Cameron Young fired a bogey-free 64 to take a one-shot lead at the Cadillac Championship in Miami on Thursday, as PGA Tour players digested the news of rival circuit LIV Golf losing its Saudi financial backing.
The recent Players Championship winner excelled on the greens at the Blue Monster Course at Trump National Doral.
He accumulated a staggering 97 feet of putts and rolled in eight birdies during a flawless opening round.
“I feel like I made a billion feet of putts, which I think works most places. It’s just one of those days that each mistake I made I was not penalised as much as I could have been.”
Cameron Young
Spieth and Smalley lead the chasing pack
Fellow Americans Jordan Spieth and Alex Smalley trail the leader by a single stroke on seven under par.
Canadian Nick Taylor sits alone in fourth place, while Colombia’s Nico Echavarria remains well in contention on five under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler has work to do after dropping two shots on the back nine to sign for a one-under-par 71.
“I would have liked to have been a little sharper today. Got off to a good start, but I kind of struggled from then on.”
Scottie Scheffler
English duo navigate mixed fortunes
Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Fitzpatrick carded opening rounds of two under and level par respectively.
Fitzpatrick secured his permanent PGA Tour membership only last week after a famous victory alongside his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic.
Former Open champion Shane Lowry matched that level-par effort.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose carded a two-over 74 as the Ryder Cup veteran debuted his newly manufactured McLaren irons.
LIV Golf funding withdrawal dominates discussion
Off the course, the golfing world was rocked by confirmation that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will end its financial support for LIV Golf after 2026.
The sovereign wealth fund stated that the massive investment required to sustain the breakaway league is no longer aligned with its future strategy.
This shock withdrawal leaves the rebel circuit urgently seeking new long-term financial partners to guarantee its survival.
Attention has immediately shifted to whether major champions such as Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm will be permitted to return to the traditional American circuit.
Spieth expressed reservations regarding the reintegration of defectors, suggesting the return pathway should not automatically be identical for all returning players.
George Russell has dismissed the significance of Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s early Formula 1 championship lead ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Italian currently holds a nine-point advantage over his British counterpart heading into the fourth round of the 2026 season.
Antonelli recently became the youngest championship leader in the sport’s history and is chasing a hat-trick of race victories in Florida.
However, Russell insists the internal dynamic at the Silver Arrows remains unchanged despite his younger colleague’s impressive sophomore campaign.
Marathon mindset for Mercedes
The 28-year-old driver compared the grueling length of the modern Formula 1 calendar to the London Marathon when questioned about the current standings.
“The guy who’s running the London Marathon, after three miles, you’re not thinking about the finish line, because you’ve got 23 miles to go.”
Russell was eager to point out that the championship battle is still in its absolute infancy.
“We’re in race four, so it’s not even a consideration, although of course he’s done an amazing job so far this year.”
The former Williams racer suffered misfortune in the previous round but pointed to solid recovery drives, including a second-place finish in China and a fourth-place result in Japan.
Development race heats up
The British driver remains confident that a smooth weekend will yield a race victory very soon.
“You’re always going to have these difficult weekends, but I hope every difficult weekend results in either P2 or P4.”
Meanwhile, the Brackley-based squad are taking a distinctly different approach to car upgrades following a five-week break in the calendar.
While rivals Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull have brought major new parts to the United States, Mercedes will split their crucial developments across the upcoming double-header.
Lewis Hamilton has declared himself “fired up” for the resumption of the 2026 Formula 1 season as Ferrari aim to close the performance gap to championship leaders Mercedes at the Miami Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion returns to the track this weekend following an enforced April break.
Ferrari currently sit second in the Constructors’ Championship, trailing their Brackley-based rivals.
Hamilton and team-mate Charles Leclerc occupy fourth and third respectively in the drivers’ standings, behind the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
A tall order to catch the Silver Arrows
The Italian marquee had shown promising signs during the opening three races of the new regulatory era.
However, the British veteran acknowledges the immense challenge of overhauling the current pace-setters.
Hamilton believes his team is facing a power deficit compared to both Mercedes and the new Red Bull-Ford power unit.
“Everyone’s had more of an intense time to work on refining the car,” said Hamilton.
“Just feel fired up for the second stab at it.”
Upgrades crucial for development race
Most teams are expected to introduce significant aerodynamic upgrades when practice begins in Florida on Friday.
The Scuderia are also banking on potential engine development opportunities in the upcoming additional upgrade window.
Despite acknowledging the factory’s relentless effort during the spring break, the former Mercedes driver remains realistic about the speed of progress.
