Antoine Rozner has the halfway lead at the DP World Tour Championship, one shot ahead of Rory McIlroy, after an impressive second round.

The Frenchman took advantage of McIlroy's mid-round slip-up and carded a round-of-the-day 65 to hold a lead of nine under on Friday.

McIlroy had surged into what looked like a comfortable lead with four birdies in the first seven holes in Dubai but bogeyed two of the next three as the chasing pack caught up with him once more.

The Northern Irishman, who needs to place 11th or higher to secure the Race to Dubai title, sits joint-second with Tyrrell Hatton, who had also shared the lead after round one.

"I got off to a great start, four under through seven. I was feeling like I was in total control of what I was doing, and then I just started to miss a few fairways around the turn," McIlroy said.

"When you start missing fairways the way the course is set up this week, you're going to start to struggle.

"So I made two bogeys in the next three holes, I steadied the ship a little bit, but felt like I let a couple of chances slip by on 14 and 15, but played the last three holes well.

"It was nice to finish with a birdie and at least shoot something in the sixties."

Joaquin Niemann sits two strokes back in fourth, while Shane Lowry and Rasmus Hojgaard are in the group tied for sixth on six under.

Meanwhile, Thriston Lawrence, who is the only player capable of snatching the season-long title from McIlroy if he wins in Dubai, is nine adrift of the leader, and currently tied-34th after carding a second-round 71 thanks to a bogey on the final hole. 

Nick Kyrgios confirmed he is returning to competitive tennis at the Brisbane International at the end of December.

The Australian announced in October that he was planning to return at the World Tennis League event in Abu Dhabi.

Kyrgios has played just one ATP Tour singles match in the last two years, having suffered with wrist, knee and foot injuries that have kept him off the court.

That lone outing came in Stuttgart in June 2023, where he suffered a straight-sets defeat to Wu Yibing.

"Honestly, this is probably the best I've felt in two years," Kyrgios told Australian television channel 9News.

"I played that amazing year in 2022. Then, at the finals in Wimbledon and the US Open, that's when I started feeling some issues in my wrist. I had that wrist reconstruction, and now I'm feeling amazing.

"It was a 15% miracle chance that I was going to get back to playing at this level and here we are.

"To get back out there in front of the home fans is going to be sick."

Kyrgios previously won the Brisbane International in 2018 and will be making his fourth appearance at the tournament as he steps up his preparation for the Australian Open.

He previously said he was aiming for a grand slam title when he returns, having lost his only previous such final to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022.

"I am feeling fit and healthy, and I am excited for my return to tennis following some time out of the sport," Kyrgios added.

Scott McTominay says he has no regrets about leaving Manchester United to join Napoli after a lightning-quick start to life in Italy.

He has scored three goals in 10 appearances for the Italian club in all competitions, netting twice in Serie A to help them sit top of the table after 12 games.

Only Romelu Lukaku has scored more league goals for Napoli than him this season, while McTominay has also had the second-most big chances (four) among his team-mates, scoring two of them.

Before his transfer deadline day move, McTominay had spent 22 years at United, joining their academy aged five before making his debut in May 2017.

The Scotland international made 255 appearances for the senior team, scoring 29 goals, including 10 during his most prolific season in 2023-24, and providing eight assists.

While McTominay admitted leaving his boyhood club was not an easy choice, he is pleased with the outcome of the choice.

"Obviously, it's a big decision, there's no denying that. It was a huge decision for me and my family and my friends," he told The Times.

"At times like that in your life, you just have to say, 'Do I want to do it? Absolutely,' and go for it. There's no looking back. I've never had any regrets in my life, or my career and I continue that way to this day.

"I want my career to be successful, and I'm going to go out of my way to try and push myself to be the best football player and best person that I can possibly be."

Rory McIlroy says he would pay to play in the Ryder Cup in response to reports that each member of Team USA will receive $400,000 for competing in next year's edition.

The 35-year-old was one of several European golfers who believe financial reward is unnecessary to play in the competition.

