Sports
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler pursues third Phoenix Open title
Professional golfer Scottie Scheffler walks with his son, Bennett, after speaking with the press during the Annexus Pro-Am at the WM Phoenix Open on Feb. 4, 2026, at TPC Scottsdale. The drive for an exceptional 2026 season is off to a rousing start for Scottie Scheffler, who began his year with a championship at the American Express a week ago Sunday in La Quinta, Calif.
That title was the 20th of Scheffler’s career, which earned him lifetime status on the PGA Tour. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old is wasting no time chasing No. 21 as the Phoenix Open tees off Thursday.
The Scottsdale, Ariz. event is famous for its crowd involvement, and Scheffler welcomes the big stage.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing this type of test,” he said. “I think this golf course plays really well when it comes tournament time. It plays firm and fast and you got to hit a lot of different shots and you got to be very precise with your ball, but then there is also a big crowd that comes with it as well.
“I think it’s always a lot of fun to play in front of a group this size. It can be a bit hectic out there sometimes, but it really is a lot of fun.”
Scheffler is certainly familiar with the setup as a two-time winner at this event (2022, 2023), though he’ll also be hoping to improve on last year’s respectable showing, a 9-under performance that left him in a tie for 25th.
The first of his Phoenix championships was the first of his PGA career.
“Yeah, it doesn’t feel all that long ago, but at the same time, it feels like quite a bit of time has passed since then,” Scheffler acknowledged. “Yeah, lots of good memories. It’s nice to come back to this tournament. This tournament is a lot of fun for me to play in and it’s fun to be able to play in front of this crowd.”
His competition will naturally be a bigger concern than the crowd or his history on the course, and Brooks Koepka is once again a part of that field, continuing his return from LIV Golf.
Scheffler expressed appreciation for having Koepka and Patrick Reed back on the Tour.
“Having those guys competing out here is great for the Tour, great for the fans, and great for our sponsors,” Scheffler said. “I think the last few years — there has just been a lot of the noise, and so I think getting those guys back is another step towards us just being able to play golf again. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”
Part of embracing the challenge of winning another championship, Scheffler explained, is leaning into the razor-thin margin between delight and disaster on the finishing holes.
A course like TPC Scottsdale demands excellence late and, for Scheffler, that’s all part of the fun.
“You have to play well at the end. I think this golf course is one of those — one of the best ones we see all year in terms of an exciting finish,” Scheffler said. “There is opportunity, but also a lot of danger. You look at even the second shot on 15. If you hit a really good shot there, you can get a really good look for eagle, but if you hit a poor shot you’re going to be in the water staring bogey in the face.
“So there is a lot of variety, and I think it’s a fantastic finish that provides a great amount of opportunity — but also can be pretty severe penalties as well.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Habs outlast Devils in shootout to earn eighth straight victory
Apr 4, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Montréal Canadiens right wing Cole Caufield (13) swipes at the puck in front of New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the first period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Salus-Imagn Images Oliver Kapanen scored in the fifth round of the shootout to extend the Montreal Canadiens’ win streak to eight games after Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.
Cole Caufield failed to find his 50th goal of the season, but tallied a pair of assists in the win, while Ivan Demidov, Jayden Struble, and Cole Hutson all scored for the Canadiens (45-21-10, 100 points).
Both goaltenders impressed as Jakub Dobes made 35 saves en route to his fifth consecutive win, while Jake Allen stopped 26 shots in the loss.
Jack Hughes, Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer all scored for the Devils (39-34-3, 81 points).
Struble broke the deadlock with 4:02 remaining in the first as he sent a rocket of a shot into the top corner for just his second goal of the season.
Caufield picked up his second assist of the night just over eight minutes into the second period as he slid a sneaky pass across to Demidov, who made no mistake to bury the power-play goal and extend his point streak to five games (two goals, four assists).
Hutson stretched it to a 3-0 lead 9:28 into the middle frame as the puck bounced out to him with Allen sprawled out and an empty net in front of him.
Mercer finally solved Dobes as he sent a short-side snipe over the netminder’s shoulder with 6:52 left in the second.
Just moments after Bratt was denied on a short-handed odd-man break, Hughes made the most of the second consecutive 2-on-1 chance, cutting the deficit to one with 2:20 left in the second.
Caufield had his best chance at finding his 50th goal with 7:44 left in the contest as he fired off a high shot from the slot, but Allen got it with the blocker.
Meier knotted things up at three with just 2:15 remaining in regulation as he took a pass from Hughes and sent his shot off the post and in.
