分类： sports

As the 2025 PGA Championship prepares to tee off this Thursday at Philadelphia’s Aronimink Golf Club, two-time major champion and current LIV Golf points leader Jon Rahm is pushing aside off-course uncertainty surrounding LIV Golf’s future to focus on his performance on the greens. The Spanish star, who has dominated LIV Golf competition this season, says he remains confident that league officials will craft a viable long-term plan after Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) confirmed it will pull all future funding beyond the end of 2025.

Rahm, who left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in December 2023 and has since claimed back-to-back LIV season titles, opened up about the funding crisis at a pre-tournament press conference Tuesday. He noted that while the financial shakeup is a significant challenge for the league, it is ultimately an issue outside of his control as a player.

“It’s something we’ve had to deal with, but these are just matters out of my hands,” Rahm said. “Fixing this is the job of the people leading LIV Golf, and I don’t envy that task for a second. I do have full faith in the work they’re doing, and I trust they will come up with a strong survival plan. Until that plan is shared with the players, there’s no use in me expending extra energy worrying about it.”

The 31-year-old, who claimed major wins at the 2021 U.S. Open and 2023 Masters, has been in stellar form this LIV season, notching tournament victories in Hong Kong (March) and Mexico City (April) along with runner-up finishes in Riyadh, Adelaide and South Africa. He pointed out the stark irony of his situation: golf requires intense focus and control over every shot, but off-course business decisions are completely out of the players’ hands.

“It’s funny, in a sport where we crave control over every single detail, how little control we actually have off the course,” Rahm explained. “I have full control over my own golf game and how I perform this week. Everything else? That’s out of my hands.”

When asked about reflections on his 2023 decision to leave the PGA Tour for LIV, Rahm said any takeaways are personal, but added his core philosophy is to approach decisions without regret. “If circumstances change after you make a choice, like what’s happening with LIV right now, that’s an after-the-fact development, not a flaw in the original decision,” he said. Rahm also pushed back on the idea that his high-profile move was intended to help bridge the long-running rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. “I never thought I’d be some kind of catalyst to tip the scales and bring the two sides together,” he said. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, and all we can do is learn from both good and bad experiences from the past.”

Not everyone shares Rahm’s optimism, however. Reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy, a longstanding critic of LIV Golf, pointed out that the funding cut was always a foreseeable risk for players who jumped to the breakaway league for eight-figure contracts and large purses. “This was always a possibility, and everyone knew it,” McIlroy said. “Geopolitical shifts in the Middle East played a big role in this. When your entire funding model is tied to global political priorities, you’re on an inherently unstable path. When the Saudis’ priorities changed, that put LIV in a very precarious position — but this was a risk those players chose to take.”

McIlroy added that he was aware PIF would be ending future support before LIV Golf made the news public. “It looks like the rug was pulled out from under them out of nowhere, and a lot of people were caught off guard,” he said. “Right now, there’s a huge amount of uncertainty. From what I’ve seen, LIV has some sponsorship revenue lined up, but it’s unclear how long that will last. If they do manage to put together a schedule for 2026, it’s almost certainly going to look drastically different than what we’ve seen from them so far.”

The 2024 Italian Open continued its third-round action on Tuesday, with world No. 1 and top men’s seed Jannik Sinner extending his historic run toward a maiden home title, while several other seeds secured their spots in the final eight of both men’s and women’s draws.

Sinner, the 24-year-old Italian trailblazer, delivered a calm, composed performance against compatriot and surprise qualifier Andrea Pellegrino to seal a straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 victory. The clash was never a closely contested battle from the opening game, as the tournament favorite outclassed his lower-ranked opponent on Rome’s iconic center court in front of more than 10,000 home fans.

With the win, Sinner notched his 31st consecutive victory in Masters 1000 events, pulling level with Novak Djokovic’s all-time record streak. The result also sets up a quarterfinal showdown against either 12th seed Andrey Rublev or Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.

For Pellegrino, the 29-year-old underdog’s run to the Italian Open’s last 16 already marks the deepest run of his career at a Masters 1000 event. Making his first main draw appearance at a top-tier ATP tournament, Pellegrino is set to climb to a career-high world ranking of 123rd following the tournament. Though he ultimately fell to Sinner, he earned warm applause from the home crowd for a creditable performance, showcasing sharp technique when given opportunities to attack. Sinner, meanwhile, never needed to push to his full limit to secure the comfortable win.

If Sinner goes on to claim the title, he will not only secure a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 trophy, but also become the first Italian man to win the Italian Open at Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta claimed the crown 50 years ago. With top rival Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and Djokovic eliminated in an early upset, Sinner enters the latter stages of the tournament as the overwhelming favorite to win, building form ahead of his pursuit of a career Grand Slam at the upcoming French Open.

