Tiger Woods has confirmed he will participate in The Open following his successful return to action at The Masters, but he does not expect to ever play a full schedule again.
The 15-time major winner defied the odds to compete at Augusta National this week, 14 months on from sustaining serious leg and foot injuries in a car accident.
Competing in his first PGA Tour event since November 2020, Woods not only made the cut for a 22nd successive time at the Masters, he also played all 72 holes.
After a strong start to the week, Woods faded from contention and carded back-to-back rounds of six-over 78 on Saturday and Sunday – both career-worst scores.
While that score may seem underwhelming for the 46-year-old, who won this event for a fifth time in 2019, Woods received a huge ovation when completing his round.
And after showing glimpses of his old self this week, as well proving his ability to complete a tournament, Woods intends to continue appearing at majors and other select events.
"I won't be playing a full schedule ever again," he told Sky Sports. "It will just be the big events. I don't know if I will play Southern Hills [next month's PGA Championship] or not.
"But I am looking forward to St Andrews. It's something near and dear to my heart. I've won two Opens there and it's the home of golf, my favourite golf course in the world.
"So I will be there for that one. Yes."
Woods was limping throughout the final round, which consisted of five bogeys and a double-bogey after a birdie on the second hole, but he was blown away by the support.
"It's crazy, it's just crazy," he said of his reception. "This golf course and this tournament has meant so much to me and my family.
"From the year I was born, it was the first year that a Black man played in the Masters, Lee Elder. He got a chance to be an honorary starter last year, before he passed.
"He was there when I ended up winning in 1997, my dad was there.
"My mum was there the entire time, and is out there today. She's stubborn.
"She shouldn't have been out there, she shouldn't have been walking, she has no business going up and down those hills. Where do I get it from, right?"
Germany's Tatjana Maria sank the hopes of Brazil's Laura Pigossi by carrying off the Copa Colsanitas title in Bogota, landing a 6-3 4-6 6-2 victory in Sunday's final.
Maria, who won her only previous WTA singles title in Mallorca in 2018, had the serving advantage in a contest between two qualifiers, hitting six aces to Pigossi's zero.
In the two sets that she won, Maria won 80 per cent of her successful first serves (28 of 35), not allowing Pigossi a look at a break point in the opener and saving two opportunities in the third.
Maria won seven matches in nine days while at the event in Colombia, with the 34-year-old dropping only two sets in the process.
The win will see a significant jump in Maria's world ranking, which is currently number 237 after taking time off to have a child.
David Goffin secured his sixth ATP Tour title by coming from behind to beat Alex Molcan in the Grand Prix Hassan II final on Sunday.
Slovakian Molcan, in search of a first triumph at main tour level, came flying out of the blocks, but ultimately Belgian Goffin's experience showed as he recorded a 3-6 6-3 6-3 victory.
World number 65 Molcan, who defeated Goffin in the first week of the season in Melbourne, was in early control of this meeting in Marrakesh, a set to the good and serving at 2-1 up in the second.
However, former world number seven Goffin responded from that point onwards and did not look back as he won in one hour and 58 minutes.
Goffin feels he can take confidence from this success into the rest of the clay-court segment of the 2022 season.
"I'm very happy, proud of my week. It was not easy, a lot of tough matches," Goffin said. "But at the end, I have my sixth title, here in Marrakesh. It gives me a lot of happiness and confidence for the season on the clay.
"It was the case twice before that match that I lost the first set and I always stayed calm the whole week to turn it around. It was the case again today, because he was playing well.
"He was better than me in the first set, and then I managed to play better and better, serving better, being more aggressive in the middle of the second. I was the better player [after that]."
Quoted on the ATP website, Goffin said: "I was playing even better in the third set, so I'm really happy the way I finished with another break [and] a good match point. I didn't want to serve for the match, I preferred to finish with a break."
Molcan reflected on a positive week in Morocco that saw him most notably beat top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
"It was an amazing week for me," he said. "I won a lot of matches and enjoyed it very much."
