Jon Rahm insists his competitive edge has not been dulled by his move to LIV Golf as he bids to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back Masters titles.
Rahm’s shock move to the Saudi-backed breakaway competition came after he had previously pledged his loyalty to the PGA Tour and criticised LIV’s 54-hole format, with no cut and a shotgun start as “not a golf tournament”.
The two-time major winner has failed to win any of the five LIV events he has played but travelled to Augusta on the back of finishing fourth in Miami on Sunday and winning the team event at Doral.
“I’ve had a lot of fun playing in those events,” Rahm said. “The competition’s still there.
“Yeah, they’re smaller fields but you still have to beat some of the best players in the world and you still have to play at the same level you have to play on the PGA Tour to win those events.
“I understand there’s less people. I understand the team format’s a little different. I understand we’re going shotgun and things are a little bit different to how they are in a PGA TOUR event.
“But the pressure’s there. I want to win as bad as I wanted to win before I moved on to LIV. Going down the stretch when you’re in contention is the exact same feelings. That really doesn’t change.
“Winning is winning and that’s what matters.”
At this time last year Rahm had played eight PGA Tour events and won three of them, although his last two events before the Masters had seem him withdraw from the Players Championship due to illness and fail to advance from the group stages of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.
“If anything, if I had to go based on how I feel today, on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year,” added Rahm, who started the first round with a four-putt bogey but still shot an opening 65.
“But then once competition starts, it doesn’t really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You’ve got to go out there and post a score.
“It wouldn’t be the first time we hear somebody not feeling their best and winning. The first one that comes to mind is Ben Crenshaw after he lost his swing coach and to come back after being at the funeral and win it.
“So it’s not something that I have in mind [fewer competitive rounds], but I do feel fresh and ready for it.”
Rahm faced the “quite daunting” prospect of making a speech at his Champions Dinner in front of what he described as an audience of “all the living legends in this game”.
That audience includes fellow LIV players and former champions Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Charl Schwartzel and Patrick Reed, but a lack of world ranking points for LIV events makes it much harder to earn a place in the year’s first major.
“There’s got to be a way for certain players in whatever tour to be able to earn their way in,” Rahm said.
“I don’t know what that looks like. But there’s got to be a fair way for everybody to compete. They’ll need to figure out a way to evaluate how the LIV players are doing and how they can earn their way.”
Nicky Henderson expects to know by Thursday evening whether his horses are over whatever was ailing them during the Cheltenham Festival, with Sir Gino and Shishkin all set for Aintree.
Henderson endured a miserable week in the Cotswolds and after racing on Wednesday of that week decided discretion was the better part of valour, pulling out all of his high-profile runners.
“Rather like before Cheltenham we’ve kept testing them and just like then, everything is fine – that’s the only worry really. It keeps telling us everything is fine,” said Henderson.
“The horses seem really well in themselves, the last work has all been done, they seem bright and perky and we’re looking forward to it.
“We’re going to know our fate pretty quickly. By Thursday night it will either be happening or it won’t be happening. Obviously we go with a fair amount of trepidation, but things seemed to have improved dramatically from the perspective of their work and everything at home.
“We’ve hardly run anything, but the two reasons we haven’t run anything, for instance at Hereford today I couldn’t make an entry on the card – I couldn’t find a horse who was qualified to run in any race, and of course the ground is desperate, so we’ll start at Aintree.”
After a quiet 10 days the Seven Barrows handler has been building them back up to peak fitness and Sir Gino, who had been odds-on for the Triumph Hurdle, will be first to test the water in the Boodles Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.
“He was a horse that I honestly couldn’t find anything wrong with him, but we’d lost all confidence and I couldn’t face running a young horse like him,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.
“We’ve made no bones about it, we think he’s seriously good and I just couldn’t risk him. Joe Donnelly was wonderful because we had to take Sir Gino, Shishkin and Shanagh Bob out, all his, but there was no point in running them after the first two days.
“I trust in this fellow and he’s going to go out there carrying the Seven Barrows flag and I’m sure everyone is going to watch him like a hawk – I hope for all the right reasons.
“He won at Auteuil and as everybody knows, if you can handle that you can handle most things, and it was pretty soft on Trials day (at Cheltenham).”
Shishkin will then get his chance to shine in the Aintree Bowl having missed the Gold Cup.
“The last week seems to have been great, Nico (de Boinville) rode him in his last piece of work on Saturday and said he felt fantastic and he’s looked up for it all this week.
“I just think everything has gone right, but he’s had a funny old year. He didn’t start, then he threw away the King George and then he won the Denman. Whatever anybody’s opinion of the King George doesn’t matter, he was still running a great race. The Denman was more than an ideal preparation for the Gold Cup, but here we are in the same place so hopefully all systems go.”
Henderson also runs the mares Luccia and Marie’s Rock in the William Hill Aintree Hurdle.
