Rory McIlroy feels like he is on a “journey” to winning another major title and is optimistic his drought could end next season.
The Northern Irishman has enjoyed a successful 2022, winning the FedEx Cup for the third time and ending the season at the top of the world rankings.
McIlroy endured the agony of missing out on being crowned Open champion after putting himself in a great position to win it, while he was runner-up in The Masters and finished eighth in the PGA Championship.
It is eight years since the 33-year-old won the last of his four major tiles, but he is confident he will not have much longer to wait for the fifth.
"I'm really excited for the majors next year," he told RTE. "I haven't felt this good going into a season, especially a major season, in a long, long time.
"It didn’t happen [in The Open at St Andrews] and it was really hard to see the picture clearly at that time. But a week or two after that, you reflect on it and think 'I'm way closer to winning a major now than I have been in a long time'.
"It's a journey again. I feel like I'm on this journey to win my first major again, which is a really great feeling. I'm getting closer, I'm laying the foundations, and I'm sort of building it step by step."
McIlroy also reiterated that he feels LIV Golf boss Greg Norman should step down for the good of the sport.
"He's become too divisive of a figure," he added. "There's no hope of dialogue going forward if he's involved.
"We have a plethora of amazing golfers on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, but I think the game is healthier as a whole if we're all playing together.
"Greg's done his bit, he's been disruptive, he's been divisive. But now I think it's time for someone to come in and cooler heads to talk about this.
"If that happens, the game of golf will hopefully end up in a better place than it is right now."
Antoine Rozner put his previous Mauritius Open ghosts to bed as he romped to a five-stroke win at Mont Choisy Le Golf in convincing fashion at 18-under.
The Frenchman lost out to Rasmus Hojgaard in a three-way play-off at the last edition of the tournament in 2019, but went one better in Grand Baie this year to pick up his third DP World Tour title.
Collecting his first silverware since last year's Qatar Masters, Rozner posted an impressive five-under on the final day to stay ahead of nearest rival Alfredo Garcia-Heredia.
Rozner's compatriot Julien Brun could only post a par round, to finish third with 12-under, while Simon Forsstrom, Ko Jeong-Weon and Dylan Mostert tied for fourth a shot behind him.
The 29-year-old posted four birdies, an eagle and a bogey - the latter on the 17th - across his round of 67, matched by Garcia-Heredia, though Alejandro Canizares posted the best card of the day at seven-under.
Kyler Murray is expected to miss six to eight months after suffering a torn ACL, meaning he can hope to be ready for the start of the 2023 season.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback left the field in tears as he was carted off during Monday's defeat to the New England Patriots.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed Murray would undergo surgery once the swelling in his knee reduces.
However, ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported there appear to be no additional complications that would delay Murray's recovery. Doctors believe all the other ligaments in his knee are intact, Schefter said.
Colt McCoy will deputise during Murray's absence for the Cardinals' clash with the Denver Broncos, having also filled in earlier this season, and Kingsbury saluted the 36-year-old.
"The respect level [his team-mates] have for him is through the roof, and he puts in the work," Kingsbury said earlier this week. "He's a brilliant football mind, and then he is really good when he gets a chance to play.
"He could be a coach if he wanted to right now. He'd probably take my job easily. He has that type of knowledge and that type of command in the locker room."
The Indianapolis Colts were very aware they were becoming "a punch line" in the NFL ahead of Saturday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, in which they sought to respond.
Remarkably, the AFC South strugglers only made matters worse as they threw away a 33-0 lead in a record-breaking defeat.
The Colts initially had an answer to their critics, building a big lead against the high-flying Vikings on the back of a brilliant first-half defensive performance.
But the latest miserable episode in this Indianapolis season – described as "heartbreaking" by interim coach Jeff Saturday – swiftly followed.
The Vikings rallied for the biggest comeback win in NFL history, first taking the game to overtime via a 22-point fourth quarter before Greg Joseph's field goal clinched victory and the NFC North title.
