Jul 29, 2025; Eagan, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on during the teams training camp at the Minnesota Vikings Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images.
The Vikings’ QB plan involves embracing a specific strategy: welcoming a talented veteran to function as legitimate competition for J.J. McCarthy.
Former starter (and current Super Bowl winner) Sam Darnold was allowed to leave. Former backup Daniel Jones was desired, but he opted for the Colts. The lever that got pulled was to trade for Sam Howell, a decision that aged poorly in a matter of months.
Worse yet, basically all of the quarterback decisions — McCarthy, Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer — didn’t pan out in 2025. None of those players played as well as Minnesota hoped. There was a late move for Carson Wentz, but that was an instance of too little, too late.
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So, the pivot now involves adding meaningful talent to that quarterback position. The problem is that the most coveted options — Malik Willis, Kyler Murray, and so on — could end up heading elsewhere or nowhere at all, sticking around in their current location.
The Vikings’ QB Plan: Malik Willis, Kyler Murray, and Others
The Pittsburgh Steelers look like the best fit for Malik Willis, at least to my eye.
The still-young veteran passer lands at No. 1 in the NFL list of top free agents (a cluster of talent that has a pair of Vikings). Consider what Gregg Rosenthal has to say: “I see him as the most dynamic quarterback in football as a runner, and his tape in Green Bay showed incredible growth as a passer over his two years with Matt LaFleur. Despite his limited sample size, Willis jumped to the top spot of this ranking based on the same logic that applies to the NFL draft: If a potential franchise quarterback is good enough to be ranked in the top five of a list like this, then he should be placed first, by virtue of the position. The ceiling is the roof.”
The Steelers, a great franchise, made the befuddling decision to hire Mike McCarthy as the new head coach. Did that decision set up Pittsburgh to bring in Mr. Willis?
McCarthy didn’t overlap with Willis in Green Bay. There’s nevertheless the reality that a shared history of working for Wisconsin’s NFL football team would make the transition from the NFC North to the AFC North easier. Plus, the QB1 job is open in Pittsburgh and has been unsettled for a while, making the fit look crisp and clean.
Working with Kevin O’Connell may have some appeal. Presumably, throwing to Justin Jefferson does, too. But then there’s the need to compete with McCarthy, whom Minnesota has invested a ton into. Does Malik Willis opt for Pittsburgh instead?
Feb 6, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy (right) greets Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN’s Benjamin Solak jumped into the topic, dropping several teams in the analysis of where Willis fits. There’s a mention of a possible “bidding war” while describing the lack of QB talent in the 2026 NFL Draft. Solak brings his potential fits around to the New York Jets, the Cleveland Browns, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Miami Dolphins.
Nary a Vikings mention in sight (at least per the short clip).
Obviously, these opinions are just that: opinions. The great issue is that multiple teams all pursuing the same passer is going to involve a world where the Vikings get outmuscled quickly. Minnesota’s money isn’t ample, so Willis could need to leave money on the table if the Vikings really do want him.
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Sep 8, 2019; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
If, for the sake of argument, Malik Willis travels elsewhere early in free agency, the Vikings may turn toward Kyler Murray. Is he even on the market?
Recently, Ian Rapoport of The NFL Networkjumped into the issue. Rapoport describes the Murray rumblings as being based on assumptions rather than ironclad sources.
Sticking around in Arizona is an option, per Rapoport, while also indicating that teams in the NFL may pry him away with the belief that Murray is a cornerstone guy: “There have been many times in his career where we have seen and thought [that] Kyler Murray is a franchise quarterback.”
Digest those thoughts from Rapoport for a moment. Start off with the tidbit about there being a chance Murray continues to stick around in Arizona. Not likely, but possible. What happens if that’s not the case and teams get a shot at Murray?
If there’s a team out there that truly believes Kyler Murray is a franchise guy, then the Vikings are going to get outbid. In fact, a franchise passer who is only 28 and who could be shipped out is a very unique scenario. The Vikings can’t compete with (for instance) a Jets team that has better draft picks and way more cap space.
The Vikings’ QB plan involves added competition. Reasonable and fair. Urgently needed, in fact.
But then there’s the issue of how good that competition is going to be. Signing Malik Willis for a Sam Darnold deal — a single season at $10 million — isn’t happening if the reporting is accurate. How competent is the new passer? How much does that competence cost?
Missing on Willis and Murray means there’s a drop off in talent. Minnesota isn’t doomed to poor passer play, but the price for Mac Jones (as an example) could skyrocket even further as the market shrinks. Just takes two teams to send the trade price soaring. Furthermore, San Francisco could keep the QB2.
