Sports
Winning vibes vault Collin Morikawa into Riviera, Genesis Open
Collin Morikawa celebrates after winning on the 18th hole during the final round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The PGA Tour and Tiger Woods return to stage the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club starting Thursday, ending the event’s hiatus due to wildfires in the region.
Woods’ first ever appearance with tour competition came in the tournament as a teenage amateur in 1992. This week, he will preside over the tournament’s 100th anniversary as host but not as a player.
“Playing the 100th championship here is pretty amazing,” said Woods, who is from nearby Orange County. “For me as a SoCal kid who grew up coming here, L.A. Open, coming here to Riv, it’s an iconic site. … For a 16-year-old kid just to be able to start here and then now host his own tournament at the same golf course is pretty special.”
Last year’s tournament moved to the San Diego area one month after the devastating Palisades Fire destroyed much of the adjacent community. The Riviera course and clubhouse were spared. Empty residential lots just down Sunset Blvd. sit as a reminder of the destruction.
“We come to make an impact on local communities,” said defending U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun, who is from the Los Angeles area. “At the end of the day, that’s what this tournament does, and that’s what we hope to do: Provide some warmth, some entertainment, kind of make this area a lot more what we’re used to seeing and try to erase the bad memories and move forward.”
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg is the defending champion, claiming the trophy on Torrey Pines’ South Course. The last event winner at Riviera was Hideki Matsuyama in 2024.
California’s Collin Morikawa will step on the course 30 miles from where he grew up in La Canada with an abundance of confidence. He won last week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am to end a 29-month victory drought.
The Cal alum has made his mark in the northern part of the state with a decorated college career at Cal and three tournament titles. In addition to Pebble, he also won the Barracuda Championship at Lake Tahoe in 2019 and the PGA Championship at San Francisco in 2020.
He hasn’t won in the southern part of the state, but that has not eliminated the thrill.
“Having a lot of friends, family come out, it just makes the week that much more exciting,” Morikawa said. “It’s a long week for me, but everything is worth it whether you play great or not. But the goal is to kind of continue this momentum or whatever I had Saturday, Sunday last week, into the rest of the season.”
Rainy weather could impact Thursday’s opening round before giving way to clear skies through the weekend. Riviera’s 7,383-yard, par-71 course is average in length on the PGA Tour, but the thick Kikuyu fairways and rough, with undulating Poa annua greens, make it as challenging as they come.
“I think you have a lot of history here, and it’s a golf course that’s stood the test of time,” said world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has never finished better than a tie for seventh at Riviera. “… I think it’s evolved for the better and it still challenges us to this day, which is pretty cool.”
Scheffler highlights a star-studded field in a second consecutive signature event. There will be 27 of the top 30 players in the world on hand, including every player in the top 10.
“I don’t know why I was surprised but some of the movement and some of how much break you have to play on a lot of the putts out here. It’s like ‘Wow,'” said world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, whose best finish at the Genesis Invitational was tied for fourth in 2019.
–Doug Padilla, 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'
