Zach Johnson shot three rounds in the 60s to win at The Els Club in the Algarve [BBC]Portugal Invitational final leaderboard-19 Z Johnson (US); -17 S Cink (US); -15 P Harrington (Ire); -13 T O'Neal (US); -12 MA Jimenez (Spa), M Lundberg (Swe).Selected others:-10 J Leonard (US); -9 D Clarke (NI), R Goosen (SA); R Sabbatini (Svk); -8 E Els (SA), D Duval (US), YE Yang (Kor); -7 J Donaldson (Wal); -6 B Langer (Ger).Zach Johnson shot a seven-under-par final round to hold off Stewart Cink and Padraig Harrington in the inaugural Portugal Invitational at The Els Club in Vilamoura.The event, hosted by four-time major champion Ernie Els on a course he redesigned, attracted a star-studded field for the first officially sanctioned PGA Champions Tour event to be staged in Portugal.Johnson showed the same dexterity with his wedge play as he did when winning the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open to cruise to a two-stroke victory in the groundbreaking $3m event.On a hot but breezy day in the Algarve, Johnson opened with three consecutive birdies and added two more at the 7th and 9th to go out in 31 and take charge of the tournament.Even when Johnson produced a modest wedge shot, as he did on the 11th, he holed the putt from off the green to get to 18 under and place one hand on the inaugural trophy.Six consecutive pars followed before the 2023 US Ryder Cup captain closed with a birdie to finish on a 19-under total of 197.Stewart Cink, leader of the Champions Tour's order of merit ahead of Johnson and Harrington, bogeyed the second hole but bounced back with four birdies to get to within two of the lead on the 15th.He made a two at the short 17th but it was too little too late as the 2009 Open champion finished two strokes behind his compatriot.Harrington, the 2026 US Senior Open champion, drove the ball well but was let down by indifferent iron play and a cool putter.He opened with a birdie and picked up another shot at the fifth but bogeys at the 6th, the 13th and the 16th - after finding water off the tee - prevented him putting pressure on Johnson."I got off to the dream start and I really felt like the putt going in on seven was key. I had a couple of putts that lipped in that could have lipped out, and that was the difference," said Johnson."Our host Ernie is all class and what he has done with this facility is so impressive. It's great for us pros but also playable for beginners - and the Algarve generally is easy to love and hard to leave."Els finished tied-17th on the course - which was previously known as Victoria and hosted numerous DP World Tour events - that he redesigned for Vilamoura Golf [BBC]Miguel Angel Jimenez shot the second-best round of the day after Johnson, making seven birdies but also two bogeys in a five-under 67 that lifted him to 12 under.Justin Leonard, the 1997 Open champion, fired a closing 65 to finish on 10 under, one ahead of Darren Clarke, who carded back-to-back 68s on the weekend. Els and David Duval were a stroke further behind.Welshman Jamie Donaldson made a charge on the front nine to get onto the edge of contention, making an eagle and two birdies to go out in 32.But although he picked up another shot at 14, he double-bogeyed 16 to end his faint hopes of catching the leaders and left a birdie putt in the jaws on 18 to finish on seven under.Colin Montgomerie began with a 73 and 74 but rallied with a four-under 68 on Sunday to move up to T-46.

