Sports
9 underdogs to watch at the 2025 Masters
The tradition unlike any other is back.
Augusta National will play host to 95 of the top golfers on the planet this weekend, and only one will don the famous green jacket early Sunday evening.
All eyes are on reigning champion Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and two-time major winners Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele and a couple of other household names.
But we’re here to tell you about the nine golfers you may not be familiar with who may make some noise in Georgia this weekend.
The Augusta National Golf Club, featuring the Crow’s Nest on the second floor, in Augusta, Ga., March 13, 2008. (Chris Thelen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry is no stranger to major tournament success. He has finished in the top four in each major, including a victory at the 2019 Open Championship and a second-place finish in the 2022 Masters.
Last year was up and down, but he managed sixth-place finishes in both the PGA Championship and Open Championship. This year, he’s off to a hot start.
In seven events, he has three top-10 finishes, including a runner-up behind his buddy Rory McIlroy at Pebble Beach. The only time he’s finished outside the top 20 was when he missed the cut as the Farmers Insurance, and he finished tied for 39th at The Genesis.
Since then, he’s finished tied for 11th, seventh, tied for 20th and tied for eighth. He ranks in several important analytics that are key for Augusta: fourth in shots gained tee-to-green, sixth in shots-gained approach the green and 24th in SG around the green.
Russell Henley
Augusta National hasn’t typically been kind to Russell Henley. Outside of his fourth-place tie in 2023, he’s finished outside the top 20 in five of his other eight times at the course.
But he ended the majors hot last year, finishing tied for seventh at the U.S. Open and fifth at the Open Championship. His performance was good enough for a Presidents Cup appearance, and he carried it over with an incredible win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with the help of a hole-out eagle from the trap on 16.
Henley has made the cut in all seven of his tournaments this year and has four top-10 finishes. He ranks 16th in SG tee-to-green and around the green and 22nd in SG approach the green.
Russell Henley hits from the third tee during a practice round for the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Michael Madrid/Imagn Images)
J.J. Spaun
J.J. Spaun just went toe to toe with Rory McIlroy at the Players Championship, and although the playoff didn’t go his way, it was quite an effort.
Spaun has another runner-up this season as the Cognizant and tied for third at the Sony Open in Hawaii. His other events have not gone too well, but it’s no secret he can find himself near the top if he gets it going.
Spaun ranks second in SG approach the green (behind only Collin Morikawa) and seventh in SG tee-to-green. He’s a sneaky pick and one to keep an eye on.
Robert McIntyre
Robert McIntyre is riding high. His last four finishes have gone tied for sixth, missed cut, tied for 11th and ninth. He ranks fifth in SG tee-to-green, with the top four of Morikawa, McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Lowry combining for nine major championships.
He also ranks eighth in SG off the tee, 21st in SG approach the green, and sixth in greens in regulation percentage.
It would be a stunner if he were to win it all because his putter isn’t too friendly, but his driver and iron game could get him hovering around moving day.
Will Zalatoris
Should Zalatoris really be considered a sleeper if he’s competed three times at the Masters and finished in the top 10 in each of them?
At a course like Augusta National, which eats up some of the best golfers in the world, Zalatoris clearly knows how to tame it. However, he hasn’t had the best start to the 2025 season by his standards, though he’s been a top-50 finisher in each event he’s played thus far.
Will Zalatoris waves to the gallery on the 18th green during the third round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club Feb. 17, 2024, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
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Corey Conners
Conners is riding high heading into Masters week, finishing with three top-10 finishes in his recent events. And given the necessity to strike the ball well at Augusta, Conners is one of those players who could climb the leaderboard right away in this year’s first major.
Through his seven Masters, Conners has finished in the top 10 in three of them.
Akshay Bhatia
The sweet-swinging lefty is quickly becoming a superstar on the PGA Tour, and he could cement that title if he makes a run at the green jacket this week. Last year, Bhatia tied for 35th in his first Masters tournament, and given his top-10 finishes at The Players (tied for 3rd), Genesis Invitational (tied for 9th) and Mexico Open (9th), he’s playing great golf at the moment on a course that should be soft this week for easier scoring.
Sepp Straka
Making his fourth Masters start this week, Straka, the 13th-ranked golfer in the world, had his best finish last year when he came in 16th. But his last three tournaments have seen him finish 11th, fifth and 14th, respectively. He also won The American Express this year, so he’s playing great golf heading into the week.
Sepp Straka of Austria walks on the 18th green during the final round of the John Deere Classic golf tournament July 9, 2023, at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Tom Kim
Kim is not playing his best golf right now, missing the cut in two of his last four tournaments, including the Valero Texas Open. In the two cuts he did make, he finished tied for 36th and tied for 42nd.
