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An opening blitz of 78 off 26 balls by batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and a steady knock of 81 off 43 deliveries by wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel helped Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by
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Rory McIlroy's astonishing finish to grab a Masters record six-stroke lead after 36 holes remained the talk of Augusta National as Saturday's third round began.The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland birdied six of the last seven holes, including the final four, to seize command on Friday as rivals struggled to find words worthy of the spectacular feat.'Rory played great, made the most of pretty much everything he could out there and that's what it takes to be beating the field by six,' world number three Cameron Young said after playing alongside McIlroy.Defending champion McIlroy fired a seven-under par 65 to stand on 12-under 132 halfway into the year's first major tournament, where he hopes to match Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo as the only back-to-back winners of the green jacket.'Rory may never lose this thing again,' 1992 Masters winner Fred Couples said on Thursday after McIlroy shared the lead on 67.Second-ranked McIlroy solved Amen Corner's formidable par-three 12th and par-five 13th holes for birdies, then closed with a 29-yard chip in at 17 and a six-foot putt at 18 for epic Masters history.Americans Patrick Reed and Sam Burns shared second on six-under 138 entering the third round with Irishman Shane Lowry and England's Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood seven adrift on 139.McIlroy will try to solidify his grip on the green jacket when he tees off alongside Burns in Saturday's final pairing at 2:50 p.m. (1850 GMT), 11 minutes after Rose and Reed get started.'I have to go out there with the same free, trusting mindset I have the first two days,' McIlroy said.The five-time major champion has yet to find a fairway on a par-five hole but has played them in seven-under, delivering a masterclass of iron shotmaking and precision putting on one of golf's greatest stages.'I haven't panicked when I've hit it off course and into the trees,' McIlroy said. 'When I was in the trees I didn't mind.'I sort of feel like I'm playing with the house's money, which is a nice place to be.'McIlroy, who ranks second in driving distance at 334.2 yards and putts with only 51, has kept his composure despite finding only 13-of-28 fairways through two rounds - ranking last among 54 players who made the cut in driving accuracy but also ranking second in scrambling percentage.After ending a 10-year major win drought last year with an emotional Masters victory to complete a career Grand Slam, McIlroy has made himself to man to beat for a rare repeat.'I've always loved this course and this tournament even when I felt it didn't love me back,' McIlroy said.Only two 36-hole leads in major golf history were greater than what McIlroy delivered, the record nine-stroke margin by Henry Cotton at the 1934 British Open and Brooks Koepka's seven-stroke edge at the 2019 PGA Championship.McIlroy's 10th career major round of 65 or lower matched a record shared by Woods and Dustin Johnson.Woods owns the 54-hole Masters record lead of nine strokes from his first major triumph in 1997, won by a Masters record 12 shots.The Masters 54-hole scoring record is 200 by Jordan Spieth in 2015 and matched by Johnson in 2020.
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Injaaz Stud’s Mutamarrid bounced back to winning form with a commanding victory in the Al Mamoura Cup at Al Rayyan Racecourse Saturday.The nine-year-old grey, trained by Jihad El Ahmad, delivered a standout performance in the feature 1200m Local Thoroughbred Handicap. Despite carrying top weight and breaking from the widest draw, the seasoned veteran was expertly positioned just behind the early leader before launching a decisive challenge inside the final 200m. He surged clear to score comfortably by 1¼ lengths. Ridden under the supervision of Alberto Sanna, Mutamarrid’s triumph also completed a memorable treble for the jockey in the evening. Settling off the pace in the early stages, Mutamarrid took cover behind the long-time leader Al Nasr Al Washeek, with Al Shomos tracking the pace in third and Alwaad positioned in midfield as the field established order through the early exchanges. As they straightened for the run-in, Al Nasr Al Washeek continued to dictate and looked set to make a bold bid from the front, with Al Shomos moving closer to challenge. However, Mutamarrid, travelling strongly just behind, angled out and produced a decisive turn of foot inside the final 200m, surging past the leader and quickly asserting to settle the outcome. He extended his advantage in the closing strides, sealing a comfortable success despite the weight and draw. Al Shomos, representing Saeed bin Mubarak Saeed Aljafali al-Naimi and from the Ahmed Kobeissi Yard, with Mohammed Hassan Ali Alabdulmalik in the saddle, kept on well from a prominent position to take second, a length clear of the Khalifa Hamed Nasser al-Sawai-trained Alwaad, who finished strongly from midfield for Al Emadi Racing under Youssef Lachhab to claim third.Earlier, Acclaim To Royalty made all to open proceedings