Rea 13th after penalty as Bulega wins WSB thriller
Championship leader Nicolo Bulega extended his lead in the standings after snatching victory from his closest championship rival Toprak Razgatlioglu with the chequered flag in sight.
Razgatlioglu, who had already won both Race One and the Superpole sprint race ahead of Bulega at the Most circuit, held the lead from the 14th lap but was pipped by 0.027 seconds by the Italian Ducati rider.
The leading pair would finish more than 16 seconds ahead of Danilo Petrucci, who rounded out the podium for the third time in the round.
Britain's Sam Lowes was fourth and remains sixth in the championship standings.
Rea was involved in an incident at the first corner which brought about a yellow flag.
The six-time champion, who made his return from injury at the Italian round two weeks ago, was ultimately penalised for the collision which saw Alvaro Bautista and Xavi Vierge unable to finish the race.
After finishing 10th in the round's previous two races, Rea earned three points to take both his weekend and seasonal totals to nine.
Bulega leads the standings on 252 points with two-time champion Razgatlioglu a further 31 behind.
The sixth round of the championship will take place at Misano between 13 and 15 June.
Rea 10th as Razgatlioglu wins in Czech Republic
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Travel + Leisure
an hour ago
- Travel + Leisure
Exclusive: Pro Golfer Justin Thomas on His Favorite Places—From the Best Golf Courses to His Dreamy Babymoon Destination
As one of golf's top-ranked pros, Justin Thomas has long been taking swings around the world, whether traveling to his favorite courses, Northern Ireland's Royal County Down or Australia's Royal Melbourne, or those he finds more challenging, like Pennsylvania's Oakmont or New Jersey's Pine Valley. Though he calls Florida home, he spent extra time on Garden State greens recently while filming his big-screen debut in this summer's blockbuster comedy, "Happy Gilmore 2," in which he played a photo-snapping version of himself. Spending such a big chunk of the year traveling on the PGA Tour, where he's notched an impressive 16 career wins, the father to a 9-month-old with wife Jillian now cherishes the simpler moments. 'They hit it spot-on in the movie—your happy place changes,' the 34-year-old tells Travel + Leisure. 'Right now, mine is a full night's sleep for Molly, no whining or crying throughout the night—all the old people stuff.' The couple's little one has already become a seasoned traveler, accompanying her famous dad to most of his tournaments, though she hasn't made the jump across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.K. yet. 'With our lifestyle, you have to make do and figure things out,' he says. 'My wife and I don't have anything to compare her to, but by our very novice knowledge, she's been a great baby. We've been very lucky.' Justin Thomas with wife, Jillian Wisniewski, daughter, Molly Grace, and the championship trophy after winning the final round of the RBC Heritage 2025 at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island, South admits Jillian is the 'mastermind' behind traveling with the infant, and his role is to 'try not to get in the way or mess anything up and be there when I'm needed,' as well as packing a travel crib and blackout curtains. 'Both of our moms kind of roll their eyes at the amount of technology and gadgets there are these days,' he admits with a laugh. But it's all worth it for the Thomases to enjoy life on the road together. 'I think it'll be just so great for her to learn about different places. Seeing so many spots is something that she'll be very lucky to do as a young'un.' With Justin Thomas Best golf destination? That's a tough one. Baker's Bay. It's a very beautiful and fun golf course. And also the experience in general—very laid-back. It's very enjoyable. Do you ever play golf when you're on vacation? I probably play more on vacation than I would maybe like, but I won't by myself, just with other people. It's more fun golf—not a grind type of thing. Fellow golfer who's the best travel buddy? You might get me in trouble! But I've traveled quite a bit with Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth, and Gary Woodland. We used to more before Jordan, Rickie, and myself started families—it definitely has become a lot more difficult. Athlete you'd like to travel with? I'll go with Michael Jordan because I know he's got a sweet plane, so that makes it a lot easier to travel. Best trip you've been on? We took a trip to London with the Spieths and the Fowlers a couple years ago. We stayed at a great hotel in London and went to Wimbledon together. The food was so good, and we all had such a fun time! Celeb Check-in Before they became parents, the Thomases were already frequent travelers, even taking a babymoon to Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. 