Dobes robbed Bratt at one end, before Allen stoned Kapanen at the other during an exciting overtime frame.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Clayton Keller's hatty surges Mammoth past lowly Canucks
Apr 2, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) looks to pass while defended by Seattle Kraken center Chandler Stephenson (9) in the second period at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images Clayton Keller collected his third career hat trick in a four-point game to lead the visiting Utah Mammoth to a 7-4 victory over the cellar-dwelling Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
Dylan Guenther and Lawson Crouse both scored once and added an assist for the Mammoth (40-30-6, 86 points), who pulled closer to clinching a playoff berth.
Kailer Yamamoto and Liam O’Brien also tallied, while Logan Cooley collected a pair of assists and goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves.
Utah, which has won six straight versus Vancouver, is firmly in control of the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot.
Linus Karlsson scored twice while Jake DeBrusk and Marco Rossi added singles for Vancouver (22-46-8, 52 points), which has lost eight of nine games.
Goalie Nikita Tolopilo stopped 17 shots.
Keller broke open a 2-2 tie with a power-play goal at 7:04 of the second period by deflecting Guenther’s high point shot. It was originally waived off but video review showed Keller’s stick was even with the crossbar at impact.
The Mammoth have scored on the power play in five consecutive outings, converting nine times in that span.
After a string of near misses, Utah extended the lead when Guenther buried a sharp-angled chance into a yawning net at 11:55.
To their credit, the Canucks kept fighting but could not draw even.
DeBrusk’s power-play goal 20 seconds into the third period, a nifty deflection of Filip Hronek’s point shot, made it a one-goal game. But Crouse restored Utah’s two-goal bulge with a top-shelf shot at 1:32 of the final frame.
Rossi again pulled the hosts within one with another power-play goal at 4:40, only to see O’Brien tally seven minutes later with a deke on a partial breakaway in his first game since Feb. 4.
Keller’s empty-net goal rounded out the scoring, and gives him 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in a four-game streak.
Both clubs staked and squandered a lead.
Karlsson opened the scoring at the 2:28 mark, but Yamamoto drew Utah even 11 minutes later and Keller potted his first of the game with 90 seconds remaining in the opening period to give the Mammoth a 2-1 edge.
Karlsson tied the clash at 2-2 by deflecting the point shot 125 seconds into the second period.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Miami rallies twice to earn draw in new stadium opener vs. Austin
Apr 4, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi (10) kicks the ball against Austin FC during the first half at Nu Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Substitute Luis Suarez scored his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute after Lionel Messi scored his fifth and Inter Miami salvaged a 2-2 draw against visiting Austin FC to officially open their new permanent stadium on Saturday night.
Both goals pulled Miami (3-1-2, 11 points) back from a goal down at the 26,700-seat Nu Stadium just west of downtown Miami, which replaces the Herons’ temporary home of Chase Stadium in nearby Fort Lauderdale.
Austin’s Guiherme Biro scored the first goal in the venue early in the first half, and Jayden Nelson temporarily restored the visitors’ lead early in the second.
It was the first time the Verde (1-2-3, 6 points) have scored multiple goals since a 2-2 home draw against Minnesota in their season opener.
But Austin were forced to settle for a share of the points when Suarez leveled nine minutes after his entrance on a well-worked corner.
Mateo Silvetti struck the inswinging service to the near post, and German Berterame met it with a flick-on header to the far post. That’s where Suarez showed up for a first-time volley from close range.
Once level late, Miami looked far more likely to get the winner. Suarez briefly thought he’d dispatched a rebound into the net for a winner, only to be ruled offside. Then Austin’s Brad Stuver sprawled to deny Messi’s low effort in second-half stoppage time.
A rare turnover from Messi led to Austin’s second goal in the 53rd minute.
Joseph Rosales took the ball off the Argentine, took several touches forward to begin a break and then sprayed a pass further up the left flank to Myrto Uzuni.
From there, Uzuni played a very clever first-time diagonal ball — benefiting from a fortunate deflection off Miami’s Noah Allen — into the path of Nelson sprinting up the center channel. Nelson finished the sequence off the inside of the left post and into the net.
Austin first went in front on a sixth-minute corner. Facundo Torres provided the outswinging service, and Miami’s Tadeo Allende slightly misjudged his clearing header attempt.
That allowed the ball to drop for Biro, who powered a low header off the turf and past Dayne St. Clair.
Messi pulled the Herons level four minutes later after Telasco Segovia orchestrated a flowing left-to-right move, eventually playing the ball to Ian Fray on the right flank.
Fray looped a cross back toward the penalty spot, where Messi connected with a relatively rare headed goal into the top-right corner.
–Field Level Media
