Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky running back Seth McGowan (RB12) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Vikings recently used a pre-draft visit on Kentucky running back Seth McGowan, who will turn 25 in October. Some rookies haven’t turned 21 yet. It’s the latest in an obvious pattern of Minnesota doing homework on halfbacks, so much so that it might be strange for the team to leave the draft without one.
Minnesota’s pre-draft visit made McGowan a name worth tracking.
If McGowan is the pick, the Vikings would likely get a full rookie contract from him before worrying about an age-related decline.
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McGowan Stands Out on Minnesota’s RB Board
Most Vikings fans are clamoring for a new running back from the draft.
Kentucky running back Seth McGowan celebrates after reaching the end zone during third-quarter action against Florida on Nov. 8, 2025, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. The moment captures his energy following a scoring play as Kentucky builds momentum in a competitive SEC matchup during the latter stages of the game. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images.
MIN Meets with the Kentucky RB
The sitdown with McGowan is apparently in the books. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson tweeted Tuesday, “Add Kentucky RB Seth McGowan to the list of Vikings draft visitors last week. The Vikings had at least three RBs visit: McGowan, Coleman (Washington), and Johnson (Nebraska).”
Compared to previous years, the Vikings have actually fielded a bonanza of running back visits, a signal that a rookie could be on the way. The Vikings haven’t used early-round draft capital on a tailback since Dalvin Cook in 2017 and Alexander Mattison in 2019. The drought may be over.
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The Scouting Report
McGowan is 6’0″ and 225 pounds, so he has plenty of size. He’s known for his patience and power. Weakness? Very little explosion and ball security woes. The Wildcat compiled 725 rushing yards on 165 carries last year with 12 touchdowns.
NFL Draft Buzzon his rookie profile: “The film on McGowan tells a clear story: this is a runner who sees it, trusts it, and hits it. Between the tackles in man and power schemes, he plays with the kind of processing speed and downhill temperament that translates. His best work at Kentucky came on gap runs, and when the blocking was there, he rewarded it with decisive cuts and strong contact balance.”
“The redemption arc is real and compelling. You can see a back who plays with something to prove, who runs angry and finishes through contact like a guy who knows what it feels like to have football taken away from him. The concerns, though, are equally real. The explosive play numbers from his Kentucky tape are genuinely troubling. At New Mexico State, he popped long runs with regularity, but against SEC competition, those plays simply vanished.”
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McGowan sounds like a guy with an RB2 ceiling.
TBD added, “A 20-yard long on 165 carries is a number that stands out in the wrong way. The fumbling has to clean up, full stop. And the pass protection tape from 2025 was rough. He has the frame for it, and he showed more willingness than technique, but at the NFL level, a back who cannot protect the quarterback on third down is a back who sits on the sideline during the most important snaps.”
“The receiving game is limited too, more of a checkdown option than someone who will stress a defense out of the backfield. McGowan fits best in a downhill, run-heavy offense where he can work as a committee back within gap and power schemes. He is not a three-down starter at the next level.”
The Derek Warehime Connection
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Minnesota parted ways with longtime offensive line coach Chris Kuper this offseason, paving the way for assistant Keith Carter to take over the big job. In return, needing to fill the assistant offensive line coach vacancy, head coach Kevin O’Connell, offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, and Carter hired Derek Warehime, who very briefly stopped by the Wildcats in 2025 as the run game coordinator.
Kentucky running back Seth McGowan dives across the goal line for a touchdown during first-quarter action on Nov. 15, 2025, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. The play shows his determination near the end zone as he powers through contact to secure an early score against Tennessee Tech. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images.
That’s not a smoking gun to draft McGowan, but Warehime and McGowan will know many of the same people at Kentucky who could vouch for the rookie.
Other RBs in Play from the Draft
Vikings fans are dreaming big about a new running back. Jeremiyah Love, the top prospect in the draft from Notre Dame, probably isn’t in play because a team will pick him in the Top 10, but after Love, the board totally opens for Minnesota.
Kentucky running back Seth McGowan carries the ball and looks for space during first-quarter action against South Carolina on Sep. 27, 2025, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The run highlights his vision and acceleration as he navigates defenders in an SEC road environment. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images.
