sport

The Boras Classic has seen lots of upsets this week. No. 1 St. John Bosco, No. 4 Corona and No. 6 Huntington Beach were all beaten in first-round games. On Wednesday, No. 2 Orange Lutheran was taken into the eighth inning by Gahr until a walk-off single by CJ Weinstein delivered a 2-1 victory and sent the Lancers into Thursday’s 6 p.m. semifinal at JSerra.

Weinstein finished with two hits and two RBIs. Angel Gonzalez started the bottom of the eighth with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice. Then came consecutive walks to load the bases before Weinstein ended the game. Jake Ourique struck out six with no walks in seven innings for Gahr.

Norco 14, Los Osos 0: The Cougars (14-1) advanced to the Boras Classic semifinals with a five-inning mercy-rule win. Codey Brown had three hits and three RBIs and Jacob Melendez added four RBIs. Dylan Seward and Jordan Ayala each hit home runs. Ayala struck out nine and gave up three hits. Norco will play at Mater Dei at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

Huntington Beach 4, St. John Bosco 2: Ely Mason had three hits and Jared Grindlinger recorded eight strikeouts in 4⅓ innings to hand St. John Bosco its third consecutive defeat.

Corona 3, Arcadia 2: Anthony Murphy finished with two hits and Trey Ebel had a triple for the Panthers. Matt Manzo had three hits for Arcadia.

Newport Harbor 2, Corona Centennial 0: Ryan Williams had a solo home run and Henry Mann added an RBI double for Newport Harbor.

El Camino Real 9, Cleveland 3: The Royals ended Cleveland’s nine-game winning streak. Jackson Sellz threw a complete game, Shane Bogacz had three hits and three RBIs and Ryan Glassman added two hits and two RBIs.

South Gate 7, Bell 3 The Rams handed a rare Eastern League defeat to Bell (16-2, 2-1). Joe Corona had two hits and three RBIs. Ernesto Brenes threw a complete game. South Gate put together a six-run sixth inning to wipe away a 2-1 deficit.

Granada Hills 12, Chatsworth 1: Caleb Reclusado finished with three hits, including a home run, to lead the Highlanders. Luke Chau struck out five in six innings.

Carson 15, Gardena 4: Kris Sinclair had two hits and three RBIs for the Colts.

Garfield 8, Legacy 1: Nathan Gaytan hit two home runs to help the Bulldogs take over sole possession of first place in the Eastern League.

Villa Park 8, El Dorado 4: Jack McGuire limited El Dorado to two hits and one run in five innings.

Cypress 14, La Habra 3: Freshman Ivan Ortiz had four hits and three RBIs for Cypress.

Sierra Canyon 13, Warren 0: Greyson Gullage and Fletcher Taylor hit home runs and Mikhail Johnson had two hits and two RBIs.

Chaminade 7, Santa Barbara 0: Jackson Schroeder struck out 11 and Isaiah Hearn homered for the Eagles.

Bishop Alemany 12, Nevada Centennial 2: MJ Serrano threw five shutout innings and Brody Thompson and Chase Stevenson each hit home runs. Noah Chan finished with two hits and three RBIs.

St. Francis 4, St. Joseph 2: Daniel Izaguirre had two hits and two RBIs and Donovan Udell threw a complete game.

The youngster had the galleries chanting his name as he tried to fulfill a vow made 12 months ago – to clear the water with his tee-shot on the final ninth hole.

A year older, bigger and stronger – and armed with a bespoke club – he had made it a mission to conquer what had turned into a personal challenge.

“When I go on to the range I just think about this every single day,” Frankie said in one of countless television interviews during the round.

Described as a “chatterbox” by his dad, Frankie showed he is a chip off the old block – talking confidently in front of the camera, demonstrating a steeliness to succeed and possessing a stylish swing of the club.

Anticipation built on the course as the Fleetwood family, again alongside good friends the McIlroys and Lowrys, played their way round to the ninth tee.

Young Frankie was wide right with his first attempt and, after the Augusta patrons sang for him to get another chance, came closer with a second but it still ended up wet.

He walked off with the consoling arm of Shane Lowry’s daughter Iris – who also went close to hitting the putting surface – round his shoulders.

“I think more than anything the pressure is on me to keep making the Masters until he reaches the green on the ninth,” said father Tommy, who continues his quest this week for a first major title following several top-five finishes.

Fleetwood tuned up his short game with a hole-in-one which made the patrons roar, with American trio Justin Thomas, Wyndham Clark and Keegan Bradley also carding aces to dial up the entertainment factor.

Bradley, who was the US captain in their Ryder Cup defeat by Europe last year, is first player in the history of the 66-year competition to land holes-in-one in consecutive years.

The noise in the galleries is likely to be matched this week as the sporting drama intensifies, but the chaos inside the ropes – toddlers sliding down bunkers and babies crawling across putting surfaces – will make way for the cordiality of the main event.

Father-of-five Jason Day jokingly described the occasion as “a circus”, with Clark adding: “As a man with no kids I’ll say it’s great birth control but it’s a lot of fun.”

Celebrity stardust came in the shape of comedian Kevin Hart, who caddied for two-time major champion Bryson DeChambeau, and former NFL star Jason Kelce in a roving reporter role on the course.

Their presence came hours after Augusta chairman Fred Ridley discussed the ongoing battle for the Masters to find the balance “between respecting tradition and innovating”.

On this evidence, the Par 3 Contest is treading the line nicely as the Masters looks to ensure it – and golf – remains relevant for generations to come.

Match of the Day pundits Nedum Onuoha, Stephen Warnock, and Rory Smith look at the impact Harry Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold had on the Champions League quarter-final first leg between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

MATCH REPORT: Real Madrid 1-2 Bayern Munich

Available to UK users only.

Woods pleaded not guilty in his driving under the influence case in Florida last week after rolling his SUV.

Prosecutors are seeking Tiger Woods ‘ prescription drug records from a pharmacy, a week after his vehicle crashed in Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Prosecutors in Florida on Tuesday said they planned to issue a subpoena seeking copies of all prescription medication records for the legendary golfer on file at Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach, Florida, from the start of the year through the end of last month.

Prosecutors in Martin County, Florida, want the times the prescriptions were filled, the number of pills, the dosage amounts and any instructions that accompanied the pills, such as warnings about driving while taking them, according to documents in an online court docket.

Any objections to the subpoena must be filed with the State Attorney’s Office within 10 days. Neither Lewis Pharmacy nor Woods’ attorney, Doug Duncan, immediately responded to emails seeking comment.

Woods pleaded not guilty in his driving under the influence case in Florida last week, hours after a sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a trailer and rolled over on its side.

Woods was travelling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30-mile per hour (nearly 50km per hour) speed limit when the accident occurred, authorities said. The truck had $5,000 in damage, according to an incident report. Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said.

Woods said last week that he is stepping away to seek treatment.

It’s the second time Woods has taken a leave following a car crash. In 2009, after his SUV ploughed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando, he took a leave of absence to work on being a better person. That lasted four months, and he returned at the Masters.