George Russell said the Formula One championship will be decided by results rather than pace after clinching his first podium finish for Mercedes at the Australian Grand Prix.
Russell finished third in Melbourne, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton coming home fourth as the team responded to a disappointing result in Saudi Arabia, where Russell and Hamilton came fifth and 10th respectively.
Mercedes, who are bidding for a ninth consecutive constructors' championship, have struggled for pace early in the new campaign, but profited from Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz both failing to finish as they picked up valuable points at Albert Park.
Having earned 65 points in the opening weeks of the season, second-placed Mercedes trail Ferrari by 39 points in the constructors' standings, and Russell highlighted the importance of being able to capitalise on others' mistakes in order to grab vital points.
The 24-year-old also, however, stressed the need for Mercedes to make improvements after team-mate Lewis Hamilton again spoke out regarding problems with the team's W13 car.
"It doesn't matter how fast the car is, if you don't make it to the end then you are not there to pick up the pieces," Russell said.
"We were probably the fifth-fastest team behind McLaren and Alpine yet here we are in third place.
"It is a championship based on results not pace.
"But we know if we want to keep that position, we need to find more performance in the car."
Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes must "leave no stone unturned" in their quest for improvements after he battled to a fourth-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion has endured a frustrating start to the 2022 campaign, sitting fifth in the drivers' championship standings and repeatedly speaking out on problems with the team's W13 car.
Hamilton batlled to fourth in the third Grand Prix of the season after starting fifth on the grid, with team-mate George Russell claiming his first podium finish for Mercedes in third as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc stormed to victory.
After describing Mercedes' car as "spiteful" in the aftermath of qualifying in Melbourne, Hamilton stressed the need for the team to make improvements in "every single area" if they are to compete with early-season pace-setters Ferrari.
"I will be on Zoom calls with our bosses, really trying to rally them up," he said.
"We have got some improvements that we need to make, and we need everyone's support in doing so.
"It is about making sure we leave no stone unturned, that the hunger is there, and we are maximising every moment.
"I will be chasing the people in the wind tunnel, the aerodynamic guys, and just looking at every single area.
"There is performance to be gained and we need it now, not in two or three races. I have got to keep that encouragement and energy high."
Mercedes are bidding for a ninth consecutive constructors' championship, but trail Ferrari by 39 points in the 2022 standings after three races.
While calling for improvements across the board and noting that the gap to Ferrari is "pretty big", Hamilton stressed the need for the team to remain upbeat and highlighted that there are many races to come.
"I prefer to stay optimistic," he added. "There are 20 races to go.
"I am really hoping we can get in the fight, but with every bit of improvement we make so will Red Bull and Ferrari.
"It is not going to be easy. The gap is pretty big right now, but there is a long way to go."
Russell, meanwhile, is second in the drivers' standings after following up his fourth and fifth-place finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with an impressive showing at Albert Park, and Hamilton was keen to praise the 24-year-old for his performances since making the switch from Williams.
"It is incredible," Hamilton said of the start Russell has made to his Mercedes career.
"He has been so solid. He is really grafting away and is doing an amazing job."
The next date in the Formula One calendar will see Hamilton bid for a repeat of his 2020 triumph at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, after he finished second to Max Verstappen at Imola last year.
Max Verstappen says Red Bull are "already miles behind" after the reigning world champion suffered a second DNF of the 2022 Formula One season at the Australian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman had sat second throughout the race at Albert Park and had closed the gap on eventual race winner and championship rival Charles Leclerc amid a safety car deployment.
But a mechanical failure saw him forced to retire once again after he also failed to see out the season opener in Bahrain, with the Ferrari of Leclerc leading home from Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and Mercedes' George Russell.
It is the second time in three races Verstappen has been blighted by problems beyond his control, and he bemoaned that he cannot think about defending his crown right now.
"We're already miles behind," he stated. "I don't want to think about the title fight, I just want to finish races.
