Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau were among those to pack their bags as the field was cut to 16 at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Friday.
Top-seeded Johnson lost to Kevin Na, who finished birdie-birdie to turn the match and eliminate his fellow American from Group 1 on day three in Austin.
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre progressed out of the group after a tie with Adam Long, having landed one of the shots of the week with a spectacular drive on the 18th which ended up inside three feet and ultimately got him through.
"I had probably one of the best and one of the luckiest golf shots I've hit in my life," the Scot said.
"I had a bit of bad luck here and there and managed to turn it around right at the end there, and it's one of them things, you've just got to keep fighting until the end, and it just shows anything can happen in this game."
Johnson and Na's match was not without tension, with the 28th-seeded American tapping his opponent on the shoulder on the 11th green to warn him about collecting his ball before concession had been verbalised.
In a mildly tense exchange, Johnson appeared to apologise but walked away less than impressed.
DeChambeau, the fifth seed, bowed out at the hands of Tommy Fleetwood, who topped Group 5.
Fleetwood had established a 4up advantage through seven holes but stumbled, allowing DeChambeau back in the match. The Englishman finished with a par on the 18th to win.
"It turned really scrappy for a lot of the back nine," Fleetwood said. "He started coming back and on the last an unlikely par. Match Play is that funny all week. There are guys who have played better than me for three days who are going home and I'm going through."
World number two Justin Thomas was another casualty, despite defeating 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen 3 and 2.
There were eight playoffs required, with Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia among those winning to join the likes of Jordan Spieth in the last 16.
Garcia delivered an incredible shot to beat Lee Westwood, making a hole-in-one at the fourth hole.
Rory McIlroy was also eliminated, tying with Cameron Smith as Ian Poulter finished top of Group 11 after three wins.
France star Gael Fickou insists Les Bleus 'don't have to question everything' after missing out on the Six Nations title once again following their 27-23 loss to Scotland on Friday.
Les Bleus had to score four tries or more and win by a margin of at least 21 points to end their 11-year wait for the title but fell short in the final match of the Six Nations handing Wales their second crown in three years.
Fickou, who moved from inside centre to the wing and was named Player of the Match, was hugely disappointed to see France miss out on their first title since 2010 but said they did not need an overhaul.
“There were some good things and not so good things," Fickou said post-game.
"Of course, we're disappointed. It's a huge disappointment. We had a chance to win the match. We were facing a beautiful Scottish team.
"It was difficult. We could have done better. We can’t throw everything away. We don’t have to question everything."
The win was Scotland's first in France in 12 Tests, last winning in Paris 22 years ago, but Fickou explained the scenario played its part for Les Bleus.
“We were chasing the title, perhaps we got mixed up in some areas, we maybe wanted to score too quickly, we didn’t finish our attacks," he said.
“They held onto the ball well, they went through 50 phases, we were rushed, we wanted to score the 21 points. In the end, that cost us dear.”
Wayne Pivac says Wales' failure to win the Grand Slam takes nothing away from their Six Nations success after they were crowned champions on Friday.
Six days after Wales missed out on the Grand Slam with a heartbreaking last-gasp defeat to France at Stade de France, Scotland denied Les Bleus the title with a stunning 27-23 victory in the final match of the tournament.
Duhan van der Merwe's second try right at the end of a thrilling contest gave Scotland a first win in Paris since 1999.
France had to claim a bonus-point victory by a margin of at least 21 points to win the title, but fell short due to an outstanding Scotland performance in tough conditions on a rainy evening.
Wales head coach Pivac had to contend with speculation over his future last year during a difficult start to his reign, but the New Zealander was celebrating on Friday.
He said: "From a Welsh point of view, we are over the moon and very happy to have won the Championship. It's just a shame we couldn't have done it together as a group last week.
"It [France v Scotland] was a hell of a game. It reminded me of last week with cards, penalties and missed opportunities. It had everything.
"It was a great game to watch and following on from last week, what a tournament it's been."
Pivac added: "We don't want to talk too much about last week – it [the Grand Slam] wasn't to be.
"It certainly doesn't take anything away from the fact a lot of hard work has been done, we've come out on top of the points table and won the tournament.
"We are very happy with how things are going at the moment in our camp and we've built nicely through the competition. Some great rugby has been played in this Championship and it's exciting times for all concerned."
Gregor Townsend felt a first win in Paris since 1999 was a fitting finale for one of Scotland's "best-ever seasons" as France missed out on the Six Nations title with a dramatic defeat.