The news of a $4.8m purse split between Team USA comes after Patrick Cantlay refused to wear the team cap at last year's Ryder Cup in Rome, in an apparent protest about not being paid to represent his country.

"I personally would pay for the privilege to play on the Ryder Cup," McIlroy told BBC Sport on Thursday.

"The two purest forms of competition in our game right now are the Ryder Cup and the Olympics, and it's partly because of that, the purity of no money being involved."

With record highs in prize money for professional golf now available in response to the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV tour, McIlroy does not think that the money is needed.

"I don't think any of the 24 players on either team needs that 400 grand," he said.

"Every two years, there are 104 weeks and 103 weeks you can play golf and get paid."

Cantlay was mocked for his decision not to wear his team's cap in Rome, with fans removing their headwear to mimic him.

While it led to McIlroy getting into a heated argument with Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava at the time, he does see the other side of things.

"It was a discussion that was happening in Rome. I can see the other side of the argument because the Ryder Cup does create a lot of revenue," he added.

"It is one of the probably top five biggest sporting events in the world. So I get the argument that the talent should be or could be getting paid.

"But the Ryder Cup is so much more than that, especially to the Europeans and to this tour."

Luka Doncic says the defensive mishap that led to the Utah Jazz's winning dunk was a "misunderstanding" and shouldered the blame for the Dallas Mavericks' loss on Thursday.

The Jazz recorded their first home win of the season with their 115-113 victory, but it looked like they might have thrown it away after blowing a third-quarter lead.

However, with just 6.4 seconds remaining, Doncic left John Collins wide open to give him an easy dunk that settled the game in Utah's favour.

The Slovenian had 37 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Dallas in an otherwise impressive showing, especially without Kyrie Irving, who missed the game with a shoulder injury.

"It was a misunderstanding," Doncic said.

"I thought I was going to go hit, and [Quentin] Grimes thought he was going to go hit. And it was a lob, so we misunderstood the bench. That's on me."

Collins scored 28 points for the Jazz in their win, also getting nine rebounds, while Jordan Clarkson added 20 points to end a five-game losing streak at home.

They rallied back after letting a 12-point lead slip, something which particularly impressed head coach Will Hardy.

"Tonight isn't about the Xs & Os piece, it was about the mental and physical toughness that the team showed," Hardy said.

"It felt really, really good to battle through a tough moment and pull out a win here at home."

Collins echoed his coach's praise: "Man, I wanted this one so bad. We knew it was going to be a battle in the second half, it's all about staying mentally strong."

Outgoing England interim manager Lee Carsley says his decision to start Ollie Watkins over Harry Kane against Greece was 'no slight' on his captain.

The Three Lions had suffered nine withdrawals from their initial squad announced last week, although Kane remained available for selection and came on for Watkins in the 66th minute.

But Carsley's decision paid off, with Watkins putting England ahead after just seven minutes, with his fifth international goal setting them on the way to a 3-0 win in Athens, with an own goal and Curtis Jones rounded off the scoring.

"It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal," Carsley said. "It's important that I think if we are going to put these players in a position where we are going to go and win the World Cup, then these players need to have as many experiences as they can.

"So, it was no slight on Harry. He'll start the next game and I think there are a lot of positives to take from that performance."

When asked how the England captain reacted to not being named in the starting XI, Carsley explained that Kane had no issues with it.

"He was absolutely fine. It would be fair to say he wants to play every game, like all top players do," he said.

"I think he understands that it's important that other players experience that kind of experience that we had tonight.

"He's a great example to the rest of the players and I expect him to start on Sunday and play well."

The decision to start Watkins over Kane came alongside other selection decisions, as Rico Lewis, Noni Madueke, Jones, Lewis Hall and Morgan Rogers all featured for a youthful England side, with the latter three making their senior debuts.

Despite Carsley's roots as England Under-21 coach, he assured the post-match media that there was no nepotism on his part to include the more inexperienced players.

"No, none at all, to be fair," the interim boss said. "None at all.