"It's frustrating and unacceptable. These kinds of things if you want to fight for the title cannot happen."
Team principal Christian Horner voiced his own disappointment to Sky Sports afterwards too, adding: "We don't know what the issue is yet. I don't think it is engine related.
"I think it might be a fuel issue but we need to get the car back and look at exactly what has happened.
"[It's] desperately frustrating. We didn't have the pace to race Charles today. They were in a league of their own but frustrating not to bag those points."
One beneficiary of Verstappen's exit was Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, with the seven-time world champion completing a second-row lockout for the Silver Arrows after his struggles this year.
"We definitely didn't expect to be third and fourth," the Briton added to Sky Sports. "George did a great job today. We'll take these points and keep pushing.
"I couldn't fight for third as the engine kept overheating. I had to back off. We bagged as many points as we could for the team and that's great."
Leader Scottie Scheffler is relishing a "great fight" for a maiden major victory at The Masters on Sunday.
World number one Scheffler holds a three-shot lead over Cameron Smith heading into the final round at Augusta.
The 25-year-old bogeyed four of the final seven holes in his third round on Saturday and did well to only drop one shot at 18 after taking a one-stroke penalty following a poor tee shot.
Scheffler will tee off at nine under with a first major triumph in his sights and the American is looking forward to the challenge.
He said: "It should be a great fight. Obviously Cam is a tremendous player, and he's got a fantastic short game, and he's coming off a huge win at The Players.
"Both of us are in good form, so I'm definitely looking forward to the challenge of playing with him tomorrow.
He added: "Little bit of different conditions on the golf course. I'm sure they will keep the green nice and firm, but the wind will be a little lighter. I'm not sure how much lighter it will be, but I think we are both looking forward to the test and the challenge.
"Playing in the final group is always so much fun, so I'm looking forward to it."
Australian Smith knows there will be no margin for error in his final round as he also eyes a first major title.
Asked what it will take for him to win, he replied: "Shoot the lowest score out there again tomorrow probably. No, I think preparation. I think it's not going to be as windy tomorrow.
"Typically here on Sunday, especially the back nine, you can use plenty of greens to your advantage and have plenty of birdie opportunities.
"Again, just stay aggressive into the greens and just keep hitting quality shots."
Sungjae Im is five shots adrift of Scheffler in third place, with Shane Lowry and Charl Schwartzel a further two strokes back.
Charles Leclerc saluted his team's work across the Australian Grand Prix, as the Ferrari driver claimed his second win of the 2022 Formula One season in Melbourne.
The Monegasque led from pole throughout to claim victory in the third race of the year, driving a masterfully composed race out in front at Albert Park.
With presumptive title rival Max Verstappen forced into a DNF behind him with another mechanical failure, Leclerc has now opened up a 46-point gap on the reigning world champion.
Even before then, Leclerc had looked comfortable in the lead, and he was quick to pay tribute to his crew back in the Ferrari garage for helping him take his game up a level.
"It's the first win where we have controlled the gap," he stated. "Honestly, what a car today. Of course, I did a good job all weekend, but it was not possible without the car.
"Especially in the race pace, we were extremely strong. [The] tyres felt great - from the first lap to the last lap, we were managing the tyres extremely well. I am just so happy."
Leclerc was forced to navigate both physical and virtual safety car restarts throughout, and almost lost his place to Verstappen when the former came in midway through the race.
"It was very difficult, especially the safety car restart," he added. "I thought it was going to be difficult to keep the first position, but then we managed to do so.
"We are only in the third race, so it is difficult to think about the championship, but we have a very strong car, a very reliable car.
"That makes me smile after the last two years, which have been difficult for the team and myself, so it is great to be back in this position."
Red Bull's Sergio Perez came home second to capitalise on team-mate Verstappen's latest car woes, and the Mexican was muted on the missed chance to lock out the rest of the podium.