He was also in a 2021 car crash in Los Angeles that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation.

UEFA Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain claim 2-0 first-leg lead over English Premier League champions Liverpool.

Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League defence remains on course after a dominant 2-0 victory against Liverpool in the first leg of their quarterfinal tie.

The home side took the lead thanks to a deflected effort in the 11th minute on Wednesday, after Desire Doue’s effort from outside the box looped over the helpless Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The Reds are long out of their own title defence in the English Premier League this season and left only with the Champions League as a faint hope of silverware, but Arne Slot’s side rallied in response to the Parisians’ fortune until the half-time whistle.

The second period was a far different matter, and all too familiar to Liverpool fans this season. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deservedly doubled the advantage in the 65th minute when the Georgian international dribbled into the box before rounding the keeper.

A total of 18 shots were registered by the home side, with six on target. Liverpool managed just three efforts on goal with none on target in reply.

It was far from the most fluent display by Luis Enrique’s side in the French capital, despite relentless passing and a 74 percent share of the possession, but their second-half showing was a vast improvement from the first.

Achraf Hakimi’s 82nd-minute drive was one of the biggest moments to settle the tie, but drew a fine save from Mamardashvili, low to his left, which keeps his side in with a chance as the teams head to Anfield for the second leg next Tuesday.

There was little the Reds’ keeper could do other than hope, as Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele produced a moment of brilliance with two minutes to play when he exchanged a one-two with substitute Lee Kang-In in the box only to see his fierce strike rebound off the post.

It was Liverpool’s fourth consecutive defeat away from home, a first for the Merseyside club since April 2012

The winner will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the next round, with the latter holding a 2-1 advantage following the first leg of their quarterfinal in the Spanish capital on Tuesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Grace Davison set a new Irish Senior and Championship record of 54.45 in the 100m freestyle heats to reach Commonwealth Games and European consideration and while slightly slower in the final with a time of 54.88, it was enough to claim gold

The 18-year-old Ards swimmer finished ahead of Larne’s Danielle Hill whose 55.92 is also enough for Commonwealth Games consideration, while National Centre Ulster’s Victoria Catterson finished third in 56.12.

“I’m really happy with that (day), but if I’m honest I’m probably a little bit disappointed with tonight, I wanted to go a bit quicker, I was 54.4 this morning and 54.8 there,” Davison reflected.

“But it’s all learning for me and I think a big thing for me is learning to be quicker in the morning, so when I do go to the international stage I can progress through the rounds, so if anything, it’s interesting to see that I can go quicker in the morning than in the final.

“I’m really happy to get all those times out of the way on the first day of the competition, it’s pretty cool.”

In the Open 100m freestyle final, Limerick swimmer Evan Bailey took gold in 48.98 with Bangor’s James Ward second and Lisburn City’s Matthew Hamilton third.

Jack Cassin claimed the 200m butterfly title with a personal best and championship record of 1:57.05, finishing ahead of team-mate Paddy Johnston and UCD’s Sean Donnellan.

Templeogue’s Ellen Walshe won the 200m butterfly title in 2:09.74 – under the consideration time for the European Aquatics Champinships – with National Centre Ulster’s Alana Burns Atkin second and Eve Leleux third.

Clare Custer won the 800m freestyle title in 8:52.63, finishing ahead of Bangor team-mates Chloe Stewart and Eva Hand with visitor Fleur Lewis of Loughborough University first home in the race with a time of 8:48.33.

Competition continues tomorrow (Thursday) through to Sunday.

Davey Lopes, the no-nonsense, base-swiping second baseman on a historic Dodgers infield that played together for a record 8½ seasons, died Wednesday at age 80, the Dodgers announced.

The first 10 years of Lopes’ 16-year major league career were spent with the Dodgers, and he returned to the organization in 2011 to serve as first-base coach for five years. Lopes was a four-time All-Star who won two stolen base titles, one Gold Glove and helped the Dodgers to four World Series, including the championship in 1981.

Taken in the second round of a 1968 Dodgers draft haul considered the most talented in baseball history, the 5-foot-9, 170-pound Lopes rose from a rough-and-tumble Rhode Island upbringing to become the team’s everyday second baseman and leadoff batter by 1973.

Lopes played outfield in the minor leagues but became part of a bold move by Dodgers manager Walter Alston before the 1973 season: Lopes would move to second base, Bill Russell from center field to shortstop and Steve Garvey from third to first base. Ron Cey would be installed at third. The Dodgers moved longtime coach and scout Monty Basgall — known as an exceptional infield instructor — from the front office to the field to help the players adjust to their new roles.

The quartet took the infield together for the first time in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds in a sold-out Dodger Stadium on June 23, 1973. They stuck together through their 1981 World Series championship season, after which Lopes was traded to the Oakland Athletics for Lance Hudson, a utility player who never reached the major leagues.

Lopes continued to play well, not retiring until 1987 at age 42. He stole 557 bases and was successful in 83% of his attempts, one of the best rates in major league history. He also displayed power for a leadoff batter, hitting 155 home runs, including a career high of 28 for the Dodgers in 1979.

Although Lopes’ lifetime batting average was .263, he had an excellent eye, walking nearly as many times as he struck out and logging an excellent .349 on-base percentage. He scored 1,023 runs in 1,812 career games.

As games progressed, Lopes typically batted after the pitcher, who was at the bottom of the order. He became adept at stalling tactics that gave pitchers ample rest if they’d just returned to the dugout after running the bases.

Times assistant sports editor Houston Mitchell, a lifelong Dodgers follower, described what happened next: “Lopes was a magician at wasting time to give the pitcher a chance to towel off and cool down a bit. Especially if there were two out. Lopes would spend an extra moment or two in the on-deck circle. He’d take his time getting the round weight off his bat. Then he would slowly walk to the batter’s box.”

David Earl Lopes was born May 3, 1945, and raised in East Providence, R.I., a town of Irish, Portuguese and Cape Verdean immigrants seeking jobs in factories and along the waterfront. One of 12 children, Lopes was a toddler when his father died. Lopes’ mother, Mary Rose, worked as a domestic.

Lopes often described his upbringing as difficult, referring to his neighborhood as a “ghetto” and describing it to Times columnist Jim Murray as “roaches, rats, poor living conditions, drugs as prevalent as candy.”

“If it hadn’t been for sports, there’s no telling what I’d be or where I’d be,” Lopes told The Times’ Ross Newhan in 1973. “All I had to do is step off the porch to a choice of all the things you associate with a ghetto.”

Long before he became an accomplished base stealer, Lopes said he became an expert at shoplifting. “I never stole anything major, just clothes and baseballs and bats,” he told Murray.

Lopes needed an adult role model and one came along in the coach at an opposing high school, Mike Sarkesian, who grew up in a Providence tenement but became the basketball coach and athletic director at Iowa Wesleyan College the year Lopes graduated from high school.

“Whatever I missed by having not really had a father, Sarkesian provided,” Lopes told Newhan. “He could relate to my problems, my environment. The drive, the determination, not to give in to the ghetto, to make something of my life, stems from my relations with him.”

