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Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki, whose 113 worldwide victories were the most of any player from Japan, died Wednesday in his home country after a battle with colon cancer, the Japan Golf Tour said. He was 78.
Ozaki was revered in Japan, a big hitter with a sense of style who won 94 times over 29 years on the Japan Golf Tour, the last one coming at the 2002 ANA Open when he was 55.
He rose to No. 5 in the world ranking in 1996 at age 49. Ozaki often got overlooked for never winning outside Japan except for the New Zealand PGA Championship. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011.
“He is an indispensable, one-of-a-kind figure in discussing men’s golf, both now and in the future,” the tour said in a social media post.
Ozaki competed in 49 majors, his best finish coming in the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill when he finished three shots behind Curtis Strange. He played the Masters for the 19th and final time in 2000 when he was 53 and tied for 28th.
Isao Aoki was the first Japanese player in the World Golf Hall of Fame, and Hideki Matsuyama became the first to win a major at the 2021 Masters. Both were inspired in some fashion by Ozaki, the pioneer in a nation now obsessed with golf.
Ozaki won the Japan Open five times and the Japan PGA Championship six times. He led the Japan Golf Tour money list a record 12 times, including five in a row from 1994 through 1998. He won his final money title in 2002, when he was 55.
When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Ozaki said his one regret was not playing more outside of Japan.
“But I dedicated my life to Japanese golf and am extremely grateful the voters thought I was worthy of this honor,” he said upon his election. He received 50% of the vote on the International ballot.
Ozaki was looked upon as the Arnold Palmer of golf in Japan with his powerful swing, charisma and sense of style, often wearing silk shirts and baggy pants. And his skill was not limited to just golf. He played the guitar and had three songs reach the pop charts in Japan, according to the Hall of Fame.
His first love was baseball, and he spent three years pitching professionally before turning to golf. That was evident when Ryo Ishikawa, who won his first Japan Golf Tour title at age 15, spoke of Ozaki’s influence. Ishikawa said he would visit Ozaki about 10 times a year to get advice.
“Jumbo used to be a baseball player, so he always tried to teach me the link from pitching or hitting to golf,” Ishikawa said in 2010 interview with the Associated Press. “Jumbo wanted me to hit the ball far.”
Ozaki traveled with an entourage when he did play outside Japan in the majors, usually renting a house and bringing a sushi chef so his people would feel at home.
He has two younger brothers who also played on tour, Naomichi (Joe) and Tateo (Jet).
Ozaki played in the 1996 Presidents Cup, partnering with Vijay Singh to beat the American duo of Fred Couples and Davis Love III. He qualified for the 1998 team but decided against the trip to Australia, and his brother, Joe, played instead.
Barcelona cool their interest in Marc Guehi after meeting his agents, but Marcus Rashford wants to remain at the Spanish club, and Crystal Palace rival West Ham for Wolves‘ Jorgen Strand Larsen
Barcelona have met with the agents of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi, but have cooled their interest in signing the 25-year-old England international, who will be out of contract in the summer, because of the finances involved. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external
Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana, 29, says he is enjoying “the best period of my life” since joining Turkish side Trabzonspor on loan from ManchesterUnited in September. (Goal), external
Barcelona are trying to sign promising English winger Ajay Tavares, who turns 16 on 28 December, from Championship side NorwichCity. (Mundo Deportivo – in Spanish), external
West Ham‘s 19-year-old winger Luis Guilherme is the subject of interest from Sporting, with the Portuguese side wanting to recruit the Brazilian on loan with an obligation to buy. (Maisfutebol – in Portuguese), external
Boss Unai Emery faces a quiet January transfer window as Aston Villa still have concerns about the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. (GiveMeSport), external
Cologne are interested in bringing Leeds‘ 26-year-old Belgium defender Sebastiaan Bornauw back to the Bundesliga, having previously played for the club from 2019-2021. (Bild – in German), external
Are top-drawer college football teams and their name, image and likeness collectives simply trying to protect themselves from willy-nilly transfers or are they bullying players to stay put with threats of lawsuits?
Adding liquidated damage fee clauses to NIL contracts became all the rage in 2025, a year that will be remembered as the first time players have been paid directly by schools. But some experts say such fees cannot be used as a cudgel to punish players that break a contract and transfer.
