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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Reunion in Dallas: Luka Dončić erupted for 45 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in his emotional return as the Lakers beat the Mavericks, 112-97, to clinch a playoff berth.
⛳️ Nico wins Par 3 Contest: Nico Echavarria won the annual Masters Par 3 Contest, which featured three aces and, as usual, plenty of guest shots from family members.
⚾️ Walk-off splash: Mike Yastrzemski hit a walk-off homer into McCovey Cove to give the Giants an 8-6 win over the Reds. It was the fifth walk-off splash hit, and incredibly each of the last three have come off of Yaz’s bat.
⚽️ Champions League: Barcelona blasted Borussia Dortmund in Spain (4-0) and PSG beat Aston Villa in France (3-1) in the first leg of their quarterfinal tilts.
⚽️ Champions Cup: Two MLS clubs will face off in the semifinals after Vancouver stunned Pumas (Mexico) at the death and Inter Miami staged a three-goal comeback to beat LAFC.
⛳️ The greatest shots in Masters history
The 89th Masters tees off today at Augusta National. To mark the occasion, here are the 12 greatest shots in tournament history, courtesy of the 2025 Masters Journal.
Gene Sarazen (1935): With four holes left in the final round, Sarazen trailed clubhouse leader Craig Wood by three strokes. “A mere miracle would be of no help,” noted legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice. He got one anyway, sinking a double eagle with his 4-wood from 235 yards out to erase the deficit in one fell swoop. He parred his way in and won a 36-hole playoff the next day.
Billy Joe Patton (1954): Sam Snead beat Ben Hogan in a playoff between two all-time greats, but it was a 31-year-old amateur who had the shot of the tournament. Patton aced the 190-yard 6th hole with a 5-iron on Sunday to put himself into contention, and he ultimately finished third.
Arnold Palmer (1962): Seeking his third Green Jacket and needing to finish the last three holes in 2-under to force a playoff, Palmer chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th to heighten the drama. He closed with birdie-par then beat Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters’ first three-man playoff.
Jack Nicklaus (1975): Seeking his fifth Green Jacket while being pursued by the younger Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, the Golden Bear sank an uphill, 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, which proved the difference in his one-stroke victory.
Nicklaus (1986): His sixth win at Augusta, which at the age of 46 also makes him the oldest to win the Masters, came courtesy of yet another perfect shot on 16. This time, he hit a 5-iron tee shot within three feet of the hole to spark a late comeback and win his record 18th and final major by a stroke.
Larry Mize (1987): The Augusta native became a hometown hero with a performance for the ages, birdieing the 72nd hole to force a playoff against Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros before chipping in from more than 100 feet away on the second playoff hole to secure the victory.
Sandy Lyle (1988): The Scotsman, seeking to become the first Brit to win the Masters, was tied for the lead on the 72nd hole when his tee shot found a fairway bunker. No matter: He hit a 7-iron from 145 yards that wound up 10 feet from the cup and sank the birdie putt for a one-stroke victory.
Jeff Sluman (1992): There have been 34 holes-in-one at the Masters: 24 on the 16th hole, six on the 6th, three on the 12th and just one on the 4th. That came courtesy of this Rochester native, who aced the 213-yard hole with his 4-iron in the first round.
Tiger Woods (2005): Facing an impossible chip on 16, Tiger somehow made birdie when the ball fed down the slope, sat on the lip and finally dropped in for one of golf’s most famous shots. Verne Lundquist on the call: “In your life, have you seen anything like that?”
Phil Mickelson (2010): Lefty found himself in the pine straw on the 13th hole on Sunday, needing to thread two trees and carry his shot 187 yards over Rae’s Creek, or 207 to the pin. Naturally, he flushed his 6-iron, which finished four feet from the hole en route to his third Masters win.
Louis Oosthuizen (2012): Early in the final round, the South African made history when his 4-iron found the cup from 253 yards out for the only double eagle ever recorded on the 2nd hole. He ended up going to a playoff, where he lost to the final guy on this list.
Bubba Watson (2012): Watson beat Oosthuizen for his first of two Green Jackets, hitting a shot out of the pine straw that was even better than Mickelson’s. He hooked his wedge around the trees on the 10th from 164 yards out, found the green, and two-putted for the win.
🏒 Frozen Four: Meet the semifinalists
The Frozen Four begins tonight in St. Louis, where the semifinalists are two wins away from a national championship.