'It was a very relaxing and nice getaway for us, but I felt for Jillian because they had some great cocktails on the menu that only I was able to indulge in,' he says. 'But the food is also incredible.' The Volunteer State has a special meaning for the couple since they got married in College Grove, Tennessee, in 2022, with many of their guests staying at the Harpeth Hotel in nearby Franklin, which he says is "awesome." 'We try to get there every once in a while since there's so many great little restaurants and areas you can walk to—it's a sweet town,' he says. Thomas knows that part of the country well, having grown up in Louisville, where he recommends going to Fourth Street Live! and the waterfront, visiting nearby St. Matthews, and checking out a race at Churchill Downs. He then went to college to the south at the University of Alabama, where he played golf for the Crimson Tide; 'All you need to do in Tuscaloosa is go to a football game," says Thomas. Justin Thomas plays a shot on the 16th hole during the final round of the Valspar Championship 2025 at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Palm Harbor, he calls the Jupiter, Florida, area home, where "everything is very laid-back and relaxed,' whether it's enjoying meals on the water at Square Grouper Tiki Bar or U-Tiki Beach or heading up to 1000 North for nights out. And when he leaves home for tournaments, he prioritizes easy, streamlined travel. These days he usually shares NetJets private flights with other players. 'Time is very precious, and the more time you can save, the better it is for our game essentially,' the No. 5 player says. In his earlier days, it was a little more taxing to travel with his golf clubs, checking them in on flights with the rest of the baggage. 'You get a sore right arm pretty quick from lugging that thing through the airport,' he says. 'Everybody's got horror stories—I've had times where bags don't show up and you're just trying to make it work.' His best advice for fellow golf travelers is to be ready to pivot. 'I don't want to say you need a backup plan, but just know things change and stuff happens, so have an understanding and be okay with it and go with the flow.' Thomas has learned to focus on what he can control, like always bringing a full-sized pillow with him in his carry-on. 'That's a must—I travel with a pillow every week,' he says of prioritizing comfort on the go. Also in his bag are Chapstick, a couple Sharpies, Advil, a phone charger, snacks, and electrolytes. But above all, there's nothing he prioritizes more than sunscreen. Spending so much of his life outside, his parents were always pretty diligent about having him get regular skin checks. When he was in high school, he had a mole taken off his back that turned out to be cancerous. 'It wasn't anything major, but it had to be dug out a little bit, and turned out to be okay,' he says. That made him realize how important these exams are, especially aware of how much the back of his neck and calves are exposed to the sun. At a skin check when he was 26, the athlete pointed out a mole on his left calf that was 'very small, but looked different.' His instincts were right—the spot was in the early stages of melanoma. The surgery was fairly simple—a half-hour procedure that he was awake for. But the impact was huge. 'It was a pretty eye-opening experience,' he says. 'I was very lucky to catch it as early as I did.' Thomas decided to turn his scare into an opportunity to educate others, starting a sunscreen line called WearSPF: 'For a lot of people, it's like being hungry: You wait till you're hungry to eat. They wait until they feel burnt or are sunburned to put on sunscreen, ' he says. 'But it's about applying before you go out, reapplying as the day goes on, and learning about the UV index. Just because it's not hot or sunny doesn't mean you can't get burnt, and I wasn't as cognizant of that in the past.' Justin with his sunscreen brand Wear SPF. Ty Nicholson/Get Engaged He's also used his influence for creative partnerships, including a recent one with Jason and Travis Kelce's Garage Beer. 'I was able to spend a little time with Jason at the tour event in Philly, and he said his wife is constantly getting on him for how sunburned he gets,' Thomas said. 'He was very excited about this collaboration because he needs all the sunscreen!" Even though he and Travis were both in Happy Gilmore 2, they didn't cross paths there—but they have hung out a bit. If he were to plan a trip with them, the agenda would be simple. 'I think going somewhere with some golf, because I know Travis loves golf, and I think Jason does as well,' Thomas says. 'But just somewhere fun and sitting back, being a fly on the wall to those two, watching them do their thing would be funny and entertaining!'