It’s no surprise that the issue has resulted in a lawsuit — make that two lawsuits — before the calendar flipped to 2026.
Less than a month after Georgia filed a lawsuit against defensive end Damon Wilson II to obtain $390,000 in damages because he transferred to Missouri, Wilson went to court himself, claiming Georgia is misusing the liquidated damages clause to “punish Wilson for entering the portal.”
Wilson’s countersuit in Boone County, Mo., says he was among a small group of Bulldog stars pressured into signing the contract Dec. 21, 2024. The lawsuit also claims that Wilson was misused as an elite pass rusher, that the Georgia defensive scheme called for him to drop back into pass coverage. Wilson, who will be a senior next fall, led Missouri with nine sacks this season.
Georgia paid Wilson $30,000, the first monthly installment of his $500,000 NIL deal, before he entered the transfer portal on Jan. 6, four days after Georgia lost to Notre Dame in a College Football Playoffs quarterfinal.
Bulldogs brass was not pleased. Wilson alleges in his lawsuit that Georgia dragged its feet in putting his name in the portal and spread misinformation to other schools about him and his contractual obligations.
“When the University of Georgia Athletic Association enters binding agreements with student-athletes, we honor our commitments and expect student-athletes to do the same,” Georgia spokesperson Steven Drummond said in a statement after the school filed the lawsuit.
Wilson’s countersuit turned that comment on its head, claiming it injured his reputation because it implies he was dishonest. He is seeking unspecified damages in addition to not owing the Bulldogs anything. Georgia’s lawsuit asked that the dispute be resolved through arbitration.
A liquidated damage fee is a predetermined amount of money written into a contract that one party pays the other for specific breaches. The fee is intended to provide a fair estimate of anticipated losses when actual damages are difficult to calculate, and cannot be used to punish one party for breaking the contract.
Wilson’s case could have far-reaching implications because it is the first that could determine whether schools can enforce liquidated damage clauses. While it could be understandable that schools want to protect themselves from players transferring soon after receiving NIL money, legal experts say liquidated damage fees might not be the proper way to do so.
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says it is “impossible” to replace captain Bruno Fernandes, who is set for up to a month out with injury, but other players “must step up”.
Former professional poker player James Bord has been chosen as the preferred bidder to take over Sheffield Wednesday, BBC Sport can confirm.
The Owls have been in administration since October, ending 10 years under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri.
On Wednesday, the troubled Championship club’s administrators announced a deal had been reached with a potential buyer.
London-born Bord started his career working for gambling firms Starlizard and Smartodds before winning $4.3m (£3.18m) on the poker circuit.
He now runs data company Short Circuit Science, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) for sports analytics and was involved in an advisory role to COH Sports after its takeover of Sheffield United in the summer, though he now has no connection to the Owls’ rivals.
Under the banner of Park Bench SFC LLC, Bord also has a stake in Spanish Segunda Division side Cordoba CF and Bulgarian club Septemvri Sofia.
Bord, who is based in Las Vegas, has owned Dunfermline along with partner Evan Sofer for almost a year. He attended his first game in person at the weekend, a 3-2 home loss to Ayr United.
At present it is unclear who is part of Bord’s consortium to buy Wednesday, who are bottom of the Championship table on -9 points due to deductions, or if it will be part of Park Bench SFC LLC.
The Bord bid still has to pass the EFL’s Owners and Directors’ test, which may have some hurdles to overcome due to his past involvement in gambling.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 21.
(Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. TV: CBS, NFL Network.
Line: Chargers by 1½. O/U: 39½.
Houston has been a hard matchup for the Chargers, and can turn up the heat on Justin Herbert. But Jim Harbaugh’s team has found new ways to win, and is capable of outscoring the Texans, who are really struggling in the red zone. Low-scoring and physical.
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen says Peter Wright should retire following his emphatic defeat in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship.
Van Gerwen said he was “not surprised by his performance” given the Scotsman’s inconsistent recent record and added that “it’s time for him to retire anyway”.
The 36-year-old Dutchman beat William O’Connor to reach the third round at Alexandra Palace.
