Paul George was frustrated with the officiating crew as the Los Angeles Clippers’ losing streak continued at the Denver Nuggets.
James Harden is still waiting for his first win in a Clippers jersey despite the team putting in an improved performance, losing 111-108 in a competitive NBA In-Season Tournament game on Tuesday.
Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists for the hosts, who held off the Clippers despite George scoring 35 points, tying his season high as Harden added 21.
Los Angeles has lost five straight games with Harden since acquiring him last month. They are 0-6 on the road this season, 0-2 in the tournament and 3-7 overall.
The Nuggets took 32 free throws compared to the Clippers' 24 with Jokic making all 14 of his free-throw attempts.
George went to the line five times, which he felt was nowhere near enough, and was whistled for a technical foul for arguing with the referees shortly before halftime.
"We played great," George said, per ESPN. "It's tough, the adversity of playing against the extra three [officials].
"I thought they were awful. But, [against the] defending champs, we [were able to] to play better and there's a lot to be positive about.
"I'm not one for moral victories, but I thought we showed more of a sign of a team that's close to getting it over the hump."
George, who also had seven rebounds, was asked to elaborate on his comments on the refs.
He added: "It was bad. Five free throws is very disrespectful on this night. So many times I got hit on layups, 3-pointers, it was constant.
"Jump shots, getting hit, smacked on the forearm. I mean, it was poor, a poor job. They [are] calling something on one end, they got to call it on the other.
"But, again, we [have] got to be able to beat these guys on their floor and not rely on that."
Harden sank three of his eight 3-point attempts as the Clippers produced their best performance since his arrival.
"I kept reiterating, I didn’t have a training camp or a preseason, so kind of learning on the fly," Harden said.
"Also getting myself into James Harden shape. This was definitely another step in the right direction and just keep improving."
The Nuggets' Reggie Jackson thinks it is only a matter of time until the Clippers put it all together.
"They’re still figuring it out," he said about George, Harden, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.
"You can see it, they’ve got a lot of talents that overlap. When you have superstars, superstars can do a lot of things. They gave us a great punch."
Denver is 9-2 for the season, 7-0 at home and 2-0 in the tournament, even with point guard Jamal Murray still out with a hamstring injury.
Both teams are back in action on Friday with the Clippers hosting the Houston Rockets while the Nuggets are on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Laura Morgan could be set for the biggest day of her training career so far at Cheltenham on Saturday as she prepares to fire a twin assault on the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
The Waltham On The Wolds handler enjoyed her best ever season last term with a tally of 40 winners, seven of which were provided by the two horses she saddles in this weekend’s prestigious handicap.
Morgan is not expecting such a prolific campaign this term, but is hopeful she can make her presence felt on the big stage.
She said: “Last season, we had 40 winners and a lot more horses in, whereas this year we’ve only got 25 horses to run and 10 three-year-olds.
“I bought some three-year-olds with nice pedigrees that will hopefully be nice horses for next year, that’s the idea.
“We’re not going to have the season we had last year, but I’ve tried to up the quality and hopefully we can have runners on the bigger days.”
The stable’s first string on Saturday appears to be Notlongtillmay, who won his first three starts over fences last term before filling the runner-up spot behind the reopposing Stage Star in the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The seven-year-old returned to Prestbury Park for his seasonal reappearance in a two-mile handicap chase last month – and having finished a creditable fourth under the welter burden of 12 stone, Morgan feels he is cherry-ripe for his latest big-race assignment.
“Two miles is way too short and I’d left him short enough as well – it wasn’t like he was fully tuned up for that,” she added.
“I was going to go to Wetherby for a two-and-a-half-mile race on the Friday of the Charlie Hall meeting, but obviously that was abandoned, so thank God I actually gave him a prep run before then.
“This was the aim, we’re 3lb better off with Stage Star and Stage Star isn’t going to get an easy lead like he did in the Turners – there’s going to be a lot of pace in this on Saturday.
“With The Real Whacker running, our lad goes in there with a nice racing weight (11st 4lb) and he’ll go through the (soft) ground, that wouldn’t worry me at all.”
Notlongtillmay’s stablemate Whistleinthedark also enjoyed an excellent first season over fences, climbing from a mark of 113 to his current perch of 144 with four wins from four starts.
He has not been seen in competitive action since scoring at Perth in late April, but Morgan is confident he is ready enough to do himself justice.
