Phil Mickelson has confirmed he will play in the first event of the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series, but he still intends to feature at the upcoming majors this year.

Dustin Johnson headlined the entrant list for the opening event at Centurion Club near London, which starts on Thursday, but Mickelson was an initial surprise omission from the entry list for the Saudi Arabia-funded competition.

Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Lee Westwood are also among the high-profile names set to feature at the three-day event that will have 12 teams and 48 players.

Mickelson was met with widespread condemnation after criticising the PGA Tour earlier this year, for which he apologised and vowed to take a step back from the game – even missing the defence of his US PGA Championship last month.

His comments on LIV Golf were also met with significant backlash after he said Saudi Arabia has "a horrible record on human rights", but added he was willing to commit to the league as it was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates".

But Mickelson, who once again reiterated his apologies for his earlier comments, announced on Monday that he will indeed play at the inaugural LIV Golf event.

"I am ready to come back to play the game I love but after 32 years this new path is a fresh start, one that is exciting for me at this stage of my career and is clearly transformative, not just for myself, but ideally for the game and my peers," the American said in a statement. 

"I also love the progressive format and think it will be exciting for fans. Just as importantly, it will provide balance, allowing me to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the course.

"I am incredibly grateful for what this game and the PGA Tour has given me. I would like to think that I have given back as well but now I am excited about this new opportunity."

Mickelson opted to not defend his PGA Championship this year amid the furore, but the 51-year-old plans to return to compete at the majors alongside his LIV Golf involvement.

"I am thrilled to begin with LIV Golf and I appreciate everyone involved. I also intend to play the majors," he added.

"I fully realise and respect some may disagree with this decision and have strong opinions and I emphasise with that. I have a renewed spirit and excitement for the game.

"I am incredibly grateful for the support of my fans, partners, and peers and I hope in time, those sentiments, relationships and support continue."

Greg Norman, chief executive and commissioner of LIV Golf, added in a statement reported by Sky Sports: "Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation.

"His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him.

"He strengthens an exciting field for London where we're proud to launch a new era for golf."

Rafael Nadal says it is "crazy" for people to even consider him completing the calendar Grand Slam after triumphing at the Australian Open and French Open.

The Spaniard returned from his long battle with a foot injury to claim the first major of the year in Melbourne, moving clear of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for the most grand slam titles in men's history.

Nadal added a record-extending 22nd major to his collection as he lifted a 14th French Open title on Sunday with a straight-sets victory over Casper Ruud.

The 36-year-old was given a couple of injections before every match and will undergo radio frequency injections in a bid to ensure he can go in search of a third major title of the year at the All England Club.

Nadal remains unsure whether he would undergo a major operation to prolong his career, but hopes to be able to be in London when Wimbledon starts on June 27.

Success on the grass courts of Wimbledon would be a third major of the year before the US Open starts at the end of August, but Nadal insists he cannot look that far ahead on his quest for all four grand slams.

"It's crazy to think about completing the Grand Slam after Australia and Roland Garros," he told

"I don't even consider it. More than winning the Grand Slam, I would sign up just to be able to play all four tournaments.

"It's crazy. To win all four, it seems crazy to me because it is something that nobody has done since Rod Laver. 

"The one who came closest was Novak last year. It's crazy to think about it."

While Nadal remains in contention for the calendar Slam, he continues to battle through a foot injury that has plagued him throughout his career.

But the prospect of retirement does not concern Nadal, who is prepared for life after tennis given the amount of times he has thought injury would curtail his playing days.

"I imagine just as I have experienced it many times in my career that I have had to be out of competition for months due to injuries," he added. 

"I have always been happy outside of tennis. It is not something that makes me lose sleep or have any fear of my life after tennis. 

"I have and have always had many things that make me happy beyond tennis."

Emma Raducanu will not rush a decision on the appointment of her next permanent coach, as she seeks a fourth mentor in the space of a year.

The reigning US Open champion is on the hunt for a successor to Torben Beltz after parting ways in April following a five-month tenure together.

The 19-year-old is set to start her grass-court preparations at the Nottingham Open this week, a year after she made her WTA debut at the same event.

But the world number 11 says she will not be hasty in making a call on who will take over as her next coach.

