Should you want proof that golf is a game for life, played in different venues and for all ages, digest what was going on in various corners of the world 15 summers ago.
In the Dallas area, an 11-year-old named Scott Scheffler was crushing the competition on the North Texas PGA Junior Tour. There were victories at Shady Valley, The Links at Water Chase, Lantana GC, and by eight strokes over Vince Whaley at Twin Creeks GC.
Down in Bayou country, another 11-year-old named Sam Burns was shooting 84 in the annual Shreveport (Louisiana) City Amateur. He finished top five.
In Scotland, an 18-year-old mop-haired kid from Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy, was low amateur in the Open Championship at Carnoustie. Rounds of 68-76-73-72 served notice that this kid might be pretty good.
With rounds of 72-70, a 14-year-old from Kentucky named Justin Thomas finished second in his age group, third overall, at the Evian Masters Junior Cup in France. One perk for winning was that he got to play alongside Juli Inkster in a pro-am before the Evian Masters.
And on the other side of the world, in Hawaii, a 15-year-old Japanese player named Hideki Matsuyama dominated his match against Henry Park, 6 and 5, to help the visitors post a 24.5 to 19.5 win in the Hawaii/Japan Junior Cup.
Those were the stages, of course, played in the shadows. On the stage that mattered, a guy much older, the 31-year-old Tiger Woods, was collecting a fourth US PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Ho-hum as that might have been, given it was his 14th major, what surely resonated was Woods' achievement at the end of that summer. With an overwhelming performance in the inaugural FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour, Woods earned a cool $10million.
What stands out about that 2007 Tour Championship that nailed down the first FedEx Cup were the suffocating numbers. Woods won the season finale by eight strokes, it was his 61st career win and seventh of the season, and he finished the Tour Championship at 23-under 257.
"It has been a phenomenal week," Woods said, then very much at his understated best. He had, after all, also pocketed a cheque for $1.26million for winning the Tour Championship.
"I enjoyed being on a scoring streak, hitting good shot after good shot, and I felt very comfortable with my game. It felt good."
That was then and this is now, and what feels remarkable is how quickly time has passed and how surreal it is to know this: just 15 years after they were playing golf on mostly unheralded stages as kids, the 26-year-old Scheffler (he's Scottie now, unlike in 2007), Burns, 26; McIlroy, 33; Thomas, 29; and Matsuyama, 30, were numbers 1-2-3-4-5 in the FedEx Cup standings when the calendar flipped to July.
The flip side of Woods now being 46 is the fact the game is getting younger and, oh, how the current FedEx Cup standings reflect that. After Scheffler, Burns, McIlroy, Thomas, and Matsuyama, we have Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Smith, Xander Schauffele, Will Zalatoris, and Max Homa.
Average age of those 10 players: 28.5.
That is more than four years younger than the average age in 2007, the first FedEx Cup when seven of the top 10 were 31 or older. This time around, eight of the current top 10 are 30 or younger.
But if this youth parade has many marchers, the warmest spotlight must be shining on the leader, the same kid who 15 years ago was dominating the competition on the North Texas Junior PGA.
All Scheffler has done in this, his third full season on the PGA Tour, is win four times and roar into the penthouse of the Official World Golf Rankings.
Not bad, this number one designation. But some might argue that Burns is number 1A, because all he has done is win three times before, and if you go back to the middle of the 2020-21 season, Burns secured victories in four of his last 29 tournaments.
The screeching noise you heard is the arrival of the Scheffler-Burns express; they are two young men who are great friends and as if to punctuate their new-found grip on the PGA Tour, they had an exclamation point of a Sunday back in May.
Locked in a play-off at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Burns poured in a long-range birdie on the first extra hole to beat his Texas friend.
Even Scheffler flashed a wide smile that day, nodding his approval to Burns, knowing there will be many more opportunities to return the favour. Perhaps even as soon as the upcoming FedEx Cup play-offs. These are the dates that matter: August 11-14 at the FedEx St Jude Classic in Memphis; August 18-21 at the BMW Championship in Wilmington, Delaware; and August 25-28 at the Tour Championship in Atlanta, Georgia.