He said: “Luccia was the one bright light at Cheltenham. The Champion Hurdle had fallen apart as far as we were concerned without Constitution Hill, but Luccia ran a fantastic race when she was a very close third.
“The only thing here is we are going up half a mile. We haven’t thought about it a lot and always felt she wouldn’t stay, but one day you have to try and if she does stay from next season’s point of view it gives her so many more options. The alternative was to wait for Punchestown and walk into Lossiemouth.
“Marie’s Rock is between here and the three-miler, but in this sort of ground two and a half will be plenty for her. She’s got stamina and goes in the soft, but it’s a very tough race.”
Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Monte-Carlo Masters with a right forearm injury.
The Spaniard, recently overtaken as world number two by Jannik Sinner, had been due to face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round after receiving a first-round bye.
Alcaraz wrote on social media: “I have been working in Monte Carlo and trying to recover until the last minute from an injured pronator teres in my right arm, but it was not possible and I cannot play! I was really looking forward to playing… See you next year!”
The 20-year-old won his first title since last summer’s Wimbledon in Indian Wells last month but was then beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open.
It is an important part of the season for Alcaraz, who is due to defend his titles in Barcelona and Madrid over the next month.
He has been replaced in the draw by Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
Trinidad and Tobago’s ace cyclist Nicholas Paul continued his rich early season form as he wrapped up another double gold medal-winning outing at the just-concluded Pan American Track Cycling Championships in Los Angeles, California.
Paul’s medals were won in his customary events, the men's Keirin and Sprint, and followed his fairly successful outing at the UCI Championships in Hong Kong where he recovered from a two-cycle collision in the Keirin to win the Sprint.
The 23-year-old again expressed gratitude for the continued support as he represents the twin island republic with much gusto.
“It is always an honour to represent my country and the Pan American region. Thank you to everyone for all the love and continued support. The Journey continues and the next stop will be the Nations Cup in Milton, Canada. So, I just want to continue putting in the hard work and let it show in my performances,” Paul said.
In the Keirin, Paul topped Colombia’s Kevin Quintero, while another Trinidad and Tobago cyclist Kwesi Browne copped bronze.
However, it took a photo-finish to separate Paul and another Colombian Cristian Ortega for the Sprint crown. Paul bettered his South American rival in the first ride before edging ahead in the second ride on the line by millimeters to retain his title.
Meanwhile, Akil Campbell was also among the medals, as he won a bronze medal in the men's scratch race.
In other results at the meet, Alexi Ramirez finished eighth in the women's elimination race and in the women's scratch race, while Makaira Wallace and Phoebe Sandy placed 13th and 17th in the women's sprint qualification, respectively.
The well-fancied Kitty’s Light appears almost certain to make the cut for Saturday’s Randox Grand National after Gordon Elliott revealed top-weight Conflated will instead run in the Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday.
Conflated was one of 13 Elliott-trained horses still in contention for Saturday’s main event following the confirmation stage on Monday, but owners Gigginstown House Stud later said the prospect of running under 11st 12lb on testing ground over four and a quarter miles was a major concern.
The 10-year-old was also entered for Thursday’s Aintree Bowl over three miles and a furlong, but was not declared on Tuesday morning and is instead set to run over two and a half miles the following day.
“We had the option of the Aintree Bowl and the Grand National, but with the ground going the way it is we are going to run in the Melling Chase on Friday instead,” Elliott said in a stable tour for Attheraces.com.
“I thought he ran great in the Ryanair Chase (at Cheltenham, finished third), he hit the line well and I was very happy with his run.”
Conflated’s anticipated defection means all six horses with an allotted weight of 10st 6lb are now set to get into the final field of 34.
As Glengouly, Galia Des Liteaux and Panda Boy are rated 146, all three were already guaranteed a starting berth, but the same could not be said of Eklat De Rire, Chambard and Kitty’s Light.
As that trio have all been dropped 1lb to an official rating of 145 since the weights were unveiled in February, connections faced an anxious wait and a potential random ballot to decide which two of the three would creep in at the bottom if none of the horses above them were taken out.
Christian Williams, trainer of last year’s Scottish Grand National and bet365 Gold Cup hero Kitty’s Light, admitted to being relieved that barring a late change of mind from Elliott, that will no longer be the case.
He said: “It’s great that he’ll get in now, it’s good for the owners. The whole season has been geared towards the Grand National so it’s great that we’ve got in.
“The owners have been looking at it for the last three weeks and had everything upside down. They’ve been thinking about it for the last three weeks and I just stayed out of it.
“I think Gordon declared Conflated for the Bowl this morning, so one of the owners rang me and said ‘brilliant Chris, we’re in’, then Gordon took him back out! Anyway, it sounds like he’s running on Friday hopefully.”
Of Kitty’s Light, he added: “He’s flying, it’s just a shame with the ground because when we had him in a good place last year the ground was good and it looks like it will be heavy on Saturday.