New York Times
9 hours ago
- New York Times
The Athletic Hockey Show breaks down the Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Who rose, who fell?
By Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Max Bultman This excerpt is from today's episode of The Athletic Hockey Show. MAX BULTMAN: This is our Hlinka Gretzky Cup recap. Corey, you were on the ground there in Brno. I think I was expecting Canada to really walk through this. That is not what happened here. So I guess the question is: why? Advertisement COREY PRONMAN: It was one of the most competitive Hlinkas I've been to. Canada didn't make the gold-medal game for the first time in about a decade, with one COVID gap in there. Team USA — not the NTDP, mostly kids who didn't make it or chose the CHL — beat both Canada and Sweden to win its second Hlinka ever. That's a big statement about U.S. depth in this age group. Canada never looked fully in control. Finland game in the round robin was close. The 9-1 over Switzerland was 1-0 well into the third. The Czechs took them to the wire. Then the U.S. knocked them out in the semifinal. The strength was the blue line. Keaton Verhoeff, Daxon Rudolph, Carson Carels (hurt late in the tournament), Ryan Lin — looked like four potential first-rounders. Up front they were light. Outside of Tynan Lawrence and Mathis Preston, there wasn't consistent chance creation. If you're trying to feel great about the 2026 forward crop — especially at center — this tournament didn't help. BULTMAN: Let's stick with those Canadian forwards, Scott. Is that where it went wrong? SCOTT WHEELER: Big time. Lawrence's semifinal was his best — he drove play, just didn't finish. Ethan Belchetz was a clear positive: he went to the middle, he was good at the net-front and wall work, and still made plays. Preston had a hat trick versus Switzerland and had a lot of quiet stretches. Alessandro Di Iorio, Beckham Edwards, Colin Fitzgerald — nobody really stepped up. There wasn't a Porter Martone or Berkly Catton type of performance. PRONMAN: Canada's most purely skilled player might've been a defenseman, Landon DuPont, and even he didn't have his best tournament. Still one of their better players — he showed his high-end skating and vision — but the dynamic plays were inconsistent, and he wasn't leaned on early until Carels was hit. Advertisement The top power play with Liam and Marcus Ruck didn't produce enough. (Adam) Valentini played a lot and couldn't break through. They played Dima Zhilkin a lot, while skill guys Pierce Mbuyi and Cooper Williams sat. Maddox Dagenais being cut raised eyebrows with scouts. BULTMAN: Quick height check: Tynan Lawrence now reads over 6 feet. That matters at center. Going from sub-6 to 6-foot center changes perception. PRONMAN: It does. And despite not getting many points, scouts were most impressed by Lawrence coming out of the tournament, with most calling him Canada's top prospect. He's a high-end skater and competitor, coming off a Clark Cup MVP in the USHL, and a center in a class that's thin at the position. WHEELER: The center scarcity is real this cycle. Lawrence being a natural two-way center puts a big spotlight on him. PRONMAN: The conversation with him probably starts very high once Gavin McKenna is off the board, possibly at 2. I'm not saying that's where I'd rank him today though. BULTMAN: Given positional value, teams will ask, 'How long can we wait on the first center?' Teams picking top-five tend to want premium positions. PRONMAN: And after Lawrence, it's muddy. Ryan Roobroeck has played some center, but most project him as a wing. If Niagara plays him at center and he looks like it could translate, that could change things. Right now, Lawrence is the one clear top-six center candidate. BULTMAN: How did this tournament change how you view the class? PRONMAN: A bit. Coming out of U18 Worlds we thought Verhoeff might push McKenna in some ways for the No. 1 spot. He still played the most minutes and was Canada's best D, but the impact wasn't there: there were some puck bobbles, some average decisions. I didn't leave the event feeling anyone looked like a clear top five pick aside from a few Lawrence flashes. It puts more on the late-births — Ivar Stenberg, Roobroeck, McKenna, Adam Novotny — to carry