Fifty years ago, the Women's British Open began with a 500-pound purse. Most of the money for that purse was put up by two players, Vivian Saunders and Gwen Brandom, who along with three other pros turned the British Ladies Stroke Play into an event for professionals.This week at Royal Lytham and St. Annes, 66 players split a purse of $10 million. The winner receives a first-place check of $1.5 million, another new record for the event. Total prize money at the Women's British Open has more than tripled since the R&A rook over the championship in 2017 and later brought on AIG as title sponsor. Players who missed the cut this week received $4,250.Here's a look at the complete breakdown of prize money at the AIG. This page will be updated after the tournament to reflect the full payouts.AIG Women's Open 2026 prize money payoutsPos.Money1$1,500,0002$994,6693$720,8034$556,9725$447,7626$365,8477$305,7788$267,5559$240,25010$218,40311$202,01612$188,36313$176,35014$165,43215$155,59916$146,86317$139,22318$132,66819$127,20920$122,83521$118,47322$114,09923$109,73624$105,36325$101,54326$97,72227$93,89228$90,07129$86,25130$82,97431$79,69632$76,41933$73,14134$69,86435$67,14036$64,40537$61,68138$58,94639$56,21140$54,03041$51,84942$49,66743$47,47544$45,29445$43,65546$42,01647$40,37748$38,73949$37,10050$35,46151$34,37652$33,28053$32,18454$31,09855$30,00256$28,90657$27,82158$26,72559$25,63960$24,54361$24,00162$23,44763$22,90564$22,36265$21,80966$21,26667$4,25068$4,250There were two amateurs who made the cut but who will not partake in the prize money.Beth Ann Nichols is a senior writer for Golfweek covering the LPGA and all things women's golf.This article originally appeared on Golfweek: 2026 AIG Women's British Open prize money payouts for each LPGA player

Meg Lanning hit five fours and a six in her 31-ball 43 [Getty Images]The Hundred women's competition, The OvalMI London 92 all out (99 balls): Chatli 18 (16); MacDonald-Gay 3-19Manchester Super Giants 95-4 (72 balls): Lanning 43 (31); Gordon 2-14, Kerr 2-21Manchester Super Giants won by six wickets Scorecard. TableMI London remain without a win in the Hundred after Manchester Super Giants completed a comfortable six-wicket win at the Oval.The competition's bottom side were bowled out for 92, while visiting captain Meg Lanning struck 43 as her side sealed victory with 28 balls to spare.MI had a shocking start after being put into bat, with openers Hayley Matthews and Alice Davidson-Richards both bowled by Sophie Ecclestone for ducks.The next four batters all reached the teens but failed to push on, while the last four MI wickets fell for five runs over the course of eight deliveries as the innings concluded with a ball to spare.Ryana Macdonald-Gay took the final of wicket of Kirstie Gordon to finish with figures of 3-19, while Ecclestone and Maitlan Brown closed on 2-7 and 2-18 respectively.The Super Giants opening pairing of Smriti Mandhana and Lanning took their side most of the way to their low target, putting on 73 before Mandhana was caught by Hollie Armitage off Gordon for 34.Melie Kerr then dismissed Richa Ghosh (4) and Paige Scholfield (0) with successive deliveries, while Gordon trapped Lanning lbw with only four runs required for victory.Mady Villiers wrapped the game up, hitting Gordon for four to condemn MI to a fourth defeat from five matches.Third-placed Super Giants move back within two points of Trent Rockets in second, while MI remain bottom with their only points coming from a tie against London Spirit.Rockets survive late fightback to beat SunrisersThe Hundred women's competition, Trent BridgeTrent Rockets 139-7 (100 balls): Dunkley 56 (33); Jonassen 2-20Sunrisers Leeds 134-5 (100 balls): Sutherland 59* (30); Phillips 1-10Trent Rockets won by five runs Scorecard. TableTrent