Jon Rahm joins the greats with a comeback at the Masters, plus the Timberwolves, in disarray, reach the knockout stages

Good morning everyone, especially…

JON RAHM, CHAMPIONS CHAMPIONS ONLY

There was a time — in fact not so long ago — a double four putt on the opening hole could have caused Jon Rahmentire league off the rails.

This week, it led him to his first green coat.

The Spaniard is supported through loaded leaderboards and adverse conditions to journey to win four stroke via Brooks Koepka And Phil Mickelson.

• Koepka lead by four shots of the day — starting at the end of the third round after the weather postponement — and led by two steps into the fourth round. But Rahm caught him on the fourth hole of the final round and rose to a solo lead after the sixth hole – a lead he wouldn’t give up.
• This was Rahm’s fourth victory this calendar year. Since 1960, the only other players with a fourth win in a calendar year at the Masters are Arnold Palmer (1960) and Scottie Scheffler (2022). Rahm also participated Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal And Sergio Garcia as the only Spaniard to win the Masters.
• Rahm and Ballesteros – one of Rahm’s heroes – are also the only Spaniards to win two different major titles. Sunday was supposed to be Ballesteros’ 66th birthday.
• Rahm joins Sam Snead (1952) as the only player to win the Masters after making a double mistake or worse on the first hole.

Rahm rarely makes mistakes, and when he does, he bounces back solidly – and sometimes spectacularly -. That was especially true on the 14th, when Rahm faded his approach, he shot around a tree at just 4 feet and made a birdie. Koepka ate three bogeys, and Rahm rose from there.

Rahm is, quite simply, an all-time greatwrites our Kyle Porter from Augusta.

Other top stories:

honorable mention

And not a good morning for…

MINNESOTA WOOD WOOD…

The wild wolf spent the last day of the regular season throwing punches, and now it looks like they hardly stand a chance of a puncher. Right before that Jaden McDaniels broke his arm and punched the wall in frustration, Rudy Gobert punched teammate Kyle Anderson during the timeout And sent home.

Werewolves really won game, 113-108via Pelican to take the Western 8 seed and set up a play-in game with LakersBut Minnesota seems to be in turmoil both physically and mentally. McDaniels, who won the third team title on “Almighty Breakthrough Team” by Colin Ward-Henninger, was an important defender who will be greatly missed.

But the Gobert incident, as explained below, is more disturbing:

• After Anderson allegedly told Gobert to “shut up you damn bitch”, Gobert angered Anderson. It didn’t land with much force and its teammates quickly intervened.
• Timberwolves president Tim Connelly said in a statement, “His behavior on the bench is unacceptable and we will handle the situation internally.”
• It is unclear if/when Gobert will return.

it gets a Tough first year in Minnesota on and off the field for Gobertwho came through a blockbuster deal with Jazz. What will the Timberwolves get if they go through? The answer is… not muchaccording to our Sam Quinn.

If you just look at the box score, that’s a big win. However, when you look at the big picture, the Timberwolves appear to be approaching a breaking point, one way or another.

… AND NOT A GOOD MORNING FOR DALLAS MAVERICKS

If you’re a Timberwolves fan, at least your favorite team is in the play-in tournament — more than that. Mavericks can say. Months after getting Kyrie Irving in an attempt to surround Luka Doncic with more powerful stars, Dallas quietly entered the season, Rest most of their top players in a must win game they lost first Bulls.

This is why they did it.

• Mathematically, the Mavericks are still in the play-in race. However, they owe Knicks a protected top 10 picks from Kristaps Porzingis trade. By losing and thus, being eliminated from the play-in tournament, their chances of getting a pick in the top 10 (and thus, keeping it) has increased dramatically.
• Mavericks, fittingly, failed to hit the rim in any of their last three hits.
• NBA is investigating Mavericks’ roster decisions and playing behavior. Irving, Starring:Josh GreenTim Hardaway Jr.Maxi Kleber And christian wood didn’t play and Doncic only played in the first quarter.

