Im Sung-Jae was delighted to be alone atop the leaderboard after round one of his second appearance at The Masters.
The South Korean had an incredible debut at Augusta National, finishing tied with Cameron Smith for second place in 2020.
Im finished Thursday's round five under after birdieing his first three holes of the day, also collecting a birdie on the seventh to card a four under front-nine.
After consecutive bogeys to start the back nine, he recovered in style, nabbing an eagle on the par-five 13th, and another birdie on 15.
Speaking to the media after his first round, the former runner-up highlighted how much confidence his previous success has given him.
"It was great to have a great finish at my Masters debut, and because of that experience I feel comfortable when I come to Augusta," he said. "I feel like I can play well here every time.
"My preparation stays the same for each tournament, but I felt like my driving game was not as up to par as what it used to be, so I worked on my driving, and today the key to a successful round was having good tee shots.
"The key to the good round today was just getting off to a hot start. I birdied the first three holes, and that's what got me on to a good rhythm."
World number five and the tournament's top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, was upset by American Amanda Anisimova 3-6 6-4 6-3 in the third round at the Charleston Open.
Sabalenka's serve was the key to her early success, connecting on 73 per cent of her first serves, and winning 15 of the 19 points in that situation (79 per cent).
When Sabalenka's first serve percentage fell to 48 in the second set, Anisimova found her footing, breaking twice in the frame, before pouncing on the Belarusian's lacklustre second serve in the deciding set, winning seven of nine opportunities to earn the break and the win.
Sixth seed Jessica Pegula was also bounced in surprising fashion, losing 6-4 3-6 6-4 to unseeded compatriot Coco Vandeweghe.
In a razor-close contest, it came down to who took their chances, as Vandeweghe saved seven of the 10 break points she faced, while Pegula could only save one of five.
World number 10 Ons Jabeur had no problem navigating the challenge of Emma Navarro, winning 6-3 6-2 as she broke her opponent's serve on six occasions.
Canadian seventh seed Leylah Hernandez also fell victim to an unseeded upset, going down 3-6 6-3 6-4 against Poland's Magda Linette.
In a meeting between two top-10 seeds, Belinda Bencic got the better of Madison Keys to edge it 6-4 6-4.
Second seed Paula Badosa had to come from a set down to eventually get the better of Claire Liu 3-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-1.
In the late session, French 12th seed Alize Cornet went down in a close tussle against Ukraine's Anhelina Kalinina 7-6 (7-5) 7-5, while Jabeur won her second match of the day, beating Irina Begu 6-3 6-2.
Meanwhile, in Bogota at the Copa Colsanitas, top seed Camila Osorio dispatched Turkish opponent Ipek Oz 6-3 7-6 (7-4) to move on to the quarter-final where she will meet Elina Avanesyan.
Australia's Cameron Smith had mixed feelings after his first round at The Masters on Thursday.
Smith finished the day with a four-under 68, which was enough for outright second on the leaderboard, trailing leader Sungjae Im by one stroke.
It was an action-packed day for the most famous mullet on tour, tallying a round-high eight birdies, but shooting himself in the foot with double-bogeys on the first and last hole.
Speaking to the media after stepping off the 18th green, Smith said he is not going to dwell on his painful ending to his round.
"I’ve moved on already," he said.
"The less you guys bring it up, the quicker I’ll forget about it. I’m done with it. I think the stuff in between was really nice, and [I'll] just take the positives out of it.
"I feel like I played some really solid golf today, and to be four under is a little bit disappointing.
"But given the condition of the golf course, and the condition with the wind and stuff like that, if you had given me four under at the start of the day, I would have taken it.”
Touching on his double-bogeys, Smith said they were more of a case of misreads rather than mis-hits.
"To be honest, those couple of double-bogeys really didn’t have too bad a shots in them," he said. "It’s not like I was scratching it out of the trees.
"I got my second shot into a reasonable spot, and just misjudged the wind on both wedges."
In a spectacular run of form, which includes a win at The Players Championship this year, Smith credits his ascension to increased professionalism off the course.
"I feel as though the last five or six years I’ve been really inconsistent with my training, and probably the last eight months or so I’ve been just really consistent," he said.