Sarkesian recruited Lopes to play baseball at Iowa Wesleyan. Two years later, Sarkesian became athletic director at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., Lopes went with him. Lopes was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the eighth round of the 1967 MLB draft but opted to return to Washburn, where he played baseball and basketball well enough to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1987.

The Dodgers drafted him in the second round a year later and Lopes signed for $10,000. He skipped spring training his first two minor league seasons to complete his classes at Washburn and graduated in 1969 with a degree in elementary education.

Lopes spent the 1968 and 1969 seasons at Class-A Daytona Beach, and married Linda Lee Vandover during his first season. The night before the wedding he broke up no-hitters in both games of a doubleheader with late-inning hits.

A promotion to triple-A Spokane came in 1970. His manager was Tommy Lasorda and the team was exceptional, posting a record of 94-52. Among his teammates were Garvey and Russell as well as other future major leaguers Bill Buckner, Bobby Valentine and Tom Paciorek.

Lasorda recalled Lopes as so shy he wouldn’t speak to anyone. “It took two years, but he finally came around,” Lasorda said. “[He] finally got to the point where he felt he belonged.”

Lopes showed improvement at the plate his second year at Spokane, batting .306 with Cey as a teammate. The Dodgers moved their triple-A affiliate to Albuquerque in 1972 and in his third season at that level Lopes exhibited the blend of power and speed that would be his calling card, posting a slugging percentage of .476 while stealing 48 bases.

Five years in the minor leagues after having attended college meant Lopes was 27 when he made his major league debut that September. He was the opening day second baseman the following year and turned 28 a month into the season.

Lopes quickly made up for lost time, his stolen base totals increasing in each of his first three full seasons from 36 to 59 to 77. On Aug. 24, 1974, he stole five bases in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals, becoming the first NL player to do so since 1904.

It wasn’t long before the best catcher in baseball, the Reds’ Johnny Bench, lauded Lopes, saying, “He’s the best there is at stealing. Lopes not only has the knowledge and speed, but also the quick acceleration. He has everything.”

The once reticent Lopes also showed leadership qualities as early as 1976, when a throw by new Dodgers outfielder Dusty Baker had missed the cutoff man.

“We don’t play that way,” Lopes told Baker.

“Hey, I almost threw him out.” the Dodgers newcomer replied.

“We don’t play that way,” Lopes emphasized.

“I’d never had a player get in my face like that, and I didn’t like it too much,” Baker recalled of the incident. “I looked up and the whole team was coming over to back up Davey.”

Lopes was popular with fans as well. In 1980, he received 3,862,403 votes to lead all MLB players and start at second base in the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium. That was his third of four consecutive All-Star appearances.

The Dodgers were consistent winners with Lopes, Garvey, Russell and Cey anchoring the infield, but lost the World Series in 1974 to the Athletics and in 1977 and ’78 to the Yankees. In 1981, however, they broke through, winning the Fall Classic for the first time since 1966 by defeating the Yankees in six games.

“They can do anything they want with us now,” said Lopes, who set a record by stealing 10 bases in 10 attempts that postseason. “I’ve got the ring. They can’t take that away from me.”

Youngster Steve Sax, however, did take his job. Lopes, 36, was traded to the A’s during the offseason. He was hardly through, playing another six seasons and even stealing 47 bases in 99 games in 1985 for the Chicago Cubs to become the first 40-year-old player to steal more bases than his age.

Lopes retired after the 1987 season and spent the next four years as a coach under Valentine with the Texas Rangers. Next he coached for three years under another former teammate, Baltimore Orioles manager Johnny Oates, and for four years with the San Diego Padres under Bruce Bochy.

In 2000, Lopes got his shot at managing, signing a three-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, who posted losing records in his first two seasons. When the Brewers won only three of their first 15 games in 2002, Lopes was fired.

“A lot of people discouraged me from taking [the Brewers job] because they thought I was just setting myself up for failure,” Lopes told The Times’ Ross Newhan, sensing the odds were catching up to him, “but I was determined to show them I could do it.”

Lopes returned to the Padres as a first-base coach from 2003-2005. He spent one season as the Washington Nationals’ first-base coach and baserunning adviser, and he served in the same capacity for the Phillies from 2007 to 2010.

The Phillies led the major leagues in stolen base percentage three times during his tenure and won the 2008 World Series championship, but that season began with a serious health issue for Lopes. Days before spring training, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It was in remission by opening day.

In 2011, Times columnist Bill Plaschke lobbied for the Dodgers to add Lopes to the coaching staff. General manager Ned Colletti did just that. Lopes displayed an empathy for young players, saying, “I’ve been there, I know what it’s like when you’re young and you need to know somebody is covering your back. Sometimes you feel lost, and you need a coach or manager to alleviate that.”

Lopes served as Dodgers first-base coach for five years — immediately improving the team’s base-stealing prowess — before closing out his five-decade baseball career in 2017 as a coach for the Nationals under his old teammate Baker.

“I’m not doing much. I’m retired, taking it easy,” Lopes said about retirement on a podcast. “It was not a difficult decision to make, but one I was kind of hesitant to make. But it all works out.

“I got the opportunity to play, manage or coach for a long, long time. I’m extremely thankful. I was one of the lucky ones in the big leagues for 45 straight years. That’s a long time. I have no complaints.”

Lopes is survived by two brothers, Patrick and John, and four sisters, Jean, Judith, Mary and Nina.

Despite the talk of Joshua, Fury faces a decent test in Makhmudov, who has 19 knockouts within the first three rounds and is considered one of the world’s most avoided heavyweights.

“I need a dangerous person to get my juices flowing,” Fury said. “I’ve got a stone-cold killer in this man who could put me out in one shot.

“That means I have to be on my form to deal with this guy. At any given time in my career, I would deal with him the same as I’m going to on Saturday night.”

Fury has not fought in Britain since stopping Derek Chisora in December 2022. A recent training stint in Thailand sparked a renewed passion for the sport, but the ‘Gypsy King’ said he “missed this game”.

The Morecambe fighter has been out of the ring since losing consecutive bouts to world champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury’s return comes just a week after two of his trilogy rivals – Deontay Wilder and Chisora – fought in London, with the American victorious.

However, Fury was scathing about the performance of two men he previously dominated.

Fury described the pair as “finished,” suggesting that if he showed even a fraction of that decline, he would have no business being in the ring.

“I’ve never seen two men slide as much as these two,” Fury added.

“They look like a couple of club fighters from a white-collar match in a local leisure centre. It was sad for me to watch.”

Ireland scrum coach Denis Fogarty said the side must “not let the games go past us” during the Six Nations.

Ireland’s first fixture is against hosts England at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday [14:25 BST] with over 75,000 tickets sold, a tournament record.

World champions England are aiming to secure their eighth successive title and a fifth consecutive Grand Slam.

“One goal for us is to win all our home games, the last couple of years we have only won two games in the Six Nations. It didn’t feel right, we felt we were better than that,” Fogarty said.