Now the Mavericks are reportedly worried Doncic might ask for a trade next summerand Sam has ranked all possible destinations — although Doncic says he’s happy in Dallas. Before we go down that road, though, this is a brutal way for the Mavericks to end their season. As of Feb. 8 — Irving debut — they win 18-9 and then deliberately play their way after the season.

It’s all just a shameful look, writes our Brad Botkin. I totally agree.

not too honorable mention

NBA Play-In Tournament, the top six seeds in the playoffs set after a really wild final weekend

Believe it or not, It’s more than just punching walls, punching teammates and pitching in seasons during the final weekend of the NBA season

We have some Crazy stats stream from little known playersthe combatant make history and even more ridiculous moments. But most importantly, play-in tournament and the top six seeds in the playoff are set!

Here’s what we’re looking for for the play-in:

Tuesday

• Play-In Game 1: (8) Hawk (7) Heat
• Play-In Game 2: (8) Timberwolves at (7) Lakers

Wednesday

• Play-In Game 3: (10) Bulls at (9) Raptors
• Play-In Game 4: (10) Thunder at (9) Pelicans

Thursday

• Game Play-In 5: Game 3 won Game 1 lost
• Game Play-In 6: Winner of game 4, loser of game 2

By the way, this is how play-in works. If your favorite team is lucky enough to make it to the knockout stages without having to rely on play-ins, Here is the match schedule.

Odell Beckham Jr. Landing with Ravens

The Ravens spent most of their season dealing with lamar Jackson saga, but he’s not the only famous freelance agent on their minds.

Baltimore and Odell Beckham Jr. agreed to a one-year contract worth up to $18 million.

• Beckham Jr., 30 years old, haven’t played since super bowl LVI in February 2022when he helps Rams defeat Bengali. He tore the ACL on his left knee during the matchhis second injury in two seasons.
• Including knockouts, Beckham appeared in 12 games against Los Angeles, making 48 catches from 593 yards and seven touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl.
• The huge payout was almost as surprising as the timing: Beckham was supposed to visit jet plane Today and they seem to be loved.

It remains to be seen how much Beckham can help not only on the pitch, but kept Jackson in Baltimore Later The star midfielder has requested a transaction.

USWNT star Mallory Swanson’s World Cup status in doubt after tearing patellar tendon

United States women’s national team star Mallory Swanson tear the patellar tendon in her left knee inside USWNT .’s 2-0 friendly win via Irelanda blow just three months before the World Cup.

• Swan was given after being dealt with in the first half.
• Swanson has been in great form. She scored in the NWSL season opener for Red Star and has scored eight goals in six USWNT games this year.
• Alyssa ThompsonAn 18-year-old player and No. 1 pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, has replaced Swanson on the UWSNT’s roster for tomorrow night’s friendly against Ireland.

How big is this loss? Our Sandra Herrera calls it “near disaster.”

WNBA mock draft: Aliyah Boston first, but who’s next? 🏀

The WNBA Draft is on tonight and we have Jack Maloney’s mock draft to help you get ready.

No wisdom in 1st place for Fever:

• Maloney: “1. Fever: Aliyah Boston — The Fever… finally got a chance to draw the lottery and win this year’s #1 pick for the first time in franchise history. It comes at a perfect time, as they will be able to pick Boston, one of the teams with the best prospects to enter the league for many years. The 6-foot-5 centre-back is the dominant defensive force around the basket, an excellent own-goer and an efficient goalscorer in the highlands.”

Here are Jack’s top 5:

• 1. Fever: C Aliyah Boston
• 2. Lynx: G Diamond Miller
• 3. Wings: F Maddy Siegrist
• 4. Mystic: G/F Jordan Horston
• 5. Wings: C Stephanie Soares

Those top five include two of the Wings’ first three picks and Jack took an inside look at their approach to the draft.

What are we watching on Monday

🏀 Draft WNBA7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Wild at the Blackhawks9 p.m. on ESPN