England’s Matt Wallace birdied every hole on the back nine as a career-best round of 60 handed him a one-shot lead heading into the final day of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.
The 32-year-old started the day seven shots off the pace but made 12 birdies including nine in row from the 10th to catapult himself to 16 under.
That handed him a one-shot advantage over countryman Tommy Fleetwood and another member of Europe’s victorious Ryder Cup team in Viktor Hovland, with the playing partners both firing rounds of 66.
Wallace’s nine-hole score of 27, 12 birdies in his round and run of nine consecutive gains all match the best all-time records on the DP World Tour but after heavy rain overnight on Friday meant players could clean and place their ball on the fairways, his round will not officially enter the record books.
He was still delighted with his efforts, however, as he looks for a fifth DP World Tour win to go with the PGA Tour title he won in the Dominican Republic in March.
“What a day, an amazing day,” he told Sky Sports Golf. “I just tried my hardest to get myself back into the tournament. I’m really happy that I’ve been able to do that. Played great.
“At the end, I didn’t even think there was a 59. Honestly I think it helped me a little bit. I just played nicely coming down the stretch, just keep getting one more if I could and I managed to do that.”
After birdies on the second, sixth and eighth, Wallace set off on his remarkable run from the 10th, making eight birdies in a row and knowing that an eagle on the last would see him card just the second 59 in DP World Tour history.
He found sand with his second on the 18th but almost holed out, leaving himself two feet to complete the birdie set on the way home.
“Kind of gutted now actually a little bit,” he added. “Great opportunity to do it. I’ve done it at Moorpark on the West Course which is only a par 68, but to do it out there would have been really special today.
“Ball in hand helps. I had a couple of good lies for up-and-down, but it was fantastic and a good effort for 59.”
A 58-foot putt for eagle on the 14th was the highlight of Fleetwood’s round which also contained six birdies and two bogeys, while Hovland was blemish-free.
“I’m very happy with the fact that you get to the final day of the year and I’m still playing well, still feel fresh and I’m still motivated and in contention,” said Fleetwood.
“I take a lot of pleasure out of that. I think it’s easy to shut off when you get so far down the season but I kind of pride myself on going all the way.
“We’ll see tomorrow. It was great today. Out there playing with one of the best golfers in the world and trying to go toe-to-toe with Viktor. Just look forward to more of it tomorrow. It’s been great so far.”
Dane Jeff Winther was two shots off the lead, one clear of Scot Ewen Ferguson – who carded a 64 – and another Dane in Ryder Cup star Nicolai Hojgaard.
Defending champion Jon Rahm was at 11 under, three shots clear of world number two Rory McIlroy.
Stage Star survived a bad mistake at the final fence and still won the Paddy Power Gold Cup handsomely.
Sent off the 4-1 favourite, the Paul Nicholls-trained and Harry Cobden-ridden seven-year-old confirmed his Turners Novices’ Chase form with Notlongtillmay in the process.
The pair were first and second at the Festival in March and it was Laura Morgan’s charge who once again was chasing in vain.
Stage Star made just about all the running and while top weight The Real Whacker gave him company for the first two miles, he dropped away coming down the hill.
Cobden was then content to sit for a few strides as the challengers mounted up behind him, with Notlongtillmay, Fugitif, Unexpected Party and Il Ridoto still with chances.
Stage Star quickened clear, though, and had the race in safe keeping until he made a horlicks of the last.
It was to his great credit that within a matter of strides he was back in top gear and went clear to win by four lengths to give Nicholls a third win in the race.
Jonbon is looking to book his ticket for the Tingle Creek by getting his season off to the perfect possible start in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham on Sunday.
Only beaten twice in his life, both those defeats have come at Cheltenham but he has lost little in either race.
As yet, no horse has been able to live with his Nicky Henderson-trained stablemate Constitution Hill, so he is forgiven for coming second in the 2022 Supreme, while his trainer feels he was not quite at his best in the Arkle in March behind El Fabiolo.
That view was supported given he went on to win at Aintree and Sandown, latterly versus his elders, but he faces far from a penalty kick against Edwardstone and Nube Negra.
Henderson said: “I’m looking forward to the race within reason, well as much as you ever do.
“He’s done plenty but with Edwardstone and Nube Negra, it’s a good competitive opener for the season.
“He proved over two miles (what he can do) and I was always wanting to go two and a half. We’re going to have to ask the same question again on Sunday. Does he want two and a half? We’ll ask the question again anyway.”