"That race was a bit tricky," he added. "We were a bit unlucky losing positions with the safety cars which we recovered later. It would've been great to have a double podium, but we lost Max."
Mercedes' George Russell was the biggest beneficiary of both the safety car and Verstappen's withdrawal, with the Briton edging team-mate Lewis Hamilton for his first podium of the year.
"We have got to be in it to win it and capitalise on others' misfortune," he added. "Obviously we got lucky today twice, but you have got to take it.
"We are never to give up. We have got to keep fighting. This weekend we were a long way behind our rivals but here we are standing on the podium."
Jorge Martin led the first ever Ducati quintet in a stunning MotoGP qualifying, finishing top of the time sheets at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday.
Martin's pole was enough to set a new all-time MotoGP lap record around COTA, while also keeping his front-row start record in 2022 unblemished.
Jack Miller shot to the top of the order, clearing Ducati factory teammate Francesco Bagnaia and it looked good enough to secure pole for the Australian at the Grand Prix of the Americas.
Enter the qualifying specialist Martin, however, gaining close to two tenths in the final sector on his way to setting a new all-time lap record at COTA by just three thousandths of a second.
Seven-time pole winner at this track and dubbed the King of COTA, Repsol Honda's Marc Marquez made an error on his final lap in Q3, meaning a starting position of ninth – his worst qualifying result in Austin.
Behind the top three of Martin, Miller and Bagnaia to clear out the front row for Ducati was the second Pramac bike of Johann Zarco, who finished over five tenths off Martin's pole time.
Reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo was in a decent rhythm in the early stages of qualifying, but slid his Yamaha off at the penultimate corner.
He was able to get back out onto a second bike, but was nearly sixth tenths off the eventual pace in sixth, the only Yamaha in the top 12 qualifiers.
Pole and race winner at the Argentine Grand Prix last weekend, Aleix Espargaro will be heading from row fourth row in 13th, just missing out on the final qualifying session.
Provisional classification
1. Jorge Martin (Pramac Ducati) 2:02.029
2. Jack Miller (Ducati) +0.003s
3. Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) +0.128
4. Johann Zarco (Pramac Ducati) +0.531
5. Enea Bastianini (Gresini Ducati) +0.539
6. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Yamaha) +0.595
7. Alex Rins (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.655
8. Joan Mir (Suzuki Ecstar) +0.908
9. Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda) +0.999
10. Takami Nakagami (LCR Honda) +1.015
11. Luca Marini (Mooney Ducati) +1.020
12. Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda) +1.057
Charles Leclerc extended his championship lead by winning the Australian Grand Prix and Max Verstappen retired for the second time in three races on Sunday.
Ferrari driver Leclerc led from start to finish at Albert Park to secure his second victory of the season, with Sergio Perez finishing second and George Russell third.
World champion Verstappen pulled over on lap 39 of 58, while Leclerc's team-mate Carlos Sainz - who started the day second in the driver standings - spun off early in the race after starting back in ninth spot.
Leclerc got off to a good start and Lewis Hamilton moved up from fifth to third behind world champion Verstappen.
The safety car was deployed when Sainz found himself in the gravel after losing control on lap three, with Leclerc extending his advantage as Perez used the DRS to overtake Hamilton.
Verstappen pitted for hard tyres on lap 19 and the safety car was out again when Sebastian Vettel retired, giving Russell the opportunity to pit and remain in third place.
Leclerc fended off Verstappen when the race restarted and that was as close as the Dutchman came to taking the lead before he pulled over due to another issue with his Red Bull.
Monegasque Leclerc was untroubled, easing to a second win in three races and put the icing on the cake by clocking the fastest lap.
Leclerc finished over 20 seconds ahead of Perez, with Russell securing a podium spot and Hamilton crossing the line in fourth spot.
Alexander Volkanovski retained his UFC featherweight championship by defeating Jung Chan-sung via TKO in the fourth round at UFC 273 on Saturday.