"I’ve made lots of good changes, I think, to my body, and I just feel like I’m able to walk off the golf course and not be wrecked.
"Most of the time I feel pretty fresh walking off the golf course, which is a feeling I don’t think I had for a long time, and it’s I think why my game has probably got a lot more consistent through four rounds.
“I lost a little bit of weight – my body moves a little bit quicker when I don’t have so much around my belly.
"I think I’ve definitely started to see my driver going probably a little bit further, definitely the swing speed up a little bit.
"I just need to – now I think the next step is just being able to control that and hit more fairways."
Tiger Woods looked in good health in his return to The Masters, but it is Sungjae Im who stands alone atop the leaderboard after the first round at Augusta National.
In Woods' first competitive round since The Masters in 2020, the legend finished with three birdies – on the sixth, 13th and 16th – as well as two bogeys, on the eighth and 14th holes.
South Korea's Im produced the round of the day, birdieing the first three holes on his way to five birdies, two bogeys and an eagle on 13 to finish at five under.
Smith, who recently won The Players Championship, finished one shot off the lead and outright second at four under, despite bookending his round with double-bogeys on both the first and the 18th, with eight birdies in between.
World number one Scottie Scheffler nearly went bogey-free, but a slip-up on 18 saw him finish two shots off the pace at three under.
It was a similar story for Dustin Johnson, who birdied four of his first 10 holes before dropping a shot on the 17th to finish tied with Scheffler, as well as Chile's Joaquin Niemann and England's Danny Willett in a tie for third.
Patrick Cantlay and Canadian Corey Conners highlight the small group tied for seventh at two under, while Tony Finau, Webb Simpson and former runner-up Will Zalatoris are one further back, tied with Woods for 10th.
A decorated group finished at even par, including Hideki Matsuyama and Sergio Garcia, as well as Victor Hovland, who had five birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey.
A pair of big names shot 73 for a one over finish in Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy, while plenty of notable stars were a further shot back.
Bookmakers' favourite Jon Rahm was uncharacteristically off his game, with four bogeys and two birdies to finish at two over along with Max Homa, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott.
Brooks Koepka was two under through nine holes, but three consecutive bogeys on 11, 12 and 13 drained his confidence, eventually finishing three over.
Bryson DeChambeau, Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Thomas had a day to forget at four over.
Tiger Woods says he was "sore" but "right where I need to be" after making a promising start to his astonishing comeback at The Masters.
It was feared the 15-time major champion's incredible career would be over when he suffered serious leg and foot injuries in a car accident in February 2021.
Yet just over 13 months later, the legendary American was teeing off in the first major of the season at Augusta and was just three shots off the lead when he signed for a one-under 71.
At the famous course where he won the green jacket five times, Woods made three birdies and two bogeys in a promising return.
Sungjae Im was at the top of the leaderboard on five under through 15 holes, with Dustin Johnson a shot adrift of the South Korean along with Cameron Smith, who started and finished with a double bogey as he went round in 68.
The 46-year-old Woods says it feels like a victory just to be playing this week and is ready to go through the pain barrier in Georgia, where he was given such great support on Thursday.
He said: "I am as sore as I expected to feel, but it was amazing to have - like I was telling the team all week, come game time, it will be a different deal.
"My adrenaline will kick in. I'll get into my own little world, and I'll get after it. It's about the training that we've done to have the stamina to go.
"I'm going to be sore, yes. That's just the way it is. But the training cycles that we've had to make sure that I have the stamina to keep going -- and this is only one round. We've got three more to go. There's a long way to go and a lot of shots to be played."
Woods revealed that his pre-round preparation had not gone to plan.
"I had a terrible warm-up session," he said. "I hit it awful. I went back to what my dad always said. Did you accomplish your task in the warm-up? It's a warm-up. Did you warm-up?
"Yes, I did. Now go play. That's exactly what I did, I went and played."
"I forgot whatever I did on the range and just go ahead and play shot for shot, hit the ball in the correct spot, commit to what I'm doing, leave myself in the right angles, hopefully make a few putts, and let's get after this thing. Yeah, I was able to do that.
"I was able to finish up in the red. I'm only three back. I'm right where I need."
