PEBBLE BEACH, California: Rory McIlroy played a game nearly as magnificent as the Pebble Beach scenery Sunday as he powered his way past a pack of contenders and closed with a 6-under 66 for a two-shot victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
McIlroy is one of the top attractions in golf, which only added to the appeal of the surprising sunshine and crashing surf at America’s most famous coastal golf course. And just like that, a sleepy start to the PGA Tour season had some life to it.
On a day when six players had at least a share of the lead, McIlroy took the top spot for good with an 18-foot birdie putt on the 10th hole into a stiff breeze along the Pacific. He effectively ended the drama with a towering drive and a 7-iron into the 571-yard 14th hole, setting up an eagle putt from just outside 25 feet.
“To win at one of the cathedrals of golf is really cool,” McIlroy said.
Shane Lowry fell out of a share for the lead when he sent his second shot over a cliff to the right of the par-5 sixth. But he shot 31 on the back nine, including a birdie on the final hole for a 68 that gave him second place alone.
Lucas Glover (67) and Justin Rose (68) were another shot behind. Sepp Straka, who started the final round with a one-shot lead, had a 72 and tied for seventh.
Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player whose season was delayed by minor hand surgery from punctured glass while making ravioli, closed with a 67 and tied for ninth.
McIlroy has talked about this being an important year for him, though his focus was more on April through September — an 11th chance to complete the career Grand Slam at the Masters, a return home to Northern Ireland for the British Open, a road Ryder Cup at Bethpage.
This wasn’t a bad start.
“It’s a really cool way to start the season,” said McIlroy, who won for the second time in California. “To get this win this early means a great deal, and hopefully I’ll keep the momentum going into Torrey Pines in a couple weeks’ time.”
The sixth hole began to separate the pack a little. In consecutive groups, Rose went over the cliff with his tee shot and Tom Kim hit down the hill toward the ocean with his second shot. Lowry followed him in the final group, leading to bogey.
But really, McIlroy looked as though he was the player to beat from the second hole, when he hit a tough pitch from 50 yards away over a bunker to a back pin with enough height and spin to set up a 2-foot birdie putt.
But it was after his lone bogey on the tough eighth hole where he pulled away — the 18-foot birdie on the 10th, a tee shot into 8 feet for birdie on the par-3 12th and finally get his due on the 14th hole. McIlroy drilled his drive for the third straight day over a tree, over the bunker complex and into the fairway. The previous two days, he had to settle for par.
This time, he cashed in for an eagle, extending his lead to four shots. And when he hit wedge into 3 feet for birdie on the 15th, it led to one of the best stress-free and gorgeous walks on the PGA Tour.
Everyone else was left in a hopeless chase.
“When he’s good, he’s great. And when he’s not great, he’s good,” Glover said. “There’s a reason he’s got 20-something wins and a bunch of majors and the game he has. Impressive round out there today under the pressure and under the conditions.”
McIlroy won for the 27th time on the tour and is 21st on the career victory list. He’s been stuck on four majors since winning the PGA Championship 11 years ago, and that he is sure to be reminded of that as the Masters gets closers.
For now, this will do. It’s his second victory in a signature event that McIlroy and other top players helped to create.
“When he’s good, he’s great and when he’s not great, he’s good,” Glover said. “There’s a reason he’s got 20-something wins and a bunch of majors and the game he has. Impressive round out there today under the pressure and under the conditions.”
McIlroy won his second signature event — he won at Quail Hollow last year — to earn $3.6 million. He finished at 21-under 267, one shot to par away from the tournament record.
Lowry at least tried to make him sweat, staying within range until missing a 7-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that would have narrowed the gap to two. His final birdie, however, gave him a tidy consolation of $2.16 million for second place.
“I always say I believe when players like Rory McIlroy turns up and they have their ‘A’ game, they’re pretty impossible to beat,” Lowry said.