The Colts had given up 33 points in the fourth quarter of the previous week's defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, a desperate franchise record.
Indy's woes are on both sides of the ball, though, as Frank Reich's firing earlier this year came after a Week 9 loss to the New England Patriots in which 121 yards of total offense represented their worst performance since 1997.
"You give it literally everything you have, you've been through a whole lot of adversity," said Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin.
"We've been hearing everybody talk about us like we're a punch line and we took that very personally. I think you could tell by how we came out and played.
"For the game to go the way it did at the end, it's definitely a tough, tough pill to swallow."
The Buffalo Bills had to give "everything" to rally past the Miami Dolphins and clinch their playoff berth, but Josh Allen's heroics were of no surprise to his team-mates.
The Bills led their AFC East rivals 21-13 at halftime but were then 29-21 down in the fourth quarter, requiring quarterback Allen to step up.
In snowy conditions, his 44-yard run ignited a drive that ended with a two-point conversion to tie the game, although Buffalo soon faced giving the ball back to the Dolphins with time on the clock.
Instead, Allen led his team 65 yards up the field on a 15-play drive that used up all of the remaining time and put Tyler Bass in position to kick the decisive field goal.
An exhausting effort was rewarded with a playoff berth and left coach Sean McDermott "humbled".
"It took everything we had to pull this one out tonight," he said. "It just makes it special.
"It's humbling. Really, that's how I feel about it. Humbled to be a part of it in this great town that doesn't get as much credit as it deserves, honestly.
"And the fans, I mean, this place is unique. So, just awesome. Awesome."
Allen is similarly unique, according to his team-mates.
"He makes plays that I've never seen before," said tight end Dawson Knox, who caught the final TD pass of the game. "Sometimes you kind of turn into a fan while you're watching him.
"Unfortunately, I was under a 300-pound 3-technique on that play that he reached the ball over on the two points, so I didn't see it until we saw the JumboTron.
"But I've talked about it before. It's not even surprising at this point. You're just like, 'oh, there's Josh being Josh again'.
"He's the best quarterback in the league, the best football player in the league. So, anytime you've got him on your team, you've got a chance to win."
The Bills have made the postseason for a fourth straight year, but they have not been back to the Super Bowl since losing four in a row in the early 1990s.
"You can't win the Super Bowl unless you make the playoffs," added Allen. "So, that's goal number one down. Goal number two now is to clinch the division. That's how we'll take it.
"We'll take it one game at a time. Be ready for next week."
Deshaun Watson celebrated a "special" home debut for the Cleveland Browns after leading them to victory over the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium on Saturday.
Watson threw the only touchdown of the 13-3 win with a three-yard pass to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the third quarter, completing 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards with a further 22 rushing yards.
A cold and partially snowy night saw both AFC North rivals struggle to score, but Watson made the difference in his third outing for the Browns and first in Cleveland.
"It was a great, fun game on the lake, especially in the fourth quarter when [the snow] started coming down and swirling around," he said after the win. "It was fun to be out there. My first home game was a victory, and it was special. Many more to come.
"Football is coming back each and every week. I don't need to come in and try to do anything special. If we just come in and I just do my job as a quarterback, then everything is going to come in place."
Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski was pleased with his quarterback but added Watson still has room for improvement after missing so much football in the past two seasons.
"He was seeing [the field] very clearly," Stefanski said. "I thought he was very poised and making good decisions.
"There are always plays that I know he can be better, I can be better, we can design better plays and all of those type of things, but I know I continue to see a guy who is just getting better and better."
The win moved the Browns to 6-8, still just about in playoff contention ahead of Watson's second home game against the New Orleans Saints next Saturday.
Devin Booker credited his determination to get out of a recent "slump" for his electric performance in the Phoenix Suns' win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
The Suns trailed by 24 points at one stage at Footprint Center, before surging back to win 118-114, with Booker's incessant shooting a key feature.