Wright, who became world champion in 2020 and 2022, has not made it past the quarter-finals of any televised ranking tournament in the past two years.
The 55-year-old last won a European Tour event in 2024 and a Players Championship in 2022.
Wright was not selected for the 2025 Premier League Darts season and failed to qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts for the first time since 2012.
From Thuc Nhi Nguyen:Austin Reaves returned from a left calf strain that sidelined him for three games, but the Lakers’ second-leading scorer did nothing to fix the team’s most glaring weakness.
The Lakers’ defense collapsed in a 132-108 loss to the Suns on Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center, giving up a season-high field goal percentage (59%) and tying their mark for most points allowed this season. Led by a combined 17-for-29 shooting from star guard Devin Booker (21 points) and Dillon Brooks (25 points), the Suns easily eclipsed the 56.5% they shot against the Lakers on Dec. 1.
“The theme with our team again is like these young teams that move, we just can’t move,” said coach JJ Redick, whose team is 1-2 against the Suns (16-13). “So it’s like we’re stuck in mud.”
The Lakers (19-9) remain in the top half of the competitive Western Conference, but with blowout losses to Atlanta, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, L.A. is clinging to a plus-1.1 in point differential. They lost consecutive games for the first time Tuesday and limped into a marquee Christmas Day matchup against the Houston Rockets with a multitude of injuries.
Playing without Luka Doncic, who is day to day with a left leg contusion he sustained Saturday against the Clippers, LeBron James led the Lakers with 23 points on seven-for-14 shooting. Deandre Ayton had a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double while Reaves came off the bench for the first time in two seasons and scored 17 points with two assists and three turnovers.
Redick said Reaves was not on an official minutes restriction after his weeklong absence, but that the team would monitor his workload “in real time.”
“It’s hard for me to start, at the rotation that Bron has, for me to stay around that 20-25 minute mark,” said Reaves, who played 21 minutes and 46 seconds. “So [coming off the bench] got brought up in my shooting time. I said I was open to whatever. Definitely felt weird coming off the bench, but it’s basketball at the end of the day.”
Mick Cronin tinkers with UCLA’s lineup ahead of rout
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau makes a move to the basket against UC Riverside forward Osiris Grady on Tuesday.
(Jan Kim Lim / UCLA Athletics)
From Ben Bolch: Facing an overmatched opponent that allowed him to freely tinker with his lineups, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tried plenty of mixing and matching Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a three-guard lineup might be the way to go after the continued struggles of centers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II.
“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said after his team’s 97-65 victory over UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion. “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.”
The leading candidates for a larger role based on what happened against the Highlanders appear to be reserves Trent Perry, Jamar Brown and Brandon Williams.
Kings coach Jim Hiller watches from the bench during a 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.
(Luke Hales / Getty Images)
From Kevin Baxter: January has traditionally been the harshest time of the year for the Kings, who haven’t had a winning record in that month the last three seasons. But winter grew dark and gloomy a little earlier than usual because December has hardly been a walk in the park.
With Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the Kings head into the NHL’s three-day Christmas break having lost six of their last seven. And things aren’t getting easier any time soon: when the team returns to the ice Saturday, it will play host to the Ducks, who lead the Pacific Division in wins, before closing out 2025 Monday on the road against the Colorado Avalanche, who lead the NHL in wins.
“It’s not going the way we all want to,” forward Kevin Fiala said. “But you know, that’s going to happen for everybody. So it’s us who have to do something about it. Who can pull us out of it? Nobody else.
“I’m not worried. Like, I’m sure we’re gonna get out of this. But it’s not acceptable right now.”
Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.
Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.
John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.
Stafford, 37, has passed for a league leading 4,179 yards and 40 touchdowns, with five interceptions, for a Rams team that is 11-4 and currently seeded sixth for the NFC playoffs. The Rams play at the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Stafford also made the Pro Bowl in 2014 and 2023.
Quarterbacks Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks and Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys also made the NFC roster.
Herbert, receiving Pro Bowl recognition for the second time, is the third player in NFL history to begin a career with six consecutive seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing and 20 touchdowns.
Lindsey Vonn qualifies for the Winter Olympics at 41
U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn competes in a World Cup super-G race in Val d’Isere, France, on Sunday.