“He might still have won the Scottish National last year if it was soft, you don’t really know do you? You can’t discount him on the ground until he actually goes out there as when we’ve run him on that sort of ground before we didn’t have him in the best of form and it wouldn’t have been his ideal trip.
“When he’s had his ideal trip it’s been in the spring and that’s when the ground has been good. We’ll see how he runs on heavy ground in the spring – there’s only one way to find out.”
Coral make Kitty’s Light a 14-1 shot for the National in their non-runner money back market, with last year’s winner Corach Rambler the 4-1 favourite ahead of I Am Maximus at 7-1.
Scott Dixon was left to reflect on what for him proved an “incredibly strange” last race at Wolverhampton on Monday night, where only two runners eventually lined up after a false start.
The stalls did not seem to open when the starter’s flag fell in the closing Download The Racecourse App Raceday Ready Handicap but then released moments later, causing the starter to wave his flag to signal a false start.
By that point the horses were already a stride or two into the seven-furlong race and though the call to pull up appeared to spread fairly quickly, that was easier said than done for many of the riders.
Sue Gardner’s Kimifive and Dixon’s Mudlahhim were already locking horns and several other horses were reluctant to stop behind them.
The rules state horses are automatically withdrawn if they complete the course after the false start flag is waved, meaning all eight horses that crossed the line could not then partake in the rerun of the race. Oriental Spirit’s trainer Stuart Kittow decided not to take part after his horse ran keenly before being pulled up near the line, adding to earlier non-runner Captain Wentworth.
Eventually only two horses lined up for the delayed running, with Dixon’s other runner A Pint Of Bear losing out by three-quarters of a length to an old stablemate in John O’Shea’s Rose Fandango.
“It was an incredibly rare situation, from what I can gather the stalls didn’t open when they pressed the button,” Dixon said.
“I’ve watched the race back and I think it was all of them, it wasn’t a select few.
“The rule is if you cross the line you’re out and there were some horses that just couldn’t pull up and one of those was definitely mine.
“I had two runners, I had Mudlahhim and A Pint Of Bear. Mudlahhim is an unbelievably keen horse in his home work and he can be in his races. He just thought he was in a race.
“When my assistant and I saw what happened we both looked at each other and said there was zero chance of getting him back before the finishing line.
“Ultimately that’s what happened, him and another horse did another circuit and they were just taking each other on which wasn’t helping matters.”
The matter has been forwarded to the British Horseracing Authority for review after all riders, the starters, the starting stalls team leader, clerk of the course Fergus Cameron and others were interviewed and shown recordings of the incident.
“It was just incredibly strange, and to make it even stranger for me was that the horse we ended up in a match race with, Rose Fandango, I used to train,” Dixon added.
“His last win was with me, so it got even weirder! I ran down to the start and saw A Pint Of Bear myself to make sure he was all right.
“Phil (Dennis, jockey) and I thought he was fine and he was looked at by the vet and he was all good to go.
“It’s not going to be ideal for any of them but he was 100 per cent fine to run, we made the decision to let him have a go and sadly for us we lost the match race.
“All the horses were fine and all the jockeys were fine and that’s all that matters, really.
“It seems like it was a mechanical fault, which ultimately can just happen, and even human error is always going to happen occasionally.
“It’s just one of those things, you’ve got to feel sorry for people with horses that couldn’t run – they have spent the money and taken the time to go, it is very unfortunate but it is just one of those things.”
David Menuisier is not losing heart after Sunway’s beaten run in the Prix la Force at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.
The Galiway colt, who is a full-brother to Champion Stakes winner Sealiway, won the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud and was second in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last season.
The former run was on very soft autumn ground and he encountered heavy going at the weekend when making his seasonal debut in the Group Three Prix la Force.
His prior form contributed to his status as the 3-5 favourite under Oisin Murphy, but the bay could only finish fifth when beaten two and three-quarter lengths by Atlast.
Menuisier felt the way the race panned out did not play to his horse’s strengths, but is happy to have the run under Sunway’s belt ahead of bigger targets throughout the year.
“I think the pace was a bit too slow, Oisin kicked himself after the race thinking that they were absolutely hacking and finished on a sprint,” he said.
“Stamina wasn’t really tested, the horse was a little bit rusty when they quickened and then he kind of went again.
“We noticed after the race that he got struck into on his left-fore tendon by another horse, probably the winner when he came past us.
“I’m not saying that was the cause of the defeat, it was more a combination of things, it’s like being tackled in the Achilles tendon for football players, it hurts at the time.
“On the whole the horse was only at 80 per cent, it was a prep race. He was always going to improve for it, he was not beaten far.
“I can’t say that I’m happy with the situation, but we need to think from a bigger perspective. I don’t think it was complete chaos, we’ll live to fight another day.
“He needed the race, that’s the principle of having trial races and he’s still a good horse and he hasn’t lost anything in defeat.”
