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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Sports
Eli Manning fires back amid debate comparing ex-Giants star to Falcons great Matt Ryan
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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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Sports
Rams coach Sean McVay says Puka Nacua is ‘doing really well’ after rehab stint
Star receiver Puka Nacua will fully participate in voluntary offseason workouts, the Rams are getting closer to another contract adjustment with quarterback Matthew Stafford, and coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead hope backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decides to put off retirement and return for a third season and possible Super Bowl run.
McVay and Snead addressed those topics and the NFL draft on Tuesday during a videoconference with reporters.
Nacua led the NFL in receptions last season but also was involved in a string of off-the-field incidents the last few months, including an alleged biting incident that led to a civil lawsuit. Those situations put the brakes on any immediate discussion between the Rams and Nacua about a massive extension for the fourth-year pro.
In March, Nacua began a rehabilitation program in Malibu, but he was present for the first day of workouts on Monday.
Nacua, 24, “looks great” and is “doing really well,” McVay said. McVay declined to detail discussions he’s had with the All-Pro, who was a finalist for NFL offensive player of the year.
“He and I have a great relationship,” McVay said. “Feel really good about kind of the direction we’re going.”
Stafford, 38, led the Rams to the NFC championship game last season and is the reigning NFL most valuable player. According to overthecap.com, he is due to carry a salary-cap number of $48.3 million this season.
But Stafford has no doubt demanded, and will receive, a raise and a possible additional year in a deal that the Rams acknowledged two years ago is essentially a year-to-year situation.
“Progress has been made,” Snead said of negotiations.
There is no timeline, Snead said, “but don’t expect any drama, per se.”
Garoppolo, 34, has backed up Stafford for two seasons, and he has been invaluable.
Last year, with Stafford sidelined for training camp because of a back issue, Garoppolo ran the offense and prepped the defense with a skillset honed during a 12-year career that included a Super Bowl appearance. Stafford joined workouts before the season and remained healthy throughout, but Garoppolo was perhaps the most valuable insurance policy in the NFL.
Last season, Garoppolo played on a one-year contract and earned $4.5 million, according to overthecap.com.
McVay expressed confidence in fourth-year pro Stetson Bennett, but said he was hopeful that “when the time is right,” Garoppolo will “change his mind,” and return.
“You leave the door open,” McVay said when asked if there was a point that Rams would press Garoppolo to return. “I don’t think you want to press. What you don’t want to do is ever force a guy to play if in his mind he’s ready to move on.
“But you don’t want to minimize that, ‘Hey, if you do decide you want to play, let’s make sure it’s here with us.”
The Rams have the 13th pick in the NFL draft, which begins Thursday in Pittsburgh. They have one pick in the second and third rounds, one in the sixth round and three in the seventh.
Receiver, offensive line and edge rusher are among the positions the Rams could address with their first top-15 pick since they selected quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in 2016.
“There’s a lot of possibilities,” McVay said. “We don’t control what happens in those 12 picks before, and so what we’ve done is a lot of contingency planning and a lot of conversations, and feel really good about that.”
Sports
PGA Tour signals new era with axing of Hawaii events from schedule
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The PGA Tour has announced that it will not be hosting an event in Hawaii during the 2027 season, ending a 56-year run of holding a tournament in The Aloha State. The change comes as the Tour and CEO Brian Rolapp have consistently teased a revamped schedule beginning next year.
The Tour was forced to cancel The Sentry at the start of the 2026 campaign due to the dying grass on the Plantation Course at Kapalua amid a local dispute with the company responsible for delivering water to the area.
An aerial view of the golf course from over the ocean prior to The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on December 31, 2023 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)
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With The Sentry being canceled, the Sony Open at Waialae Country on Oahu served as the Tour’s season opener in ‘26, which was won by Chris Gotterup. The event was in the final year of its sponsorship, although the Tour has shared that it is working toward making the event the opening event on the PGA Tour Champions circuit.
Chris Gotterup of the United States celebrates with the trophy on the 18th green after his winning round of the Sony Open in Hawaii 2026 at Waialae Country Club on January 18, 2026 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images) (Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
The Tour’s removal of The Sentry and the Sony Open wipes out what has now turned into a traditional two-week stretch on the island to begin a new season.
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The PGA Tour did not share further details about the 2027 schedule upon its announcement about leaving Hawaii, but with Sentry reportedly being an event title-sponsor through 2035, it will need to find a new landing spot on the calendar. The logical stop would be Torrey Pines in San Diego, which checks the West Coast and great weather boxes, but the venue is also looking for a new sponsor, as its deal with Farmers Insurance ended in 2026.
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View of the 18th hole is seen during the final round of The Sentry at The Plantation Course at Kapalua on January 5, 2025 in Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) (Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
The Tour’s decision not to begin next season in Hawaii makes sense, as there are plenty of venues in the lower 48 states that are much easier to operate from, but the departure will have a tremendous financial impact on the state.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports that The Sentry is estimated to have a $50 million annual impact on the community, while the Sony Open directly generates an estimated $100 million in revenue per year, plus another $1 million per year to Friends of Hawaii charities.
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