The 33-year-old's record in the UFC improved to 11-0 with the impressive title defence, and it is his third consecutive win since winning the featherweight title.
Volkanovski's fight IQ was on full display from the outset and he was in control from the first round, staying patient with his striking and mixing up his targets.
With regards to potential opponents, now, the featherweight champion is confident against anyone.
"Everyone in my division, I've been saying it for a while, now," Volkanovski said. "Get your s*** together, earn that number one spot and you get it."
The Korean Zombie was cleanly tagged on three separate occasions by Volkanovski's left hook and could not manage to impact the champion's ability to both act and react as he felt his way through the fight.
The second round went on a similar tangent, with Jung particularly rattled midway through from a big right. The Zombie's legs got heavier as Volkanovski maintained a relentless pace, staying precise and patient with his striking.
Despite Jung growing more assertive in the third, he only just survived after another massive right hand late from Volkanovski, with the clock saving the Korean from the consequent ground and pound.
After a check to assess Jung's state at the end of the third, some more big strikes in the fourth led to referee Herb Dean stopping the fight within 45 seconds.
"Before this fight, all week, I said I'm on another level right now. I can't be stopped and I just showed you," Volkanovski said post-fight.
"He actually took a lot more than I wanted him to. I thought they could have stopped it earlier, I started feeling bad in there but that's the sport we're in."
Sterling stays the distance against Yan
In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling claimed victory over Petr Yan in a controversial 48-47 47-48 48-47 split decision, to also retain his UFC Bantamweight Championship.
Both exhibited unorthodox striking but it was an overall different fight to their previous meeting at UFC 259, which Sterling won via DQ following Yan's illegal knee to the face.
The tension was prevalent throughout the rematch, with Sterling even smiling after he took Yan down for a second consecutive round in the third.
Sensing the momentum shift in the fight, Yan went on the offensive and neither could ultimately finish, but by that point Sterling had done enough to win on points.
Giancarlo Stanton continued his remarkable home-run hitting form against the Boston Red Sox as the New York Yankees won 4-2 on Saturday.
Yankees slugger Stanton homered for the sixth consecutive game against the Red Sox, hitting the go-ahead two-run homer to left center field in the sixth inning.
Boston had gone ahead in the second inning from Alex Verdugo's two-run homer, before Anthony Rizzo equalled the feat in the fourth inning to level the game up.
The victory means the Yankees have begun the new season with a 2-0 start, ahead of the third and final game of their series against the Red Sox on Sunday.
"I can’t say it’s the rivalry or anything," Stanton said about his record against the Red Sox. "I’m doing my homework and getting the ball over the plate."
Dodgers offense shut down
The Los Angeles Dodgers struggled on offense as they slumped to a 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies, who were sparked by an eighth-inning Connor Joe homer.
Rockies closer Daniel Bard shut down the Dodgers in the ninth inning to round out the win, striking out Justin Turner, Edwin Rios and Cody Bellinger.
Austin Barnes had two hits and an RBI for the Dodgers, while Mookie Betts had an eighth-inning RBI single to tie the game up, before Joe's go-ahead blast.
Alonso hits career-first grand slam
Pete Alonso clubbed a fifth-inning grand slam to lead the New York Mets past the Washington Nationals 5-0. That marked 27-year-old's first career grand slam and comes after Alonso had been left with a bloodied lip after being struck by a Mason Thompson fastball earlier in the series.
The benches cleared in the Chicago Cubs' 9-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers after tempers flared between the division rivals when right-hander Keegan Thompson hit Andrew McCutchen in the hip with a fastball.
Dylan Cease stepped in for the Chicago White Sox with eight strikeouts across five innings in their 5-2 win over the Detroit Tigers. Cease remarkably boasts a 9-0 record against the Tigers in 10 starts.
