Rory McIlroy will get some early Ryder Cup preparation when he makes his Italian Open debut next month.

Just under a year before Europe attempt to wrestle the Ryder Cup back off the United States, McIlroy will get a first look at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club venue where the biennial event will be staged.

McIlroy is riding on the crest of a wave after becoming the first player to win the FedExCup three times in dramatic fashion at East Lake.

The four-time major champion trailed Scottie Scheffler by six shots during his final round of the Tour Championship on Sunday, but a closing 66 sealed a hat-trick of FedExCup victories – and a whopping $18million in prize money.

DP World Tour Rankings leader McIlroy will be on his way to the outskirts of Rome eyeing another title in a tournament that starts on September 15.

The Northern Irishman said: "Not only is the city of Rome steeped in history but so too is their national open, so I am really looking forward to the Italian Open this year.

"It's the first time I have played in Italy, and I've heard the Italian fans are very passionate, so I'm excited to get out there and experience a new challenge."

McIlroy is third in the world rankings behind Scheffler and Cameron Smith.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto has suggested the FIA struggle to police the Formula One budget cap effectively.

Binotto's team are competing with Red Bull for the constructors' championship this season, though driver Charles Leclerc's challenge for the drivers' crown is effectively over after a series of poor race calls.

The gap between the two could yet grow as reigning world champion Max Verstappen edges towards a second title, with Red Bull reportedly set to introduce a lighter car in forthcoming races.

There is a strong belief Red Bull will introduce a weight-trimmed chassis four kilograms lighter than their current model, which would facilitate a faster performance overall.

Binotto, though, feels the FIA are not doing enough to enforce the sport's budget cap.

"The number of people in the FIA monitoring it is very little," he told reporters. "It has to improve for the future because it would be really bad if somehow a championship was dictated by a financial regulation and not technical or sporting.

"I cannot know what they are doing, if they have a [lighter] chassis or not, but the budget cap is always a concern. The financial regulations can make differences between teams in the way they are interpreting and executing it.

"We know we need a very strong FIA to make sure they are properly focusing, otherwise the regulations will not be fair and equitable.

"Ferrari would never be capable of introducing a lightweight chassis or a different chassis through a season simply [because of the] budget cap and I would be very surprised if a team is capable of doing it.

"And if they are, it is back to the regulation itself, is it fair enough, is it equitable enough, is the policing sufficient?"

Red Bull principal Christian Horner has suggested the team are not preparing to make a change, stating: "No, there is no [lighter chassis]. These chassis will run for the next few races."

Emma Raducanu can deal with the high expectations around her but needs to find a coach and stick with them, according to former British number one John Lloyd.

Raducanu is set to defend her US Open title at Flushing Meadows as the final grand slam of the year gets underway on Monday.

The teenager's sensational success at the 2021 tournament as a qualifier came from nowhere, but she has been unable to replicate it since, having not won any further singles titles.

In fact, she has not even been beyond the quarter-finals of any slam or WTA Tour event since her extraordinary success.

Lloyd still struggles to comprehend her achievement.

Speaking to Stats Perform, Lloyd said: "When you win a slam the expectations are going to go through the roof, that's just the way it is.

"She achieved something, I'd liken it to Rocky, it was very similar. People have sent me film scripts like the one Wimbledon, the tennis film that came out, and I told the person, they sent me the script six months before, I said, 'This is stupid, stop coming up with these movies where you get some guy or woman comes up from the qualifiers and wins a grand slam, it doesn't happen, it's stupid, it's never going to happen.' And then she goes and does it.

"What she achieved was amazing, but she did it almost like getting an A in a test without doing the homework. She really didn't do the homework to get there.

"She hasn't done the miles yet, and her body hasn't, the toughness hasn't come. She went above it before she was ready in some ways, but she's already got it, that's in her pocket now. She is a slam winner and no-one can take that away from her.

"The expectations are unbelievably high, and they're going be and she has to face that fact, she can’t hide it, she's a slam winner so people are going to expect, but people in the game know that it was going be a tough year [for her]."

The 19-year-old split from her coach Torben Beltz in April after just six months, saying she needed "a new training model" and she has been working with Dmitry Tursunov on a trial basis in the last month.

