Sports
Defending champ Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas ready for showdown at Valspar
Mar 23, 2025; Palm Harbor, Florida, USA; Viktor Hovland holds the champions trophy after winning the Valspar Championship golf tournament at Innisbrook Resort. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images Viktor Hovland and Justin Thomas finished 1-2 at the Valspar Championship a year ago. They return to the Tampa Bay area in promising form following The Players Championship, ready to take on the Valspar again beginning Thursday in Palm Harbor, Fla.
Hovland bested Thomas by a single stroke on the final day. Thomas had made a late charge but bogeyed two of the final three holes at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead Course, known as “the Snake Pit.” Hovland, though, birdied two of those holes to swap positions with Thomas for the Norwegian’s only win of 2025.
Hovland described the course as very narrow off the tee.
“If the wind starts blowing and they tuck the pins on each side, and the greens get very firm, it’s very difficult to get close to the pins,” Hovland said. “… It really is a ball-striker’s course, but if you short side yourself and you end up missing greens, which everyone is bound to do, you have to rely on some intricate short game shots around the greens as well. So it really tests every single part of your game.”
Thomas was not dissuaded by his late stumble. He picked up his lone win of 2025 a month later at the RBC Heritage, and he’s encouraged by the fact that he has four top-10s at Innisbrook, including a T3 in 2022.
“It’s a tournament that works in my schedule every year. I love coming here,” Thomas said. “I think it’s one of the most underrated courses that we have, that we play. It’s very in front of you, and I think it’s not necessarily something that looks visually intimidating or difficult, but if you’re not sharp or if you’re not managing your game or emotions well, you can just make bogeys so fast. Yeah, it’s a place that I enjoy playing because I think it’s an old school kind of design.”
The strength of the course is matched by the strength of the field the week after The Players. Nine of the top 25 in the world rankings will tee it up, including major winners Xander Schauffele, J.J. Spaun and Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick.
While Thomas tied for eighth at TPC Sawgrass and Hovland tied for 13th, Fitzpatrick was leading for a short stretch on the back nine on Sunday after Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg went bogey-double bogey. But Fitzpatrick drove it out of position at the 18th and made bogey, allowing co-leader Cameron Young to win it with par.
“Disappointed, obviously,” Fitzpatrick said this week. “I felt like saying this morning I feel like I only hit two poor shots really the whole day. I didn’t really feel like my tee shot on the last was that bad, it just, it’s a little bit too straight, didn’t kind of get the wind off the right.”
A name to watch this week may be Jacob Bridgeman, the surprise leader in the FedEx Cup standings. Bridgeman, 26, broke through for his first win last month at the Genesis Invitational, but he hasn’t finished worse than T18 in seven starts this season.
Bridgeman tied for fifth at The Players, and with four steady rounds at the Valspar last year, he placed third behind only Hovland and Thomas.
–Field Level Media
Sports
French superstar Antoine Griezmann joins Orlando City
[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 15, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann (7) reacts during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Rose Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Cole-Reuters via Imagn Images Orlando City SC completed the long-anticipated signing of Atletico Madrid superstar Antoine Griezmann on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old French attacker is signed from July 2026 through the 2027-28 season with an option for 2028-29. Financial terms were not disclosed.
“Bringing Antoine to Orlando is a landmark moment not only for our club, but for our city, our supporters and for Major League Soccer,” team owner and chairman Mark Wilf said. “He is one of the most gifted, accomplished and influential players of his generation, and his decision to choose Orlando City reflects the mission and culture of our club. Our focus is on consistently building a championship-caliber roster every year, and adding a world-class player like Antoine reinforces that commitment and our belief in what the Club can achieve.”
Griezmann will join the Lions as a designated player when the MLS secondary transfer window opens in July, pending medical clearance and receipt of his international paperwork.
“I am very excited to begin this next chapter of my career with Orlando City,” Griezmann said. “From my first conversations with the Club, I could feel a strong ambition and a clear vision for the future, and that really spoke to me. I look forward to making Orlando my new home, meeting the supporters, feeling the energy at Inter&Co Stadium, and giving everything I have to help the team achieve great things.”
Griezmann has recorded 13 goals and four assists across all competitions with the La Liga side this season.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner spent 10 seasons at Atletico Madrid, where he is the club’s all-time leader with 211 goals across all competitions from 2014-19 and 2021-26. He was the La Liga Player of the Year in 2015-16 and placed third in the Ballon d’Or voting in 2016 and 2018.
“Antoine is a complete footballer–creative, intelligent, clinical–and he is a proven winner on the biggest stages of the game,” Orlando City general manager Ricardo Moreira said. “Beyond his talent, he brings leadership, a relentless drive and a championship mentality that will elevate everyone around him. This is a statement signing for our club and ownership group, and we are thrilled to welcome Antoine and his family to Orlando.”
Griezmann has tallied 298 goals and 132 assists across 792 professional appearances in Spain. He had 44 goals in 137 caps for France before retiring from international competition in 2024.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kylian Mbappe: Knee is 100%, 'false things were said'
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid’s game against Sevilla in Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, on Dec. 20, 2025 .
French striker Kylian Mbappe disputed reports about the severity of the left knee sprain that has limited his availability of late for Real Madrid.
“My knee is fine. It’s getting better,” he said at a promotional event in France on Monday. “It’s going quite well, and I know there’s been a lot of speculation about it and some false things have been said.
“It’s the life of a top athlete, and we’re used to people saying things without verifying them or having any basis in fact.”
Mbappe, 27, came off the bench in Real Madrid’s two most recent matches: Sunday’s 3-2 La Liga defeat of Atletico Madrid and a 2-1 win at Manchester City on March 17 in the second leg of a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 match.
His last appearance before that, and his most recent start, was on Feb. 21. In 24 La Liga matches this season, Mbappe has 23 goals and four assists.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is on the roster for France’s upcoming friendlies in the United States against Brazil (March 26) and Colombia (March 29).
–Field Level Media
Sports
Falcons add veteran Trevor Siemian to QB room
Jan 7, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets quarterback Trevor Siemian (14) throws the ball against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images The Atlanta Falcons are signing veteran quarterback Trevor Siemian, his agent confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday.
Siemian, 34, adds depth behind newcomer Tua Tagovailoa and 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.
Terms weren’t disclosed for Siemian, who last appeared in an NFL regular-season game in 2023 with the New York Jets. He spent most of the 2024 and 2025 campaigns on the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad.
Siemian is 15-18 as a starter, completing 58.5% of his passes for 7,751 yards, 44 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in 40 games with the Denver Broncos (2015-17), Jets (2019, 2023), New Orleans Saints (2021) and Chicago Bears (2022). He has rushed for 251 yards and two scores.
The Broncos drafted Siemian in the seventh round in 2015.
–Field Level Media
French superstar Antoine Griezmann joins Orlando City
Kylian Mbappe: Knee is 100%, 'false things were said'