Sunway is entered in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the French 2000 Guineas, and the Dante at York, though which path he will take is not yet decided as the dust still settles.
Menusuier said: “We will move forward, it is too early to say what we will do next – whether we go for the Poule d’Essai over one mile or whether we step up in trip for the Dante or the Prix Greffulhe, I don’t know.
“My position hasn’t changed at all, it was a stepping stone whether he won or not.
“It was a race you could run countless times and get different results and I don’t think he was beaten by a better horse, he was beaten by the circumstances.”
It is 60 years since a serious injury to Paddy Farrell in the 1964 Grand National helped spawn what is now the Injured Jockeys Fund.
At the time there was no system in place, financial or otherwise, to compensate jockeys whenever they were injured and Jack Berry, at the time a jump jockey himself who would go on to be a successful Flat trainer, was one of the riders to literally go round with collection buckets.
Farrell’s fall from Border Flight, while awful for all concerned, did at least provide a catalyst for change. Tim Brookshaw was another jockey to suffer serious injury at around the same time and the Farrell/Brookshaw Fund was set up originally to facilitate their recuperation before the pair asked that all jockeys should benefit.
John (Lord) Oaksey took on a prominent role, as did Berry.
“I do appreciate how good the facilities are now but it all started way back in 1964,” said Berry.
“Poor Paddy Farrell fell and broke his back in the Grand National. I was one of the jump jockeys who went round with buckets to collect money for him and if you like that was the start of the Injured Jockeys Fund.
“In those days there was nowhere for people to look to and he had a wife and four young kids at the time – they were seven, five, three and five months old. It was a bad situation.
“I had a bad fall at Wetherby when I broke my knee in five places and despite me conning my local doctor after three months to say I was fit, the Jockey Club doctor said there was no way I could ride, it only bent about 60 per cent.
“He asked me to go to Camden Town centre in London to rehabilitate. When I went there, along with me there were five dockers and a policeman but obviously they were just trying to drag it out as long as possible, I was the only one there who wanted to get better.
“I thought when I packed up riding and became a trustee of the Injured Jockeys Fund that we could do with a facility like Camden Town. It took me three years to get it past the trustees that we needed Oaksey House (in Lambourn) but when we got it past the trustees, I always thought we needed one in the north.”
The one in the north is known as Jack Berry House and while the man famous for wearing red shirts is a little embarrassed the facility carries his name given it was down to the work of so many, he admits to feeling a sense of pride at the outcome.
“Once I suggested it, I was told it was only six years since we opened Oaksey House but I said ‘don’t worry, we’ll raise the funds’ and with the help of the IJF, we held things like bungee jumps, sponsored swims and walks, all sorts to get the money,” he said.
“I did say to the trustees that we shouldn’t call it Jack Berry House we should call it Our House, but it is something I am very proud of and I’m absolutely delighted with it.
“It’s not just for injured jockeys, it’s a community hub if you like. Someone like Brian Hughes might ride out in Malton, go and use the gym there and then head off for six rides at Wetherby or somewhere.
“The wives of ex-jockeys still go and do Pilates there and have a cup of tea and a bit of a chat.”
Hopefully in the future Graham Lee may be a regular visitor to Jack Berry House.
It was 20 years ago that Lee won the Grand National on Amberleigh House before he switched his attentions to the Flat, going on to register a unique double by steering Trip To Paris to triumph in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
Sadly, Lee suffered a fall at Newcastle in November which left him with life-changing injuries.
“You wouldn’t believe how many jockeys get injured. When you go down there, there are jockeys with broken collarbones and all sorts, it is a very dangerous profession,” said Berry.
“Look at Graham Lee, the poor lad is seriously injured. With Graham hopefully there might be scope for some more movement returning. He can move his shoulders and his neck.
“Graham is going to visit a rugby player who broke his neck, he has a rehabilitation place near Leicester and he’ll go there for a couple of weeks and then he’ll go home after the alterations have been made to make it wheelchair friendly. No doubt he will go to Jack Berry House to have physio eventually.”
James Owen could saddle his first Classic runner if Ambiente Amigo proves she is up to the task of running in the Betfred Oaks during the early stages of the new Flat season.
Owned by the Gredley Family, the daughter of Postponed was trained by Michael Bell as a two-year-old, impressing when twice scoring at Lingfield in maiden and novice company.
Immediately upped to the highest level, she was partnered by Frankie Dettori when finishing her season in the Fillies’ Mile.
Although failing to land a blow in that Group One event, it served notice of connections’ big-race intentions and having crossed Newmarket to Owen’s Green Ridge Stables, Ambiente Amigo is being prepared for her impending return during the town’s Craven meeting later this month.
“We’ve done a lot of work with her and she’s working to a very good level at home,” said Owen.
“It’s been hard trying to find a race for her really and there’s been nothing really suitable for a three-year-old filly with her mark.