Rory McIlroy overpowers Pebble Beach and wins in a runaway
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Rory McIlroy overpowers Pebble Beach and wins in a runaway
- McIlroy won for the 27th time on the tour and is 21st on the career victory list
Ryu, Liu share Chevron Championship lead as defending champion Korda struggles
- The round was suspended late as a storm approached The Club at Carlton Woods, with 24 players unable to finish
- Among those unable to complete the round were Lexi Thompson, who retired from full-time tour golf last year, and LPGA rookie Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden, who won last week in Los Angeles in her third start as an LPGA Tour member
THE WOODLANDS, Texas: Haeran Ryu and Yan Liu each shot bogey-free 7-under 65 to share the lead during the suspended first round of the Chevron Championship as top-ranked Nelly Korda struggled to a 77 on Thursday in her title defense.
The round was suspended late as a storm approached The Club at Carlton Woods, with 24 players unable to finish.
Korda won the event last year for the last of her five straight LPGA Tour victories and had hoped to rediscover that dominant form in the season’s first major. Instead, she made bogeys on four straight holes and was 4-over par after six holes.
Korda added two more bogeys on the back nine and was 12 shots behind the leaders and needing a big second round simply to make the cut.
Ryu of South Korea and Liu of China had no such problems.
Ryu birdied five of her first 10 holes to move in front and made her seventh birdie on her closing hole, the ninth.
Liu got going on her back nine with four birdies in a five-hole stretch. She, too, made a closing birdie to tie Ryu.
Hya Joo Kim was a shot behind the two leaders heading to her final hole, but took bogey on the 18th to finish with a 67.
The group at 68 included Ariya Jutanugarn, Hye-Jin Choi, Carlotta Ciganda, Manon De Roey and Brooke Matthews. Lucy Li also was 4-under par through 14 when play was suspended,
Among those unable to complete the round were Lexi Thompson, who retired from full-time tour golf last year, and LPGA rookie Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden, who won last week in Los Angeles in her third start as an LPGA Tour member.
Thompson was at 1-over par with her final hole, the ninth, remaining. Lindblad was at 2-over par with her last hole, the 18th, to play. Lindblad had a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 14th.
Ryu, with two career LPGA Tour victories, changed putters midway through last week’s tournament in Los Angeles, liked how it felt and continued with it in Texas.
Ryu said she was more comfortable on the greens. She often opened the face with her former putter, Ryu explained, and was happy to make several tricky putts in her round. “It’s really good for me,” she said.
Liu, seeking her first LPGA Tour win, was not happy with her performance off the tee in Los Angeles last week and worked to get it corrected. “This week, I fixed my driver, so it feels very solid,” she said.
Little was solid for Korda, who began her season with a pair of top 10 finishes, but has not been as crisp as a year ago when she won seven events and was the Rolex Player of the Year.
When Korda walked off the 18th green following her round, she told a small group of media that she was headed back to work.
“I’m going to go and practice and see where it takes me,” she said.
Korda is seeking her third career major.
Bologna book final with Milan after cruising past Empoli in Coppa Italia
- Bologna will play in the Coppa Italia final for the first time since their victory in 1974
- Italiano: We dedicate this final to the people of Bologna, who support us tremendously
BOLOGNA, Italy: Bologna eased into the Coppa Italia final following a 2–1 victory over Empoli at home on Thursday, which handed them a resounding 5–1 aggregate win as they set up a showdown with AC Milan.
Bologna strolled into their Coppa Italia semifinal second leg with a comfortable cushion, with Empoli facing an uphill task of overturning a three-goal deficit.
Giovanni Fabbian compounded Empoli’s misery after just seven minutes when the unmarked midfielder headed in a cross to extend Bologna’s aggregate advantage.
While the visitors may have felt their Coppa Italia run was already over, they still responded in the 33rd minute as Ola Solbakken’s angled drive was parried by Federico Ravaglia into the path of Viktor Kovalenko, who slotted in the rebound.
Both sides used the closing stages to express themselves more freely, playing with flair and imagination, but it was Thijs Dallinga who met a cross to head in another Bologna goal four minutes from time, sealing the win.