She said: “I had planned to give him a prep run – he was going to go to Market Rasen for the Prelude (Handicap Chase), but it was abandoned.
“I’m not too fussed about not getting a run in as he’s done a lot of work at home. We’ve got a two-mile grass gallop and he’s fairly ready without having had that run to sharpen him – he’s not far away.
“I never thought he’d be rated what he’s rated and would do what he did when he first arrived. I thought he’d be an average, fun, handicapper, but he’s been brilliant.”
Morgan is fully aware that winning one of the season’s biggest prizes is no easy task and she is just pleased to be heading to the Cotswolds with a fighting chance.
She added: “They’re all up against it, not just us, but it’s very exciting for a small yard like ours and fingers crossed they’ll both go and run well.
“They won’t let us down, anyway – these two don’t know how to!”
Jon Rahm has backed Rory McIlroy’s decision to resign from the PGA Tour policy board and has no interest in replacing his Ryder Cup team-mate.
The news was revealed by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a memo to members late on Tuesday, with McIlroy citing “professional and personal commitments” for standing down as a player-director.
Hours earlier, the world number two insisted progress was being made in talks over the future of men’s professional golf, but a fear that “loose lips sink ships” meant it was being kept under wraps.
McIlroy has been LIV Golf’s most vocal critic and admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” when a shock deal between LIV’s Saudi backers and the PGA Tour and DP World Tour was announced in June.
The PGA Tour are now also assessing potential funding from alternative private equity sources and McIlroy was asked if he enjoyed being part of such discussions during a press conference ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“Not particularly, no,” McIlroy said. “Not what I signed for when I went on the board. But the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.”
Asked on Wednesday if he would be interested in replacing McIlroy, Rahm said: “Absolutely no chance.
“I’ve been asked a couple times if I have any interest, and I’m not going to spend, I don’t know how many meetings they have, but they are six, seven-hour plus long. I’m not here for that.
“As regards to Rory, he’s obviously been put in a situation where a lot has been expected of him, and I don’t know the exact reason why he left the board.
“But I certainly wouldn’t blame somebody like him to just want to focus a bit more on his game and his family and enjoy the bit of time he’s truly earned. Again, it’s a big commitment for somebody to be part of it.”
McIlroy first joined the PGA Tour’s player advisory council in 2019 and went on to serve as its chairman in 2021, roles which Rahm feels may have had an impact on McIlroy’s on-course performance.
“I think it is a significant commitment, so it could have an effect,” the Masters champion said.
“It’s not only the meetings. It’s the phone calls and the players wanting to talk to you. So those hours you spent on the golf course are a little bit busier.
“So I think it could hinder a little bit, and there’s a reason probably why I can’t recall any great player being a full-time board member and winning tournaments and majors at the same time, at least in recent history.”
Announcing the news, Monahan praised McIlroy’s commitment to the PGA Tour in a memo sent to the Northern Irishman’s fellow players.
“During his tenure, Rory’s insight has been instrumental in helping shape the success of the Tour and his willingness to thoughtfully voice his opinion has been especially impactful,” Monahan wrote.
“Given the extraordinary time and effort that Rory – and all of his fellow player directors – have invested in the Tour during this unprecedented, transformational period in our history, we certainly understand and respect his decision to step down in order to focus on his game and his family.”
The remaining player-directors – Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson – will elect a successor to serve McIlroy’s unexpired term, which runs until the end of 2024.
Rudy Gobert ridiculed Draymond Green's "clown behaviour" after the Golden State Warriors forward was ejected against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Green, Klay Thompson and Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels were ejected after an altercation early in the first quarter of Tuesday's in-season tournament game, which the Timberwolves won 104-101.
Thompson and McDaniels became embroiled in a shoving match. Green rushed in and pulled Rudy Gobert away from behind with his arm around the center's neck.
Thompson's jersey was ripped during the scuffle, which led to Green's second ejection of the season and two free throws by Gobert.
The Warriors were without talisman Stephen Curry, who did not play due to right knee soreness, and Gobert suggested that Green finds a way to be ejected when his teammate is not playing.
"I went to try to disconnect the situation between Jaden and Klay, and then I just felt someone grabbing me," Gobert said.
"My first thought was, I'm not going to fight, I need to be in this game to help my team. So I showed the ref I had my hands up and I just waited until the situation was over. Nothing more than that. It wasn't really enough of a choke for me to sleep. I just kept my hands up and waited until it was over.