“I’m really grateful for all the hard work. I’ve been back at the factory every week during this break and seeing how hard the team has been working in bringing an upgrade,” he explained.
“To close that gap, that means we have to do double that development each time of others, which is a really tall order.”
“You have to assume everyone’s developing at a similar sort of rate because it’s new rules, so if a team brings a tenth, we need to bring two.”
An investor group led by Grant Gustavson has submitted a formal offer to acquire the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the Major League Soccer franchise to Las Vegas.
The 30-year-old businessman aims to privately finance a new stadium in Nevada to house the team if the proposal is successful.
A temporary venue would host matches until the permanent facility is completed, though initial locations currently remain unspecified.
Any potential sale and relocation must receive approval from both current ownership and the league’s Board of Governors.
Franchise future in doubt
The Canadian club has been actively seeking new investors since December 2024 without success.
Despite engaging in serious discussions with more than 100 interested parties, no viable local bid has materialized to keep the side in British Columbia.
Stadium economics at BC Place, which is owned by a provincial crown corporation, remain the primary obstacle for potential domestic buyers.
The team recently signed a new lease with improved financial terms, but the revenue-sharing model has evidently proven insufficient to secure local ownership.
Rival interest and private funding
While league officials prefer to maintain the team’s current geographical footprint, they have actively begun exploring alternative markets.
A subcommittee of owners met earlier this month to discuss potential moves, with a consortium from Phoenix also expressing strong interest.
Any successful bid to move the franchise outside of Canada would also incur a significant, yet currently unspecified, league relocation fee.
The Nevada-based bid is heavily backed by the wealth of Tamara Gustavson, a billionaire with an estimated net worth of $8.6bn (£6.8bn) through her major stake in Public Storage.
The prospective buyers released a statement confirming their independent funding model.
“The investment group will privately finance this endeavor and is not connected to any of the recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas.”
Gustavson investor group
The consortium added they look forward to working towards a positive outcome for the game, fans and the league while respecting ongoing deliberations.
Max Verstappen says he is in no rush to decide his Formula 1 future as the Red Bull driver evaluates his options ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.
The Dutchman recently suggested he could walk away from the sport following a highly frustrating start to the 2026 season.
Sweeping new regulation changes have severely hampered Red Bull’s performance, leaving the reigning constructors’ champions fighting an unfamiliar midfield battle.
However, speaking before the race in Florida, the defending world champion insisted there is no immediate update on his racing plans.
“I still have time and I’m taking my time,” he said.
Engineer departure will not dictate future
Speculation regarding a potential exit intensified following the shock announcement that his long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join McLaren by 2028.
Lambiase has guided the 28-year-old through every race since 2016, prompting past claims from the driver that he would quit if they were ever separated.
Despite those previous assertions, the Dutch racer clarified that his colleague’s impending switch has no bearing on his own career trajectory.
“We have a very honest and open relationship, so that was all good,” he explained.
“I wish him all the best and for me there was no hard feelings on that.”
Red Bull search for performance
Red Bull have introduced significant car upgrades for the Miami weekend in a desperate bid to close the gap to their rivals.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit have struggled to adapt to the new 2026 ruleset, falling noticeably behind the leading pack.
“We are a little bit further behind at the moment than what we had last year,” Verstappen conceded.
“I just hope that we can escape a little bit that midfield battle, and we can be actually a bit further up front.”
The Football Association has handed Mykhailo Mudryk a four-year ban from football following a positive test for a banned substance in 2024.
The Ukrainian international’s suspension represents the fourth-longest punishment ever issued in the history of the English game.
Doping offences carry severe penalties under strict liability rules, meaning players are ultimately responsible for any prohibited substances found in their system.
Lengthy suspensions in English football
Long-term exclusions from the sport remain relatively rare, historically reserved for serious breaches including gambling regulations, violence, or anti-doping violations.
Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney recently served an eight-month suspension after admitting to 232 breaches of betting rules during the 2023-24 season.
In another high-profile case, former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand missed the 2004 European Championship due to an eight-month ban.
The ex-England centre-back was severely punished for failing to attend a scheduled drug test with UK Sport doping officials in September 2003.
Historical doping and disciplinary cases
Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich saw his Chelsea career effectively ended by a nine-month suspension in April 2003.
The former Aston Villa shot-stopper retired shortly after testing positive for cocaine, though he consistently denied knowingly taking the substance during his playing days.
