Tiger Woods weighs offer to captain 2027 US Ryder Cup team

Tiger Woods has confirmed he has been asked to captain the USA team at the Ryder Cup next year. Woods, who has not played competitively since the 2024 Open Championship, has also somewhat remarkably left the door open to teeing up in the Masters this year.With the USA still reeling from defeat by Europe at Bethpage in September, thoughts have turned towards attempts to reclaim the Ryder Cup in Ireland. Woods is the PGA of America’s first choice as captain. The 50-year-old will determine whether he believes he can commit sufficiently to the role

Pollock promotion reflects England’s need to banish Murrayfield blues | Robert Kitson

A week can be a long time in the Six Nations, never mind in politics. One minute England are contemplating title showdowns in Paris, the next they face a must-win game against Ireland to remain in contention. A swift riposte to the defeat in Scotland last weekend is required urgently and Steve Borthwick’s team selection reflects the management’s desire for a significant gear change.It has clearly played straight into the hands of Henry Pollock, whose ambition to start for England is about to be realised after seven caps off the bench. His promotion reflects the need to re-energise all involved in the Murrayfield meltdown, as does the starting return of Tom Curry and Ollie Lawrence, Tommy Freeman’s shift back to the wing and Marcus Smith’s bench resurrection

Borthwick backs ‘superstar’ Pollock to deliver euphoria when England host Ireland

Steve Borthwick has backed Henry Pollock to thrive in the face of any wind-up tactics from Ireland on his first England start on Saturday, tipping his rising star to bring “euphoria” to Twickenham.Pollock comes into the side at No 8 as England seek to get their Six Nations campaign back on track. He will go up against a raft of players and coaches with whom he rubbed shoulders on the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia last summer. Borthwick, however, has challenged the 21‑year‑old player to express himself in front of the Twickenham crowd.Pollock’s excitable nature and his penchant for try celebrations has regularly made him a target for opponents in the past, most notably for Northampton against Bordeaux, and he was involved in a post-match scuffle with the French prop Jefferson Poirot after the Champions Cup final last season

Grand National field ‘stands out’ in 2026 with elite runners and promising underdogs

The unveiling of the weights for the 2026 Grand National started with a montage of clips from 50 years ago, when the world’s most famous steeplechase was at its lowest ebb, the crowd had dipped below 10,000 and the track was odds-on to be sold off for housing. It was, as Ruby Walsh pointed out on the voiceover, a reminder of how the National has been revived and transformed.A glance back no further than the 2011 Grand National, however, also offers clear evidence of how much the great race has changed, even in the space of 15 years. The field, of course, is now down to a maximum of 34, rather than the 40 runners that we all grew up with, but it is the depth of quality in the names, ratings and weights that were published on Tuesday that stands out.The bottom weights in 2011 raced off a rating of 138

A part-time job and DJ gigs helped Lara Hamilton reach the Winter Olympics. Now she wants to put Australia on the map

When Lara Hamilton started skiing as a child her parents would not let her join them on the slopes until she could keep up. Off she went to ski school, while her mum and dad traversed the New South Wales ski town of Perisher unshackled by children. Her dad raced World Cup Nordic skiing, so they didn’t dawdle. Now, Hamilton is about to make her Winter Olympics debut, and she is solely focused on keeping pace with the best ski mountaineers in the world.“It was just in the family and we had a lot of old gear and he taught me and my sister how to Nordic ski,” Hamilton says

Lindsey Vonn back in US for treatment but ‘not yet able to stand’ after Olympic crash

Lindsey Vonn is back home in the US to continue treatment after she broke her leg during the Winter Olympic downhill.“Haven’t stood on my feet in over a week… been in a hospital bed immobile since my race. And although I’m not yet able to stand, being back on home soil feels amazing,” Vonn posted on X with an American flag emoji. “Huge thank you to everyone in Italy for taking good care of me.”The 41-year-old suffered a complex tibia fracture after she crashed early in her downhill run on 8 February