Rockets held off a late assault from Annabel Sutherland and Lauren Winfield-Hill to beat defending champions Sunrisers Leeds by five runs and extend their winning streak to three matches.Defending 139 at Trent Bridge after failing to capitalise on Sophia Dunkley's 29-ball half-century, economical bowling helped Rockets reduce Sunrisers to 76-4.However, with 55 runs required off the final 20 balls, Sutherland dispatched Georgia Elwiss for 23 runs, including sending two full tosses away for six, to drag Sunrisers back into the match.She and Winfield-Hill reduced the equation to 17 off five but when the latter was run out with three deliveries remaining, she took Sunrisers' hopes of victory with her.Sutherland finished the match with a six to end unbeaten on 59 (30), with her partnership with Winfield-Hill (15) worth 50 off just 27 deliveries.Earlier, Rockets had appeared well set for a sizeable total after Dunkley backed up her 57 against Manchester Super Giants on Friday with a knock of 56 (33), including nine fours, before being bowled by Sutherland.Nat Sciver-Brunt and Ashleigh Gardner briefly maintained the pressure, including taking Dani Gibson's second set for 18 to carry Rockets beyond three figures off just 65 balls, but Sunrisers fought back with the ball.Jess Jonassen and Hannah Baker took two wickets apiece as Rockets slumped from 105-2 to 118-6, with the hosts also failing to hit a boundary for 32 deliveries as their hopes of a 150-plus total faded.A trio of fours from Bess Heath in the final set proved crucial, putting Rockets' total just out of Sunrisers' reach.Trent Rockets' fourth victory of the tournament moves them to within four points of unbeaten Southern Brave at the top of the table. Sunrisers Leeds, who are without a win since their opener, slip to seventh.Dunkley is the tournament's leading run-scorer, with 194 runs at a strike rate of 168.69 in five matches [Getty Images]All our Hundred Who Am I? quizzes in one placeWhat is happening on Monday?Welsh Fire face Southern Brave in Cardiff, with the women's match at 15:00 BST and the men's game at 18:30. You can follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app.Get cricket news sent straight to your phoneThe Hundred 2026 - schedule and how to follow

Jeremy Sochan, who won a ring with New York last season after being released by the San Antonio Spurs following the trade deadline, is now headed across the country.Sochan has agreed to a one-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, reports Shams Charania of ESPN, who got the news from Sochan's agent Deirunas Visockas. While the report does not mention the size of the contract, it is undoubtedly for the veteran minimum. It also is a non-guaranteed deal and Sochan is essentially getting the chance to come to training camp and compete for a roster spot, reports Sean Highkin of the Rose Garden Report. That echoes what NBA Insider Jake Fischer had previously reported: Portland has 12 players on guaranteed contracts, and Sochan now joins Micah Potter, Vit Krejci, and likely others to follow on non-guaranteed deals, all of them brought in to compete in training camp for the final couple of roster spots. That said, there is room for frontcourt players like the 6'8" Sochan in Portland, which will start Deni Avdija and Toumani Camara at the forward spots, but the depth behind them is a question for the team.Sochan, who Gregg Popovich once tried as a point-forward in San Antonio, got some regular run early last season with the Spurs but eventually fell out of the team's increasingly deep rotation. He signed as depth for the Knicks frontcourt, but averaged 6.9 minutes a game in the 16 games he got into for the Knicks. In New York's run to the title, he played a total of 23 minutes in the playoffs.