in dominant fashion by winning the Thoroughbred Handicap (0-60), 3yo+, 1900m. Jungle The Bank, guided by Sanna, also returned to winning ways with authority for the thoroughbred Handicap (0-60) for the three-year-old+. Windsor, also under Sanna, shed his maiden tag by winning the Local Purebred Arabian Maiden Plate for four-seven-year-old in emphatic style. Hidalgo Du Croate struck over a new trip with a strong late surge in the Purebred Arabian Handicap. Mushaakis also confirmed his liking for six furlongs with a decisive success, and Za’eer Al Shahania edged a thrilling blanket finish in the Local Purebred Arabian Handicap (75-95) race. RESULTS65th Al Rayyan Race Meeting – Al Mamoura CupWINNERS: (Horse, Trainer, Jockey)1 - Al Mamoura Cup, Local Thoroughbred Handicap (55-80)Mutamarrid, Jihad El Ahmad, Alberto Sanna2 - Thoroughbred Handicap (0-60)Acclaim To Royalty, Mohammed Hassan al-Matwi, Szczepan Mazur3 - Thoroughbred Handicap (0-60)Jungle The Bank, Debbie Mountain, Alberto Sanna4 - Local Purebred Arabian Maiden PlateWindsor, Ibrahim Khaled Elahmed, Alberto Sanna5 -Purebred Arabian Handicap (45-65)Hidalgo Du Croate, Dr. Fahad Salman al-Hajri, Saleh Salem al-Marri6 - Local Thoroughbred Handicap (0-55)Mushaakis, Ahmed al-Jehani, Arnaud de Lepine7 - Local Purebred Arabian Handicap (75-95)Za'eer Al Shahania, Eng. Osama Omer al-Dafea, Faleh Bughenaim Related Story
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Team Qatar GT made a strong start to its 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) campaign after securing pole position in the GT category during qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Saturday. Running the Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 in collaboration with Iron Lynx, Team Qatar GT features a driver lineup of Abdulla al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses, and Adam Christodoulou. Al-Khelaifi took on driving duties in the qualifying session and delivered a impressive performance. He set the fastest lap of 1:42.289 across eight laps, with an average speed of 163.9 km/h, to secure pole position for Team Qatar ahead of the season-opening race. TF Sport qualified second, just 0.063 seconds behind, while Proton Competition placed third with a gap of 0.485 seconds. Racing Spirit of Leman and Kessel Racing rounded out the top five, 0.662 and 0.863 seconds off the pace respectively. The 2026 European Le Mans Series calendar features six rounds across Europe: Barcelona from April 10 to 12, followed by Paul Ricard on May 3, Imola on July 5, Spa-Francorchamps on August 23, Silverstone on September 13, and Portimao on October 10. Related Story
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Udinese’s Arthur Atta celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A match against AC Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan. (AFP) AC Milan relinquished any remaining hope of winning the Serie A title Saturday after falling to a shock 3-0 home defeat to Udinese. A Davide Bartesaghi own goal and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp’s glancing header in the first half, and Arthur Atta’s superb low finish in the 71st minute, left Milan nine points behind Inter Milan ahead of the league leaders’ clash at Como Sunday. With six matches remaining in their season, even an Inter loss at Como would leave third-placed Milan with a near-impossible gap to close. And a Como win would not be good news either as the lakeside outfit currently sit fourth and five points behind Milan, who have lost three of four matches since winning last month’s Milan derby, with Juventus also gunning for a Champions League spot. Juve are at Atalanta in the day’s late match and will move above Como into fourth - just three points behind Milan - with a win in Bergamo. Milan host Juve in a fortnight, a match which looks likely to be key to the top-four positions come May, and the loud whistles which accompanied the end of the game highlighted supporter frustration. Udinese moved into the top half of the table after an impressive away performance in which Nicolo Zaniolo, who was the rising star of Italian football before suffering two serious knee injuries in 2020, was the standout player. Zaniolo has had a difficult time of it since being dumped by Roma in 2023, and he was not selected for the Italy squad which recently missed out on a third straight World Cup. But the 26-year-old has found a home at Udinese and he was key to Bartesaghi’s own goal in the 27th minute, as the attacker charged upfield on the counter-attack before offloading to Atta whose cross was deflected into the Milan net. Ten minutes later Zaniolo whipped in a beautiful, inch-perfect cross for Ekkelenkamp to double the away side’s lead and spark rumblings of discontent in the San Siro stands. Milan pushed up on Udinese after the break, when coach Massimiliano Allegri brought on burly centre forward Niclas Fullkrug, and Alexis Saelemaekers could barely believe it when Maduka Okoye palmed his half-volley onto the crossbar in the 51st minute. Atta sealed the points for Udinese 20 minutes later when he was allowed to burst towards goal and roll a sneaky low shot in at Mike Maignan’s near post. The discontent was clear when loud boos met Rafael Leao’s substitution soon afterwards, and those who were still in the seats at the end made their feelings known at the final whistle.
