JJ Spaun landed the Valero Texas Open title after coming back from a double-bogey on the first hole to shoot 69 in the final round, clinching a place at the Masters in the process.
Spaun finished two strokes clear of the field on 13 under par, with Australian Matt Jones and American Matt Kuchar sharing second place at 11 under.
With his win, the Californian became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2008 to win a PGA Tour event after double-bogeying the opening hole of the final round.
The 31-year-old went bogey-free the rest of the way, collecting birdies on the sixth, eighth, ninth, 11th and 14th holes – giving him a birdie on the par-five 14th hole in all four rounds.
It is the first PGA Tour win of Spaun's career, and with it, he punched his ticket to Augusta National in just a few days.
Spaun said the scale of his achievement was hard to believe.
"I think a year ago to even be on tour I would have been telling you I'd have to do a lot of work to get there," he said.
"But to be here, and to overcome a lot of things and finally get a win, that's everything you dream of. It's incredible. I'm speechless."
On his early double-bogey and how he recovered, he said the moment actually calmed him down.
"It didn't bother me as much as you would think – if anything, it kind of calmed me down," he said.
"I knew there was still a lot of golf, and I would rather double the first hole than the last hole, so I just knew if I stayed patient and kept plugging away and put myself in contention with nine holes to play, that's all I could ask for."
The best performances from the fourth round were a pair of 66s posted by Jones, who finished second, and Keegan Bradley, who jumped up into a tie for eighth.
Among those one stroke worse on the day with 67s were Canadian Adam Hadwin, who finished in a tie for fourth, and Jordan Spieth, who was at even par coming into the round and flew up the leaderboard into a tie for 35th at five under.
Of the three joint-leaders with Spaun coming into Sunday's play, Beau Hossler finished the highest, tied for fourth at 10 under after shooting even par; South African Dylan Frittelli dropped one stroke and tied for eighth; and Brandt Snedeker ended with a whimper, finishing three over for the round to fall to a tie for 18th.
After a scorching start to the week saw Russell Knox as the outright leader with a first-round 65, he followed it with rounds of 76, 71 and 76 again to finish the weekend where the cut-line was at even par.
Aleix Espargaro held off Jorge Martin in Argentina to land the first MotoGP win of his career – Aprilia's first race victory since the team's 2015 return.
The 32-year-old Espargaro had claimed Aprilia's first pole position with an impressive qualifying performance in Termas de Rio Hondo, and followed up to claim a long-awaited grand prix win in a thrilling race.
Espargaro landed the landmark victory on his 200th MotoGP start, and he had to be at his best to overcome compatriot Martin in an absorbing contest.
It was not plain sailing for Espargaro after his slow start allowed Martin to snatch an early advantage, which he maintained for 17 of 25 laps.
Martin, who crashed out of races in Qatar and Indonesia during his nightmare start to the season, lost the lead to Espargaro on the fifth turn of lap 18 but forced his way back to the front of the pack shortly thereafter.
Espargaro then passed Martin again at the same point of lap 21, holding on during a nervy ending to secure the triumph by 0.807 seconds.
Alex Rins finished third and Joan Mir recovered from an eighth-placed start to grab fourth place, meaning Spanish riders occupied each of the top four positions in Argentina.
Reigning MotoGP world champion Fabio Quartararo dropped as low as 13th during the early stages but recovered to finish comfortably inside the top 10.
Enea Bastianini, who stormed to a thrilling success in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix last month, could only manage 10th, ceding first place in the riders' championship to Espargaro, who now leads the championship for the first time in his career, sitting seven points clear of Red Bull's Brad Binder.
TOP 10
1. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia)
2. Jorge Martin (Pramac Racing) +0.807
3. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +1.330
4. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +1.831
5. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +5.840
6. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +6.192
7. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +6.540
8. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) +10.215
9. Marco Bezzecchi (Team VR46) +12.622
10. Enea Bastianini (Gresini) +12.987
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Riders
1. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 45
2. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) 38
3. Enea Bastianini (Gresini) 36
4. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) 36
5. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) 35
Teams
1. Suzuki Ecstar 69
2. Red Bull KTM 66
3. Aprilia 58
4. Monster Energy Yamaha 49
5. Pramac Racing 44
Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest Miami Open men's champion as the teenage Spaniard continued his rapid rise by fending off world number eight Casper Ruud.