Nube Negra has won this race for the last two years but on quicker ground. He is, undoubtedly though, at his best on his first run of the season.
“Statistics show Nube Negra is very good first time out. I can’t deny that, he’s trying to be a three-time winner of the Shloer and that would be phenomenal,” said Dan Skelton.
“There is every right to be proud of what he is doing rather than saying ‘down the road he gets beaten in the Champion Chase’. Of course, we’d love to win that but I’m proud of what he can do, not what he hasn’t.
“This has been his big aim and he’s very ready.”
Edwardstone returns to the scene of where he ran so poorly in March but Alan King’s charge had a solid record before that.
Jockey Tom Cannon said: “He was struggling down the back with me in the Champion Chase, as he normally takes you into a race very easily.
“I knew at the top of the hill that I had to ask a few questions of his jumping down the back, and he responded, but I used my petrol up earlier than I liked.
“Once we jumped three out and turned in, I wasn’t holding on to a lot of horse, which I think was there for everyone to see, really.
“That wasn’t Edwardstone at his best, but we should see a different side to him at the weekend.”
The field is completed by Gary Moore’s Editeur Du Gite.
It will be a major shock if Gordon Elliott does not win the Bar One Racing Troytown Handicap Chase at Navan on Sunday, as he fields 15 of the 21 remaining runners.
Elliott is gunning for a sixth win since 2014 in what is traditionally one of the hottest handicap chases of the season in Ireland.
The Cullentra handler makes no secret of the fact he loves winning the feature race at his local track, and this year he is going all out.
Elliott will have to be at his diplomatic best with six different sets of owners to keep happy and he might do well to spare a thought for the commentator, with Gigginstown House Stud fielding nine runners – following the defection of Noel Meade’s Idas Boy.
Stable jockey Jack Kennedy has chosen to ride 2021 winner Run Wild Fred, with Sam Ewing on Hollow Games and Ricky Doyle on Gevrey looking three of his stronger chances.
The only other trainers involved are Meade with Thedevilscoachman, Henry de Bromhead with Ain’t That A Shame, Watch House Cross and Largy Debut, Colm Murphy with Macs Charm and Gavin Cromwell, who is represented by Limerick Lace.
“It’s a competitive race and we have lots of chances, so hopefully one hits the board,” said Elliott.
“It’s a 100,000 euros race and it’s a big staying race.
“You would have to say Hollow Games and Run Wild Fred look the best two and Dunboyne would have a chance.
“Hopefully, one of them will hit the board.”
Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road laid down an early marker for the Triumph Hurdle when winning the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle in eyecatching fashion.
Now with fledgling handler James Owen, having spent his days on the level with Michael Bell, who guided him to success in the Golden Gates Stakes over 10 furlongs back in June, he went on to run with credit in a couple of Group Threes.
Sent to Owen for a hurdling campaign, like all owned by the Gredley Family, he had no trouble in opening his account at Huntingdon but faced a completely different level of competition at Cheltenham.
Up against six other previous winners and Milan Tino, who brought good form from France, plenty of questions were going to be asked and Burdett Road answered them all emphatically.
Sent off a 9-4 chance, he was ridden incredibly confidently by Harry Cobden, who managed to avoid the carnage created at the first flight by Parish Star.
When An Bradan Feasa slipped the field turning in, he had everything else off the bridle but Cobden sat motionless before asking for an effort approaching the last.
Despite not meeting that on a good stride, he had so much left he was able to quicken up smartly, going up the hill to win by six and a half lengths.
“When he won at Huntingdon, he was keen and did everything the wrong way,” said Owen.
“We had to do one of two things today, either make the running or drop him in and we all decided we would drop him in and Harry has given him a lovely, cool ride. He will have learned a lot on the way round.
“With the rain coming last night, I was so nervous this morning, but for a Flat horse he is tough and God, didn’t he come up that hill well.
“He is a very tough horse and exciting going forward, this was a Triumph trial and that is our aim. On good ground, he is going to be exciting. He may go to Chepstow or the Adonis.
“He is the one we are waking up for every morning and looking forward to seeing him again.”
Cobden said: “James gave me a free hand and we made the decision to drop him in as he was too free at Huntingdon and if he is going to be a good horse then he is going to need to learn how to race properly. He’s a very classy horse isn’t he.
“He missed a few hurdles on the way round and could easily have got keen. I was just trying to put him into the bottom of them so I didn’t light him up with a good jump.
