Matthew Jordan’s first shot at the British Open was a special one

The Atlanta Braves are going to be buying at the MLB Trade Deadline, but what are their options for a dream trade, a smarter trade and a non-starter?Even with a pedestrian month of May, the Atlanta Braves are still very much in the driver's seat of the NL East and, by some calculations, the...

Ben Davies insists Wales are determined to prove the doubters wrong by making Euro 2024 and reaching a fourth major tournament in five attempts. Wales are preparing for decisive Euro 2024 ties against Armenia and Turkey knowing qualification for next summer’s finals is in their own hands. Last month’s stunning 2-1 upset win over World Cup semi-finalists Croatia has set Rob Page’s side up for what could be another momentous week in Welsh football. Tottenham defender Davies, stand-in skipper for the injured Aaron Ramsey on the night and again this week, gave a rousing ‘huddle’ speech after the Croatia game that was caught on camera. Evoking the words of Dafydd Iwan’s Yma O Hyd – the 1980s folk protest song which has been adopted by the Football Association of Wales as an anthem and translates as “Still Here” – Davies declared that the Dragons never give in. “It was just a case of showing the reason why we’re here,” Davies said of a speech which came during a campaign in which Wales have had to adapt to life without the match-winning exploits of the retired Gareth Bale. “It was backs against the walls stuff, it was showing that people doubted us again but we’re still standing. “We’re standing up against the challenges and here we are with two games to go still in the fight. “We never stopped believing in this group. The mindset we’ve got is we can get a result against anyone. We’ve shown that.” If they fail to qualify automatically – dropped points will leave them relying on other results for a top-two place – Wales are guaranteed a play-off place through their elite status in the last edition of the Nations League. But overcoming Armenia and already-qualified Turkey might be an easier proposition than beating the likes of Norway, Poland and Ukraine in March. Automatic qualification, however, looked improbable after June’s 4-2 defeat to Armenia in Cardiff, and the subsequent 2-0 away loss in Turkey three days later. Davies said: “It was obviously disappointing to lose to Armenia at home in the summer. The mindset we've got is we can get a result against anyone. We've shown that Wales captain Ben Davies “In these groups your home record usually has to be very good, but we’ve been here before. “We’ve had our backs against the wall and we’ve given ourselves a chance. It’s exactly the same now. “It’s quite clear the second game doesn’t matter if the first one doesn’t go our way. “This week it’s full focus on Armenia. We had a tough result against them at home, it was a real wake-up call. “They’re a good side and showed that against us, and it’s important we go there knowing we’ve got a big job to do.” Davies, Ramsey and goalkeepers Danny Ward and Wayne Hennessey are the four survivors remaining from the squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016. Wales went 58 years before their first major tournament – the 1958 World Cup – and their second in France. But playing in Germany next summer would see them making four tournaments out of five – three successive European Championships and the 2022 World Cup. “Growing up it was a dream of Welsh football to be going to these major tournaments,” Davies said. “That dream still exists and this is another huge chance we’ve got. “We don’t want to sit on the success and say: ‘OK, we’ve been there and had a nice time’. “Once you get a taste of it you want to do it again. That’s exactly where we are as a group this time.” Wales qualified for Euro 2020 by winning their final two games, away to Azerbaijan and at home to Hungary, and obvious parallels exist with a far-flung trip to Eastern Europe followed by a sell-out clash at the Cardiff City Stadium. Davies said: “Of course there are similarities from the last time we qualified (for the European Championship). “It’s a tight group and they’re always going to come down to it (last games), whatever happens. Most of us have been in this situation before and it’s an opportunity for us to do it again.” Read More Britain’s Katie Boulter eager to build on her successful season in 2024 On this day in 2006: Gold Cup winning Desert Orchid dies at the age of 27 The sporting weekend in pictures Football to bid farewell to Sir Bobby Charlton on Monday San Francisco 49ers return to winning ways against Jacksonville Jaguars Oleksandr Zinchenko says Ukraine ready for ‘game of their lives’ against Italy

Dalvin Cook is now in free agency but, if his latest Instagram Story is a message to Miami Dolphins fans, that won't be the case for long.Though it had been expected for some time, it became a mere formality on Thursday that the Minnesota Vikings are releasing longtime running back Dalvin C...