They are tournaments that showcase the best of the elite, and whereas you might have understandably expected them to put Scheffler in awe as a 24-year-old rookie in August of 2020, it didn't work out that way. In his second round in the play-offs, Scheffler shot 59 at TPC Boston.
He didn't win that week, but a tie for fourth set in motion a nice play-off run – tied 20th at the BMW, fifth at the Tour Championship. The three who finished immediately ahead of him in the FedEx Cup standings in 2020 – Schauffele, Thomas and Jon Rahm – are key contenders for the 2021-22 FedEx Cup as a dynamic era of young and talented performers continues into the 16th edition of this season-long race.
It is amazing, the furious speed with which these kids have progressed from junior golf to the spotlight of a FedEx Cup. Then again, perhaps there are those who saw this coming. Joel Edwards, for instance.
A veteran PGA Tour performer, Edwards was in the twilight of his career when he used to practise at Royal Oaks at Dallas where Scheffler was the brightest of a stable of talented junior players.
Precocious and supremely talented, Scheffler would challenge Edwards and another PGA Tour veteran, Harrison Frazar, to random contests. Frazar confirms he lost sleeves of golf balls to a fourth-grader; Edwards concedes that "he cost me a fortune; I used to carry a bunch of quarters because I knew I'd get my butt beat [in a bid to hit practice-range poles with wedge shots]."
And if there was one thing that stood out about Scheffler back then, even beyond his uncanny golf skills, it was his appearance.
"He always wore pants. He looked like a Tour player at 10," said Edwards.
And at 11, while mowing down the local competition, perhaps Scheffler knew this brand-new FedEx Cup was someday going to be in his future.
Honda has extended its tie-up with Formula One pace-setters Red Bull through to the end of the 2025 season, providing long-term stability as the team and star driver Max Verstappen close in on more success.
The Japanese auto giant formally withdrew from F1 at the end of last season but has continued to support the Red Bull Powertrains power unit division with vital technical assistance.
Red Bull's deal with Honda, which supplies the Austrian team's power units, had been due to expire after the 2023 campaign but will now run for a further two years.
Team principal Christian Horner said: "Red Bull's partnership with Honda has been an incredibly successful one and we are pleased that this will continue until the end of the current era of the FIA's power unit regulations in 2025."
Red Bull lead the constructors' championship after 13 of this season's 22 races, with Ferrari a distant second, while reigning drivers' champion Verstappen is well on his way to a second title, with his haul of 258 points putting him 80 clear of second-placed Charles Leclerc.
Verstappen, contracted until 2028, won the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, after Red Bull's support crew overcame a power unit issue that affected his qualifying performance.
F1 is now on its mid-season break ahead of a resumption on the final weekend of August in Belgium.
Alpine expected Fernando Alonso to agree a new contract with the team right up until the moment his move to Aston Martin was announced, Otmar Szafnauer has revealed.
And Alpine team principal Szafnauer's attempts to subsequently get in touch with Alonso have proved unsuccessful.
Alonso has driven for Alpine since their rebrand ahead of the 2021 season, returning to Formula One after two seasons away.
The Spaniard had won world championships with Renault – the team under their previous name – back in 2005 and 2006.
Now a midfield runner, Alonso has secured only a single podium in his second stint with the French team, but his switch to Aston Martin on Monday came as somewhat of a surprise – not least to Alpine.
Alonso will replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel in 2023, with his move the first of the mid-season break after Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
As of the end of that race, in which Alonso finished eighth, Szafnauer thought his superstar driver was returning next year.
"[The Aston Martin statement] was the first confirmation I had," the Alpine chief told Motorsport.com.
"Obviously, when we're in the paddock, there's all sorts of rumours, and I had heard rumours that Aston were interested.
"Once you hear that they're interested, there's probably discussions that took place, and there's some other indications that discussions took place, like walking out of the same motorhome at the same time, all that kind of stuff, which I saw.
"But I was confident that, even with the discussions, and there's nothing wrong with exploring, we were very close.
"So, yes, the first confirmation I had was the press release. I did ask the question [to Alonso]. And I was told: 'No, no, I haven't signed anything.' So, I was a bit surprised."
Asked if he had since spoken to Alonso, Szafnauer replied: "I haven't talked to him, since he's on a boat, I think, in the Greek Isles somewhere.