First final in 51 years
Bologna will play in the Coppa Italia final for the first time since their victory in 1974.
“It was a goal, the dream of this city and the club: we have honored this competition from the start, and when you reach the final stretch, everyone wants to go all the way,” Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano told Mediaset.
“We dedicate this final to the people of Bologna, who support us tremendously.”
Bologna will face Milan at the Stadio Olimpico on May 14.
“That would upset Milan, but we hope to play a great match, arriving in top condition,” Italiano added.
“Our self-esteem is already sky-high, and we know we’re facing a team of champions, but we’ll try to use our strengths. We can’t wait to get to Rome, and we hope to have those 30,000 fans at the Olimpico.”
‘He ran to Spain’: Eubank Jr. takes the mic as tempers flare at Live Media Press Conference
LONDON: If the first two days of Fight Week were about appearances, Day 3 was about pressure.
The Live Media Press Conference, held at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, stripped away the rehearsed lines and brand polish. What unfolded instead was a tense, theatrical showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, just 48 hours before they meet in a ring already charged with legacy, accusations, and unfinished history.
From the moment Eubank walked in, dressed sharp and confident, the tone shifted. Benn entered quieter, focused but noticeably reserved. The crowd — a mix of media, fans, undercard fighters, and organizers — picked up on the contrast immediately. The flashbulbs didn’t wait. Neither did Eubank.
“He ran”
Standing before a packed room and a bank of cameras, Eubank delivered what felt more like a monologue than a media answer.
“Conor ran to Spain,” he said, pausing to let the tension land. “He couldn’t take the noise here — the chants, the headlines, the jokes. So he left. I stayed. I trained here. I spoke to the kids. I kept my feet in the city. The public's invested in this fight. I feel that every time I step outside. And believe it or not — most of that energy’s been positive.”
He wasn’t done.
“I’m happy with where I am mentally. He’s not. You’ll see that pressure on his face by Friday. It’s building. And on Saturday — it’ll crack.”
Benn holds back
Benn, to his credit, didn’t rise to the bait. He kept his responses brief, even measured. But that silence seemed to speak as loudly as Eubank’s taunts. The contrast was stark: one man played to the crowd, the other kept his fire under wraps. Neither showed signs of blinking — just two different approaches to the same storm.
But the silence raised questions. Was it composure? Or calculation?
More than just hype
This wasn’t the usual press junket. The room was crowded, the atmosphere sharp. Reporters leaned in. Even the undercard fighters — who had earlier spoken about their own bouts — sat up straighter as the main event men took the stage.
This is what happens when a fight is more than a fight. When it’s about fathers, and pasts, and public reputations. When it’s about three years of legal battles, insults, cancelled bouts, and a fanbase divided.
This is Eubank vs. Benn, but it’s also history vs. redemption.
Arab News on the ground
Arab News was on the ground throughout the press conference, reporting live as fighters from across the card took their seats, answered questions, and stared down expectations. From rising talents to headline names, the air at Tottenham was charged — a stadium preparing to trade goals for gloves.
What comes next
With Friday’s weigh-in still ahead, the emotional temperature continues to rise. Saturday’s Fatal Fury-themed fight night will be broadcast globally, with a packed card beneath the headline event. And while most fans will tune in for the fists, the mind games may prove just as decisive.
With the weigh-in coming Friday and the fight just around the corner, the noise isn’t fading. It’s building.
Atletico thump Rayo, Valladolid relegated after Betis defeat
MADRID: Atletico Madrid cruised to a 3-0 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano on Thursday as they bounced back from defeat at Las Palmas last weekend.
Real Betis bolstered their Champions League ambitions with a 5-1 win over Real Valladolid, confirming the visitors’ long-expected relegation.
Atletico have little to play for in the rest of the season with leaders Barcelona 10 points clear with five matches remaining, but produced a solid derby display.