A 7-5 6-4 victory in Sunday's final gave 18-year-old Alcaraz the third ATP singles title of his career, after winning the 2021 Croatia Open and the Rio Open in February this year.
Alcaraz's maiden Masters 1000 title saw him secure Miami glory even earlier than Novak Djokovic, who was 19 at the time of his 2007 triumph.
"I have no words to describe how I feel – it feels so special to win my first Masters 1000 here in Miami," Alcaraz said.
While he got the job done in the end, there was far from a smooth start for Alcaraz, who lost the first three games of the opening set as Ruud grabbed the early break.
Down 4-1 in that first set, Alcaraz then rattled off three consecutive games to tie it back up, and after breaking again to go up 6-5, he held his nerve to save a break point and move ahead in the contest.
Ruud had issues dealing with Alcaraz's first serve all match long, but it was most dominant in the first set, the Spanish player winning 76 per cent when landing his first serves, while Ruud was down at 54 per cent.
Alcaraz flipped the script in the second set and jumped out to a 3-0 lead with a double break. Ruud was able to get one break back, but he never threatened the rest of the way as Alcaraz closed it out in style, conceding only two points from his last three service games.
Speaking on the court after his win, Alcaraz was overjoyed as he acknowledged a large contingent of support in the crowd, including coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
"I have my whole team with me, and my family… this is the second tournament that they've all been here with me," he said.
"Thank you to my team, I'm glad to have my father here with me and to be able to share this moment with my family."
Touching on some of his strategy, Alcaraz said the plan was to try and avoid Ruud's dominant forehand as much as possible.
"I knew Casper is playing unbelievable, and has a big forehand, so I tried to play to his backhand first, and attack all the time," he said.
"I'm always trying to attack, and not let him dominate the match with his forehands down the line – that was a pretty big key for me."
With the win, Alcaraz becomes the world number 11, and does not turn 19 until next month.
Frank Gore plans to sign a one-day contract with the San Francisco 49ers before retiring from the NFL.
Five-time Pro Bowler Gore turns 39 in May and did not feature at all last season after going unsigned following one-year spells with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
Prior to that, Gore played for the Indianapolis Colts after spending nine years in San Francisco, where he was selected as a third-round draft pick in 2005 after moving on from the Miami Hurricanes.
Gore, who has the third-most rushing yards in NFL history (16,000), expressed his desire to end his career with the 49ers as he intends to retire before taking up a staff role working for the franchise.
"Probably in a couple months," Gore told 49ers podcast TheSFNiners. "We're still trying to figure out when I'm going to do my one-day contract, to sign, do my retirement.
"I told [49ers chief executive] Jed York that I always wanted to be a Niner. So we're working on that right now, and then we're going to also sit down with me and my agent to talk about me working in the front office.
"I love looking at talent. I love evaluating talent, and I love ball. And they know that I know football players, what it's supposed to take to be a football player."
Tiger Woods will make a late call on whether he takes part in the Masters after revealing he would continue his preparation at Augusta on Sunday.
Fifteen-time major winner Woods, who has triumphed five times at the tournament, has not played on the PGA Tour since November 2020.
The 46-year-old underwent back surgery the following month and then sustained major injuries in a car accident in February last year.
Woods previously admitted he was lucky to survive and simply making a recovery was his top priority, rather than a return to golf.
However, some 25 years on from his first triumph at Augusta, the American has been listed among the expected 91 participants for the 2022 Masters, which begins on April 7.
Woods, who famously won the 2019 Masters after returning from multiple back surgeries, confirmed he will do everything he can to take part in one of golf's most prestigious events.
Posting on Twitter, he wrote: "I will be heading up to Augusta today to continue my preparation and practice. It will be a game-time decision on whether I compete."
Egan Bernal says he is "happy to be alive" and is "starting to feel like a cyclist again" as he steps up his recovery from a horror crash.
The 25-year-old required multiple surgeries after sustaining a fractured vertebra, a fractured right femur, a fractured right patella, chest trauma, a punctured lung, and several fractured ribs when he collided with a parked bus at high speed on a training ride in Colombia.
Bernal, who won the won the 2019 Tour de France and the 2021 Giro d'Italia, was originally told by doctors that there was a "95 per cent chance" of him being left paralysed by the crash.