Stay tuned. Plenty more speculation and rumor is going to come out of the NFL combine. NFL free agency will get real on Monday, March 9th.
Dec 8, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars head coach Peter DeBoer during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
All eyes will be on Peter DeBoer as he takes his place behind the New York Islanders’ bench for a crucial tilt against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night.
The Islanders (42-31-5, 89 points) parted ways on Sunday with Patrick Roy, their head coach of two-plus years, after an ill-timed four-game losing streak near the tail end of the season.
The last time New York took the ice, 36 saves from goaltender Ilya Sorokin weren’t enough to keep out the high-flying Carolina Hurricanes, who prevailed 4-3 on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C. The Islanders managed just 16 shots on goal in Roy’s last stand.
“We all love Patty and wish that we could have done better over the last 10 days,” Islanders center Mathew Barzal said after practice on Monday. “You look in the mirror and there’s chances that I missed. … As competitors, you feel disappointment, just thinking you could have done more.”
The bad string of results dropped the Islanders outside a playoff spot. They sit three points behind the Ottawa Senators, who occupy the second Eastern Conference wild-card position, and trail the Philadelphia Flyers by three points for the third slot in the Metropolitan Division. All of those teams have four games remaining.
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The Islanders will hope DeBoer’s postseason pedigree gets them over the hump. With a 97-82 record in 179 playoff games, DeBoer ranks fifth all-time in postseason wins — the most of any coach without a Stanley Cup. DeBoer reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 with the New Jersey Devils and in 2016 with the San Jose Sharks but lost in six games on both occasions.
“After 18 years in this league, I’d like to say that I think I have really strong beliefs on how a team needs to play, what’s important to winning and what’s important to winning in the playoffs,” said DeBoer, who had been out of a job since the Dallas Stars fired him after a loss to the Edmonton Oilers in the 2025 Western Conference finals. “I have a lot of non-negotiables on those things.”
The new-look Islanders will hope to claim both points against a battered Maple Leafs team entering the second night of a back-to-back. Toronto (32-32-14, 78 points) dropped a third consecutive game on Wednesday, an uninspired 4-0 loss to the visiting Washington Capitals.
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Toronto, eliminated from playoff contention last week, already was dealing with the absence of captain Auston Matthews for the remainder of the season. Now the Maple Leafs will find themselves even thinner on Thursday.
Brandon Carlo, Dakota Joshua and goaltender Anthony Stolarz all left the Washington game with injuries. None of them will play on Thursday.
In Stolarz’s place, Berube confirmed that 24-year-old Artur Akhtyamov would get his first NHL start. Akhtyamov has appeared in one game, making five saves in relief for Toronto against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 13.
“He has a great personality. He has played well down there (in the AHL), and he is a competitor,” Berube said of Akhtyamov. “He really has fast reflexes and is competitive as hell. I like the kid a lot.”
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Berube also indicated that center Luke Haymes, 22, would make his NHL debut against New York.
The Islanders, in turn, hope defenseman Tony DeAngelo can suit up for his first game since March 24, when he sustained a lower-body injury.
Today Toulon Golf is releasing their newest Small Batch putter; the Small Batch Columbus. The SB Columbus is a celebration of what many in the golf world view as the greatest Masters victory in the history of the tournament: Jack Nicklaus in 1986.
As Jack’s last “I’m still here” moment, the 1986 Masters is still talked about every single year, and is remembered by an iconic photograph where he raises his putter to the sky in a now infamous outfit. But that putter? There was a much bigger story to it. That’s the story of the new Toulon Golf Small Batch Columbus.
In 1986 Jack Nicklaus took home the trophy using a MacGregor Response MI 615 ZT. A putter that you can buy for about $40 on eBay. ZT standing for Zero Twist, which yes, was an early contender for the current Zero Torque trend that we see widely adopted in the modern game.
The idea behind Zero Twist was that if you could build the putter large enough with the hosel in the right spot, the putter would be more stable through the putting stroke and provide a better chance of rolling in putts. Again, yes, the same story we’re given today with super low-torque toe-up style putters. The irony though, is Jack was playing terribly heading into the Masters.
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As part of this Small Batch project, the Toulon family enlisted the help of Clay Long. Clay is an iconic, Hall-of-Fame level club designer, junkie, nerd, and one of the greatest personalities behind the scenes in the game of golf. He’s actually the one who designed the putter that won in 1986.
Sean Toulon and Clay Long in Clay’s workshop
Toulon Golf
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In a video on the Toulon Golf website, he tells Preston Toulon that they had no idea the putter was going to go in play. Jack’s first introduction to the putter was an accident. As an owner of MacGregor at the time, Jack didn’t regularly attend sales meetings. But in 1985, he decided to join. As part of that sales meeting Jack was going to go into the shop to see their new high tech woods-sanding robot. Yes you read that right. On the way to check it out, Clay stopped him and showed him the new Response lineup, including the 615. Jack’s first impression: “Is this a joke?”