The former world number one, who could have lost a leg following his car accident last year, had more work to do after such an encouraging opening round.
He added: "Lots of treatments. Lots of ice. Lots of ice baths. Just basically freezing myself to death. That's just part of the deal. And getting all the swelling out as best as we possibly can and getting it mobile and warmed up, activated and explosive for the next day. Those are two totally different ends of the spectrum.
"Most sports, if you're not feeling very good, you got a team-mate to pass it off to, and they can kind of shoulder the load. Or in football, one day a week. Here we've got four straight days, and there's no one that's going to shoulder the load besides me. I've got to figure out a way to do it.
"My team's been incredible at getting me into this position so that I can compete. I'll take it from there. I know how to play. I've just got to get out there where I can play."
Top seed Felix Auger-Aliassime crashed out of the Grand Prix Hassan II after he was beaten 6-4 2-6 7-6 (9-7) by world number 65 Alex Molcan.
Making his debut in Marrakech, Auger-Aliassime arrived off the back of an impressive start to 2022.
Indeed, the world number nine had already triumphed in Rotterdam and been runner-up to Andrey Rublev in Marseille.
But he came unstuck at the hands of the player ranked 56 places lower, with Molcan securing his first career win over a top-10 player.
The Slovakian crucially broke in game nine on the way to taking the opening set. Auger-Aliassime, who hit 10 double faults during the contest, responded by dominating the second, while the players exchanged breaks in a decider that went to a tie-break.
The top seed forced match point at 7-6 up, but Molcan held on by reeling off the next three to secure a dramatic victory.
David Goffin, meanwhile, claimed his 300th tour-level win as he came from behind to defeat three-time champion Pablo Andujar.
Andujar had seen off second seed Dan Evans in the first round but, despite making a fast start against Goffin, it was the Belgian who triumphed 5-7 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Federico Coria overcame Mirza Basic in straight sets, while Roberto Carballes Baena defeated Portugal's Joao Sousa 6-2 7-6 (7-4) and Richard Gasquet saw off Pavel Kotov.
Tiger Woods made an impressive start to his sensational Masters return before Dustin Johnson joined Cameron Smith in a share of the lead at Augusta.
Woods declared himself fit to make an incredible comeback at Augusta on Thursday, just over 13 months after suffering serious leg and foot injuries in a car accident.
The 15-time major champion did not resemble a player whose career could have been over last year as he carded a one-under 71 in his first competitive round for 508 days.
Woods was in a share of ninth place when he holed a putt for par at 18 following a wayward tee shot as he made up for lost time in Georgia, where he was given magnificent support from packed galleries.
The five-time winner of the green jacket went out in 36 after a brilliant tee shot gave him a simple task of rolling in a short birdie putt at the par-three sixth, before a first bogey at the eighth.
Legendary American Woods made further gains at holes 13 and 16 following a second dropped shot at 14, looking like he had never been away in a promising opening round.
Smith started and finished with a double bogey as he signed for a four-under 68.
The Australian had been three shots clear, but sliced his tee shot way at the last to the right, undoing some of the good work after making eight birdies.
World number one Scottie Scheffler joined Smith on four under when he made a fourth birdie at the penultimate hole, but bogeyed 18 to join Danny Willett and Joaquin Niemann one stroke off the pace.
Johnson ominously moved into a share of the lead with Smith when he made a fourth birdie of the day at the 10th under blue skies.
Serena Williams appeared to shut down premature talk of calling time on her career by declaring that she hopes to return from injury in time for Wimbledon.
The 40-year-old has not played competitively since losing to Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the first round of last year's tournament at SW19 and is now ranked at 246 in the world.
Williams' future in the sport was called into question on Thursday when her long-time coach Patrick Mouratoglou announced he will now work with Simona Halep.
However, the 23-time major winner – who has been coached by Mouratoglou since 2012 – has moved to confirm her intention to return to top-level tennis in the coming months.
Speaking alongside Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at an event in Miami, Williams said: "We've been talking about my comeback and he's been hyping me up.
"He's getting me ready for Wimbledon. Can't wait!"
Williams is one major title shy of matching Margaret Court's long-standing record of 24, having been beaten in four finals since her most recent triumph at the 2017 Australian Open.