Just days after being pictured on the road for the first time in two months, an emotional Bernal opened up on his recovery.
"I actually received an important lesson from this accident, so absurdly I'm actually thankful for having lived through this experience," Bernal said, speaking at a 'Ride With Egan' event held on the virtual cycling platform Zwift.
"I'm happy to be alive and little by little I'm starting to feel like a cyclist again.
"I want to say thanks to all the people who wrote to me and sent me positive energy, they really helped me.
"Having the energy and support of an entire country, of so many people in cycling from around the world and especially of my loved ones, has allowed me to move forward and contradict the first terrible diagnoses of the doctors."
Bernal explained the accident had allowed him to view life in a different way, acknowledging his aim of being "the best rider in the world" had faded into irrelevance when he was faced with the life-threatening consequences of the collision.
"The accident allowed me to see things from a different perspective," Bernal added. "Before, I was only focused on cycling and being the best rider in the world. But the real priority in life is to feel good and be able to be with those who love us.
"When you are attached to a ventilator you feel fragile and vulnerable, only then do you really value what you previously underestimated or took for granted.
"Now, I send my strength to those who are suffering. We must have patience and give the right consideration to what happens to us in life.
"Being forced to miss races can be traumatic, but it is more important to still be in this world, surrounded by the affection of family and friends. Sometimes we forget what really matters."
The INEOS Grenadiers rider was, however, reluctant to set a date for his competitive return.
"I don't know what the recovery time will be. I don't want to rush or set a date for my return, it wouldn't be ideal given everything that has happened," he added.
"Clearly I hope to recover as soon as possible, but I have to listen to my body. Before thinking about getting back to winning, I have to get back to full health and finish a race. That would already be an important success.
"I hope I'm not afraid to do what I love.
"I don't know if when I go back to going fast I'll be scared or not. For now, I've only done a few rides. Fear was certainly not the first sensation I felt when I got back in the saddle. Instead, it was pure happiness."
Klay Thompson knew this would be a season of "ups and downs" so was delighted he could save one of his best performances for a big game on Saturday.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Utah Jazz 111-107 to secure their place in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 – the last in their run of five straight NBA Finals appearances.
Breakout star Jordan Poole was vital again with 31 points, but the night belonged to Thompson, who had 36.
Thompson sustained the first of two serious long-term injuries in the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors and so missed the entirety of the next two campaigns, in which the Warriors fell short of the postseason.
He returned this year but has not always looked like one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.
Thompson is shooting career lows both from the field (41.8 per cent) and from three-point range (37.1 per cent), while his 19.3 points per game are his fewest since 2013-14, before the Warriors' dynasty began.
But this has been a difficult season for Golden State as a whole, their strong early start fading in the face of further injury problems.
Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have only appeared together in three games and started together just once.
With the finish line nearing, though, it was Thompson who ensured they should get the opportunity to line up in the playoffs, when it is hoped that Curry will return.
"I know I can flip a switch just like that," Thompson said. "I knew this year would have its ups and downs, and I just told myself yesterday that it's one game and I will move on.
"I told Kenny Atkinson that I felt like I was going to have a big night tonight, and it came to fruition. I'm happy it did."
Coach Steve Kerr added: "We've seen it a million times. If Klay just sees the ball go through the hoop a couple of times, he can make the bad ones, too.
"I didn't think this was a dramatic improvement in terms of shot selection, but I think the fact that that midrange shot was there, that allowed him to get into a rhythm, and then he started making the impossible ones."
The Warriors were 21 points behind at one stage in the second quarter, making this their biggest comeback win of the season. They finally claimed the lead with 3:33 left in the game.
"What a performance," Kerr said. "I was amazed by the skill of Klay and Jordan, the emotion and passion from Draymond, and the methodical defense and energy from Andrew [Wiggins] and Otto [Porter Jr.].
"It was an unbelievable performance down the stretch by our guys."
Kyrie Irving recognised the Brooklyn Nets have to do more to support Kevin Durant as the two-time Finals MVP's career night from three-point range was not enough to beat the Atlanta Hawks.
The Nets fell to 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 122-115 reverse to the Hawks, who are eighth.
As things stand, Brooklyn will have to win consecutive games in the play-in tournament just to make the playoffs, while Atlanta get two shots at reaching the postseason.