“He’s obviously a good horse and March is very much agenda now.
“I was still on the bridle (coming down the hill) and I suppose that is what it’s like if you are Paul Townend!
“It was really nice and he’s a proper little horse, he winged the second last and had a dream run though. You can go for gaps that possibly aren’t really there on a horse that isn’t travelling quite so well and when I pushed the button turning in he jumped the last and quickened up nicely.
“Paul (Nicholls) has a few nice juveniles but none probably as good as that.”
Denis O’Regan, who recently completed the full set of riding a winner at all UK and Irish National Hunt tracks, announced his retirement at Navan on Saturday.
A multiple Grade One-winning rider, he perhaps will be best remembered for his successful if relatively brief link-up with trainer Howard Johnson and owner Graham Wylie in the north of England.
During their association, O’Regan won the 2008 World (now Stayers’) Hurdle on Inglis Drever and in the same week landed the Arkle on Tidal Bay.
He won a Becher Chase at Aintree on the Dessie Hughes-trained Black Apalachi, who went on to be second to Don’t Push It in the 2010 Grand National won by Tony McCoy.
Cape Tribulation won at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals in 2012 for O’Regan and Malcolm Jefferson, and a year later the same horse won the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham.
O’Regan also won a Fighting Fifth on Countrywide Flame, a Finale Hurdle on Ruacana and a Galway Hurdle on Quick Jack.
Having learned the ropes at Noel Meade’s yard as understudy to Paul Carberry, it is no surprise O’Regan was renowned for his quiet style in the saddle and in recent years had been used by Gordon Elliott.
His recent victory at Hereford, the only course to have previously eluded him, came for trainer Cian Collins on Fiveonefive, so it was fitting he brought the curtain down on his career on Collins’ Solly Attwell, who finished unplaced.
O’Regan said: “I’m delighted with the decision. It was a huge effort to get back for Hereford after such a long stint off and I’m 41 and have had a fair few falls.
“It was not simple now to come to the decision but I went to Gowran last Saturday and I knew then after that. I knew going home that was it and I had to stop now.
“You need goals and when Hereford was done, it’s hard to find another one – unless you’ve got a good horse, and I don’t have six or seven Grade One horses, so I thought it was a good time.
“It’s the local track for me here, I’ve been very lucky here, my wife and my kids are here, there’s a lot of support and I wanted to go out on one of Cian’s. It didn’t have to be a winner and I’m delighted with that.”
Andy Murray has been ruled out of the Great Britain team for next week’s Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
The 36-year-old former Wimbledon and US Open champion is sidelined due to a minor shoulder injury, the Lawn Tennis Association confirmed.
Britain play quarter-final opponents Serbia on November 23.
“I’ve picked up a minor shoulder injury which means I won’t be able to take part in the Davis Cup,” Murray said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I’m gutted not to be part of the squad, but my focus is now on rehab and getting ready for the new season.”
Englishman Matt Wallace shot a stunning 60 for his third round at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 33-year-old registered 12 birdies in the 12-under-par round, including one on each of his last nine holes, as he moved to the top of the leaderboard.
He had been on for a 59 before completing his final hole in four.
Put to him that he had equalled DP World Tour records for the most birdies made in one round and the most consecutive birdies, Wallace told Sky Sports: “Equalled? Didn’t get it!
“What a day, amazing day. I just tried my hardest to get myself back into the tournament, so I’m really happy I’ve been able to do that and played great.
“At the end there, I didn’t even think it was for a 59, honestly. I think it helped me a little bit.
“I just played really nice coming down the stretch. Just wanted to keep getting one more if I could and I managed to do that.”
Regarding the potential 59, he added: “Yeah, kind of gutted now actually a little bit! Great opportunity to do it.
“I’ve done it at Moorpark on the West Course which is only a par 68, but to do it out there would have been really special today. Ball in hand helps. I had a couple good lies for up-and-down, but it was fantastic and a good effort.”
At the point that he finished, Wallace – 16 under overall – was two shots clear of nearest rival Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark.
Max Verstappen compared Formula One’s £500million Las Vegas Grand Prix to the fifth tier of English football – and suggested the sport’s new generation of fans are only interested in partying.
Verstappen will start from second place for Saturday’s 50-lap race on the strip after Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position with a dazzling lap under the Las Vegas lights.