If McGowan doesn’t end up with the Vikings, these options remain:
Jadarian Price (Notre Dame | R2)
Mike Washington Jr. (Arkansas | R3)
Jonah Coleman (Washington | R3–R4)
Emmett Johnson (Nebraska | R4)
Kaytron Allen (Penn State | R4)
Nick Singleton (Penn State | R4–R5)
Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest | R5)
Jaydn Ott (Oklahoma | R5–R6)
Adam Randall (Clemson | R6)
Kaelon Black (Indiana | R6–R7)
Johnson from Nebraska may be the frontrunner to join the Vikings; he grew up in the Twin Cities, and Minnesota has met with him twice in the last two months.
It’s worth noting that McGowan may be more game-ready than most rookies; that’s usually the case for 25-year-old rookies.
Pat Carey may be assured of Recon’s talent, but after the four-year-old’s first-run fifth position in Flemington’s Listed race, he scarcely envisioned single-figure quotes for a Group 1 soon after.
A remarkable second-up score in the Hareeba Stakes all but mandated that the clever Mornington handler contemplate the $1 million The Goodwood featuring the lightly tested gelding.
With few races under his belt, the gelding surged forward to overwhelm foes in the 1200m Listed affair on his venue’s annual flagship day, April 18, solidifying Carey’s view of his readiness for South Australia’s signature sprint.
“After he won the Harbeeba, he jumped something like 17 (ratings) points, so it ruled out a lot of the last bit of progress through the grades he had,” Carey said.
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“So, he’s basically obliged to run in sort of Listed-plus races now, anyway.
“We still think that there’s more to come with him at 1400 and maybe further, but he deserves his opportunity at this level, at this time of his career.”
The Hareeba Stakes provided his sixth victory across 11 starts, having previously topped out at benchmark 84 prior to the current campaign.
Carey, who teamed up with Harris Walker for training in 2023, delights in campaigning a horse so respected in a prominent sprint.
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His four Group 1 conquests have all been at 2400m or beyond, including Cederberg taking the Tancred Stakes, plus Oaks successes with Arapaho Miss and Gondokoro, and Ethiopia’s ATC Derby win.
Post the Hareeba Stakes, Carey has noted positive signs from Recon and foresees a competitive run at Morphettville.
“He’s been kept up to the mark, he had a nice gallop on the course proper at Mornington today and he’s continued to hold good form,” Carey said from Bendigo on Saturday.
“We’re optimistic about where his future is going to take him.”
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Recon trades at $7 in The Goodwood markets, with $5 joint heads Extragalactic and Flying For Fun out front.
The finalists for the 2026 Marc-Vivien Foé Prize have been unveiled, ensuring that this year’s award will go to a first-time laureate.
On the heels of their Africa Cup of Nations campaign, Senegal’s Lions of Teranga are well represented, with both Lamine Camara and Moussa Niakhaté in the trio of finalists.
Standing in their way is Mamadou Sangaré, who is vying to become the first Malian to pick up the annual award.
Still only 22, the Senegalese prodigy continues to live up to the hype, having become a fixture of his club Monaco and the Lions of Teranga.
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The midfielder started every match of the Africa Cup of Nations, right through to the title won on the pitch against Morocco – a title Senegal have, for the time being, been stripped of pending a final appeal.
His 2025/2026 season with Monaco: 22 matches played, 1 goal, 4 assists.
His 2025/2026 season with Senegal: 11 matches played, 1 goal, one Africa Cup of Nations final.
At 30, Moussa Niakhaté has become equally indispensable in defence for Senegal and his club Lyon, whose 24 clean sheets this year are largely down to him.
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A win against mighty PSG last month allowed Niakhaté to showcase his newfound stature by keeping the Parisian attacking armada at bay. The 24 clean sheets recorded by OL this year are largely down to him. And so is Lyon’s return to the brink of the Champions League.
His 2025/2026 season with Lyon: 30 matches played, 2 assists.
His 2025/2026 season with Senegal: 11 matches played, one Africa Cup of Nations final.
RC Lens’s standout signing this year, the 23-year-old has been a key factor in the northern club’s outstanding season, which has seen them push PSG for the title.
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A tireless ball-winner with a left foot that works wonder, Sangaré is hoping to become the first Malian to win the Marc-Vivien Foé Award.
His 2025/2026 season with Lens: 28 games played, 3 goals, 4 assists.
His 2025/2026 season with Mali: 9 games played, AFCON quarter-finals.
The prize for the best African player in Ligue 1 is named after Marc-Vivien Foé since 2011, in tribute to the Cameroonian player who died suddenly while playing for his country in a match against Colombia at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon on June 26, 2003. Players who have been capped for an African national team and played in at least 15 Ligue 1 matches over the past season are eligible for the prize.