She missed last year's US Open on home soil, as well as the 2022 Australian Open in January.
Rodgers was surprised at Williams' Wimbledon announcement and asked: "What about the US Open?", to which the ex-world number one replied: "Wimbledon is first".
The grass-court grand slam gets under way on June 27.
Dominic Thiem is ready to "get back on track" after testing negative for coronavirus.
The luckless Austrian revealed he had contracted COVID-19 after making a long-awaited return in the Andalucia Open Challenger Tour event last week.
Thiem has not played on the ATP Tour since last June, missing Wimbledon and the US Open in 2021 after undergoing wrist surgery.
The 2020 US Open champion, who was beaten by Pedro Cachin on his comeback in Marbella, on Thursday stated that he is now COVID-free.
"A short update: I am finally negative and I feel much better! Thank you for all your messages! I really appreciate it!" he tweeted.
"I'm going to have a medical check-up, so I can get back on track!"
Thiem has reportedly pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters this week, but his return to the ATP Tour should be imminent with the French Open on the horizon next month.
Nikita Mazepin has said he and his fellow Russian athletes are victims of "cancel culture" after losing his job with Formula One team Haas amid the Ukraine crisis.
The 23-year-old was dismissed by the US-based team ahead of the 2022 season after both he and his father, Dimitry Mazepin, were sanctioned by the European Union.
Numerous other sports have also moved to ban Russian athletes and teams in wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
However, exiled F1 driver Mazepin does not believe it is fair that Russians have been targeted as he reiterated his intention to overturn the sanctions.
"I don't agree with being in the sanctions," Mazepin told BBC's Hardtalk programme. "I've said previously that I intend to fight it.
"Perhaps now is not the right time because if you look at the whole situation that's happening against athletes in the general case, it's cancel culture against my country."
Mazepin's father Dmitry has close ties to Vladimir Putin, holding face-to-face business talks with the Russian president as recently as January.
Dmitry Mazepin is deputy chairman of Uralkali, the potash producer that has been a major financial backer of Haas.
As well as ousting Mazepin, Haas announced last month that the commercial link with Uralkali has also been scrapped with immediate effect.
The Russian Grand Prix for 2022 has also been cancelled, with F1 announcing it has terminated its deal for future races in the country.
Despite his father's links with Putin, Nikita Mazepin insisted his only connection to the president "is through the sport that I do".
Asked for his thoughts on the ongoing events across Ukraine, Mazepin added: "It's very painful to watch that on many levels.
"My feeling obviously changed as a human being and as a person who wants to live in a very peaceful world.
"But I see tremendous risks in saying anything at all about this case because I will never satisfy everyone and therefore I will keep myself publicly quiet."
Mazepin finished last in the drivers' standings in 2021 after failing to score a point.
There were roars at Augusta National when Tiger Woods saved par at the first hole of the Masters on his sensational return.
Woods has defied the odds to make his comeback this week after recovering from the serious leg and foot injuries he sustained in a car accident in February 2021.
The 15-time major champion was given an incredible ovation at the first tee in Georgia on Thursday after a delay to the start of the tournament due to thunderstorms.
Woods, a winner of the green jacket on five occasions, most recently in 2019, sent his tee shot just short of a bunker to the right of the fairway and had work to do following his approach.
The legendary American chipped his third shot 10 feet from the hole and looked like he had never been away as he rolled in a putt for par.
Padraig Harrington hit the turn at the top of the leaderboard on one under along with the likes of Tommy Fleetwood, Daniel Berger, Harry Higgs and Max Homa.
Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama also made par at the opening hole, but there was a double-bogey for the well fancied Cameron Smith.
Englishman Paul Casey will not win a maiden major this weekend, as he withdrew due to injury.
Tom Watson said he was "truly humbled" to make his first appearance as an honorary starter of the Masters on Thursday, as action got under way at Augusta.
After a half-hour delay caused by overnight storms, Watson joined fellow golf greats Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player in hitting the first tee shots of the championship.
The ceremonial role – none of the three are playing in the tournament – is one that only goes to golf's most notable stars from history, with the late Arnold Palmer having long been part of the group.
