Sports
Unsanctioned France cricket team plays international tournament amid ‘high’ legal risks
French sports fans normally swell with pride when their famous footballers, rugbymans and Olympians step out in the bleu, blanc et rouge. But when a dubious Équipe de France appeared at the Santarem Cricket Ground in Portugal on Sunday, few in France were behind them – not even their government.
The French sports ministry confirmed in a statement that France Cricket has not held official status since January 1 and therefore is “not legally authorised, under French law, to organise official national competitions, to award national titles, or to designate national teams”.
And yet there they were, taking part in an International Cricket Council tournament that runs through Thursday.
Read moreFrance Cricket faces power struggle as government backing hangs in the balance
France Cricket only held official status by virtue of an agreement with the French Baseball and Softball Federation (FFBS), which expired at the end of last year.
The website of the International Cricket Council (ICC) – the sport’s global governing body – notes that France must have government recognition to qualify as a member. An account of France Cricket’s history that has not been updated since 2016 reads: “France Cricket had to rejoin the FFBS … to comply with ICC requirements concerning government recognition.”
France Cricket is due $560,000 in development funding from the ICC for the period 2026-2027 and reported having made $328,172 in non-ICC income during the previous period.
Le rebel tour
France Cricket has long sought to become a fully independent federation in its own right, free from the FFBS umbrella and directly recognised by both the French government and the ICC. The signature of France Cricket chairman Prebagarane Balane is on the final agreement between France Cricket and the FFBS – which applied from December 2022 to December 2025 – but it specifies that France Cricket must first obtain official recognition, or agrément, from the sports ministry before attempting to be an independent federation: “Obtaining the ministerial agrément referred to in Article L.131-8 of the Sports Code is a mandatory prerequisite.”
“We are still waiting for agrément,” France Cricket acknowledged, according to the minutes from a January 30 meeting.
Minutes from a March 13 meeting in the presence of Jubaid Ahamed, president of the French National Teams Committee, noted attempts to arrange talks with the sports ministry and claimed: “The agrément procedure or ministerial delegation have no bearing on France Cricket’s ability to organise federal competitions.”
Those same notes announce plans for three Equipe de France national teams: The men will go on tour to Portugal, the women will begin training at the start of April and the under-19s will train every Sunday morning at Villiers-le-Bel, north of Paris.
In an email to those involved in the Portugal competition dated March 19, seen by FRANCE 24, Balane was defiant. He said, “France Cricket is a recognised national federation and fully authorised to field a national team.”
Read moreAllegations of fake matches, murky finances plague cricket in France
The French government’s position was already public by that point.
A report in The Cricketer magazine cited correspondence from France’s sports ministry to a dissatisfied cricket club saying that, under the French Sports Code, France Cricket may not use official designations including “Fédération française de cricket”, “Fédération nationale de cricket” or “Équipe de France de cricket” (France national cricket team).
“France Cricket has neither ministerial agrément nor a delegation [to run cricket],” the sports ministry confirmed in their statement to FRANCE 24 on March 25.
Spot the difference
Yet on April 5 – at the start of the T20i series between France, Portugal and Norway – “FRANCE” was clearly emblazoned across the blue, white and red kit of the senior men’s team. The French flag and France Cricket’s cockerel logo appeared on hats and shirts. Match results were diligently added to France’s tally on the official ICC website under the French flag and the name “France”.
The only difference to normal proceedings: on a YouTube stream set up by hosts Portugal, France was labelled as “France XI” (a reference to the 11 players on a cricket team). A person familiar with tournament preparations confirmed that France Cricket asked to field its team as such.
At the venue, a printed sign reading “France” had “XI” added beneath it in pen.
Read moreFrench women’s cricket team disbands after probe into fake matches
‘High criminal risk’
“The fact of organising international competitions knowing that the legal framework has collapsed constitutes a management fault on the part of the director,” assessed Jim Michel-Gabriel, barrister at the Paris Bar and founding president of the Association of Sports Agents’ Lawyers.
By losing its FFBS affiliation, France Cricket also lost its federated insurance contract, he pointed out – so players taking the field in Portugal do so without injury cover.
“Without the agrément, the association can no longer guarantee players for bodily injury,” he wrote in an email, noting that France Cricket could face insolvency if a serious incident led to major compensation claims.
Management also risks personal civil liability for fielding national or international competitions without the legal shield of a delegated federation, he said, or could even be held criminally responsible. Under the Sports Code, “the administrator or director of any legal entity” that uses official appellations without authorisation could be charged a €7,500 penalty.