the very top of the draft class. Advertisement WHEELER: Last year's draft had a lot of late-birth first-rounders, and this age group looks similarly skewed. That's part of why the class feels different. PRONMAN: And last year had centers. This one doesn't. BULTMAN: Defense comparison time: Keaton Verhoeff versus Artem Levshunov at a similar stage? WHEELER: Age matters — Levshunov's a late birthday and nearly a year older on the curve. Stylistically, Arty was more haywire, gifted, raw. Verhoeff is bigger, meaner, steadier, more NHL-habit polished. He had a productive WHL year and made big plays. They are comparable prospects. PRONMAN: Levshunov's the smoother, more creative puck guy. Verhoeff's the meaner, more advanced defender. You'll hear Aaron Ekblad comps because of the right shot, frame, nationality. At North Dakota he'll play big minutes right away. How much offense he will show in college is the question. If it's there, the Hlinka concerns will fade fast. WHEELER: I do wonder about his feet at college pace — retrievals and pivots looked heavy at times. Not a red flag, but something to watch. PRONMAN: I'd call them good, not great. It's not the trait that excites you about him. BULTMAN: We owe the champs some air time. This wasn't the NTDP. How did this U.S. group win? PRONMAN: They were highly physical and competitive, killed penalties well and gave up few Grade-A looks. Then they had just enough skill to capitalize. Blake Zielinski and Jack Hextall drove offense; the PP scored when it needed to. I don't know if there's a sure first-rounder, but the late-birthday Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll (Medicine Hat) looks like a real Round 1 candidate with his size/speed/skill for 2027. Hextall could flirt with late first but is more likely Day 2. And I think a lot of guys from this roster get drafted — lots of traits to bet on. Not a fluke, and they weren't carried by a hot goalie. It was an all-around effort. Advertisement WHEELER: Add Levi Harper (Saginaw) — smaller offensive D who put up a pile of points— and Noah Davidson (Medicine Hat), a 6-3 winger with playmaking and pro habits. PRONMAN: A few of these kids could push for the U18 Worlds roster. BULTMAN: Sweden next. Elton Hermansson and Marcus Nordmark led the tournament in scoring. PRONMAN: I see three first-rounders: Nordmark, a 6-2 forward who can skate and has a great shot, Hermansson, maybe the most purely skilled non-Canadian there, and the big defenseman Malte Gustafsson, who is 6-4, skates well; think Simon Edvinsson-lite. With Nordmark, the production screams top-10/15, but I didn't see constant dominance — more opportunistic than dynamic. BULTMAN: Quick word on Finland? WHEELER: Last year's age group was the thinnest I've scouted. This one looks better. Oliver Suvanto (6-3/6-4 C) was excellent — could be top-50, maybe late first in a center-light draft. Vilho Vanhatalo and Oscar Hemming both looked legit. On D, (Juho) Piiparinen and (Samu) Alalauri stood out; Piiparinen could flirt with late first. Also: Finland iced the heaviest team, and their top line — three 6-3, 200-plus — played like it. PRONMAN: Suvanto might've been the second-best center prospect at the event behind Lawrence. Feet are a little heavy, but he's young for the class, plays hard and has touch and sense. (Photo of Oliver Suvanto and Adam Valentini: Patrik Uhlir / CTK via AP Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Turnstiles and triumph for volunteers behind club's top flight return
Financial turmoil, multiple relegations, and even exiting senior football entirely - Bangor FC have seen it all since they last played in Northern Ireland's top flight. Despite a proud history that includes competing in Europe and a 1993 Irish Cup triumph to their name, the future of the club at one point looked bleak during their 16-year absence from the top division, as attendances at matches started to dwindle. Fast forward to 2025, and a new era of hope, as more than 1,800 fans crammed into a packed Clandeboye Park to see the club's first Irish Premiership match since 2009. A 3-1 win over Cliftonville - and the scenes of delirium it inspired amongst the raucous home fans in yellow and blue - was more than just three points; it was testament to the club's slow, arduous