Sports
Brooks Koepka embraces return to Phoenix Open and its "chaos"
Feb 12, 2022; Scottsdale, Arizona, USA; Brooks Koepka reacts after making par from 17 on the 18th hole during the third round of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images Well before Brooks Koepka captured back-to-back U.S. Open titles … and won back-to-back PGA Championships … and earned generational wealth by jumping to LIV Golf, he was a 24-year-old fighting to claim his first PGA Tour title.
That’s when Koepka and the Phoenix Open became intertwined forever. Koepka collected his first PGA Tour victory in 2015 at TPC Scottsdale, which set the stage for his five major championships and his rise to No. 1 in the World Golf Rank.
Koepka, 35, has returned to the Phoenix Open field for the first time in four years as he reacquaints himself with old haunts in the wake of his recent split with LIV Golf.
During his years away, did he yearn to tune in to the Phoenix Open and its frenzied fans? Uh, not exactly.
“No, I was asleep when this was going on,” said Koepka, who’d be halfway around the world. “Kind of tough to watch.
“But, yeah, it’s a golf course I really like, a tournament I like coming to. I think this is always a comfortable event for me.”
The muscle memory associated with Koepka’s pair of Phoenix Open crowns — he also won in 2021 – ought to be valuable this week. Not just remembering where to place the ball as he whips around TPC Scottsdale, but recalling the joy of interacting with the raucous galleries.
“I said it earlier, I think last week, I enjoy the chaos,” Koepka said. “It’s fun. It can kind of get you in between shots. Gives you something to either kind of laugh at or whatever’s going on, there’s always something to see. But, yeah, it’s a fun week.”
This marks just his second tournament since being reinstated by the Tour. Two weeks ago, Koepka finished in a tie for 56th at the Farmers Insurance Open.
While his driving average (306.0 yards) and his short game around the green rank among the Tour’s best in the early going this season, his putting ranks 172nd on Tour as he’s losing 2.4 strokes per round compared to the norm.
“I’ve been putting pretty poorly for the good side of two years,” Koepka said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ve got to figure it out.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why WrestleMania Season Doesn’t Feel Like WrestleMania Right Now
We are days away from April.
The Masters are in full swing, the PWHL is skating through its season, and the MLS/NWSL are dribbling through theirs. The playoffs for the NBA and NHL are in high gear. The NFL Draft is underway in Pittsburgh, and MLB players are just getting their cleats in the dirt.
Am I missing something? Oh, I almost forgot. It is WrestleMania season! Except that if you ask a fan or a media personality, they would tell you it sure doesn’t feel that way.
For the second year in a row, WrestleMania is taking place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. WWE has sold around 37,000 tickets for both nights. It was not always that high, and fans did not respond well to the high prices WWE presented.
In a viral video online, a fan interacted with Randy Orton and told him she spent $30,000 to attend last year’s WrestleMania. Orton was flabbergasted and called it “embarrassing.” One year later, and it feels like WWE may have finally learned its lesson. On “3:16 Day,” which was also the same day as Monday Night Raw, the company offered 31.6% off tickets for WM. It turns out that when you lower the threshold, fans are willing to use their credit cards.
Outside of ticket prices, it is not particularly optimistic right now. Eight matches have been officially announced. Triple H and company are planning at least 14 matches total, with six of them involving women.
Speaking of these matches, only three have hit hard, while the others have fizzled out quickly. First, a highly anticipated showdown between Oba Femi and Brock Lesnar. The Ruler answered the Beast’s challenge and took him out in back-to-back weeks. Brock even told Femi to put his foot on him while he pointed at the sign.
Another fiery matchup is for the Raw Women’s Championship. Stephanie Vaquer made Liv Morgan cry on Raw, in a backstage interview with Michael Cole. The two brawled for a few minutes on Monday Night Raw a few weeks ago, intensifying their rivalry.
Jacob Fatu and Drew McInyre brawled their way inside and outside the arena. This led to GM Nick Aldis announcing an Unsanctioned Match at WrestleMania. Sami Zayn won the US Title and is set for a clash with Trick Williams. It is rumored that this is set up for a double turn down the line.
The rest of the card has not lived up to expectations. Rhea Ripley and Jade Cargill had a Twitter spat after the former won the EC match. Their rivalry has been ice cold since, and now B Fab/Michin joined Jade Cargill because if you cannot beat’em, join’em.
Roman Reigns and CM Punk started hot, with Punk saying he would bury Roman next to his father. Now, the Bloodline looks like it is headed to a reunion, and Reigns is calling Punk OLD. At least they got physical, but Punk laughing after receiving a powerbomb through the table was questionable.
Punk’s wife, AJ Lee, is facing Becky Lynch again despite tapping her out three straight times. The two will fight for the Women’s IC title, and hopefully, they will add a stipulation to keep things interesting. This will be Lee’s first WrestleMania match in over ten years.
Randy Orton’s heel turn has backfired on WWE because fans continue to cheer him anyway. Orton takes on Cody Rhodes for the WWE title in pursuit of his 15th reign. This rivalry has at least been ok. We still do not know who Randy is on the phone with, but Kevin Owens, The Rock, or Cowboy Bob Orton seem like popular answers. Cody’s friend Matt Cardona has received a beating from the Viper, but WWE has not given fans any reason to back Cardona.
That is what we have so far, folks. You know who is missing from this year’s build to WM? The Ring General Gunther. Remember the guy who retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles? He is nowhere to be found. WWE wanted him to face Rey Mysterio, but the luchador is injured.