“It would be very surprising if, in the absence of delegation … ‘France Cricket’ or ‘France XI’ could compete officially under the ‘France’ banner, which could be confused with the banner of a recognised federation,” said Paris lawyer Fabienne Fajgenbaum.
“France Cricket faces a convergent set of legal risks, primarily criminal and institutional, linked to the exercise of rights reserved for delegated federations,” she added, saying such behaviour put it at “high” to “very high” risk of legal exposure to criminal liability, civil liability and administrative misconduct.
Moreover, she said, these practices undercut its chances for official recognition.
According to an initial assessment, Isabelle Wekstein-Steg, a lawyer specialising in sports at Paris cabinet WAN Avocats, said the use of “France XI” does not appear to violate the French Sports Code, which prohibits unrecognised bodies from using designations including, “French National Team.” But she said that if a court were to determine that the team was being presented as a national team, it could be considered a violation of the code regardless of its name.
Also on the line in Portugal was ICC competition money.
The ICC recognises all 20-over matches between associate members as ranked international matches: Perform well and you climb the rankings. Perform badly and you drop.
The top 60 nations in the men’s rankings are remunerated: “France” was at 52nd before the tournament began, a rank worth $13,500 in bonus funding; the prize halved at rank 55, which is where France found itself after two losses on the first day. But this source of funding remains modest for an ICC member running a total budget of about $900,000.
There is, however, a bigger prize in their sights.
“France” is set for a shot at glory in European qualifiers for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2028, slated for May 16-23 in Cyprus, according to an ICC press release.
Vacuum
A potential rival emerged to vie for France’s cricket mandate – the multi-sports federation ASPTT – but pulled its candidacy amid concerns around taking on such a burden before securing ICC backing.
In its March 25 statement to FRANCE 24, the sports ministry said no federation had yet earned the delegation for cricket as of January 1. This means that cricket no longer has a recognised authority in France at all, and dozens of clubs across the country might soon struggle to secure funding.
Neither the ICC nor France Cricket responded to a request for comment. Citing an ICC source, The Cricketer reported that the matches would retain their T20 international status.
In a January 9 statement, France Cricket said no national or international authority had published a decision “withdrawing or modifying” its delegation, and that it had filed for ministerial agrément in August 2025 and was awaiting a response. “No ministerial decision calls into question either the recognition of France Cricket or its current management of the discipline,” it said.
The description on its Instagram page now reads “French cricket association”, and not “French Cricket Federation”.
Sports
Javokhir Sindarov, D Gukesh’s likely World C’ship challenger, cracks code for sponsorship woes in chess | Chess News
NEW DELHI: If this piece were written a few days later, the word “likely” in the headline might no longer be necessary. It feels more like a matter of time than anything that Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan will be announced the winner of the ongoing FIDE Candidates 2026 tournament. As per tradition, he will be the one challenging the reigning World Champion D Gukesh for the title later this year.Qualifying for the Candidates after winning the 2025 FIDE World Cup in Goa, India, Sindarov, 20, has played exceptional chess. Unlike many of his peers who use deep thinking, Sindarov has been making moves in the blink of an eye, subsequently creating a substantial time advantage and rolling eyeballs across the chess world.His unbeaten run, headlined by 6 wins in 10 games, is the best in the current format of the Candidates, landing him some deserved limelight in the market.
There is a massive contrast to the player who had no sponsors to support him even one and a half years ago.“There has been a problem with chess because people do not have money, although it’s a very expensive sport. You have to travel a lot. You have lots of expenses,” Tom Guilbaud, Sindarov’s 20-year-old manager, told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction.Sponsors bring relief in these circumstances. However, it is difficult to draw their attention, as Guilbaud explained, “The main thing is to understand what sponsors are looking for. We cannot really have sponsors and not offer them anything. We need to be able to have something to offer them.
Javokhir Sindarov at Candidates tournament (Photo by Michal Walusza)
That is when Guilbaud chose to create a YouTube channel for Sindarov. Launched in October 2024, the channel now has five videos and over 300 subscribers. It’s part of a well-oiled digital strategy.“That’s why I created his social media. It’s 99.9% handled by me. He (Sindarov) barely tweets. He barely opens anything. It’s pretty much me who created the account and does every tweet, every reply, and every like,” Guilbaud added.The effort has paid dividends. Sindarov has now landed two new sponsors in the National Bank of Uzbekistan (NBU) and an internet provider company.“Now we’re using social media as a notion to be able to promote sponsors and be able to be more interesting for sponsors,” he remarked.From ‘no one’ to world contenderWhen Guilbaud took up the case a year and eight months back, Sindarov had zero sponsors. Funding came primarily from his grandfather, Dr Komil Sindarov, who was Javokhir’s first coach and is now the vice-president of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation.