Fast forward through a phone call from Jack showing interest in the putter after testing at home, making him some finishes in black rather than silver, and the putter going in play for a couple lackluster tournaments before the Masters including some several missed cuts, Jack shows up to Augusta with the putter. MacGregor was already thrilled with what their sales numbers were with the putter having had success at the PGA Show earlier in the year, and Jack having played the putter on tour. They were actually expecting Jack to swap the putter back out for an old George Lowe model. Instead, he wins.
Clay Long’s signature adorns one side of the specially crafted headcover for the Toulon Small Batch Columbus
Toulon Golf
His victory in 1986 is still considered one of if not the best Masters moment in the history of the tournament. He wasn’t playing well. He wasn’t leading on Sunday, in fact he started 6 strokes back of the leader. Nothing about that day was supposed to end with him winning the Masters. Just like nothing about the MacGregor Response series was supposed to set sales records for a company with a dying putter lineup. But odds be damned, they did it. And the Small Batch Columbus celebrates that triumph.
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The Small Batch Columbus is a nod to the original design, with tweaks for the modern game. Although the original 615 ZT was more than 35% larger than a traditional blade shape, the SB Columbus is about 30% smaller than the putter Jack used to win. That being said, it still dwarfs a normal sized blade like the Toulon Golf Boston you see pictured here with it.
The size comparison of a Toulon Boston from their 2026 Collection Series to the new Small Batch Columbus
Jake Morrow / GOLF
In order to maintain a “normal” size and feel, they needed to figure out how to keep the putter at about 360 grams of weight. The original putter was made out of aluminum, but it was very fragile. As Sean Toulon states to Clay in their story video, “It wouldn’t have passed the BGLT or ‘Big Guy Lean Test’”. To combat that, and to stay true to the Toulon Golf Small Batch process, they constructed the face and hosel out of 904L Stainless Steel. 904L is a wonderful material that finishes beautifully, but it takes a long time to mill which makes it more expensive, so it’s reserved for Small Batch type projects.
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Columbus pays homage to Jack’s triumph at the 1986 Masters
Toulon Golf
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The back of the putter is then done in 6061 anodized aluminum to save weight. Toulon isn’t new to the world of multi-material construction, but they did have to be very careful about how the two pieces matched up to each other in a couple of ways. The first one being that they physically needed to match up well. There’s nothing worse than a beautiful project turning into a nightmare with a terrible seam or a visible difference in the lines of the pieces. Not here. The SB Columbus has beautiful lines between the materials that match perfectly with the same curves, lines, and flow as one another. The other big thing is matching the color. Since they are different metals, they react to finishing differently. It’s not super easy to match the exact color between two metals, especially when you’re talking about a black finish. It’s pretty easy to see when one black didn’t get quite as dark or tinted as another black. But again, they absolutely nailed the details here.
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Columbus cavity design mimicks the original design of Jack’s 1986 Masters winning MacGregor ZT MI 615
Toulon Golf
The sole of the putter features some Azaleas, a common nod to Augusta National. Some are paint-filled in their typical pink color and others are sort of shadowed in the background to give the design some nice depth without getting busy. The SB Columbus logo stands proud in the very center, with the ‘86 markings making their way into the lettering as the ‘b’ in Columbus.
The sole design of the Toulon Golf Small Batch Columbus features some large pink Azaleas to tie in Augusta National
Toulon Golf
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As you rotate the putter to the topline, you’ll see the a nod to the same alignment features on Jack’s original winning putter as well as a Toulon variant of the cavity markings from Jack’s old putter including the (86) marking where the old (ZT) marking used to be. The face is then finished off in their triple cut fly mill in a silver finish. It looks beautiful behind the ball. You can see the loft on the face, and the alignment cross in the back of the flange doesn’t distract at all.
Clay’s signature as well as the Small Batch icon come together on top of the TRIPLE fly cut face of the Small Batch Columbus
Toulon Golf
The one thing you’re probably asking is “Well how does it roll?” I have to say, it’s lovely. It’s a nice firm feeling putter off the face. It’s got a great click to it, and a very commanding sound and feel into the hands. For such a large putter, you’d be worried that the player would lose feel, but not in this case. It’s a wonderful feeling and actually rolls quite well too. I would say probably 70% of Small Batch putters never make it out of the case, but there’s a few collectors out there who believe in the idea of tools not jewels, and this could certainly make a very fun tool.