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Everton manager Sean Dyche has paid tribute to Bill Kenwright, who died on Monday at the age of 78, calling the late chairman “an amazing servant” to the club. On Wednesday morning, Dyche and club captain Seamus Coleman laid flowers at the statue of Dixie Dean outside Goodison Park, where the Everton squad were holding a training session. All players and staff observed a minute’s silence before the session and Kenwright’s image was shown on the stadium’s screens. Everton announced on Tuesday that Kenwright had died following a battle with cancer. In a statement on the club website, Dyche said: “It’s a very sad time for everyone at Everton Football Club to lose our chairman, someone who has been such an amazing servant to the club in so many ways. “His influence in bringing me to Everton in the first place was important and I have nothing but gratitude and respect for his unwavering support of myself, the staff and our players. “It was a pleasure to share the moment of reaching our objective last season with him – a moment I know he felt so strongly about after such an arduous season, on and off the pitch… “He was an incredible professional, in terms of what he did with Everton and also what he achieved in the theatre industry. Spending time with him and learning about his family, you couldn’t help but be taken by his passion.” Dyche was told of the news midway through Tuesday’s training and called an immediate halt to the session as players and staff paid their respects. Kenwright, who succeeded Sir Phillip Carter as chairman in 2004 after first joining the board at Goodison Park in 1989, had a cancerous tumour removed from his liver in August. Liverpool-born Kenwright was a successful theatre and film producer when asked to join the Everton board in 1989. He bought a majority 68 per cent stake in the club in 1999 and became deputy chairman before replacing Carter in his current role. Dyche added: “Beyond his deep love of his family, one of those big passions, of course, was football – the game as a whole, as well as his obvious lasting love of Everton football club. “His story – a boyhood supporter who went on to become chairman – is something so rare in the modern game, especially at the top level. “He always believed in Everton and stood by the club, even in the toughest times. He was steadfast until the very end. “Like so many who knew him, my heart and my thoughts are with his family at this extremely sad time.” Read More Tom Curry in England’s starting line-up to face Argentina Gabriel Jesus urges Arsenal team-mates to believe they can win Champions League Sale condemn ‘disgusting abuse’ aimed at Tom Curry and his family Leigh Halfpenny announces international retirement after 101 caps for Wales Moeen Ali: Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood will be fired up to face England Having ‘hero’ in opponent’s corner could unsettle Tyson Fury – Carl Frampton

Luis Severino and the New York Mets finalized a $13 million, one-year contract that moves the oft-injured right-hander across town from the Yankees

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Mauricio Pochettino will have final say on Chelsea transfers as the club hone a more collaborative approach going forward. While there are set to be more signings in January despite a £1bn-plus outlay over the last three windows, the aim is to be far more targeted in the new year. The club's much-discussed American owners felt a total overhaul of the squad was due on arriving, as they sought to reshape it to have a much younger and leaner profile. That create a bloated group for a period of time that sometimes felt too large for the dressing room, but the feeling is that gradual trading has left them closer to an ideal profile. The target now is to fill any remaining positional gaps or depth to the team, so as to maximise Pochettino's tactics. It is within that process that the Argentine will have a final say on any purchases, after a collaborative process with the recruitment team, which includes co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart and co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields. The model is described as more like Manchester City's, where the manager will identify the type of tactical profile he needs, then the staff come up with suitable names, and the manager then decides on who to go for. Chelsea are expected to be one of the clubs that go for Brentford's Ivan Toney in the window, as a number nine would still be preferred, with Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja yet to fully convince as a long-term option. Although there is still a sense of seeing how the squad settles after one more international window. Chelsea enjoyed one of their brightest performances yet under Pochettino in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal, with Brentford visiting Stamford Bridge this weekend as the Blues look to rebuild after a slow start to the season. Read More Gary O’Neil unpacks Wolves secrets on MNF to show the future of football punditry Mikel Arteta showing he is ‘one of best in world’, says Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino Mikel Arteta, Mauricio Pochettino and the ‘love’ at the heart of a fractious rivalry

Nikola Jokić made even more history and recorded yet another triple-double to inspire the Denver Nuggets to a 132-126 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals Tuesday.