The semifinalists: No. 4 Western Michigan, defending champion Denver, Boston University and Penn State are the last four standing, marking the first time since 2011 that just one of the four seeded teams (from the 16-team field) reached the Frozen Four.
Let’s preview the matchups…
Denver vs. Western Michigan: The nation’s two highest-scoring teams are conference foes in the NCHC who’ve already met three times, splitting their regular-season meetings before Western Michigan beat Denver in double-overtime in the conference title game.
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Denver (31-11-1): The Pioneers won their NCAA-record 10th title last year, and they’ll go for two straight behind the dynamic duo of Jack Devine (57 points) and Aidan Thompson (54), who rank 1-2 nationally in scoring.
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Western Michigan (32-7-1): The Broncos are in their first Frozen Four after winning a program-record 32 games. They’ll need freshman goalie and Kings draft pick Hampton Slukynsky to continue being a brick wall (two goals allowed on 56 shots in the tournament).
BU vs. Penn State: Similar to the matchup above, this pits one of the most successful programs ever against a Frozen Four debutant. And, as with the teams above, both boast high-octane offenses, ranking in the top seven nationally for goals per game.
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BU (23-13-2): The five-time champs have made three straight Frozen Fours, but haven’t reached the title game since 2015. They hope to change that behind brothers* Quinn and Cole Hutson, who lead the Terriers in goals (Quinn) and assists (Cole).
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Penn State (22-13-4): What a story the Nittany Lions have been. After opening the season 0-8 in Big Ten play, they’ve lost just three of their last 19 games to reach their first Frozen Four. Credit coach Guy Gadowsky, who’s been at the helm since 2011 when they were still a club team.
*Family business: Another Hutson brother, Lane, is a BU alum who now plays for the Canadiens and is among the favorites to win this year’s Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
🏀 NBA mock draft: College players at the top
With the NCAA tournament behind us, we’ve got a fresh first-round NBA mock draft, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.
Lottery picks:
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Jazz: Cooper Flagg, F (Duke)
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Wizards: Dylan Harper, G (Rutgers)
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Hornets: Ace Bailey, F (Rutgers)
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Pelicans: VJ Edgecombe, G (Baylor)
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76ers: Collin Murray-Boyles, F (South Carolina)
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Nets: Tre Johnson, G (Texas)
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Raptors: Kasparas Jakučionis, G (Illinois)
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Spurs: Derik Queen, C (Maryland)
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Trail Blazers: Kon Knueppel, G/F (Duke)
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Rockets: Khaman Maluach, C (Duke)
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Heat: Jeremiah Fears, G (Oklahoma)
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Bulls: Jase Richardson, G (Michigan State)
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Mavericks: Egor Demin, G (BYU)
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Hawks: Nique Clifford, G (Colorado State)
The NCAA pipeline: All 14 players above come from the college ranks. If something similar plays out on draft night, it would buck the recent trend of international players and other non-NCAA athletes (G League Ignite, Overtime Elite) crowding the lottery. Six of the top 14 picks in last year’s draft didn’t play college ball, and neither did four of the top five picks in 2023.
Full mock draft:Picks 1-30
📺 Watchlist: Round 1
The 89th Masters tees off today at Augusta National, where 95 golfers* are set to compete in the first major of the season.
How to watch: Tee times begin at 7:40am ET, and you can stream the action on ESPN+, Paramount+, Masters.com and the Masters app. The telecast begins at 3pm on ESPN.
More to watch:
-
🏒 Frozen Four: Western Michigan vs. Denver (5pm, ESPN2); BU vs. Penn State (8:30pm, ESPN2) … Winners meet in Saturday’s title game.
-
🏀 NBA: Cavaliers at Pacers (7pm, TNT); Timberwolves at Grizzlies (9:30pm, TNT) … The “NBA on TNT” regular-season finale.
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🏒 NHL: Jets at Stars (8pm, ESPN+) … First vs. second place in the West with one week left in the regular season.
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⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Braves (7:15pm, MLB) … Jesús Luzardo (2-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.00 ERA).
*Pre-tournament reading: Why every contender will, and won’t, win at Augusta National (Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports)
⛳️ Masters trivia
Question: Who is the only U.S. president known to have been a member at Augusta National?
Hint: He became a member in 1948.
Answer at the bottom.
🏀 Charted: The Caitlin Clark effect
As a reminder: Clark played in the 2023 and 2024 title games (the “up and to the right” portion of the chart).
Trivia answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.