Beltz became the third coach to move on from working with Raducanu in just 12 months after she swapped Nigel Sears for Andrew Richardson, who had been in her corner at last year's US Open.

Lloyd acknowledges there is not necessarily a right way to do things in tennis, though he is certainly not convinced by Raducanu's approach of choosing a new coach every few months.

"I'm not a big fan of the coaching situation," Lloyd added. "After what Richard Williams did [coaching Venus and Serena Williams] … to say that there's a norm, he threw that out the window.

"What they're doing now in coaching is almost like they're getting hold of coaches, soaking up like a sponge all the information they have and then they go onto the next. I don't think that works in tennis. I could be proved wrong, but I don't think that's right.

"You have to have coaches that you trust completely, because I think a lot of winning matches – I don't want to give too much credit to coaches because it's the person on the court that does the work – but I think a lot of matches are won by the night before the match, and even the morning of the match… you have a trust a coach and what they're saying to you.

"You're a unit, and I don't think chopping and changing having a different coach every three months is the right way to go about. I could be wrong but I think she has to have a settled coach."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says they are in a "dungeon" following a dismal Belgian Grand Prix that saw Lewis Hamilton crash out on the first lap.

The Silver Arrows, last year's constructors' champions, have suffered a disappointing 2022 campaign compared to rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.

Seven-time world drivers' champion Hamilton, pipped in controversial circumstances by Max Verstappen last season, has been off the pace in 2022, while the Dutchman's win at Spa edged him closer to another title.

Wolff admitted it has been a frustrating season for the Briton and team-mate George Russell, acknowledging it has been hard to be on the outside looking in at glory this year.

"They say you never lose [but] you learn," he was quoted by the Guardian. "I can tell you it is ******* difficult.

"All these nice Instagram posts and everything we have talked about over the eight years, about how we are going to take this when you arrive in the dungeon.

"To stick to your principles and your values, to keep the spirit up and continue to relentlessly seek to get better? Phew. There is more to write a book about this year than there is about the last eight years."

Hamilton saw his race come to a premature end after a collision with Fernando Alonso, but the major issues plaguing Mercedes have been race-to-race inconsistency rather than one-off errors.

"It's very difficult to cope with these swings," Wolff added. "We had a totally sub-par performance in qualifying, [and] then in the race, sometimes we go three seconds a lap faster.

"There are big question marks about what is going on. It's not where we should be with the structure and knowledge to understand a racing car but we don't with this one.

"Whatever we decide for next year, it needs to be carefully evaluated because clearly our data does not give us the results, doesn't correlate it with the reality. We have massive swings in performance we can't really get on top of.

"In this moment to take a decision for next year, changing a concept dramatically, how can you be sure that is the better direction to go because clearly you would be starting a way back?"

The FIA hearing regarding the contract dispute between Alpine and McLaren over Oscar Piastri started on Monday.

During the mid-season break, Alpine announced that Piastri, their reserve driver and part of their young driver programme, would be racing for the team in 2023 following Fernando Alonso's move to Aston Martin.

The Australian later took to social media to deny that claim, however, with Piastri and his manager, former F1 driver Mark Webber, believing he has a valid contract to move to McLaren – who want him to replace Daniel Ricciardo next year.

With both teams believing they hold a valid contract for Piastri, the FIA will settle the situation in a hearing this week, and while no set timeframe has been stated, it is expected an outcome will occur before Friday.

The FIA's contract recognition board will hear the case, and was first set up in 1992 to settle a dispute between Jordan and Bennetton over Michael Schumacher.

Although the FIA could side with Alpine, the French team may feel the relationship is too damaged to partner for 2023 and could then sell him to McLaren, or trade the driver elsewhere on the grid – with reported interest in Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri.

Either way, an available seat at Alpine or McLaren will quickly become the hottest property for drivers to secure a spot for 2023 and will be highly competitive.

AlphaTauri, Williams, Alfa Romeo and Haas are the other teams remaining on the grid not to have fully announced their driver line-up for next season.

Rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr sustained "non-life-threatening injuries" during an attempted armed robbery or carjacking, the Washington Commanders confirmed on Sunday.

According to widespread reports, local police in Washington said the 23-year-old had been the victim of a shooting.