This Nets setback came despite Durant scoring 55 points and making eight of 10 attempts from beyond the arc.
Eight threes made represented a career high for Durant, but he was more focused on the result.
"Every loss is deflating," Durant said. "I ain't even worried about [losing after a career high], I'm just mad at the loss.
"I'm glad I shot the ball well, made eight threes, a career high, but I wish we would have came out with a W just by doing the little stuff.
"My points are going to come, my shots are going to come, but the little stuff that we've got to do we've got to be on the same page with."
Team-mate Irving had 31 points but was the only other Net to make double figures. Brooklyn became the first team in NBA history to lose a game while having one player score 55 points and another 30.
Irving's came on 12-of-32 shooting, however, compared to Durant's 19-of-28 performance.
"It doesn't even feel like he had 55 tonight," Irving said. "You know what I mean? Just the way that we feel about the game afterwards.
"We just have to ease his burden on the offensive end. He's going to be Kevin Durant. We know who he is. We know what he's capable of.
"But we have to be there to support him. And we have to be there ready to play just as much as he is and not allow frustration seep in at all."
Irving did not go to the foul line once, with the Nets having only 19 free-throw attempts to the Hawks' 49.
"It's not because of the refs," said a frustrated Durant. "It was because we're reaching and being undisciplined and just playing too aggressive. That's the game."
Mike Krzyzewski deflected attention away from the final game of his 42-year Duke career and thanked his players for reminding him why he will miss basketball despite a Final Four defeat to rivals North Carolina.
'Coach K' was bidding for a sixth NCAA Tournament championship in the last season of his legendary career but fell at the penultimate hurdle.
UNC had beaten Duke in Krzyzewski's final home game and repeated the feat on Saturday in an 81-77 upset of the second seeds.
Remarkably, it was the Tar Heels' 50th win against Krzyzewski's Duke, levelling the 100-game series in its final edition.
Krzyzewski was understandably the centre of attention after the game but sought to instead put his players in the spotlight, insisting: "I'm not thinking about my career right now."
He said: "It's not about me, especially right now. As a coach, I'm just concerned about these guys. I mean, they're already crying on the court, and that's the only thing you can think about.
"Then going into the locker room, I've said my entire career – or when I knew what the hell I was doing – that I wanted my seasons to end where my team was either crying tears of joy or tears of sorrow because then you knew that they gave everything.
"And I had a locker room filled with guys who were crying, and it's a beautiful sight. It's not the sight that I would want – I'd want the other – but it's a sight that I really respect and makes me understand just how good this group was."
It was Duke's seventh loss of the season, all against unranked teams, making the Blue Devils the first top-10 team to lose to seven unranked opponents in a season since the poll was expanded to 25 teams in 1989-90.
But Krzyzewski added: "They did not win tonight, but they came through in an unbelievable fashion."
Indeed, reflection on his feelings after the game was the closest Krzyzewski came to considering the end of his career in front of the media.
"I'll be fine. I've been blessed to be in the arena," he said. "And when you're in the arena, you're either going to come out feeling great or you're going to feel agony, but you always will feel great about being in the arena.
"And I'm sure that that's the thing when I'll look back that I'll miss. I won't be in the arena anymore. But, damn, I was in the arena for a long time. And these kids made my last time in the arena an amazing one."
Predicted lottery pick Paolo Banchero tried his best to extend his coach's career, scoring 20 points and claiming 10 rebounds.
"Being able to go to war with Coach and the team for the whole season, he was so committed to us all year," Banchero said.
"He never made it about him. And you're just proud that we were able to go out and fight, be in a fight with Coach every game.
"You don't get time to think about it right now, but I'm sure, when we look back on it, we're going to be proud that we got to play for him. And he had our back the whole year, had our back every game, put a lot of trust in us, always believed in us."
Mike Krzyzewski's extraordinary 42-year run as Duke head coach came to an end on Saturday, as North Carolina emerged 81-77 victors in the Final Four.
Of all teams, the arch rival Tar Heels were the team to deny Coach K a fairytale finish, just a month after they spoiled the party for his final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Meanwhile, UNC head coach Hubert Davis became the fifth head coach to make the national title game in his first year.
The closing exchanges made for a thrilling finish, with North Carolina and Duke trading three-pointers and scoring runs in the final five minutes of the game.