"I want to take my time with this decision," Raducanu said. "Nothing has changed.

"I still have the same people, good people, around me. I don't want to rush into anything.

"Personally, I think I know what I'm doing. I'm trusting what I'm doing and the work I'm doing.

"I'm still 19 and I've already won a grand slam so I can take my time and put things in place because I know my motivation isn't any less."

When Raducanu made her WTA debut at Nottingham a year ago, Nigel Sears was the teenager's coach, before Andrew Richardson succeeded him after Wimbledon.

The latter was not renewed following success in New York, however, with Beltz brought on board in November.

After a whirlwind first season on the tour, Raducanu admits she is merely trying to enjoy her progress, adding: "I'm quite proud of what I've achieved in the past 12 months

"I'm not being so hard on myself, I'm really enjoying my time right now and also just really believing in the work I'm doing.

"I don't think anyone would say, 'I wish I didn't wish a grand slam at 18' because that is what I set out to do when I started playing tennis - and I did that.

"For that to happen very soon definitely comes with a lot of challenges but managing, learning and growing through the adversities that I have faced – I would much rather have that, learn from those experiences and keep building and progressing."

After a half-century of coaching, Romeo Crennel announced his retirement on Monday. 

"Football has been my entire life and it's been a dream come true to coach for 50 years," the 74-year-old Crennel said. "There are so many friends to thank who have helped me and supported me throughout my career.

"I especially want to thank the fans and owners of the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans for allowing me to contribute to the game that I have loved so much for so long.

"I'll miss everything about coaching and teaching, but the thing I'll miss the most is being around the guys every day. My goal was to put every player and coach in the best position to succeed and I consider every guy I coached or worked with a part of my family."

After a decade of coaching in college, Crennel broke into the NFL in 1981 as a special teams coach with the Giants. He later coached the Giants’ defensive line under Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, and then followed Parcells to the Patriots and Jets to coach their D-lines.

He served as the Browns defensive coordinator for one season in 2000 before taking the same job with the Patriots, where he won three Super Bowls in a four-year span. 

His success in New England led to his first head coaching job with the Browns in 2005, but he was unable to replicate those achievements in Cleveland, going 24-40 in four years.

He later joined the Chiefs as their defensive coordinator before serving as their interim head coach for three games in 2011 and eventually earned the full-time job the following year. He went 2-14 in his lone season as head coach in Kansas City in 2012 before being fired. 

For the past eight years, Crennel worked in various positions for the Texans, serving as the defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, interim head coach and senior advisor for football performance.

As interim head coach for 12 games in 2020 following the firing of Bill O’Brien, the then-73-year-old Crennel became the oldest person in NFL history to serve as head coach in a game.  

Crennel went 4-8 in those 12 games, leaving him with a 32-63 career record. Among the 142 coaches to serve as head coach in at least 75 games, Crennel's .337 career winning percentage is the fourth lowest. 

Despite a lack of success as a head coach, Crennel is considered one of the most accomplished assistants in NFL history, helping guide 17 teams to the playoffs with six conference crowns and five Super Bowl championships. 

"After 50 seasons, Romeo retires as one of the most respected figures in NFL history," Texans chair and CEO Cal McNair said. "His incredible resume and contributions to the game of football will be difficult to duplicate. Romeo poured everything he had into his players and led his teams with hard work, diligence and integrity."

Wayne Gretzky is once again part of hockey history.

The last jersey the NHL’s all-time leading scorer wore with the Edmonton Oilers in 1988 was sold for $1.452million on Sunday to set a record for the highest ever paid for a hockey jersey.

Gretzky wore the jersey on May 26, 1988, when the Oilers completed a sweep of the Boston Bruins to win their fourth Stanley Cup championship in five seasons.

That matchup occurred two days after Game 4 was called off with the score tied 3-3 in the second period due to the electricity going out at the Boston Garden.

The game was restarted and Gretzky had a goal and two assists in Edmonton's 6-3 victory. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP for the second time in his career.

Less than three months later, Gretzky was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, ending a nine-season run with the Oilers that saw "The Great One" win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's regular-season MVP eight years in a row from 1980-87.