"I took this morning to address the staff. And the second thing I'm doing is talking to you. And yesterday, I fielded a bunch of calls from other potential drivers."
One obvious option is Oscar Piastri, the Alpine reserve driver who had appeared set for a year at Williams when Alonso was in line for a new contract.
However, Szafnauer faces issues on that front, too, amid claims Piastri has agreed to race instead for McLaren – something Alpine have not agreed to.
"I'm not privy to whatever pre-arrangements he has with McLaren, if any at all," Szafnauer said, stating Alpine have "a legal contract" with Piastri for 2023.
He added: "Oscar and his camp are considering their options, whatever that means."
Baker Mayfield's focus is solely on the Carolina Panthers and his "transparent" battle with fellow quarterback Sam Darnold, despite developments in the Deshaun Watson saga at former team the Cleveland Browns.
Mayfield – the Browns' first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft – was traded to the Panthers last month after Cleveland had moved for Watson.
But when the Panthers play the Browns in Week 1, Watson will be absent, following news of his suspension by the league on Monday.
Former US district judge Sue L. Robinson advised the NFL that Watson should be banned for six games with no additional fine following a disciplinary hearing.
Watson faced 24 civil lawsuits following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
The NFL could yet appeal that decision and pursue a longer suspension, but both the Browns and the NFLPA have accepted the punishment.
Jacoby Brissett will instead fill in until late October, but that is of no interest to Mayfield, who told reporters: "Honestly, it's none of my business.
"I don't play against the other quarterback. I know that's the most cliched thing to say, but that's just the truth.
"When it comes down to it, I'm game-planning against their defense, and if I'm playing or not, I'm trying to help this team win. That's my mindset going into it, so I've got to keep getting better.
"But I'm not focused about Week 1 right now. We'll handle that when it comes, but for now it's about getting the Panthers better and our offense continuing to get better as well."
Indeed, there is no guarantee Mayfield will be starting either, as he faces competition from Darnold – the third overall pick in the same 2018 draft – for the starting spot.
Mayfield is happy with how that tussle has been treated by his new team, though.
"Everything has been extremely transparent," he said. "They're telling us exactly how they're handling it.
"It's not being said to one person and Sam hears another thing; it's right there in front of us and clear and concise."
Tiger Woods was offered a package worth between $700million and $800m to compete in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, according to the competition's chief executive Greg Norman.
Woods, a 15-time major winner, has been an advocate for the PGA Tour, which has been embroiled in a tussle with the Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway league.
LIV Golf held its latest event last weekend in Bedminster, New Jersey, with Henrik Stenson – who was removed as Ryder Cup captain after deciding to join the new tour – claiming victory in his first outing.
Norman previously said that Woods had been offered a "high nine digits" sum to join LIV Golf, which has so far been unable to attract many of the world's best, though has snagged big names such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson.
In an interview with Fox News with Tucker Carlson that was broadcast on Monday in the United States, Norman confirmed that Woods had been offered in the region of $700m to $800m.
"That number was out there before I became CEO. So that number has been out there, yes," Norman said.
"And, look, Tiger is a needle-mover and of course you have to look at the best of the best.
"So they had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO. So, yes, that number was somewhere in that neighbourhood."
Two-time major winner Norman has become a controversial figure within the sport, and was barred from attending the Celebration of Champions or the Champions' Dinner prior to The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews last month.
Woods failed to make the cut at that tournament, but backed the decision to disinvite Norman from the celebrations, saying: "Greg has done some things that I don't think are in the best interest of our game, and we're coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it's the right thing."
Yet the Australian is unperturbed by any possible damage to his reputation.
"I really don't care," said Norman, who claimed he is unaware why LIV Golf has caused such uproar.
"I just love the game so much and I want to grow the game of golf and we at LIV see that opportunity not just for the men but for the women."
Washington Nationals slugger Juan Soto remains none the wiser about his future despite the franchise's fans giving him a warm farewell in Monday's 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.
The 23-year-old slugger, who won last month's Home Run Derby, has been the subject of plenty of speculation ahead of Tuesday's MLB Trade Deadline.
The Nationals have the worst record, 35-69, in the majors and are looking to sell players.
Soto homered with three walks in Monday's defeat as Nats fans were heard chanting 'we love Soto'.