Caleb Love's clutch three and conversion of three free-throws gave North Carolina the ultimate breathing room, and he finished with 28 points. Meanwhile, Brady Manek's timely buckets for 14 points and Armando Bacot's 21 rebounds were critical.
Despite the clutch baskets at the end and Paolo Banchero's double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, Duke were ice cold from beyond the arc, going five-of-22.
UNC will meet Kansas in the national title game on Sunday, after they rolled to an 81-65 victory over Villanova earlier on Saturday.
David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji were pivotal for the Jayhawks, with David McCormack putting up 25 points and nine rebounds, while Agbaji drained six-three pointers to score 21 points.
Playing without injured guard Justin Moore, the Wildcats were not able to find an early rhythm as Kansas shot out the gate, scoring the opening 10 points of the game and building a 19-point buffer at one stage in the first half.
It was an eerie role reversal of the 2018 national semi-final, where Villanova raced to a 22-4 opening lead on their way to a 95-79 win over Kansas and eventually their third national title.
Kansas were shooting far too well to let it happen a second time, however, making 29 of 54 total field goals and going 13-of-24 from the perimeter.
Mike Krzyzewski's extraordinary 42-year run as Duke head coach came to an end on Saturday, as North Carolina emerged 81-77 victors in the Final Four.
Of all teams, the arch rival Tar Heels were the team to deny Coach K a fairytale finish, just a month after they spoiled the party for his final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Meanwhile, UNC head coach Hubert Davis became the fifth head coach to make the national title game in his first year.
The closing exchanges made for a thrilling finish, with North Carolina and Duke trading three-pointers and scoring runs in the final five minutes of the game.
Caleb Love's clutch three and conversion of three free-throws gave North Carolina the ultimate breathing room, and he finished with 28 points. Meanwhile, Brady Manek's timely buckets for 14 points and Armando Bacot's 21 rebounds were critical.
Despite the clutch baskets at the end and Paolo Banchero's double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, Duke were ice cold from beyond the arc, going five-of-22.
UNC will meet Kansas in the national title game on Sunday, after they rolled to an 81-65 victory over Villanova earlier on Saturday.
David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji were pivotal for the Jayhawks, with David McCormack putting up 25 points and nine rebounds, while Agbaji drained six-three pointers to score 21 points.
Playing without injured guard Justin Moore, the Wildcats were not able to find an early rhythm as Kansas shot out the gate, scoring the opening 10 points of the game and building a 19-point buffer at one stage in the first half.
It was an eerie role reversal of the 2018 national semi-final, where Villanova raced to a 22-4 opening lead on their way to a 95-79 win over Kansas and eventually their third national title.
Kansas were shooting far too well to let it happen a second time, however, making 29 of 54 total field goals and going 13-of-24 from the perimeter.
The Philadelphia 76ers tied a franchise record of 21 three-pointers in their 144-114 rout of the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.
Tobias Harris scored 23 points and had a season high of five triples, with the Sixers getting seven players in double figures and able to play their bench for the majority of the fourth quarter.
MVP candidate Joel Embiid was as dependable as ever with 29 points on 12-of-16 shooting, 14 rebounds and six assists. Despite an off-shooting night, James Harden was still able to fill up the stats sheet with 12 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
The Sixers moved the ball exceptionally throughout to generate clean looks, coming up with 38 assists for the night and shooting 49 per cent from the perimeter.
Philadelphia are still yet to clinch a playoff berth in a tight Eastern Conference, but moved a step closer at 47-30, 4.5 games ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers in seventh.
The Hornets had already wrapped up the final play-in spot in the East but were dominated on the boards, coming up with 15 less rebounds.
Durant and Irving light up but Nets go cold
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving combined for 86 points, but the Brooklyn Nets still came up short against the Atlanta Hawks in a 122-115 defeat.
Durant put up a season-high 55 points at an efficient 19-of-28 shooting, including eight-of-10 from beyond the arc. Aside from Irving though, not a single Nets player went into double figures, with Patty Mills and Cam Thomas particularly going a combined one-of-14 from the floor.
In what could be a potential play-in matchup in the Eastern Conference, Trae Young notched up 36 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Dubs down Jazz with second-half fightback
The Golden State Warriors overturned a double-digit deficit at the main interval to claim a big 111-107 win at home over the Utah Jazz.