“We looked at the occasion, I think it is important that we make our mark in these games and not let the games go past us, even at the back end of the games.

“Especially against England and France, we want to turn one of those teams over and that is our mindset going into it. Obviously, the home games will be really important for us overall.”

Last year, England were the comfortable 49-5 victors against Scott Bemand’s side at Virgin Media Park in Cork for their 12th successive victory over Ireland.

Fogarty also acknowledged that the side struggled with scrums during that match and it “has definitely hurt” him.

“We have spoken about it and the area has probably lingered around for quite some time, it has definitely hurt me and the players,” he continued.

“Even prepping for the World Cup and the World Cup, we have moved that forward, we knew we needed to.

“This week, they have really gone after this area to make sure we don’t let it happen again as it did have a big impact in the game. They have prepped really well and we are confident it will not happen again.”

TORONTO — For a couple moments Tuesday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spit out a rapid-fire version of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s biography, or at least his Baseball Reference page.

World Series winner? Check. World Baseball Classic winner? Check. Olympic Games gold medalist? Check. Sawamura Award winner, presented annually to Japan’s best pitcher? Check.

Cy Young award winner? No.

Or, at least, not yet.

The Dodgers have won 12 Cy Young awards, the most of any major league team, with franchise icons including Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser and Clayton Kershaw bringing home the hardware. Yamamoto has the talent to win.

Is it in their best interest if he does? Or could the numbers he might need to put up to win the award be counterproductive to the Dodgers winning another World Series?

In this century, only two players have won a Cy Young award and a World Series championship in the same season: Randy Johnson, with the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, and Justin Verlander, with the 2022 Houston Astros.

The Dodgers include October on their schedule every year. Their regular season consists of priming pitchers for October, not padding their resumes for awards.

No Dodgers pitcher has thrown 200 innings or won 20 games over the past four years, the last two of which have ended with parades. If the Dodgers choose not to mess with team success, they would not afford Yamamoto the chance to hit either of those traditional barometers of excellence.

The last time a Dodgers pitcher won a Cy Young in a year in which the team won the World Series: Hershiser, in 1988. He threw 267 innings that season, then another 42⅔ in the playoffs. The Dodgers are as likely to let Yamamoto throw that much as they are to let him bat cleanup.

“I think he could throw more, but I don’t think he needs to,” Hershiser said. “Every organization is different.

“If Yamamoto was on a .500 club that was hoping to get a wild card, they wouldn’t be planning for October every year like the Dodgers. They would be pitching him more.”

Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto prepares to deliver in the first inning of a 4-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre.

(Cole Burston / Getty Images)

Roberts said he did not believe that whatever restraints the Dodgers might put on Yamamoto would spoil his chances for the Cy Young award, if his performance otherwise warrants it. The game has changed, and with it the award voting.

Of the 10 Cy Young winners over the past five years, eight did not throw 200 innings. None won 20 games.

Yamamoto has pitched six innings in each of his first three starts, including Tuesday’s 4-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. He averaged 5.8 innings per start last season, when he pitched 173⅔ innings.

Is a seven-inning pitcher beyond where he is, or where the game is today?

“I purposefully took him out of a lot of games where he had six innings, and I could have pushed him, and I don’t know how it would have played out,” Roberts said before the game. “But there’s a lot of intentionality to kind of banking what you have with him. But could he be? I don’t see why he couldn’t.

“I think he would certainly argue that I’ve probably taken him out too soon at times.”

If Yamamoto is the Dodgers’ best pitcher, then every inning he pitches is an inning that gives the Dodgers their best chance to win. There is no need to extend him beyond his comfort zone, but he pitched 193 innings twice in Japan, averaging 7.4 innings per start. He should be able to handle 200 innings.

“It’s certainly possible,” Roberts said, “but I’m just not going to manage to get him to reach a certain milestone. How he’s pitching in a certain game, to then go to the next game and how it looks, that’s kind of how I do it.”

Yamamoto started 30 games last season. One more inning in each start would have gotten him to 200 innings.

To his credit, Roberts did not take him out after six innings Tuesday. Yamamoto started the seventh inning and faced two batters — the first doubled after an ABS review nullified a strikeout, the second dropped a bunt single — then left after 97 pitches. Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen and Edwin Díaz collected the final nine outs.

That, too, is a plan. Handing the ball to an ace like Yamamoto and asking for nine innings is ancient history.

“You have bullpens that are a lot richer and deeper,” Hershiser said. “You’ve got quality arms in the bullpens, where ballclubs are spending money.

“As far as the workload in the playoffs compared to what they’re doing in the regular season, I think they all could still do what we did. I just think they’re not being trained or asked to do it. I just think it’s a different time and a different culture.

“He’s able to do it. I think (Shohei) Ohtani is able to do it. I think (Blake) Snell is able to do it. I think (Tyler) Glasnow is able to do it. But there is a different way to spend your assets now.”

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 26 at Dodger Stadium.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The concept that a team would give a pitcher an extra start or two to make his case for an award? Not this team, anyway.

“Now they’re saving those 10 or 20 innings for the playoffs,” Hershiser said.

“I think our guys have a chance to win a Cy Young even pitching once a week, if that’s what they ask them to do, until the games mean something more. Then they might bring them back on no days rest, as they have.”

That was a wink and a nod toward Yamamoto, who has won his last four appearances here: Game 2 of the World Series on 10 days rest; Game 6 on five days rest; Game 7 on no days rest, and Tuesday on five days rest.

The Dodgers have made clear that saving an inning for the postseason is preferable to spending it during the regular season. For a pitcher under contract to the Dodgers through 2035, it is certainly defensible in the short and the long term.

But, for a coaching staff and front office that loves the phrase “gives us our best chance to win,” a little more of Yamamoto could do just that.

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler found some form with 52 from 27 balls for Gujarat Titans against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League.

Buttler had gone 18 innings without a fifty, including a difficult run at the T20 World Cup where he averaged 10.87 across eight matches.

Buttler had made 38 from 33 balls and a 14-ball 26 in his previous innings at this year’s IPL but looked far closer to his best form in Delhi.

His first runs came with a six over long-on and he followed by hitting India spinner Axar Patel for four over extra cover and another six over long-on.

He then played a trademark scoop over fine leg and another towering straight hit off seamer Mukesh Kumar as Gujarat took 63 from the first five overs.

The 35-year-old reached his fifty, his first since 97 not out in the SA20 in early January, in 24 balls, by which time he had hit five sixes.

He was then dismissed in the eighth over when he bowled by a ball from India wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav which skidded low.

It was still an encouraging return for former captain Buttler – one of England’s greatest white-ball players but whose place in the national side came under scrutiny during the World Cup.

His tournament included a run of five single-figure scores but England stuck with him throughout their run to the semi-finals.

After the IPL, Buttler will play in the T20 Blast for Lancashire before England’s first white-ball matches of the summer against India in July.

England’s focus switches to the 50-over format this summer with the next World Cup the one-day international edition in the autumn of 2027.