Welcome to our weekly PGA Tour gambling-tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com’s expert prognosticator, Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a host and regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network devoted to sports and sports betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow Brady on Twitter at @LasVegasGolfer, and you can read his picks below for the 2026 Truist Championship, which gets underway Thursday in Charlotte.
Like a deteriorating autograph on an old baseball card, is some of the “signature” fading on these two most recent PGA Tour Signature Events?
As we spoke about last week, Trump National Doral and Quail Hollow Club are two of the finest golf courses — and tournaments — on the PGA Tour calendar, but we have jammed so many high-profile events into such a small window that it tends to suck some of the “out of the ordinary” from each of them.
Formerly the Wells Fargo Championship and now the Truist Championship, this week’s tournament has been one of the premier events on the calendar since moving to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., in 2003. Personally, it just seems to lose a bit of luster being sandwiched between another Signature Event and a major championship. That being said, I can’t wait for next week’s PGA Championship and we will have an article out later this week with some of our early selections for the battle for the Wanamaker Trophy at Aronimink Golf Club. But for now, let’s embrace yet another star-studded field and see if we can find a winner.
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George Cobb originally designed this golf course in 1961 but I believe that it is really considered now to be a Tom Fazio design as he has been brought in for tweaks, renovations, and redesigns roughly a half-dozen times since 1997. Quail Hollow hosted the 2017 and 2025 PGA Championships and the 2022 Presidents Cup. It is the home to four PGA Tour victories for Rory McIlroy, including his first-ever, and was also home to the first-ever Tour win for Rickie Fowler back in 2012 when he defeated McIlroy in a playoff.
Right there with Trump Doral and Torrey Pines, Quail Hollow is very much a big-boy golf course, stretching to nearly 7,600 yards and playing to a par 71. The fairways are on the narrower side but the rough is not especially brutal, being cut to what would be considered average Tour height at around two inches. The greens are above average in size and are typically very firm and fast. They are a Bermudagrass surface overseeded with Poa Trivialis, but from what we can tell, that Bermudagrass is certainly beginning to come out of its dormancy and be reestablished as the primary species with overnight lows beginning to reach temperatures near 60 degrees in the Charlotte area.
I looked at Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Strokes Gained: Approach this week along with Driving Distance and Greens in Regulation Gained. Total Driving and Ball Striking will go a long way this week in determining a champion. I looked at Hole Proximity from 175-200 yards, Scrambling, Bogey Avoidance, and scoring on the Par 4s measuring 450-500 yards.
Let’s not forget, this is another limited, 72-player field with no 36-hole cut this week.
I have always leaned on the connection between Quail Hollow and Torrey Pines as it feels like one of the strongest correlations that we see on Tour, with Total Driving being a very big asset at both courses. Jason Day and Max Homa have each won at both properties. I also used other Fazio designs, Congaree (2022 CJ Cup) and Caves Valley (2021 BMW Championship) to provide some pointers. And finally, I took a glance at the aforementioned Trump National Doral, along with Los Angeles Country Club (2023 U.S. Open) and Oakmont (2025 U.S. Open).
Tommy Fleetwood (27-1)
I was on the fade train of Fleetwood last week as he has been trending in the wrong direction as of late. That concerns me here as he lost strokes on approach last week at Doral and after a red-hot start to the season, his last three finishes have been 33-52-23. His price has now drifted and combined with that, he arrives at a course at which he has had great success in the past with a 13th, 14th, and fifth-place finish. He was also fifth at Torrey Pines last year when the Genesis Invitational was played there, fifth at the U.S. Open at LACC, and was fourth at Congaree in 2022 — so the set-up seems to be one that suits his eye and maybe that will be enough to jump start his game once again. We really haven’t seen a price this high on Fleetwood all season, yet he is still a top 10 player in the game and one of the shorter-priced favorites to win here this week. He ranks eighth on Tour in SG: Tee to Green, is 10th for Driving Accuracy, and is 24th in Scrambling. He could also be a very strong top 20 play.
