From The Sports Desk: Everyone’s talking Tiger - BERITAJA

It’s Masters week, and everyone is talking about a golfer who isn’t location … Tiger Woods. We reside the elephant successful the room and besides rank the field, arsenic the first information tees disconnected today. We’ll beryllium live-blogging the last round Sunday, truthful bent retired pinch us. We’ll beryllium serving pimento food sandwiches. As always, cheque Beritaja for much coverage.

Concern for Tiger

Tiger Woods won’t beryllium astatine the Masters but his beingness looms large. He’s been a predominant taxable of speech astatine Augusta this week, aft he was arrested connected a DUI complaint in Florida past period aft a conveyance rollover.

Woods has won the famed greenish overgarment 5 times, his about wins successful immoderate of the PGA Tour’s majors. Those wins see his ascendant 12-stroke triumph successful 1997 and his emotional triumph successful 2019, which remains Woods’ past master win, awesome aliases otherwise.

This twelvemonth marks only the sixth clip Woods will not play successful the tourney since debuting astatine Augusta successful 1995, and the guidance of his chap golfers seems to echo the larger emotion of fans: concern.

On Thursday, erstwhile Masters champion Gary Player told reporters, “Do I blasted him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has slumber deprivation. Do I blasted him for taking thing to thief him sleep? No.

“But I don’t deliberation he should thrust a car. When you’re taking that medicine, it’s vulnerable erstwhile you’re driving a car, aforesaid arsenic it’s vulnerable erstwhile you look astatine your cellphone successful the car.”

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned conveyance successful Jupiter Island, Fla., connected March 27, 2026. Jason Oteri / AP

While Jason Day, the 2011 Masters runner-up, said it was a small “selfish” of Woods to thrust and put group successful harm’s way, he besides described Woods arsenic his hero.

“I cognize that he’s getting the thief now, which is good,” Day added. “I’m conscionable hoping he comes retired connected the different broadside and is better.”

Fred Couples, a longtime believe partner of Woods, said to reporters, “What would I show him? I show him I emotion him and things could ever get better.”

Said Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champ: “I told him from time 1 that we started hanging retired backmost successful ‘06, ‘07, location successful there, that I’m pulling for him arsenic a quality being. Forget his golf, I could attraction little about his golf.”

Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner, hopes to spot him backmost connected the course.

“All I could dream is that he gets the thief that he could get and he could travel backmost successful a amended position aft that,” Rahm said. “I mean, he is arguably the king of comebacks. If there’s personification that has the intelligence spot to travel backmost from an rumor for illustration that, it will beryllium him.”

Ranking the Field

Matt Fitzpatrick of England plays a changeable during a believe information anterior to the 2026 Masters Tournament astatine Augusta National Golf Club connected April 8, 2026.Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images

Ninety-one players are slated to play successful the 90th Masters Tournament this week astatine Augusta National Golf Club, marking the commencement of the 2026 fields season.

Who will gaffe connected the greenish overgarment travel Sunday evening? If history is immoderate indication, the database of existent contenders could usually beryllium trim down to about a twelve players based connected tourney trends.

NBC Sports’ Patricia Duffy classed the field:

1. Matt Fitzpatrick: The 2022 U.S. Open champion is coming disconnected a triumph astatine the Valspar successful his past start. Before that, he vanished 2nd astatine The Players. He ranks 2nd connected Tour successful strokes gained tee-to-green and seventh successful approach. Whether he could conquer Augusta’s accelerated and analyzable greens will apt find if this is his year.

2. Ludvig Åberg: Two starts, 2 apical 10s. Åberg vanished solo 2nd successful his Masters debut successful 2024 and followed it up pinch a solo seventh. He’s basking this season, posting 3 top-five finishes successful his past 3 starts. At the aforesaid time, he’s had aggregate chances to triumph this play but travel up short, for illustration his last information illness astatine the Players a fewer weeks ago.

3. Robert MacIntyre: MacIntyre has been correct location pinch Åberg astatine some the Players (fourth) and Valero (T-2), but while Åberg dropped the shot astatine TPC Sawgrass, Bobby Mac did it astatine TPC San Antonio past weekend.

4. Jon Rahm: Five starts connected LIV this play and the Spaniard hasn’t vanished little than fifth. He won successful Hong Kong and has 3 runner-up finishes. The 2023 Masters champion was T-14 successful 2025 and seems to beryllium playing amended this year.

There are 87 much golfers to go! Read the remainder of NBC Sports’ rankings here.

Jon Rahm of Spain holds up the trophy aft winning the 2023 Masters play tournament.Wu Xiaoling / Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images file

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What We're Reading

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether the NFL is forcing shot fans to pay excessively much successful TV subscription fees.

Florida prosecutors activity Tiger Woods’ medication records aft his DUI arrest.

In grant of noted Chicago White Sox instrumentality Pope Leo XIV, the squad plans to springiness distant limited-edition “Pope hats,” during a crippled connected August 11.

RIP Dodgers great Davy Lopes.

Hall of Famer Sue Bird is joining NBC Sports arsenic a WNBA workplace analyst. Welcome to the Peacock, Sue!

WNBA stars get the franchise tag worth up to $1.4 million.

The Big Ten convention is dominating assemblage sports successful the NIL era.

Angels’ Jorge Soler and Braves’ Reynaldo Lopez get a seven-game suspension for their brawl.

The NCAA is proposing major changes to its eligibility rules, including property limits.

Paige Bueckers used 1 connection to picture the spat betwixt her erstwhile coach, Geno Auriemma, and Dawn Staley.

What We're Watching

By the clip you’re reference this, ESPN will beryllium airing first information sum of the Masters. A reminder: We’ll beryllium live-blogging the last round Sunday, search the leaderboard, pursuing each shot, providing penetration and analysis.

Tonight, there’s a heavyweight matchup successful the NBA betwixt the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. Celtics prima Jayson Tatum will beryllium returning to Madison Square Garden, wherever he tore his Achilles tendon during past year’s playoffs.

All times are Eastern:

• 3 p.m.: First information sum of the Masters, connected ESPN
• 7:30 p.m.: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, connected Amazon Prime
• 10 p.m.: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors, connected Amazon Prime

That’s it for now! We’ll beryllium backmost tomorrow.