"It means a lot,'' Soto said about the fans. "It kind of feels weird, too, because nothing's happened yet. We're still waiting.
"It's kind of cool at the same time, but it's kind of weird, too."
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the franchises who have been linked with Soto, while the player himself has not ruled out staying put.
"I feel good where I'm at,'' Soto said. "I understand it's a business and they need to do whatever they need to do.
"I'm just another player, another employee here like [former team-mate Ryan Zimmerman] used to say."
Nats manager Dave Martinez insisted they would not give up Soto for anything less than a good deal.
"You’re not going to give away these players and not get something in return that we feel like, 'Hey, this is what our future’s going to be, and this is going to be really good for us'," Martinez said.
"Those guys up there [in the front office] are working diligently to get those players that we need, if we can get it. If not, we have arguably one of the youngest best players in the game, and I love the kid."
Soto is batting at .246 with 21 home runs, 62 runs, 84 hits and 46 RBIs this season, with the third-best 2022 majors on-base percentage of .415.
Timo Werner has only managed 23 goals in his first two seasons with Chelsea after joining from Leipzig in mid-2020.
The new Blues owners are open to allowing Werner, who signed on a five-year contract, to depart on loan.
The 26-year-old scored 95 goals in 159 appearances with Leipzig from 2016 to 2020.
TOP STORY – LEIPZIG LEAD RACE FOR CHELSEA'S WERNER
Leipzig are leading the race to sign Chelsea striker Werner ahead of Juventus, claims Fabrizio Romano.
The Bundesliga club met with Chelsea on Sunday, proposing a swap deal for Werner, who is Leipzig's main target.
Juventus and Newcastle United have also shown an interest in the Germany international.
ROUND-UP
– Barcelona are considering a move for Leipzig defender Angelino should they miss out on Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso, claims Diario Sport.
– Everton could make a move for forgotten Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi, according to talkSPORT. The Toffees lost Richarlison to Tottenham last month and will turn to Batshuayi, who scored 14 goals on loan at Besiktas last season.
– Portuguese forward Diogo Jota is set to be rewarded for his strong second season at Anfield, with Liverpool to offer him a lucrative pay rise as part of a new deal, despite having three years to run on his contract, claims The Telegraph.
– Napoli and Chelsea are in talks on a loan deal for Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to Sky Sports.
– Football Insider reports that Leicester City have informed Newcastle that midfielder James Maddison will cost them £60million as they circle for his signature.
– Leicester City are set to farewell goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who is on the cusp of joining French Ligue 1 club Nice, reports the Mail.
League leader Aaron Judge continued his remarkable form after the All-Star Game with his 43rd home run of the season as the New York Yankees flexed with a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
Judge made majors history with his 10th home run since the All-Star Game, joining Albert Belle in achieving that feat in only 12 games after the break.
The Yankees outfielder had hit a first-inning double, before Anthony Rizzo's three-run blast – his 26th home run of the season – opened up an early 3-0 lead.
Judge took center stage in the second inning with his home run putting the Yankees up 5-1, marking 12 blasts in his past 14 games.
Jose Trevino got in on the act, after a lean month, with home runs in the fourth and eighth innings for his first career multi-homer game.
The result keeps the Yankees top of the American League (AL) East with a 70-34 record, while the Mariners are second in the AL West with a 55-49 record.
Judge leads the majors for home runs this season with 43 with a league-high .680 slugging percentage, batting at .299 with 89 runs, 115 hits and 93 RBIs.
Hot property Soto stars as Mets see off Nats
Amid trade speculation, Juan Soto underlined his value with the Washington Nationals with a fine all-round performance in their 7-3 loss to the New York Mets.
Soto showed off his speed around the bases to score for 1-0 in the first inning, before some brilliance from the outfield saw him throw out runner Tomas Nido on the home plate.
After Pete Alonso's 27th blast of the season put the Mets 4-1 up, Soto returned fire with his own home run in the fourth inning, his 21st of the year.
Francisco Lindor's sixth inning homer rounded out the win for the Mets who improve to 65-37.
Dodgers too strong for Giants
Max Muncy and Trea Turner both homered as the Los Angeles Dodgers proved too good for National League (NL) West rivals San Francisco Giants 8-2.