Si Woo Kim (30-1)
This number is getting harder to find but I don’t mind anything better than 25-1. Quite impressively, Kim has finished top 10 in half of his starts this season, taking third and fourth in his last two times out. Last week in South Florida, Kim was fifth in that field for SG: Approach and No. 1 for SG: Around the Green. He does that again, and he’ll likely be right there again, in contention to win. He took eighth here at Quail Hollow in last year’s PGA Championship and was 16th at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. Earlier this season he was runner-up at Torrey Pines. I believe he is one of the better, if not best, value prices on the board this week.
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Gary Woodland at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.
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Gary Woodland (80-1)
This was another big price I found but I am still seeing it available at major books. Quite the discrepancy in the market as I am seeing Woodland as low as 50-1 at some shops. Let’s remember, this was one of the feel-good stories of the year when Woodland found the winner’s circle at the Houston Open back in March. He is one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world, ranking second on Tour in Driving Distance. He is 31st in Ball Striking, 13th for SG: Off the Tee, and the flatstick is firing too, ranking 30th on Tour in SG: Putting. Woodland has two top-5 finishes at Quail Hollow, and three top-12 finishes at Torrey Pines.
Taylor Pendrith (130-1)
Pendrith is probably another great candidate for a Finish Position play but getting all the way to the pole position is possible too, as the big-hitting Canadian has proven in the past. He’s been as high as 10th at the Wells Fargo and was fifth here last year at the PGA Championship. He has twice finished top 10 at Torrey Pines. Pendrith has been very mediocre since finishing sixth at the Sony Open to begin the season, but last week at Doral, he showed some signs, shooting under par on three of the four days. He ranked eighth in the field last week for SG: Off the Tee, was ninth in Driving Distance, 18th for SG: Approach, and was No. 1 for Greens in Regulation.
PETA sent a topless model to pose at the 2026 Met Gala red carpet as a protest against celebrities and models using real feathers in their outfits.
On May 5, a model representing PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) posed on the Met Gala red carpet, in protest of feathers used in some of the other attendees’ outfits. A banner with “Feathers: A Look That Kills” was also held behind, while the attendee wrote it on her chest as well. The model was seen naked, her body painted grey, and wearing artificial feathers on her arms.
In a video shared online by the organization’s official account, they shared clips of the PETA model and wrote:
“Showed up and showed out at the #MetGala. Our “plucked bird” exposed the birds who die behind every feathered frock on the red carpet.”
The organization’s statement appears to hint at the fashion industry’s use of birds’ feathers in their collections. Birds such as ostriches, peacocks, and emus are killed and their feathers are plucked to be used by major designer labels across the world. The model’s message called out the practice, aligning with the organization’s overall stance against animal cruelty.
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PETA President Tracy Reiman gives statement about their stance at the Met Gala
The 2026 Met Gala Celebrating “Costume Art” – Inside – Source: Getty
In a press release shared by PETA, President Tracy Reiman opened up on the organization’s stance at the Met Gala. She stated:
“Behind every feathered frock on the red carpet is a bird who felt pain and fear and didn’t want to die for a fleeting fashion statement. We are calling on designers and consumers to leave feathers on the birds who were born with them and embrace compassionate vegan couture.”
The practice of using birds’ feathers in fashion has been an age-old practice that has been condemned by animal rights activists over the years. For instance, industry workers reportedly retain ostriches as young as one year old, electrocute them, and pluck their feathers while they are still breathing. Other birds such as emus, peacocks, turkeys, pheasants, and chickens, also go through similar practices.
These feathers are used by fashion labels across the world. However, many brands have gone cruelty-free over the years, including certain luxury labels such as Stella McCartney. The popular designer, who remains feather-free in her brand, also urged other labels to sign PETA‘s feather-free pledge and stop using feathers in their collections.
Further, fashion shows such as Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and Copenhagen Fashion Week have also banned the use of real feathers in their events.
In 1946, Patty Berg won the inaugural U.S. Women’s Open at Spokane Country Club, beating a field of 39 players for a first-place prize of $5,600, paid entirely in war bonds.
She might not recognize the event today.
Eight decades on, the 81st U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally arrives this June at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, where 156 of the best female players in the world — whittled from a pool of 1,897 entries — will compete on one of the game’s most storied stages for a total purse of $12 million.
Do the math. The numbers alone tell a striking story about the evolution of women’s golf. But as with most good stories, statistics only go so far.
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Golf is booming as never before, and female players have helped power that surge. Nearly 8 million now play the game in the United States, according to the National Golf Foundation, a 46-percent increase since 2019. They account for a record 28 percent of all golfers and contribute significantly to the billions spent in the game each year.