However, Kim has done well at Augusta National in his two tournaments. He finished tied for 16th in his debut in 2023, and tied for 30th in 2024. And his final round last year saw a 66, which was the low score of the day by two strokes.
If he can cut down on approach mistakes, Kim has a chance to contend Sunday.
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Austin Reaves nearing return for Lakers as Luka Doncic remains out indefinitely with hamstring strain: report
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In early April, with just five games remaining in the regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers announced that star guard Luka Doncic would be sidelined at least until the NBA playoffs.
Doncic’s setback was a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, an MRI confirmed. The reigning NBA scoring champion sustained the injury during an April 2 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers also entered the playoffs without another key member of their backcourt, Austin Reaves.
The shorthanded Lakers upset the Houston Rockets in the opening game of their first-round Western Conference series Saturday. Ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday, the Lakers reportedly received a clearer update on the health of at least one of their injured stars.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves brings the ball up court against the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026. (Ryan Sun/AP)
Reaves, who was diagnosed with an oblique strain, appears to be progressing toward a return later in the first-round series if it extends to six or seven games. If the Lakers advance sooner, he could be on track to return for the Western Conference semifinals.
According to ESPN, Reaves recently returned to the practice court for 1-on-1 drills. The 27-year-old will still need to progress to 2-on-3 and then 5-on-5 work before he can be cleared for playoff action, but he appears significantly further along than Doncic, who remains out indefinitely.
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on March 21, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Doncic is unlikely to play in the first round, regardless of the series length. ESPN footage showed him on the practice court on Tuesday, though the six-time All-Star was not doing high-intensity work.
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The Rockets, despite being widely favored in the opening round playoffs series, also contended with key injuries. Kevin Durant missed Game 1 with a knee contusion. He was cleared to play in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. shoots the ball against the Lakers during Game 1 in the NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on April 18, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
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LeBron James scored 19 points, while Luke Kennard led Los Angeles with 27 in Saturday’s win.
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Watching junior right-hander Fabian Bravo of Sun Valley Poly High pitch for the first time, there was something strangely familiar about his windup.
When he turned his back to reveal he was wearing No. 32, everything made sense.
He had to be a fan of Sandy Koufax, the 1960s Hall of Fame left-hander for the Dodgers.
Two friends sitting next to me refused to believe it.
“No way,” one said.
“Kids today have never heard of Sandy Koufax,” another piped in.
Only after Bravo threw a three-hit shutout to beat North Hollywood 3-0 was my belief vindicated.
“I come into the back with my arms and it’s a little bit like a Sandy Koufax kind of thing,” he said. “I wear 32 too. He was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers and was good in the World Series.”
Koufax was perfect-game good on Sept. 9, 1965, against the Chicago Cubs at Dodger Stadium, striking out 14.
Bravo started learning about No. 32 when his parents would bring him to Dodger Stadium as a young boy.
“I always saw No. 32 retired on the wall,” he said. “Once I got to know him, I was able to see who he really was. I felt I could really copy him and get myself deeper into history.”
Bravo is no Koufax in terms of being a power pitcher. He’s 5 feet 10 and 140 pounds. Since last season, when he changed his windup to briefly emulate Koufax’s arms going above his head, he has a 12-3 record. This season he’s 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA.
“I saw his windup and he looked like he was calm and composed and I tried it. I felt more of a rhythm. I was able to calm down and pitch better,” he said.
After Bravo’s arms go up over his head in his windup, he also does a brief hesitation breathing in and out before throwing the ball toward home plate.
“My dad always taught me to breathe in, breathe out before I do anything,” he said.
Nowadays, teenagers seemingly don’t pay much attention to greats of the past, from old ballplayers to Hall of Fame coaches. Ask someone if they know John Wooden, kids today probably don’t. He did win 10 NCAA basketball titles coaching for UCLA. And who was Don Drysdale? Only a Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher alongside Koufax from Van Nuys High.
Bravo is fortunate he’s seen Dodger broadcasts mentioning Koufax at the stadium and on TV, motivating him to learn more, which led to seeing his windup on YouTube.
His older brother also wore No. 32, so no one was getting that uniform number other than a Bravo brother at Poly.
There is another Bravo set to arrive in the fall. Julian Bravo will be a freshman left-handed pitcher and wants No. 32.
“While I’m there he’s going to have to find a new number,” Fabian Bravo said.
Julian might also want to help his big brother gain a few pounds at the dinner table.
“My brother takes food from me,” he said.
As for recognizing Bravo’s Koufax connection, it was No. 32 that provided the clue. How many pitchers in the 1970s were choosing No. 32? A lot. And it’s great to see a 17-year-old in 2026 paying tribute to one of the greatest pitchers ever.
Emulating Koufax is hard, but forgetting him is unforgivable.
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Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.
On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.
“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.
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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)
Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.
“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.
Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.
NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.
Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)
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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.
The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.
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