Still without the injured Stephen Curry and down by 13 at the half, the Dubs put the defensive clamps on and kept the Jazz to just 20 points in the fourth quarter.
Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson eventually combined for 67 points, but Golden State forcing four misses out of Utah's final five field goal attempts was definitive.
Brandt Snedeker and Beau Hossler both shot five-under-par 67 to join JJ Spaun and Dylan Frittelli atop the leaderboard, after the third round of the Valero Texas Open on Saturday.
Spaun and Frittelli bogeyed the last par-five 18th hole to finish on 10-under-par after 54 holes, shooting rounds of 69 and 70 respectively on Saturday.
It would have been a five-way tie for the lead had Scott Stallings not also bogeyed the final hole, finding the rough and then the far-side bunker on his second and third shots.
Among the many in the field who have yet to qualify for the US Masters, Matt Kuchar is two strokes back from the leaders on eight-under-par after three rounds.
In what is essentially the final qualifier for the first major of the year, and having missed the cut at Augusta last year, Kuchar is aware of the stakes.
"I think quality play trumps anything," he said.
"I'd take execution over course knowledge any day of the week. I think it's going to take just quality golf tomorrow to win this thing."
After shooting a bogey-free round on Friday, second round leader Ryan Palmer tumbled down the leaderboard on Saturday with a five-over-par 77, finishing in 21st on five-under-par.
Spaun and Hossler are both looking for their first PGA Tour win, while Frittelli last won in 2019 at the John Deere Classic and Snedeker took the Wyndham Championship in 2018.
Hossler finished with momentum on Saturday, making three consecutive birdies from the 14th hole. His career-best finish was a second at the Houston Open in 2018.
A win for Snedeker would make for his 13th trip to Augusta.
Aleix Espargaro wants to "keep making history" after claiming Aprilia's first MotoGP pole position in Argentina on Saturday.
Despite a stunning late lap for Jorge Martin in the Pramac Ducati to break the 1:38 mark at Termas, the Spanish veteran went even quicker to go five thousandths of a second from Marc Marquez's all-time lap record set in 2014.
The 32-year-old was not the only Aprilia who impressed, with Maverick Vinales claiming fifth spot in qualifying, his best since joining the team at Aragon in 2021.
Current MotoGP championship leader Enea Bastianini missed out on Q2 but will still start from 12th on the grid, with 11th-placed Jack Miller given a three-spot grid penalty for disturbing reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo's qualifying lap.
In claiming a maiden pole for Aprilia, though, Espargaro became the first-ever rider to claim three MotoGP pole positions with three different manufacturers.
"I'm happy and satisfied, but sincerely, for the rider it's nice to be fast on Saturday because the feeling you get on that lap is always special," Espargaro said afterwards.
"It's great to feel that adrenaline and speed, but what would really make me happy is if tomorrow I can achieve a good result and keep making history for Aprilia."
Since joining MotoGP in 2015, Aprilia's only other top three result also came via Espargaro, at Silverstone in 2021.
The older Espargaro sibling – Repsol Honda rider Pol qualified in fourth – could not hide his joy with that in mind, despite the race still to come on Sunday.
"This is just Saturday. More than for me, I'm happy for Aprilia. When you, for example, if Jorge [Martin] makes a pole position then they [Pramac] are normal in their garage because he gets pole positions every weekend.
"But for Aprilia when you do the first pole and arrive in the garage and see the face of everyone there, it's completely another story.
"Working six years on this project, and these small moments of joy and happiness is fantastic."
Provisional classification
1. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia) 1:37.688
2. Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) +0.151s
3. Luca Marini (Mooney Ducati) +0.431
4. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +0.477
5. Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) +0.508
6. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Yamaha) +0.593
7. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.767
8. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.828
9. Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) +0.849
10. Takami Nakagami (LCR Honda) +0.888
11. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM) +1.244
12. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati) 1:38.566 (Q1)
Colin Kaepernick has opened the door to an NFL return over five years after his last appearance, saying he "absolutely" possesses the quality to improve teams.
The 34-year-old, who made 12 appearances as the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback in his last NFL campaign in 2016, made headlines that year by opting to kneel for the United States' national anthem in protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
Kaepernick has been out of the league since then, but worked out in front of NFL scouts during the University of Michigan's Spring Game on Saturday.