Alexander Sorloth opened the scoring in the third minute after Giuliano Simeone, son of coach Diego, crossed for the Norwegian target man to nod home at the back post.
It was a formula which should have led to more goals for Atletico but the striker wasted several presentable opportunities.
Sorloth headed over a few minutes later and then was denied by Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla.
Atletico were outplaying Rayo but the visitors could have levelled when Isi Palazon drilled toward the far corner and Jan Oblak made a fine save.
Sorloth spurned another headed opportunity before Conor Gallagher struck just before half-time.
Rodrigo de Paul lofted a cross into the area which the former Chelsea midfielder nodded beyond Batalla.
Oblak tipped over a Palazon header as Rayo looked for an equalizer, before Atletico substitute Antoine Griezmann fired narrowly wide after a Julian Alvarez backheel teed him up.
Julian Alvarez rounded off the win in the second half with his 15th La Liga goal of the season after Griezmann sent him through.
Real Betis bolstered their hopes of finishing in the top five as they hammered Valladolid at the Benito Villamarin stadium with playmaker Isco on the scoresheet.
Former Brazil great Ronaldo is the majority shareholder at Valladolid, who were promoted last season but immediately return to the second tier after losing 25 of their 33 games so far.
Betis moved fifth, two points above Villarreal who have a game in hand which they will play on Sunday against Espanyol.
Earlier Osasuna beat Sevilla 1-0 and Leganes grabbed a late 1-1 draw at home against Girona, leaving the Madrid side 19th and four points from safety.
Australia’s Hazlewood steers Bengaluru to win over Rajasthan
- Chasing 206 to win after Bengaluru’s 205-5, Rajasthan looked comfortable before Dhruv Jurel was dismissed by Hazlewood
- Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli hit a 42-ball 70 to steer Bengaluru to a par score on a batting friendly Bengaluru wicket
BENGALURU, India: Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood starred with 4-33 in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 11 run IPL win at home against Rajasthan Royals, who won the toss and chose to field first Thursday.
Chasing 206 to win after Bengaluru’s 205-5, Rajasthan looked comfortable before Dhruv Jurel was dismissed by Hazlewood in the 19th over of the chase.
Jurel scored a 34-ball 47 and was removed with 17 needed off 9 balls for the win.
Hazlewood removed England’s Jofra Archer on the next ball, leaving Royals reeling with 17 needed off the final over.
Earlier, Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli hit a 42-ball 70 to steer Bengaluru to a par score on a batting friendly Bengaluru wicket.
Openers Kohli and Phil Salt raced to 59-0 in the powerplay before Salt was removed on 26 in the seventh over with the team on 61-1.
Kohli then built an important 95 run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal before finally falling in the 16th over to Archer.
Padikkal, who was batting very well, fell soon after a 27-ball 50, with Bengaluru on 161-3.
Quick wickets toward the end took away the momentum before key cameos by Tim David (23) and Jitesh Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 20.
Archer was Rajasthan’s standout bowler and finished with 33-1. Sandeep Sharma took 2-45 and Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga finished with 1-30.
Rajasthan’s young top-order batters started really well and stayed ahead of the required run rate for the first half of the chase.
Indian Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal hit 19-ball 49 before he was removed by Hazlewood.
His opening partner, Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell early on 16 to India veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished with 1-50 in his four-over spell.
Spinner Krunal Pandya bowled an important spell and removed both Nitish Rana (28) and Rajasthan skipper Riyan Parag (22) who looked dangerous after the fall of initial wickets.
Rajasthan were cruising before Rana’s wicket in the 14th over but its batters failed to convert starts into a score to help their team cross the finish line.
“I think we did really well with the ball... We held them back really well,” Parag said after the game.
“With the batting, I thought at the halfway mark we were in the driving seat,” he added.
But “we have ourselves to blame... (The team was) in the driving seat and we let it slip.”
Player-of-the-match Hazlewood said that he “was just sticking to my strengths.”
“I knew hard lengths were hard to hit so I was mixing that up with yorkers, change of pace,” he added.