Saturday's results
Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 Baltimore Orioles
Chicago White Sox 5-2 Detroit Tigers
Seattle Mariners 4-3 Minnesota Twins
St Louis Cardinals 6-2 Pittsburgh Pirates
Chicago Cubs 9-0 Milwaukee Brewers
Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 Texas Rangers
Philadelphia Phillies 4-2 Oakland Athletics
Miami Marlins 2-1 San Francisco Giants
New York Yankees 4-2 Boston Red Sox
Kansas City Royals 1-0 Cleveland Guardians
New York Mets 5-0 Washington Nationals
Atlanta Braves 2-1 Cincinnati Reds
Colorado Rockies 3-2 Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres 5-2 Arizona Diamondbacks
Los Angeles Angels 2-0 Houston Astros
Astros at Angels
The Los Angeles Angels take on the Houston Astros in the final game of their thrilling four-game series, with Shohei Ohtani potentially back on the mound after being rested for the past two games.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid's 41 points in Saturday's 133-120 win over the Indiana Pacers has ensured he will average 30 points this season and he has already set his sights on his next goal.
Embiid becomes the first center to average 30 points in a season since 1981-82 when Moses Malone averaged 31.1 per game for the Houston Rockets.
The 76ers center's achievement further enhanced his credentials to be this season's MVP but he was already eyeing off Malone's mark.
"Well, that’s the challenge for next year," Embiid joked with reporters after the game. "So, next year, I gotta come out and average more than him.
"But it’s great. Obviously, he's a legend. Especially as a big in this era, it’s been a long time, 40 years it hasn’t been done. That’s something that I think is great.
"I hope guys coming up more, especially bigs coming up, are able to do even more. I think the biggest thing with me is that I feel comfortable with it because I feel like I didn’t force anything. I feel like I just played within the flow of the offense.
"Before we had James (Harden). Obviously, I had a much larger role in the offense whether it was playmaking or scoring and since we added him, I try to share the load which has been great. Great stats and I guess I’m happy about it."
Embiid's 30.4 points per game is a career-best for the 28-year-old, shooting at 49.5 per cent. He is also averaging 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists this season.
The All-Star also became the first player this season to have 40 or more points and 20 or more rebounds in a game against the Pacers.
"It's methodical and historical. Whatever the calls you want to put on it, it's what's he's been," 76ers head coach Doc Rivers said.
Embiid sits atop the NBA scoring charts this season, ahead of LeBron James (30.3) and Kevin Durant (30.1) for points per game and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle added to the plaudits.
"We haven’t seen a guy like this in the history of the league who has this kind of power and skill,” Carlisle said about Embiid.
"He's able to score on all three levels effortlessly. He's an amazing player and it will be interesting to see what teams do in the playoffs to try to slow him down."
The 76ers are fourth in the east but can still finish above the third-placed Boston Celtics pending the final regular-season results.
Philadelphia will face either the Toronto Raptors or Chicago Bulls depending on where they finish but Embiid had no preference.
"I just want to win tomorrow [against the Detroit Pistons]," Embiid said. "I don’t really care who we play. I feel pretty confident about both match-ups."
Joel Embiid made his closing statement for the MVP award and all but wrapped up the NBA scoring title in the Philadelphia 76ers' 133-120 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
Embiid put up monster numbers of 41 points, 20 rebounds and four assists, while going 14-of-17 from the floor and 11-of-15 from the free-throw line. It was the first time this NBA season that a player scored 40 points or more and had 20 or more rebounds in a game.
The 28-year-old is currently the league's scoring leader, averaging an astounding 30.6 points per game, just ahead of LeBron James' 30.3 and Kevin Durant's 30.1 points per game.
James Harden had 22 points and 14 assists for Philadelphia, who had a healthy spread of scorers with Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey both scoring 18 points, and Danny Green adding 15.
The Sixers remain in the hunt for the Eastern Conference's third seed with the win, moving to the same record as the Boston Celtics at 50-31, while the Milwaukee Bucks are second at 51-30.
A win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday combined with a Boston loss to the Memphis Grizzlies would move the Sixers into the third seed.