The 26-year-old scored 58 points, making 21 of 35 field goal attempts, six of 12 from beyond the arc and 10 of 15 from the foul line.
Booker had not topped 20 points in his previous five games but was determined to be the difference against New Orleans.
"I was just making shots, man," he said after the win. "I've been in a bit of a slump and just gotta keep shooting. That's what I live by. I was put in the right situations to make the right plays.
"I usually just want to make the right play every time, but once I get it going a little bit, you know shooting over a hand, it is the right play."
At one point, Booker scored 25 consecutive points for Phoenix to bring the deficit down to just one midway through the fourth quarter.
Monty Williams was understandably impressed with Booker, claiming he as his coach was "the only person that could've stopped him tonight... by taking him out the game".
Chris Paul, who himself scored 18 along with eight assists and five rebounds, praised Booker for rising to the challenge as the Pelicans sought to slow him.
"I don't take it for granted," Paul said. "I know how hard it is. Having games similar to that, not 58, but when you've just got it going like that and you just want the ball and you know every time you're going to make it a play.
"So, I appreciate it, because I know how hard it is to consistently do that when everybody on the court knows you're going to get the ball."
Tiger Woods praised his "great team-mate" as he and son Charlie started their PNC Championship strongly on Saturday.
Competing for a third year at the tournament where professional golfers play alongside family members, Woods and his son carded a 13-under 59, sitting in joint-second place alongside Vijay and Qass Singh and two shots behind leaders Justin and Mike Thomas.
Woods, a 15-time major winner, suffered serious leg injuries in a car crash in early 2021 and has struggled through 2022, only playing a handful of events since missing the cut at The Open Championship in July.
Speaking to the media after their round, Tiger was pleased with their performance and grateful to share the course again with Charlie.
"We had a blast slaying it today," he said. "All day we were after it, and we didn't get off to a great start, but we made some birdies, an eagle and got rolling and really got into it, which was awesome.
"And to be able to share it with Charlie and to be able to share it with the Thomases and the whole family... just an incredible day."
Charlie added, like father like son, he had been playing through injury as well, saying his "ankle has been a little iffy, but it's just been really fun playing with Dad".
A case of plantar fasciitis saw Woods senior withdraw from the Hero World Challenge earlier this month, before he returned to partner Rory McIlroy in The Match.
When 13-year-old Charlie was asked how he felt his father had played, Tiger interjected to jokingly say "no comment", before more sincerely adding: "[Charlie is] a great team-mate. He's my son.
"We have fun out there. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. It's about us having an opportunity to bond. We do this at home all the time, and you guys are now seeing what we do all the time at home.
"We just have fun. We needle each other. We encourage each other. It goes back and forth. It's just an amazing relationship, and it just deepens the bond between father and son. It's been incredible over the years to be able to share this stage and this atmosphere with him."
All-Star Ja Morant was left fuming after being ejected for the second time in the last month as the Memphis Grizzlies went down 115-109 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Morant was thrown out of the game just before half-time after two technical fouls within 11 seconds, firstly for a profanity when complaining about a no-call before allegedly questioning the integrity of the referee.
The Grizzlies guard apparently made derogatory remarks about the officials to Grizzlies fans courtside, leading to his ejection from referee Ray Acosta.
Crew chief John Goble said Morant's first technical was "for use of profanity directed at an official" followed by the second technical "for making a comment questioning the integrity of an official."
Morant, who was also ejected from a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 30 and fined $35,000 for criticising officials, was left bemused by the ejection on court before eventually walking off.
"I got my first tech for saying I got hit in my [expletive] face. Didn't curse at him,'' Morant said after the game.
"Another situation where he's in my conversation and I get another tech for talking with a fan. I feel like when these fans came here, went online to buy these tickets, they didn't say Ray [Acosta's] name to come watch."
When asked if he felt he was being singled out by officials, Morant added: "I don't know. Probably so. [They] probably don't like me."
Morant only played 16 minutes of the game, scoring six points on three-of-10 shooting from the field, giving up two turnovers and going none-of-three from beyond the arc.