Buttler has not scored a 50-over fifty since February 2023. He averaged 17.88 across 30 international innings across formats this winter.

Senegal, who were stripped of the AFCON title, are appealing the decision for the trophy to be awarded to Morocco.

The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has visited Dakar, nearly a month after the body’s shock decision to strip Senegal of its Africa Cup of Nations title and award it to Morocco.

Patrice Motsepe announced the trip at the end of March, stating that he would travel to Senegal and Morocco to emphasise the importance of “working together to grow African football”, as his organisation faces considerable criticism.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye will receive Motsepe at the presidential palace later in the day, with a news conference to follow.

His visit comes at a particularly tense time for CAF following its surprise decision to overturn Senegal’s 1-0 win over hosts Morocco in the Cup of Nations final on January 18.

CAF cited regulations about leaving the field as it recorded a 3-0 victory in Morocco’s favour on March 17.

During the match, Senegalese players, head coach Pape Thiaw and his staff walked off the pitch in Rabat after Morocco were awarded an added-time penalty, which forward Brahim Diaz ultimately missed.

The Senegalese Football Federation has appealed CAF’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The decision has prompted a strong response by Senegal, whose government has called for an international investigation into suspected corruption within the institution.

Weighing in on the matter late last month, Motsepe said he would “respect and implement the CAS decision. My personal opinion regarding the matter is irrelevant.”

Jordan Ayala, a standout sophomore pitcher and hitter at Norco High, is the latest baseball player to reclassify and become a member of the class of 2027 next season, he confirmed on Tuesday during the first round of the Boras Classic.

Another player who has reclassified from the same tournament is Huntington Beach pitcher Jared Grindlinger, who will join the class of 2026, making himself available for this summer’s MLB amateur draft.

All this is happening with uncertainty about a possible MLB lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement runs out and not knowing what changes might happen to the draft.

Ayala, 16, said he’s moving his graduation date up to preserve his arm and take a look at becoming a professional after high school.

Huntington Beach coach Benji Medure said reclassifying is not for everyone.

“It takes a special person,” he said. “You’re putting yourself out there.”

Don’t be surprised to see more top players joining the reclassification movement next year.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Call it instinct. Call it mentality. Call it a pressure gene.

Whatever it is, Mateo Fuerbringer has it.

“I was born with it,” he says.

When the pressure is on and Mira Costa High’s volleyball team needs someone to step forward and deliver, Fuerbringer doesn’t need to raise his hand or ask for permission.

He just delivers.

“I’m able to be good under pressure in tough moments.”

Maybe it has something to do with being a volleyball player since he could walk, though a basketball was put in his crib. He quickly switched sports favorites.

His mom, Joy, played at Long Beach State and has her own club program. His dad, Matt, played at Stanford and is head coach for the 2028 Olympic Games men’s beach volleyball team. His sister, Charlie, plays at Wisconsin.

“My parents run a volleyball club, so I always came with them to work,” Fuerbringer said. “I’d always be around volleyball and got into it.”

He has grown to 6 feet 5 as a 17-year-old junior and is committed to UCLA, which is No. 1 in the nation with a 21-1 record.

Mateo Fuerbringer (8) of Mira Costa, a UCLA commit, delivered 37 kills in a five-set win over Loyola.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Mira Costa is ranked No. 1 in Southern California, and stopping Fuerbringer from rising up and coming through with a kill is always the challenge for opponents. He’s certainly not perfect, but his power and knowledge of the sport puts him on a path for future success at each level he competes.

“I really love playing,” he said. “I really love the sport.”

That kind of passion and commitment combined with talent is reflected during matches. When he smiles, you can see his joy and satisfaction after he or a teammate comes through.

Loyola coach Mike Boehle has been watching Fuerbringer for years.

“It was in his blood since he was born,” Boehle said. “To watch him as a 12-year-old you could see he was special. He was playing up. He’s probably the best outside hitter in his class. The thing I appreciate about him is he’s pretty even keel. It’s not cockiness. He just plays the game. Nothing worries him. Playing against us, he got better as the match went on. He didn’t say a lot but spoke volumes with his play.”

Boehle said he’s looking forward to seeing Fuerbringer play alongside former Loyola star Sean Kelly at UCLA.

“It could be one of the best duos in a long time,” he said.

Mateo Fuerbringer of Mira Costa High tries to deliver a kill against Loyola. He had 37 for the match.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

He lives walking distance from the sand in Hermosa Beach, which means he’ll be receiving even more lessons when top beach players are training under his father this summer. He’ll be hanging out just like when he was young.

He’s just getting started. He has a jump serve that can be tough to handle. And he’s always looking to improve.

“I’ve been getting in the weight room to get stronger and increase my vertical,” he said.

There used to be two-on-two family volleyball matches, mom and dad vs. Mateo and his sister. Or card games, board games, pickleball games.

“It’s pretty feisty in the family,” Matt said.

So where do things go from here?

“One of Mateo’s big things is he wants to play with friends,” his father said. “He wants to play at the highest level with people he knows and likes.”

The multi-discipline event scheduled for May 8 will now be held on June 19 should conditions allow, organisers say.

World Athletics has postponed its season-opening event in Qatar’s capital, Doha, due to concerns for “player and spectator safety” as the  US-Israel war on Iran continues to affect the Middle East.

The Doha Diamond League has been rescheduled from May 8 to June 19, conditional on the safety and security situation in the region, World Athletics said in a statement on Wednesday.

“In the interests of athlete and spectator safety, a decision has been taken to postpone the meeting,” the global governing body for athletics said, adding that the event will go ahead on the new date “should conditions allow”.

The Diamond League said it had been “monitoring the situation in Doha” in recent weeks and was “working in close coordination with meeting organisers, Qatari authorities and other stakeholders”.

While Iran and the United States accepted a two-week ceasefire deal – mediated by Pakistan – Gulf states continued to intercept missile and drone attacks on their territories.

Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday that it intercepted a missile attack in the hours leading up to the ceasefire announcement, and the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain reported strikes after news of the ceasefire was confirmed.

The organisers said they would continue to monitor developments in the Middle East in the coming weeks to deliver “the highest level of safe and secure competition for athletes, media and spectators”.

The Doha meeting was originally scheduled to take place at the Qatar Sports Club as the opening event of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League season, but will now be held at the Khalifa International Stadium, a temperature-regulated venue with air cooling vents.

The stadium hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2019 and was one of the FIFA World Cup 2022 venues in Qatar.

Olympic gold medallist from Botswana, Letsile Tebogo, headlined the 2025 event, winning the 200m race, while Jamaica’s Tia Clayton won the women’s 100m event.

Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra was the crowd favourite for the field event but finished behind Julian Weber of Germany.

Chopra, Olympic gold medallist in 2021 and silver winner in 2024, has finished on the Doha Diamond League podium on five occasions.

The new date of the Doha Diamond League will fall between the Bislett Games in Oslo on June 10 and the Meeting de Paris on June 28, making it the eighth leg of the 2026 season.