Sunday's sale broke the mark of $1.275m that was paid for the 1972 Summit Series jersey worn by Paul Henderson when he scored the winning goal in the final minute of Canada's eighth and final game against the Soviet Union.

Henderson's goal clinched the series for Canada with a 4-3-1 record, and in 2017 was named the greatest moment in the nation's sports history by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Quin Snyder’s decision on Sunday to abruptly step down as coach of the Utah Jazz took much of the NBA world by surprise.

Especially the franchise's star player.

Donovan Mitchell was reportedly "surprised and disappointed" by Snyder's decision to step away after eight seasons in Utah, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, and has been left "unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future."

The 55-year-old Snyder had led the Jazz to six straight playoff berths, three Northwest Division crowns and the NBA's best record in the 2020-21 season, but the team had not been able to advance past the Western Conference semi-finals.

''Love Quin. I love Quin. Love Quin,'' Mitchell said after the Jazz were ousted in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks in April. ''He's a guy that gave me an opportunity when I first got here and trusted in me, believed in me. He's a guy that I think has had so much talked about and he's been headstrong, he's been steady with it throughout the year.''

Mitchell has been the face of the franchise since his 2017-18 rookie season, earning a third-straight All-Star Game appearance this past season while finishing ninth in the league in scoring at 25.9 points per game.

The 25-year-old signed a five-year maximum contract extension with the Jazz in 2020, and considered his positive relationship with Snyder a significant reason he opted to stay in Salt Lake City.

Mitchell, who is owed $67.5million for the next two seasons, followed by a $37m player option, reportedly respects Snyder's decision for stepping down but is left wondering how the franchise will respond to such a sudden and significant change in leadership.

Snyder is the second-winningest coach in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan, and since he took over in Utah in 2014-15, only Steve Kerr, Doc Rivers, Mike Budenholzer and Gregg Popovich compiled more wins than Snyder's 372.

American cycling great Greg LeMond has been diagnosed with leukaemia.

LeMond, a two-time world champion and three-time Tour de France winner, retired from cycling in 1994.

The 60-year-old is also the only American to claim the Tour de France after Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis were stripped of their wins over banned substances.

LeMond revealed in a statement on his website on Monday that he is receiving treatment for chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

"Fortunately, it is a type of cancer that is treatable, and it is a type of leukaemia that is not life-threatening or debilitating," he wrote. 

"I had been experiencing a few weeks of fatigue which prompted me to go in for a check-up which included some blood work.

"Following a series of tests and a bone marrow biopsy, which was completed last week, I received my formal diagnosis last Friday.

"No one ever wants to hear the word 'cancer' but, admittedly, there is great relief, now, to know why I was feeling poorly. My doctors and I have decided on a treatment which will begin this week.

"I should be feeling better in a few weeks and for the near future, my daily schedule will be altered only a little and I have been told that in a few months, I should be in remission."

LeMond assured "the long-term prognosis is very favourable" and hopes to return to France to watch the Tour next year.

"I had hoped to be in France in July for the Tour, but we are, now, working on an alternate plan so I can follow the Tour and engage with friends and teammates from our offices and farm in Tennessee," he added.

"I will look forward to returning to the Tour next summer! I will keep everyone updated about my health and treatments in the months ahead but for now, I believe I couldn't be in better hands.

"I am excited about our plans ahead and I look forward to updating you all along the way."

Eddie Jones has included five new faces in a 35-man England training camp ahead of the tour of Australia next month.

Charlie Atkinson, Biyi Alo, Freddie Clarke, Sam Jeffries and Patrick Schickerling have been called up for the first time.

Wing Jonny May is back in the fold after recovering from a knee injury, while Luke Cowan-Dickie (knee) and Anthony Watson (calf) will also be in camp undertaking rehabilitation work.

Players who will feature in Premiership semi-finals this weekend will not report for international duty.

England face the Barbarians at Twickenham a week on Saturday before a three-match series against the Wallabies, starting in Perth on July 2.

Red Rose head coach Jones said: "With a number of players unavailable because of the Premiership semi-finals, we've got the opportunity to call up some new players.

"It's a great opportunity to learn about them and see what potential they have to play a part in the Australia tour.

"We look forward to continuing the good work from our last camp in developing this team on and off the pitch."