climb back up the football pyramid and the tireless work of an army of volunteers behind the scenes. On Tuesday night, the fans will flock to Bangor's second home game of the season, against Crusaders, hoping for a repeat performance. A director on the board, Melissa Gibbons, said she's been officially involved with the club for about a year, but her unofficial association goes way back. "My family and I have supported Bangor for as long as I can remember," she said. "My brother plays for the reserves and my dad has been coming to games for years, so really it's been a lifelong connection for us." Unlike the vast resources available to teams in the Premier League - and even in lower-league football in the rest of the UK - a club like Bangor relies on the sweat of volunteers. She gives a huge amount of credit for the club's resurgence to those who have given up their free time to pitch in. "We have so many fantastic volunteers, and every single one is vital, no matter what role they fulfil on match days," she said. "From running the tuck shop to the stewards, the people helping with the kits, or working the turnstiles - everyone plays their part." That includes people like Gary Shufflebottom, a turnstile operator at Clandeboye Park for the past four years. Watching huge crowds stream through the gates for the first home game of the season was a really special moment, he said, especially after seeing the club drop down to the Ballymena and Provincial Football League in 2017. "Every season you'd go down thinking, this couldn't get any worse - and then, of course, it did get worse when we were relegated again," Gary said. "But to be here now, seeing the buzz back around the place, it's just unbelievable." Gary said with things improving both on and off the pitch in recent years, he's seen crowds continue to grow first hand. Stephen McCullough bought his first Bangor FC season ticket in the 1980s and has been hooked ever since. Now, his passion for the club stretches beyond the terraces - he works as the club's safeguarding officer, sits on the youth committee and even helps on the turnstiles when needed. He said following Bangor has been "an emotional rollercoaster" but one that comes with huge pride for the club and his home city. "When I first started, we weren't great," he recalled. "But then we had that amazing spell in the late '80s and early '90s. "If you'd asked me seven or eight years ago whether we'd ever see that again, I wouldn't have believed you, but now, we've got that special feeling back. "Obviously, there's still work to do but it's great to be back competing with the big boys again." The scenes at celebration at Clandeboye on the opening game of the season were captured by volunteer club photographer Jordon Connolly, who said seeing so many smiling faces was proof the "feel-good factor is back". "We've always been a well-supported side, even down the leagues, but to see people turning out in their droves to back their local side is fantastic," he said. Jordon's earliest memories of following the club in the lower leagues often involved typing "obscure grounds" into a sat-nav and setting off, never quite sure where they would end up. "Now we're back playing at big stadiums like the Oval and Windsor Park - and it's so encouraging to be back competing at that level again." Back in business, battling to stay Fan and business owner Cameron McKay, who regularly sponsors players and match balls, said Bangor's return to the top flight is a huge boost for the city. "The club is at the heart of the community, and its growth in recent years has been fantastic for the whole area. "So much credit must go to the board, the players, manager Lee Feeney, and everyone working behind the scenes. "The turnaround is phenomenal - and it's not just the men's team benefiting. "The whole club is thriving, with the women and youth sides going from strength-to-strength as well." Despite an encouraging start to the season, with a win over Cliftonville and a narrow defeat away to Glentoran, Cameron said this year's ambition remains simple. "Stay in the league - just stay in the league." Arthurs can be Irish League's 'number one striker' Bangor win Championship to earn promotion to top flight Bangor 'capable of beating anybody' - Feeney