🏀 Reunion in Dallas: Luka Dončić erupted for 45 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in his emotional return as the Lakers beat the Mavericks, 112-97, to clinch a playoff berth.
Advertisement
⛳️ Nico wins Par 3 Contest: Nico Echavarria won the annual Masters Par 3 Contest, which featured three aces and, as usual, plenty of guest shots from family members.
⚾️ Walk-off splash: Mike Yastrzemski hit a walk-off homer into McCovey Cove to give the Giants an 8-6 win over the Reds. It was the fifth walk-off splash hit, and incredibly each of the last three have come off of Yaz’s bat.
⚽️ Champions League: Barcelona blasted Borussia Dortmund in Spain (4-0) and PSG beat Aston Villa in France (3-1) in the first leg of their quarterfinal tilts.
⚽️ Champions Cup: Two MLS clubs will face off in the semifinals after Vancouver stunned Pumas (Mexico) at the death and Inter Miami staged a three-goal comeback to beat LAFC.
The 89th Masters tees off today at Augusta National. To mark the occasion, here are the 12 greatest shots in tournament history, courtesy of the 2025 Masters Journal.
Advertisement
Gene Sarazen (1935): With four holes left in the final round, Sarazen trailed clubhouse leader Craig Wood by three strokes. “A mere miracle would be of no help,” noted legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice. He got one anyway, sinking a double eagle with his 4-wood from 235 yards out to erase the deficit in one fell swoop. He parred his way in and won a 36-hole playoff the next day.
Billy Joe Patton (1954): Sam Snead beat Ben Hogan in a playoff between two all-time greats, but it was a 31-year-old amateur who had the shot of the tournament. Patton aced the 190-yard 6th hole with a 5-iron on Sunday to put himself into contention, and he ultimately finished third.
Arnold Palmer (1962): Seeking his third Green Jacket and needing to finish the last three holes in 2-under to force a playoff, Palmer chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th to heighten the drama. He closed with birdie-par then beat Gary Player and Dow Finsterwald in the Masters’ first three-man playoff.
Jack Nicklaus (1975): Seeking his fifth Green Jacket while being pursued by the younger Johnny Miller and Tom Weiskopf, the Golden Bear sank an uphill, 40-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole, which proved the difference in his one-stroke victory.
Advertisement
Nicklaus (1986): His sixth win at Augusta, which at the age of 46 also makes him the oldest to win the Masters, came courtesy of yet another perfect shot on 16. This time, he hit a 5-iron tee shot within three feet of the hole to spark a late comeback and win his record 18th and final major by a stroke.
Larry Mize (1987): The Augusta native became a hometown hero with a performance for the ages, birdieing the 72nd hole to force a playoff against Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros before chipping in from more than 100 feet away on the second playoff hole to secure the victory.
Sandy Lyle (1988): The Scotsman, seeking to become the first Brit to win the Masters, was tied for the lead on the 72nd hole when his tee shot found a fairway bunker. No matter: He hit a 7-iron from 145 yards that wound up 10 feet from the cup and sank the birdie putt for a one-stroke victory.
Advertisement
Jeff Sluman (1992): There have been 34 holes-in-one at the Masters: 24 on the 16th hole, six on the 6th, three on the 12th and just one on the 4th. That came courtesy of this Rochester native, who aced the 213-yard hole with his 4-iron in the first round.
Tiger Woods (2005): Facing an impossible chip on 16, Tiger somehow made birdie when the ball fed down the slope, sat on the lip and finally dropped in for one of golf’s most famous shots. Verne Lundquist on the call: “In your life, have you seen anything like that?”
Phil Mickelson (2010): Lefty found himself in the pine straw on the 13th hole on Sunday, needing to thread two trees and carry his shot 187 yards over Rae’s Creek, or 207 to the pin. Naturally, he flushed his 6-iron, which finished four feet from the hole en route to his third Masters win.
Advertisement
Louis Oosthuizen (2012): Early in the final round, the South African made history when his 4-iron found the cup from 253 yards out for the only double eagle ever recorded on the 2nd hole. He ended up going to a playoff, where he lost to the final guy on this list.
Bubba Watson (2012): Watson beat Oosthuizen for his first of two Green Jackets, hitting a shot out of the pine straw that was even better than Mickelson’s. He hooked his wedge around the trees on the 10th from 164 yards out, found the green, and two-putted for the win.
The Frozen Four begins tonight in St. Louis, where the semifinalists are two wins away from a national championship.
