Sports
LIV Golf stars wary despite world rankings spike
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 4, 2026; Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA; Sergio Garcia in action during the first round of play at LIV Golf Riyadh at the Riyadh Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters via Imagn Images The significant spike enjoyed by several LIV Golf players following the league’s first event that earned Official World Golf Ranking points has stirred plenty of debate in the golf world, but Sergio Garcia cautioned that only time will tell what the true impact is.
Following a win in his LIV Golf debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Australia’s Elvis Smylie jumped from 133rd to 77th in the world rankings. Meanwhile, former World No. 1 Jon Rahm used his runner-up finish to climb from 97th to 67th, Sebastian Munoz moved from 767th to 566th, Abraham Ancer from 616th to 449th and Thomas Pieters from 564th to 419th.
That led many critics to call out LIV Golf players and CEO Scott O’Neill, who were highly critical of the OWGR’s decision to award points only through the top 10 finishers and ties in each event. While the early returns were tangible for those who earned points in Saudi Arabia, Garcia noted that it essentially equates to missing a cut for those who finish outside of the top 10 because it adds another event to their equation with zero points.
“It’s definitely a step forward. Is it fair? I mean, I guess time will tell us,” said the 46-year-old Spaniard, who added that he’d like to see the number of players earning points expanded. “It doesn’t feel like it’s totally fair.
“Now the first few weeks obviously when one of us is winning, that guy is going to make a jump in the rankings, which is great, but then every time you finish 11th or worse you’re getting a zero and you’re getting an extra event on your divisor. So that in the near (term). A little farther future, it can hurt a lot.
“But like I said, it’s a step forward, so it is positive. I think that at the end of the day, it’s going to help some of these kids performing well to move up the rankings. Hopefully they play really well.”
One of those kids is the 23-year-old Smylie. If he can rise into the top 50, Smylie would be eligible for each of the four majors, making this week’s event in Adelaide a tremendous opportunity as he eyes the Masters in April.
“Ultimately, the Masters is something that’s on my mind now,” Smylie said. “That’s a conversation that I can start to have and that is fuel to the fire for me. Let’s see what happens these next few weeks.”
Cam Smith was ranked No. 2 in the world when he signed with LIV. He’s now 227th, dropping six spots after tying for 13th in Riyadh. He also missed the cut in all four majors in 2025 before closing the year with a runner-up at the Australian Open.
Smith said he never considered accepting the PGA Tour’s offer following Brooks Koepka’s return, and called the initial OWGR inclusion a “work in progress.”
“It is nice to have that behind us. That’s been a long time coming, so it’s nice to get the recognition,” he said. “It’s so hard out here. I don’t think we get the respect of the golfing world that maybe we respect sometimes because of what it is and how we play.
“I think it’s a work in progress, but it’s a step in the right direction, nonetheless. It was good for Elvis last week. He loves it.”
Part of LIV’s effort to swing the tide with the OWGR was to expanding events from 54 to 72 holes in 2026. That has drawn mixed reactions from outside and from within LIV, with Bryson DeChambeau saying last week that’s not what players signed up for.
Garcia noted that 72-hole events should benefit players who are in the best form for a given week, and new Smash GC team captain Talor Gooch said those he has talked to are “over the moon” to be playing for LIV Golf.
“We have 14 great opportunities, and with the world ranking and majors and things kind of softening up on all of those fronts and kind of the ecosystem starting to accept us slowly but surely, I think it’s going to continue to make this place more and more enticing for people,” Gooch said.
“There’s obviously some frustrations with us not getting the whole (rankings) pie, let’s just say. But you know what, at least we got some pie and let’s keep trying to get some more pie.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Elizabeth Lemley wins gold, Jaelin Kauf nets silver in women's moguls
Feb 11, 2026; Livigno, Italy; Gold medalist Elizabeth Lemley of the United States celebrates during the freestyle skiing women’s moguls final during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY LIVIGNO, Italy — American freestyle skier Elizabeth Lemley won a surprise gold medal in moguls with two neat and quick runs at the Winter Games on Wednesday.
Her victory put an end to 2022 champion Jakara Anthony’s bid to become the first Australian to successfully defend a title at a Winter Games.
Anthony, who has dominated the discipline for the last four years, led from silver medalist American Jaelin Kauf after the first run but wobbled out of line on her second to finish eighth and last.
Kauf, who also finished second in Beijing four years ago, won her second silver with a score of 80.77, and Pyeongchang 2018 champion France’s Perrine Laffont clinched bronze with 78 points.
In her first run of the finals, under a bright and sunny afternoon sky in the narrow valley of Livigno, Lemley was in firm control of her skis, always pinned one to the other, and landed well after two big jumps.
In the second run — also known as the superfinal — the skier pushed on the speed, keeping her skis tight together and showing off great technique around the moguls and with a big grab on the bottom jump.
“I was trying to focus on trusting myself. I’ve been working on that this whole season … and right when I pushed out of the gate, I said to myself, ‘Let’s go!'” Lemley told a press conference after the medal ceremony.
Like other athletes at the Winter Games, Lemley’s medal fell apart as she was celebrating on the top of the podium just after she received it from Australian Olympic Committee President Ian Chesterman, who would have been hoping for a different outcome.
Anthony had a first fast, clean run for the finals, with smooth turns and a big grab on the bottom jump, but in the second she lost control in the middle section of the moguls, leaving her fall line, the straightest path down the hill.
Her 83.96 score on the first run would have been enough for gold had she reproduced it in the second, but only the final score counts and Lemley’s 82.30 secured the American her first global title.