Morant makes timely return for Grizzlies
Ja Morant returned to action after a nine-game absence on Saturday night, as the Memphis Grizzlies secured a comfortable 141-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Morant finished with 21 points off seven-of-14 shooting, along with nine assists and four rebounds, while Jaren Jackson Jr. contributed a solid 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
The Grizzlies are set to finish second in the Western Conference, to face the winner of the 7-8 matchup in the play-in between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Los Angeles Clippers.
Warriors continue winning run
The Golden State Warriors claimed their fourth consecutive victory despite an off shooting night from Jordan Poole, defeating the San Antonio Spurs on the road 100-94.
With Stephen Curry yet to return from injury and Klay Thompson rested, Poole had to take on more offensive responsibility and went three-of-19 from the floor in win.
A combined 30 points at nine-of-14 shooting off the bench from Jonathan Kuminga and Nemanja Bjelica was able to counteract it, along with 12 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists from Draymond Green.
All-Star guard Ja Morant was content with his return ahead of the playoffs after missing the past three weeks with knee soreness.
Morant had not played since March 18 for the Memphis Grizzlies but returned with 21 points, four rebounds and nine assists in a 141-114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
The 56-25 Grizzlies are locked into the second seed in the Western Conference, with Morant's return coming with the playoffs around the corner.
"[I] felt like I needed a game or two to get my legs back under me," Morant told reporters.
"Get the game-type feel, nothing compares to a game, whether its practice or whatever. Just wanted to be ready to go.
"Obviously been in and out of the line-up, my teammates were playing a lot of basketball without me. I was just going out there to adapt."
Despite his All-Star status, the Grizzlies have a remarkable 20-4 record without Morant this season.
The 22-year-old point guard said it was important he developed synergy with his teammates, likely with two games fielding their preferred starting line-up ahead of the playoffs of Morant, Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr and Steven Adams.
Morant has only played 12 games alongside Brooks this season, while he has had limited opportunities alongside Steven Adams who moved to Memphis from the Pelicans in the off-season.
"One hundred per cent," Morant said about the significance of developing connection among the starting five. "Obviously I've played with Dillon since I've been here and most of the other guys I've played with before, so I know their game.
"Being out there at the same time as Steveo [Adams] to get that chemistry, it's basically the starting line-up I felt like we did a very good job tonight."
Morant continued: "Tonight I felt like we looked damn good. Look at that third quarter [55-33 points]. Obviously there's some stuff we've still got to correct."
The 2019 NBA Draft second pick added that he had no preference on second seed Memphis' playoffs opponents, with the side to face either the Los Angeles Clippers or Minnesota Timberwolves via the play-in tournament.
"I really don’t care who we play," he said. "I'm focused on us getting better and being ready to play. No matter who it is, we go out in the games the same way."
Scottie Scheffler will head into the final round of the Masters with a three-stroke lead from Cameron Smith, after a volatile back nine on Saturday at Augusta National.
The world number one opened moving day with a five-shot lead, and charged out the gate on Saturday with four birdies over the opening nine holes.
Seeking his first major title, Scheffler then delivered three bogeys on four holes on the back nine, before taking a penalty for an unplayable lie on the par-four 18th.
Yet he salvaged what could have been an even worse outcome, gambling with a long iron and making a tricky up-and-down to finish with just a bogey and an eventual one-under 71.
In windy and icy conditions at Augusta, Smith emerged as the likeliest challenger with a second four-under 68 to finish Saturday on six-under-par.
The Australian world number six will be paired with Scheffler despite trailing by seven shots midway through the third round, claiming three birdies in six holes on the back nine.
Like Scheffler, Smith also skewed his tee shot into the trees on the 18th, but was eventually able to scramble for par.
Smith's Presidents Cup teammate Im Sung-jae is in outright third, shooting a one-under-par 71 in the third round.
Meanwhile, Tiger Woods' six-over-par 78 was his worst in 93 rounds over his career at Augusta, leaving him at seven-over-par.