On the other half of the men’s draw, Norwegian clay-court specialist Casper Ruud eased into the quarterfinals with a lopsided 6-3, 6-1 win over Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who was visibly hampered by a left thigh injury. Ruud has yet to drop a single set through the first three rounds in Rome, and he looked sharp despite blustery conditions on center court.

Musetti, who had required medical treatment after his third-round win over Francisco Cerundolo, called a medical timeout for his thigh issue during the second set against Ruud. The Italian will drop out of the men’s world top 10 rankings ahead of next week’s French Open, and he remained uncertain about his participation in the season’s second Grand Slam after the match. “I don’t know, in the next couple of days we’ll do some closer tests, something I’ve not been able to do given that I’m constantly playing,” he told reporters.

Ruud, who is drawn opposite Sinner in the bracket, will face 13th seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals after capitalizing on Musetti’s fitness struggles. “I realised that… we try to make him run as much as possible. It’s cruel and it’s brutal, but that’s sport,” Ruud told reporters post-match.

Khachanov booked his own quarterfinal spot by ending the Cinderella run of Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic, who had shocked the tennis world by knocking out Djokovic in the second round. Khachanov defeated the 19-year-old rising star 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) to secure his place in the final eight.

In the women’s draw, 34-year-old Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea continued her dream run to the Italian Open semifinals, one day after upsetting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round. Cirstea dropped just one game in the first set against Jelena Ostapenko before closing out a 6-1, 7-6 (7/0) victory. The Romanian, who has announced she will retire at the end of the 2024 season, will next play either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva on center court for a spot in Saturday’s women’s final.

As the 108th PGA Championship prepares to kick off this Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club, Northern Irish golf star Rory McIlroy arrives at the tournament with a sharper mental clarity and renewed sense of purpose than he carried 12 months ago, fresh off back-to-back Masters titles that cemented his status among the sport’s all-time greats.

The 35-year-old world number two, whose 2024 Masters victory completed his career Grand Slam and snapped a decade-long dry spell in major championship wins, says he has successfully rested and reset his goals following his successful title defense at Augusta National last month. Unlike last year’s PGA, where he struggled to a 47th-place finish after hitting the career milestone of completing the Grand Slam, McIlroy says he now has unobstructed vision to chase more major silverware.

“Coming into this tournament feels a lot different than what it did last year,” McIlroy told reporters on Tuesday. “I’ve got some nice clear road ahead to try to get some more of these majors.”

A six-time major winner already, McIlroy is in position to claim his third PGA Championship title this week. Last year, shortly after achieving the career-defining Grand Slam, he stumbled to a 47th-place finish at Quail Hollow, his worst result in a major since 2021. The golfer attributes that underperformance to a lack of mental reset after reaching a long-held career goal, a mistake he has avoided this time around.

“Especially after the last couple of years, I need to take the time after the Masters to reset and decompress and get myself in the right mental space again to get myself up for this tournament and keep going for the US Open and The Open Championship,” McIlroy explained. “I came into this tournament last year a little bit sort of uncertain of what my future was — I conquered this thing that I wanted to conquer for so long, and I still hadn’t really reset goals or found whatever that motivation was to keep going or go forward and set myself goals for the rest of my career. It probably took me a good few months to get to that point.”

This season, McIlroy prioritized recovery and mental preparation immediately after his Masters win. He took three full weeks off from competitive golf following his Augusta victory, returning only last week for an event at Quail Hollow, where he has claimed four tournament titles over his career. In a break from competitive preparation, McIlroy skipped the PGA Tour event at Doral two weeks ago to attend a White House State Dinner, and even makes a cameo appearance in the upcoming film *The Devil Wears Prada 2*.

The golf legend says he is intentional about savoring once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that come with his elite status, knowing his competitive run at the top of the sport will not last forever.

“I know how fortunate I am and so lucky to be in this position in life, and sometimes you have to enjoy the perks because I know this isn’t going to last forever,” McIlroy said. “There’s going to be a day where I’m not competing for major championships, so I guess while I’m doing it, I have to enjoy it, as well. It has been amazing but there’s still a lot of things I want to achieve. If I can enjoy it along the way that’s a nice thing to do.”

One key preparation step McIlroy has already checked off is an early practice round at Aronimink, scheduled around his attendance at the Washington D.C. State Dinner. The golfer says arranging an early scouting trip allowed him to become familiar with the course layout without feeling rushed or stressed ahead of the tournament’s official start.

“I wanted to do the State dinner, and if I was going to do that, it was probably better I take that week to practice and prepare, come up here and see the golf course,” McIlroy said. “I wanted to just get an early look because I knew that was going to be my only opportunity. I definitely think courses we don’t see very often… it certainly has benefited me over the years.”