Muncy's second-inning two-run blast put the Dodgers ahead after Darin Ruf scored in the first, with Freddie Freeman driving in Mookie Betts in the fourth to open up a 4-1 lead.
Turner unleashed his 17th home run of the season at the top of the seventh inning with a fly ball to center field to settle the contest, helping the Dodgers move to 69-33 at the top of the NL West.
Elena Rybakina has been bundled out of the first round of the Silicon Valley Classic by Daria Kasatkina in her first game since her Wimbledon triumph last month.
Rybakina won the first set comfortably before the Russian hit back for a remarkable turnaround win, 1-6 6-2 6-0 in one hour and 40 minutes.
Seventh seed Kasatkina was the runner-up at last year's Silicon Valley Classic and found her groove to break her Rybakina six times in the second and third sets.
Rybakina sent down three of her four aces for the match in the first set, but Kasatkina adjusted to her serve and won 52.1 per cent return points for the match.
Eighth seed Karolina Pliskova fought back from a slow start to get past Katie Boulter 1-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3, despite 16 double faults.
American Amanda Anisimova overcame compatriot Ashlyn Krueger 6-2 7-6 (7-5). US pair Madison Keys and Taylor Townsend were also winners.
Third seed Simona Halep and top seed Jessica Pegula were both among the winners in the first round at the Citi Open in Washington DC.
Two-time major winner Halep cruised past Spanish qualifier Cristina Bucsa 6-3 7-5 in one hour and 20 minutes.
Halep, playing her first match since her Wimbledon semi-final loss to Rybakina, fired 19 winners but also 33 unforced errors.
Defending champion Pegula made light work of countrywoman Hailey Baptiste 6-2 6-2 in 73 minutes.
Pegula will face unseeded Australian Daria Saville, who won in three sets over Mirjam Bjorklund, while sixth seed Kaia Kanepi will meet China's Zhu Lin after both won on Monday.
Fifth seed Elise Mertens was a first-round casualty, going down 7-6 (7-4) 6-4 to Ludmilla Samsonova, while Croatian Donna Vekic knocked off seventh seed Mayar Sherif 6-4 6-1.
Six-time major champion Venus Williams played her first singles match in nearly a year but bowed out 4-6 6-1 6-4 to Rebecca Marino.
Former world number one Andy Murray was left frustrated after physically fading on his way to a first-round exit at the Citi Open with a 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-1 loss to Mikael Ymer on Tuesday.
The three-time Grand Slam winner failed to convert four set points in the first set before the Swede triumphed in two hours and 50 minutes.
The match was full of momentum swings, with the 35-year-old capitalising on Ymer's own physical issues, appearing to cramp in the second set, to level it up after winning five of the final six games of the set.
But 23-year-old Ymer regained his composure and physical state to race away with the third set for victory, rounding out 37 winners for the match, leaving Murray frustrated.
"It was disappointing obviously," Murray told reporters. "I thought there was some good tennis in the first set. After that, both of us were struggling a bit physically. The level of the tennis was not great.
"Obviously [I] had chances in the first set to close that out. I had set point at 6-5, then... three in the tie-break and didn't get it.
"I think he seemed like maybe he was cramping a little bit in the second set, but recovered absolutely fine after the break at the end of the [second] set.
"Went off to change and cool off a little bit, and he recovered well for the third, whereas I didn't really. Yeah, just frustrating."
The first-round exit comes after Murray lost in the Hall of Fame Open quarter-finals in Newport to Alexander Bublik when he cramped up in hot and humid conditions.
"Struggled a little bit the past two tournaments with that," he said. "I need to have a little look at that with my team and maybe see why that is, make a few changes."
French veteran Adrian Mannarino took care of Bradley Klahn 6-2 6-4, while Jack Draper beat Stefan Kozlov 7-5 6-2 to set up a second-round date with top seed Andrey Rublev.
World number 112 Benoit Paire also triumphed in the first round on Tuesday, getting past Peter Gojowczyk 7-5 6-4.
Kyle Edmund, Jack Draper, Borna Gojo, Dominik Koepfer, J.J Wolf and Denis Kudla also were victorious, with Alexei Popyrin progressing after a walkover against Wu Tung-lin.