The Buffalo Bills stormed into their fourth straight playoffs on the back of a Tyler Bass field goal as time expired which edged them past the Miami Dolphins 32-29 in snowy conditions on Saturday.
Bass converted his 25-yard attempt for his fourth career fourth-quarter or overtime field goal to clinch victory with scores locked amid a wild contest at Bills Stadium where the Dolphins had rallied from a 21-13 half-time deficit to lead 29-21 in the last.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was heroic, going on a dazzling 44-yard run, the second longest of his career, before capping the same drive with a TD pass for Dawson Knox to make it 29-27 as the snow started to fall heavily in the fourth quarter.
Allen then took the airborne route to convert the two-point conversion to square up the game, breaking the plane of the goal line by inches on review after it had originally been ruled short.
The 26-year-old QB finished the game with four touchdown passes, completing 25 of 40 attempts for 304 yards, with 77 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Allen linked up with Quinton Morris, Nyheim Hines, James Cook and Knox for TD passes, showcasing his elite composure to find Cook right on half-time to open up an eight-point lead.
The Bills' efficiency was arguably the difference in a gripping AFC East contest, with Miami settling for two field goals and one TD from Salvon Ahmed in the first half.
The Dolphins sparked to life in the third with Tua Tagovoiloa linking up with Jaylen Waddle on a 67-yard TD pass, before finding Tyreek Hill for another score to claim a 26-21 lead.
Tagovailoa completed 17 of 30 passes for two touchdowns with no interceptions, as Miami slipped to their third straight loss and an 8-6 record, behind the Bills (11-3) in the AFC East.
Devin Booker reached 12,000 career points with a season-high 58 points as the Phoenix Suns rallied from a 24-point deficit with a hard-fought 118-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Booker, who returned from a hamstring issue in Thursday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers which ended the Suns' five-game losing run, made 21-of-35 attempts from the field, including shooting six-of-12 from beyond the arc.
The Suns guard's haul was the second most by a player in a single game this NBA season, behind only Joel Embiid with 59 points last month against the Utah Jazz.
Booker, 26, also became the sixth youngest player in NBA history to reach 12,000 career points, behind only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.
The Suns had trailed 83-59 with 7:14 left in the third quarter, coming after the Pelicans had beaten them twice last week.
Booker had five rebounds and five assists along with his 58 points, while Chris Paul added 18 points with five rebounds and eight assists.
Zion Williamson scored 30 points with nine assists for the Pels, while C.J. McCollum added 27 points with eight assists.
Cavs hang on for OT win over Mavs
The Dallas Mavericks spurned three late go-ahead opportunities, including Christian Wood's 30-foot buzzer-beating attempt as the Cleveland Cavaliers got home 100-99 in overtime.
Jarrett Allen's dunk with 2:01 remaining in overtime was the final score, with Donovan Mitchell scoring 25 points for the victorious Cavs, who improved to 20-11. Jarrett Allen had eight points with 15 rebounds.
Kemba Walker top scored with 32 points for the Mavs, who were missing Luka Doncic (quad), while Wood scored 26 points, including five triples, but he missed the crucial late one.
Kawhi finds groove with season-high
Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 31 points as the Los Angeles Clippers fought back from a three-quarter time deficit to win 102-93 over the Washington Wizards.
Leonard, who has been working back slowly after missing last season with an ACL injury, played a season-high 31 minutes, shooting 12-of-26 with nine rebounds.
Luke Kennard came off the bench to add a season-high 20 points with four three-pointers as the Clippers rallied from a 75-72 three-quarter time deficit.
The Chicago Cubs took the last star shortstop off the free-agent market on Saturday, agreeing to a 7-year, $177 million contract with Dansby Swanson, sources told ESPN.
The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a full no-trade clause, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.
Swanson was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 amateur draft, but he was traded to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal that December.
He spent each of his seven MLB seasons with the Braves, helping them to a World Series championship in 2021 after batting .248 with 27 home runs and 88 RBIs.