Les Bleus had to secure a bonus-point victory in the final match of the tournament by a margin of at least 21 points to be crowned champions at Stade de France on Friday.
It was Scotland who were celebrated on a wet night in the French capital, though, and Wales took the title after Duhan van der Merwe snatched a stunning 27-23 triumph by scoring his second try of a pulsating contest right at the end.
David Cherry also dotted down in the second half before Finn Russell was shown a red card nine minutes from time for catching Brice Dulin in the throat with his leading arm, having booted 10 points on his return to the side.
Scotland started the tournament with a first win over England at Twickenham since 1983 and ended it with a long-awaited away victory against France.
Townsend's men finished in fourth spot, but the Scotland head coach believes they made great strides this season.
He told BBC One: "I'm so proud of the team. They came here with a bit of adversity with not our full squad, an injury to one of our starters [Matt Fagerson] on Wednesday, a yellow card [for Stuart Hogg], a red card, we had to come back against a very good side, but they showed courage, effort, togetherness, and skill to win.
"A great end to a really promising season for us. Even though we finished fourth, it feels like one of our best-ever seasons with the victories we've had this year and the performances tonight especially.
"That's now been the last two years we've been competitive in every game. We've grown a lot this year, grown a lot this campaign, and we've got to continue to grow over the next few years."
Scotland captain Hogg expressed his pride following a famous win, but was left with mixed feelings.
"Results at times at times have been outstanding, the performances at times have been very good, but we're probably going to be kicking ourselves in the foot with some of the losses," said the full-back.
"We're not going to get carried away, we're going to enjoy this moment and start building towards something memorable.
"I'm the captain of a very, very proud nation and we'll continue to work hard."
Minnesota Twins bench coach Mike Bell, the brother of Cincinnati Reds manager David, has died following a short battle with cancer.
The Twins announced Bell's passing aged 46 in a statement on Friday.
Bell, who was appointed to Minnesota's coaching staff prior to the 2020 season, had missed spring training after being diagnosed with kidney cancer earlier this year.
"The Minnesota Twins are devastated by the loss of Mike Bell," a team statement read.
"In his short time with our club, Mike had an indelibly positive impact - not only on the quality of our team on the field, but most importantly upon everyone whom he met.
"Widely respected in our game, all who knew Mike, on and off the field, are better for the experience."
The Twins said "at the request of the Bell family" they would fulfil Friday's preseason game against the Atlanta Braves "in honour of Mike".
As well as being the brother of Reds manager David, Bell was the son of five-time All-Star Buddy and grandson of four-time All-Star Gus.
Bell had a short playing career in Cincinnati before a 13-year association with the Arizona Diamondbacks in a variety of roles.
Wales were crowned Six Nations champions as Scotland denied France with a dramatic long-awaited 27-23 victory in Paris on Friday despite Finn Russell's red card.
Les Bleus had to score four tries or more and win by a margin of at least 21 points to end their 11-year wait for the title, but they were denied in a pulsating final match of the tournament on a rainy evening.
France led 13-10 at half-time courtesy of a Brice Dulin score after Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe's somewhat contentious opening try at the Stade de France.
Damian Penaud scored a classy second France try early in the second half, but David Cherry touched down on the hour mark to put Scotland back in front and leave Les Bleus' title hopes hanging by a thread.
Swan Rebbadj's try gave Fabien Galthie's side the lead once again before Russell, who booted 10 points, was shown a red card for making contact with Dulin's neck with his arm.
France then had Baptiste Serin sent to the sin bin and there was a stunning twist with the clock in the red, as Van der Merwe claimed a decisive double to give Scotland a first win in Paris since 1999.
James Harden has been declared fit to return for the Brooklyn Nets against the Detroit Pistons on Friday.
The nine-time All-Star missed the Nets' previous game at the league-leading Utah Jazz earlier this week due to neck soreness.
Coach Steve Nash said: "It was the smartest and safest decision to protect him from himself and take him out of the lineup, because he's struggling."
Harden was initially listed as questionable for the game in Detroit, but he was later upgraded to available.
The Jazz game was only the second Harden has missed since arriving in Brooklyn from the Houston Rockets, both of which have been lost. He has a 23-7 record in 30 starts for the Nets.
With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the other members of the team's 'big three', enduring extended spells on the sidelines, Harden has been Nash's key man.
