Patrick Beverley confirmed on Monday that he will be signing for the rest of the season with the Chicago Bulls.
Beverley, 34, began the season with the Los Angeles Lakers, starting all 45 of his appearances before being traded to the Orlando Magic at the deadline in exchange for Mo Bamba.
With the Magic in the midst of a youth revolution and in the advanced stages of their rebuild, they decided to negotiate a buyout with Beverley to allow him to head elsewhere.
A defensive specialist, Beverley is a three-time NBA All-Defense selection (one First Team, two Second Teams), while also boasting a solid career three-point percentage of 37.6.
Unfortunately, his shooting has dipped over the past couple of seasons, setting a career-worst mark of 34.3 per cent in 2021-22, and he is only slightly better this campaign at 34.8.
Meanwhile, his combined steals and blocks figure of 1.5 is his lowest since the 2018-19 season, and tied for the second-lowest of his career.
He has not been at his best this season on a tumultuous Lakers team, but he theoretically fills a couple of needs for the Bulls, and is excited to return to his hometown.
Chicago are averaging the fewest made three-pointers per game (10.3) and the fewest attempts (28.8) – areas Beverley will provide a boost in compared to current starting point guard Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu is averaging 0.8 made threes per game at a mediocre 32.4 per cent clip, and while Beverley's percentages are down, he is still making 1.2 per game.
The move also helps the Bulls lean into their strong suit this season, as they sit 24th in offensive rating, but are seventh in defense.
Beverley will join Alex Caruso to make a menacing defensive back-court, with Caruso emerging as an advanced stats darling on that end of the floor.
Caruso is seventh in the league in steal percentage (1.7 per cent), while sitting third in defensive box plus/minus, and a clear number one overall in defensive RAPTOR.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has "avoided serious damage" after further testing on his injured right wrist ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks' run to the playoffs.
Antetokounmpo played only 20 seconds in Sunday's All-Star Game where Team Giannis won 184-175 over Team LeBron in Utah.
The Greek forward exited with a wrist injury that he had initially suffered in Thursday's win over the Chicago Bulls trying to block a Coby White shot.
The 28-year-old had also opted out of Saturday's skills challenge, replaced by Bucks team-mate Jrue Holiday.
Antetokounmpo's right wrist was wrapped while standing on the sidelines supporting his team throughout the All-Star Game.
ESPN reported that he would be heading for further testing in New York, with The Athletic's Shams Charania saying on Monday the player had "avoided serious damage in his right wrist after further testing", adding: "Antetokounmpo could miss some games, but an overall sigh of relief for the Bucks..."
"Taking it day-by-day, try to get healthy," Antetokounmpo told reporters after Sunday's game. "You know, obviously I had the incident three days ago. I don't think it's smart in any way to play a lot of minutes in the All-Star Game.
"Take a break here, take care of it, and hopefully I can be available for my team when they need me."
The Bucks are second in the Eastern Conference with a 41-17 record on the back of a 12-game win streak, with their next game after the All-Star break coming on Friday against the Miami Heat.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.8 points (third in the NBA), 12.2 rebounds (second in the NBA) and 5.4 assists this season.
The agent of Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani believes the baseball unicorn has "earned the right" to explore free agency.
Ohtani, 28, is the only player in Major League Baseball who excels as both a pitcher and a hitter, earning an All-Star selection in both categories last season.
He struck out 219 batters in 2022 – the sixth-most in the majors – while also tying for 11th on the home run leaderboard with 34 dingers. His 80 combined home runs over the past two seasons trails only Aaron Judge (101).
The six-foot-four Japanese sensation led all players in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in 2021, and it took Judge breaking the American League home run record in 2022 to unseat him as number one.
Ohtani will play for a $30million salary this season ahead of what will almost certainly be a record-breaking contract, but agent Nez Balelo gave no indication that his client is leaning towards staying in Anaheim.
When asked if he would be open to negotiating a long-term extension during spring training, Balelo said he is open to anything, but will not make a commitment.
"I've always been open to it," he said. "But there's several layers to this one, and Shohei's earned the right to play through the year, explore free agency, and we'll see where it shakes out."
Asked if that meant a spring training deal was actually unlikely, Balelo was again not willing to go one way or the other.