The thing Buffalo Bills fans must concede concerning wide receiver Joshua Palmer is that he tried to help the team as best he could in 2025.Obviously, the expectations for a player who signed a nice three-year free agent contract which guaranteed him $18 million were far greater than trying to help the team as best he could but there were circumstances that cant be ignored.Palmer got off to a bit of an uneven start, and just when it looked like he might be turning the corner in Week 6 at Atlanta, it all came crumbling down.Falcons cornerback Dee Alford, who is now Palmers teammate in Buffalo, dragged him down after a 15-yard reception which probably should have been flagged for a hip drop tackle but wasnt. Penalty or not, the result was that Palmer suffered a high ankle sprain, an MCL sprain and a torn labrum - a hat trick of disaster of the left side of his body that wrecked the rest of his debut Bills season.It was tough, Palmer said the other day following a training camp practice at St. John Fisher University. It's like your whole entire side. It's difficult because you can't do what you want as a competitor. Its something you have to accept that I cant do what I want to do, but how could you help your team the best with what you could do?As it turned out, he really couldnt help the Bills at all. He missed the next three games, came back and played against the Buccaneers and Texans, missed the next two and then played in the last four games before the team shut him down for the postseason.I give him credit, he fought through it, it was tough, president/GM Brandon Beane said last week. That's tough mentally on you because I think with Josh, when you sign a contract that was his first big deal coming off of his rookie contract, you want to live up to it. These guys, they're prideful guys.Before the injuries he had 14 catches for 234 yards; after the injuries he had eight catches for 69 yards. In the Week 18 game against the Jets with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback, the Bills wanted to see if Palmer could help them in the playoffs. He was on the field for a season-high 63 snaps but caught one pass for one yard and that finalized the decision to place him on injured reserve.Yeah, it was the right thing to do, Palmer said, admitting that he knew he couldnt function properly. It lingered and just got worse trying to play on it.Its a new year for Palmer and he now has additional competition in Buffalo after the trade to acquire DJ Moore, the free agent signing of Trent Sherfield, and the fourth-round draft selection of Skyler Bell. Also, theres the return of Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman, so Palmer certainly doesnt have a roster spot secured though he probably does due to an ugly $9.4 million dead cap hit the Bills would eat if they cut him.However, heres the thing: The Bills really liked Palmer last year in free agency given how he performed for four years with the Chargers where he caught 182 passes for 2,287 yards and 10 touchdowns in 58 games. They signed him because they believed in his ability, particularly his knack for separation which has been a problem in Buffalos receiving corps.Nothing really has changed in that respect. Now that hes healthy again, the skill set remains and if he can carve out a productive training camp and preseason, he should be on the team and able to contribute.I'm happy with the group, he said of the receivers. We'll see what we all do this year. I know we're all connecting well in the meetings on the field with Josh. We have a good relationship.In Saturdays practice, Palmer made a nice play over the middle on a ball thrown by Josh Allen, and then the quarterback hit him for a deep touchdown later in the session.Josh threw a great ball, I had a go route, touchdown, Palmer said, clarifying that he didnt beat a particular defensive back but that, They were in zone and I broke the zone.It was the kind of play the Bills were hoping for in 2025, the kind of play he made on Buffalos first offensive snap in that Atlanta game when he got open deep down the middle for a 45-yard gain.He wants to let (his teammates) know, man, I came here, I want to be a part of this, Beane said. This offseason he was still working back from the ankle, it was still giving him some problems. That's probably the thing that lingered the most through the season that we ultimately shut him down for.But I think he's healthy, he's in a good spirit, and he's excited about his opportunities and hopefully something like that doesn't happen. I think if it doesn't and he can stay healthy, the ball will find him I think he'll be able to help us.Now that he can compete without being hampered, plus being in the system for a second year, Palmer is excited about whats to come.I guess by nature, the longer you're in a system the more comfortable you get, he said. I never really felt uncomfortable last year, but I'm just getting my feet back under me after being injured. But I feel good.As for the pressure of living up to his contract, he said, I feel like every year is a big year, but then again I also have to make sure that it's just another year. Just go out, play ball, play do what I've always been doing. Take advantage of my opportunities and stay healthy. That's the key. Stay healthy.Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills' Joshua Palmer looking to make an impact after injury-marred 2025