Speaking to WXYZ Detroit, Kaepernick told potential suitors that he could help them to improve, and said he wants to hold conversations with any interested franchises.
"I can help make you a better team, I can help you win games," Kaepernick said.
"I know right now the situation likely won't allow me to come in and step into a starting role. I know I'll be able to work my way to that though, and show that very quickly.
"So, to the teams that have questions, more than anything I would say I'd love to come in for a workout.
"I'd love to sit down with you and have that conversation about how I could help you be a better team."
Kaepernick filed a legal grievance against the NFL in 2017, accusing franchise owners opposed to his political and social activism of colluding to keep him out of the competition, with a settlement being reached in the case two years later.
He featured in two playoff campaigns during his time in San Francisco and is adamant that he retains the quality necessitated of an NFL quarterback, as he looks to whip up interest from scouts.
"Absolutely," Kaepernick responded when asked if he could still compete in the NFL.
"We can still get out there and sling it. Really getting out here today for the exhibition was to be able to show that I could do that.
"One of the questions that my agent kept getting asked was 'Well, it's been five years. Can he still play?'.
"So, we wanted to make sure that we come out, we show everyone I could still play, still throw it.
"I'm really just looking for an opportunity for a door to open, to have a pathway to be able to get back in there, get a starting job and lead a team to a championship."
Iga Swiatek scored a sensational win against Naomi Osaka in the Miami Open final and predicted it would mark "the start of a great rivalry".
A 6-4 6-0 victory for Swiatek means the new WTA number one has won three consecutive WTA 1000 titles, becoming the first player to do so at the beginning of a season.
Saturday's success sealed the 'sunshine double' as the 20-year-old captured the Indian Wells and Miami titles back to back, becoming the youngest player to achieve that feat, and only the fourth in history, after Steffi Graf, who did it twice, Kim Clijsters and Victoria Azarenka.
Addressing Osaka, Swiatek said: "I wanted to say I'm pretty glad we could play this match, and I think it's the start of a great rivalry.
"You're really an inspiration and this sport is better with you, so keep going."
Osaka is battling her way back into the sport after documenting her struggles with mental health and depression, and her ranking stood at 77 before this tournament.
She was reduced to tears in Indian Wells after being heckled by a spectator, and the Japanese star, a former WTA number one, referenced that incident in a post-match speech after losing to Swiatek.
Thanking her support team, Osaka said they were "the ones who keep pushing me forward after the things that happened two weeks ago – they're the rock that stays by my side".
Although Swiatek beat her resoundingly in the final, these two appear to be close allies, with a meal they enjoyed together in Australia in January 2020 having sparked a friendship.
"I want to congratulate Iga," said Osaka. "I was just thinking yesterday about when I had that dinner with you in Australia, and watching your journey is really incredible, and I hope you continue having fun. Apparently we're tied 1-1 now."
Osaka, who beat Swiatek in Toronto three years ago in their only past meeting, said her conqueror was "an incredible, amazing person", and assured her own supporters she had been having "a lot of fun".
"I hope I can keep working hard and get more opportunities to be in a situation like this again," Osaka added. "Just to be in the final means a lot to me."
That is both pertinent and refreshing given Osaka's future in tennis has appeared in doubt during the past year.
Swiatek, meanwhile, goes from strength to strength. From her French Open final triumph in October 2020 to this latest win, she has won each of the six finals she has contested. Across the last four, Swiatek has won four 6-0 'bagel' sets.
Doing the Indian Wells and Miami double, after previously taking the Doha title this year, shows Swiatek to be a worthy number one.
"I didn't think that was possible," she told Amazon Prime, assessing her back-to-back wins in America. "I'm trying to see what my limits are, and when I was coming from Indian Wells, I said to my coach, 'Did you ever have a situation like that where a player plays the final at Indian Wells and has to play the next match in three days?'. He said that I shouldn't worry and we can do it."
Swiatek's winning streak stands at 17 matches, her record for the season is 26-3, and she has won 20 consecutive sets. Her new number one status will be confirmed on Monday, when the newly retired Ash Barty is taken off the WTA list, and Swiatek hopes to stay there.
"We're going to see. The end of the season is still a long way," she said. "I hope I'm going to keep doing well with the pressure."