"I've said it before, I'll say it again – we're taking it one day at a time," he said. "I'm not putting the cart before the horse on this one."
Ohtani has been weighed down by poor Angels teams and has never made the playoffs – something he may be growing tired of.
"He's so competitive, like all great players are, so of course they want to experience the postseason, of course they'd love to be in the World Series," Balelo said. "But is that the deciding factor? I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see.
"Shohei's been here five years, now this is his final year, and now we have free agency, so of course there's gonna be a lot of questions.
"What does he wanna do? Where's he gonna go? All of it. And I've said this so many times and Shohei has said it as well – we really take it day by day, one day at a time.
"I've always wanted him to enjoy this ride that he's on. I've wanted him to embrace it. That's what he's done. We're gonna continue that."
Whoever eventually secures Ohtani long-term will almost certainly have to eclipse the nine-year, $360m benchmark set by Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees this offseason.
Andy Murray saved three match points before seal a thrilling comeback victory over Lorenzo Sonego at the Qatar Open.
Making his first competitive appearance since his run to the third round of the Australian Open, Murray rallied after losing the first set to clinch a 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4) win in Monday's first-round contest.
The three-time grand slam winner – given a wildcard for the event in Doha – was the master of his own downfall in the opener as a double-fault handed Sonego the decisive break.
Having failed to force a single break point in the first set, Murray dominated the second but was facing an early exit when Sonego forced three match points in the decider, only for the momentum to swing again as the former world number one took it to a tie-break.
Sonego raced into a 3-0 lead, but Murray again came roaring back, squandering one match point when he flicked a backhand into the net but making no mistake second time around.
Murray will face fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the second round, as he bids to reach his first tour-level quarter-final of the season.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina saw off Constant Lestienne 6-4 6-3, while Murray's fellow Brit Liam Broady saw off qualifier Oleksii Krutykh 6-0 4-6 7-6 (7-2).
Australian duo Jason Kubler and Christopher O'Connell also progressed in Doha.
Stan Wawrinka moved into the last 16 of the Open 13 with a 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-4 victory over Zizou Bergs.
Benjamin Bonzi and Alexander Bublik were the other first-round winners, ousting Luca Van Assche and Filip Krajinovic respectively in Marseille.
Lance Stroll will miss Formula One pre-season testing in Bahrain after the Aston Martin driver was involved in a minor accident while cycling in Spain.
The Canadian's team revealed on Monday that he had sustained injuries that will prevent him from getting behind the wheel this week.
Stroll will be assessed on a daily basis and the 24-year-old is expected to make a quick recovery.
The season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix will be staged a week on Sunday.
Stroll said: "I've had an unfortunate accident whilst training on my bike in preparation for the season.
"I am determined to get back in the car and I am excited about the season ahead with the team. I am motivated to bounce back from this setback as quickly as possible."
Aston Martin stated: "The team wishes Lance a speedy recovery and looks forward to his usual energy and commitment within the team."
Renaldo Hill is leaving the Los Angeles Chargers to join the Miami Dolphins, reuniting him with new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Fangio confirmed the move on Monday at his introductory press conference.
Hill served as defensive coordinator for the Chargers the past two seasons and will now coach the Dolphins’ secondary and be their defensive pass-game coordinator.
In terms of job title, the move to Miami would be deemed a step down on the coaching hierarchy, but Hill gets to once again work with Fangio, who is widely considered one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL.
Hill worked as a defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos in 2019 and '20 when Fangio was their head coach.
Fangio was hired as the Dolphins defensive coordinator last week.
The 44-year-old Hill was a defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons – including three for the Dolphins from 2006-08. He also spent one season on the Miami coaching staff, serving as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.
The Chargers made slight improvements under Hill during his two years running the defense, moving from 23rd in total defense in 2021 (360.1 total yards per game) to 20th in total defense last season (346.1 total yards per game).
With Hill moving to Miami, the Chargers are promoting defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator.
The 41-year-old Ansley had been the Chargers defensive backs coach the past two seasons after serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at the collegiate level the previous two years.
Sorana Cirstea beat world number 12 Beatriz Haddad Maia in the longest WTA Tour match of the year so far at the Dubai Tennis Championships.
Liudmila Samsonova ousted Paula Badosa on Sunday in a three-set victory that lasted three hours and 22 minutes.