The Texas football program got some great recruiting news on Saturday evening.According to On3/Rivals Hayes Fawcett, five-star running back Landen Williams-Callis committed to the Texas Longhorns over the Texas A&M Aggies. He has been very productive over the last three seasons, compiling 7,554 yards and 133 touchdowns. Williams-Callis is the third-best recruit in Texas, and the third-best running back recruit in the country, per 247Sports Composite rankings. Hes also the No. 29 overall recruit in the nation.MORE:Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti rips SEC hype machineThe Longhorns now have 22 commits in their 2027 recruiting class, which is ranked fifth in the country, per 247Sports. This is some good momentum for the Longhorns heading into the 2026 college football season, which is set to start in four weeks. The Longhorns finished the 2025 season with a 10-3 record after beating the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl. They didnt qualify for the College Football Playoff after stumbling too often during the regular season. The 2026 season will be Steve Sarkisians sixth as head coach after taking over the program ahead of the 2021 season. He has compiled a 48-20 overall record in five seasons at the helm. The Longhorns will open the 2026 season on Sept. 5 against the Texas State Bobcats before facing off against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sept. 12. Kickoff for the Sept. 5 game against the Bobcats will be at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, while the Sept. 12 game against the Buckeyes will be at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter

Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart says he and his teammates are lining up behind new head coach John Harbaugh.Asked about Harbaugh on NFL Network, Dart identified one thing that makes him special as a coach: "His leadership.""The way that he carries himself as an individual, a man, it's something you can really, really respect, day in and day out," Dart continued. "The biggest thing is, he's never trying to change anybody from who they are, but he's putting out his culture, his plan, and it's for us to buy into it. That's really cool to have, when you have all these different guys coming in to a brand new system, who have different experiences, some of us being younger, a lot of the vets, but we're all buying into the exact same plan because we trust him, because of how great of a coach he is and the man he is as well."The Giants have struggled to find coaching stability since the departure of Tom Coughlin, going from Ben McAdoo to Pat Shurmur to Joe Judge to Brian Daboll. Dart thinks they've brought in the right guy in Harbaugh.

Fin Graham couldn't hide his disappointment with settling for silver in the velodrome [Reuters]Fin Graham couldn't kid anyone. He didn't come for silver on Sunday.The Scottish Para-cyclist upgraded Friday's bronze from the men's C1-C3 1000m time trial final, but he was going for gold in the C1-C3 3km individual pursuit final.However, he was stood a step down from England's Matthew Robertson when Jerusalem bellowed round the velodrome, as he was denied what he called a "once in a lifetime" experience.The 26-year-old was desperate to hear Flower of Scotland on home soil. Even more so given he felt a tang of injustice with the running of this race."I'd be lying if I said gold wasn't what I wanted," Graham told BBC Sport Scotland, after he was presented his second medal of these Games. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear the national anthem here in Scotland, so I'd be lying if I said I was not gutted."As athletes, we've got hurdles to get over and goalposts do change, for whatever reason. But, the decision was made, you can't dwell on it."Fachie survives painful crash to take another gold after Wales 'poke bear'Teenage cyclist Boothman stars as Scotland bag three bronzes Free-spirited Stewart avoids melee on way to Scottish silverThe decision in question, surrounds how this event was staged.In layman terms, Graham had prepared to be racing head-to-head against an opponent in an individual pursuit, rather than hurtling round the track on his own in a time trial against the clock.Earlier in the week, Graham posted on social media, sharing his confusion and anger about what he felt was a late change.However, it emerged that a long-standing policy by the UCI - cycling's governing body - dictates that when riders are competing across classifications, as they are here, then a time trial is run instead to avoid big mismatches.It's still the same distance, just solo. However, Graham still feels aggrieved."As racers, we want to be racing someone else on the track," he said. "For one reason or another, they've changed that at the start of the week. "You have to come to terms with that and adjust. "I think the crowd as well, it's better for them to see a race, but for some reason they've made the decision not to have that. "We've done all we can do but it wasn't quite enough to take the gold today. Matt raced a good ride to take it, I just didn't quite have the legs to do that."