I was not taking cocaine at the time of my test, but I got talking to a girl who later admitted she slipped the drug into her drink, and I must have had a sip. Yes, I took drugs but only once my career was over, and I have no regrets as I owe football absolutely nothing.
Mark Bosnich
Other notable historical bans include Charlie Mitten’s six-month fine and suspension in 1950 after signing an unauthorised contract in Colombia while registered with Manchester United.
Lower-league midfielder Joss Labadie also received a six-month exclusion in 2014 following multiple biting incidents during his time with Torquay United and Dagenham & Redbridge.
Paris St-Germain secured a breathless 5-4 victory over Bayern Munich in their Champions League semi-final first leg following a remarkably clinical attacking display in the French capital.
The nine-goal thriller leaves the tie delicately poised ahead of next week’s return fixture at the Allianz Arena.
Vincent Kompany’s visitors dominated possession and underlying statistics but were ultimately undone by ruthless finishing.
The hosts managed just five shots on target throughout the entire contest.
Incredibly, every single one of those accurate efforts nestled in the back of the net.
Kvaratskhelia and Dembele lead the charge
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia proved to be a constant menace for the Parisian outfit.
The Georgian winger lashed in two magnificent strikes, capitalising on assists from team-mates Désiré Doué and Achraf Hakimi.
Ousmane Dembélé matched his attacking partner’s tally with a crucial brace of his own.
The French international powered a first-half penalty past Manuel Neuer before sealing his second with a breakaway finish after the interval.
Such a counter-attacking approach is a rarity for the Ligue 1 leaders.
They typically boast a 69% possession rate domestically, yet saw just 42% of the ball against the German heavyweights.
Kompany’s high-risk tactical gamble
Bayern arrived in Paris with an unapologetically aggressive game plan.
Their manager opted for an extraordinarily high defensive line, hoping Dayot Upamecano could extinguish counter-attacks in isolated duels.
Statistically, the Bavarian side were overwhelmingly dominant across the pitch.
They won 68% of ground duels and registered nearly double the expected goals of their opponents.
The six-time European champions also managed 198 touches in the attacking third compared to a mere 92 from the hosts.
Yet those impressive metrics offer little comfort as they return to Germany trailing in the tie.
Analytics experts currently give the French giants a 61% probability of reaching the final despite Bayern’s formidable attacking output.
Mirra Andreeva celebrated her 19th birthday by making history at the Madrid Open, while defending men’s champion Casper Ruud suffered a shock quarter-final defeat.
The ninth seed defeated American Hailey Baptiste 6-4 7-6 (10-8) to become the first teenager to reach three WTA 1000 finals.
Baptiste had previously stunned Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals, but found her giant-killing run abruptly halted in the Spanish capital.
The Russian teenager dominated the opening exchanges, winning every point behind her first serve to claim the first set.
A tense finish in the Spanish capital
She continued that relentless serving rhythm to build a commanding 5-3 lead in the second set, before a late resurgence from her American opponent.
Baptiste valiantly saved a match point and broke back, eventually forcing a tense tie-break where she held two set points.
However, the birthday girl held her nerve to erase the deficit and convert her third match point.
“I feel so much adrenaline inside. I feel like I’m still nervous,” Andreeva said.
“I’m so happy that I won and I was able to save all those set points. I was very happy with the way I was able to serve. I cannot find a lot of words to describe how I am feeling right now.”
Ruud title defence ends in ‘depressing’ fashion
In the men’s draw, defending champion Ruud saw his reign ended by rising 21-year-old star Alexander Blockx.
The Belgian delivered a composed display to win 6-4 6-4 and secure his first career Masters 1000 semi-final.
Prior to reaching the third round at the Monte Carlo Masters earlier this month, the world number 69 had never won an ATP Tour match on clay.
“To be honest, I’m just happy with being here. Even winning my first match here. I barely escaped in the first round, and I was happy about that already,” Blockx said.
“Semi-finals is something I wouldn’t have even dreamed of to begin with.”
As a result of the early exit, the 12th seed will now drop out of the world’s top 20 for the first time in nearly five years.
The Norwegian admitted the defeat was incredibly difficult to process.
“I found it depressing this game, because he didn’t really have any weaknesses,” he explained.
“I was impressed because I didn’t really find any big weakness or hole in his game. And when you don’t do that, it’s easier to kind of over-hit and feel like you don’t get anything out of your own shots.”
What next for the teenage sensation?
With 12 victories on clay already this season, the 19-year-old finalist is cementing her status as a formidable force on the surface.
She will face either 26th seed Marta Kostyuk or lucky loser Anastasia Potapova in the showpiece event.