From left to right Grandfather Dr. Komil Sindarov, FM Manush Shah, IM Javokhir Sindarov, IO Laszlo Nagy (Photo by Laszlo Nagy)
The other way was reinvesting his own tournament prize money, whereas being part of the Esports ecosystem has also helped him financially from time to time.“In my eyes, that’s very hard to understand that today Javokhir is a top world player,” Guilbaud admitted with a smile. “I’ve known him when he was basically top 60-70 in the world. He was 2630. He grew very fast. I’ve known this guy when he was pretty much no one.”The gamer who has no timeWhen he isn’t dominating the board, Sindarov is a dedicated gamer. He is particularly fond of Counter-Strike, but the professional grind of a world-class Grandmaster leaves little room for hobbies.“He doesn’t really have that much time. He says he’s a good gamer, but he considers himself a gamer because all his free time he plays,” Guilbaud said.However, the actual time spent gaming is minimal. “When you’re looking weekly, he plays maybe like three hours of video games a week. It’s very little space. He does that because all of his free time he’s gaming, but he doesn’t have a lot of free time.”The ‘dirty work’ on the boardInterestingly, Guilbaud, a chess coach himself for an Esports team, has occasionally helped Sindarov with chess-related preparation, though he avoids calling them “tips”.“My goal is not to give him tips cause he plays better chess than me. The goal is just to do the dirty work,” Guilbaud shared.
Javokhir Sindarov giving autograph (Photo by Michal Walusza)
During tournaments like the FIDE World Cup or the World Cup in Goa, when Sindarov’s team was smaller, Guilbaud would scout opponents.“I see that he’s facing Sarana, then I’m going to look over Sarana’s games and tell Javokhir, ‘Oh, he has a very bad win rate on the English opening,’” he revealed.Psychology of the clockAs for the blistering pace Sindarov has set in the Candidates, Guilbaud believes it is a calculated psychological move. While he doesn’t discuss specific preparation with Sindarov to respect his focus, he understands the message it sends.“Chess at this level is a very mental and psychological game,” Guilbaud said. “Playing fast is also a way of saying, ‘I know what I’m doing. I’m confident in what I’m doing. And you’re not.’ It’s sending a very strong message to the opponent in front.”As Sindarov nears the finish line in the Candidates, that confidence and the professional structure built around him appear to be the perfect combination for a potential World Champion.
Sports
‘Batter has every right’: Ashwin supports Daryl Mitchell after Usman Tariq’s ‘Pause’ drama in PSL | Cricket News
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has come out in support of Daryl Mitchell after the New Zealand batter raised concerns over Usman Tariq’s unusual delivery pause during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2026 clash in Karachi.The incident occurred during the match between Quetta Gladiators and Rawalpindi, where Mitchell pulled away twice while facing Tariq, clearly uncomfortable with the bowler’s stop-start action. During the ninth over at the National Stadium, Mitchell initially played a paddle sweep but soon appeared unsettled by Tariq’s delayed release. As the over progressed, he stepped away twice mid-delivery, pointing out the pause in the bowler’s action.The repeated interruptions prompted the on-field umpires to intervene and have a brief discussion with the batter before allowing play to continue. Mitchell was later dismissed, caught and bowled by Saud Shakeel, as Rawalpindi suffered a heavy 61-run defeat.Ashwin’s Take: “Batters Have Every Right”Ashwin, who had earlier spoken about such tactics on his YouTube show Ash Ki Baat, reiterated that batters are well within their rights to pull away if they feel the bowler’s action disrupts timing.”Now it’s up to the umpires and match referees to time the pause for his delivery. If the pause isn’t consistent, then the batter has every right to move away. The captains and opposition batters should raise this issue with the umpires and match referees before the game begins. Well done, Mitchell.” Ashwin wrote.Interestingly, Ashwin had earlier suggested this exact approach, encouraging batters to step away, forcing umpires to call a dead ball and thereby neutralising any advantage gained from irregular bowling rhythms. Tariq’s action has been under scrutiny for some time due to its distinctive pause before release, followed by a low follow-through. While he has been reported twice for a suspect action in the past, he has been cleared on both occasions.
England enter the 2026 Women’s Six Nations hoping to win the trophy for an eighth successive year.