He has averaged 25.4 points in 38.5 minutes per game since his trade, as well as 11.5 assists and 8.7 rebounds for 11 triple-doubles.
Brooklyn are 30-15 on the year, third in the East behind the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks.
Virat Kohli had few complaints about India's performance against England on Friday, acknowledging Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow "blew us away".
India set England 337 to win and level the three-match ODI series, a total the tourists sped to carried by Stokes and Bairstow.
While opener Bairstow contributed 124, Stokes stole the show with 99 off just 52 balls - including 49 off the next 11 after reaching his half-century. He has averaged 56.4 over 42 ODI innings since the start of 2017.
The stand of 175 - after Bairstow and Jason Roy had put on 110 for the first wicket - saw England have two hundred partnerships in the same ODI for the first time since the Cricket World Cup in June 2019.
Although Stokes and Bairstow fell in consecutive overs and briefly gave India hope, Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone completed a six-wicket triumph with 39 balls to spare.
"I think we set up quite a decent total on the board," said captain Kohli, who scored 66 and remains one century shy of Sachin Tendulkar's record of 20 in men's ODIs in India.
"But England found a way to get that 100-run partnership and we hardly had any chances come our way.
"I thought they batted brilliantly well tonight. Yes, we did not execute some things as well as we wanted to, but that was some of the most amazing batting that you're going to see while chasing a total.
"You have to give credit where it's due and tonight they totally blew us away with that partnership of Jonny and Ben Stokes.
"We didn't even have a chance, that's how good they were together and they thoroughly deserved to win."
Bairstow has 20 sixes over his past three ODI innings against India and no England batsman has more maximums against them in this format than his 26.
The Yorkshire wicketkeeper was enthused by Kohli's praise, responding: "I'll take that! It's very kind of him to say that.
"He's been one of the best players around the world for a period of time. I'm very pleased, and likewise, pleased to be striking the ball the way I am at the moment."
Bairstow and Roy now have 13 century stands together, the most by an England pairing, while no opening partnership in men's ODIs can top their average of 61.6 (from 20 innings or more).
It is certainly a role Bairstow is enjoying, as he added: "I'm happy. Since opening the batting, I've got 11 [centuries], I think I've only opened 56, 57 times.
"I'm happy with those figures but those figures mean nothing if you don't keep converting them in the future. I'm happy with how I'm playing my cricket at the moment, really enjoying it."
Valtteri Bottas was left "puzzled" by Mercedes' "undriveable" W12 as Max Verstappen set the pace in both practice sessions at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday
Red Bull driver Verstappen topped the timesheets ahead of Mercedes' Bottas in FP1 and McLaren's Lando Norris in FP2 in Sakhir.
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton was fourth and third respectively after team principal Toto Wolff said the best the Silver Arrows could hope for would be to match Red Bull's pace.
Bottas said of Mercedes' new car on the eve of qualifying for the first race of 2021: "The last long run we did was pretty inconsistent, and I couldn't really put any laps together, and the car, as I said, felt undriveable at times.
"A bit puzzled, but it's Friday and that's why we practice."
Dutchman Verstappen, who clocked a quickest lap of one minute, 30.847 seconds, knows Red Bull must build on an encouraging start when it really matters.
He said: "I was really happy but tomorrow is again a different day, even more windy, which with these cars is quite more tricky, so again we'll have to try and be on it, but again, a good start to the weekend,
"I was also really [happy] before, but of course, now we have to show what we can do in qualifying."
The drivers had to contend with a sandstorm in practice and face more testing conditions over the weekend, with high winds and temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius forecast.
Verstappen added: "Of course, with the heat, it's not easy to find a really good balance around the whole lap. I think it's a positive day.
"There are still things to look into what we can look better for tomorrow, but again, also tomorrow, I think it's going to be even more windy so that will be even more difficult to drive.
"That's the same for everyone, so we'll see what happens."
Virgil van Dijk will ultimately make the decision on his participation at the upcoming Euros, according to his Netherlands defensive partner Matthijs de Ligt.
Liverpool star Van Dijk has been out since October, with the centre-back having sustained a serious knee injury after a challenge from Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Jurgen Klopp has consistently stressed caution over the return of Van Dijk, who stepped up his rehabilitation at a facility in Dubai before heading back to Merseyside.
It remains to be seen whether the 29-year-old will be fit to play again before the season is out, and as such his participation in the Euros is doubtful.