Reilly Opelka and John Isner will meet in the US Men's Clay Court Championship final in Houston, after they claimed semi-final wins on Saturday.
Opelka kept up his strong early-season form with an imposing 6-3 7-5 victory over Nick Kyrgios in the first semi-final, getting the job done in just one hour and nine minutes.
Opelka slung down 18 aces to 11 from Kyrgios and faced only one break point across the contest.
The 24-year-old Opelka won a title in Dallas in February and followed up with a run to the Delray Beach final, with a third trophy match of the season now awaiting him.
The American world number 18 said he admired the "intangibles" from Kyrgios that "you can't teach."
"He's got one of the best serves in the world and when he turns it on he can come up with some shots that not many guys outside the top 10 can," Opelka said in his on-court interview.
Opelka enjoyed the high-tempo match with Kyrgios, who typically wastes no time between points.
"I prefer to play at that speed rather than, for example, Rafa [Nadal] where it's 50-55 seconds between points," Opelka said.
"It's a totally different speed here and I thought I did a good job managing the whole tempo of the match. I put a lot of returns into play and I came up big with my second serve."
He will face 2013 Houston champion Isner, who came from a set down to defeat defending champion Cristian Garin 4-6 6-3 6-4.
The 36-year-old's serve improved as the match went on and ultimately propelled him to victory, facing four break points in the opening set, one in the second and none in the decider.
Isner also served 17 aces on his way to the final, and won 80 per cent of points on his first serve.
"It's never easy when you have to come back from one set down," he said. "My serve certainly helped me out a lot. I didn't have to hit too many balls there in the end, and I didn't want to.
"I'm so happy to be in the final again here. At my age you never really know when you can get back to a final of a tournament like this."
Belinda Bencic wondered if she would ever be able to compete for titles on clay but will do exactly that on Sunday.
The Swiss reached her first ever WTA Tour final on the red dirt of the Charleston Open, beating semi-final opponent Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4 6-3.
Although she has four WTA titles to her name, this was only Bencic's third last-four appearance on clay – losing the prior two, including a 2014 Charleston challenge as a 17-year-old.
But she finally has glory in her sights, and the omens are good for the final, facing Ons Jabeur having won their only prior meeting in 2021 at the Madrid Open, another clay-court event.
"I'm happy this moment came," Bencic said. "I didn't think it would, but I'm super happy with how I played today. I thought it was a great match in tough conditions."
Bencic needed only 78 minutes to complete the job, but Jabeur found life tougher, forced to rally from a set down to Amanda Anisimova.
The 20-year-old American had herself recovered to eliminate top seed Aryna Sabalenka earlier in the tournament but was now on the wrong side of such a comeback.
Jabeur, who lost in the final of the WTA 250 Charleston Open II last year, prevailed 2-6 6-1 6-4.
Meanwhile, at the Copa Colsanitas, there will be no repeat win for Camila Osorio after the defending champion and top seed lost to Laura Pigossi in straight sets in the semis.
Tatjana Maria is now Pigossi's opponent in the title match.
Scottie Scheffler made a superb start to the third round of the Masters to extend his lead to six shots on Saturday.
The mission for the chasing pack was clear going into moving day at Augusta National: chase down the world number one, who ended day two with a five-stroke lead.
But Scheffler, seeking his first major title, made that task even harder with four birdies on the front nine.
After saving par at a tricky first hole, Scheffler produced a stunning second shot at the 575-yard second to put him on the edge of the green.
He chipped to four feet to set up a simple birdie, which was followed by another gain at the third following a superb approach shot to eight feet to move to 10 under par.
A dropped shot at the fourth gave hope to his prospective challengers, but that stroke was clawed back courtesy of an excellent 17-foot putt at the sixth.
He chipped to six feet for another gain at the eighth to improve to 11 under, with a par at the ninth leaving Cameron Smith as his closest challenger at five under through 12.
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