Watson, in a purple windcheater, hit the third tee shot after Player, in his customary black, and Nicklaus, in yellow sweater and cap, were the first to tee off.
"I would like to say how honoured I am to be with Gary and Jack," said Watson, as he approached the tee.
He spoke of the proud tradition and observing Palmer, Gene Sarazen and Byron Nelson being honorary starters in Masters history.
"To be a part of this thing, I am truly humbled," said 72-year-old Watson.
He then hit the best-looking drive of the three men, who joined together in a huddle after receiving the acclaim of the early-morning crowd.
Watson won the Masters in 1977 and 1981, with the American adding one U.S. Open title and five Open Championship victories.
He played his final Masters, and final major, at Augusta in April 2016.
Player, now a fighting fit 86, won the Masters three times, while 82-year-old Nicklaus is the event's record six-time champion.
Lewis Hamilton may be in search of a third Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, but Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff warned not to expect a "magic fix" amid a slow start to the season.
Mercedes have fallen well short of early leaders Ferrari, who hold a 40-point advantage over Red Bull in the constructors' championship after the opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Hamilton managed to finish third in Bahrain in the season opener despite ongoing questions following a series of design changes by his team to comply with new regulations for the 2022 season.
However, Hamilton succumbed to his first performance-related Q1 elimination since 2009 in Jeddah as Mercedes failed to make the top five on the grid for the first time since the 2013 Italian Grand Prix.
Wolff was honest in his assessment ahead of the next race in Melbourne, with Mercedes aiming to rectify their issues with the W13 'porpoising' – bouncing at high speed – and not racing at the optimum height.
"We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn," he said on Thursday.
"At the moment, our track performance is not meeting our own expectations, but everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions.
"There won’t be a magic fix for the next race weekend. But we're pushing to steadily bring gains over the upcoming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack.
"Until then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have."
Both Hamilton and George Russell played their part in the W13 development, and Wolff appears unworried by the upcoming challenges with his driving pair to call upon.
"Lewis and George are making an important contribution to the overall effort," he continued.
"Providing feedback, spending time in the simulator and working together to help push us forward.
"So, there are various challenges ahead of us but that's something we relish, and is when a team really shows its true spirit."
Patrick Mouratoglou, the long-time coach of Serena Williams, has confirmed he will now work with Simona Halep.
Mouratoglou began coaching Williams in 2012 and has guided the former world number one to 10 grand slam titles and a further six major finals.
However, the last of those triumphs came in 2017, with Williams still one major success shy of matching Margaret Court's long-standing record of 24.
Williams reached the semi-final of last year's Australian Open, losing to Naomi Osaka, before subsequently going out in the last 16 at Roland Garros.
But the 40-year-old has not featured since retiring due to an injury in the first round to Aliaksandra Sasnovich at Wimbledon and is now ranked as the world number 246.
And it does not appear as though Williams will be making a return to the WTA Tour soon, with Mouratoglou explaining that, at least in the short term, he will be coaching former world number one Halep.
"Today, I am starting a new chapter in my coaching career: I am now the full-time coach of Simona Halep," Mouratoglou tweeted on Thursday.
"In the last eight months, I realised how much I missed coaching. It is the passion of my life, and I still feel like I have so much to give.
"Simona came to the Mouratoglou Academy before Indian Wells for a training block. I swung by at a few of her practices, watched her train.
"At the end of the week, she asked me if I was available to coach her. I have the highest respect for her but it was out of the question at the time.
"A few weeks later. I had a conversation with Serena, and the door opened for me, at least short term, to work with someone else.
"I will keep you updated on what's coming next soon."
World number 20 Halep endured an injury-hit 2020 and 2021, and split with long-time coach Darren Cahill in September of last year. The Romanian has won two grand slam titles, triumphing at Roland Garros in 2018 and Wimbledon the following season.
She has reached three other major finals and enjoyed a strong start to 2022, triumphing at the Melbourne Summer Set 1 prior to the Australian Open, in which she reached the round of 16.
Runs to the semi-finals at the Dubai Tennis Championship and Indian Wells Open have followed, though the 30-year-old will be hoping Mouratoglou can help her recapture the form she showed to end 2017 and 2018 on top of the WTA rankings.