(Pier Marco Tacca / Associated Press)
From Steve Henson: It’s been one surprise after another lately from Lindsey Vonn. And the announcement that the 41-year-old slopes queen has qualified for the Milano Cortina Olympics in February isn’t the last of it.
It might have been her post on Instagram that stated unequivocally that this will be the end.
“I am honored to be able to represent my country one more time, in my 5th and final Olympics!” Vonn said.
Vonn’s remarkable and inspiring comeback from injuries and a seven-year hiatus from top-level competitive skiing has injected the U.S. team narrative with an irresistible story line. That her quest will culminate in the mountains of northern Italy just two months from now will make it must-watch television and social media video.
Venus Williams competes in a quarterfinal doubles match at the U.S. Open in September.
(Heather Khalifa / Associated Press)
From Andrew J. Campa: Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.
An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”
The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.
An aerial view of the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, shown during 1930 World Cup tournament.
(Associated Press)
From Kevin Baxter: Next summer’s World Cup will be the largest, most complex and most lucrative sporting event in history, with 48 teams playing 104 games in three countries. The tournament is expected to draw a global TV audience of nearly 5 billion and FIFA, the event’s organizer, is hoping for revenues of between $10 billion-$14 billion — which is why lower-bowl tickets for Iran-New Zealand at SoFi Stadium cost nearly $700.
All that seemed unlikely after the first tournament in 1930, when the idea of a soccer World Cup was nearly killed in the cradle, the victim from lack of planning, lack of money and lack of interest. That the competition survived, much less thrived, is nothing short of a miracle, says English writer and podcaster Jonathan Wilson, author of the deeply researched “The Power and Glory: The History of the World Cup.”
“1930, it’s incredibly amateurish in many ways,” Wilson said. “It’s got that sort of almost like a school sports day feel to it.”
1950 — Cleveland’s Otto Graham throws four touchdown passes, despite icy footing in Municipal Stadium, and Lou Groza kicks a 16-yard field goal with 28 seconds left to give the Browns a 30-28 victory over the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL title in their first year in the league.
1961 — George Blanda’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Billy Cannon gives the Houston Oilers a 10-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers for their second AFL title.
1967 — New York’s Joe Namath becomes the first player to throw for 4,000 yards in a season. Namath passes for 343 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 42-31 win at San Diego. Namath finishes the year with 4,007 yards.
1997 — In one of the biggest upsets in college basketball, Division II American-Puerto defeats the No. 12 Arkansas Razorbacks 64-59 in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.
2000 — Marshall Faulk breaks Emmitt Smith’s NFL record for touchdowns, scoring three times to give him 26 for the St. Louis Rams. Faulk’s three touchdowns and 220 yards fuels a 26-21 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
2003 — Steven Jackson ties a bowl game record with five touchdowns, and Oregon State’s defense overwhelms mistake-plagued New Mexico in a 55-14 win at the Las Vegas Bowl.
2006 — Colt Brennan sets the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes at 58, throwing five in the second half to lead Hawaii to a 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. Brennan, 33-of-42 for 559 yards, breaks the previous mark of 54 set by Houston’s David Klingler in 1990.
2011 — David Akers kicks his way into the NFL record book and the San Francisco 49ers hold off Seattle for a 19-17 win. Akers makes four field goals to give him 42 this season, breaking the NFL mark of 40 set by Neil Rackers in 2005 with Arizona.
2014 — Western Kentucky holds on to defeat Central Michigan 49-48 in a wild inaugural Bahamas Bowl. Central Michigan trails 49-14 entering the fourth quarter before Cooper Rush engineers a comeback. He throws four touchdown passes in the final minutes, and the Chippewas get the ball back at their own 25 with one second remaining. Rush completes a pass to Jesse Kroll, and the ball is lateraled three times before Titus Davis dove into the pylon for a touchdown with no time remaining. CMU elects to go for two, only to have the pass drop incomplete.
2016 — With a 41-3 rout of the New York Jets, Bill Belichick earns his 200th regular-season victory in New England, making him the fifth coach in NFL history to reach the milestone with one team.
2016 — Cleveland survives a last-second field-goal attempt and gets its first victory after 14 losses by beating the San Diego Chargers 20-17. When San Diego’s Josh Lambo misses a 45-yard field-goal attempt as time expires, the Browns (1-14) win for the first time in 377 days.