"I see the quality that the players have got. You're now seeing it in terms of the younger ones, that they're more than capable with the mentality and quality they've got to play in stages like tonight.

"I thought a lot of the players, especially the younger ones - well, all of the players, to be fair - played with such quality tonight.

Didier Deschamps says Kylian Mbappe is "going through a period that is not the happiest of his career", which is why he is not included in France's Nations League squad.

Les Bleus were frustrated on Thursday as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Israel in front of a record-worst attendance at the Stade de France.

Despite the disjointed performance, France booked their place in the quarter-final of the Nations League with a game to spare.

However, post-match discussions came back around to Mbappe's absence and Deschamps' decision to leave him out of the squad.

Mbappe has scored eight goals in 15 appearances since joining Real Madrid, but he has hit the back of the net just once in his last six outings. Deschamps reiterated that he believed leaving his captain at home was the best decision for the player during this international break.

"He's not here, so I'll tell you what I already said. Leave him alone," Deschamps said. "I said what I had to say.

"Sometimes it's good not to say too much. There's no sanction. It's factual. He's in a complicated situation, I'm behind him.

"He's going through a period that's not the happiest of his career. Despite everything, he wanted to come. I think it's better for him at the moment. Everyone has the right to have a complicated period.

"There's the physical aspect, the psychological aspect too. There are constant interpretations, whether I speak or I don't speak. So, I'm careful to weigh my words. Either I say something, or I say nothing. I didn't say anything but I'm not going to get into debates."

France dominated against Israel, having 24 shots, eight of which were on target, as they created 2.22 expected goals.

They also had 72 touches in the opposition box, compared to the visitors' two, and 94 final third entries, though they struggled to find a way through a resolute Israel side.

Deschamps was frustrated by the lack of goals in particular and expects to make changes for their final Nations League group stage match against Italy on Sunday.

"I can't be satisfied with what we produced. We should have won. We're capable of doing better," Deschamps added.

"We could have done more against an opponent that was very compact and wasted a lot of time. We had the chances to win, but we weren't efficient enough. There was much more energy in the second half, but we still couldn't score.

"I need to take stock. There will definitely be some changes.

"I'll wait until the final training session on Saturday. Playing three days later is never easy, and there's fatigue, which is normal and not an excuse, but the players' bodies are under strain."

Jos Buttler believes England are in a "strong place" after they edged past West Indies in St. Lucia, beating them by three wickets to claim a series-winning victory. 

The tourists took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, but had to rely heavily on luck during their 146-run chase, with Liam Livingstone dropped three times on the way to 39.

But it was England's bowlers who initially did the damage, with Saqib Mahmood putting in a player-of-the-match performance to finish with figures of 3-17, with his three wickets coming in the powerplay, in which the West Indies were skittled to 37-5.

Mahmood's three wickets came in the powerplay, in which the West Indies were skittled to 37-5. Mahmood was clearly delighted with the bowling performance after the match.

Captain Rovman Powell (54) helped the hosts recover, but they were ultimately unable to post a winning score and finished on 145-8.

It was not an easy ride for England, though, having initially slipped to 37-3 in their own powerplay, before Sam Curran knocked 41 off 26 balls to dig his side out of a hole.

It was left to Livingstone to finish the job, having been dropped twice by Nicholas Pooran on six and eight and again by Shimron Hetmyer on 21.

But England squeaked over the line with just four balls remaining, consolidating their lead in the series with just two matches remaining.

"[It was] a real collective effort to win the series, which is really pleasing. I've been so impressed with how we've set the tone in the powerplays in all three games so far," said captain Buttler.

"We're in a really strong place as a team. We've got really good competition for places too, when you consider the players who aren't here."

Mahmood's fast start was key to England's success on Thursday, and he was delighted with his personal performance after the match. 

"As a bowling unit we've always had the mindset of wanting to take early wickets," he said.

"We know their batting line-up is stacked all the way down, but we haven't backed down, and we have taken powerplay wickets in every game so far.