McIlroy first tested the strategy of an early pre-tournament practice trip back in 2011, on the advice of golf legend Jack Nicklaus, ahead of the U.S. Open at Congressional. That trip paid off: McIlroy went on to win the tournament, claiming his first career major championship. He says the strategy has consistently worked out well for him throughout his decades-long career.

“For the most part, when I have made an advanced trip, it has worked out well for me,” he added.

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has officially confirmed he has put pen to paper on a fresh two-year deal with the Catalan giants, with an optional extra 12-month extension built into the agreement, announced during a press conference on Tuesday.

The 61-year-old German tactician just capped off a historic milestone for the club just two days before the announcement, securing back-to-back La Liga titles with Barcelona following a dominant 2-0 win over bitter rival Real Madrid this past Sunday. The results capped off a remarkable two-year run for Flick, who joined the club at the start of the 2024/25 season.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Barcelona’s final league away match against Alaves scheduled for Wednesday, Flick expressed his delight with the new contract, framing the deal as a clear vote of confidence from the club’s hierarchy. “Obviously I’m very happy; it gives me the confidence to keep working for another year or two,” Flick said. “I think many coaches would be very happy to sign a three, four or five-year contract, but in this case, with Barca, I think it’s good to keep it limited and I appreciate that. We’ll continue until 2028. If all goes well, we’ll decide to carry on. I have the right to stop, and so does the club.”

In his two full seasons at the Camp Nou, Flick has built an unprecedented domestic winning record, claiming every major Spanish domestic trophy: two consecutive La Liga crowns, one Copa del Rey title, and two Spanish Super Cups. The only major honor that has eluded the coach since his move to Catalonia is the UEFA Champions League, a competition Flick previously lifted in 2020 during his tenure at Bayern Munich.

Barcelona’s 2025/26 Champions League run came to an abrupt end at the quarter-final stage this season, dropping a narrow elimination to Atletico Madrid. The season before, the club was eliminated in the semi-finals by Inter Milan after a thrilling 13-goal aggregate match that ended 7-6 in favor of the Italian side.

Despite the repeated near-misses in Europe’s top club competition, Flick reaffirmed his commitment to chasing the title in the coming seasons. “It’s also a commitment on our part to work even harder than we did this season, if that’s possible, and to continue reaching the highest possible level with the team, achieving new goals and winning new titles,” Flick added. “This is important for Barca, because everyone has this dream of winning the Champions League. We’ve tried, we’ll try again, and that’s all I can say.”

In his first public comments since resigning as senior coach of the Carlton Football Club, Michael Voss has laid out the chain of events and internal reflections that led him to walk away from the role, revealing that a pivotal meeting with club executives left him certain his tenure was drawing to a close.

A former champion player for the club, Voss met with Carlton CEO Graham Wright and club president Rob Priestley for an informal dinner ahead of his final game in charge. Speaking exclusively to AFL.com.au, Voss explained that the unspoken cues from that meeting made it clear his position was unstable. “I think your read in these situations is often what they don’t say, not what they do say,” Voss said. “I read enough into what they didn’t say, it was on shaky ground and the inevitable was starting to become clearer.”

Even with that clarity, the competitive instinct that defined Voss’s playing and coaching career pushed him to consider holding onto the role longer. “But the fighter in you and competitor in you wants to take it as far as you can,” he added.

It was not until last week, after reflecting on the team’s recent performance, the current state of the playing group, and the club’s long-term goals, that Voss decided to proactively advance discussions about his future. He met with his agent in Brisbane last week to formalize his choice to step down, making the call before his final scheduled match against his hometown club Brisbane Lions. Voss emphasized that he chose to decide early to avoid letting the emotion of the final game cloud his judgment.

“I didn’t want the result, whether we got the result done or we didn’t get the result done, to be the emotional or acute response to change my mind,” he explained. “Maybe if you won under those circumstances… you sort of think, ‘I’ve been swept up in that emotion and maybe I hang a little bit longer’. But I didn’t want the game to do that, if I was feeling that, which was the first time I felt that, I was getting to a point where a decision had to be made.”

After settling on his choice, Voss contacted Carlton’s general manager of football Chris Davies, who initiated the official process to confirm the departure. Rather than joining a joint press conference with club leadership on Tuesday, Voss chose to share his perspective directly with AFL.com.au. He noted that while he is at peace with his call to resign, breaking the news to the Carlton playing group remained a difficult conversation.

“I had a few days to think about it and then you get the final pieces of the puzzle but there’s one thing knowing it and another saying it,” Voss said. “Today you obviously get to say it.”