Until next time…
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Ben Stokes admitted he is going through his “toughest time” as England captain as he called for “empathy” towards this team-mates.
The tourists’ awful Ashes series has been dogged by reports of excessive drinking.
England are already 3-0 down after three Tests against Australia, with the chance of regaining the urn gone and the risk of a humiliating clean sweep in the final two Tests.
Later on the same day, a video emerged on social media appearing to show opener Ben Duckett drunk.
The BBC has not verified the video, while the England and Wales Cricket Board said it would “establish the facts”.
With England preparing to play the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Boxing Day, Stokes told BBC Sport: “This is probably the toughest time right now as an England captain that I’ll have.
“I’m not going to run away from it. I feel like I will lead for the rest of this trip how I think I can help guys get through it.”
Stokes would not be drawn on the allegations about Duckett.
Asked about the scrutiny on his team-mates, he added: “We’ve got other guys who play all three formats and spend a lot more time away from home than others.
“It is very gruelling and it is tough when you’re here, there and everywhere.
“I know people have got things a lot worse than what we do. You have to deal with the emotions of being away [and] the scrutiny that you are under, in particular when things aren’t going well.
“Everything just gets heightened, but there needs to be a little bit of empathy towards stuff that people might not quite understand, but I guess if you’re not in it and you’re not amongst it, it is hard to understand that.
“But just in this moment right now, I think a little bit of empathy from everyone would be not too hard to think about, if that makes sense.”
Semenyo’s profile is a unique one and at the reported price point, it feels like a no-brainer.
Stylistically we have seen City lean into attacking in transition with more pace this season than previously under Guardiola, who has played on the strengths of Haaland, Foden, Tijjani Reijnders and Doku – attacking quickly over big distances.
As a result, City have scored from more fast breaks this season than during the entire 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons combined.
Bournemouth‘s direct style of attack means Semenyo’s pace, good hold-up play, smart decision-making and two-footed ball-striking are more easily transferred to this City side.
These are dangerous traits, especially when going long against teams that attempt to press high up the pitch.
Guardiola likes versatile players too, given they provide solutions to injury crises.
With Doku out injured, Reijnders has come in and shifted Foden out to the left. Semenyo would provide Premier League proven quality on both wings.
“The years we were successful, not just the strikers [were scoring], especially the wingers, attacking midfielders. We need that,” said Guardiola earlier this month.
City’s over-reliance on Haaland’s 19 goals will be something he wants to address. Foden has scored the second most with seven but has been moved away from the number 10 position, where he scores often from distance.
The signing of Semenyo would help get Foden back in the areas Guardiola feels he is most dangerous.
Semenyo has the added benefit of providing goals himself while starting as a winger. With eight in the league this season, only Igor Thiago and Haaland have more.
If City want to overtake Arsenal and win the league, getting scorers behind Haaland would be a smart move.
Former captain Ryan Brierley is returning to Salford to become chief executive, the consortium that has won the bid to run the phoenix club has said.
Brierley, one of the players who departed the club midway through the 2025 campaign, has ended his playing career at Oldham in order to take on the role.
He has been appointed two days after fellow former Salford player Mason Caton-Brown’s consortium was successful in applying for membership of the second-tier Championship from the Rugby Football League.
The old Salford Red Devils club were wound up on 3 December after a turbulent year, with a mass player exodus, late wage payments, heavy defeats and ultimately the loss of their Super League status for 2026.
“Salford is in my heart, and I believe saving its rugby league heritage is something that transcends rivalry,” 33-year-old Brierley said.
Leonard shot 16 for 23 from the field and four for five from long distance as the Clippers won consecutive games for just the second time this season. The Clippers were coming off a 103-88 win over the Lakers on Saturday that broke a five-game skid. The Clippers also won consecutive games Oct. 24-26, against Phoenix and Portland.
Harden, who shot seven for 14 from the field and three for eight from long distance, was helped by 12-for-13 shooting from the line.
John Collins and Kobe Sanders added 13 points apiece and Kris Dunn scored 11 for the Clippers (8-21), who shot 54% (20 for 37) from three-point range.
