Baker-Finch: 2025 Masters was 'an epic movie'
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NBC Sports
5 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Lottie Woad reflects on her Round 2 performance
The Golf Central crew looks back on Lottie Woad's second round at the AIG Women's Open before hearing from the talented 21-year-old speak to the media.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
McKeown, McEvoy hold the hope of an Aussie gold rush
Backstroke star Kaylee McKeown and freestyle sprinter Cameron McEvoy will lead the charge as Australia attempt to claw their way back above the US at the swimming world championships in Singapore. A silver and bronze medal on Friday night dropped Australia (five gold, two silver, six bronze) into second spot on the medal tally behind the US (five gold, 10 silver, five bronze). Mollie O'Callaghan started as the hot favourite in the women's 100m freestyle final, but her late charge wasn't enough to beat Dutchwoman Marrit Steenbergen, who prevailed by 0.12 of a second. It means O'Callaghan's bid to surpass Ian Thorpe's Australian record of 11 world championship gold medals will have to wait for another day. The only other medal for Australia on Friday night was a bronze to the men's 4x200m freestyle relay team of Flynn Southam, Charlie Hawke, Kai Taylor and Maximillian Giuliani. The quartet entered their final as big underdogs, but they came within a whisker of nabbing silver. Great Britain won gold in a time of 6:59.84, with China (7:00.91) just edging Australia (7:00.98). While day six didn't result in a gold rush for Australia, things could be different on Saturday night. McKeown is a two-time Olympic champion in both the 100m and 200m backstroke. The 24-year-old won the 100m world championship backstroke final ahead of arch rival Regan Smith on Wednesday. And McKeown will have the chance to add the 200m crown to her name on Saturday night when she goes up against the likes of Smith, Xuwei Peng, Anastasiya Shkurdai and Claire Curzan in the final. McEvoy qualified fastest with a time of 21.30 seconds for the men's 50m freestyle final, and the Olympic champion is hoping to come up trumps on Saturday night. "I can't complain, it's only 0.05 off what I did to win Paris," McEvoy said of his Friday night semi-final swim. "It's good, but the job's not done. I've got one more tomorrow. "I need to let the finals atmosphere kind of lift me up a bit. Don't think about the end time. Don't go down that rabbit hole. Let the body speak for itself and see where I end up." Australians Alexandria Perkins and Lily Price both qualified for the women's 50m butterfly final, while Matt Temple qualified sixth fastest for the men's 100m butterfly final. During the daytime heats on Saturday, Isaac Cooper will feature in the men's 50m backstroke, Meg Harris and Olivia Wunsch are in the women's 50m freestyle, while Sam Short will be hoping to overcome illness to compete in the men's 1500m freestyle. O'Callaghan said tiredness from a busy schedule meant she wasn't at her best in Friday night's 100m freestyle final. Thorpe is sure it's just a matter of time before the 21-year-old surpasses his record mark of 11 world championship gold medals - possibly even in Saturday night's 4x100m mixed freestyle relay final. "I'm certain and I can't wait to see Mollie surpass that," Thorpe told the Nine Network. "What she has the opportunity to do is create her own legacy in swimming, which will continue to inspire people in future generations … leading into the Brisbane Olympics in 2032."
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
The key blueprint Oscar Piastri nailed to outfox Lando Norris in rain-impacted Belgian GP
In hindsight, Oscar Piastri's wry smile was indicative of the events that followed. Sitting on pole for Saturday's sprint race, the Australian was powerless to stop Max Verstappen storming past him on the first racing lap. But for the grand prix, with McLaren teammate and title rival Lando Norris out in front, second-placed Piastri had the opportunity to follow suit. When asked, a weak attempt at a poker face could not hide his clear agenda. And after a start which was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes following a heavy downpour on a murky day at Spa-Francorchamps, Piastri stole a march on Norris – after four laps behind the safety car – with what turned out to be a simple overtake on the first racing lap. It would be the race-winning moment. As the track quickly dried up, the McLaren pair went on different strategies and it was Piastri who managed to keep the lead, despite his set of worn-out tyres, to claim his sixth victory of the season and first in four races. The gap between the McLaren pair at the top is now 16 points, heading into round 14 in Hungary next weekend. Charles Leclerc took home a respectable third place for Ferrari, with Max Verstappen largely powerless in fourth. Lewis Hamilton, who started in the pit lane, recovered impressively to come home in seventh to conclude a wretched weekend for the seven-time world champion. For Piastri, however, a rare expletive-led show of joy at the chequered flag: 'Nicely f****** done.' He later added: 'It was very lively! I knew lap one would be my best chance of winning the race. I lifted as little as I dared through Eau Rouge and it was enough. 'We had it mostly under control. Turns out starting second is not too bad after all.' For a while, it seemed as if we might not get a race at all. Amid heavy rain at Spa-Francorchamps – four years on from a farcical two-lap race here behind the safety car in treacherous conditions – the grand prix started behind the safety car with the formation lap. However, with the majority of drivers reporting poor visibility, including pole-sitter Norris, the FIA took a cautious approach and the start was suspended. Max Verstappen, a master in the wet, disagreed with the call but was a lone voice in criticising the decision. The race was delayed for 80 minutes before the sun emerged over the hills of the Ardennes Forest. Yet race director Rui Marques opted for the unorthodox rolling start, seemingly handing the initiative to Norris. TOP 10 – BELGIAN GRAND PRIX 1. Oscar Piastri 2. LandoNorris 3. Charles Leclerc 4. Max Verstappen 5. George Russell 6. Alex Albon 7. Lewis Hamilton 8. Liam Lawson 9. Gabriel Bortoleto 10. Pierre Gasly But Piastri, starting in second, crept up on the gearbox of his McLaren teammate and, at the start of the Kemmel Straight, the exact same spot where Verstappen overtook him in the shortened sprint race, pounced with a comfortable move and, in no time at all, opened up a sizable one-second lead in the rain. Norris complained about his battery pack failing him when it mattered most, but an overtake was inevitable regardless. After a dozen laps, dry tyres were the optimal rubber and Hamilton – positioned at the start in de facto 18th – gambled first, in an attempt to make up some quick positions. Race leader Piastri dived into the pit lane a lap later, given priority in the teammate stakes courtesy of his superior position, and after a slow stop for Norris, the Australian had a seismic six-second lead. 'No rush here,' said Norris's engineer Will Joseph, with a nod to the Briton going to the end of the race on his set of hard tyres. The other 19 cars all switched to mediums. Further back, Ferrari's Leclerc was performing admirably in staving off a challenge from Verstappen while Hamilton was flying up the field: by lap 15, he was seventh, trailing George Russell in fifth and Alex Albon in sixth. It would be the spots they would all finish in. The great unknown now was whether the medium tyre would stretch to the end of the 44 laps, particularly for race leader Piastri. With 10 laps to go, and backmarkers pitting for a second time, Piastri's lead of around eight seconds was diminishing at a rapid rate. But when told by his engineer that a second stop wasn't an option, the cool-headed Aussie responded: 'I'm happy with that.' As it played out, Piastri's confidence was justified, with a winning margin of 3.4 seconds, as his rival ran out of laps. And amid Norris's mid-season resurgence in the last two races, a crucial swing back in Piastri's direction, as this to-and-fro papaya title race takes another twist.