The series will begin in Shanghai on May 16 and end at the Diamond League final in Brussels on September 5.

The Diamond League’s season-opening event in Doha has been postponed until June amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The meeting, the first of 15 stops on the Diamond League circuit this season, was set to be held at the Qatar Sports Club on 8 May but will instead take place at the Khalifa International Stadium on 19 June “should conditions allow”.

It comes after conflict was sparked across the Middle East when the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran in February.

This year’s Diamond League series will now begin on 16 May in Keqiao, China.

The decision to also change the venue of the Doha meeting was taken because of Qatar’s scorching summer temperatures, which can exceed 40C in June.

The Khalifa International Stadium, which hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2019, is temperature regulated to allow for safe competition.

The new date of the Doha event will fall between the Oslo (10 June) and Paris (28 June) Diamond League meetings, making it the eighth leg of this year’s series.

Diamond League organisers said they would “continue to monitor developments in the Middle East in the coming weeks”.

“The series and meeting organisers remain committed to delivering the highest level of safe and secure competition for athletes, media and spectators,” they added in a statement on Wednesday.

Several high-profile sporting events have been affected by the crisis in the Middle East, including the cancellation of Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April.

From Maddie Lee: As Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto came set on the Rogers Centre mound Tuesday, he didn’t let his mind drift to the last time he gazed from that exact spot.

He didn’t think of the snap of Alejandro Kirk’s bat as it splintered, or the fluidity of Mookie Betts’s movement as he started the double play, or the joy on Freddie Freeman’s face as his arms flew in the air.

He didn’t think of the relief as a back-and-forth World Series Game 7 finally ended, or the mayhem that ensued around him as he tilted his head back and smiled.

Yamamoto insisted he didn’t think about the final pitch of last year’s World Series during his start Tuesday. And in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win against the Blue Jays, his focus showed.

“No matter how important, how big the game is, I just treat every game as the same,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter the day before. “And in just normal games, I just pretend that that’s the biggest game.”

Tuesday was, by all measures, just a normal game. And Yamamoto held the Blue Jays to one run through six-plus innings.

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Dodgers-Blue Jays box score

MLB scores

MLB standings

With Big 3 out, Lakers lose to Thunder

Lakers guard Bronny James dunks during a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

From Thuc Nhi Nguyen: No Big Three. No surprise.

Without 80% of their starting lineup, the Lakers, predictably, got crushed by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, losing 123-87 to drop their third consecutive game and fall one game out of third place in the Western Conference.

Already without Luka Doncic (hamstring) and Austin Reaves (oblique) for the rest of the regular season, the Lakers had to dig deep in their bench when LeBron James (left foot injury management) and Jaxson Hayes (left foot soreness) were ruled out.

With Marcus Smart (ankle) sidelined for his eighth consecutive game, the Lakers were without five of their top nine players. Even some veterans left from the rotation didn’t inspire confidence early.

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Lakers-Thunder box score

NBA scores

NBA standings

Jorge Soler, Reynaldo López get into benches-clearing fight

Angels batter Jorge Soler, left, fights Atlanta Braves pitcher Reynaldo López as the benches clear in the fifth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night.

(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Ozzie Albies hit his third home run of the season, starter Reynaldo López struck out seven in 4⅔ innings before being ejected after a bench-clearing brawl, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Angels 7-2 on Tuesday night.

Angels designated hitter Jorge Soler went after López following a high-and-tight wild pitch in the fifth. There was a lengthy staredown before Soler took steps toward the mound and López held out his arms before the two exchanged punches. López was holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler’s batting helmet.

Soler homered in the first — the fifth of his career in 23 at-bats against López — and was hit by a pitch in the third.

Atlanta snapped a three-game skid and ended the Angels’ three-game winning streak.

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Angels-Braves box score

Aday Mara winning a national title exposes Mick Cronin’s failure

Michigan center Aday Mara celebrates during the Wolverines’ NCAA men’s basketball championship win over Connecticut on Monday night.

(Abbie Parr / Associated Press)

From Bill Plaschke: Was that really Aday Mara?

It was the most maddening part of March.

It was a Cinderella story that smelled like rotting pumpkin.

It was a big dance over the sensibilities of everything that is UCLA.

Seriously, was that really Aday Mara?

The biggest player on the giant national champion Michigan basketball team Monday night looked familiar, yet strange.

Familiar, because he once played for the Bruins.

Strange, because he wasn’t buried on the bench.

Meet Mick Cronin’s nightmare, a 7-foot-3 indictment of his embattled program, a monumental mistake that has spent three weeks eating at the heart of even the most dedicated Bruin loyalists.

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Kawhi Leonard leads Clippers past Mavericks

Clippers star Kawhi Leonard, right, passes the ball in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Dwight Powell during the first half of the Clippers’ 116-103 win Tuesday at Intuit Dome.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

From the Associated Press: Kawhi Leonard scored 34 points, hitting six three-pointers, and the Clippers recovered after blowing a 23-point lead to beat rookie Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks 116-103 on Tuesday night.

It was Leonard’s 55th straight game with 20 or more points in the Clippers’ first win in three tries against the Mavericks this season.

Leonard played in his 62nd game, and he’ll have to appear in the final three games of the regular season to reach 65 and be eligible for postseason awards such as league MVP and All-NBA honors.

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Clippers-Mavericks box score

Ducks shut out by Predators

Nashville goaltender Justus Annunen makes a save on a shot by Ducks forward Ryan Poehling in the first period of the Ducks’ 5-0 loss at Honda Center on Tuesday.

(Scott Strazzante / Associated Press)

From the Associated Press: Justus Annunen stopped 43 shots — one shy of his career high — for his third career shutout, and the Nashville Predators sent the Ducks to their sixth consecutive loss, 5-0 on Tuesday night.

Erick Haula, Filip Forsberg and Brady Skjei scored second-period goals, and Zachary L’Heureux and Fedor Svechkov scored in the third for the Predators. Joakim Kemmell and Ryan O’Reilly each had two assists.

The win pushed Nashville (84 points) one point ahead of the Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Predators have four regular-season games left.

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Ducks-Predators box score

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NHL standings

Who UCLA could pursue in transfer portal

Iowa State center Audi Crooks, a prolific scorer, is in the transfer portal and is among the players UCLA could pursue.

(Jessica Hill / Associated Press)

From Marisa Ingemi: Women’s college basketball’s version of free agency is here. Less than six hours after UCLA won its first NCAA national title, the transfer portal opened, allowing teams to talk to players seeking new schools. And, like the past few seasons, it is already filled with star power.

UCLA coach Cori Close has to replace six seniors and graduate students who exhausted their eligibility after scoring every point in the national title game.

Close enters the derby with considerable momentum.

“The transfer portal just got easier,” she said with a smile with a championship net draped around her neck Sunday.

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Rory McIlroy learns something about winning

Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot on the 17th hole during a practice round ahead of the Masters on Tuesday.