Kevin Durant scored 22 points on eight-for-15 shooting, and Alperen Sengun finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds for Houston (17-10), which was nine for 30 (30%) from long distance.
Amen Thompson added 19 points for Houston, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 16 for the Rockets, who have lost four of their last five games.
The Clippers, who trailed by six points after one period, outscored Houston 34-23 in the second and led 63-58 at the break. The Rockets were helped by 10-for-22 shooting from three-point range in the first half. Leonard had 18 points on eight-for-12 shooting in the opening quarters and Harden scored 11.
Durant had 17 first-half points to lead the Rockets. Sengun scored 15 and Smith had 11.
Ulster lock Cormac Izuchukwu says “pride in the province” is what helps make Irish derbies special as the side prepare to take on Connacht this weekend.
Richie Murphy’s side travel to the Dexcom Stadium on Saturday (17:30 GMT) for what is their second of three games in a row against Irish rivals in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
The northern province are looking to bounce back following a narrow 24-20 loss against Leinster last time out.
The home side, meanwhile, come into the match off the back of a loss comprehensive reverse against Dragons.
“Connacht away, Leinster away and Munster at home, they are special,” Izuchukwu told BBC Sport NI.
“There is something about them, they are class and class to play in.
“For me it is having pride in the province, going down there and showing what we are about.”
Izuchukwu, who hasn’t played since early October because of a recurring foot injury followed by an illness last week, has just signed a new two-year contract to keep him at Ulster until the summer of 2028.
The 25-year-old second row added that he has “grown as a person and a player” since joining the Ulster academy in 2020.
“It has been on my mind for a while now, so really happy to get it done and to get back to playing rugby,” Izuchukwu continued.
“I came here back in 2020, I didn’t have many options, and they gave me a chance. I came here, have made friends and have grown as a person and a player.
“I have made great memories here and, for me, with how the club is growing I am so happy to be here.”
Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League at Christmas, but it is BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton who leads the way when it comes to predictions.
“I’m number one at Christmas – again,” said Sutton, who as a player led the Premier League table at this point with Norwich in 1992 and Blackburn in 1994, and went on to win the title with Rovers.
“It’s a big deal for me to be top, as well as for Arsenal.
“AI is the go-to for virtually everyone in the world whenever they have to ask anything, so the fact that I am beating it – and let’s face it, I have stuffed it for half a season now – is pretty incredible. It says a lot about me, and I’m delighted.
“Rather than asking AI about everything, maybe people should come to me to tap into my intelligence instead?”
Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.
For week 18 – the festive fixtures on Boxing Day and the weekend of 27 and 28 December – he takes on Jonny Stewart, bass singer with sea shanty folk supergroup The Wellermen, who is a Newcastle fan.
The Wellermen were the originators of the sea shanty trend on TikTok, with their versions of Misty Mountain, Nancy Mulligan and Hoist the Colours racking up billions of views.
Do you agree with their scores? You can make your own predictions below.
The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the scoreboards and tables at the bottom of this page.
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
Replacing Pope with Bethell is the latest stage of long-running speculation around England’s number-three position.
Pope’s highest score in six innings on this Ashes tour is 46, extending his run of eight Tests against Australia without a half-century.
In the 27-year-old’s past seven Tests since making a century against India at Headingley in July, he averages 24.38.
Overall, he averages 34.55 in 64 Tests. This is the first time he has been left out of a Test since the 2022 tour of West Indies.
The Surrey man has been under pressure since Bethell made his Test debut in New Zealand at the end of last year, when the left-hander made three half-centuries in as many matches.
However, Bethell has endured a stop-start year since that breakthrough tour of New Zealand.
He has played only three first-class matches in the past year, one of which was the fifth Test against India at The Oval, when he made scores of six and five.
The 22-year-old did make 71 for England Lions against Australia A in Brisbane earlier this month.
Speculation that Bethell may come in for the start of the Ashes series grew when Pope was replaced as vice-captain by Harry Brook when the England squad was announced in September.
Instead, Pope has become the first selection victim of the failed bid to regain the urn.
“He’s not going to be the only one who’s disappointed in the dressing room with how things have gone,” said Stokes. “Being 3-0 down, it’s a tough place to be on a trip like this.