Four-time major winner Naomi Osaka wants to simply get back to having fun upon her return to tennis at the Silicon Valley Classic this week.
The Japanese 24-year-old has not played since her first-round loss to Amanda Anisimova at the French Open in May and sits 41st in the world rankings.
Osaka, who missed Wimbledon due to a left Achilles issue, parted ways with coach Wim Fissette last month after two and a half years.
The injury is one of many that have plagued Osaka over the past difficult 15 months, during which she withdrew from last year's French Open citing "mental health reasons" after boycotting her mandatory post-match media conferences.
She also announced a hiatus following her third-round US Open exit last year but appears in a better place now, with her father, Leonard Francois, stepping in as her coach.
"I just would like to have fun and I know I say that very often, basically every tournament for the last year now, but to genuinely have fun," Osaka told reporters.
"I was telling my dad literally this morning when we were practicing in the rain, years ago we would have to fight to practice on public courts. It was just me and my sister and my dad alone.
"Now I've gotten to the point where people pay to watch me play, and for that I am very grateful. I would have never imagined that as a child.
"Just having fun and being grateful in the moment and trying to engage with everyone to the best of my abilities."
Osaka moved to clarify there was nothing sinister behind her split with Fissette, having won the 2020 US Open and 2021 Australian Open titles alongside him.
"It was really good times with Wim and he's a really amazing coach," Osaka said.
"We didn't part on bad terms. I just felt I needed different energy, and at the same time, he's a very ambitious guy. I was getting injured and I'm sure he would have wanted to go to Wimbledon.
"It was two different mindsets, I would say. But he's a really cool guy still. So confirming that there were no bad things happening."
Osaka is due to face Qinwen Zheng in the first round at the Silicon Valley Classic on Tuesday.
The San Diego Padres have made a key addition after trading in All-Star closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of Tuesday's MLB Trade Deadline.
The addition of 28-year-old left-hander Hader is a major boost for the Padres, who have struggled in late-inning situations this season.
Hader is the 2022 league leader in saves, with 29 from 31 save opportunities this season, although he has career-worst 4.24 ERA which dipped to 12 during July.
The deal sees left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers, left-handed pitching prospect Robert Gasser, right-hander Dinelson Lamet and outfielder Esteury Ruiz sent to the Brewers.
"Josh Hader is one of the best closers in the league," Padres general manager A.J. Preller said.
"He's been there, done that, pitched in big spots, big playoff games. He's got elite stuff."
Hader, who has been with the Brewers since 2017, joins the Padres who have a 57-46 record to sit second in the National League West this season.
"Thank you for the support throughout my career," Hader wrote on Instagram. "Y'all have been great to me. The people, the energy, the love! There will always be a special place in my heart for MKE."
In other moves, the New York Yankees added right-handed starting pitcher Frankie Montas and closer Lou Trivino from the Oakland Athletics, along with reliever Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs.
The Yankees, who have a 69-34 record, had previously brought in All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals.
The Houston Astros acquired first baseman Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles along with catcher Christian Vazquez from the Boston Red Sox.
According to reports, outfielder Tommy Pham is set to join the Red Sox from the Cincinnati Reds.
The Atlanta Braves have announced they have re-signed All-Star third baseman Austin Riley on a 10-year, $212 million contract.
Riley, who appeared in his first All-Star Game last month, is hitting .301 with 29 home runs and 68 RBIs this season. He is leading the league with 61 extra-base hits.
The 25-year-old's deal runs through the 2032 season, with the option for 2033 for $20 million.
Riley is among the top contenders for this season's National League MVP, along with St Louis Cardinals star Paul Goldschmidt.
The third baseman's 26 extra-base hits in July broke Hank Aaron's previous franchise record from 1961 by one.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is set to miss a minimum of five days of his side's training camp after testing positive to COVID-19.
Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury confirmed the news on Monday, revealing Murray's symptoms were "minor".
The Arizona quarterback, who had missed practice on Saturday due to a sore wrist, is the only Cardinals player to test positive currently.
The news comes in light of a busy few weeks for Murray, who agreed terms on a bumper five-year extension with the Cardinals last month. The deal made Murray the NFL's second-highest paid player in terms of average annual salary.