"It's kind of funny because before the game I was telling myself Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try to get ejected. Every time Steph doesn't play, he doesn't want to play without his guy Steph, so he's doing anything to get ejected. It's all good.
"Just clown behaviour. I'm proud of myself for being the bigger man, again and again. It doesn't even deserve me putting my hands on him.
"My team needed me tonight, so I wanted to keep my cool and not make the situation worse. I do hope the league is going to do what needs to be done, because that's just clown behaviour. There's not much to say, it's clown behaviour."
Explaining his altercation with Thompson, McDaniels said: "I was just trying to crash for a rebound and he kind of grabbed my collar. I was just trying to defend myself and get him off me.
"The rest is what it is. I knew before that there was some chitter-chatter going back and forth. I didn't take it seriously. I was just laughing. I guess it was a bigger deal to him."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered a different opinion, saying: "There is no way Klay should have been ejected. That was ridiculous.
"I was upset about that. As far as the Draymond piece of it, Rudy had his hands on Klay's neck. That's why Draymond went after Rudy."
Tuesday's loss was the Warriors' second defeat in a row to the Timberwolves, who have now won their last seven games. Golden State, meanwhile, have lost five of their last six.
Kerr, though, did have some positive news on Curry's status.
"Nothing alarming," Kerr said of the Curry's injury. "He is day-to-day and we will see. If he misses another game or two, it's not going to be anything long-term."
Rudy Gobert ridiculed Draymond Green's "clown behaviour" after the Golden State Warriors forward was ejected against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Green, Klay Thompson and Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels were ejected after an altercation early in the first quarter of Tuesday's in-season tournament game, which the Timberwolves won 104-101.
Thompson and McDaniels became embroiled in a shoving match. Green rushed in and pulled Rudy Gobert away from behind with his arm around the center's neck.
Thompson's jersey was ripped during the scuffle, which led to Green's second ejection of the season and two free throws by Gobert.
The Warriors were without talisman Stephen Curry, who did not play due to right knee soreness, and Gobert suggested that Green finds a way to be ejected when his teammate is not playing.
"I went to try to disconnect the situation between Jaden and Klay, and then I just felt someone grabbing me," Gobert said.
"My first thought was, I'm not going to fight, I need to be in this game to help my team. So I showed the ref I had my hands up and I just waited until the situation was over. Nothing more than that. It wasn't really enough of a choke for me to sleep. I just kept my hands up and waited until it was over.
"It's kind of funny because before the game I was telling myself Steph is not playing, so I know Draymond is going to try to get ejected. Every time Steph doesn't play, he doesn't want to play without his guy Steph, so he's doing anything to get ejected. It's all good.
"Just clown behaviour. I'm proud of myself for being the bigger man, again and again. It doesn't even deserve me putting my hands on him.
"My team needed me tonight, so I wanted to keep my cool and not make the situation worse. I do hope the league is going to do what needs to be done, because that's just clown behaviour. There's not much to say, it's clown behaviour."
Explaining his altercation with Thompson, McDaniels said: "I was just trying to crash for a rebound and he kind of grabbed my collar. I was just trying to defend myself and get him off me.
"The rest is what it is. I knew before that there was some chitter-chatter going back and forth. I didn't take it seriously. I was just laughing. I guess it was a bigger deal to him."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr offered a different opinion, saying: "There is no way Klay should have been ejected. That was ridiculous.
"I was upset about that. As far as the Draymond piece of it, Rudy had his hands on Klay's neck. That's why Draymond went after Rudy."
Tuesday's loss was the Warriors' second defeat in a row to the Timberwolves, who have now won their last seven games. Golden State, meanwhile, have lost five of their last six.
Kerr, though, did have some positive news on Curry's status.
"Nothing alarming," Kerr said of the Curry's injury. "He is day-to-day and we will see. If he misses another game or two, it's not going to be anything long-term."
Andrew Flintoff has been appointed as head coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred as the former England captain continues his return to the public eye following a serious car crash.
Flintoff gradually returned to the limelight through cricket in the summer after a crash last December while filming a stunt for the BBC show Top Gear left him hospitalised with facial and rib injuries.
He is now set for his first head coach role and replaces ex-England wicketkeeper James Foster, who left the Superchargers last week after two years with the Headingley-based team.
The 45-year-old said in a statement: “I am excited to have been appointed head coach of the Northern Superchargers men’s team.”