He followed that by hitting .277 last season with 25 homers and a career-best 96 RBIs in 162 games. Swanson made the NL All-Star team for the first time and won his first Gold Glove.
The Cubs became the latest team to snag a high-priced shortstop following the San Francisco Giants (Carlos Correa, $350 million), Philadelphia Phillies (Trea Turner, $300 million) and San Diego Padres (Xander Bogaerts, $280 million).
With Swanson added, the Cubs likely will move Nico Hoerner from shortstop to second base.
Chicago finished third in the NL Central last season but did go 40-31 in its final 71 games. Besides Swanson, the Cubs signed 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger to a one-year contract and added right-hander Jameson Taillon on a four-year, $68 million deal.
Swanson is a career .255 hitter with 102 homers and 411 RBIs in 827 career games.
He got married last weekend to Mallory Pugh, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars, the women’s professional soccer team.
Deshaun Watson led the Cleveland Browns to a 13-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in his first home start since his 11-game suspension as they kept alive their playoffs hopes on Saturday.
Watson threw the game's only touchdown to Donovan Peoples-Jones in the third quarter, with the Browns QB completing 18 of 28 passes for 161 yards with 22 rushing yards for the game at FirstEnergy Stadium.
The victory improved the Browns to 6-8 overall, going 2-1 since Watson returned, while the Ravens dropped to 9-5, with the Cincinnati Bengals moving ahead of them in top spot in the AFC North by half a game.
It was a game to forget for the Ravens, who had a run of possessions that included a missed field goal attempt, an interception and a fumble in the second and third quarters. Baltimore had three turnovers on downs too.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed two field goals in one game for the first time since December 2018, including putting a 48-yard attempt wide, while he had a fourth-quarter 50-yard attempt blocked.
Baltimore QB Tyler Huntley, standing in for the injured Lamar Jackson, threw 17 of 30 attempts for 138 yards, with Denzel Ward intercepting his third quarter pass in the redzone intended by DeSean Jackson with the score 6-3 at the time.
The Browns scored the game's only TD from their next drive, with Watson linking up with Amari Cooper twice for decent gains, before the QB's three-yard pass for the open Peoples-Jones.
Browns running back Nick Chubb added 99 rushing yards on 21 carries, while J.K. Dobbins was the Ravens' best offensive outlet, running 125 yards from 13 carries.
Kirk Cousins has told the Minnesota Vikings they need to play better when playoff football begins after his side's record comeback victory against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Vikings trailed 33-0 at the break but rallied in the second half, registering 29 unanswered points to send the game to overtime with the score tied at 36-a-piece.
A 40-yard field goal in the final moments secured the win and the biggest comeback win in NFL history, beating the previous record set by the Buffalo Bills against the Houston Oilers in January 1993.
The win also secured the Vikings the NFC North title for the first time since 2017 and books a return to the playoffs following a two-year absence, but Cousins made it clear there is work to be done.
"The goal every year when the season starts is to win your division, get a playoff game, then sort it out from there," he said on the field to the NFL Network.
"That's the first goal, we were able to secure that, but we've got to play a lot better. You've got to play better football to win in the playoffs.
"Obviously, there's still a lot to play for with our seeding."
Despite the first-half blowout, and a deficit that looked unassailable, Cousins says there was still belief in the locker room.
"It was an ugly first half but we found a way back with complimentary football, a lot of plays, a lot we'd like to have back as well, but we'll take it," he added.
"There was belief at half-time. Patrick Peterson said all we needed was five touchdowns; I thought he was being sarcastic. Obviously, there is some yelling, there is some frustration.
"That [comeback] doesn't just happen. Basic people don't do what we just did."
The Vikings host the New York Giants on Christmas Eve for their final home game of the regular season, followed by back-to-back road trips against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.
The Minnesota Vikings set the record for the biggest comeback in NFL history, recovering from a 33-0 half-time deficit against the Indianapolis Colts to clinch a 39-36 victory and the NFC North title.