Murray stayed in the spotlight after an "independent study" clause was inserted into the contract, mandating four hours of study each game week, which was later removed.
Murray, a former standout baseball player at Oklahoma as well who was taken ninth overall in the 2018 MLB draft, led the Cardinals to their first playoff appearance in six years with an 11-6 finish to the 2021 season.
The 24-year-old began last season as an MVP candidate as Arizona got off to a 7-0 start, with Murray producing a 116.8 passer rating with a 73.5 per cent completion rate and 17 touchdown passes during that stretch.
However, his play dropped off over the season's second half, as Arizona went 2-5 over his next seven starts, and he struggled with a no-touchdown, two-interception performance in the Cardinals' 34-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the opening round of the playoffs.
Tom Brady remembered Bill Russell as a sporting figure with "a great presence" as he recalled striking up a rapport with the Boston Celtics great, who died on Sunday.
NFL superstar Brady told a news conference about his sorrow at hearing of Russell's death at the age of 88.
He had come to know the basketball hero when living in the Boston area, while spending 20 seasons as quarterback with the New England Patriots.
Russell was drafted by the Celtics in 1956 and went on to win 11 NBA titles. He was a five-time NBA MVP and is one of only four players to have been named to all four NBA anniversary teams (25th, 35th, 50th and 75th).
He became the first black head coach of any North American professional sports team, leading the Celtics to back-to-back NBA championships in 1968 and 1969 when he served as a player-coach.
Russell also made a significant impact away from the basketball court, championing the civil rights movement, and Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Brady said: "I knew him pretty well. I had a lot of time up there in Boston and got to know him and he was a very impactful figure.
"Going back to my early days with the Patriots, in my second year at training camp he came and spoke to the team.
"A really imposing figure, he had a great presence around him and obviously what he overcame in his career was pretty unbelievable. It was a sad day."
Chicago Bulls hero Michael Jordan on Sunday described Russell as a "pioneer" and a "legend", while Obama also paid tribute to "a giant".
The Celtics said Russell's "DNA is woven through every element" of the organisation.
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are "heartbroken" about the knee injury that looks set to keep Ryan Jensen out of the entire 2022 season.
Jensen, Tampa Bay's starting center since 2018, was carted off after suffering a left knee injury during Thursday's training camp practice.
It appears unlikely Jensen will feature this year, although the door has not been slammed shut on that possibility quite yet.
Speaking on Monday, Brady urged second-year pro Robert Hainsey to show he can be a capable deputy.
"He's worked really hard," said Brady, when Hainsey was mentioned. "Obviously everyone's heartbroken with what happened to Ryan, so that will take a little time, but 'Hains' has got to step into the job and do a great job.
"He's worked hard last year, really gained the trust of a lot of people, and he's got to go earn it. Like all of us, it's not how hard you worked in the off-season, it's how good a football player are you, and that's to be determined for all of us."
Jensen has not missed a game since signing with Tampa Bay in 2018 following a four-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, and he was named to his first career Pro Bowl last season.
The 31-year-old re-signed with the Bucs in March on a three-year, $39million contract that includes $23m in guarantees.
The Buccaneers currently do not have any other players with starting experience at center. Hainsey, a 2021 third-round pick, saw just 31 offensive snaps as a rookie, featuring in nine games last season without making a start.
Superstar quarterback Brady, who backtracked on retirement plans, will not let injuries affect the objective as the Bucs look to get back to the Super Bowl, having triumphed in the 2020 season.
"I don't think there's any excuses," said 44-year-old Brady. "You either get the job done or you don't. There's only one team that's really happy at the end of the year and that's the team that wins. So you've got to come out the next year and put yourself into position.
"We're going to just do the best we can do. There's a lot of time. Nobody knows what the team's going to look like. You think you have a center and then he gets injured, so the team's different in one day."
The Cleveland Browns "respect" the decision of a former US district judge to impose a six-game suspension on quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Former Houston Texan Watson faced 24 civil lawsuits following sexual assault and misconduct allegations. He was not charged by two grand juries and has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
The NFL was seeking a suspension for a breach of the league's personal conduct policy, and retired judge Sue L Robinson ruled Watson should be sidelined for six games with no additional fine.