Kauf, who got through to the final only hours before in the second qualifying round, delivered a fast first run down the hill, with tidy skiing through the moguls and strong jumps.
In the superfinal she was strong and quick, with a big top jump, crushing through the moguls and performing a grab in the bottom air.
“I definitely didn’t take the easy route into the finals… but I think everything happens for a reason,” Kauf said.
Despite scraping through to the second final round with a stylish technique but not so clean jumps, Laffont set a very high bar in the second run, showing off great precision and performing two big jumps with grabs.
Japan’s Hinako Tomitaka also scored 78 but Laffont took the bronze as she was awarded a better score — 42.6 to 42 — for her turns in the final run.
Asked what went through her mind when she saw her score was the same as Tomitaka’s, Laffont said: “Today was a real roller coaster. It is pretty hard to remember what I was thinking.”
Anthony was disappointed but was already looking ahead.
“I’m pretty bummed, to be honest,” Anthony said. “I definitely had what it took, but it is just not my day today sadly. Maybe in another four years’ time.”
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Sports
Super Bowl LXI Long Shots: Who Could Be Next Year’s Seattle Seahawks?
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy on the podium after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images At the start of this past season, the Seattle Seahawks were +6000 to win the Super Bowl. Their odds were so long in August that even the Arizona Cardinals were shorter favorites.
Seattle managed to turn things around quickly.
But which long-shot teams could have their moment in the sun this upcoming year?
Pittsburgh Steelers (+6000)
I’ve gone on record saying the Mike Tomlin era had run its course. He still looks like a Hall of Fame coach (and if Bill Belichick isn’t one, then who is?), but sometimes both sides need a clean slate.
The AFC North had a bit of a down year, yet Pittsburgh is once again the reigning division champion.
The defense is beginning to age, but it can still be good enough — provided the offense isn’t an automatic three-and-out machine.
If the Steelers move on from Rodgers and hit on a quarterback in free agency, they could be legitimate surprise contenders. For a long shot, this feels like a team that could offer a very positive cashout opportunity by midseason.
Washington Commanders (+6000)
Dec 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) drops back to pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images Does anyone remember that Washington was one game away from the Super Bowl in 2025?
The Commanders didn’t get much grace for the injury bug that plagued them last season. That could resurface — they still have one of the oldest rosters in the league — but I’m willing to bet on a Jayden Daniels resurgence.
Daniels is only one year removed from one of the best rookie seasons we’ve ever seen. Washington also has a much easier schedule this year, and adding someone like Caleb Downs in the first round could help patch up defensive issues.
If Daniels and Terry McLaurin stay healthy for a full season, I’ll keep the faith in Washington as a long shot.
Indianapolis Colts (+6000)
Dec 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) looks to throw downfield against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images Halfway through last season, the Colts were 7-1 and eyeing a first-round bye. A few weeks later, Daniel Jones’ Achilles tear flipped the season upside down.
I’d like to believe the version of Indianapolis we saw in the first half wasn’t a fugazi.
Mostly, I believe in Shane Steichen as a head coach. I’m not sure if Jones will be ready immediately, so they may need to explore quarterback options in free agency — or give Anthony Richardson one last shot.
I’ll admit it: I have a slightly delusional belief in Richardson. He hasn’t shown much that would convince a rational observer he’s a long-term NFL starter, but the arm talent and athleticism are too freakish to completely give up on.
This is my least favorite of the three teams, but the Colts defense alone could be good enough to make some noise.
Sports
Mets' Francisco Lindor to have surgery on hamate bone
Sep 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) throws to first base to retire Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez (not pictured) during the second inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images New York Mets All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor will have surgery Wednesday for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said Tuesday that Lindor had been feeling soreness in his left hand and wrist area over the previous couple of days and would be seeing a specialist on Wednesday.
Stearns said Tuesday that if surgery was warranted, the recovery time was estimated at six weeks and that it was not expected to delay Lindor’s availability for the regular season. The Mets open the season at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 26.
“If we get to the point where we get closer to Opening Day and there are questions about Francisco, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Stearns said. “But, at this point, we’re optimistic that regardless of what Francisco needs, he’s going to be ready for Opening Day.”
Lindor, 32, has experienced soreness in the same area at times for a couple of years, Stearns said.
“He’s usually able to grind through it, and he’s done it,” Stearns said. “I don’t know when he first felt it, but I think it just persisted to the point where he felt like he should say something about it. Once we examined it a little bit more yesterday, our medical staff determined that he should see a specialist.”
Lindor has not been on the injured list since 2021 and has played in at least 152 games in the four seasons since, missing several games late in 2024 but staying off the injured list.
While Lindor is out, the Mets will have Christian Arroyo, Vidal Brujan, Jackson Cluff and Ronny Mauricio as options to play at shortstop. Bo Bichette signed a three-year deal with the Mets this offseason with the intention of switching from shortstop to third base, but he also could see time as Lindor’s replacement in spring training.
Lindor was selected to the All-Star Game for the fifth time in his career last season and first as a Met in 2025. He batted .267 with 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, a .346 on-base percentage, a .466 slugging percentage, a National League-leading 644 at-bats and major league-topping 732 plate appearances in 160 games.
He has a career batting average of .273 with 279 homers and 856 RBIs in 1,535 regular-season games with Cleveland (2015-20) and New York (2021-present). He was an All-Star in 2016-19 with Cleveland.
Lindor also is batting .263 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 41 playoff games.
–Field Level Media
Activist investor Ancora publicly opposes the WBD-Netflix deal
The search is on: 2026 Joseph C. Belden Innovation Award nominations are open