“We’re probably going to start her off over a mile and two furlongs up at the Craven meeting, either in a handicap or something a little bit deeper.”
A five-time UK Arabian champion trainer and well-known pre-trainer, Owen has made an immediate impression since taking out a licence, overseeing the successful transition to hurdles of the Gredleys’ Royal Ascot scorer Burdett Road.
Now he is looking forward to making his mark on the Flat during the summer months and having taken great pleasure in making the Epsom entry for Ambiente Amigo, will be aiming to prepare the three-year-old for Classic action on the Surrey Downs later in the summer.
“She’s going to have to improve and get on an upwards curve, but it’s exciting to put those entries in,” continued Owen.
“She’s got the pedigree to stay and likes a little bit of soft ground. The way she works we think she will stay, which is why we put that entry in (for the Oaks).
“She is being trained with that in mind and hopefully we can get a run into her before going to one of the prep races – probably Chester or Lingfield – and that is the aim. I do want to get a run into her before the trial races.
“We’re all enjoying it and we’ll be trying our best.”
Gold Cup runner-up Gerri Colombe will meet last year’s winner Shishkin in the Aintree Bowl on Thursday.
Trained by Gordon Elliott, Gerri Colombe put up a game fight in the blue riband at Cheltenham when beating all bar reigning champion Galopin Des Champs.
Gerri Colombe is owned by Brian Acheson’s Robcour operation and the same colours will be sported by the Mouse Morris-trained Gentlemansgame.
Shishkin, winner of the race 12 months ago for Nicky Henderson, will attempt to put a dreadful Cheltenham Festival behind the trainer after he withdrew many of his intended runners due to the form of his string.
Corbetts Cross, so impressive in the National Hunt Chase, will step into open company for the first time while Bravemansgame, Ahoy Senor and Thunder Rock are also running in a field of seven.
Champion Hurdle third Luccia will step up in trip for the William Hill Aintree Hurdle.
One of only a few to run well for Henderson at Cheltenham, she will face the likes of Impaire Et Passe and Bob Olinger in a field of eight, with Coral Cup winner Langer Dan stepping up in grade.
Grey Dawning and Ginny’s Destiny will meet again in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase.
The pair served up a real treat in the Turners at Cheltenham, with Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning coming out on top by two lengths.
Il Etait Temps, third in the Arkle, steps up in trip for Willie Mullins, while Blow Your Wad and Colonel Harry complete the quintet.
Sir Gino, a Cheltenham absentee for Henderson, will get the chance to strut his stuff in the Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.
He will take on Mullins’ Kargese, who finished second to stable companion Majborough in the Triumph Hurdle, the Joseph O’Brien-trained pair of Intellotto and Nurburgring, Paul Nicholls’ Kalif Du Berlais and Dirty Den.
There are 22 in the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase which include Cheltenham runner-up Its On The Line and Cat Tiger for David Maxwell.
The New York Yankees received eight stellar innings from Nestor Cortes and three-run homers from Juan Soto and Anthony Volpe to continue their hot start with Monday's 7-0 win over the floundering Miami Marlins.
Cortes retired 24 of the 26 batters he faced, yielding just a pair of singles, to record his first victory since May 30 and help New York match the best 11-game start to a season in franchise history at 9-2. The left-hander struck out six while throwing 70 of 102 pitches for strikes.
The Yankees have opened a season 9-2 seven times previously, most recently in 2020.
Volpe and Soto's homers both came in the fourth inning off Jesus Luzardo, with Soto's blast his first at Yankee Stadium since New York acquired the star outfielder from the San Diego Padres in the offseason.
Soto finished 2 for 3 and Alex Verdugo went 3 for 3 with an RBI as the Yankees extended Miami's early-season woes. The Marlins have now lost 10 of their first 11 games for the second time in team history, having previously done so in 1998.
Luzardo permitted all seven runs while being tagged for eight hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings.
The Miami left-hander had kept the Yankees scoreless until Volpe followed fourth-inning singles by Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo with a drive into the left field seats.
Verdugo then doubled and Luzardo walked Jose Trevino before retiring the next two batters to bring up Soto, who launched the first pitch he saw over the wall in right for a 6-0 lead.
Stanton doubled to open the bottom of the fifth before scoring the Yankees' final run on Verdugo's two-out single.
Nationals rout Giants to spoil Snell's San Francisco debut
Lane Thomas went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs as the Washington Nationals spoiled Blake Snell's San Francisco Giants debut with an 8-1 rout in the opener of a three-game series.
Trey Lipscomb also had three hits, including an RBI single, and delivered a steal of home to help pin a loss on Snell in the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner's first start as a Giant.
Snell, who went 14-9 with an MLB-leading 2.25 ERA and 234 strikeouts with the San Diego Padres last season, joined San Francisco on a two-year, $62 million contract in March.
The ace left-hander struck out five in three innings, but surrendered three runs on three hits while walking two.