The league issued a statement earlier on Monday saying it would review the findings before deciding whether to appeal, while the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) previously said on Sunday it would "stand by" the ruling once it arrived.
The Browns also issued a statement on Monday, saying: "Throughout this process, Deshaun and his representatives have abided by the newly created and agreed upon process for the NFLPA and the NFL to defer to the objective Judge Sue L Robinson to comprehensively review all information and make a fair decision.
"We respect Judge Robinson's decision, and at the same time, empathise and understand that there have been many individuals triggered throughout this process.
"We know Deshaun is remorseful that this situation has caused much heartache to many and he will continue the work needed to show who he is on and off the field, and we will continue to support him."
The NFL and the NFLPA have three days to appeal against the decision.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski also spoke to the media on Monday and echoed the sentiments of the organisation's statement, saying: "I'm going to respect Judge Robinson and her opinion right now until more information becomes available to me... It remains a process that we're certainly respectful of.
"[Watson] is working to be the best version of himself... He's said that publicly, he's said that privately, and I believe that."
Stefanski added: "I feel incredible empathy for anyone that's been impacted by the decision. It's something I don't take lightly."
The New York Yankees made a move to bolster their already strong bullpen on Monday by acquiring right-hander Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitcher Hayden Wesneski.
Effross made his major league debut for the Cubs last August and had a 3.68 earned run average (ERA) over 14 2/3 innings in 2021.
He has been solid this season, posting a 2.66 ERA with 50 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 44 innings over 47 appearances.
New York entered Monday's action with the best record in the AL at 69-34, and their 2.92 bullpen ERA ranks second in the majors behind the Houston Astros (2.79).
The Yankees, though, recently lost right-hander Michael King (6-3, 2.29 ERA, 66 strikeouts in 51 innings) to a season-ending elbow injury and were looking to upgrade their relief corps ahead of Tuesday's MLB trade deadline.
Wesneski was a sixth-round selection by the Yankees in the 2019 Amateur Draft. The right-hander has gone 6-7 with a 3.51 ERA in 19 starts this season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
P.h.a.s.e 1 is the winner of the inaugural Jamaica Basketball Showcase title. They defeated Caribbean Basketball Academy (CBA) 59 - 46 in the final on Saturday at the UTECH Auditorium.
P.h.a.s.e 1 went through the preliminary round winning all four of their matches to get to the top of the table. Their scores read: 51-35 winners over Central Warriors, 42-34 winners over CBA, 49-43 winners over Lignum Vitae and 49-41 winners over Hummingbirds.
CBA on the other hand was 3 - 1 going into the final match. Their scores were: CBA 55 - Hummingbirds - 37, Lost to P.h.a.s.e 1 - 34 – 42, 39 - 36 win over Central Warriors and a triple overtime win 80 - 75 over Blue Mahoe.
Roman Parks of Lignum Vitae was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Other sectional prizes went to: Rebounds - Roman Parks (Lignum Vitae), Top Scorer - Alex Levy (Blue Mahoe), Most Steals - Maliek McCarthy (Blue Mahoe) & Anthony White (P.h.a.s.e 1), Most Free Throws - Roman Parks (Lignum Vitae) and Most Blocks - Nicholai Brown (P.h.a.s.e. 1).
Parks lamented that although his team came close to getting into the final “I was happy to be able to play in a tournament.” That is the sentiment of the players.
The majority of each team were players 23 and under; while they had two older players drafted per team.
The Showcase honored six stalwarts who have contributed to the all-round development of the game. The six honorees were - Mrs Elaine Barker, Simone Edwards, Roger Marshall, Howard McCatty, Gordon Porter and Dr Howard Harvey.
This was the first competition since March 2020 and JaBA president, Paulton Gordon was complimentary to Sports Innovators Group (SIG), organizers of the event; while CEO of SIG, Paul Campbell, is looking forward for this event to be on the calendar.
The tournament featured 75 players, 15 team officials, 6 referees, four table officials and a list of volunteers supported by GC Foster College.
Special guests for the event came from 30 young boys and girls from the Majesty Garden community. Sponsor partners featured were Express Fitness, KFC, A Peart Advisory Services. GKMS Online (Western Union), Mailpac and Suretime Medical.
Tournament information may be found https://sportsinnovatorsgroup.com/jbs2022/
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