And yet, for many women from all walks of life, golf still often seems like someone else’s pursuit: governed by unfamiliar rules, elusive codes of conduct and a culture that falls shy of feeling fully inclusive. For all the strides that golf has made since Patty Berg was in her prime, a divide remains, limiting women’s access not only to the camaraderie and competition of the game but also to the relationships and opportunities so often forged around it.
That was the gap a recent gathering at Riviera set out to close.
Presented by the USGA and Ally, the presenting partner of the U.S. Women’s Open, an event called “Golf with Us” brought together 40 female business professionals, many of them newcomers to the game, for an immersive day of instruction and conversation. On the range, participants worked with eight teaching professionals across three stations covering full swing, short game and putting. They flushed some shots and bladed others. No one was keeping track. The goal was not to produce scratch golfers. It was something more impactful: to help women gain confidence and comfort with a game that carries profound benefits both on and off the course.
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“I’m someone who has been in (golf) my entire life,” said Tisha Alyn, a former professional golfer, media host, trick-shot artist and entrepreneur, who moderated a panel discussion that followed. “Every opportunity, the majority of friendships, the majority of connections and employees I’ve made in my life have been through this game.”
Alyn knew that made her an outlier in the room. A quick show of hands confirmed it.
“How many of you had played golf before today?” she asked.
Most hands went up.
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“And how many of you have made a business deal on the course?”
Most hands stayed down.
The panel discussion at Riviera.
USGA
Alyn’s three panelists had plenty to say about that gulf, which they’d each confronted in one form or another in their own winding paths into the game. Lauren Campbell, director of sports and entertainment marketing at Ally, was introduced to golf as a child through father-daughter outings to a PGA Tour event in Michigan and has spent much of her career since trying to make the game more accessible and inviting for women. Kat Harwood, U.S. sports practice leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP, got her start as a passenger in a cart, riding alongside her husband, taking in the fresh air and scenery, until curiosity finally got the better of her. When play ground to a halt, she began taking swings. She realized that she liked it. What’s more, she discovered, “I wasn’t terrible at it,” she said. Katie Conway, the USGA’s senior director of partnerships, grew up as a fan’s daughter, her childhood weekends structured around Jack Nicklaus’s tee times. She even worked at golf courses along the way, yet somehow never thought to pick up a club. Eleven years into her career at the USGA, she’s still early in the learning curve. She has yet to break 100.
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Which, as the panel made clear, is beside the point.
As Alyn teed them up, the speakers took turns sharing experiences and counsel. Conway talked about treating every round as a chance to learn something: a swing tip, a point of etiquette, a better feel for the rhythm of the game. She recalled playing Pebble Beach in a USGA outing, posting a score that was not the course record, but walking off focused on the positive: a single hole she’d played particularly well. She recommended adopting that mindset. “Women are less exposed to golf,” she said, “and we’re probably harder on ourselves than we should be.” Find the one good shot. Carry that with you.
Harwood offered a companion thought: Don’t make a production of the bad ones. No anguished post-shot commentary, no apology to your playing partners. “I realized I was drawing attention to my bad shots,” she said. Most of the judgment golfers fear on the course exists only in their imagination. Fact is, no one cares how you play as long as you’re not slowing down the pace. “Just pick up the ball and move on,” Harwood said.
Another pearl of hard-won wisdom: Don’t hesitate to go all in. For a while, Harwood said, she’d never taken a lesson, which she used as a built-in excuse, until she realized how absurd that was. “I wouldn’t do that in any other aspect of my life,” she said. If she wanted to learn to cook, she’d take a cooking class. Golf deserved the same respect and attention.
The women in the audience weren’t beginners off the course. They were accomplished professionals, mothers, wives. But Alyn was candid about how long it can take to feel truly at home in the game, and how to reframe the moments that feel most daunting. Being the only woman in a golf outing, she said, isn’t so different from being the only woman in a boardroom. Both can be intimidating. Both can be flipped with some mental gymnastics. “You might think, ‘Holy crap, there are only two or three women in this room,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘Heck yeah, I’m here.’” Confidence on the course, she added, can also be a matter of faking it until you make it. “You all are badasses in this room. You have so much conviction in whatever you try.” Apply that same mentality to golf, and eventually the feeling becomes real.
And whatever you’re feeling on the course, remember: It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun.