The Commanders posted a statement on Twitter confirming he was receiving treatment in hospital, but that his injuries were not a threat to his life.

"We have been made aware that Brian Robinson Jr was the victim of an attempted armed robbery or carjacking in Washington, D.C," the statement read.

"He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and is currently being treated at the hospital, where team officials are on-site with him. We ask that you please respect Brian's privacy at this time."

Robinson had impressed to the point where he appeared to have made himself a starter ahead of the new NFL season, playing in two preseason games earlier this month, recording 14 carries for 57 yards and scoring one touchdown.

Commanders coach Ron Rivera was among those who visited Robinson in hospital, and he also provided an update on social media.

"I just got done visiting with Brian. He is in good spirits and wanted me to thank everyone for their kind words, prayers and support," Rivera wrote.

"He wants his teammates to know he appreciates them all for reaching out and he loves them all and will be back soon doing what he does best."

Rory McIlroy emphasised his opposition to the LIV Golf Series following his FedEx Cup victory on Sunday, saying he hates what it's doing to the sport.

McIlroy beat world number one Scottie Scheffler in a dramatic final round of the Tour Championship to become the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup.

But given the 33-year-old has been among the most vocal opponents to the new Saudi-backed LIV Golf, attention quickly turned to the overall state of the sport after his success at East Lake.

He was happy to make his feelings clear.

"If you believe in something, I think you have to speak up, and I believe very strongly about this. I really do," he said at a press conference.

"I hate what it's doing to the game of golf. I hate it... It's going to be hard for me to stomach going to Wentworth [at the PGA Championship] in a couple of weeks' time and seeing 18 of them there. That just doesn't sit right with me.

"So yeah, I feel strongly. I believe what I'm saying are the right things, and I think when you believe that what you're saying is the right things, you're happy to stick your neck out on the line."

McIlroy was appointed as chair of the PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council in February 2021, and said it felt "fitting" to get the FedEx Cup win after finishing in the top eight of all four majors this year but not winning any.

"It’s been a tumultuous time for the world of men's professional golf in particular. I've been right in the middle of it. I've picked a great time to go on the PGA Tour board," he said.

"I've been in the thick of things. I guess every chance I get, I'm trying to defend what I feel is the best place to play elite professional golf in the world.

"It's in some ways fitting that I was able to get this done today to sort of round off a year that has been very, very challenging and different."

McIlroy came from six shots behind to pip Scheffler to the win on Sunday and had a simple message when asked why he thinks he thrives as a chaser.

"Because I think probably out of everyone in the field, I care the least about the money," he stated.

Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers' number-one receiver Diontae Johnson were both forced to leave their side's 19-9 preseason win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday due to injury concerns.

Watt appeared to suffer a knee injury when he was on the receiving end of a cut-block from Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson in the second quarter. He remained in the game for the immediate aftermath, before getting pulled shortly after.

Johnson landed awkwardly on his left shoulder after pulling down a 38-yard reception from Mitch Trubisky, and after being evaluated in the medical tent, he also took no further part in the game.

Despite neither player returning to the field, head coach Mike Tomlin said there is "no long-term concern at the moment" on the broadcast, and "if this is a regular-season game, we may see them back in this game".

Watt is in the first season of his four-year, $112million contract extension, while Johnson signed a two-year extension earlier this month worth up to $39.5m.

Both of the Steelers' contenders for the starting quarterback role performed well in the win, as Trubisky completed 15-of-19 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, while first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett went 10-for-14 for 90 yards. Neither quarterback committed a turnover.

Both Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout hit home runs as their Los Angeles Angels defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 on Sunday night.

The duo, who have combined for four of the past eight AL MVP awards, both hit their 28th homer of the season, with Ohtani's coming in the seventh inning to make it a 6-1 game, before Trout finished things off in the ninth frame.

They were two of four Angels home runs on the night as Luis Rengifo opened the scoring with a two-run shot in the third inning, before Kurt Suzuki also connected on a solo home run an inning later.

Overall, Ohtani reached base four time just a day after striking out nine batters on the mound, finishing three-for-four at the plate with a walk, while Trout was two-for-five. 

They are both tied for ninth in the majors for home runs, although nobody in the top-20 has had fewer at-bats than Trout, who missed over a month of action after suffering an injury in July.