The Red Roses, who also won last year’s Rugby World Cup on home soil, are the Six Nations’ most successful team – with 16 titles since it began in 2002.
France are next with six titles, while Ireland are the only other nation to have won it, in 2013 and 2015.
The competition started as the Home Nations in 1996, becoming the Five Nations in 1999 and the Six Nations in 2002.
Spain featured in the first five years of the Six Nations, as well as the final two Five Nations tournaments, before being replaced in 2007 by Italy.
Should Lynn need any inspiration, he need not look far across the office.
Wales men’s head coach Steve Tandy helped his side end a three-year Six Nations losing streak with a final-round victory over Italy last month, while performances in defeat offered plenty of encouragement.
It is hoped the women can turn a similar corner in their campaign.
“I’ve worked really closely with Steve Tandy, I’ve been into his camp, it’s an open environment,” said Lynn.
“That’s what we’re about, supporting each other as a nation.”
Wales captain Kate Williams said: “We can be inspired by them [Wales men], but we’re not limited to what they’re doing as well.
“We’re looking internally about what we can do and finding confidence in ourselves to then be able to put out our own performance and write our own story.”
Inspiration has also been drawn from other Welsh sporting stars, including boxer Lauren Price who retained her world titles in Cardiff last weekend.
“Something like Saturday night inspired me massively,” Lynn said.
“We are one Wales and we are such a proud nation, that for me was who we are and what we’re about.”
Trainer Grahame Begg has relocated Cilacap to Melbourne post a lacklustre Sydney stint of two runs, focusing on an Adelaide engagement ahead.
She contests the Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m) at Caulfield this Saturday, followed by a trip to Morphettville for the Group 2 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) on April 25.
Begg claimed the Queen Of The Turf Stakes in the previous year using Zloties, his inaugural triumph in Adelaide.
Last year, Cilacap aimed for Adelaide’s Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m), yet a bone chip in her knee after a lead-up appearance prevented participation.
The mare began afresh in December, paused briefly, then tackled Sydney with a first-up effort in the Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill on February 21, midfield next in the Group 1 Coolmore Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 14.
Begg’s early plan was the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday for Cilacap.
“I thought she was better off coming back to Melbourne,” Begg said.
“So, she’ll run on Saturday and then she’ll go over to Adelaide to run in the Queen Of The South Stakes, the Group 2.
“The tracks up in Sydney, the two runs she had up there, they were too hard and she loves a bit of give in the ground.
“They had rain up there last weekend, but I had already brought her back to Victoria.”
Begg arranged a soft jump-out at Pakenham for Cilacap on March 31 ahead of her Saturday switch-up.
He expressed dissatisfaction with last week’s Caulfield surface during the meeting, but Thursday’s Melbourne rain cheered him up.
For Saturday, Harry Coffey takes the reins on Cilacap for the first occasion, succeeding booked apprentice Logan Bates.
Last week, Bates was suspended for careless riding.
“Jockeys are a premium on Saturday with Sydney being on and now Adelaide coming into the picture,” Begg said.
“There’s a huge shortage of jockeys. I had Logan Bates booked for both my horses and then he got suspended on Saturday.
“Harry has a wedding to go to on Saturday afternoon, but luckily, I’ve got him for both.”
Visit top betting sites for racing betting markets on the upcoming Queen Of The Turf Stakes.
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Amateur golfer Kai Trump was on hand for one of the sport’s premier events this week. The granddaughter of President Donald Trump traveled to historic Augusta National Golf Club, where she had the opportunity to get an up-close look at some of the world’s top golfers competing for the coveted Masters green jacket.
But Trump traveled to Georgia knowing five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods would be absent. Woods was arrested after a rollover crash in Florida late last month.
He later announced he would not compete at this year’s Masters. A Florida judge allowed the golfer to travel outside the U.S. to enter a “comprehensive inpatient treatment facility,” court records showed.
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Kai Trump attends the 2026 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on April 9, 2026. (Instagram/@KAITRUMPGOLFER)
Trump’s mother, Vanessa, has been publicly linked to Woods and showed support after his DUI arrest, writing “Love you” in an Instagram Stories post featuring the pair.
The 18-year-old Trump shared highlights from her visit to Augusta National in a post on Instagram Thursday, including a photo with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and his caddie, Greg Bodine.
Kai Trump poses for a photo with Bryson DeChambeau during the 2026 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia on April 9, 2026. (Instagram/@KAITRUMPGOLFER)
“What a special place,” Kai, who is set to take the next step in her golf career at Miami, captioned an Instagram post with a heart emoji.