Netherlands boss Frank de Boer claimed in the build-up to Wednesday's defeat to Turkey that Van Dijk had another eight weeks left on his recovery, with the Oranje coach claiming he was not relying on the former Southampton and Celtic man to return in time for the tournament.
De Ligt, however, was less pessimistic, with the Juventus defender revealing Van Dijk is in good spirits, and will return when he feels the time is right.
"We had a meeting yesterday, [Van Dijk] was there too," De Ligt said on Friday.
"He looked very good, he seemed very fresh and free. Of course, I don't know how he feels physically, he doesn't really want to put any pressure on himself either.
"He has a clear mind and looks at it day by day. He is calm and wants to see where he's at, at moment the Euros are starting. I think it's important for him to be calm, and to be able to recuperate from his injury without any pressure from us or from the country.
"He will decide if he will be at the Euros. If he's there, he’s there. If he's not there, other guys will have to fill his shoes. But yesterday he looked well."
With Inter's Stefan de Vrij having contracted coronavirus, De Ligt's former Ajax team-mate Daley Blind partnered the 21-year-old in defence against Turkey.
It was neither of the duo's finest performances, with Burak Yilmaz scoring a hat-trick in a 4-2 win for Netherlands' World Cup qualification rivals.
Asked who he would prefer to have next to him should Van Dijk fail to make the Euros, De Ligt replied: "That's a question that’s not really relevant to me.
"In the end, it's the manager who decides who plays, what we need. In possession, Daley is one of the best defenders I have ever played with.
"Stefan plays in Italy, is more physical and is stronger than Daley. So it might also depend on our opponents. We also have Nathan Ake and other guys. There are enough options.
"I might not even be playing. That's something the manager decides, that depends on the game. We simply have to respect the manager's decisions."
Chris Gunter has been lauded as "a manager's dream" by Wales caretaker boss Robert Page ahead of the full-back winning his 100th international cap.
Charlton Athletic defender Gunter will bring up the landmark when Wales take on Mexico in a friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday.
Gunter is the first Welshman to achieve the feat, and will be six clear of goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who is next on the list of Wales' most-capped players, ahead of Neville Southall (92) and Gareth Bale (87).
The 31-year-old made his debut in 2007, and Page, who is standing in as Wales boss due to Ryan Giggs' suspension, was full of praise for Gunter.
"I keep saying that every time I work with him, I'm more impressed," said Page.
"He's a model professional, he is a manager's dream. He just gets on with his work, he trains as he plays and he's thoroughly deserved his 100 caps and all the credit he's going to get from having achieved that.
"Good people in the game, you want to see them do well and he's certainly one of them."
For his part, Gunter said it was difficult to describe the emotion of his achievement.
"It's tough to put into words. If you asked me potentially afterwards then there might be something a bit more emotional," he said.
"I'm very proud, it means the world to me to represent the country and do what I know so many people would love to do.
"It's something you never take for granted. You've given your life to hopefully performing for your country."
The omens for Gunter marking the milestone with a win are not great, however. This will be the fifth meeting between the teams, with Wales yet to register a victory.
Indeed, Wales have not scored in either of their last two matches against Mexico, with the last Welshman to net against them John Charles in a May 1962 friendly.
Wales lost to Belgium in their opening World Cup qualifier on Wednesday, with the Czech Republic next up on Tuesday.
Asked if he had discussed the performance with Giggs, Page said: "Absolutely, I spoke with Ryan, of course.
"He was pleased with the second half. We made the change at half-time to be a little bit more positive in our press, get a little bit higher up the pitch and we just didn't want to camp on the edge of our box and allow attack after attack and he absolutely agreed with that.
"There's aspects that he's pleased with and things we can do better on but overall he was pleased."
It remains unclear as to whether Giggs will be in charge when the Euros roll around, though Page insists he is not focusing on taking the role for the tournament.
"No. I'm not interested in that," he added. "It's for other people to make those decisions, we're not worrying about that."
Ben Stokes was proud that England stuck to their values as they roared back from a series-opening defeat to thrash India on Friday.
Moved up to bat at three in the absence of Joe Root, Stokes thrilled with a 52-ball 99 in Pune as the tourists won by six wickets with 39 deliveries to spare, Jonny Bairstow having scored a century as England comfortably chased down India's 336-6.
The result came on the heels of Tuesday's chastening 66-run loss, when England collapsed to 251 all out as Stokes scored just one run from 11 balls, and means the series will go to a decider on Sunday.