F1 has sold the sport’s Sin City comeback after four decades away as the greatest show on Earth, but fans witnessed just eight minutes of practice on Thursday after a drain cover broke free and tore a hole into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
A delayed second practice – which concluded at 4am on Friday local time – took place in front of empty grandstands after angry spectators were turfed out to comply with local employment laws.
An estimated crowd of 70,000 watched qualifying on Friday night while organisers had been expecting 100,000 attendees each day.
Earlier this week, Verstappen criticised F1’s maiden street race on the strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. And in the moments after qualifying, he took another swipe at the event.
“Monaco is Champions League and this is National League,” he said.
“I feel like the show is important, but I like emotion. When I was a little kid it was all about the emotion of the sport that I fell in love with and not the show. As a real racer the show shouldn’t matter.
“An F1 car does not come alive on a street circuit. It is not that exciting. It is about proper race tracks. And when you go to Monza and Spa, these kinds of places have a lot of emotion and passion, and for me seeing the fans there is incredible. When I jump in the car, I am fired up. I love driving at these kind of places.
“I understand fans need things to do around the track, but it is more important that they understand what we do as a sport. Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ, or a performance act.
“I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely s***-faced and have a good time. People come here, but they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates, and then go out and have a crazy night.
“But they don’t understand what we are doing, and they don’t understand what we are putting on the line to perform.”
John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute Superbowl-style show here on Wednesday, designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season in style.
Verstappen and his fellow drivers were introduced to the crowd via an elevating platform. Verstappen, who secured his third world title in Qatar last month, later said he felt like a “clown”.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, he continued: “As a little kid I grew up wanting to become a world champion. More time should be invested into the actual sport, and what we are trying to achieve.
“The sport should explain what the team has done throughout the season, and what they are working for. That’s way more important than having these random shows all over the place. I am not passionate about that. I like passion and emotion.
“I love Vegas, but not to drive an F1 car. I love to go out, have a few drinks, throw everything on red and be crazy, but emotion and passion is not there compared to the old-school tracks.”
Despite starting behind Leclerc when the lights go out at 10pm local time here on Saturday (6am Sunday GMT), Verstappen will be favourite to take his 18th win of the season. George Russell will line up from third but Lewis Hamilton will start only 10th.
Hamilton, who finished half-a-second behind team-mate Russell, said: “I was lacking confidence and grip. I struggled.
“Yesterday, the car felt better and I was more competitive and I made changes overnight and it didn’t feel great today. I have got a lot of work to do.”
Charles Leclerc danced his way to pole position with an emphatic performance for Ferrari under the Las Vegas lights.
At just after 1am local time – the latest conclusion to a qualifying session in Formula One history – Leclerc finished just 0.044 seconds clear of team-mate Carlos Sainz.
However, Sainz will start down in 12th after a loose drain cover destroyed his Ferrari in practice and triggered a 10-place grid penalty.
Triple world champion Max Verstappen, a winner in 17 of the 20 rounds so far, took third spot for Red Bull, but will move up to second following Sainz’s demotion. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2, leaving him only 10th on the grid.
Hamilton finished half-a-second behind team-mate George Russell, who hauled his Mercedes into Q3 before taking advantage of Sainz’s penalty to secure third on the grid for Saturday’s 50-lap race.
Following the shambolic start to F1’s Sin City comeback here on Thursday night, qualifying passed off without significant incident – much to the relief of the sport’s under-fire bosses.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stopped short of issuing an apology to the furious spectators, who saw just eight minutes of practice before they were ejected from the stands.
However, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the estimated 90,000 fans who filled the 3.8-mile street venue – 30,000 down on capacity – were treated to an uninterrupted session which saw Leclerc romp to top spot in his scarlet machine.
“I am happy,” said Leclerc. “To have first place in Las Vegas is great.
“I was a bit disappointed because my lap was not great but it was all we needed. In the race we usually lack pace but hopefully we can put it all together in the race.”
Against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and Bellagio hotels, Ferrari delivered, but it was another underwhelming showing for Hamilton.
A fortnight after the seven-time world champion finished eighth in Brazil – 63 seconds behind winner Verstappen – he struggled for pace in his underperforming Mercedes.
“Couldn’t go faster, mate,” said Hamilton following his elimination. Behind Hamilton, Sergio Perez qualified one place back.
Lando Norris arrived in Nevada as the grid’s in-form driver after scoring more points across the last three rounds than anyone else.
But the British driver failed to make it out of Q2 with his McLaren machinery not suited to the three long straights here coupled with slow corners.
He qualified only 16th, three places ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri who also fell at the first hurdle.