Trouble is, it can seem so serious, walled off by barriers — some real, some imagined — that the industry is bent on bringing down. As evidence, take the U.S. Women’s Open presented by Ally itself, the oldest championship in women’s golf, and a tournament whose growth over eight decades is a shining reflection of the game’s changing face.
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As Conway made plain, you don’t have to be a pro to be part of the picture. She has no illusions about her game. She still has her sights on breaking 100. But her broader ambition can’t be measured in strokes. When work outings have come up in the past, she’s found herself asking hesitant questions. Would she be the only woman in the group? Were others aware of her skill level? She’d like to let go of that self-doubt.
“I’d love to get to a place where I just say yes,” she said. “I’d be happy to play with those clients without any caveats.”
She encouraged the women in the room to do the same, whether the invitation is to a driving range, a mini-golf outing or a company scramble.
“Just say yes to golf somewhere in your life,” she said. “It will change your life personally and professionally.”
Millions of soccer fans in the world’s two most populous nations may not be able to watch the World Cup that starts next month, due to a deadlock over broadcast rights in India and no official decision in China.
In India, a Reliance-Disney joint venture has offered $20 million for 2026 ??World Cup broadcast rights, a fraction of FIFA’s ask, which was not acceptable to soccer’s global governing body, two sources told Reuters on Monday. Sony held talks but also decided not to make an offer for FIFA rights for India, a third source with direct knowledge said.
There has also been no deal announcement for China, which FIFA says accounted for 49.8% of all hours of viewing on digital and social platforms globally during the 2022 World Cup.
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FIFA has concluded agreements with broadcasters in over 175 territories globally, it said in a statement to Reuters.
“Discussions in China and India regarding the sale of media rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026 are ??ongoing and must remain confidential at this stage,” the statement said.
Reliance-Disney, a joint venture led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance, did not respond to requests for comment, and neither did Sony.
The lack of a confirmed broadcast agreement with India or China is unusual at this stage.
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In past World Cups, including 2018 and 2022, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV secured the rights well in advance and began airing promotional content and sponsor-driven advertisements weeks before the tournament.
CCTV, which has extensive reach across television and digital platforms, did not immediately return a request for comment.
China accounted for 17.7% and India 2.9% of the global linear TV reach of the 2022 tournament. The two countries together accounted for 22.6% of total global digital streaming reach for that World Cup.
The 2026 tournament kicks off on June 11, leaving barely five weeks for a deal to be finalised, broadcast infrastructure to be set up and advertising inventory to be sold.
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For India, FIFA initially sought $100 million for broadcast rights for the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, the sources said, declining to be named because the talks are private.
When the World Cup last aired in India in 2022, Reliance’s then-standalone media arm secured the rights for about $60 million, which was announced around 14 months before the event in Qatar.
“FIFA is looking for a similar ??amount for this edition of the tournament,” a FIFA source told Reuters.
Reliance and Disney have since formed a joint venture to emerge as a dominant force in India’s media and streaming landscape, and the $20 million FIFA offer ??underscores the negotiating power the Indian group commands.
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FIFA had significantly lowered its ask from the $100 million earlier, but has not been keen on the $20 million figure Reliance offered, one source said.
Reliance-Disney, which has spent billions on cricket broadcast rights, believes the World Cup will have lower viewership in India as the tournament is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and most matches will air past midnight in India, the sources said.
China has around 200 million soccer fans, more than any other country, but has failed to build world-class teams, ??partly due to a top-down approach where clubs pick players from a very small pool of pre-screened candidates.
The second source added that football does not command the commercial premium in India like its most popular sport cricket, and an advertising slowdown linked to the Iranian war has further eroded revenue expectations.
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“Football is a niche segment in India,” said the source.
Sony, which has TV channels and a streaming app in India, also decided not to purchase broadcast rights from FIFA as it did ??not make economic sense for the group, said the third industry source.
“Not much time is left but I won’t call it a stalemate. It’s more like we ??are at the end of a chess game with a couple of moves left,” said Rohit Potphode, managing partner for sports at advertising agency Dentsu India.
The golf world keeps offering reminders that a lot can change in just a few weeks. The latest change? Jon Rahm’s status with the DP World Tour, who are, importantly, part-owners of the Ryder Cup.
After a months-long stalemate, wherein Rahm was one of the only LIV players from Europe who didn’t reach an agreement to settle fines with the European tour, the two sides have finally reached a deal. Rahm will play five DPWT events this season and will settle fines for three LIV events played in 2026 that conflicted with the DPWT schedule.