TIGER WOODS’ ENTIRE SOBRIETY TEST CAUGHT ON BODYCAM FOOTAGE: ‘I’M GETTING ARRESTED?’
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said Woods was traveling at “a high rate of speed” when his vehicle collided with another car, causing it to roll over onto the driver’s side.
Authorities said Woods “exemplified signs of impairment.” He blew “triple-zeroes” for alcohol but refused a urine test.
“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” a sheriff’s department spokesperson said.
Tiger Woods of Jupiter Links Golf Club after a match against the Los Angeles Golf Club at SoFi Center March 24, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (Adam Glanzman/TGL/TGL Golf via Getty Images)
Woods entered a not guilty plea in response to the DUI charges. Before his arrest, he indicated that playing the season’s first major was a possibility.
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In the 14 majors since he won the green jacket in 2019, Woods has failed to muster a top 20 finish. It’s his longest such streak since failing to finish in the top 20 in the first six majors of his career in 1995 and 1996. In his last 26 majors, he has only four top 20 finishes.
Since finishing tied for ninth at the 2020 Farmers Insurance Open, his best finish in his 18 official events since then has been a tie for 37th at the 2020 PGA Championship.
Woods has not competed in a professional golf tournament since 2024, when he competed in just five events — the Genesis Invitational and the four majors. He withdrew from the Genesis, finished dead last in the Masters and missed the cut in the other majors.
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Arsenal are very close to winning the title at the end of this season, and Mikel Arteta’s side are performing well, although they have not been perfect throughout the campaign.
Despite dropping points in several matches, many observers still believe they are overwhelming favourites to become the next Premier League champions. This belief has grown as rivals have also struggled for consistency, creating what many see as a strong opportunity for Arsenal to end two decades of waiting and secure the title.
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This season has been challenging for the team, but the league’s wider context suggests conditions may finally be favourable for them to deliver success. However, there are still difficult fixtures ahead, and it cannot be guaranteed that Arsenal will win all their remaining matches before the end of the term.
Carragher’s View on Arsenal’s Opportunity
Jamie Carragher believes this is a crucial moment for Arsenal and that failure to win the league could have long-lasting consequences for the club.
He said via Football London:
“They’re in a position now, where I think, if Arsenal don’t win the league this season, especially the Premier League, this will be remembered for an awfully long time.
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“It’s not just coming second to [Man] City three years ago or two years ago when people expected that.
“Arsenal have got the best squad, I think they’ve got the best team. If they don’t get over the line now, it will be desribed as a choke. They will have choked basically in the run in.”
Pressure in the Title Race
Arsenal are fully aware that this represents a golden opportunity to become champions, and there is a strong sense that they must capitalise on it. If they fail to do so, it may be viewed as a missed chance that is difficult to forget, especially given the level of expectation surrounding the squad and their performances this season.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. — The 90th Masters has been intense since its opening salvo, and the pressure is only going to ratchet up on Moving Day as many players will make their last-ditch effort to put themselves in contention before Sunday’s final round. The 91-player field has been cut to 54, though none of the other 53 playing the weekend stand within six shots of defending champion and 36-hole leader Rory McIlroy.
Starting the 2026 Masters at a record pace, McIlroy is aiming to become the first back-to-back green jacket winner since Tiger Woods and fourth in history. To summit that mountain, he will need to overcome a bevy of talented challengers, some of whom will be available the Featured Groups stream from the onset of their Saturday rounds.
Jon Rahm will lead the initial group positioned on the stream before Jordan Spieth joins him about nine holes into the third round. Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Åberg are a dominant pairing at 12:16 p.m. ET as returning PGA Tour star Brooks Koepka and top debutant Chris Gotterup get going at 1:33 p.m.
Take a look at the complete featured groups schedule for Saturday, as well as the set of streaming options for Round 3 as part of the complete 2026 Masters TV schedule and coverage guide that you can follow throughout the tournament.
All times Eastern
Round 3 — Saturday, April 11
Round 3 start time: 9:30 a.m. [Tee times]
Masters Live stream
Desktop and mobile: Free on CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app
Connected devices: Available on Paramount+ (login required)
Early coverage: 12-2 p.m. on Paramount+
TV coverage: 2-7 p.m. on CBS
TV simulcast live stream: 2-7 p.m. on Paramount+, CBSSports.com~, CBS Sports app~
~ TV provider or Paramount+ Premium login required
Round 3 encore: 8 p.m. to midnight on CBS Sports Network
On this week’s Fully Equipped podcast with Johnny Wunder, we talked about Tommy Fleetwood’s 9-wood in the bag for the Masters. Fleetwood has said the addition of the 9-wood is to make sure the ball is getting high enough and landing steep enough to battle the increasingly tough greens at Augusta. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should run out to buy a 9-wood. I’ve already gotten roasted in our YouTube comments, but I stand by my explanation of where I feel the club category falls.