“Very disappointed,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “We thought we’d struggle this weekend but I didn’t think either car would be out in Q1.
“Not a good start to the weekend and now all we can do is focus on the race tomorrow.”
De’Aaron Fox scored 16 of his season-high 43 points in the fourth quarter and the Sacramento Kings won their fifth straight, 129-120 over the San Antonio Spurs to remain perfect in the In-Season Tournament on Friday.
Domantas Sabonis had 28 points and Malik Monk added 20 as the Kings won their fourth in a row in San Antonio and moved to 2-0 in the West Group C standings of the tournament.
Victor Wembanyama had 27 points on 12-of-26 shooting and nine rebounds after scoring a season-low eight points in Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma City.
Zach Collins scored 28 points and Keldon Johnson contributed 20, but the Spurs lost their seventh straight and dropped to 0-3 in the in-season tournament.
Durant stars as Suns beat Jazz
Kevin Durant scored 38 points and came up just shy of a triple-double and Devin Booker had 24 points and 15 assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 131-128 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Durant had nine rebounds and nine assists and scored at least 25 points for the 11th straight game, the longest active streak in the NBA.
Durant’s 3-pointer gave Phoenix a 124-115 lead before Utah rallied to get within one in the final minute. He struck again with his sixth 3 of the game with 18 seconds to play.
Jordan Clarkson had a season-high 37 points for Utah and Lauri Markkanen added 21.
Harden hits key 3-pointer as Clippers snap skid
James Harden drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer while getting fouled with six seconds remaining and the Los Angeles Clippers ended a six-game losing streak with a 106-100 win over the Houston Rockets.
Harden sank a 26-footer from atop the key and completed the rare four-point play to seal his first win since joining the Clippers, who had lost their last five games since acquiring the superstar.
Kawhi Leonard added two free throws in the final second and finished with 26 points, while Harden added 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Alperen Sengun scored 23 points for the Rockets, whose six-game win streak was stopped after allowing Los Angeles to close the game on a 12-1 run.
John Tavares set up two goals and scored one of his own with 5:33 remaining to complete the Toronto Maple Leafs’ comeback in a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at the NHL’s Global Series in Sweden.
Toronto entered the third period down 2-0 but Tyler Bertuzzi scored at 3:50 and William Nylander netted the equalizer with 6:57 left before Tavares’ seventh goal of the season 1:24 later gave the Maple Leafs their first lead of the game.
Nylander also had a goal and two assists to extend his franchise-record season-opening point streak to 16 games.
Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves as Toronto won its third straight and fourth in five games.
Daniel Sprong scored on a penalty shot and Lucas Raymond had the other goal for Detroit, which dropped to 1-2-2 in its last five.
The game was the second of four over five days at Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Ottawa beat Detroit on Thursday, and Minnesota will play the Senators on Saturday and the Maple Leafs on Sunday in the first four-team series outside North America.
Perfetti scores again as Jets win
Cole Perfetti scored in a fifth straight game and the Winnipeg Jets held off the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2.
Mason Appleton and Nikolaj Ehlers had the other goals and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots as Winnipeg notched its fifth win in six games.
Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka scored for the Sabres, who have lost three in a row.
Eric Comrie made 15 saves in his first action since suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 27.
Stolarz the difference in Panthers’ win
Anthony Stolarz stopped 33 shots to make two first-period goals hold up as the Florida Panthers held on for a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Stolarz allowed only Frank Vatrano’s power-play goal in the second period before turning away all 16 Anaheim shots in the third period.
Jakob Silfverberg thought he scored the tying goal midway through the third period, but there was no conclusive evidence to show that the puck crossed the goal line.
Anton Lundell set up goals by Eetu Luostarinen and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the first period as Florida rebounded from Thursday’s loss to Los Angeles and won for the sixth time in seven games.
Former British number one Elena Baltacha announced her retirement from tennis on this day in 2013.
Baltacha was Britain’s top-ranked player for 132 weeks between 2009 and 2012 and reached a career-high ranking of 49 in 2010, but subsequently struggled with injury.
The Kyiv-born Scot died of liver cancer in May 2014 at the age of 30.
A Fed Cup stalwart, Baltacha’s CV also contained wins over top-10 players Li Na and Francesca Schiavone, while her best grand slam performances saw her reach the third round at the Australian Open in 2005 and 2010 and at Wimbledon in 2002.
“It just feels it’s the right time,” Baltacha said when announcing her retirement.