Another superstar in jeopardy of missing WM is LA Knight. Triple H does not like him, but the guy is over. Maybe he could be Gunther’s opponent. Meanwhile, Seth Rollins has been running around with a bunch of masked men looking to take down the Vision. Or whatever is left of it. He could still face Bron Breakker at ‘Mania.
Lastly, how is Jelly Roll getting more airtime than the last three people I mentioned? He beat Kit Wilson in a surprisingly decent match, but got hit with an RKO to end the show on Friday. WWE’s obsession with having celebrities at WM continues. Legendary QB Tom Brady had some choice words about WWE in an interview, and he could be a part of it. iShowSpeed is another celebrity with ties to the company, and is a third celebrity poised for ‘Mania. Bad Bunny is not planned to appear this time around.
With three weeks to go, they still have time to build excitement for ‘Mania. Triple H and Nick Khan need to step it up. With Monday Night Raw at Madison Square Garden tomorrow, look for them to go all out. If not, we could be in store for one of the weakest builds in the modern era to WrestleMania. Stay tuned for Raw on Netflix at 7 pm, and SmackDown is in Randy’s hometown, so perhaps the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes could get booed.
Sports
UConn returns to Final Four after rolling past Notre Dame
Mar 29, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cassandre Prosper (8) defends during the first half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images Sarah Strong scored 21 points and Blanca Quinonez added 20 off the bench as top-seeded UConn handled its business with a 70-52 in over No. 6-seed Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon in an NCAA Tournament Regional 1 final at Fort Worth, Texas.
UConn (38-0), the defending national champion, won its 54th consecutive game and advanced to the Women’s Final Four on Friday in Phoenix where it will play either South Carolina or TCU.
The Huskies earned an 85-47 victory over Notre Dame at home on Jan. 19 but this game was more competitive as the stakes were much higher.
UConn took its first lead at 5-6 with 4:45 remaining the first quarter and slowly wore down Notre Dame, going up 20-11 after one quarter and 32-25 at halftime.
After a Fighting Irish rally midway through the third period, the Huskies led 47-36 heading into the forth. Quinonez’s 3-pointer with 5:43 remaining in the game increased the Huskies’ lead to 63-44 and UConn cruised to the finish.
Azzi Fudd added 13 points for the Huskies, while Quinonez had a team-high eight rebounds. UConn scored 19 points off 18 Notre Dame turnovers and had a 35-29 rebounding advantage.
Hannah Hidalgo led Notre Dame (25-11) with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Vanessa de Jesus had eight points with five rebounds.
Fudd’s steal and assist to Quinonez produced a layup on the final possession of the first quarter and sent the Huskies to their 20-11 lead.
Notre Dame reeled off an 11-4 spurt that started late in the first quarter and was punctuated by a 3-pointer by Hidalgo that trimmed UConn’s advantage to 24-20. The Huskies responded with three straight baskets to lead 30-20 after Strong canned a jumper at the 2:34 mark before settling into a seven-point halftime advantage.
Quinonez has season-high 14 points before halftime to lead all scorers and was the only player from either team in double figures. Hidalgo paced the Fighting Irish with nine points in the first half.
Strong’s layup on the break with 8:43 to play in the third period gave UConn a 38-26 lead before the Fighting Irish clamped down, holding the Huskies scoreless for nearly five minutes. But Notre Dame only scored four points over the stretch.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Adam Sykora helps Rangers knock off Panthers
Mar 29, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones (3) and New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) battle for the puck during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images Rookie Adam Sykora scored for the second straight game, Igor Shesterkin made 27 saves and the host New York Rangers recorded a 3-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday afternoon.
The Rangers (30-35-9, 69 points) won their second straight following a season-high six-game skid, and did so after struggling to generate many chances in the opening 40 minutes.
Sykora broke the deadlock by getting through the slot and slightly past Florida’s Noah Gregor. As defenseman Adam Fox lifted a shot from the middle of the right circle, Sykora lifted his stick up just enough to deflect the puck into the net from in front of goalie Sergei Bobrovksy.
Playing in his third NHL career game since debuting Wednesday in Toronto, Sykora netted his first career game-winning goal. He scored New York’s third goal in its 6-1 rout of the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday by finishing off a 2-on-1 with Will Cuylle.
Conor Sheary scored on a shorthanded breakaway with 8:46 left in the third. Fox capped the scoring with a shorthanded empty-net tally with 3:54 left in the third.
Shesterkin nearly recorded his second shutout this season and stopped a four-game losing streak.
He highlighted the game with consecutive pad stops on Matthew Tkachuk with about 12 1/2 minutes left and used his glove to snatch an attempt from Vinnie Hinostroza during a Florida power play midway through the first.
Mackie Samoskevich scored in the final minutes as The Panthers (35-35-3, 73 points) fell to 2-6-0 in their past eight games.
Bobrovsky made 18 saves.
Mika Zibanejad nearly scored for New York during a power play with 95 seconds left in the second period but saw his shot from the right circle stop on the goal line. After the shot got by Bobrovsky, Gustav Forsling swept the puck away from the goal line.
The Panthers nearly took the lead 3:22 into the third when Tkachuk finished off a 2-on-1 with Carter Verhaeghe. The Rangers challenged for offsides and the goal was disallowed.
After Sykora’s goal, J.T. Miller stole the puck from Tkachuk at the blue line in the offensive zone and found Sheary. Sheary skated into the zone ahead of Florida defenseman Mike Benning and sent a shot from between the circles by Bobrovsky.
–Field Level Media
Why WrestleMania Season Doesn’t Feel Like WrestleMania Right Now
UConn returns to Final Four after rolling past Notre Dame
