Over the past maybe eight years I have noted, in the pages of this website, that my three favorite golfers are Tommy Fleetwood of England, Franceso Molinari of Italy and Jordan Spieth of Dallas. My guess is that Molinari knows my face and name, that Spieth knows my face but not my name and that Fleetwood knows neither, despite my various efforts. Once, for instance, I told him that, by coincidence and during the last British Open there, I was seated next to his aunt at an outdoor café on a Sunday in downtown, Birkdale, England, during a British Open. Tommy said he knew the café and that she likely was eating there after church. You may know that the Open is returning to Birkdale this year.
On Sunday, Fleetwood went off a full two hours before Rory McIlroy, his Ryder Cup teammate, but Fleetwood stayed around after his middle-of-the-pack finish to see how the whole thing would play out. When McIlroy won, Fleetwood was among the players hanging by the clubhouse to congratulate him. What a lovely thing to do — but what else would you expect from this golfing gent? There’s a reason he’s in my Top 3. By the way, and a quick aside, his final-round 63 at Shinnecock Hills at the 2018 U.S. Open has to be one of the best rounds of golf ever played. I would say that’s like shooting a 60 at Augusta National on Masters Sunday. You may know that the U.S. Open is returning to Shinnecock in June.
Maybe 20 or 25 minutes after McIlroy made his winning six-inch putt on Sunday, Fleetwood was standing on front of the clubhouse, waiting on a ride. By the front I mean the side of the clubhouse at the end of Magnolia Lane, facing Washington Road. I have heard some people refer to this as the back of the clubhouse, which I don’t understand, except that it is back if you have a course-centric view of the world. That part I do get.
Anyway, Fleetwood was standing there, by himself, waiting on a ride and not wearing anything with a Swoosh, as he is no longer a Nike brand ambassador or whatever the right term is for that. He was wearing what seemed to be a custom-made pair of sort of beige beltless pants with a billowy legs. The Eisenhower Era meets the Jerry Ford years.
“In the ‘70s a lot of guys used to wear pants like that,” I said. I was loitering with intent, looking for something to write about. That is, something to write about related to the winner. They did wear pants like that, to a point. The pants then were much tighter, often garish in color and made of polyester. Fleetwood’s pants seemed to be made of a fine lightweight wool. “They were called Sansabelts. Johnny Miller wore ’em. Tom Weiskopf. Lot of guys.”
“Sansabelts,” Tom said.
“From the French, sans belt.”
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That is, without.
Tom nodded, with ever-so-modest enthusiasm. Soon, his ride arrived. He finished T33. — Michael Bamberger
Rory McIlroy’s good luck charm
by James Colgan
One of the unusual pleasures of watching the Masters broadcast is that most of the views are totally unobstructed. Nobody other than the players, the caddies, the camera crews and Dottie Pepper fill the camera shots inside the ropes — the throngs of golf dignitaries, sponsors, agents, managers and scribes are left outside the ropes with the rest of the people.
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Pepper has an unusual honor in the center of the fold. Since 2020, she has served as the only inside-the-ropes broadcaster in Masters history, tracking the highest-leverage groups for the network and collecting datapoints from the middle of the action.
But that’s where this story gets funny. Over the last two years, nobody has seen more of Rory McIlroy at the Masters up close than Dottie, who followed the back-to-back green jacket winner for the seventh time since the start of the 2025 Masters on Sunday afternoon.
Yep, you read that right, Pepper has been on McIlroy’s bag for seven of eight tournament rounds since the start of his star-crossed 2025 Masters start, seeing all but Friday’s second-round rebound in 2025 from the best seat in the house.
In that time, she’s seen some underrated gems — like McIlroy’s second on the 5th on Sunday in 2025 — and some true stinkers, like his tee shot on the 18th with the tournament on the line last Sunday. That’s when Pepper and the rest of the CBS team were thrust into an unenviable position, when McIlroy’s mega-right drive resulted in a mad search for his chunky second-shot, which the broadcast team briefly lost as it traveled from the pine straw into the front-left bunker.
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The moment was a reminder of the vagaries of golf TV broadcasting, though nobody at home struggling to make sense of the most consequential moment of the tournament had much patience for it. McIlroy didn’t help matters by playing his second and third shots as if he was worried the meter in the Champions Parking Lot was about to expire.
Eventually, Pepper restored order with a quick blurb on the location, the forthcoming shot and the quality of the lie. And McIlroy soon delivered a tournament-clinching tap-in.
No guarantees that Pepper will be on McIlroy’s bag at the beginning of next year’s Masters, but McIlroy surely won’t squeal if she is. They have a good thing going.
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