Washington received a more effective outing from starter Trevor Williams, who held San Francisco to one run on three hits over five innings to move to 2-0 on the season.
Snell's trouble came in the second inning, as he issued consecutive one-out walks before Lipscomb singled to left to drive in a run and tie the score at 1-1.
Luis Garcia followed with an infield RBI single that put Washington ahead before stealing second base, with Lipscomb running home from third on the play and beating the throw to the plate.
The Giants had taken a 1-0 lead when Jung Hoo Lee singled and LaMonte Wade doubled two batters later, with Lee crossing the plate on an errant throw from Nationals left fielder Jesse Winker.
Thomas' two-run homer off Landen Roupp in the fifth pushed Washington's lead to 5-1, and the Nationals tacked on another run in the inning on Ildemaro Vargas' RBI double.
Washington scored twice more in the ninth via an RBI single from Thomas and a bases-loaded walk to Vargas that forced in Winker.
Ohtani's homer, three hits power Dodgers past Twins
Shohei Ohtani tied a career high with three extra-base hits, including a solo homer, as the Los Angeles Dodgers got back on track with a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Twins.
Ohtani added two doubles along with his third homer in five games to help Los Angeles take the opener of this three-game series. The Dodgers entered Minnesota off two losses in three games to the Chicago Cubs over the weekend.
James Paxton did his part for Los Angeles by holding the Twins to two runs on three hits over six solid innings to win his second straight start to begin the season.
Paxton's lone blemish came when he served up a two-run homer to Manuel Margot in the third inning that gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead.
The Twins maintained a one-run edge until the sixth, when Ohtani greeted reliever Steven Okert with a double and later scored on Will Smith's single.
Okert came on for Bailey Ober, who allowed just one run and three hits over five innings before departing in line for the win.
James Outman put Los Angeles ahead with a solo homer off Jay Jackson in the seventh. Two batters later, Ohtani connected for an opposite-field blast off Jackson that increased the lead to 4-2.
Ober's lone run allowed came after issuing a lead-off walk to Mookie Betts in the first inning. Ohtani followed with a double before Betts crossed the plate on Freddie Freeman's sacrifice fly.
Sergio Garcia claimed his first major title after beating Justin Rose in a play-off to win the Masters on this day in 2017.
Garcia became the third Spanish winner at Augusta National with a birdie on the first extra hole following a sensational duel with Ryder Cup team-mate Rose.
The pair had finished tied on nine under par after closing rounds of 69, with Rose overturning an early three-stroke deficit to lead by a shot after 16 holes, only to bogey the 17th and then fail to convert a birdie attempt from seven feet on the last.
That gave Garcia the opportunity to win his first major at the 74th attempt, but his putt flashed wide of the hole forcing a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th, where England’s Rose was unable to save par after pushing his drive into the trees and hitting a poor recovery, but Garcia finished in style by holing from 12 feet for a birdie.
Garcia’s victory was made all the more sweeter by winning the title on what would have been the 60th birthday of his idol Seve Ballesteros.
“It’s been a long wait but it’s that much sweeter because of that wait. I get to call myself Masters champion and that’s amazing,” Garcia said.
“It’s amazing to do it on Seve’s 60th birthday and to join him and (Jose Maria) Olazabal, my two idols in golf.
“Jose sent me a text on Wednesday telling me how much he believed in me and what I needed to do, believe in myself, be calm and not let things get to me as I had in the past.”
Competitors from the Jamaica School of Gymnastics had an excellent showing at the Cats Beach Blast held at the Palm Beach Central High School in Florida from April 6-7.
The 19-member team managed to take home nine gold, six silver and seven bronze medals. The team also claimed two first place and three third place trophies.
The team placed first in the Level Two gymnast category. Juanique Hunter had scores of 9.5 and 9.350 to take gold in the beam and bars, respectively.
“I’m very proud of myself. I never expected to get first on bars because I know I’m bad on bars but I’m really proud of myself for getting first overall,” Hunter said.
Elissa Edwards took gold in the floors and vault with scores of 9.500 and 9.175.
“I wasn’t really expecting to get first place, I was more expecting fourth of fifth because I did bad on beams but I’m really happy to get another first-place trophy,” she said.
In the Level One gymnast category, Isabel Misir had a score of 9.1 to win the vault while Malkia Robinson produced 9.75 to win the bars.
Elsewhere, Westmoreland Gymnastics and Painite Gymnastics located in Manchester competed in Barbados as a combined team at the Trident Classic at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium in Wildey on April 6.
The team came first overall in their category and had a medal count of 46 all in the first, second and third places.
They also captured seven trophies and took home the first-place trophy for the pre-comp category.
“It’s truly a good look for the sport of Gymnastics having three clubs competing overseas over the weekend. They made a mark for Jamaica in winning both the teams and individual events,” said President of the Jamaica Gymnastics Association, Nicole Grant.