The Toulon Golf Small Batch Columbus is available now on their website at toulongolf.com. In the Small Batch package the player will also receive a signed certificate of authenticity with a matching shaft band.
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Toulon Golf x Clay Long – 2026 Small Batch Columbus
This Toulon Golf x Clay Long Small Batch collaboration celebrates the triumph at the Masters in 1986. Toulon has partnered with legendary club designer Clay Long, the designer of the winning putter in ’86, to celebrate the victory and bring a piece of history into your hands.
The Pedigo Submission Fighting athlete goes toe-to-toe with promotional newcomer Kenta Iwamoto in a welterweight submission grappling battle.
Ahead of their rematch, Dante Leon shared what he expects from the Japanese ground game specialist and his plans to take a 2-0 lead in their head-to-head rivalry.
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Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
“I’m sure he feels like he can give a better performance, and he wants to redeem himself from the last match. And with respect to that, I have to show up and be better,” the 30-year-old martial artist told ONE Championship during a pre-fight interview.
Leon vs. Iwamoto will be one of many exciting fights at ONE Fight Night 42 inside the Lumpinee Stadium.
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Dante Leon’s keys to victory against Kenta Iwamoto at ONE Fight Night 42
Iwamoto is aggressive, well-rounded, and capable of staying one step ahead — but Dante Leon has the tools to shut all of it down.
The starting point is top control. Leon’s crushing top pressure has been the foundation of his best performances in ONE Championship, and against an opponent who operates with the fluency and physical intensity that Iwamoto brings, establishing dominant position early is everything.
The Canadian’s ability to pass guard with precision and settle into suffocating top control removes Iwamoto’s most dangerous scrambling opportunities before they can develop.
From there, the back becomes Leon’s primary destination. His ability to hunt the back from almost any position — off scrambles, off guard passes, off failed submissions — is what makes him so relentless to contain.
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Once he secures that position, Iwamoto faces a finishing threat that has proven too much for everyone Leon has caught there.
North American fans with an active Amazon Prime Video subscription can catch the entire card, live in U.S. primetime, for free this Friday, April 10.
Tyson Fury is set to make his highly anticipated return to the boxing ring this Saturday against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, a bout he insists will play out before a sold-out crowd.
However, the heavyweight champion remains uncertain whether his father, John Fury, will be among the spectators.
The fight marks Fury’s comeback after reversing a retirement decision for the fifth time, ending a 16-month hiatus from the sport.
The event, broadcast live on Netflix from north London, has been subject to weeks of speculation regarding ticket sales. Despite this, Fury confidently predicted a full house.
Tyson Fury does not know if his dad will attend his fight this weekend (Getty Images)
“Let’s just say it’s been a very busy few months with the boxing scene all around the world and especially in the UK. There have been a lot of big fights on, but ‘Gypsy King’ always sells out,” Fury told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
“On the night there will be over 60-odd thousand at Tottenham, which is full capacity. The tickets have not been as fast as say the two days I sold out Wembley at 94,000, but it has gone over the past month or so, so we’ll be at full capacity on the night.”
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Addressing his father’s stance, Fury explained: “He’s not happy. He wanted me to retire in 2020 after I beat Deontay Wilder. He is just not happy and doesn’t want me to box.”
He added, “I think when it’s your kids and when it’s your close relatives, you feel very concerned for the individual and he has got his opinions, he just doesn’t want me to do it, he never wanted me to do it for the past six years.”
Despite his father’s disapproval, Fury remains resolute.
Tyson Fury with opponent Arslanbek Makhmudov in February (PA Wire)
“At the end of the day, every man must bear his own cross and it’s my destiny to do,” Fury said.
When asked if his father might still appear at the last minute, Fury conceded, “he might do, but he didn’t come to the Usyk II fight, so I’m not holding my breath.
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“My dad will do what my dad will do and there is nothing I can do about it. He is his own person. If he turns up, great, and if he doesn’t, also great.”
Amid the rhetoric and rabble rousing of JD Vance’s promotional tour of Budapest in support of the “fantastic” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the significance of one of the venues may have been lost on many.
The US vice president addressed a pre-election rally on Tuesday at the the MTK Sportpark in Budapest. The venue, opened in 2025, is used by various sporting departments of the MTK Budapest club, whose football team are one of Hungary’s most successful, with 23 national titles. MTK’s president is Tamas Deutsch, a Member of European Parliament and member of Orban’s Fidesz party.
Vance targets EU while campaigning for Orban in Hungary
“I don’t think that is accidental staging,” Gyozo Molnar, a professor of sociology of sport and exercise at the University of Worcester, and originally from Hungary, told DW.