(Eric Gay / Associated Press)

From Sam Farmer: Rory McIlroy, defending Masters champion, finally belongs.

That’s how he feels in the Augusta National clubhouse, at least, even though this week marks his 18th start in the historic golf tournament.

“I always felt like I knew the week of the tournament that the clubhouse is for participants and their families,” he said, “but I still felt like I had to earn the right to be there a little more often.”

A year ago, McIlroy beat Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to become the sixth man to complete a career grand slam, winning all four major championships.

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This day in sports history

1935 — Gene Sarazen gets a double eagle on the 15th hole to erase Craig Wood’s three-stroke lead, then goes on to win the Masters.

1941 — In his 4th title defense in 9 weeks Joe Louis beats Tony Musto by TKO in the 9th round.

1943 — The Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins 2-0 to win the Stanley Cup with a four-game sweep.

1956 — Jack Burke, Jr. comes back from eight strokes behind to beat Ken Venturi by one and win the Masters.

1966 — American Football League votes in 36 year old Al Davis as commissioner after Joe Foss resigns. Appointment lasts 3 months when AFL merges with NFL.

1968 — Major League Baseball decides to postpone Opening Day because of the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

1969 — MLB expansion teams Royals, Expos, Padres & Pilots win their 1st games

1971 — The first legal off-track betting (OTB) system in the United States opens in New York City.

1974 — In the home opener in Atlanta, Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth’s career record by hitting his 715th home run, connecting off Al Downing of Los Angeles in the fourth inning.

1975 — Frank Robinson, the first black manager in the majors, debuts as player-manager for the Cleveland Indians. Robinson hits a home run in his first at-bat — as a designated hitter — to help beat the New York Yankees 5-3.

1989 — Alex English scores 26 points to become the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in eight straight seasons, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Utah Jazz 110-106.

1989 — One-handed pitcher Jim Abbott makes MLB debut.

1990 — Nick Faldo becomes the second player to win consecutive Masters, beating Ray Floyd on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Faldo joins Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat winner.

1991 — Major league umpires & baseball reach a 4-year agreement after strike.

1995 — Oliver McCall beats Larry Holmes in 12 for heavyweight boxing title.

2001 — Tiger Woods claims the greatest feat in modern golf by winning the Masters, giving him a clean sweep of the four professional majors in a span of 294 days. Woods, with his winning score of 16-under 272, sweeps the majors with a combined score of 65-under.

2003 — 22nd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 73-68.

2007 — Zach Johnson hits three clutch birdies on the back nine of Augusta National, to close with a 69 for a two-shot victory over Tiger Woods at the Masters.

2008 — Candace Parker, playing with an injured left shoulder, scores 17 points and grabs nine rebounds to help Tennessee capture its eighth women’s NCAA championship with a 64-48 victory over Stanford.

2012 — 76th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Bubba Watson wins on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff.

2013 — Luke Hancock makes all five of his 3-pointers and leads Louisville to its first NCAA men’s basketball championship since 1986 with a 82-76 victory over Michigan. Coach Rick Pitino adds this title to the one he won at Kentucky in 1996 and became the first coach to win a championship at two schools.

2014 — 33rd NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Notre Dame, 79-58.

2017 — Damian Lillard scores a franchise-record 59 points and matches his career high with nine 3-pointers to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 101-86.

2018 — 82nd US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Patrick Reed wins his first major title.

2019 — 81st NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Virginia beats Texas Tech, 85-77 OT.

Compiled by the Associated Press.

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.

Reaction to Tiger Woods’ car crash and driving under the influence arrest last month ranged from sadness to dismay to exasperation. Few observers, however, expressed surprise.

Although widely recognized as perhaps the greatest golfer of all time, Woods, 50, has been in a downward spiral personally and professionally for years.

His struggles with prescription drugs became public in 2017 when police found him asleep at the wheel of his car with the engine running near his Jupiter, Fla., home. Multiple painkillers, sleep aids and THC were detected in his system. Woods checked into rehab shortly after that incident, saying his efforts to manage insomnia and pain from his staggering number of surgeries on his own was a mistake.

Now, though, he’s again in rehab, likely in Switzerland after his private jet landed in Zurich on Friday, according to reports. The latest crash is the fourth major incident involving Woods behind the wheel since 2009.

“I feel bad for Tiger,” fellow golf great Jack Nicklaus told the Palm Beach Post. “He’s been taking painkillers for a long time and I don’t know how much pain he’s in. But I don’t think he’d be taking them if he didn’t need them.”

Woods’ current pivot to recovery follows a barrage of headlines about his rollover crash and unfocused, hiccups-laden aftermath captured on police officers’ body cameras that included a phone call to President Trump, failed field sobriety tests, handcuffs and a drive to jail in the back seat of a squad car.

A vehicle rests on its side after a rollover accident involving golfer Tiger Woods along a road in Rancho Palos Verdes on Feb. 23, 2021. Woods suffered leg injuries that required surgery.

(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)

The episode also provides an opportunity to reflect on Woods’ meteoric rise, sustained excellence and precipitous decline on the golf course, his scandal-plagued personal life and what the future might hold.

What does this latest episode say about Tiger Woods and where does he goes from here?

Prodigy to supremacy

Born Eldrick Tont Woods on Dec. 30, 1975, Tiger was given his nickname by his father, Earl, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Green Beret who served in Vietnam. Earl’s combat partner was nicknamed Tiger and it was passed along.

Earl was deployed in the 1960s to the same base in Thailand where Kultida Punsawad worked as a secretary. They married and settled in the Orange County town of Cypress after the war. Tiger was their only child.

“When Tiger was 10 months old, I unstrapped him out of his high chair and he walked over and hit the ball,” Earl recalled on an HBO documentary about his son. “I said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got something special.’ ”

Amateur Tiger Woods, right, talks with his father, Earl Woods, after practice for the Masters golf tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club in the 1990s.

(Amy Sancetta / Associated Press)

That soon became apparent to everyone. At age 5, Woods showed his golfing prowess on the television show “That’s Incredible.” At 6, he played a televised two-hole exhibition at Calabasas Country Club with legendary golfer Sam Snead, whose record of 82 PGA Tour victories would be equaled by Woods nearly 40 years later.

Life wasn’t all manicured greens. The only black child in his kindergarten class, he was tied to a tree by sixth graders, The Times’ Bill Plaschke reported. Woods played in his first national junior tournament at 13 in Texarkana, Ark., and a local reporter accused him of participating only because he wanted to integrate the local country club.

His excellence eventually stifled racism and quieted critics. As a high school sophomore in 1992, Woods became the youngest golfer to play in a PGA Tour event, shooting a one-over-par 72 at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.

He first hurt his back during that historic round, pulling a muscle while hitting out of deep rough. Afterward he remained on site for treatment, foreshadowing what would be a career-threatening battle with back injuries that includes seven surgeries since 2014 — several microdiscectomies, a 2017 lumbar fusion and most recently a lumbar disc replacement performed in October 2025.