Xabi Alonso left Real Madrid less than eight months into a three-year contract [Getty Images]Watching Xabi Alonso coach his Chelsea team conjures flashbacks of his playing days at Liverpool and Real Madrid.The 44-year-old, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, is fully involved in training sessions, teeing up players with accurate short passes before hitting his trademark cross-field balls at Sky Park, the home of Sydney FC.It has impressed his players in Australia on their pre-season tour, with outstanding ball-playing centre-back Levi Colwill saying he feels "jealous".In a hotel in Sydney's Darling Harbour, Alonso detailed the long path to Chelsea through his father, Periko Alonso, a fellow Spain international and former Real Sociedad and Barcelona player.As a child, Xabi would stand next to Periko in the kitchen as he prepared his training sessions for the next day. Perhaps it was inevitable he would follow in his footsteps."The road was not unknown for me. I had seen that at home," he said."I'm not saying it was meant to be, but I had to try it. I wanted to try it, but not straight to the top level. I started in the under-14s and that was the way I wanted. It felt natural, not to rush."It is typical of Alonso, whose style of play was characterised by slowing the game down.'I got a scar, now it is healed'Alonso would make contact with players in training during drills [Getty Images]Alonso took his time coaching in youth football, but it soon felt - much like in his playing career - as though he could only achieve success.After taking over Bayer Leverkusen, previously nicknamed 'Neverkusen' in Germany because their best teams had only ever been able to finish second, Alonso made history in 2024 by leading them to an unprecedented domestic double: a first Bundesliga title and a first DFB-Pokal triumph since 1993.Alonso says that achievement was "unexpectedly fantastic". However, after joining Real Madrid in May last year, he left by mutual consent following reports in Spain of disputes with key players such as Vinicius Jr."Luckily, there are not too many scars in my career," he said of his early Madrid exit. "I got a scar, now it is healed and I am determined to enjoy this next step as I did when I started in Madrid."For the things that didn't work, I have been very critical of myself, thinking about what I could have done better. You learn from the disappointment of things."It is fascinating to see how a character like Alonso, with 15 major titles, deals with a rare disappointment.In the four months between Alonso leaving Madrid and joining Chelsea, he used that time to "reset energy".That energy is on show. In his final session in Sydney, Alonso conducted a full run-through with his squad before facing Spurs, then pulled Nicolas Jackson and Moises Caicedo aside for drills in which he backed into them and tried to knock them off the ball.There has been an emphasis on team-building, with players allowed time to explore, go to the cinema and do tourist activities. The whole squad visited the refurbished North Sydney Olympic Pool for an Australian winter swim.Secret meetings and older playersAlonso has spoken of his shock at the level of quality coming from Chelsea's academy. He gave Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (pictured) 45 minutes against Spurs on Saturday [Getty Images]Alonso held discreet meetings in London and his hometown of San Sebastian over three weeks in early May to ensure Chelsea was the right fit.Despite questions as to why he chose the Blues over his former club Liverpool, there was no offer on the table from the latter."I had a view of Chelsea from the outside," he explained, revealing how carefully he considered the move to Stamford Bridge and the early discussions with sporting directors about his vision for the club."I could see the positives and my concerns, so I addressed them. We had the same ideas, the same analysis, to start building momentum together. That is why we are taking these steps together and making decisions to build a good team."That vision extends to the signing of 117m forward Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. He was Chelsea's first-choice attacking target and was secured despite interest from Premier League champions Arsenal.Alonso has also added full-back Marco Palestra from Atalanta, who could prove key to implementing the system he used at Bayer Leverkusen, while talks remain open over left-sided option Pep Chavarria of Rayo Vallecano."We have taken a few steps but I feel that we can still take a few more," Alonso said when asked about the backing he has received.Alonso has been careful not to overplay his hand when speaking to the media, but he always gives the impression he is heavily involved.His role as the first manager, rather than head coach, under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital has perhaps been overstated. The club's five sporting directors remain responsible for much of the operation, albeit in constant dialogue with Alonso and his staff.As ever at this time of year, Chelsea are open for business.There is genuine excitement around the arrival of striker Danny Welbeck, 35, who will now join the squad for pre-season.His role will be to provide experienced cover for Joao Pedro