A strong defensive performance in the first half looked to have put to put the Colts in cruise control, with a pick-6, a blocked punt for a touchdown and limiting the hosts to just a single first down at U.S. Bank Stadium.
But the second half saw a new Minneapolis Miracle written into legend, as Minnesota fought back from 36-7 to hit 29 unanswered points and send the game to overtime.
There, a 40-yard field goal from Greg Joseph delivered the NFC North crown to the Vikings for the first time since 2017, and shattered the record books in the process.
The 33-point comeback set the mark as the biggest-ever in NFL history, surpassing the 32-point deficit the Buffalo Bills overturned against the Houston Oilers in January 1993.
It was a bitter reverse for the Colts, who having seized the lead through a field goal, returned a blocked punt for a touchdown through JoJo Domann before Deon Jackson finished a seven-play drive to extend their advantage.
The Vikings' woes continued in the second quarter, seeing Julian Blackmon intercept Kirk Cousins for a pick-six and with a further three field goals conceded to leave them 33 points down on the scoreboard at half-time.
A two-yard K.J. Osborn touchdown in the third quarter got the Vikings off the mark before another Colts field goal took the game to 36-7 - but it was then that the hosts came alive in sensational fashion.
Bagging 21 unanswered points to bring the game towards a dramatic finish, Dalvin Cook then delivered a 64-yard touchdown followed by a two-point conversion to square matters up.
That took the game to overtime where, with the clock ticking down, Joseph sealed the deal - and with it, the Vikings' first playoff appearance since 2019.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor exited Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings with a right ankle injury and was ruled out for the rest of the contest.
Taylor suffered the injury on the Colts’ first possession of the game on a 13-yard reception.
The leading rusher in the NFL last season, Taylor has battled ankle soreness all this year and has missed three games this season due to ankle issues.
Taylor entered Week 15 ranked 11th in the league with 861 rushing yards in 10 games. His 86.1 rushing yards per game this season ranks fourth in the NFL.
The injury left Zack Moss and Deon Jackson to handle duties in the backfield as the Colts looked to avoid a seventh loss in their last eight games.
Cameron Norrie is hoping Russian players will be allowed to return to Wimbledon in 2023, saying he wants "the best players in the world to be playing".
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine earlier this year, Russian players were banned from participating at SW19.
This meant the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were not able to play and compete for the third grand slam of the year, which Novak Djokovic ended up winning for the seventh time.
The tournament was stripped of ranking points as a result of the ban on Russians, a decision that was met with much frustration from players.
Medvedev and Rublev finished a respective seventh and eighth in the year-end ATP rankings, and both took part in the ATP Finals in Turin.
Norrie hopes they are able to return to Wimbledon next year, telling reporters: "For me, I want the best players in the world to be playing.
"I felt last year was tough for those guys, especially for Daniil and for Andrey, who have a chance of winning Wimbledon.
"I know how much those guys sacrificed with their careers and their goals are obviously very high to be winning Slams.
"So I really did feel bad for those guys."
Quarterback Dylan Raiola decommitted from Ohio State on Saturday, with the top-ranked prospect for the 2024 NFL Draft available again.
Raiola chose the Buckeyes in May over USC, Alabama and other major programmes but is now set to be on the move, though a decision on his destination will not be rushed.
Speaking to 247Sports, Raiola's father Dominic, a former NFL center, said his son's services are not "close off to anybody".
"We have a lot of respect for Coach [Ryan] Day and the Ohio State programme," he said. "Everything is back on the table. His process is almost like it's restarting. It's not close off to anybody."
Nebraska could be the destination of choice for Raiola, with his uncle Donovan retained on the staff as offensive line coach following the appointment of Matt Rhule – though he already held the position when the commitment to Ohio State was made.
Raiola's departure comes ahead of Ohio State's College Football playoff against Georgia, where current starting quarterback C.J. Stroud may make his final appearance.
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