“Tiger Woods’ experience with spinal disease highlights a real and under-recognized issue among modern-era golfers,” said Dr. Corey Walker of the Barrow Neurological Institute. “Tiger’s use of the mechanics of the modern-day swing places a tremendous strain on the back.”

The high-torque swing emphasizes maximum rotation of Woods’ shoulders relative to his hips. It’s tough on his spine but also results in long drives and low scores.

Bothersome backs are common among golfers. Scotland-based osteopath Gavin Routledge, who has teamed with renowned golf coach Gary Nicol in developing a treatment program for spinal injuries, views Woods’ medical history as particularly telling.

“I honestly can’t see a way out for him,” Routledge told Golfweek. “We have known for decades that once you have one disc surgery, the chances of having another are substantially higher, especially if you use the fusion technique like Tiger. It’s a domino effect.”

Woods had no such worries in the mid-1990s. Amid winning three consecutive U.S. Amateur titles, he attended Stanford but left in 1996 after two years and turned pro at 20, smiling and saying “Hello, world” at his introductory news conference.

By 2000, he became the youngest golfer to complete the career Grand Slam of winning the Tour’s four majors and only the fifth ever to do so, following Ben Hogan, Gene Sarazen, Gary Player, and Nicklaus.

His dominance accelerated quickly, and nearly every year from 1997 to 2013 he won at least four and as many as nine tournament championships. He had his first back surgery in 2014 and the victories ceased until he shocked the sports world in 2019 by winning the Masters — the tournament considered the pinnacle of golf — for the fifth time, but the first in 14 years.

Tiger Woods and caddie Steve Williams watch Woods’ chip shot teeter at the edge of the cup before dropping in the 16th hole during the final round of the 2005 Masters tournament.

(Al Tielemans / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

“It’s overwhelming, just because of what has transpired,” Woods said. “It’s unreal to experience this.”

A few months later he won the inaugural PGA Tour event in Japan to tie Snead’s record of 82 career titles, hoisting the trophy 23 years to the day of his first Tour title at the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational. It was his last victory.

Comeback attempts have been infrequent and unsuccessful, measured against the standards he set for decades. All the while, his injuries mounted and personal life deteriorated.

Losing his grip

Even with his career at its pinnacle and before his back became chronically balky, Woods found his way onto tabloid headlines. It all started with his first public car accident.

Woods crashed his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant outside his home in Isleworth, Fla., at 2:30 a.m. Nov. 27, 2009. He was treated at a hospital with minor injuries and the incident turned out to be the culmination of a whirlwind of missteps that revealed Woods having affairs with several women outside of his marriage to Swedish model Elin Nordegren, the mother of his two children.

Additional reporting identified Woods as a regular at the Mansion, a club for high rollers at the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas, where he had a $1 million betting limit and played blackjack at $25,000 a hand with NBA superstars Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.

Woods admitted in 2010 that he had a sex addiction and spent 45 days at an inpatient program in Hattiesburg, Miss. He and Nordegren divorced.

The turmoil took a toll on Woods’ golf game for two years, but he rebounded, winning three tournaments in 2012 and five in 2013. It wasn’t until his first back surgery in 2014 that his career plummeted for good.

Research indicates that retirees who define themselves primarily through their careers are vulnerable to prolonged distress. Few have had a professional life so clearly defined and wildly successful as Woods.

Tiger Woods hits from the fairway at the Riviera Country Club during the second round of the Genesis Invitational on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 in Pacific Palisades.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

While not officially retired — he planned to play in this week’s Masters until his rollover crash and arrest — his last PGA Tour event was the Open Championship in Scotland in July 2024.

His most formidable obstacles to another comeback might be physical. Woods walks with a limp after suffering extensive damage to his right leg and ankle from a near-fatal single-car crash in Rancho Palos Verdes in 2021. And his most serious back surgery took place only six months ago.

Woods’ more immediate concern seems to be kicking his use of addictive opioid painkillers. A judge in Martin County, Fla., granted his request to seek treatment outside the U.S. He also turned down the role of United States Ryder Cup captain in 2027.

“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said in a statement. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery.

“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return to a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”

What now?

Woods will continue to make a sizable impact on golf even if he never sets another ball on a tee.

He serves as Founder and CEO of TGR, a multibrand enterprise that includes a charitable foundation, a golf course design company, an events production company and an upscale restaurant, among other holdings.

His $120 million earnings from PGA Tour purses pales in comparison to what he has made in endorsements — an estimated $2 billion, most notably from Nike.

His immense popularity lined the pockets of nearly everyone associated with the PGA Tour. TV ratings skyrocketed, tournament purses spiked and he single-handedly expanded golf’s demographic appeal.

The Masters is taking place this week in Augusta, Ga. Woods, who has donned the famed green jacket given the champion five times, is on the minds of many of the golfers.

Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th green to win the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14, 2019.

(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

“He was my hero growing up,” said Jason Day, a veteran pro golfer and close friend of Woods. “It must be hard to be who he is and have everyone kind of down on him.”

Later, Day added this: “The only thing I don’t understand is that it’s a bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm’s way as well. But when you’re the player he was and how strong-willed he is — he thinks he can do almost anything — and that’s probably why he’s driving and a little bit under the influence.”

Woods has also been on the mind of Nicklaus, at 86 the only living golfer who enjoyed anything close to the success of Woods.

“Sometimes you get too far down the line and just need somebody to help you,” he said. “I think Tiger probably needs some help. We all want to help him. We are all on his side.”

According to sources at WSL clubs, Bompastor’s comments are widely agreed with.

At the leading English clubs, players are developed by Professional Game Academies (PGA), funded and operated by the Football Association.

The FA first awarded 20 initial PGA licences to clubs in England’s two top tiers in 2023 as part of a major revamp.

From the 2028-29 season, WSL Football – the company that operates the Women’s Super League – will take over full responsibility.

As well as the PGAs, lower-tier clubs often create partnerships with schools and colleges to form a local talent pool. They can also set up their own youth teams and academies but would not be part of a professional league.

The FA has linked up with Women’s National League clubs – the third tier – to provide funds and resources for developing young talent, as well as building connections with WSL sides who want to loan players out to clubs at that level.

Some academies have also been involved in the Women’s National League Cup and Plate competitions, and they can enter local Senior County Cup tournaments.

The maximum number of matches teams can play in a PGA league – competitions set up for age groups up to Under-21 level – has increased from 19 to 27 in the past five seasons.

In summary, England’s youngsters are getting more game time and playing in a wider range of competitions – but it is not at the elite level.

There are gaps in the data but both the FA and WSL Football have confirmed the number of minutes played in the top tier by English academy graduates has dropped dramatically in recent seasons because of the increased competition for places.

Manchester City manager Andree Jeglertz told BBC Sport it is “the biggest step a young player will take” when they break into a WSL squad.

“I can only look at our own academy and it is a big step to go from there to being a senior player, especially for clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City – teams who want to be competing in Europe,” he added.

“What is the best solution to that? I don’t know. There definitely has to be some way to bridge that gap, whether that’s how they are training or [the] professional [environment].”