Mookie mashes another moonshot

Los Angeles Dodgers right-fielder Mookie Betts hit a home run against the Miami Marlins for the third consecutive day, helping his side to a convincing 8-1 victory.

Betts, who hit two home runs in the opening game of the series on Friday before hitting one more on Saturday, wasted no time on Sunday, smashing the third pitch of the game 416 feet over the center-field wall. His 31 home runs this season tie him for fourth-most in the league.

On the mound, Julio Urias was terrific for the Dodgers, giving up just one hit in six innings, although that hit did go for a home run, and he allowed four walks.

Ray shows his Cy Young credentials

Reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Robbie Ray was at his dominant best in the Seattle Mariners' 4-0 home win against the Cleveland Guardians.

Ray struck out seven batters in seven scoreless innings, conceding just three hits and no walks from 103 pitches.

With the bat, all of the Mariners' runs resulted from two swings, with a three-run home run to Dylan Moore, and a solo homer to Ty France.

Houston Astros All-Star pitcher Justin Verlander will undergo an MRI Monday after exiting Sunday’s start against the Baltimore Orioles after three innings due to right calf discomfort.

Verlander, the MLB leader in earned run average (1.84), was replaced by Seth Martinez to start the bottom of the fourth inning with the game still scoreless. The 2011 American League MVP struck out six while holding the Orioles to three hits before departing after 60 pitches.

The 39-year-old missed the entire 2021 campaign recovering from Tommy John surgery, but has been healthy throughout this season, having thrown 152 innings while posting a stellar 16-3 record in 24 starts.

"We were glad it wasn’t anything to do with his elbow or arm or anything like that," Astros manager Dusty Baker said following his team’s 3-1 victory. "We’ll just have to wait until he has the imaging [Monday]."

Verlander has anchored a Houston starting rotation that leads the majors in innings pitched and entered the day with a combined 3.09 ERA, which trails only the NL-leading Los Angeles Dodgers for the best in baseball.

The nine-time All-Star is a leading candidate to claim a third career AL Cy Young Award, as his 16 wins are tied for the MLB lead and he’s limited opposing hitters to a .512 OPS while recording 154 strikeouts.

If Verlander is to miss extended time, the AL-leading Astros could return to a five-man rotation after often using six starters following Lance McCullers’ return from a forearm injury earlier this month.

In addition to McCullers, Houston still has 2022 All-Star Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia, Jose Urquidy and Cristian Javier as healthy available starting options.

Rory McIlroy became the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup after coming from six shots behind to win the Tour Championship, beating Scottie Scheffler and Im Sung-jae by one stroke at the end of a thrilling final round.

McIlroy, who also lifted the trophy in 2016 and 2019, required a spectacular collapse from world number one Scheffler to seal his victory on Sunday.

With six holes to play after the third round was halted due to lightning, Scheffler came back and birdied four, leaving Xander Schauffele in his wake as he built a six-shot buffer heading into the last trip around East Lake Golf Club.

But after rounds of 65, 66 and 66, Scheffler posted four bogeys and one birdie for a three-over 73, dropping back to 20 under. No player shot worse than 73 in the final round.

McIlroy did not reach the outright lead until Scheffler gave it to him, bogeying the 16th to leave McIlroy alone atop the leaderboard with two holes to play.

Despite a hook with his final tee shot, McIlroy kept his cool, recovering and tapping in his two-putt for the win, and he acknowledged Scheffler in his speech during the trophy presentation.

"What a day," he said. "Firstly, there's one thing I want to say – I feel like Scottie deserves at least half of this today.

"He has had an unbelievable season – I feel sort of bad that I pipped him at the post, but he's a hell of a competitor, and an even better guy, and it was an honour and a privilege to battle with him today. I'm sure we'll have many more.

"I told him today 'we're one-all in Georgia this year' – because he got the Masters, and I got this."

Finishing tied with Scheffler in second-place was Im, with his metronomic consistency leading to rounds of 67, 65, 66 and 66 for his 20 under.

Schauffele had appeared likely to race past Scheffler before the lightning struck on Saturday, and he struggled after resuming in the morning, going one-over from his last six holes of the third round before posting a 69 to finish alone in fourth place at 18 under.