“It truly speaks volumes about the development of our coaches who are now better able to understand the technicalities of the sport and passing it on to the athletes who are just eager and happy to learn and improve day by day,” she added.
Sir Nick Faldo believes Rory McIlroy has at least another decade of opportunities to win the Masters, despite the scar tissue from his previous attempts.
McIlroy famously squandered a four-shot lead in the final round in 2011 and has recorded six top 10s at Augusta National since victory in the 2014 Open left him needing a green jacket to complete a career grand slam.
The world number two finished second behind Scottie Scheffler in 2022 thanks to a thrilling final round of 64 and is second favourite behind the same player this week after finishing third in the Texas Open on Sunday.
Asked if McIlroy, who will turn 35 next month, was running out of chances to win the Masters, Faldo said: “I disagree.
“The game has changed. We have brought the physical element in and we understand the physical side.
“It was always 30-35 when you were in your prime and he is still in his prime. They are so fit and trained now so he has got at least another 10 years I would say of being supersonically fit.
“I still think the problem is times gone by. We are nearly 10 years now since his last major. That is the problem.
“Unfortunately it’s just going on, time after time. It’s not just this season. There’s four or five or six years of scar tissue now, of Rory coming in as favourite, playing great.
“He has tried his best at times. ‘Can I re-set, can I literally forget the past, who I am? Look how talented I am and go and play golf again’. It is not that easy. Can you turn back the clock? Can you delete all the negativity that you have seen and felt?
“I think there is a way where he could find his stride because, as we know, when he finds that stride and gets that trust, then he is phenomenal. I bet that is all he wants to do – just set me free.”
To achieve that goal Faldo believes McIlroy has done the right thing by stepping down from his role on the PGA Tour’s policy board after almost two years of being the most prominent figure in the Tour’s fight with LIV Golf.
But the six-time major winner remains incredulous that McIlroy agreed to conduct a live “walk and talk” interview during the first round of last year’s Masters, an event in which he went on to miss the cut.
“I didn’t like it,” Faldo added. “I thought, ‘You’re kidding me! The Masters?’. Sure, do that any other week but why the Masters?
“I mean, that is one of the most beautiful things about the Masters. It’s you and your caddie, just the two of you and the other players. That’s all that’s inside the ropes.
“And to suddenly bring other people in? Because that’s got to be organised, hasn’t it? And this sort of thing, your manager is going to say to you before, ‘Will you do this?’. Gosh, no, you need 100 per cent concentration.
“I think he’s trying to put priorities into golf. You’ve got to look out. You have a window as an athlete, don’t you? You’ve got tons of time once you’ve stopped playing your sport to go and do all your other stuff.
“But while you’re an athlete, give it 100 per cent. That was kind of my attitude. You know, once you get your mind into other things, business and all sorts, then it’s hurting your golf. It really does.”
:: The Masters will be available on Sky Sports Golf and via a NOW subscription from 11th – 14th April, and you can follow all the latest news on Sky Sports social and digital channels throughout the week.
There was a chaotic end to the card at Wolverhampton on Monday night as a false start resulted in the original 12-strong field being reduced to just two runners.
The 8.30pm Download The Racecourse App Raceday Ready Handicap saw the starter flag for a false start after the stalls opened, but the majority of runners covered most of the seven furlongs before pulling up.
When they lined up again, the field had been reduced to Rose Fandango and A Pint of Bear.
The former, trained by John O’Shea and ridden by Rossa Ryan, prevailed at 25/1.
The mass withdrawal led to an 85p Rule 4 being applied.
Open champion Brian Harman believes his experience of handling a hostile Hoylake means he is better equipped to chase more major glory.
Harman was heckled by a minority of spectators at Royal Liverpool and even had one persistent offender ejected from the course before completing a comprehensive six-shot victory.
As a Georgia native and graduate of the state’s university, it will be a totally different story at Augusta National – although Harman insisted he would relish proving his doubters wrong again as much as hearing cries of support for his alma mater’s Georgia Bulldogs.
“It seems like I do better when everyone’s rooting against me than rooting for me,” Harman said. “That’s a new challenge.
“Around Augusta there’s a lot of Dawgs out here, and you hear it all week, and it’s fantastic. So I’ll have to try to channel it. Maybe I’ll just pretend that they’re yelling mean things instead of nice things.
“After The Open I feel as though I’m more prepared to handle whatever comes my way because at the Open and then the Ryder Cup, these pressure-packed situations, I’ve seen myself perform pretty well under that pressure.
“I live to feel those moments. Like, that’s like the drug for me. I want to get in contention in big golf tournaments. So my goal is to try and get to those uncomfortable places as many times as I can.
“I think it just unlocks something (in me), like proving people wrong, or just being your back against the wall.
Harman is making just his sixth start in the Masters and has missed the cut in three of his five previous appearances, although he was one shot off the halfway lead in 2021 before fading to 12th.