Stokes was delighted to see England produce such a classy response to that setback, even in the absence of injured captain Eoin Morgan, as his side stayed true to their attacking principles.
"I think the most pleasing thing for us as a team is we didn't go away from our values," he said, having built on the platform laid by Bairstow and Jason Roy's 110-run opening stand. "We were bitterly disappointed after the first ODI.
"It was a great chase and I'm happy we were able to go over the line fairly easily despite India putting up a big total.
"It was a better wicket but we don't really fear any totals to be honest. It would have been easy to rein ourselves in after the last game but from a personal and team point of view, it was important to play as we do.
"We speak about match-ups in our changing room and my match-up was with the spinners to take the risk, just let Jonny keep going on with his business. He's in unbelievable form.
"The amount of runs they [Roy and Bairstow] have scored is obviously amazing, but if you look at the way they have scored it's even better – best in the world in my opinion."
Pune will again play host to the third and final match this weekend.
England's victory on Friday also ensured that a 3-0 series defeat will be avoided, meaning India cannot leapfrog into top spot in the ODI rankings.
Ben Stokes' stunning innings and a century from Jonny Bairstow led England to a dominant six-wicket ODI victory over India in Pune on Friday.
While Bairstow was unquestionably impressive in compiling his 124, Stokes' 99 came at a blistering pace, requiring just 52 balls as he bludgeoned 10 sixes.
India had set England 337 to win and level the three-match series, with the tourists – deprived of the injured Eoin Morgan's services – wasting little time, getting the job done with 39 balls to spare.
Bairstow and Jason Roy put on 110 for the first wicket to lay the foundations, with the former then enjoying a front-row seat for the Stokes show as they combined for 175 runs.
It meant that, by the time Stokes and Bairstow fell in consecutive overs, England only required another 50 to seal the win, with Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone finishing things off.
All the fireworks in England's innings eclipsed what had been a solid 50 overs from the hosts, for whom KL Rahul top-scored on 108, with Rishabh Pant providing eye-catching entertainment in the form of a 40-ball 77 to help India to 336-6.
Having put themselves in a strong position to chase down 318 in the first match before collapsing to 251 all out, England made sure they had an even firmer footing this time to ensure a late-innings wobble would not prove pivotal.
Bairstow's 18 boundaries included seven maximums, with Roy's 55 coming at roughly a run a ball to further cement England's excellent start.
Stokes, having survived an early run-out scare, escalated things drastically with a display of explosive hitting that had India chasing their tails.
Krunal Pandya, who enjoyed such a fine debut in the opening clash, came in for particularly harsh punishment as he posted figures of 0-72 off six overs, while Kuldeep Yadav (0-84 off 10) conceded eight sixes, including three in a row at the hands of Stokes in a punishing 33rd over.
England's procession was slowed but not halted by a flurry of wickets across the 36th and 37th overs, with Stokes agonisingly falling short of a deserved century before Bairstow and Jos Buttler also had to go.
But it only delayed the inevitable, Malan and Livingstone steadying the ship and getting England across the line to set up a series decider on Sunday.
STOKES CAPITALISES ON LET-OFF
There was a mightily close run-out call against Stokes in the 26th over, when he was on 33.
He soon accelerated his knock at break-neck speed, having brought up his 50 off 40 deliveries before adding another 49 from only 12.
Stokes' dismissal, caught behind by Pant off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, saw him denied the third-fastest century in ODIs for England.
SERIES SET FOR FINALE IT DESERVES
This was a mouthwatering series on paper, pitting the world's best two one-day teams against one another, and it has delivered on the field across the first two matches.
World champions England flexed their muscles on Friday, having been chastened by an opening loss in which India showed why they are so highly fancied.
A winner will be crowned this weekend and, having seen the best of both sides, how fitting it would be if they could each bring their 'A' game on Sunday.
The 2023 Tour de France will start in the Spanish city of Bilbao.
Organisers of the most prestigious Grand Tour race on Friday confirmed the event in two years' time will get under way in the Basque Country.
It will be the second time the Grand Depart has been staged in Spain, with the riders having set off in San Sebastian back in 1992.
The Tour will get going in Bilbao on July 1, with an opening loop stage before a second day within the borders of the Basque Country.
A big crowd will be expected for the start of the race on a day which will mark the 120th anniversary of the race.
As many as 21 Tour de France stage winners have hailed from the Basque Country, almost a third of the 66 Spanish riders to have achieved that feat.
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