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“The stadium is Orban’s preferred arena, quite literally. More broadly, the vast network of football clubs, academies, and infrastructure projects across the country represents a material patronage network that ties local communities and local elites to Fidesz. That has electoral consequences, particularly in rural constituencies.”
Heavy state influence in Hungarian clubs
MTK are far from alone in having strong ties to the state. Though not necessarily directly controlled by Fidesz, every club in the top division is somehow influenced by the party, either by politicians appointed to executive roles, by arms of the state with stakes in the club or by provision of funds.
The most important revenue stream has been the TAO corporate income tax program. Introduced in 2011, this allows corporations to write off donations to clubs in selected sports as a tax deduction, sometimes up to 100%. This has seen billions funneled to government-backed clubs and contracts for construction reportedly handed to those close to Orban and his government. Hungary is consistently ranked as the most corrupt nation in the 27-member EU, with which it has a strained relationship, and is also ranked among the poorest in the bloc.
Hungary: Europe or an authoritarian path?
Orban defended TAO in a 2020 interview with Hungarian sports daily Nemzeti Sport.
“Until the introduction of the TAO, the world of entrepreneurs and sports did not maintain any relationship with each other,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a normal attitude to regret spending money on sports fields or for children to play sports.”
Nevertheless, Fidesz have also developed interests in clubs in several surrounding countries, including Romania, Slovakia, Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, and Ukraine. Molnar says this combines Orban’s loves of football with maintaining political power – and is another vote winner.
Clubs abroad help increase diaspora vote
“Ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries have been able to vote in Hungarian elections since Fidesz introduced simplified naturalization and extended the franchise in 2010. The diaspora vote has historically overwhelmingly favored Fidesz,” he said.
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“Investing in football infrastructure in these communities, such as stadiums, academies and youth programs is a tangible, visible form of patronage that reinforces the message that Orban’s government cares about Hungarians beyond the country’s borders.”
While some clubs’ ownership structures, both in Hungary and abroad, are opaque, last season’s runners-up, Puskas Akademia, have been built, funded and controlled by Orban from their foundation in 2007.
The Pancho Arena has hosted Israel matches in recent yearsImage: Denes Erdos/AP Photo/picture alliance
Named after Ferenc Puskas, Hungary’s greatest-ever footballer and member of the Mighty Magyars side that lost to West Germany in the 1954 World Cup final, Puskas Akademia are Orban’s pet project. He built them a stadium too. The Pancho Arena, named after the nickname given to Puskas while he played for Real Madrid, is a 3,800-capacity arena, holding double the population of the town of Felcsut, where Orban has a property.
David Goldblatt, now a visiting professor at Pitzer College, Los Angeles, went to the stadium, on the outskirts of Budapest, in 2017. After handing a copy of a book he’d written on football a decade earlier to Orban through an intermediary, he became the first foreign journalist for more than a decade to interview the prime minister, who was first elected to the post in 1998.
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Orban a lover of football and its power
Goldblatt said that, although it has clearly been weaponized politically, Orban’s love of the game shone through.
“He really is obsessed with football — playing it, watching it, thinking about it. He really, really, really loves football,” Goldblatt told DW, adding that Orban played in Hungary’s fourth tier and formed the basis of his party’s central control from a Fidesz five-a-side game.
As well as his grip on the club game, Goldblatt said that Orban’s funding and promotion of the national team has enabled him to tell a useful story.
“It’s a great and powerful narrative for an ultranationalist with victimhood tendencies that the Hungary national football team offers. Once the absolute pinnacle of global football, then a terrible shadow of its former self. This has, in Orban and Fidesz’s hands, turned into a narrative about how great Hungary once was before the communists crushed the great football tradition.
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“‘Make Hungarian football great again’ is what he said to me. I think he actually had baseball caps with that on.”
Champions League final a crowning moment or bitter pill
As well as their involvement in Hungary’s national team and all of the country’s top clubs, Orban and Fidesz have built more than 25 stadiums around the country, the biggest of which — the Puskas Arena in Budapest — is to host the Champions League final, European club football’s biggest game, on May 30.
Germany played Hungary at the Puskas Arena in Budapest in 2024Image: Michael Memmler/Eibner-Pressefoto/picture alliance
Molnar said Orban sees this “an enormous validation of his entire sport-as-nation-building strategy” and would find not being in power for the final a bitter pill to swallow.
“If he were to lose on April 12, the Champions League final would arrive under a new government, and that would be a bitterly symbolic loss for him, someone else cutting the ribbon on his legacy project,” he said.
Orban has been a regular attendee at major football finals for decades and may well be at one of the stadiums he built on May 30 whatever happens in the coming days. He has made himself the key figure in Hungarian football, as well as society, and the stakes are high for the sport.
