General Sports 3d Briefing
×Golf
The S&P 500 bbc.com fell 1.2% marking its first two-week loss since June. Nico Echavarria espn.com shot a 5-under 66 on Sunday to win the Cognizant Classic after Shane Lowry collapsed with two double bogeys. Casey Jarvis espn.com shot a 3-under 67 to win the South African Open on the DP World Tour, earning a spot in the Masters and Open Championship later this year. The next stop on the PGA Tour espn.com brings us to Bay Hill Club and Lodge for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where length off the tee and controlled iron play is at a premium.
Rugby
Nick Timoney bbc.com is handed his first Six Nations start as Ireland head coach Andy Farrell makes five changes to his XV for Friday's match against Wales in Dublin. Ellis Mee bbc.com is given a Wales recall in Friday's Six Nations game against Ireland, while there could be a new cap off the bench. Ireland forwards coach Paul O'Connell bbc.com says it is pleasing to see pre-match plans come to fruition as Ireland aim to build on their Six Nations win over England. The Six Nations trophy bbc.com is to be "retired from ceremonial use" and replaced with a new one after being damaged by fire in an accident during transit.
Basketball
Cameron Boozer espn.com and top-ranked Duke overwhelmed NC State on Monday night to clinch the outright ACC regular-season title. Elina Aarnisalo espn.com scored a career-high 22 points and Nyla Harris had 10 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter to help No. 21 North Carolina beat No. 12 Duke 74-69. No. 19 Miami (Ohio) espn.com closed within a victory of a perfect regular season with a 74-72 win over Toledo on Tuesday night that extended the Red Hawks' season-opening winning streak to 30 games. Kaiya Wynn espn.com, a reserve guard on the Tennessee women's basketball team, said she is leaving the program, calling what she felt was a slight on senior day over the weekend a "breaking point."
Cricket
New Zealand's Cole McConchie bbc.com takes two wickets in two balls to remove South Africa's Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton in their T20 World Cup semi-final. South Africa are the only unbeaten team bbc.com left at the T20 World Cup and go into their semi-final against New Zealand as favourites, so it is time to trust them despite their past in global tournaments. England have some reasons for hope bbc.com before their T20 World Cup semi-final against India, but other issues show the difficulty of their task. Former England captain Michael Vaughan bbc.com says England have a better spin attack than India and he has a "funny feeling" Harry Brook's side will win Thursday's T20 World Cup semi-final.
Soccer/Football
Angharad James bbc.com says Wales have a first Women's World Cup "in their sights" as they set out on the long road to Brazil in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. Head coach Rhian Wilkinson bbc.com intends to continue rotating her goalkeepers during Wales' Women's World Cup qualifying campaign. The England Lions squad bbc.com and staff arrive back in the UK following the cancellation of the rest of their limited-overs series against Pakistan Shaheens in the United Arab Emirates.
Tennis
Three athletes who were led off course bbc.com when leading the US half marathon championship will receive compensation after ultimately finishing well outside the top three. Fast bowler Haris Rauf bbc.com is put forward as a 'marquee' player in the auction for The Hundred, alongside 13 other men from Pakistan.
Formula 1
Formula 1 has the biggest rule change bbc.com in its history with engines, chassis, tyres and fuel all subject to new regulations. Australian Grand Prix organisers bbc.com are "really confident" the travel chaos caused by the conflict in the Middle East will not impact the opening Formula 1 race of the season. Australian Grand Prix espn.com starts have always held the potential for chaos, but this year there's almost guaranteed drama when the lights go out in Australia on Sunday.
NFL
Outside linebacker Khalil Mack espn.com, who had mulled retirement, will play in 2026 and explore all options in free agency, a source told ESPN, confirming a report by NFL Network. The Colorado Buffaloes espn.com mourned teammate Dominiq Ponder at practice after the 23-year-old died in a single-car crash Sunday.
UFC/MMA
Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira espn.com can thank Nate Diaz for the chance to add BMF to their UFC legacies. The news drew congratulations from players like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Amanda Anisimova.
Olympics/Paralympics
Italian golfer Andrea Pavan bbc.com says it feels "like a miracle to be able to walk" following his release from hospital after a fall down an open lift shaft. Welsh Para-alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick bbc.com says it feels "really special" to be at her third Winter Paralympic games after a "rollercoaster" of a year. Skiing duo Menna Fitzpatrick and Scott Meenagh bbc.com will be Great Britain's flagbearers at the Winter Paralympics opening ceremony on Friday.
Other Sports
Williams wind tunnel systems engineer Christina Sullivan bbc.com tells BBC Sport about her unlikely route in to F1. Former British and Irish Lions wing Anthony Watson bbc.com says he memorised answers to circumvent head injury protocol in the 2017 series in New Zealand. Ex-England captain Lewis Moody bbc.com tells former team-mate Ben Youngs he was "very aware" of the risks posed during his career. Barry Hawkins bbc.com beats Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final to win his first Welsh Open title. Tyler Reddick espn.com became the first driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win the first three races of the season with a victory Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.