Fikayo Tomori is hoping England’s final two Euro 2024 qualifiers will present the “perfect opportunity” to spring a “stop-start” international career into life.
The 25-year-old AC Milan defender made his senior England debut in 2019 but has collected just four caps since, although he is yet to be part of a back line that has conceded a goal.
Now, for the first time, the former Chelsea youngster has been called up by Gareth Southgate for three successive squads.
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Harry Maguire and John Stones continue to be Southgate’s first-choice partnership at the heart of his defence but the latter will sit out the upcoming double-header against Malta and North Macedonia through injury.
That could open the door for Tomori, as well as Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi, to stake a claim for a more prominent role for England, especially with qualification for next summer’s Euros already achieved.
Asked how big the two upcoming games are for his own Euros chances, Tomori told BBC Radio 5 Live: “Very important. Obviously, the guys have gone through this kind of qualifying campaign really well and they managed to get us qualified early.
“So I think now that we have two games when we’ve already qualified, I think it’s a good chance for the players who probably haven’t played as much or who want to make a claim for the Euros.
“I think it’s the perfect opportunity. The last camp I managed to get a match, my first game at Wembley, which was nice. That’s a positive step in the right direction for me and hopefully this camp I can make another step and play in a qualifying game.
“Obviously John and Harry are really top players and they have been for him (Southgate) for a number of years.
“So, for me, I’m coming in and I’m just trying to push them as much as I can, show the manager what I can do.”
Tomori’s first steps on the international scene came with Canada – the country of his birth – when he represented their under-20s before switching his footballing allegiances to England.
After coming up through the ranks, he made his senior debut as a late substitute in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win away to Kosovo.
He has since been capped once in 2021, 2022 and 2023 despite winning Serie A with AC Milan two seasons ago.
“I think it’s been a bit stop-start,” Tomori said of his England career to date.
“I think when I was 21 and I first got called up I made a few appearances off the bench… then after the Covid year I wasn’t paying as much, so obviously I wasn’t getting called up.
“Then I went to Milan and I’ve been in a few camps, out a few camps. But this season started off really well and I’ve have managed to play a few games and I’ve come to every camp.
“So yeah, it has started off well and now I just want to keep it going and play more games, get more caps.
“Most players will say once you come here, you want to stay here and when you get taste for it, you want to you want to keep building on it.
“Like I said, this season, I started off really well and this is my third successive camp. So I’m really, really happy with how things are going and I think now it’s just about staying consistent, trying to get into the next camp and the next camp and the next camp.”
Adam Azim believes Franck Petitjean is in “massive trouble” ahead of their super-lightweight bout as the Slough fighter sends a verbal warning to the European champion.
The unbeaten 9-0-0 Azim looks to claim European gold when he faces off with the French Petitjean on Saturday after an impressive points victory over tough Ukrainian Aram Fanyan in September.
And the 21-year-old believes his powerful shot selection will be a nightmare for his opponent who “is in for a shock” when the pair meet in Wolverhampton.
“He’s in massive trouble, he’s either getting outscored or he’s going to sleep,” Azim told the PA News agency.
“In some of his interviews he said he’ll be a nightmare for me. He isn’t going to be no nightmare because when he wakes up all the nightmares will be real when I’m the one coming at him.
“He’s in for a shock.
“I’m going to be patient with my shots but I’m looking for the knockout, that’s what I’m after. I’m going to box his head off and let him walk into my shots.
“He’ll see what I’m made of.
“He’ll try and fight me on the inside but I can also fight inside and that’s something he does not know and once he feels my power and speed in the early rounds he definitely won’t come forward after that.”
The 35-year-old Petitjean reclaimed his European super-lightweight belt with a majority decision win over Samuel Molina in June.
And Azim talked up the importance of the bout, saying it is a must win and that he is going to make a massive statement to the rest of the division.
He said: “He has won the European title but I’m going to take it off him. I’ve been after that European title for a very long time and this is my opportunity to take it with both hands.
“The European title is a massive thing for me. I want it really bad.
“It’s a must win. I’m putting everything into this fight and I want to make a massive statement in the last fight of the year.”
Azim highlighted how European champion status could springboard his reputation to a world class level but insisted he has to take care of Petitjean first.
He said: “People see me as a high class fighter and I will get there at one stage. Hopefully that European title will set me at a world class level. I’ve got a job to do first.