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The Bronze Tour was won by Saudi Arabia's Abdulaziz Gohal, followed by Qatar's Ahmad Jassim al-Suwaidi and Saudi's Khaled al-Hadi Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Alsharbatly delivered a commanding performance to secure victory in the Diamond Tour during the tenth round of the Longines Hathab Qatar Equestrian Tour at the Qatar Equestrian Federation's (QEF) main arena Saturday.Competing in the Accumulator with Joker class over 150cm, Alsharbatly guided Frenchy Vds to the top of the podium after collecting 65 points in a time of 55.62 seconds. Qatar's Nasser al-Ghazali finished second with Heavens Light H on 65 points in 60.65 seconds, while Kuwait's Yara al-Hunaidi secured third place aboard Caprice 563 in 62.00 seconds. Saudi Arabia's Abdullah Alsharbatly astride Frenchy Vds clears a rail during the tenth round
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The Premier League returns from a three-week hiatus this weekend with huge clashes in the battle for the title, European places and survival.Arsenal can shrug off their domestic cup disappointment by moving ever closer to
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Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and his closest rival Jannik Sinner both cruised into the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters with straight-sets wins on Friday.Sinner extended his winning run at Masters 1000 events to 20 matches
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DUBAI: The Dubai International Marine Club has announced the formation of the Supreme Organising Committee for the 35th edition of the Al Gaffal Race for 60 feet dhows, to be held under the patronage of
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Honorary starter Jack Nicklaus of the United States follows his shot from the first tee during the first round of the 2026 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. (AFP) The 90th edition of the Masters Tournament officially began with the honorary starting threesome of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson Thursday.Shortly after sunrise at Augusta National Golf Club, the trio of golfing legends emerged fromthe iconic clubhouse to a resounding applause from the patrons gathered on a chilly Georgia morning.With a youthful exuberance that greatly belies his 90 years of age, Player took the first swing of the tournament and piped his drive.“Getting to the first tee with the enthusiasm of all the people, which is an essential ingredient in life, I think - enthusiasm - the love they give you out there is quite remarkable,” he said.Player was followed by Nicklaus, 86, who had his son Jack Nicklaus Jr. working as his caddie. The six-time Masters champion astutely warned the gallery before hooking his shot over the crowd.“I don’t know what was running through my head other than not to hurt anyone,” Nicklaus quipped, adding that he had carpel tunnel surgery earlier this year and was primarily focused on holding onto the club. “That was my issue today. I’m fortunate that I got it over somebody’s head.”Watson, 76, followed with a well-struck drive and the tournament was officially on.The trio has won a combined 11 Masters and made 140 collective appearances at the tournament, including 37 honorary starter ceremonies.Nicklaus was asked whether he intends to continue with being part of the tradition in future years. “As long as I can still hit the golf ball,” he said. “I played once this year, I played in February. I played once last year. I don’t really play golf anymore.“But it’s such a nice ceremony, and it’s a real honor to be invited. I hope to be able to do it as long as I can not kill anybody.”Player said the walk from the clubhouse to the first tee each year evokes a flood of memories and gratitude.“Funny enough how your mind goes back very quickly, and I thought of President Eisenhower, who I admired so much, who was a member of this club which started it off - how much I love coming back here every year of my life, an integral part of my life, and such a fantastic tournament,” he said.“I think the word, as you get older, is gratitude. Just to be able to be on that first tee is an honor.”Player is making his 68th visit to the Masters this week, a tournament he once called the fourth most important major on the golf calendar.That view has evolved steadily with the growth and evolution of the only major to be contested at the same venue every year.“They’ve evolved faster than any other tournament. It’s one of the greatest events in the world,” he said. “It’s one of the most beautiful places historically, and there’s nothing but admiration for what they’ve done.“Every year you come here, you’re absolutely in awe. Buildings that would take years to build, they do in nine months. It’s quite remarkable. It’s now inundated with history, and it will go even from more strength to strength in the future.”