That record was exceeded by eight minutes a day later – Cirstea prevailing 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 in her first-round encounter with 11th seed Haddad Maia.
Cirstea, ranked 70th in the world, fended off two match points in the second-set tie-break and took that momentum into the decider.
Haddad Maia has lost four of her five meetings with Cirstea, though had defeated the Romanian in Adelaide in January.
"I fought really hard today. I really think I gave it all," Cirstea said.
"I have nothing left. Sometimes you just have to stay in there. Bia played amazing. You know, tennis is not fair sometimes. You play for three hours and a half, and it's a difference of a point.
"I wasn't planning to break the record! But Bia's been in great form, and I knew coming in she's a great fighter.
"I think this is what tennis is about, where all the work pays off. Sometimes it doesn't matter if it's a first round or a final, the joy is the same."
Another marathon encounter was played out between Veronika Kudermetova and Anhelina Kalinina, with the latter winning 6-3 5-7 7-5 in three hours and three minutes.
Karolina Muchova will face Cirstea in the next round after she saw off Bernarda Pera 6-1 6-4, with her victory including an early contender for shot of the tournament.
Muchova was scampering back towards the baseline as she looked set to lose a thrilling rally, only for the Czech to execute a perfect tweener lob.
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka received a bye to round two, where she will face Lauren Davis after the American's victory over Jil Teichmann.
Jelena Ostapenko dispatched Katarina Zavatska 6-1 6-4 with the minimum of fuss, while Victoria Azarenka overcame Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.
Azarenka has won 135 WTA-1000 main-draw matches in straights sets, at least three more than any other player.
Karolina Pliskova defeated Marketa Vondrousova to set up a meeting with Yulia Putintseva, with Ana Bodgan, Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Shelby Rogers also victorious.
Russell Westbrook will stay in California as he has opted to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Westbrook's time with the Los Angeles Lakers came to an end before the trade deadline as he was used as part of a deal with the Utah Jazz.
The 2017 NBA MVP struggled to rediscover his previous form after joining the Lakers in 2021, but has another chance to prove himself in L.A. with the Clippers.
According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Westbrook's agent, Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports, confirmed his client has chosen the Clippers as his next team, once he and the Jazz have finished negotiations on buying out the remaining $47million owed on his deal.
Westbrook made a name for himself with the Oklahoma City Thunder, including his standout season in 2016-17 when he averaged 31.6 points per game in the regular season from 81 appearances, as well as 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.
He left Oklahoma in 2019 for one season with the Houston Rockets followed by one at the Washington Wizards before making the move to the Lakers as they looked to surround LeBron James with star power.
It did not work out, with Westbrook struggling in his first campaign, averaging just 18.5 points per game, while he has only started in three of his 52 appearances this season, averaging 15.9 points per game.
Westbrook – who had also talked with the Wizards, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat – will be reunited with former Thunder team-mate Paul George, who had expressed his desire for the 34-year-old to join him at the Clippers.
They sit fourth in the Western Conference on a record of 33-28.
Jon Rahm insists he does not need the validation of being the world's number one golfer after returning to the top of the rankings with his win at the Genesis Invitational.
Rahm held off Max Homa to claim his third PGA Tour title of 2023 on Sunday, having gone back-to-back at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express in January.
The Spaniard is the first player since Johnny Miller in 1975 to win three PGA Tour titles in a calendar year before the start of the March, while he has now triumphed on five of his last nine worldwide starts.
Rahm's win at California's Riviera Country Club – at a competition hosted by Tiger Woods – secured his fifth stint atop the world rankings, but the 28-year-old has little interest in that accolade.
"I've never had three PGA Tour wins in a season, and to do it this early on is incredible – and to do it at this golf course," he told reporters after his victory.
"You talk about the history of Riviera as a golf course, the history of Tiger Woods as a player… it's a pretty big deal. As a historian of the game, to win the tournament hosted by Tiger is pretty incredible.
"I've won five out of my last nine starts and I've won three tournaments already.
"I don't a ranking to tell me… to validate anything, right? I'm having the best season of my life and hopefully I can keep it going."
Cameron Norrie was not the only opponent Carlos Alcaraz had to overcome in the Argentina Open final, as he battled feelings of guilt after not doing "the right things" to recover from injury.