Tiger Woods was greeted with thunderstorms that caused a delay to play on day one at the Masters, where the American superstar was making a shock return to competition.
The scheduled start at 08:00 local time in Georgia (13:00 BST) was moved back by half an hour due to the inclement weather on Thursday.
Lightning strikes were observed locally during the night, leading organisers to shift back the schedule.
Woods, the 15-time major winner who triumphed at the Masters for a fifth time three years ago, is returning to golf 14 months after a major car crash in California which he has admitted he was lucky to survive.
He suffered major leg and foot injuries but has tested his body against the hilly major championship course over the past week and was listed as a late-morning starter, with a rescheduled tee time of 11:04 local time (16:04 BST) as he prepared to play with South African Louis Oosthuizen and Chile's Joaquin Niemann.
Ferrari star Charles Leclerc insisted rivals Red Bull hold the advantage heading into the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Leclerc's Scuderia have opened up a 40-point lead in the constructors' championship after two races, with the Monegasque driver and Red Bull's Max Verstappen claiming one win apiece across Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Ferrari pair Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are also first and second in the drivers' championship, but the former is expecting a tough challenge at the redeveloped Albert Park in Melbourne.
Formula One returns to Australia for the first time in two years, with the track modified to make it much faster than it used to be, which Leclerc feels will not work in Ferrari's favour.
"Overall the track characteristics here are not fitting very well with our [car], but everything is to play for," Leclerc said.
"I still think we will be in the mix – it will still be very close."
Leclerc boasts a 12-point lead over team-mate Sainz in the drivers' standings, having secured victory in Bahrain and second in Jeddah, and reigning champion Verstappen sits a further eight back.
But Leclerc reiterated that Red Bull will be the favourites on Sunday, given Verstappen's team appear the leaders on straights and Albert Park has removed a chicane while widening some corners.
"I think the old one would have suited us better," he added. "But it is the way it is and we will try to maximise everything as always, and hopefully Imola [after the Australian GP] will be a track that suits us a little bit better.
"It is not like it is going to be a big gap. If we do the perfect job, everything is possible."
Sainz echoed Leclerc's sentiments as he labelled Red Bull the favourites.
"Our car has been strong in all the circuits we have been to so far, but it's true in Jeddah, with more straight-line [speed], the Red Bull looked like the better car and [had] the better balance in terms of top speed and corner speed," Sainz said.
"So, given how long the straights have become here, maybe they are a bit more up for it. But I think we can still do a good job."
While Ferrari appear concerned with the modifications in Melbourne, DRS strategy is also expected to play a significant role in the third race if the opening two are anything to go by.
Leclerc has attempted to utilise the DRS overtaking aid in both those races, letting Verstappen through before the detection points and then benefiting in overtaking zones, and he expects a similar tactical battle to follow again.
"We have seen in the past two races this strategy with DRS, and I am pretty sure we will see it even more here, because basically all the straights have a DRS zone, so overtaking will be a thing and clever racing can make a big difference here," he said.
Matteo Berrettini could miss the French Open after the world number six was forced to withdraw from three tournaments as he continues to recover from minor hand surgery.
The Italian progressed to the Wimbledon final in 2021 and started the new season in encouraging fashion as he reached the Australian Open semi-finals, where he was well-beaten by eventual winner Rafael Nadal.
However, the 25-year-old has seemingly struggled from then on, with his next best performance coming in Rio – where he made the last eight – as he limped to a 9-6 record so far in 2022.
Further difficulties followed for Berrettini after he sustained an injury to his right hand late in March, forcing him to withdraw from the Miami Open before undergoing a "minor operation".
Berrettini provided another update on Instagram on Thursday, revealing he would not feature at the Monte-Carlo Masters, scheduled to start later this week, or the Madrid Open and Italian Open at the start of May.
The latter tournament in Rome begins just two weeks before the second grand slam of the year, leading to concerns that Berrettini may not feature at Roland Garros.
"UPDATE – following advice from the medical experts, my team and I have decided that it is crucial I do not put time pressure on my recovery process," he posted.