The 37-year-old is also well aware that fellow left-handers Phil Mickelson , Bubba Watson and Mike Weir have all won the Masters in recent years.
“Lefties have done pretty well around here (but) I think the conditions kind of have to go in my favour,” Harman added.
“It’s a long golf course. I make no bones about that. I don’t make any excuses about how far I hit the ball or make any gripes about how long courses are. I just show up and try to be ready to play.
“The US Open I had a chance to win (in 2017) was the longest one in US Open history. So the length doesn’t scare me. I’ve just got to prepare myself.
“It’s evolved into a really hard golf course. It’s just one of those things where you want to fast-forward and be on the back nine Sunday making lots of birdies.
“But there’s a lot that happens in between teeing off Thursday and that back nine.”
Tiger Woods received a glowing review from playing partner Will Zalatoris after stepping up his preparations for the 88th Masters at Augusta National.
Woods has played fewer than five-and-a-half competitive rounds since undergoing ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round.
The 48-year-old returned to action in December’s Hero World Challenge and finished 18th in the 20-man field, but was forced to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational in February due to illness after six holes of the second round.
Woods had also suffered a back spasm which led to a dreaded shank on the 18th hole in round one.
However, having made a record-equalling 23rd consecutive cut in last year’s Masters, Woods will no doubt be keen to at least own that record for himself this week and he certainly impressed Zalatoris in their nine holes of practice.
Asked if the prospect of Woods making a 24th straight cut “blew his mind”, Zalatoris said: “It’s just everything the guy has done.
“You could just sit there and analyse the same stats for his entire career and put him in five different buckets and every one of them is never going to be broken.
“He played great today. He outdrove me a couple times so there was some chirping going on. So, you know, he looks great. He’s moving as well as he can be.
“With everything he’s gone through, it’s pretty amazing to see how good he’s swinging it.”
Jockey Paddy Brennan was banned for 18 days and trainer Fergal O’Brien fined £4,000 after Northern Air finished second in Golf Membership On Sale Now Maiden Hurdle at Wincanton.
The 5-1 chance was making her debut over hurdles having won a point to point at the backend of last year and had one bumper start at Newbury last month since joining the O’Brien team.
Brennan’s mount made up late ground having been held up in the early stages and was eventually beaten three and a quarter lengths by an odds-on favourite in the one-mile-seven-furlong affair.
The stewards inquired into the performance with Brennan stating his instructions were “to switch off” Northern Air as she had been keen last time and finished the race “fairly distressed” after “emptying out”.
Brennan also reported Northern Air had made a respiratory noise and he wanted to ensure she finished more positively, focusing on “keeping the bit up in her mouth, being patient and riding her up the straight to hit the line”.
Both O’Brien and his representative confirmed the instructions and were satisfied with the ride, with the stewards deciding to suspend Brennan and fine O’Brien for “schooling and conditioning the horse on the racecourse”. Northern Air also received a 40-day ban from running.
Senior steward Tom Evetts told Racing TV: “Mr Brennan’s case was that he wanted to hold her up, she raced keenly at Newbury and didn’t finish her race, so his and Mr O’Brien’s priority coming here today was to get her to finish her race strongly.
“I guess our concern came in that having turned out of the back straight at a time when we would like horses to be improving their position, Mr Brennan was very tender in his handling of the mare and then up the entirety of the straight we just felt he wasn’t doing enough on a mare that was passing horses and finishing off strongly.
“The question you could ask is where is the line between intent and schooling, we have done her under schooling. Intent is when the rider is doing the opposite of what we would expect, schooling is when the rider is just not doing enough and up the straight we felt Mr Brennan just wasn’t doing enough.
“The penalty (range) under schooling is 10 to 18 days for the jockey with an entry of 14, as she has finished second strongly, we have had to go to the top of that range and then that applies to Mr O’Brien.”
Brennan’s suspension encompasses April 22-27, May 4 and May 6-16.
Cameron Norrie slipped to a straight-sets defeat against Karen Khachanov in the opening round of the Monte Carlo Masters.
Norrie, playing on clay for the first time since February, started well and struck with the first break of the match but eventually went down 7-5 7-6 (3).
Khachanov broke straight back in the opening set and toppled the Norrie serve again at 6-5 to avoid a first-set tie-break.
Both players broke each other at the start of the second set and Norrie looked again to be in control when he went 5-3 ahead.
But once again Khachanov broke back when it mattered and took the tie-break 7-3.
Dan Evans suffered a straight-sets defeat to Sebastian Ofner as his struggles at the start of the clay-court season continued.
Evans’ second match on the surface this term was over quickly after he was blown away by the Austrian.
The British number three dropped the first four games en route to a 6-1 6-4 defeat.
Evans had lost his first clay-court match of the season in straight sets to Roberto Carballes Baena at the Grand Prix Hassan in Marrakech last week.
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