Alcaraz made it one title from one tournament in 2023 as he overcame Norrie 6-3 7-5 in Buenos Aires on Sunday.
Last year's US Open champion dropped just one set through the tournament as he marked his return to action in style, with the 19-year-old having missed the Australian Open due to a hamstring issue.
Alcaraz had not featured since November, and the world number two admitted he did not feel his application during his extended break was always as good as it should have been.
"This trophy is special. During those four months I had a hard time and I didn't do the right things off the court, and I felt a bit guilty after the injury," Alcaraz said.
"Fighting against this is not easy. Coming here, my first tournament after four months, and winning the first tournament since the US Open is very special for me."
Alcaraz won seven games on the bounce to swing the final in his favour, and believes he hit peak performance during the match.
"I felt very comfortable playing the final," Alcaraz added.
"I knew that it was going to be really difficult. I started really focussed on what I had to do at the beginning, my game, my level.
"This is the level that I have to play in finals."
Alcaraz has already collected seven titles in his young career, with five of those coming on clay.
His idol and compatriot Rafael Nadal won 13 clay-court tournaments prior to turning 20.
Combined with Alcaraz's haul, that total of 18 betters the 13 managed by all other players combined on the ATP Tour in the 21st century before turning 20.
Alcaraz is now set to play in the Rio Open, where he is the reigning champion, this week.
Novak Djokovic claimed a share of yet more history on Monday as he started his 377th week as world number one.
Djokovic has won 22 major titles, the joint-most among men, and has long since held the record for the most weeks at the top of the ATP rankings.
His nearest rival on the men's tour – since the rankings were introduced in 1973 – is the now retired Roger Federer, who spent 310 weeks in top spot.
But Djokovic has also matched Steffi Graf, the WTA leader, in making it to 377 weeks.
Graf was the women's number one 45 weeks longer than second-placed Martina Navratilova (332), with Serena Williams in third (319).
The WTA rankings began in 1975.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was disappointed to have to leave the All-Star Game inside a minute but explained it was a "mature decision".
Team Giannis beat Team LeBron 184-175 in Salt Lake City on Sunday but did so without their captain, who scored a single basket before stepping out.
Antetokounmpo entered the game already carrying a wrist injury, which he sustained in the Milwaukee Bucks' win over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Reports after the All-Star Game said the two-time MVP was to travel to New York the following day for further testing on his right wrist.
Antetokounmpo, wearing strapping on his wrist, added: "I'm taking it day by day, trying to get healthy.
"Obviously, I had the incident three days ago. I don't think it's smart in any way to play a lot of minutes in the All-Star Game.
"Obviously, you want to participate, you want to run up and down, joke around, have some dunks, create some work.
"But at the end of the day, I feel you also have to be mature. It was a hard decision but mature decision to take a break here, take care of it, and hopefully I can be available for my team when they need me."
The Bucks are half a game back from the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.
LeBron James has downplayed the severity of the hand injury that forced him out of the second half of Sunday's All-Star Game in Salt Lake City.
James' Team LeBron lost 184-175 to Team Giannis, with the Los Angeles Lakers superstar ruled out at half-time after playing 14 minutes where he scored 13 points with four assists.
The four-time NBA MVP appeared to injure his right hand which was caught in the rim attempting to block Pascal Siakam's lay-up attempt in the second quarter.
"Coach [Michael] Malone is a defensive minded coach," James told reporters. "I had him in my early days at Cleveland. I told him I'd get one stop for him and I tried one little chase-down block and got my finger caught in the rim.
"But I'll be fine, I'll be fine. I don’t think it's too much to worry about but for precautionary reasons I had to just take the rest of the night off."
James' availability will be critical to the Lakers' hopes of a run into the playoffs, currently sitting 13th in the Western Conference with a 27-32 record.
The 38-year-old, who missed three games last week due to an ankle injury, is averaging 30.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the Lakers this season.
The Lakers return to action after the All-Star break on Thursday against the reigning champions, Golden State Warriors who are ninth in the west at 29-29.
Jayson Tatum says it was a surreal feeling to create history with the most points ever in the NBA All-Star Game after posting 55 in Team Giannis' victory on Sunday.