Nearly one month after a catastrophic on-field incident left a top Japanese baseball umpire fighting for recovery, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) has implemented sweeping new safety rules aimed at preventing similar tragedies, instituting formal punishments for dangerous bat swings that put players, officials and spectators at risk.

The incident that sparked the rule change unfolded on April 16 during a Tokyo-based league game. While working behind home plate, 30-year-old umpire Takuto Kawakami was struck in the left side of the head by a loose bat that slipped out of the hands of Tokyo Yakult Swallows slugger Jose Osuna, a Venezuelan-born player. Kawakami collapsed immediately on the diamond and was airlifted to a nearby hospital for emergency neurosurgery, after which he was placed in intensive care. As of the latest official updates, Kawakami remains unresponsive and continues to receive ongoing medical treatment.

In the immediate aftermath of the accident, NPB rolled out an interim safety mandate requiring all on-field umpires to wear protective helmets during games. Kawakami had only been wearing a standard face mask and baseball cap at the time of the impact, leaving his head critically unprotected. Last week, the Japanese baseball community showed public solidarity with the injured umpire, with all umpires across the country displaying Kawakami’s jersey number 29 on their new protective helmets.

On Monday, NPB’s governing body formally approved a permanent rule change to codify penalties for dangerous swinging behavior, which will go into effect starting Tuesday. The new framework defines a dangerous swing as any instance where a batter loses control of their bat and releases it mid-swing, whether the slip is accidental or not.

Under the new regulation, players who execute a dangerous swing that does not make contact with any person will receive an official formal warning. A second offense during the same game will result in immediate ejection from the match. Any dangerous swing that results in a person being struck by the loose bat will also lead to instant ejection, regardless of whether it is the player’s first offense.

Following the April incident, Osuna issued a public apology for the accident, expressing his concern for Kawakami’s condition. “I’m very sorry about what happened today when my bat hit the main umpire. I hope he’s well, I’m really sorry,” he wrote in a public post on social media platform X shortly after the game concluded.

The rule change marks one of the most significant updates to NPB’s on-field safety protocols in recent years, drawing widespread attention to the risks that loose bats pose to officials in professional baseball, a hazard that has long been underregulated in many global baseball leagues.

The Australian Football League community was thrown into unexpected upheaval this week after news broke that senior Carlton Football Club coach Michael Voss had stepped down from his role, with the club confirming his immediate exit on Tuesday. In the hours following the official announcement, Blues captain and two-time Brownlow Medal winner Patrick Cripps stepped forward to address fans, the media, and the entire club, pledging to steady the side through the ongoing transition and the remainder of the 2025 season.

Voss first tendered his resignation to Carlton general manager Chris Davies during a meeting in Brisbane last Friday, but details of the coaching exit were not made public until early Tuesday, triggering immediate reaction from across the AFL landscape. Cripps confirmed Tuesday that he was among the first senior figures at the club to learn of Voss’ decision, saying the sudden news came as a major shock to the playing group.

Speaking to reporters twice on Tuesday — first informally in the club car park ahead of the official press conference, then in a formal address to club stakeholders — an emotional Cripps reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the Carlton Football Club, pushing back against any speculation that he might abandon the side mid-season. Currently under contract with the Blues through the end of next year, Cripps emphasized he has no intention of writing off the remaining 14 rounds of the current campaign.

“Mate, I am contracted until next year. Like I said before, I am really committed in terms of this season,” Cripps told reporters. “I am not going to just wave the white flag and waste a year, there’s a lot of footy to be played this year. The privilege to play AFL, any game of AFL, is a massive honour. There’s so many people in the world that would love to play any game of footy. That never gets lost on me and especially for this footy club, I am going to lead it the same way I’ve been doing it for the last six to eight years. Wear the jumper with pride and keep going for it.”

Cripps also opened up about his reaction to Voss’ exit, admitting he was still processing the sudden change just days after the coach made his decision to step down. Amid intense public scrutiny and on-field pressure that has followed Carlton through the early part of the season, Cripps said he could not praise Voss enough for his composure and leadership through adversity.

“I was shocked, it’s early in the year and I think everyone that’s watched footy this year in terms of the attention around him and the way he’s handled himself,” he said. “I just couldn’t speak highly enough of a person, who through a lot of adversity, showed up so well as a leader for us as players. I didn’t think it was going to happen like this, shocked is one way (to describe it). I am just trying to absorb it all, I suppose.”

With more than half of the AFL regular season still ahead, Cripps’ public commitment has served as a rare anchor of stability for a Carlton side navigating unexpected off-field turmoil, as the club begins the process of searching for a permanent replacement for Voss.