“My body has taken such a bruising over the last 16 years and that’s finally taken its toll.
“I have had some amazing experiences through playing tennis – some incredible highs and some very low lows – and I wouldn’t change any of them, but now my mind and my body are telling me it’s time to move on to a new phase of my life.
“I still absolutely love tennis and I want to take that passion and put it into learning to be the best coach I can be so that I can take all my experiences as a player and use that to help develop the next generation of British tennis players.”
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali has refused to apologise for the farcical opening to this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
After months of hype leading up to the £500million race, opening practice was abandoned with just eight minutes on the clock on Thursday night.
The second running was delayed by two-and-a-half hours, and then took place in front of vacant grandstands after furious fans were ejected to comply with local employment laws. Practice finished at 4am on Friday morning.
But in a 650-word joint statement by Domenicali, and CEO of the Las Vegas race, Renee Wilm, the sport’s red-faced bosses stopped short of saying sorry.
“We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula One races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues,” they said.
“It happens, and we hope people will understand.”
Fans who held a 200 US dollar (£160) general admission ticket for Thursday’s two practice sessions have been offered a voucher for the same amount to be redeemed on merchandise.
But those in attendance on a three-day pass – the cheapest of which is 500 US dollars (£400) – will not receive any compensation.
The statement continued: “We know this was disappointing. We hope our fans will understand that we had to balance many interests, including the safety and security of all participants and the fan experience over the whole race weekend.
“So how will we address this tonight?
“We have worked overnight to adjust our staffing plans across security, transportation and hospitality to ensure that we can function and serve fans with the best possible experience in the event of an extended race schedule.
“We are excited about the racing today and thank our entire team and our fans for their support. We know this is going to be a great event. With that, let’s get back to racing.”
Qualifying for Saturday’s 50-lap race will take place at midnight local time (8am GMT on Saturday).
The Cincinnati Bengals will be without Joe Burrow for the rest of the season after the star quarterback tore a ligament in his right wrist during Thursday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Head coach Zac Taylor made the announcement Friday, less than 24 hours after Burrow departed Cincinnati's 34-20 loss in the second quarter, and added that the 2022 Pro Bowl selection will likely undergo surgery.
Burrow grabbed his right wrist while in noticeable pain immediately after throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon with 5:49 remaining in the second quarter. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick attempted to throw while on the sideline shortly after but was unable to grip the ball, then went into the locker room with the Bengals' training staff before being ruled out of the game after half-time.
"On the touchdown pass I just felt a pop in the middle of the throw," Burrow told reporters Friday. "I tried to give it a go, but I just couldn't get it done. Then I obviously got the news today, so not great."
Burrow's injury is potentially a major blow to a Cincinnati team currently outside the AFC playoff picture at 5-5, though the Bengals had recovered from a 1-3 start to win four straight prior to last week's loss to the Houston Texans.
The 26-year-old led the Bengals to the AFC Championship game in each of the last two years, as well as an appearance in the Super Bowl during the 2021 season.
"You work so hard for seasons and moments like these, so whenever you get hurt and it ends early, it's tough to handle," Burrow said. "But that's part of the game. I've been through it before, so you've just to go grind it out."
Taylor said Jake Browning will make his first NFL start in place of Burrow when the Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 26.
An undrafted free agent who spent 2022 on Cincinnati's practice squad before making the active roster this season, Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown after replacing Burrow on Thursday.
"Jake's worked for this opportunity his entire life," Taylor said. "He's prepared the right way. He's in the building as much as anybody on this team waiting for moments like this - obviously not [wanting] the way it happened to Joe.
"Really proud of the way he went in there with a calm attitude and was able to execute the plan, and give us a chance to move the ball and score some points."
This is the second major injury Burrow has encountered during his four-year NFL career, as a torn ACL ended his 2020 rookie season after 10 games. He returned to throw for over 4,400 yards in each of the last two seasons with a combined 69 touchdown passes to help the Bengals emerge as one of the AFC's top teams.
Burrow also played through a strained right calf he sustained in training camp this summer, though he did not miss a game. He finishes the season with 2,309 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 10 starts.
The NFL is expected to investigate the circumstances behind this latest injury, according to The Associated Press. Though Burrow was not listed on the Bengals' injury report for Thursday's game, the Bengals had posted a video of the quarterback getting off the team bus with his right hand appearing to be in a cast as he made his way to the stadium.
The Bengals later deleted the video.