Tatum surpassed Anthony Davis' 52-point record from 2017, scoring 55 points on 22-of-31 shooting from the field, making 10-of-18 from three-point range.
The Boston Celtics forward posted 27 points in the third quarter, which was also an All-Star Game record, and became the second player behind Stephen Curry to make 10 three-pointers in the contest.
"I really didn’t know [about the record]," Tatum said. "I didn’t know what the record was. I found out midway through the fourth quarter.
"Dame [Lillard] was like 'yo, the record is 52, you've got 49'. It kinda hit me, breaking history in the moment."
Tatum, in his fourth All-Star selection, won the game's Kobe Bryant MVP award for the first time, which was a source of great joy for the 24-year-old.
"It means the world," Tatum said. "Kobe was my idol, my favourite player, the reason why I fell in love with the game.
"I was in the first All-Star Game when they named the MVP after him and ever since I had my eyes on wining it one day. I'm finally glad I got one."
One of the highlights of the contest when Tatum taking on Celtics teammate Jaylen Brown in a series of one-on-one battles.
Brown actually top scored for Team LeBron, hitting 35 points off the bench on 16-of-27 shooting with 14 rebounds.
"That was cool," Tatum said. "It was normal for us, it was just millions of people watching. We been playing one-on-one so many times. It was special."
Jayson Tatum scored an All-Star game record 55 points as Team Giannis defeated Team LeBron 184-175 in Sunday's game in Salt Lake City.
Tatum won the Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP for the contest, where the first team to 182 points won with an untimed fourth quarter.
The Boston Celtics small forward shot 22-of-31 from the field along with 10-of-18 from beyond the arc, with 10 rebounds and six assists from 35 minutes. Tatum's 55 points exceeded Anthony Davis' previous All-Star record of 52 from 2017.
Tatum led the way in the free-scoring contest where defense was at a minimum, with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell adding 40 points on 15-of-25 shooting from the field with 10 assists on his return to Utah.
Damian Lillard contributed 26 points off the bench, making eight-of-20 from three-point range, while captain Giannis Antetokounmpo left the court after a dunk in the first minute with an ongoing wrist issue.
Opposition captain LeBron James exited the game at half-time due to a hand contusion sustained in a second-quarter dunk, finishing with 13 points and four assists across 14 minutes.
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown top scored for Team LeBron off the bench with 35 points along with 14 rebounds and five assists.
Brown and Tatum's combined 90 points, albeit on opposition sides, was the most ever by a pair of teammates in an All-Star Game.
Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving both scored 32 points for Team LeBron, while the latter had a game-high 15 assists.
LeBron James has not missed the playoffs in consecutive years since the first two seasons of an NBA career that’s spanned two decades.
He is intent on not letting that happen again, telling reporters before his 19th consecutive All-Star Game of his urgency to right the ship.
The Lakers currently sit 13th out of 15 Western Conference teams with a record of 27-32, 3.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, and two games out of the 10th seed as the Play-In Tournament begins to look like a more realistic path to the postseason.
"I don't want to see myself not being part of the postseason for two years straight," James said. "It’s just not part of my DNA."
With fellow perennial All-Star Anthony Davis now back healthy and trade-deadline additions of guard D’Angelo Russell, shooting specialist Malik Beasley and frontcourt players Jarred Vanderbilt and Mo Bamba, James said he feels a healthier and revamped Lakers squad will be a formidable opponent for any team should they reach the postseason.
"I've always been confident in any club that I’ve been on [that] once we got to the playoffs we could compete with anyone," he said. "I feel no different now.
"With the roster the way we're shaped up now, if we can finish off this regular season on the right foot, then we can compete versus anyone in the Western Conference, if not the whole league."
James stopped short of guaranteeing a playoff berth, though, as he acknowledged the competitiveness of a conference where only two teams – San Antonio and Houston – have no realistic chance of advancing.
"It’s 23 of the most important games of my career, for a regular season," James said of the Lakers’ remaining schedule. "It’s the type of mindset I have, and I hope the guys will have, coming off the break.
"It’s going to take a lot of commitment, which is okay, that’s what it should be about. [But] if we can punch our ticket, we can compete versus anyone."
Team captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo both exited the All-Star Game in Utah on Sunday due to injuries.