As a result, he is now considered a “member in good standing” and will not have his Ryder Cup status impacted ahead of 2027, which was a growing concern.
“There’s no longer a standoff,” Rahm said from this week’s LIV event in Virginia. “We were able to reach an agreement. There was some concessions on both sides. I offered some; they extended an olive branch. Obviously we’ve reached an agreement. That will not be a stress anymore.”
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While he wasn’t keen to share details Tuesday, Rahm has been teasing out his hopes for 2026 over the last few months. He apparently told the DPWT in the beginning of the season that if the tour lowered its proposed minimum to four events, he’d sign on the spot. He remained adamant on that point for months, but is now set to play five events. The four events he was ready to sign for months ago were the Spanish Open, the Irish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the Dunhill Links — all in a five-week stretch during the fall. It appears he’s added one more to that list.
As he’d previously described it, the issue wasn’t just events, though — Rahm was also adamant against paying fines, particularly for the event that conflicted with DPWT tournaments he would never have considered playing to begin with. (Think: the Hainan Classic, played in China while LIV was in Johannesburg.) While he won’t be paying the full lot of fines accrued since his LIV career began in early 2024, he will be paying three tournaments’-worth, which would likely be around $375,000. LIV was on the hook to pay the fines Rahm received through 2025.
Rahm’s Ryder Cup status was in doubt because in order to compete in 2027, all players and captains need to be a member of the DPWT. In order to start 2027 as a member, he’d have to be a “member in good standing” in 2026 and play the required minimum events. The golf world has come to understand these event minimums well, as Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton reached minimums in 2024 in order to compete in 2025.
That smooth journey to the Ryder Cup changed in 2026 when LIV Golf stopped paying the fines for players. Suddenly the sanctions players received were going to hit their own pocketbooks. Hatton was among eight players who struck a deal with the DPWT, playing a specific number of DPWT events (littered around the LIV schedule) and resolving any fines as part of a conditional release of their media rights. That meant they could keep playing LIV events and not accrue more fines, so long as they showed up where they agreed to on the DPWT. Some players agreed to play eight events, others seven events and others just six. Rahm fought with the DPWT for months on this topic and appeared ready to stand his ground into next season, risking his assumed placement on next year’s European Ryder Cup team.
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Then the landscape shifted again. LIV Golf’s owner, the Saudi PIF, announced it would not be funding the league beyond the 2026 season, calling the league’s prospects into doubt. It’s not clear how this affected Rahm’s decision, but it would have felt odd for Rahm to miss the 2027 Ryder Cup because of a league with an uncertain future. As for his projected future with LIV, which still has him under contract for multiple years?
“I’ll say I’m also not a lawyer. I have no idea. I couldn’t tell you. I have very few talents in my life, and reading a contract or business are not two of them,” Rahm said. “As of right now, I have several years on my contract left, and I’m pretty sure they did a pretty good job when they drafted that. So I don’t see many ways out, and as of right now, I’m not really thinking about it since we still have a season to play and majors to compete for. So it’s not something I want to think about just yet.”
Questions remain. But Rahm’s Ryder Cup future seems resolved — even as the rest of the golf world waits for further answers.
Wayne Rooney is set to return to the pitch later this month and it appears as though the Manchester United legend has taken a leaf out of his son’s book in the build-up
Wayne Rooney has been using the same football coach as his son, Kai, as he looks to make his return to the ‘beautiful game’ later this month. The Manchester United and England legend called time on a remarkable playing career in 2021 and has since moved into the worlds of management and punditry.
However, the 40-year-old will step back out onto the pitch in a playing capacity later this month as he looks to feature in Soccer Aid alongside a wealth of former players and celebrities alike to raise money for UNICEF. Rooney has been spotted training ahead of the event, which takes place at the London Stadium come May 31, sharing clips of himself running drills on social media.
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And it appears as though the five-time Premier League-winner has sought influence from his son’s world-class coach as he looks to return to the pitch. Taking to Instagram to share a video of himself working on passing, shooting and dribbling, Rooney wrote: “Not long to go @socceraid. Come on England.”
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He also tagged RH Elite Coaching in the upload, the same football coach who has worked with Rooney’s eldest son, Kai, in the past. The top-level coach has also tutored the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Marcus Rashford, as well as Klay Rooney, as per his impressive social media collection.