"I feel really free in this team now. It feels like my spot, and it feels like a really great chance to express myself out there."

West Indies captain Rovman Powell, meanwhile, was clear where his side need to tighten up.

"It's a bit disappointing, we keep losing wickets in the powerplay and in clusters. We need to be our natural selves," he said.

"We know we are stroke players and come out aggressively but that little element of being smart was missing."

Lionel Scaloni says he is "not here to criticise his players" after they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Paraguay in World Cup qualifying.

Lautaro Martinez had given Argentina the lead in the 11th minute – his powerful shot past Roberto Fernandez was initially ruled out for offside before a VAR review overturned it.

However, Paraguay were soon back on level terms. Gustavo Gomez rattled the crossbar with a diving header from a corner, but they regathered possession and pulled level with a sublime overhead kick from Antonio Sanabria 19 minutes in.

Two minutes into the second half, the hosts completed the turnaround through Omar Alderete, who met Diego Gomez's precise free-kick to nod in from close range.

Rodrigo De Paul arguably should have equalised for Argentina with just over 20 minutes to go, but under pressure, sliced over from close range, with the visitors unable to salvage a point.

It was a third defeat in World Cup qualifying for the Albiceleste, who remain top of the standings with 22 points, and Scaloni chose to focus on the positives.

"I'm not here to criticise my players; I'm here to support them," Scaloni said. "We knew it was going to be a tough match. We're here to move forward.

"In the first half, we played a good game, but the first action at the start of the second half made everything more difficult. We have to congratulate the opponent, who defended very well.

"I don't know if they found the antidote [to beating Argentina]. We're hoping to get back on the positive path.

"The team always tries and stands tall. That's what's important: never giving up on the game and always having the desire to compete."

Paraguay are sixth in the table, having extended their unbeaten run to six matches, which also includes a win over Brazil.

They had to dig deep, having only 23.2% possession throughout the game, though they had eight shots to Argentina's nine and scored with both of their efforts on target.

Head coach Gustavo Alfaro is yet to lose a game since taking over Paraguay after the Copa America, and he hailed his team's resilience.

"With the rebelliousness of these players in the face of adversity, I have no doubt that we will get there. When the predisposition is so great, time is secondary," he said.

"They were fantastic points, very difficult. It is difficult to take a point from Argentina."

Trinidad and Tobago’s ace swimmer Dylan Carter headlines a three-member team that will represent the Twin Island Republic at the World Aquatics World Short Course (25m) Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The six-day event, scheduled for December 10–15, promises exciting prospects for aquatics enthusiasts as it will feature morning heats and evening semi-finals and finals.

Carter will enter the championship in rich form following his fairly successful World Aquatics Swimming World Cup outing recently, where he pocketed two gold medals and one bronze during the three-leg competition.

The decorated 28-year-old, who is a many-time World Short Course medallist and Olympian, is scheduled to swim the men’s 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 50m butterfly.

He will be joined by rising sensation Nikoli Blackman, who is currently in his sophomore year at the University of Tennessee. Blackman, a talented and versatile swimmer, will only contest the men’s 200m freestyle event.

Meanwhile, Zuri Ferguson, who paraded her skills at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, is the lone female member of the team. The University of Florida freshman will be targeting at least best times in the women’s 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke events.

Another female swimmer, Ornella Walker, who recently shattered Trinidad and Tobago’s 50m and 100m backstroke records, also qualified to make the team but opted not to take up her spot on this occasion.

John Collins scored the last of his 28 points on a tiebreaking dunk with 6.4 seconds left to give the Utah Jazz their first home victory of the season, 115-113 over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Collins also had nine rebounds and Jordan Clarkson added 20 points for the Jazz, who had lost their first five home games.

Luka Dončić had 37 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Dallas. Quentin Grimes added 15 points and five assists while filling in for Kyrie Irving, who missed the game because of a right shoulder sprain. Klay Thompson had 17 points.