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“If Orban wins, that event becomes a coronation of his football legacy. If he loses, it becomes an awkward inheritance for a new government that will have to decide what to do with the infrastructure, the networks, and the political economy of sport that Orban has spent a decade and a half constructing,” Molnar added.
“Either way, Hungarian football after April 12 will tell us a great deal not just about sport, but about whether populist nationalist projects can be unwound through democratic means.”
Edited by: Chuck Penfold
This article was originally published on April 9, 2026. It was amended later the same day to reflect the fact that JD Vance spoke at the MTK Sportpark in Budapest and not the Groupama Arena as previously reported.
Boniface joined Bremen with high hopes, but things have not gone as planned. The Nigerian striker has failed to score in 11 Bundesliga matches and has only provided two assists. His situation became worse after he suffered a serious knee injury in December 2025, which required surgery and kept him out for a long time.
Even before the injury, there were concerns about his fitness. Sporting director Clemens Fritz revealed that the club had to monitor his weight and put him on a special training and diet plan.
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Now back from recovery with parent club Bayer Leverkusen, Boniface is trying to regain form quickly as Bremen battle to avoid relegation with only a few matches left this season.
Fritz remains careful but hopeful about the striker’s chances of helping the team. He stressed that Boniface must reach full fitness before he can make a real impact.
Despite his struggles, Bremen still believe in Boniface’s ability. However, there are doubts about whether he can regain his sharpness in time to help the team at such a crucial stage.
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Aílton, however, has taken a more direct stance. The former Bundesliga top scorer said he expected more from Boniface but believes several issues affected his performance.
He pointed to the striker’s injury problems and poor physical condition, adding that the team’s bad form at the time also made things difficult for him.
According to Aílton, the long absence after surgery has made it even harder for Boniface to find rhythm. He warned that it may be difficult for the striker to score goals before the season ends due to lack of time.
Meanwhile, head coach Daniel Thioune has shown more belief in the Nigerian forward. Although he admitted Boniface is not yet fully fit, he said the striker can still contribute in short periods during matches.
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Thioune explained that what matters most is the player’s attitude and finishing ability, not just his weight. He added that Boniface could be useful in key matches, especially against direct rivals.
Bremen will face 1. FC Köln, Hamburger SV, and VfB Stuttgart this April, knowing they need positive results to move away from the relegation zone.
Apr 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
With four regular-season games remaining, the Columbus Blue Jackets are desperately trying to stay in playoff contention as they prepare to visit the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
The Blue Jackets (39-27-12, 90 points) are two points out of the playoff picture in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference wild-card standings. They trail the Philadelphia Flyers for third in the division and the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card spot.
Columbus snapped a six-game losing streak (0-5-1) with a 4-3 shootout win over the host Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night, a game in which the Blue Jackets twice came from behind to tie the contest.
The Blue Jackets and Red Wings were tied in the wild-card race going into the game.
“We had to win that game,” Columbus coach Rick Bowness said. “That was a great hockey game between two teams that are obviously very evenly matched.”
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Defenseman Zach Werenski scored the shootout winner and had a goal and an assist in regulation as he played more than half the game’s 65 minutes (33:26).
“This is obviously a massive win,” said Werenski, who grew up in suburban Detroit, rooting for the Red Wings. “We were just focusing on Detroit, but now we’ll take the good stuff from this game and build off it for Buffalo.”
Adam Fantilli made Werenski’s shootout heroics possible by tying it 3-3 with 17 seconds left in regulation with goaltender Jet Greaves pulled for the extra attacker.
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“We got it to overtime, and then Jet was huge in overtime and the shootout,” Fantilli said.
The shootout was tied 2-2 after four rounds. Greaves then stopped James van Riemsdyk’s attempt before Werenski ended it.
With 80 points (22 goals, 58 assists), Werenski joins Phil Housley and Brian Leetch as the only U.S.-born defensemen to reach that mark in consecutive seasons.
The Sabres (48-23-8, 104 points), who have already clinched a playoff berth, moved into first place alone in the Atlantic Division with a 5-3 road win over the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens are each two points back of Buffalo, each with a game in hand on the Sabres.
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“It’s a tight race right there for first in the Atlantic,” Buffalo winger Alex Tuch said. “We want to do whatever we can to try to increase our, I guess, lead now. I guess we’re in first now, but obviously two really good teams chasing us. Just want to stack up some wins, get some points, continue to push and get ready for the playoffs.”
Buffalo will play two of its final three regular-season games at home.