The Phoenix Suns announced Friday that All-Star guard Bradley Beal will remain sidelined due to a lower back strain that has limited him to just three games this season.
Beal will be re-evaluated in three weeks, the club said in a statement, and this new timeline “was determined following further evaluation and consultation on his injury.”
Brought to Phoenix by a blockbuster offseason trade, Beal missed the Suns’ first seven games before making his debut on Nov. 8.
He averaged 17.3 points per game on 39.1-percent shooting in three games, then was a late scratch before the Suns’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Phoenix still has not had its All-Star trio of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker all available for the same game.
Booker has also only played three games this season while dealing with toe and calf injuries, but he returned Wednesday to score 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
The rash of early injuries has left the Suns with a 5-6 record to start the season as players like Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen have been thrust into larger roles.
After serving 14 years as President of the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ), Martin Lyn has opted not to seek re-election, citing the need to refresh and reinvigorate the organisation with new leadership.
Lyn, whose time at the helm was spread across seven two-year terms, believes he has left the association in good standing with a solid platform on which the next president can build to drive the country’s aquatic sports product forward.
The new president will be selected at the ASAJ’s Annual General Meeting scheduled for December 5.
Georgia Sinclair and Lance Rochester, who served as vice presidents with responsibility for swimming and water polo respectively, under Lyn’s leadership, are said to be frontrunners in the race to take the reins.
“Sometimes you have to know when to step aside and let someone else take over. My accomplishments and achievements speak for themselves, and nobody can dispute the fact that I have done a significant amount of good during my time in charge. I also think it’s time for me to focus on other things as well and also allow the association to grow in a different direction,” Lyn told SportsMax.TV.
“For the first time in a while, there are people vying for the presidency and it is good that people’s ambitions towards leadership is stimulated. So, I am stepping down to allow the association to grow even bigger and better with fresh ideas because I have left a strong foundation on which the next president can build,” he added.
According to Lyn, his time at the helm boast outstanding contribution and great personal sacrifice, though his credibility, integrity and, by extension, leadership qualities, have been called into question on a number of occasions.
“The presidency is not an easy job in any federation. It wasn’t always easy to beg and beseech the minister (of sports) and Sports Development Foundation for funding or even to secure sponsorship, and of course, you and others don’t always see eye-to-eye for various reasons. But we have upgraded the system and most importantly we are in one of the best financial positions that we have been in, in years,” Lyn argued.
“The day-to-day running of the federation was up and down but the administration performed very well including the disciplinary committee. For the first time in a long time, we don’t have any disciplinary matters pending,” he noted.
Though celebrating some infrastructure development, as well as the recognition of five Jamaican officials on the World Aquatics list among his achievements, Lyn pointed out that he also had some regrets.
“Two regrets I have, and one is the fact that I have tried unsuccessfully to change the constitution of the ASAJ so that there are not so many gray areas because in the current constitution, there are a lot of loopholes. But the feedback was that we couldn’t just meet and discuss the constitution, so maybe I was a little premature in my approach, but it is something that I will encourage for the new administration to look at,” Lyn shared without going into details about his other regret, which had to do with how swim meets were conducted.
That said, Lyn left words of encouragement for the new administration which will boast familiar faces, as treasurer Florence Grizzle-Williams will battle incumbent Shauna Jackson for the post of Honorary Secretary.
Robyn-Ann Chin-Sang will be running unopposed for Vice-president in charge of artistic swimming, while Marlon McIntyre is the only candidate for the vice-president in charge of water polo.
Meanwhile, Hilary Brown-Nixon seems set to take the post of vice-president in charge of swimming.
“The first word of encouragement is to keep the train rolling, because we are on a very good path for success. I have dedicated a lot of time out of my life to do what I did, so which ever candidate takes over, they must be willing to invest the time and effort into moving the sport forward because it is to the benefits of the athletes and more so the country,” he ended.
Minella Missile dented some lofty reputations in the Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle for Evan Williams at Cheltenham.
The point-to-point winner had caused a 20-1 shock when scoring on his hurdling debut from a Paul Nicholls-trained favourite at Chepstow and he repeated the feat here – but this time at Grade Two level at an even bigger price.
Sent off a 22-1 chance the five-year-old looked up against with Nicholls’ Captain Teague and several Irish-trained runners appearing to hold stronger claims. However, Adam Wedge moved within his comfort zone for much of the race, despite sitting well off the pace.