My argument is that the 9-wood is great for either the player who has tons of control, or the player who needs all the help they can get to launch the ball. It’s the group in the middle that may have a hard time finding ultimate success with a 9-wood. I fall into this bucket. I am also a big fan of hybrids, so I don’t really ever have moments where I wish I had a 9-wood or a 7-wood in the bag. So let’s talk about the two sides of the game for a second.
First, we’ve got the tour-level guys who are putting high-lofted fairways in the bag. Fleetwood’s got one, Scottie Scheffler has messed around with it, and Dustin Johnson is the original high-speed 9-wood player. The reason they choose to put a 9-wood in the bag has been to make sure that they are getting enough height on the club at the distance they need with their stock shot. And that’s an important designation. The stock shot. By starting with a club that’s going to launch higher than any other alternative, these pros and their elite ball-striking can figure out how to bring flight down or add spin when they need to. These 9-wood builds going in their bag have a bit of versatility, but they are really meant to do a specific job. And that job is to get high up in the air with little effort and enough spin to fall softly onto firm greens just like this week at Augusta.
;)
Chris Condon
The reason tour pros and other high-skill golfers can get away with this, though, is because it’s situational and they treat it as such. It’s a tool in the bag to do a job. When a situation comes up for that distance, but the tool can’t fulfill the outcome with a stock shot, they are able to manipulate that offering to do what they need it to do. The best example, of course, would be into the wind. For an amateur, any amount of wind in the face would normally take the fairway wood out of the hands. It’s simply too high and produced with too much spin for the ball to fly properly. It is quite fun to watch a high-lofted fairway get hit into the wind because it’s almost an exaggerated penalty, but again, not useful. And this is where the middle ground of players begin to falter. Fleetwood has no problem controlling the flight and spin of his 9-wood. He may find a situation where he chooses to go with another option for the shot he needs to create, but it’s not out of the question for him to flight the 9-wood to a more reasonable peak height window if he’s battling some mild elements. For the average 10 handicap though? Likely not an option. They’re better off with a large, driving-iron style club in that area of the bag, or my choice: a hybrid.
Sports
Ayush Shetty scripts history, stuns world No. 1 to reach Asian Championships badminton final | Badminton News
India’s Ayush Shetty produced a remarkable performance to book his place in the final of the Badminton Asia Championships on Saturday, overcoming top seed and defending champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn in a gripping three-game contest. The victory ensures Ayush will return with at least a silver medal. Ranked world No. 25, Ayush relied on a combination of sharp attacking play and solid defence to overturn a slow start and claim a 10-21, 21-19, 21-17 win over the Paris Olympics silver medallist and 2023 world champion. In doing so, he became the first Indian men’s singles player since Dinesh Khanna to reach the final of the tournament. Khanna remains the only Indian to have secured gold in the event, achieving the feat in 1965, while Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty clinched the doubles title in 2023. The US Open Super 300 champion will next face either Chou Tien Chen or Shi Yu Qi in the final. Ayush had progressed through the tournament without dropping a game but had previously lost to Vitidsarn in straight games at the Arctic Open last year. The semifinal began with the Thai dictating proceedings, using pace and precision to move into an early lead and dominate the opening game comfortably. After the interval, however, Ayush raised his level significantly. He began the second game with intent, building an early advantage as Vitidsarn’s unforced errors increased. Displaying excellent court coverage and quick counter-attacks, Ayush maintained control despite a brief dip that allowed his opponent to close the gap. He eventually forced a decider with a composed finish under pressure. In the final game, Ayush carried that momentum forward. He tightened his defence, retrieved difficult shots, and consistently applied pressure with aggressive strokes. Reading his opponent better, he maintained a steady lead before taking full command in the closing stages. Despite a late fightback from Vitidsarn, Ayush remained calm, creating multiple match opportunities and eventually sealing a memorable victory with a precise down-the-line smash to complete a stunning comeback.
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Javokhir Sindarov, D Gukesh’s likely World C’ship challenger, cracks code for sponsorship woes in chess | Chess News
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