England training squad:

Forwards: Biyi Alo, Alfie Barbeary, Jamie Blamire, Callum Chick, Freddie Clarke, Tom Curry, Trevor Davison, Charlie Ewels, Will Goodrick-Clarke, Jonny Hill, Ted Hill, Sam Jeffries, George McGuigan, Tom Pearson, Bevan Rodd, Patrick Schickerling, Jack Singleton, Will Stuart, Sam Underhill, Jack Willis.

Backs: Henry Arundell, Charlie Atkinson, Mark Atkinson, Orlando Bailey, Joe Cokanasiga, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Will Joseph, Jonny May, Jack Nowell, Paolo Odogwu, Max Ojomoh, Tom Parton, Adam Radwan, Harry Randall, Dan Robson.

The Boston Celtics were left to wonder what might have been after a poor third quarter saw them lose Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, levelling the series at 1-1.

An underwhelming first half performance saw the Celtics trail by only two points, and after their incredible fourth quarter showing in Game 1, the hope for Boston was they could finish strongly again and take a commanding 2-0 lead.

However, after finding themselves trailing by 23 points by the time the final quarter arrived, they had left themselves far too much to do.

Celtics coach Ime Udoka blamed the amount of turnovers, saying after the 107-88 defeat at Chase Center: "That's been an ongoing theme in the playoffs so far. We've turned over the ball. Take teams out of scoring against us in the half court, give them some baskets.

"But it was more of the same in that third quarter. We had 11 for 18 points in that first half and gave up five or six more in that quarter. Kind of blew it open, and that hampered our offense, as well."

Jayson Tatum - who top-scored for the Celtics with 28 points, though ended the game with a minus-36, which is the worst plus-minus of the 24-year-old's career - agreed with Udoka on turnovers, but also pointed to the general sloppiness at the start of the third-quarter that saw the Warriors pull away.

"I think tonight, turnovers, and I think sometimes letting our offense affect how we defend, kind of was a little stagnant in the third quarter," Tatum said.

"I feel like it translated on the defensive end, and they got going and hitting shots and things like that."

Boston have now been outscored by at least 14 points on four occasions in the third quarter during this year's playoffs, and guard Derrick White also expressed his frustration at the increasing trend of losing the game just after half-time.

"Yeah, it's definitely frustrating," he said. "I mean, we've talked about it pretty much the whole postseason. It's easy to talk about, but we've got to go out there and change something.

"That was a big quarter for them and really a quarter that put us away."

The Golden State Warriors evened up the NBA Finals on Sunday, comfortably defeating the Boston Celtics 107-88 on Sunday.

Stephen Curry was at his transformative best, finishing up with 29 points on nine-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Pertinently, facing an 0-2 series deficit, putting Curry in high pick-and-roll actions with Draymond Green forced the Celtics into tricky defensive situations.

The Warriors were able to get the shots they wanted as a result of Curry's presence, as well as the lingering injury troubles of Robert Williams III affecting Boston's rim protection.

Gary Payton returned after his gruesome injury sustained against the Memphis Grizzlies and did not miss a beat in the Finals atmosphere, pitching in with seven points, three assists and three rebounds while providing critical defensive presence. 

They scored 40 points in the paint over the game in comparison to the Celtics' 24, while shooting 40.5 per cent from the perimeter.

This came despite Curry and Klay Thompson shooting a combined six-of-20 from beyond the arc.

After their offensive explosion in the fourth quarter to take the opening game, the Celtics shot 37.5 per cent from the floor, while 18 turnovers were critical.

The Dubs scored 33 points off those Celtics turnovers, blowing the game wout with a 35-14 third quarter, capped off with an extraordinary buzzer-beating three-pointer from half-court.

Marcus Smart was ineffective on both ends of the floor, failing to restrict Curry in pick-and-roll situations while going one-of-six from the floor and committing five turnovers.

Draymond Green lauded the performance of Stephen Curry on both sides of the ball after the Golden State Warriors blew the Boston Celtics out 107-88 on Sunday.

The Warriors were up by 29 points at one stage in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, on their way to evening the series up in San Francisco.

Curry was transformative on and off the ball in both offensive and defensive senses, finishing with 29 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals and something even more reflective of his overall impact, an astounding net rating of +39.6.