Iga Swiatek sealed the 'sunshine double' with a trouncing of Naomi Osaka as the new world number one added the Miami Open title to her Indian Wells triumph.
Twenty-year-old Swiatek will succeed the retired Ash Barty on top of the WTA rankings on Monday, and she has reached the top spot for the first time in staggering style.
A 6-4 6-0 victory against former number one Osaka in Saturday's final made Swiatek the first player to win the first three WTA 1000 events in a season.
Those are the highest value tournaments on the tour outside the grand slams, and Swiatek has chopped down the fields in Doha, Indian Wells and now Miami in staggering fashion.
Her winning streak stands at 17 matches, her record for the season is 26-3, and she has won 20 consecutive sets.
Swiatek set the tone for the match when she broke for a 3-2 lead in the opening set, whipping an exquisite backhand winner across court to seize the initiative.
She had a look-in next time around too, with Osaka doing well to fend off a break point and keep the Pole within touching distance.
The first set was secured when Osaka hoisted an aggressive forehand service return long, and that ramped up the pressure at the beginning of the second
In a flash, Swiatek earned herself three breakpoints, and although Osaka saved the first with a drive volley, the Japanese player sent a forehand into the net on the next point
Swiatek was displaying some startling shot-making, and a cross-court forehand winner in the third game was a thing of beauty, helping her establish a double break.
Osaka is battling her way back into the sport after documenting her struggles with mental health and depression, and her ranking stood at 77 before this tournament.
By reaching the final she proved her talent remains formidable, but Swiatek at present is on another level to her tour rivals, and a clinical sweep of the second set was complete when Osaka hooked a forehand wide.
Only three players had previously secured this back-to-back double in Miami and Indian Wells: Steffi Graf in 1994 and 1996, Kim Clijsters in 2005 and Victoria Azarenka in 2016. Swiatek is the youngest to achieve the feat.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker is reportedly on his way to New England Patriots.
Sources have informed ESPN's Adam Schefter that Parker will be traded to the Patriots along with a 2022 fifth-round draft pick in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick.
New England are set to receive a compensatory third-round pick next year after losing J.C. Jackson in free agency.
The Patriots are well stocked with wide receivers, as Parker would join Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, N'Keal Harry, Ty Montgomery, Kristian Wilkerson and Malcolm Perry in New England.
Parker finished last season with 40 catches for 515 yards and two touchdowns from 10 appearances.
Miami last month pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Tyreek Hill from the Kansas City Chiefs.
Keith Yandle's NHL-record consecutive regular-season games played streak is ending at 989, as the Philadelphia Flyers are making the 35-year-old defenceman a healthy scratch for Saturday's meeting with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This will be the first regular-season game Yandle will miss since March 22, 2009, when he played for the Phoenix Coyotes.
Flyers interim coach Mike Yeo said it was an "organisational decision" to not dress Yandle so the team can give ice time to some of its younger players. Philadelphia are 21-35-11 and have already been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
"He received it exactly the way you'd expect Keith Yandle to handle it. Obviously disappointed, which you'd expect from a competitor," Yeo said.
"My only hope is that he recognises how amazing it is what he's done. For him, it's disappointing, no question. No way does this diminish what he's accomplished. It is remarkable."
Yandle broke the league's consecutive games played streak record just over two months ago, surpassing Doug Jarvis' mark of 964 on January 25. But in the 24 games he has played in since then, the veteran has just one goal and one assist with a minus-16 +/- rating.
Yandle is in the midst of the worst season of his 16-year career with one goal and 14 assists and a league-low minus-39 rating in 67 games.
"I don't really know if it's hit me completely," Yandle said. "I don't know yet, I don't know when it will. It's kind of one of those things during it, I didn't really try to think about it too much just to kind of go out and play. Maybe now the next day or two it might hit me.
"Obviously something I take a lot of pride in. I'm fortunate to play one game in this league. I say it all the time, I've been blessed to be in this league as long as I have. I owe pretty much my whole life to this league. It's been a great journey too.
"You look back and you think about your first game, and then it's one of those things that the last couple days have been a lot of reflecting and I'm not really a guy who reflects too much."
Yandle's streak is in danger of being broken next season by Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel, who passed Jarvis' mark last weekend and has played in 968 consecutive regular-season games.
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