“I could say that I’m up there (with the division’s best) but I have got to win the European title first and then hopefully next year I’ll be there.”
Azim takes on Petitjean on November 18, live on Sky Sports.
Andre Villas-Boas has spoken of the challenge faced by managers due to the increased use of data analysis, recalling it led to “massive, massive arguments” over the potential signing of Joao Moutinho when he was Tottenham head coach.
The Portuguese wanted to sign compatriot Moutinho from Porto in the summer of 2012, but the midfielder was only sixth on the list compiled using data and statistical analysis by then sporting director Franco Baldini.
Spurs pushed ahead with other targets, including Mousa Dembele, and only returned for Moutinho at the end of the summer transfer window, missing out on his signature by a minute.
With more and more clubs using data and artificial intelligence to identify targets, Villas-Boas knows the conundrum that managers will now begin to face.
“The most evident case I had when I was at Tottenham and I wanted to sign Joao Moutinho and he was sitting sixth on the list compiled by data people,” he said at Web Summit in Lisbon.
“The first on the list was Dembele, we ended up signing him and we almost ended up signing Moutinho as well, but we lost it against the clock on the last day of the transfer window.
“But it drained me emotionally to the point where, here was a guy that the data was not showing all that he represented from the coach’s perspective, which is a player that knows your leadership, a player that knows your style, adaptability to your style.
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“This can be quantified, but it must be done in the view of a coach and not a single view.
“This was the problem in the beginning and we mad massive, massive arguments in the beginning because of this with Moutinho.
“We signed Dembele but missed out on Moutinho and it was unfortunate because we were going to build up a very strong midfield.
“This is precisely where you have to have that balance to understand, what is your coaching philosophy and how it should be integrated into the data that has been provided to you.”
Villas-Boas has not been in work since leaving Marseille in 2021 and has forged a career as a rally driver while also spending time with his family.
The 46-year-old says he expects to remain out of the game until next year, when he could run for election as Porto’s president.
“Now is not the right moment to talk about going back,” he told the PA news agency. “At this time I am dedicating my time to my family.
“I have managed to find a break where I can dedicate myself to them 100 per cent and this is likely to be until June 2024. They deserve my presence.
“I have this objective of serving FC Porto as a president and at the moment it is going to go up for election in April or June 2024, so I always have the idea the present myself.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he is fuelled by a personal anger and drive to help Lewis Hamilton win the record eighth world championship he was denied in Abu Dhabi.
In an interview with the PA news agency ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster Las Vegas Grand Prix, team principal Wolff also revealed his own succession plan at Mercedes – in which he plans to skip as many as 10 races each season – and claimed Hamilton, 38, could compete in Formula One for at least another five years.
Wolff has arrived in Sin City for the inaugural night race on the Las Vegas strip following Mercedes’ abysmal performance last time out in Brazil – one he described as the worst of his career.
Hamilton finished 63 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen, and gloomily predicted he will not be a championship contender for the next two years.
Next month will mark two years since the seven-time world champion last won a race, and that ill-fated evening in Abu Dhabi where race referee Michael Masi’s failure to imply the correct rules left him at the mercy of Verstappen. The Dutchman took the championship in the desert before quickly racking up another two titles in his all-conquering Red Bull.
“We are living in a hamster wheel where time passes so quickly that it doesn’t feel like it has been two years,” said Wolff.
“You can see how quickly the pecking order changes. We won eight constructors’ championships in a row, and it has been two years since Red Bull have been taking the trophy home. But we have to look forward, learn from the past, and the push now is to make Lewis win quickly again.
“I have a personal anger, and drive to make him win the eighth title because he should have had it.
“As a team principal, it is important to be fair and open with both drivers. But there is a big part of us that will always want to be a part of that story in undoing and overcoming 2021.”
Hamilton will start a new two-year deal with the Silver Arrows next season, worth an estimated £100million. He will be nearly 41 at the conclusion of the contract, but Wolff does not believe it will be his last with Mercedes.
“We are living from contract-to-contract, and it is important that we are doing what we think is right and what we feel is right, and at the moment I personally feel he can go longer,” added the Austrian.
And could he carry on for another five years?
“He is 39 in January, and Fernando (Alonso – 42) is still going strong,” replied Wolff. “As long as you look after yourself, you do the best preparation, physically and mentally, and develop different areas to when you are 25, then yes.