“It feels like we’ve been in a tight race since December,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “A tight race to get in the picture, then a tight race to move up the standings, and now it’s a tight race to stay up the standings. Our division has been incredibly tough. You look at the strings of games that Montreal put together. You look at Tampa Bay had a real nice run. And we’re all sitting there together.”
Buffalo rallied for the win on Wednesday with third-period goals by Tuch (his 31st), Jason Zucker and Zach Benson’s second of the game, which came into an empty net. Zucker also had an assist in the game.
After 12 years in the role she is moving into consultancy and advisory work
Lisa Skelton and Lee Buck will take the company forward
Jack Garner has recently joined as trustee of parent company, NCFE
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Managing director of awarding body, Active IQ, Jenny Patrickson, is leaving to focus on consultancy, advisory and non-executive director roles.
Patrickson said about her decision: “After 12 incredibly rewarding years with Active IQ, I am immensely proud of all that it has achieved. It has been an honour and a privilege to work alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues, customers and partners.
“Together, we have navigated challenges, celebrated significant milestones, and built a lasting legacy of quality, innovation, collaboration and meaningful impact within and for the sector.”
A new managing director will not be appointed, the company will be taken forward by the senior leadership team of Lisa Skelton, head of business development, and Lee Buck, head of employer product strategy. They will have the support of Jack Garner, head of business operations at The FA, who has recently been appointed as a trustee of NCFE, the parent company which acquired Active IQ in 2022.
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Going forward the focus will include the creation of market‑leading qualifications that meet industry demand and innovation in response to the challenges and opportunities across sport, active leisure, and wellbeing.
If recent form matters when making 2026 Masters picks, then three names should stand out from the others. Matt Fitzpatrick has a win and a runner-up in his last two starts, while Cameron Young has a victory and a third place over his last pair of tournaments. Then there’s Bryson DeChambeau, who won his last two events on LIV Golf as all three golfers bring momentum into the Masters 2026. This year’s tournament is the 90th edition and will tee off on Thursday at Augusta National.
None of the three has ever finished better than fifth at the Masters, but they still all find their names high up the PGA odds board. Only Scottie Scheffler (+550) is a bigger favorite than DeChambeau (+1000), with Fitzpatrick and Young both at +2200. How much should you prioritize recent results when placing 2026 Masters bets? Before locking in any 2026 Masters picks, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
SportsLine’s proprietary golf betting model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, simulates every PGA Tour event 10,000 times. This same model has also nailed a whopping 16 majors entering the weekend, including the 2025 Masters — its fourth Masters in a row — as well as last year’s PGA Championship and Open Championship.
2026 Masters predictions for Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
One pick from the model for the Masters 2026: Rahm (+1000), the 2023 Masters champion and one of this year’s favorites, makes another strong run at the green jacket, but ultimately falls just short. Rahm historically plays some of his best golf at Augusta, finishing in the top 10 five times since 2018. He already has one professional win this season and hasn’t finished worse than fifth this year in any event, so the model is expecting him to contend at Augusta, giving him a 10.5% chance of winning it all and a 41.3% chance to finish top 5.
The model has also locked in its projection for Scheffler (+550), a two-time Masters winner who is this year’s favorite. Scheffler is making his seventh start at Augusta National after winning the green jacket in 2022 and 2024. He has never finished outside the top 20 in the first major of the year, and he had top-10 performances in 17 of his 20 starts on the PGA Tour last year.
Scheffler opened the season with a win in the American Express before carding top-five finishes in the WM Phoenix Open and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, he has been outside the top 20 in his last two events, and he has not competed since mid-March due to the birth of his second child. This is the first time in his career that he made zero PGA Tour starts between the Players and the Masters, so rust could be an issue this week.
The model has also examined McIlroy’s (+1300) chances of becoming the fourth golfer to win back-to-back green jackets. After achieving the career Grand Slam with last year’s win, a comedown from that high was almost unavoidable. That’s happened with the Irishman as McIlroy hasn’t won any of his 14 PGA Tour starts since.
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However, McIlroy’s metrics indicate he’s still elite and can win any time he steps on a course. He’s fourth in strokes gained: total and leads the tour in SG: tee-to-green and SG: off-the-tee. Since Tiger Woods became the last repeat Masters champion (2001-02), only three defending champions have finished better than 10th in their repeat bid, so McIlroy will be battling history as well as Augusta. See the full Masters projections from the model here.
How to make 2026 Masters picks
The model is also targeting two longshots of +4000 or greater, including one who is going off around +8000, who could make a stunning run at Augusta this year. You can only see the model’s picks here.