“There’s going to be a lot of disappointment within the dressing room from everyone who’s in there.”
An allegedly intoxicated driver who hit and killed high school tennis star Braun Levi in Manhattan Beach was charged with murder Tuesday, authorities said.
Jenia Resha Belt, 33, of Los Angeles also faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license, said Pamela Johnson, a spokesperson for the L.A. County district attorney’s office.
Around 12:46 a.m. on May 4, Belt struck Braun, who was walking near Sepulveda Boulevard and 2nd Street, authorities said.
Belt, who was arrested at the scene, had a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit and was driving on a suspended license from a prior DUI arrest, according to court records. Four passengers inside the car fled the area after the collision.
Belt was released in June and then apprehended again months later.
Braun’s parents, who lost their home in the Palisades fire and relocated to the South Bay, filed a $200-million wrongful death lawsuit against Belt in November.
Their son was a standout at Loyola High School and had been slated to play tennis at the University of Virginia. The Levis started the Live Like Braun Foundation in his memory.
Belt is in custody on $2 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, Johnson said.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman and Jennifer Levi, Braun’s mother, plan to discuss the charges at a news conference Monday.
Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
World number 86 Justin Hood beat sixth seed Danny Noppert in an Alexandra Palace classic as three more seeds exited the PDC World Championship on the final day of competition before the Christmas break.
Hood won a sudden-death leg of a high-quality match to progress to the last 32, having missed a dart at the bull to win in straight sets.
Noppert fought back to force a decider and, helped by some clutch ton-plus finishes throughout, created a victory chance for himself in a dramatic final set.
But Hood, the 32-year-old debutant, held his nerve in the final leg to land a 78 finish, setting up a third-round tie with fellow English left-hander Ryan Meikle.
Both players averaged more than 102 and hit more than 40% of their attempts at doubles.
Hood told Sky Sports: “It was a good game and I knew it would be because Danny is a class player.
“I don’t worry about the pressure, I just throw the darts and if it’s good enough, it’s good enough. Tonight it was.”
Seventeen of the 32 seeds have been knocked out in the opening two rounds of the tournament, with Noppert the highest-ranked player to fall so far.
Also beaten on Tuesday were two-time former champion Peter Wright, who lost in straight sets to German debutant Arno Merk, and Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney, who came out on the wrong side of a deciding set with England’s Callan Rydz.
Facing an overmatched opponent that allowed him to freely tinker with his lineups, UCLA coach Mick Cronin tried plenty of mixing and matching Tuesday afternoon.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that a three-guard lineup might be the way to go after the continued struggles of centers Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II.
“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said after his team’s 97-65 victory over UC Riverside at Pauley Pavilion. “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.”
The leading candidates for a larger role based on what happened against the Highlanders appear to be reserves Trent Perry, Jamar Brown and Brandon Williams.
Perry was a playmaking force with his scoring and smart passes. Brown did a little bit of everything in an energetic fashion. Williams showed plenty of toughness as the second big man in small lineups also featuring Tyler Bilodeau, who was an offensive juggernaut against a team that provided little defensive resistance.
“The biggest thing I care about is winning,” said Bilodeau, who finished with a career-high 34 points while making 12 of 19 shots to go with six rebounds. “So whatever we need to do to get that done.”
Cronin joked afterward that Bilodeau shouldn’t have missed any shots because he needlessly took fadeaway jumpers.
“They don’t double [team],” Cronin said of the Highlanders, “so I said, ‘Buddy, you’ve got one night here where they’re just going to let you keep dribbling until you shoot, so go have fun. Keep going at the rim until you score.’ ”
Guard Skyy Clark added 14 points to help UCLA (10-3) post its third consecutive victory going into an extended winter break. Forward Osiris Grady finished with 20 points for the Highlanders (6-8), who shot 42.6% to the Bruins’ 50%.
The game’s biggest revelations came off the UCLA bench. Perry might have been the biggest, running the offense at a high level while finishing with 14 points, seven assists and zero turnovers in 24 minutes. Cronin went with some lineups in the second half featuring Perry alongside starting point guard Donovan Dent (seven points and three assists in 19 minutes).