Harry Cobden had Captain Teague close to Kinbara up front, but did put in a couple of noticeably novicey leaps.
He was still in the box seat turning for home, but The Big Doyen had tracked him while Wedge charted the inside route on Minella Missile.
All three had a chance on jumping the last, and it was the Williams runner who found most to win by a length and a half from the 4-6 favourite with The Big Doyen a further half-length away.
“He’s just one of them you know, he quickens and is very laid back,” said Williams
“You can drop him in and I love a horse you can drop in and then quickens. There’s not many of them that get there in two strides and he can do that.
“It’s the trainer why he is the price he is, nothing to do with the horse. It’s the trainer, not the horse.
“Talk is talk and it’s November. The men in March don’t talk they just turn up don’t they. We’re under no illusions and he has won his good race. He’s a brother to a horse who I think is a good horse in Monbeg Genius and his future will be over fences somewhere down the line.
“I just think in these novice hurdles, a step up in trip wouldn’t be a problem and he quickens.”
Minella Missile provided a poignant 100th winner for owner Janet Davies, who has endured a difficult time following the death of her husband, Peter, and the winning trainer was thrilled to give his loyal owner with a day to remember.
“That’s racing, it pulls in the emotions of life which are important to the very trivial pursuit of going faster than another horse round a grassy field,” continued Williams.
“It is her 100th winner and she has been very successful, had a lot of winners and some very nice horses. But, as often happens with racing, it sometimes just gives back that little bit of a fairytale.
“I’m blessed with the owners I train for. I’m a dinosaur and I train for some very old-fashioned owners and it makes my life very easy. But sometimes that cross-over between real life and racing is fantastic. Isn’t it crazy how the cards fall sometimes.”
On future plans, he went on: “He handles this place which is an undulating track and sometimes you can get dragged into doing things for the sake of doing things.
“Lets be brutal about it, the second horse carried a penalty and we have only won a length and a half. So we have a bit to find to go and win a Grade One.
“He’s the type of horse who might be able to step up to that, but as far as I’m concerned, in his life as a novice hurdler he has won a good race and what happens now as a novice hurdler is almost irrelevant.
“Today is Janet’s day and that’s what makes it special to me. It’s a special day for Janet.”
Davies said: “How amazing was that. We won last (here) with Court Minstrel and I never thought we would have another like that.
“Evan said when he won at Chepstow, ‘you have a nice horse’. But I didn’t think he would be that nice.
“I was trying to keep my cool, as this time last year I lost my husband suddenly in his sleep. It’s been a difficult year, but that was amazing.”
Mouse Morris made another successful raid to Britain as Foxy Jacks claimed the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Friday.
Morris has already struck on British shores this term with Gentlemansgame in the Charlie Hall, and his nine-year-old produced a superb round of jumping in the hands of Gavin Brouder to hold off Dan Skelton’s Latenightpass in a thrilling finish.
The trainer is of course no stranger to success at Prestbury Park, but was delighted with his charge who provided him with his first winner at the track since First Lieutenant struck at the Festival in 2011.
“It was very tenacious, he’s not simple but got a great ride, he jumped super,” said Morris of the 9-1 scorer.
“I thought he was in great shape coming here, but there are 30 fences to jump and jumping is not what he is noted for. These sort of races change his mind a little.
“It was his first time over the banks and I couldn’t be happier. There are a lot of days he hasn’t delivered which makes these days good.
“He has been running well this year, he won the Midlands National and was third in the Kerry National, so something has happened to him.
“I don’t think weight matters to this fella, it is just getting him on his day. He belongs to great people who love the craic and we will go where we can have some fun.”
Gordon Elliott’s pair of Delta Work and Galvin fought out the finish of the cross country at the Cheltenham Festival in the spring but finished down the field in their return to action.
Both have a return in March on the agenda, but Elliott is keen to see how Delta Work (sixth) comes out of the contest having failed to sparkle in the second half of the contest.
“Keith (Donoghue) actually said for the second half of the race he never jumped which he usually does and he was a bit sore pulling up. So we will have to see how he is,” said Elliott.
“Cheltenham is the plan in March, but once he’s OK in the morning that is all that matters. You can see in the second half of the race he never jumped like he can.
“In fairness we were happy with the run, if we got beat today we wouldn’t have been disappointed but he never jumped for the second half of the race, he just wasn’t right.
“Galvin (eighth) ran very well, he just hated the ground and we’re very happy. March is the plan and it will probably be one run over hurdles and that is it.”
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