Green was full of praise after the win, putting Curry's status even before Kevin Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets into perspective.

"I thought he was incredible," Green said post-game. "Most importantly, his decision-making was great. He got off the ball, he didn't drive into traffic, he took what the defence gave him.

"I think for the first six minutes of that game he had zero points. He wasn't forcing anything and let the game come to him, and we all followed that.

"Our offence is always a lot of Steph. It all starts with Steph. When KD [Durant] was here it still started with Steph, and that's the way it's going to be."

The barrage of three-pointers by the Warriors obscured Curry's three steals and ability to stay in front of the ball, especially given the latter has been an important factor in each of the Warriors' previous three series in the Western Conference this post-season.

Despite offensive focus from opposition teams onto Curry, Green insisted the former unanimous MVP has worked to improve defensively and should be respected on that side of the court.

"I have been talking about it for the last couple of years, how much he's improved on that side of the ball" Green said. "Teams used to try to call him into every action and just try to pick on him.

"That's doesn't work anymore. He guards, and we're all there behind him if he does need help but hasn't been needing that often and it's great.

"I've spoken about how much stronger he is. He's able to hold his ground, so you're not able to bump him off his spot, and that's been huge for us. I'm not shocked he's playing that type of defence."

JD Davis stepped up for the New York Mets with an RBI double in the 10th inning on Sunday, propelling them to a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starling Marte homered early off Julio Urias in the third, but the Mets had to recover after letting a two-run lead slip in the ninth inning.

Pete Alonso's double secured the tying run in that eighth inning, and then scored off Eduardo Escobar's sacrifice fly, before bringing the Mets' eighth win in 11 off Davis' double.

Adonis Medina retired Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman to set up the win in extra innings, despite runners on the corners, striking out Will Smith for his first save in Mets colours.

The Mets managed to split the four-game series between the National League's two best records with the win, extending their lead atop the NL East.

Harper and Stott lead Philadelphia fightback

Bryson Stott hit a game-winning three-run home run as the Philadelphia Phillies rallied to beat the Los Angeles Angels 9-7.

The rookie hit the winning homer after the Angels let a 6-2 lead record slip in the eighth inning, following a Bryce Harper grand slam off Raisel Iglesias.

It was the fourth consecutive win for the Phillies, who have won all three games under interim Rob Thomson since Joe Girardi's dismissal on Friday, while the Angels were consigned to their 10th straight loss.

Twins top up in Toronto

The Minnesota Twins extended their lead in the American League Central, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6 on the road.

Twins designated hitter Luis Arraez continued his impressive form, going four-for-four with a walk and moving his batting average for the season to .358, the leading rate in baseball.

The Twins had 16 hits as they took two of three games in Toronto, with Jovani Moran earning his first career save.

The Golden State Warriors evened up the NBA Finals on Sunday, comfortably defeating the Boston Celtics 107-88 on Sunday.

Stephen Curry was at his transformative best, finishing up with 29 points on nine-of-21 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Pertinently, facing an 0-2 series deficit, putting Curry in high pick-and-roll actions with Draymond Green forced the Celtics into tricky defensive situations.

The Warriors were able to get the shots they wanted as a result of Curry's presence, as well as the lingering injury troubles of Robert Williams III affecting Boston's rim protection.

Gary Payton returned after his gruesome injury sustained against the Memphis Grizzlies and did not miss a beat in the Finals atmosphere, pitching in with seven points, three assists and three rebounds while providing critical defensive presence. 

They scored 40 points in the paint over the game in comparison to the Celtics' 24, while shooting 40.5 per cent from the perimeter.

This came despite Curry and Klay Thompson shooting a combined six-of-20 from beyond the arc.

After their offensive explosion in the fourth quarter to take the opening game, the Celtics shot 37.5 per cent from the floor, while 18 turnovers were critical.

The Dubs scored 33 points off those Celtics turnovers, blowing the game wout with a 35-14 third quarter, capped off with an extraordinary buzzer-beating three-pointer from half-court.

Marcus Smart was ineffective on both ends of the floor, failing to restrict Curry in pick-and-roll situations while going one-of-six from the floor and committing five turnovers.