The Mavericks erased a 16-point deficit and tied it on Thompson’s 3-pointer in the final minute before Collins answered with his winner.

Dallas led at halftime and got six third-quarter baskets from Doncic. It wasn’t enough to keep the Jazz from surging ahead as the quarter progressed. Utah ripped off a 9-0 run following back-to-back baskets from Doncic and went up 90-78 on Collins’ tip-in layup.

Utah scored baskets on six straight third-quarter possessions to take an 81-73 lead. Lauri Markkanen scored three baskets himself, culminating in a step-back 3-pointer.

Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, Jalen Hurts ran for the go-ahead score after being evaluated for a concussion, and the Philadelphia Eagles stretched their lead in the NFC East with a 26-18 win on Thursday night over Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.

The Eagles (8-2) won their sixth straight since their bye, although this one came with a serious scare.

Hurts’ head was spiked into the turf by linebacker Frankie Luvu in the second quarter, and the $255 million quarterback’s head bounced off the ground. Hurts rolled over, face down, and grabbed his helmet. He was examined in the sideline medical tent but stayed in the game, finishing with 221 yards passing.

With the Eagles leading 12-10 in the fourth quarter, Washington was in range for a go-ahead field goal and coach Dan Quinn elected to go for it on fourth down. Daniels scrambled and was stopped for no gain, and less than three minutes later, Barkley scored on a 23-yard run.

Jake Elliott made the extra point after missing his previous try - along with two of his four field goals - to give the Eagles a two-score lead.

Daniels, who finished 22 of 32 for 191 yards and a late touchdown pass, was intercepted by safety Reed Blankenship on Washington's next play, and 12 seconds later, Barkley finished off the Commanders (7-4) with a 39-yard touchdown run.

 

Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, Jalen Hurts ran for the go-ahead score after being evaluated for a concussion, and the Philadelphia Eagles stretched their lead in the NFC East with a 26-18 win on Thursday night over Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.

The Eagles (8-2) won their sixth straight since their bye, although this one came with a serious scare.

Hurts' head was spiked into the turf by linebacker Frankie Luvu in the second quarter, and the $255 million quarterback's head bounced off the ground. Hurts rolled over, face down, and grabbed his helmet. He was examined in the sideline medical tent but stayed in the game, finishing with 221 yards passing.

With the Eagles leading 12-10 in the fourth quarter, Washington was in range for a go-ahead field goal and coach Dan Quinn elected to go for it on fourth down. Daniels scrambled and was stopped for no gain, and less than three minutes later, Barkley scored on a 23-yard run.

Jake Elliott made the extra point after missing his previous try - along with two of his four field goals - to give the Eagles a two-score lead.

Daniels, who finished 22 of 32 for 191 yards and a late touchdown pass, was intercepted by safety Reed Blankenship on Washington's next play, and 12 seconds later, Barkley finished off the Commanders (7-4) with a 39-yard touchdown run.

The West Indies had a batting performance to forget as England secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five-match T20I series with a three-wicket win at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet on Thursday.

The hosts made a sub-par 145-8 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat. For the second match in a row, the West Indies quickly found themselves on the back foot with the wickets of Shai Hope (4), Evin Lewis (3), Nicholas Pooran (7), Roston Chase (7) and Shimron Hetmyer (2) leaving them 37-5 in the sixth over.

Captain Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd steadied the ship somewhat with a 73-run sixth wicket partnership before Shepherd fell for 30 at the start of the 16th over.

Powell eventually made a top score of 54 odd 41 balls while Alzarri Joseph provided some valuable lower-order runs with 21*.

Saqib Mahmood continued his excellent form with the ball in the series with 3-17 from his four overs while Jamie Overton was also brilliant, taking 3-20 from his four.

England then reached 149-7 with four balls to spare to secure the win and a series victory.

Sam Curran led the way with 41 while Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks made 39 and 32, respectively.

Akeal Hosein bowled excellently despite the loss with 4-22 from his four overs.

The fourth T20I will take place at the same venue on Saturday.

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