“We just need to give him a car that is quick enough. And, as a driver, I have no doubt about him. You have seen in the last races that his performance, speed and race craft are all there. But, if he doesn’t have the car underneath him, he cannot win.”
Wolff oversaw Mercedes’ crushing dominance which led to Hamilton winning six of his record-equalling seven world crowns.
But Wolff’s future as team principal is in the spotlight following Mercedes’ dramatic demise. And although he admitted he intends to stay on as team principal, the 51-year-old, who also holds a one-third shareholding in Mercedes, is plotting his succession plan.
“The clear aim is to build a structure for the future and that is my sheer responsibility for the team,” said Wolff, who was absent from the races in Japan and Qatar earlier this season following knee surgery.
“A stone could fall on my head and how does it look afterwards? That is why I would like to see myself in a few years maybe not going to 24 races, and just to 15.
“But that is many years away. I see myself in this role for a long time. I cannot imagine doing something else.
“I really struggled in 2020 to make a decision on whether I wanted to stay active in the sport or to be a shareholder and go back to my finance world. I was tired, mentally and physically, but then I came to the realisation that I wanted to continue.
“I feel I am contributing to the team in the crossover world of finance and motor racing, and I have a passion for both, and that is why I continue to do it.”
Over at Red Bull, Verstappen has won 17 of the 20 rounds so far – which included a record 10-in-a-row streak – in the most dominant season the sport has ever witnessed.
Wolff caused controversy when he poured scorn on Verstappen’s achievements, calling them “irrelevant” and “only for Wikipedia and nobody reads that anyway”.
“It was not an intelligent thing to say,” said Wolff.
“There were all these numbers about how many races we had won, and we used to joke that who cares about the numbers? It only goes on Wikipedia, and nobody reads that anyway. It was a joke, but it is much easier to joke about your own records than somebody else’s.
“His records are unbelievable and what he has been able to achieve clearly ranks him amongst the greatest drivers in the sport at that young age. I have clarified that with him.”
Rory McIlroy has resigned from his player director role on the PGA Tour policy board.
World number two McIlroy had spoke with the media on Tuesday ahead of the DP World Tour Championship event in Dubai about ongoing discussions to shape the future of men’s professional golf, but admitted he did not enjoy being on the inside of those talks.
The Framework Agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – which blinded players when it was announced in June – was due to be finalised by the end of the year, although meeting that deadline now appears unlikely.
McIlroy, who was a key figure in the PGA Tour’s battle against the threat of LIV golf, has now tendered his resignation after two years on the board.
“Citing personal and professional commitments, Rory McIlroy has notified the PGA Tour policy board that he is resigning his position as a player director,” a PGA Tour statement read.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo sent to players on Tuesday evening: “During his tenure, Rory’s insight has been instrumental in helping shape the success of the Tour and his willingness to thoughtfully voice his opinion has been especially impactful.
“Given the extraordinary time and effort that Rory – and all of his fellow player directors – have invested in the Tour during this unprecedented, transformational period in our history, we certainly under and respect his decision to step down in order to focus on his game and his family.”
In addition to serving on the board since 2021, McIlroy had also spent the previous three years as a member of the player advisory council.
The five-year stint of the Northern Irishman across both roles encompassed not only the emergence of LIV golf, but also the Covid-19 pandemic.
When quizzed about the future of men’s professional golf on Tuesday, McIlroy insisted progress was being made in talks, but alluded to the difficulty of being a player director.
“Not particularly, no,” McIlroy replied, when asked if it was enjoyable being in key discussions.
“Not what I signed for when I went on the board. But the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.”
McIlroy did arrive in Dubai for the season-ending tournament already assured of winning a fifth Race to Dubai title and will begin his first round at the DP World Tour Championship later on Wednesday.
Sir Chris Hoy believes Katie Archibald is on track for next summer’s Paris Olympics after seeing her storm to overall victory in the UCI Track Champions League.
Two-time Olympic champion Archibald admitted she was far from her best at the World Championships in Glasgow in August, when the intense spotlight of a home worlds came as she was still coming to terms with the tragic loss of her partner Rab Wardell 12 months earlier.
But just a few months later, the 29-year-old Scot showed her class to win the Champions League crown for a second time, wrapping up her victory during the final two rounds in London at the weekend.
“It’s incredibly impressive,” Hoy told the PA news agency. “We’re starting to see that spark coming back, the smile, the enjoyment of the racing. Just life coming back into her after what was an incredibly difficult year.