Los Angeles Lakers forward James appeared to hurt his hand by hitting it on the rim during a dunk with 6:08 remaining in the second quarter and was ruled out for the second half.
James finished the game with 13 points on 54.5 per cent field goal shooting with four assists in 14 minutes.
The four-time NBA MVP's exit meant both Team LeBron and Team Giannis would be without their captains for the second half.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo withdrew from the All-Star Game early with a pre-existing wrist injury, scoring two points before stepping out inside a minute.
James, who missed three games last week due to an ankle injury, is averaging 30.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the Lakers this season.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 31.8 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.4 assists for the Bucks, who are second in the Eastern Conference with a 41-17 record.
Kevin Love will sign with the Miami Heat after negotiating a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
Love confirmed in a Twitter post that his plan is to sign with the Heat after clearing waivers, with the hope of earning minutes with another Eastern Conference contender.
The 34-year-old was in the midst of his ninth season as a member of the Cavaliers, and was the last remaining link to their one and only championship win in 2016.
After playing exclusively as a starter since the 2010-11 season, Love was moved into a reserve role this past campaign, making only seven starts from his past 115 regular season games.
He is averaging a career-low 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds this season while shooting 38.9 per cent from the field, but remains a respectable three-point shooter at 35.4 per cent from deep.
Love's dip in form saw him removed from the Cavaliers' rotation altogether in the lead-up to All-Star weekend, ultimately signalling the end of his time in Cleveland.
Miami currently have eight players this season averaging at least 25 minutes per game – Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, Max Strus, Victor Oladipo and Gabe Vincent.
Of that group, Adebayo is the only true big-man, and while Butler plays above his size, Love provides a skill-set the Heat roster is lacking.
Always desperate to have at least three shooters on the floor at any time – which star duo Adebayo and Butler are not – Miami have been playing small lineups as they do not have a single player taller than six-foot-five who is also averaging at least one made three per game.
The six-foot-eight Love averages 1.7 made threes per game over the course of his whole career, and when extrapolated to starter's minutes this season, Love is averaging 3.0 makes on 8.6 attempts while grabbing 12.3 rebounds per 36 minutes.
He is also the NBA leader in defensive rebounding percentage among players averaging at least 20 minutes per game, snatching down 29.8 per cent of all opponent misses while he is on the floor.
Currently sitting seventh in the East with a record of 32-27, Miami will hope Love provides a spark down the stretch to keep their streak of three straight playoff appearances alive.
Jon Rahm remains the hottest player in golf after securing the Genesis Invitational title on Sunday with a final score of 17 under.
The win was his fifth from his past nine worldwide starts, and his third PGA Tour title of 2023 after going back-to-back at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express in January. He also won the Spanish Open in October, and the DP World Tour Championship in November.
He led by three strokes coming into his final round at Riviera Country Club, and he remained with a multi-stroke lead after posting a two-under front nine. But things went haywire on the home stretch, with bogeys on 10 and 12 briefly handing Max Homa a one-stroke lead.
Homa would bogey the 13th, tying things up at 15 under, before Rahm pulled away again with a 45-foot birdie putt on 14, and a tap-in birdie after a picture-perfect tee shot on the par-three 16th.
Homa ended up two strokes behind Rahm at 15 under, giving him his fourth top-three finish from eight PGA Tour starts this season, including two wins.
Patrick Cantlay finished one further back at 14 under, Will Zalatoris rode the best score of the day – a seven-under 64 – up into outright fourth place at 13 under, and Keith Mitchell rounded out the top five at 12 under.
Speaking to CBS after stepping off the final green, Rahm was asked to explain the joy of his 10th PGA Tour win, having surpassed the total of his childhood hero Seve Ballesteros (nine).
"I could explain exhaustion right now," he said. "Because that was a tough week, and a tough Sunday.
"Max battled out there, and Patrick kind of gave us a scare, but I'm just glad I could come through at the end.
"Beating Seve – I know he didn't play full-time PGA tour, and I know five of those wins are majors – but still, to reach that milestone of double-digit wins is pretty incredible.
"To do it at a golf course with this legacy, this history, and hosted by the man himself Tiger Woods – it's a true honour, I can't really explain it."
Woods carded a two-over 73 on Sunday to finish equal 45th at one-under overall.
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