Scottie Scheffler +550 Bryson DeChambeau +1000 Jon Rahm +1000 Rory McIlroy +1300 Xander Schauffele +1500 Ludvig Åberg +1700 Matt Fitzpatrick +2200 Cameron Young +2200 Tommy Fleetwood +2200 Hideki Matsuyama +2700 Robert MacIntyre +2700 Justin Rose +3000 Min Woo Lee +3000 Patrick Reed +3500 Collin Morikawa +3500 Si Woo Kim +4500 Jordan Spieth +4500 Brooks Koepka +4500 Chris Gotterup +5500 Russell Henley +5500 Nicolai Højgaard +5500 Viktor Hovland +5500 Akshay Bhatia +6500 Maverick McNealy +6500 Jake Knapp +7000 Shane Lowry +7000 Patrick Cantlay +7000 Justin Thomas +7000 Adam Scott +7500 Jason Day +7500 Sepp Straka +8000 Tyrrell Hatton +8000 Corey Conners +8000 J.J. Spaun +8000 Jacob Bridgeman +8000 Sam Burns +10000 Harris English +10000 Rasmus Højgaard +10000 Cameron Smith +10000 Marco Penge +10000 Sungjae Im +12500 Gary Woodland +12500 Kurt Kitayama +15000 Daniel Berger +17500 Ben Griffin +17500 Alex Noren +17500 Ryan Gerard +17500 Sam Stevens +20000 Keegan Bradley +20000 Harry Hall +20000 Aldrich Potgieter +20000 Kristoffer Reitan +22500 Max Homa +22500 Ryan Fox +25000 Casey Jarvis +25000 Aaron Rai +25000 Wyndham Clark +25000 Brian Harman +25000 Sergio Garcia +30000 Dustin Johnson +30000 Nicolas Echavarria +30000 Carlos Ortiz +30000 Michael Kim +30000 Max Greyserman +40000 Nick Taylor +40000 Haotong Li +40000 Matt McCarty +40000 Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +40000 Andrew Novak +40000 Tom McKibbin +40000 Sami Valimaki +50000 Michael Brennan +50000 John Keefer +50000 Bubba Watson +75000 Charl Schwartzel +75000 Zach Johnson +75000 Davis Riley +100000 Angel Cabrera +100000 Mason Howell +100000 Fifa Laopakdee +100000 Ethan Fang +100000 Brian Campbell +100000 Vijay Singh +100000 Jose Maria Olazabal +100000 Brandon Holtz +100000 Naoyuki Kataoka +100000 Danny Willett +100000 Jackson Herrington +100000 Fred Couples +100000 Mateo Pulcini +100000 Mike Weir +100000
Augusta National Golf Club has played home to the Masters since the 1930s. The iconic course has stood the test of time. However, the course has been lengthened significantly over the years as players hit it farther and farther.
So what is Augusta National’s length now? Here’s a complete review of the total length, and the distance of each hole at Augusta ahead of the 2026 Masters.
Augusta National distance: What you need to know
Modern pros like defending Masters champion Rory McIlroy have gained tremendous length on their historic predecessors. With equipment innovations, new swing techniques and intense fitness routines, today’s Masters participants simply bomb the ball.
Alister Mackenzie, who designed Augusta National alongside club co-founder Bobby Jones, could never have envisioned how short their prized 18 holes would become in the face of the modern game.
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Largely beginning with Tiger Woods’ dominant 1997 Masters victory, for which he often hit driver-wedge into Augusta’s famed par-5s, the course has been lengthened (and lengthened again) to defend against long hitters.
Augusta National: Total length
The total length of Augusta National for the 2026 Masters will be 7,565 yards, with the first nine playing 3,775 yards and the second nine stretching to 3,790 yards. That will change slightly each day as tees are moved forward and back.
However, the course members play on a normal day is far shorter than what the pros play. If you were playing Augusta National from the members tees this year, you’d face a course closer to 6,400 yards. That’s over a thousand yards shorter than the pros will play at the Masters.
Augusta National’s longest hole (and shortest hole)
Unlike at many other tournaments, all players begin each Masters round on Augusta National’s 1st tee. But they quickly run into the longest hole they will face all day.
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The par-5 2nd hole, known as Pink Dogwood, could reach 585 yards during the 2026 Masters. Even so, many pros will attempt to reach the difficult 2nd green, found at the end of a long fairway that swoops downhill and to the left, in two shots.
As for Augusta National’s shortest hole, it also happens to be the course’s most famous. That would be the par-3 12th, Golden Bell, which will play to 155 yards during this year’s Masters.
Despite its short length, the 12th is typically one of the toughest holes at the Masters thanks to the nervy tee shot over water amid swirling winds. Many Masters Sunday charges have met their ends on this hole.
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Augusta National hole-by-hole length for 2026 Masters
Here’s the standard length for each Augusta National hole at the Masters.
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