"We have therefore decided I should withdraw from the Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome tournaments to ensure I give myself the proper amount of time to return at my highest level.
"Withdrawing from these events, particularly Rome, was an extremely tough decision, however it is the right one to ensure many more years of competing at the highest level for the biggest trophies.
"Thanks very much for all the support. My recovery process is on track and I look forward to seeing you on-court soon."
Los Angeles Clippers wing Norman Powell feels his team are a threat in this year's playoffs – and Kawhi Leonard is looking strong.
Powell returned in style from two months on the sideline, scoring 24 points off the bench in the Clippers' 113-109 home win against the Phoenix Suns.
The 2019 champion with the Toronto Raptors suffered a broken foot in an early-February matchup against the Dallas Mavericks but showed no ill effects as he scored six-of-10 field-goal attempts, including going three-of-four from long range, and nine-of-10 from the free throw line.
Despite Clippers star Leonard missing the entire season so far with his recovery from a torn ACL and co-star Paul George only playing 29 games, Los Angeles are somehow 40-40 through 80 games and locked into the Western Conference eight seed.
Speaking with ESPN, Powell said it was a successful return from injury.
"The foot has been feeling good," he said. "The medical staff wanted to give me a few test games, stay-ready games leading up to the game tonight, seeing how it would respond to the extra workload.
"It was feeling great. Tonight it feels great... I thought it was a good first game after being out for two months."
Powell went on to speak about the threat his side poses in a postseason setting.
"I think we can be really dangerous," he said. "Paul George drives a lot of attention on the floor, and when me and him and [Marcus Morris Sr.] and Reggie [Jackson] are all on the floor, we've got so many weapons.
"I just think we have weapons at every position, and I can take the pressure off those guys if need be, being a ball-handler as well.
"It reminds me of that 2019 [Raptors] team. We were able to do that with Pascal [Siakam], with Marc [Gasol], with Serge [Ibaka], Kawhi, Danny [Green], Kyle [Lowry], me, Fred [VanVleet].
"What we had, we were able to give them different lineups throughout the course of the game, whatever the game is dictating, to go big, defense, with length."
While George's return from a long-term elbow injury has already given the Clippers a punchers' chance, Powell gave an update on Leonard, who would completely change the team's expectations if he was to declare himself fit for the playoffs.
"I've just [been] asking [Leonard] how he feels, where his head is at," he said.
"He feels good. Seeing him being able to work out, put some shots up, things like that, I think his rehab is trending in the right direction.
"As you know, and everybody else, you are not going to get too much information out of Kawhi. They keep everything [under] wraps, but I know he is feeling good and his rehab is progressing."
Sam Darnold has insisted he can still be a starting quarterback in the NFL, despite the Carolina Panthers' seeming distrust.
Darnold was traded to the Panthers from the New York Jets ahead of the 2021 season, yet Carolina are potentially eyeing a quarterback in the NFL Draft and have not ruled out another return for Cam Newton.
The 24-year-old Darnold played 12 times for Carolina last season (11 starts), recording 2,527 passing yards for nine touchdowns, along with five rushing scores.
Over the past two seasons, Darnold has thrown for only 18 touchdowns but 24 interceptions, while being sacked 70 times.
But despite the Panthers perhaps wanting to upgrade, Darnold is sure of his own ability.
He told the Bussin' with the Boys podcast: "It truly is like whatever happens happens, because at the end of the day, it's out of my control, and I know that.
"I have enough security in myself to where I can be like: 'I know I'm a good quarterback. I know I can be a good quarterback in this league. I've proved it.'
"I know there's a team, if something happens, that would want me."
Darnold was drafted by the Jets as the third overall pick in 2018 but struggled to live up to his billing in New York.
He completed just 57.7 per cent of his pass attempts in his rookie season before improving slightly in a 2019 campaign in which he threw 19 TD passes and 13 interceptions.
A tough final season with the Jets was followed by Darnold being traded to the Panthers for three draft picks, including a second-round selection in 2022.
Last year, form and fitness continued to evade Darnold, who has never played more than 13 games in a season. His passer rating of 71.9 represented a miserable career low.
He did at least beat out the returning Newton for the starting job, but the former MVP could yet sign for the Panthers again.
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