‘Pay up’: Rory McIlroy delivers Ryder Cup warning to LIV pair Hatton and Rahm

Rory McIlroy has challenged Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm to demonstrate their commitment to the Ryder Cup cause by settling fines for their LIV Golf participation.McIlroy pointed towards motivation used by Europe during the ­victory at Bethpage last September after it emerged that the US players were paid to play in the Ryder Cup.The switches of Rahm and ­Hatton to LIV has drawn fines – totalling ­several million pounds – due to ­tournament conflict with the DP World Tour, where both remain members. Both golfers lodged appeals against the sanctions in 2024 but the cases are still to he heard. Rahm has been adamant he will not pay fines

‘It’s not acceptable’: Brook admits he’s lucky to be captain after bouncer altercation

Harry Brook has admitted he is ­fortunate still to be England’s white-ball captain after clashing with a nightclub bouncer the night before a one-day international in New ­Zealand, adding that he has “work to do to try to regain the trust of the players”.Brook was involved in an altercation on the eve of England’s third one‑day international on the tour of ­New ­Zealand which led into the Ashes. ­Overseeing his first away series as the side’s limited-overs ­captain, Brook reported the incident to team management before ­receiving a fine reportedly close to £30,000 while keeping his job.The England and Wales Cricket Board said it dealt with the matter “through a formal and ­confidential ECB disciplinary process”, adding: “The player involved has apologised and acknowledged their conduct fell below expectations on this occasion.”In a statement, Brook apologised and said his “behaviour was wrong and brought embarrassment to both myself and the England team”

Mercedes lead designer John Owen to leave team during upcoming F1 season

Mercedes have announced that their leading car designer, John Owen, will leave this season as Formula One enters the first year of a major change in regulations. Owen has played a key part in the enormous success Mercedes has enjoyed in the modern era when the team secured eight consecutive constructors’ championships.There are no indications as yet that Owen intends to join another team, with Mercedes saying he will continue in his role until mid-season to manage the transition process, after which he will take a period of gardening leave and what the team described as “a break from F1”.Mercedes will promote the engineering director, Giacomo Tortora, to become director of car design. Tortora already has a close working relationship with the technical director, James Allison, and the deputy technical director, Simone Resta, who oversee the group

Hans Herrmann obituary

Before leaving his home in Stuttgart to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the summer of 1970, the German racing driver Hans Herrmann promised his wife, Magdalena, that if he won, he would retire from the cockpit. This was his 14th attempt at the French sports car classic and, at 42, he was not expecting to have to honour his pledge.But win he did. He and his co-driver, Richard Attwood, a former Jaguar apprentice, held the lead in their Porsche 917K for the last 12 hours of a race run on a rain-drenched track so treacherous that only seven cars out of 51 starters were able to reach the finish.It was the last event in a career that had seen Herrmann, who has died aged 97, compete in 19 Formula One grands prix for various teams, including Mercedes-Benz, for whom he finished third in the 1954 Swiss Grand Prix on the fast and tricky Bremgarten circuit in Bern

Fans and Welsh rugby chiefs at odds over plan to cut one of four professional sides

Richard Collier-Keywood, the embattled chair of the Welsh Rugby Union, has insisted he has the support of fans and players in Wales as the WRU attempts to drive through radical plans to cut one of the four professional sides.Giving evidence before the House of Commons Welsh affairs select committee, Collier-Keywood – who is facing the threat of a vote of no confidence in his leadership – said he believed “the rugby system was essentially broken” in Wales before he took over and there was widespread acknowledgment that it needed to change.His evidence came on a day when a quartet of Welsh fan representatives testified before that same select committee that he was wrong.Iwan Griffiths, from the Scarlets Supporters Trust, said a poll of their members had revealed that 90% were against the WRU’s proposals. Daniel Hallett, from the Dragons Supporters’ Club, said their own survey had shown “there is no appetite for a potential merger, there is no appetite for jumping ship to another team who have been historic rivals”

Australian Open 2026: De Minaur, Zverev, Tiafoe and Andreeva win, Raducanu out – as it happened

Right, that’s all the matches done on day four and all from me on this blog. Thanks for reading, and here is some more for you if you are catching up. Bye!Jovic will play Paolini in the third round. What a tantalising match that is – the pair met at the US Open a few months ago with Paolini winning in straight sets. But Jovic was asked about that defeat and says she is “much improved” since August