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The semifinalists: No. 4 Western Michigan, defending champion Denver, Boston University and Penn State are the last four standing, marking the first time since 2011 that just one of the four seeded teams (from the 16-team field) reached the Frozen Four.
Let’s preview the matchups…
Denver vs. Western Michigan: The nation’s two highest-scoring teams are conference foes in the NCHC who’ve already met three times, splitting their regular-season meetings before Western Michigan beat Denver in double-overtime in the conference title game.
-
Denver (31-11-1): The Pioneers won their NCAA-record 10th title last year, and they’ll go for two straight behind the dynamic duo of Jack Devine (57 points) and Aidan Thompson (54), who rank 1-2 nationally in scoring.
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Western Michigan (32-7-1): The Broncos are in their first Frozen Four after winning a program-record 32 games. They’ll need freshman goalie and Kings draft pick Hampton Slukynsky to continue being a brick wall (two goals allowed on 56 shots in the tournament).
BU vs. Penn State: Similar to the matchup above, this pits one of the most successful programs ever against a Frozen Four debutant. And, as with the teams above, both boast high-octane offenses, ranking in the top seven nationally for goals per game.
Advertisement
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BU (23-13-2): The five-time champs have made three straight Frozen Fours, but haven’t reached the title game since 2015. They hope to change that behind brothers* Quinn and Cole Hutson, who lead the Terriers in goals (Quinn) and assists (Cole).
-
Penn State (22-13-4): What a story the Nittany Lions have been. After opening the season 0-8 in Big Ten play, they’ve lost just three of their last 19 games to reach their first Frozen Four. Credit coach Guy Gadowsky, who’s been at the helm since 2011 when they were still a club team.
*Family business: Another Hutson brother, Lane, is a BU alum who now plays for the Canadiens and is among the favorites to win this year’s Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie.
With the NCAA tournament behind us, we’ve got a fresh first-round NBA mock draft, courtesy of Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor.
Lottery picks:
-
Jazz: Cooper Flagg, F (Duke)
-
Wizards: Dylan Harper, G (Rutgers)
-
Hornets: Ace Bailey, F (Rutgers)
-
Pelicans: VJ Edgecombe, G (Baylor)
-
76ers: Collin Murray-Boyles, F (South Carolina)
-
Nets: Tre Johnson, G (Texas)
-
Raptors: Kasparas Jakučionis, G (Illinois)
-
Spurs: Derik Queen, C (Maryland)
-
Trail Blazers: Kon Knueppel, G/F (Duke)
-
Rockets: Khaman Maluach, C (Duke)
-
Heat: Jeremiah Fears, G (Oklahoma)
-
Bulls: Jase Richardson, G (Michigan State)
-
Mavericks: Egor Demin, G (BYU)
-
Hawks: Nique Clifford, G (Colorado State)
The NCAA pipeline: All 14 players above come from the college ranks. If something similar plays out on draft night, it would buck the recent trend of international players and other non-NCAA athletes (G League Ignite, Overtime Elite) crowding the lottery. Six of the top 14 picks in last year’s draft didn’t play college ball, and neither did four of the top five picks in 2023.
Advertisement
Full mock draft: Picks 1-30
The 89th Masters tees off today at Augusta National, where 95 golfers* are set to compete in the first major of the season.
How to watch: Tee times begin at 7:40am ET, and you can stream the action on ESPN+, Paramount+, Masters.com and the Masters app. The telecast begins at 3pm on ESPN.
More to watch:
-
🏒 Frozen Four: Western Michigan vs. Denver (5pm, ESPN2); BU vs. Penn State (8:30pm, ESPN2) … Winners meet in Saturday’s title game.
-
🏀 NBA: Cavaliers at Pacers (7pm, TNT); Timberwolves at Grizzlies (9:30pm, TNT) … The “NBA on TNT” regular-season finale.
-
🏒 NHL: Jets at Stars (8pm, ESPN+) … First vs. second place in the West with one week left in the regular season.
-
⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Braves (7:15pm, MLB) … Jesús Luzardo (2-0, 1.50 ERA) vs. Spencer Schwellenbach (1-0, 0.00 ERA).
*Pre-tournament reading: Why every contender will, and won’t, win at Augusta National (Jay Busbee, Yahoo Sports)
Question: Who is the only U.S. president known to have been a member at Augusta National?
Hint: He became a member in 1948.
Advertisement
Answer at the bottom.
As a reminder: Clark played in the 2023 and 2024 title games (the “up and to the right” portion of the chart).
Trivia answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
