Sports
Maverick McNealy sets pace with 67 for early lead at The Players
Maverick McNealy hits out of the rough on 18 during the first round of The Players Championship golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass, March 12, 2026 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. March 12, 2026. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Former world No. 1 amateur Maverick McNealy reeled off five birdies in his first 12 holes before seizing an early one-shot lead in a weather-hit opening round of The Players Championship on Thursday.
The 30-year-old McNealy, who won his lone PGA Tour title at the 2024 RSM Classic, briefly moved two strokes clear of the elite field after hitting a superb approach to 5 feet at the par-4 12th and knocking in the birdie putt.
McNealy then offset a bogey at No. 15 with another birdie at the 16th hole en route to a 5-under-par 67 on a blustery and occasionally rain-swept day at TPC Sawgrass.
“I just mastered the variability of what the golf course threw at us really well,” McNealy said.
“It was a mixed bag of everything, felt like four different seasons out there. When that wind flipped, I knew 16 was going to be kind of my last birdie opportunity, so I had 8-iron into that hole and I was glad to take advantage of that, and then hung on really well the last two.”
As thunderstorms moved in from the west, play was suspended at 12.09 p.m. ET before being resumed at 12.30 p.m. Consequently, afternoon tee times were pushed back by 30 minutes.
World No. 6 Russell Henley and fellow American Justin Thomas, who won this event in 2021 and is making his second PGA Tour start of the year after undergoing back surgery in November, opened with 68s on a tightly bunched leaderboard.
World No. 3 Tommy Fleetwood of England, American Tony Finau, Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg and Norway’s Viktor Hovland carded 69s. Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, bidding for a rare third victory at The Players Championship, produced a mixed bag as he opened with an even-par 72.
“I did some good things, changing weather out there, but, overall, I felt like I gave away some shots,” said Scheffler, who clinched his 20th career victory on the PGA Tour at The American Express in January. “Hoping to clean it up a little bit the next few days.
“It can get very challenging when you get some high winds like we had this morning. It can get even more challenging when you’re playing from the rough, which I felt like I was doing a bit too much of today. … I struck it better on the back nine. Just made a few mental errors and just need to be a little bit sharper the next few days.”
The elite field is one of the strongest in the game with the top 10 golfers in the world rankings — and 47 of the top 50 — assembled at TPC Sawgrass for the tournament’s 52nd edition.
However, World No. 4 Collin Morikawa withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury after playing just one hole. After teeing off on the 10th hole and making a par, he experienced some discomfort while taking a practice swing on the 11th tee box.
“I felt fine in warm-up,” Morikawa said. “Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone. Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
Also on Thursday, Ryan Fox withdrew due to illness prior to the start of the opening round. He was replaced in the field by David Ford.
–Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media
Sports
Chicago acquires F Jordyn Huitema from Seattle
Canada forward Jordyn Huitema (9) heads a ball during the SheBelieves Cup against United States at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus on March 4, 2026. The United States won 1-0. Chicago Stars FC acquired forward Jordyn Huitema from Seattle Reign FC on Thursday in exchange for $500,000 in league funds.
The Reign will receive $200,000 in allocation money and $300,000 in intra-league transfer funds.
Huitema, 24, posted 13 goals and four assists in 70 appearances (58 starts) with Seattle from 2022-25. She had three goals and an assist in 22 matches (18 starts) in 2025.
“Jordyn has been a tremendous professional and teammate during her time with the Reign,” Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore said. “We’re grateful for the commitment and energy she brought to the club and to our community. We wish her nothing but the best in the next chapter of her career.”
Internationally, Huitema has earned 96 caps for Canada and won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
–Field Level Media
Sports
WNBA, players still at CBA impasse after 2nd marathon session
Oct 3, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks during a presser before the start of game one of the 2025 WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Another marathon session between the WNBA and the players association ended early Thursday without a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement.
Representatives from the league and the WNBPA began their meeting at a New York hotel at 2 p.m. Wednesday and wrapped up at roughly 1:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Front Office Sports.
A previous session ran from about 5 p.m. on Tuesday until after 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
League officials had set March 10 as the deadline for a new CBA agreement to avoid the loss of regular-season games.
The league and the players have been at a standstill for months, with revenue sharing and housing among the key issues. The regular season is scheduled to begin May 8.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and New York Liberty Owner Clara Wu Tsai attended both sessions and were joined Wednesday by Connecticut Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson and executive committee members Nneka Ogwumike, Breanna Stewart, Alysha Clark and Brianna Turner also were at the bargaining table.
“We’re feeling movement,” Ogwumike told reporters Wednesday night. “We’re sticking to the process. That’s something we’ve always been true to from the very beginning.”
The WNBA draft is scheduled for April 13, with training camps opening six days later. The league also must hold a free agency period, an expansion draft with the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire set to begin play this upcoming season, as well as preseason games.
“We’ve read a lot of things about timelines,” Ogwumike said. “There’s been timelines that have been thrown out, but for us we’re trying to get a good deal done and we want to play this season. So, to me that’s the time that we’re on.”
The players have been without a collective bargaining agreement since they opted out of their existing agreement in October 2024, a year before its Oct. 31, 2025, expiration, with hopes of having a new deal in place last fall.
–Field Level Media
Sports
UMass rides late rally, hands Miami (Ohio) first loss
Miami (OH) RedHawks head coach Travis Steele communicates with players in the first half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Miami Redhawks and Toledo Rockets, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at Millett Hall in Oxford, Oh. Leonardo Bettiol scored 25 points as UMass rallied from an 11-point deficit in the final eight minutes to stun previously unbeaten No. 20 Miami (Ohio), 87-83, on Thursday in a Mid-American Conference quarterfinal in Cleveland, Ohio.
Marcus Banks Jr. had 18 points and Jayden Ndjigue added 16 as the eighth-seeded Minutemen (17-15) advanced to the MAC semifinals in their first year in the conference.
Brant Byers had 17 points and Eian Elmer added 16 for top-seeded Miami (31-1), which must wait to see if it receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when berths are awarded Sunday night.
UMass won the game by dominating in the paint, outscoring the RedHawks, 54-30, in the paint and 23-8 in second-chance points. The Minutemen also out rebounded the RedHawks, 41-24.
When it appeared that Miami was ready to put away the Minutemen by building an 11-point lead at 69-58, UMass answered with a 13-2 spurt. The Minutemen drew even on Ndjigue’s jumper with 4:47 remaining.
The remainder of the game was back-and-forth. Luka Damjanac grabbed an offensive rebound and put home a jumper with 2:38 left to give UMass an 81-79 lead.
The first half featured a wild finish. It appeared the two teams would go to halftime tied when Peter Suder missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. But just before the buzzer, Byers was called for an offensive foul, giving the Minutemen the ball under the Miami basket with a half-second remaining.
UMass guard K’Jei Parker threw the ball the length of the court without anyone touching it, giving Miami the ball under its own basket with a chance to score. The RedHawks capitalized when Luke Skaljac made a perfect pass to Antwone Woolfolk cutting to the basket for a layup at the buzzer and a 39-37 Miami lead at the half.
The Minutemen got into foul trouble early in the second half and the RedHawks entered the bonus with 12:04 remaining.
UMass closed to within 56-52 on a Marcus Banks three with 11:44 remaining. But Miami answered with a 13-6 spurt, capped by an Elmer baseline 3-pointer to take a 69-58 lead with 8:33 remaining.
–Field Level Media
Chicago acquires F Jordyn Huitema from Seattle
WNBA, players still at CBA impasse after 2nd marathon session