Max Homa ended up sneaking into the top-five after opening the week with a 71, following it with rounds of 62, 66 and 66 to finish at 17 under, tied with Justin Thomas.

Sepp Straka and Patrick Cantlay were a further shot back, tied for seventh at 16 under, with Tony Finau (15 under) and Tom Hoge (14 under) rounding out the top-10. Finau shot Sunday's round of the day with his 64, posting seven birdies and one bogey.

Rory McIlroy described his record-breaking third FedEx Cup victory as a "proud moment" for the PGA Tour amid the circuit's ongoing battle with the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

McIlroy saw off world number one Scottie Scheffler in a dramatic final round to triumph at the Tour Championship on Sunday, becoming the first three-time winner of the FedEx Cup.

The 33-year-old, who also claimed the title in 2016 and 2019, moved clear of two-time champion Tiger Woods, who was victorious in 2007 and 2009.

Away from the course, McIlroy has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed LIV series, which is headed up by Greg Norman and counts the likes of Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau and Sergio Garcia among its star-studded field. 

McIlroy chose to reaffirm his commitment to the PGA Tour after clinching a one-shot victory over Scheffler in Atlanta, saying:  "It means an awful lot. 

"I believe in the game of golf, I believe in this tour in particular, I believe in the players on this tour. 

"It's the greatest place in the world to play golf, and I've played all over the world. 

"This is an incredibly proud moment for me, but it should also be an incredibly proud moment for the PGA Tour. They've had some hard times this year, but we're getting through it. 

"That was a spectacle out there today – two of the best players in the world going head-to-head for the biggest prize on the PGA Tour. I hope everyone at home enjoyed that."

McIlroy, who began his final round at the PGA Tour's season finale six strokes off the lead, also acknowledged Scheffler's shortcomings turned the tide in his favour.

"I've been in the final group here three of the past five years, starting with Tiger in 2018 and that incredible scene. Then to get the better of Brooks [Koepka] in 2019 was awesome," he added.

"Another final group here – I didn't give myself much of a chance teeing off today – I thought, six behind, I thought it was going to be really tough to make up.

"My good play, and Scottie's not-so-great play, and it was a ball-game going into the back-nine."

Nick Kyrgios declared he would welcome an early exit from the US Open ahead of his first-round match against Thanasi Kokkinakis, claiming he remains "exhausted" following his run to the Wimbledon final.

Kyrgios came close to clinching his first grand slam title when he met Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in July, taking the opener but ultimately succumbing to defeat in four sets on Centre Court.

The enigmatic Australian, who has never gone beyond the third round of the US Open, will begin his final major campaign of the year against his compatriot and doubles partner Kokkinakis on Monday.

But the 27-year-old is not enamoured by the prospect of a deep run in New York, revealing he struggles with being away from his homeland while playing on the ATP Tour.

"A big part of me just wants the US Open to be over so I can go home," he said on Sunday.

"It's brutal not being able to have the normality of your own bed or your own family for so long and then you have to deal with all this.

"The media, the fans, the training, the matches, the pressure, especially on my spectrum as well – it's not normal. So it's hard. It's really hard.

"I'm definitely feeling very exhausted. Just after Wimbledon, I didn't even have time to enjoy it.

"Everyone gets to go home on the tour. They get to take a cheeky little flight back home to reset. There's just no other type of tennis player who really understands that [homesickness] apart from the Australians.

"Whether I win or lose, it's going to be the same for me. It's a win-win for me. If I win, it's more money and another great result. If I lose, I get to go home."

Asked what he had gained from his thrilling Wimbledon run, Kyrgios said: "The confidence in myself to be able to do it over two weeks. Staying in a single spot for two to three weeks can be exhausting. 

"To know that I can do that and go about things the right way and take every practice session, every recovery session, the right way, it's confidence in the back of my mind. 

"But also, I'm the type of player that if I had won Wimbledon, I probably wouldn't have played the US Open."

Meanwhile, the US Open is set to mark a final grand slam appearance for legendary 23-time major singles champion Serena Williams, and Kyrgios believes she deserves to be considered the greatest player in the sport's history.

"Obviously it's a very special moment for her. She's probably the greatest of all time," he added.

"Whether or not we see anyone live the career that she has? I don't think that's possible."