It comes as England are set to take on the Soccer Aid World XI at this month’s event in the capital, with a number of players already announced as taking part in the highly-exciting clash. Rooney will be joined by the likes of Jermain Defoe and Jill Scott for the Three Lions, as well as Angry Ginge, Sam Thompson and Olly Murs and Joe Marler.
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Robbie Williams will step up as head coach for England. The World XI, meanwhile, features Jordi Alba, Leonardo Bonucci, Nitro from Gladiators and Big Zuu among others. The team will also be coached by Usain Bolt.
Kai, who has thrived with Manchester United at youth level, looks to follow in his father’s footsteps in making it as a professional footballer. However, the 16-year-olds road to superstardom hasn’t been without its setbacks.
The United U18s talent has featured under Darren Fletcher six times in the league this season, with two goals and an assist to his name. However, he recently revealed that his season has been cut short as a result of injury.
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Taking to the stories section of his Instagram account in March, he explained: “Disappointed to be out for the rest of the season. Back stronger next pre-season.”
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It’s not the first injury that the teenager has endured in the early stages of his career either. Earlier this season, Kai shared an image of himself on crutches and in a protective boot.
He also said in a post at the time: “Life can’t get worse,” laying bare his frustrations. However, the forward has plenty of reason to be positive despite his injury record, a part of the U16 team that won the Super Cup NI this season, as well as making his debut at Old Trafford.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package
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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.
Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.
The NBA Playoffs had their second round begin Monday. We were treated to two games, and one was significantly better than the other. That probably should be the expectation for Tuesday’s slate as well. Regardless of how the game goes, if we can cash some betting slips, that’s really the main goal here. I expect the Cavaliers vs. Pistons to be a more entertaining game tonight, and I have a bet for us on the game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a bit of a makeover this season, but the first round of the playoffs was essentially the same outcome they’ve always had. They exchanged Darius Garland for James Harden and Dennis Schroder. That didn’t happen in the same trade, but it did give the team a new look after starting the year with Garland, Lonzo Ball and DeAndre Hunter. This team will only go as far as Harden and Donovan Mitchell will take it.
Cleveland Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden talk during Game 2 in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs vs. the Toronto Raptors at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Ohio.(David Dermer/Imagn Images)
In the first round, the Cavaliers looked like a really bad team. They won four games at home and lost all three road games. In fairness to them, they had at least two of those games in Toronto that were winnable. While they won games at home, they didn’t exactly dominate the Raptors. Game 7 was fairly sweat free, with a 12-point win, but they were fortunate not to have Brandon Ingram suit up for Toronto. I see both Evan Mobley and Harden as the keys to winning this series for the Cavaliers.
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The Detroit Pistons were given a bit of a wake-up call. They came into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but they looked anything but the part of a dominant team in the opening round. They hosted the Magic and lost the opener. Then they lost two of the next three games, going down 3-1 in the series. They won, as expected in Game 5 at home, but Game 6 was wild. They were down and looked out of it in the second half. The Magic scored just 19 points in the second half, and Detroit forced Game 7.
Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham dribbles the ball while Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson defends during the second half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 12, 2026.(Trevor Ruszkowski/Imagn Images)
In Game 7, the Pistons locked in and were in control from the tip. It was an epic collapse from the Magic, and probably a disaster that cost their coach his job. The Pistons ended up winning by 22. They extended their coach as a result. Interestingly enough, JB Bickerstaff, the coach, was fired by Cleveland in part due to a lack of playoff success. He should be very familiar with the Cavs players and their strengths and weaknesses. I’d expect him to be an X-factor if he can exploit the weaknesses.
In this series, you have to expect that Mitchell and Cade Cunningham will cancel each other out from a scoring perspective. Jarrett Allen and Mobley will provide a great variety of defense for Jalen Duren. The Pistons’ advantage will be Tobias Harris. For the Cavaliers, Mobley will be a tough matchup. Harden is also a guy who might be able to get some mismatches.
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Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons smiles after the game against the Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 30, 2023.(Chris Schwegler/NBAE)
This is the tightest series in terms of pricing, with the Pistons being slight favorites. Three of the four games were very tight in the regular season, with all three being decided by four or fewer points. They both won two games, one on the road and one at home. I don’t expect this to be a defensive series. It isn’t the game either of them really wants to play. I think the Pistons are locked in, though. I haven’t seen much that’s great from the Cavaliers on the road in the playoffs. Give me the Pistons -3.5 here.
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