“She wasn’t at her best at the world championships and I think this is a significant step forward from the worlds and it really does bode well for what is a massively important year for her and for the team.
“And they need her. The team really does rely on a few big-name individuals, not to carry the team but to inspire the team.
“When the big names are firing and on form it lifts everyone else, so she’s absolutely central to the British Cycling campaign and it’s looking good.
“I think she’s definitely getting better and getting to where she needs to be.”
The made-for-TV Champions League, which has just completed its third season, sees endurance riders like Archibald compete in two races per round, the scratch race and the elimination.
It is a long way from the team pursuit and the Madison that Archibald will aim for in Paris, and comprises only two of the four elements of the omnium, but it will be a significant confidence booster all the same.
“This is not a direct comparison to those events but it almost doesn’t matter,” added Hoy, who is an ambassador for the Champions League.
“It’s about how she’s responding to the competition and getting inspired by the crowd and just starting to bring back that spark and getting her life back on track after what she’s been through.
“As a rider you want to use the event in the right way. I would want to come in and see it as an opportunity to learn about my rivals, see them in some different situations and try different tactics.
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“If it doesn’t work out it’s not the end of the world, you’ve not missed out on a world title or an Olympic medal, but having said that the overall Champions League jersey and trophy is a massive thing now, it’s being recognised.”
Although star names like Archibald and Dutch sprinter Harrie Lavreysen drew the crowds, this season saw arguably the weakest field yet contest the Champions League with several riders preferring to focus their training elsewhere as the clock ticks down to Paris.
However, Hoy said he believed the still young series – which aims to elevate the profile of track cycling beyond the Olympics and annual world championships – is developing well.
“I think it’s pretty close to what I hoped it would be,” he said. “I think they’ve delivered exactly what they promised and probably more.
“This year it’s been a challenge with it being an Olympic year but the organisers aren’t trying to hide that, and I think next year there will be a rebound when, post-Olympics, riders are freed of the pressure and stress of an Olympic year and they want to go out and ride their bikes and have fun.”
A date for Tyson Fury’s undisputed world heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk is set to be revealed on Thursday.
Fury had been expected to clash with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Usyk on December 23, but the British boxer was left blooded and bruised in a contentious points win over Francis Ngannou last month.
That fight was rumoured to be the preamble to the announcement of Fury taking on Usyk and even though the pair got in the ring together, the swollen eye and cut on the forehead of the Gypsy King pushed back the widely-reported proposed date, but an announcement is expected for Thursday.
Bob Arum, chief executive at Fury’s American promoter Top Rank, told Sky Sports: “I can confirm they will fight each other in Saudi Arabia.
“There will be a press conference in London for Thursday of this week – the 16th – and they’ll confirm the date and all the other circumstances of the fight taking place.
“Tyson is ready to fight in February, if that’s when it happens. Remember going in with Ngannou, who showed himself to be very talented, nobody had a book on him because he had never had a prize fight.
“Fighting Usyk is totally different because they have reams and reams of film on Usyk. So, I think Tyson will be a lot better prepared against Usyk than he was against Ngannou.
“I have great confidence in Tyson Fury.
“I really believe Fury against Usyk will be a classic match.”
A date for Tyson Fury’s undisputed world heavyweight title fight with Oleksandr Usyk is set to be revealed on Thursday.
Fury had been expected to clash with WBA, IBF and WBO champion Usyk on December 23, but the British boxer was left blooded and bruised in a contentious points win over Francis Ngannou last month.
That fight was rumoured to be the preamble to the announcement of Fury taking on Usyk and even though the pair got in the ring together, the swollen eye and cut on the forehead of the Gypsy King pushed back the widely-reported proposed date, but an announcement is expected for Thursday.
Bob Arum, chief executive at Fury’s American promoter Top Rank, told Sky Sports: “I can confirm they will fight each other in Saudi Arabia.
“There will be a press conference in London for Thursday of this week – the 16th – and they’ll confirm the date and all the other circumstances of the fight taking place.
“Tyson is ready to fight in February, if that’s when it happens. Remember going in with Ngannou, who showed himself to be very talented, nobody had a book on him because he had never had a prize fight.
“Fighting Usyk is totally different because they have reams and reams of film on Usyk. So, I think Tyson will be a lot better prepared against Usyk than he was against Ngannou.
“I have great confidence in Tyson Fury.
“I really believe Fury against Usyk will be a classic match.”
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