while also bringing a positive influence behind the scenes.Midfielder Jordan Henderson, 36, is also set to arrive after Chelsea were unable to secure Alonso's former Bayer Leverkusen captain Granit Xhaka from Sunderland.As he did under England manager Thomas Tuchel at this summer's World Cup, Henderson is expected to help drive standards as a vocal leader, something Chelsea have lacked.It would be similar to the role Alonso played under Pep Guardiola towards the end of his career at Bayern Munich.It is a senior revolution at the Premier League's youngest team.Chelsea have previously suffered from indiscipline, a perceived softness defending set-pieces and, perhaps most importantly, a lack of leadership and dressing-room culture."You need the right balance of personalities and stages of maturity, with players in their early 20s, early 30s and everything in between," Alonso said of reshaping of his squad.Culture is another area Alonso knows he needs to address. "In the Basque Country, we have a strong sense of collective purpose and culture," he said.Alonso believes that culture must extend beyond the playing squad. He recently provided the assists for the winning side in a staff game before Chelsea's overseas trip.Xabi Alonso's first match in charge at Stamford Bridge is against his boyhood club Real Sociedad on 15 August [Getty Images]The move also represents good timing on a personal level. With children aged 18, 16 and 12, there is excitement within the family about moving to London.And although Chelsea ended last season in 10th place and without a trophy, Alonso sees his new club as an exciting opportunity."The situation was not as bad as it looked at the end of last season," he said when explaining why he took the job."There is big potential to improve and let's see how long it takes."One month into the role, Alonso is encouraged that much of what he hoped would happen is already taking shape. Yet there remains an element of the unknown as he looks to leave his mark on one of the Premier League's biggest clubs, this time as a manager rather than a player."For sure, it had to come a lot from here," he said, pointing first to his heart and then to his head."And also from here," he added, pointing to his stomach."It has to come from the gut. I felt it was good timing for the club and good timing for myself. It was a good opportunity and I felt I had the chance to enjoy being a manager."Latest Chelsea news, analysis and fan viewsAsk about Chelsea - what do you want to know?

Former Clemson forward RJ Godfrey has committed to Arizona via the NCAA Transfer Portal, On3 has learned. Its a big get for Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats ahead of the 2026-27 season.Godfrey played high school basketball at North Gwinnett, where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 188 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted algorithm that compiles all major recruiting media services.$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverageAdditionally, Godfreys commitment comes after months of uncertainty surrounding his college future. The former Tigers standout was one of several players involved in a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking an additional season of eligibility following the organizations recent rule changes.According to The Greenville News, Godfrey joined a group lawsuit filed on July 9 arguing that the NCAA unfairly denied an extra year of eligibility to athletes who exhausted their fourth season during the 2025-26 academic year. The NCAA approved a new rule in June allowing future athletes five seasons of competition over five years, but did not extend that benefit to players who had already completed their eligibility.With the lawsuit ultimately successful, Godfrey will suit up for Lloyd and Arizona instead of returning to Clemson for another season. Prior to announcing his commitment, The Greenville Newsreported that Oklahoma, Arkansas and LSU had also expressed interest in Godfrey if he received another year of eligibility.Moreover, Godfrey is coming off one of the best seasons of his collegiate career after returning to Clemson for the 2025-26 campaign. He led the Tigers in scoring at 12.0 points per game while averaging 5.3 rebounds, helping Clemson return to the NCAA Tournament.His second stint in Clemson followed a one-year stop at Georgia during the 2024-25 season. Across two stints with Brad Brownells program, Godfrey appeared in 104 games, making 33 starts while averaging 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest. He also shot an efficient 60% from the field during his Clemson career.Before pursuing another college opportunity, Godfrey tested the professional waters by participating in pre-NBA Draft workouts. However, he was not selected in the 2026 NBA Draft and did not sign an undrafted free-agent contract, leaving the door open for a potential return to college if granted eligibility.Arizona now appears poised to benefit if that happens. The Wildcats add an experienced, versatile frontcourt player with NCAA Tournament experience and proven production at the high-major level.To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and X (formerly Twitter) account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.