“Three-guard lineup, we’ve been pushing in transition a lot more,” Perry said. “I mean, we’re just finding the groove before Big Ten” play.
Brown contributed across the board, tallying four points, seven rebounds and four steals in 24 minutes.
UCLA guard Skyy Clark drives against UC Riverside guard De’Undrae Perteete Jr. during the Bruins’ win on Tuesday.
(Jan Lim / UCLA Athletics)
“A tremendous portal find,” Cronin said of the transfer from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. “Great toughness. He’s a winning player.”
Williams’ biggest factor was his defense during a performance in which he had three points, one rebound and one steal in 18 minutes. The big question was whether he was providing more than the player whose spot he took.
Booker finished with six points and one rebound in 13 minutes, unfurling a second consecutive subpar showing after being limited to three minutes against Cal Poly because of matchups. Jamerson played only seven choppy minutes, once being yanked after an 11-second stint because of an inability to keep the Highlanders from reaching the rim with ease.
“Got to get better,” Cronin said of his centers. “I just talked to them about that.”
UC Riverside repeatedly made the mistake of leaving Bilodeau open in the first half and the forward made the Highlanders regret their decision by making five of nine shots on the way to 13 points. After having been UCLA’s primary center last year, Bilodeau said he was happy to go back to that role if that’s what his coach needed.
“Tyler would probably tell you he gets more open shots when he’s playing the five,” Cronin said, “because the other team’s five man is guarding him.”
Cronin said the issue that arises when going small is the need to be an elite offensive team — territory the Bruins might be approaching. Their offensive efficiency is ranked No. 27 nationally by the metrics of basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy, their best since they were No. 21 during the 2022-23 season that ended in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament after season-ending injuries to Jaylen Clark and Adem Bona.
If this is the best version of the Bruins, Cronin appeared ready to roll with it.
“All that matters is who you become, not in the last game or the game previous to that, so we’re on a search,” Cronin said. “Just like every team, it’s not who you are now, it’s who you are at the end and can you get enough wins along the way?”
Tennis legend Venus Williams wed Danish model and actor Andrea Preti over the weekend in Florida, the new bride announced in a shared post.
An Instagram post from Vogue Magazine’s Weddings section announced the nuptials, with the message garnering more than 30,000 likes as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We all love each other so much,” Williams, 45, said in the Vogue post. “It was just the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day.”
The post was scant on details other than the event took place over five days in and around the couple’s home in Palm Beach Gardens.
An email for comment to representatives for Williams and Preti, 37, was not immediately returned.
The couple met at 2024 Milan Fashion Week and began texting shortly after, according to Vogue.
The couple eventually became engaged on Jan. 31 in Tuscany, according to Vogue. That detail was confirmed in July during what was a historic month for Williams.
The Compton native defeated 23-year-old Peyton Sterns 6-3, 6-4 in the first round action of the D.C. Open after a 16-month hiatus from singles matches.
In victory, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, trailing only fellow legend Martina Navratilova, who was 47 when she won in 2004.
“Yes, my fiance is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing,” Williams told the Tennis Channel’s Rennae Stubbs in a post-match interview. “There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. … He encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful [for him] to be here. He’s never seen me play.”
Florida-born Koepka, who is married and has a young son, turned professional in 2012 and won nine PGA Tour events during his nine seasons on North America’s elite professional circuit.
The PGA Tour also wished Koepka and “his family continued success” in a statement, before adding they “continue to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness”.
A three-time US PGA champion, Koepka, has also twice triumphed at the US Open.
His defection from the PGA Tour, along with big names such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, was seen as a major coup for LIV during a period when the sport appeared to be at civil war.
Koepka’s captaincy of the LIV Golf team, Smash, will now pass to Talor Gooch, with the side having an opening to fill for the start of the 2026 season in February.
Koepka becomes the first star player to leave LIV Golf, however, there has been speculation over his future for months and a possible return to the PGA Tour.
The Tour has suspended players who competed in LIV Golf events after categorising them as unauthorised. Non-members have been subject to a year ban following their previous LIV event.
Koepka will also be eligible to join the DP World Tour and have exemptions to compete in golf’s four major championships.
Earlier this week, Chilean Mito Pereira announced his retirement from golf aged 30 after three seasons with LIV.
