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LIV Golf responded to Brooks Koepka’s reinstatement to the PGA Tour Tuesday with a statement that trumpeted its “unchanged” vision to grow the sport of golf. LIV’s statement also said its ‌desire for “an open ecosystem” in the sport applied to all ‌players, “not just a limited ‍few.” The response came after it was revealed that the PGA Tour is opening a limited-time window for players who defected to LIV to come back, called the Returning Player Program. Only ‍players who have won a Players Championship, Masters Tournament, PGA Championship, US Open or Open Championship between 2022-25 are eligible to return; only Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm of Spain and Cameron Smith of Australia fit those criteria. A five-time major champion, Koepka decided to leave the LIV circuit with its worldwide footprint last ‌month, wanting to be closer to his family in the US. While CEO Brian Rolapp’s letter to players promised the PGA Tour would gather “the world’s ‍best players to compete on the PGA ‌Tour week in and week out,” LIV Golf attempted to hold firm. “From the outset, LIV Golf has championed an open ecosystem and freedom, for all,” the statement said. “Not just for a limited few. One that supports players’ rights to compete across various platforms, reinforcing the believe that the growth of the game is best served when the game’s best players are empowered to seek the most competitive environments around the world. “LIV Golf’s vision remained unchanged - to grow the game of golf globally - and ​that vision gains momentum ‌across the broader golf landscape, the capacity to deliver on it continues to strengthen by expanding pathways and opportunity beyond any ‍single institution or interest. “As the world’s golf league, LIV Golf continues to offer the best professional golfers the most competitive, challenging and lucrative environment in which to pursue greatness on a global scale. “Long LIV Golf”Also Tuesday, LIV Golf announced the rebranding of the Iron Heads ​GC franchise to “Korean Golf Club”, leaning into the symbolism and identity of South Korea. The new team logos feature a white tiger and a Rose of Sharon, prominent symbols in Korean culture. The former Iron Heads GC was captained by Kevin Na and also featured Danny Lee of New Zealand, Yubin Jang of South Korea and Jinichiro Kozuma of Japan in 2025. Na, Lee and Jang were born in South Korea. LIV Golf team rosters for 2026 have not been formally revealed. Koepka was previously the captain of Smash GC. 

Danish cycling great Jonas Vingegaard will race the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia this year as he bids to become the eighth rider to win the three Grand Tours. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider unveiled his schedule Tuesday at his team’s media day in Nucia, on Spain’s Costa Blanca. The two-time Tour de France champion added the Vuelta a Espana trophy to his collection of titles last year. He will compete for the first time in the Giro from May 8-31, where he will be the overwhelming favourite in the absence of Slovenian Tadej Pogacar. Vingegaard will then race the Tour de France from July 4-26. He won the Tour in 2022 and 2023 but will start this time as an outsider against two-time defending champion Pogacar. “I have been thinking about riding the Giro for a while now,” said the 29-year-old. “It’s one of the biggest races on the calendar and it’s also one I have never done before. I really want to experience it, and now feels like the perfect moment. Winning the Vuelta last fall only gives me more motivation to go all-in for victory in Italy as well. I would love to add the pink jersey to my collection.” The Dane will begin his season on February 16 at the UAE Tour before also racing the Tour of Catalonia from March 23-29. “Over the past five years, my build-up to the Tour has been largely the same. This time we have chosen something new,” he said. “The organisation has designed a great course for the Giro. Perhaps not as demanding as in recent years, which makes combining the Giro and the Tour a favourable option for us.” Vingegaard will attempt to repeat Pogacar’s feat of 2024, when the Slovenian won both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. At the Giro, won in 2025 by his former teammate Simon Yates, who announced his retirement last week, Vingegaard will have another objective: to become just the eighth rider to have won all three Grand Tours in his career. Great rival Pogacar has won the Tour de France four times and the Giro once, but finished third during his only participation in Spain in 2019. Bernard Hinault, Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali and Chris Froome are the seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours. 

Major winners Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith all committed to stay with LIV Golf in 2026 on Tuesday, turning down the chance to follow Brooks Koepka back to the US PGA Tour.Five-time major winner Koepka announced his return to the US circuit on Monday under a new program that created a pathway back for stars who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit. It was open to those players who had won either a major or the Players Championship between 2022 and 2025, meaning American DeChambeau, Spain's Rahm and Australian Smith would have been eligible to make the move back from LIV. But none of them were interested."Look, I'm contracted through 2026, so I'm excited about this year," said two-time US Open champion DeChambeau at a LIV Golf media day in Florida.Asked if he shared the sentiment, Rahm, who won the US Open in 2021 and the Masters two years later, replied: "I'm not planning on going anywhere. Very similar answer to what Bryson gave. I wish Brooks the best."Smith, the 2022 Open winner, was similarly keen to stay with the breakaway tour. "I'm going to stay," he told reporters. "I have made my bed and I'm gonna sleep in it. I feel like I am in a really good place in my career and my life, my family life, and I don't need to change it."PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp said this week Koepka's decision to leave LIV last month had prompted officials to consider how they handled the issue of embracing players who wanted to rejoin.The result was the PGA Tour's new "Returning Member Program", which came with "severe and justified consequences".That included a five-year forfeiture of rights to participation in the PGA Tour's player equity program, while Koepka had agreed to make a $5 million charitable contribution to a recipient which will be determined jointly by Koepka and the PGA Tour.Launched in 2022, LIV Golf's emergence led to bitter divisions throughout the sport as several of golf's biggest names left the PGA Tour after signing big-money deals.LIV Golf signs Belgian Detry, re-signs twice major winner JohnsonLIV Golf has signed Thomas Detry, who last year became the first Belgian to win on the PGA Tour, to its roster ‌while former world number one Dustin Johnson ‌has re-signed with ‍the league, the Saudi-funded circuit said.World number 58 Detry, ⁠who picked up his ⁠lone PGA Tour victory at last February's Phoenix Open, ‍is joining the 4Aces team captained by two-time major champion Johnson, who signed a multi-year extension with LIV.Detry is arguably the biggest LIV signing since Rahm and Englishman Tyrrell Hatton joined the league ahead of the 2024 season. "There’s an ‌amazing vibe around the 4Aces that you feel right away,” said Detry. "You can see they play with confidence and there’s ‍a definite swagger coming ⁠from all ‌the guys... feeling like you belong on the biggest stages. That’s exactly the type of environment I want to be a part of.”The 33-year-old Detry is coming off a career year during which he made the cut in 19 of the 24 events he played, including at the Phoenix Open where he romped to a seven-shot victory.For the first time, Detry also played ​every major in the ‌same calendar year in 2025, missing the cut at the Masters and ⁠PGA Championship before ‍earning a share of 23rd at the U.S. Open and finishing joint 45th at the British Open. Johnson, who did not meet the criteria for PGA Tour reinstatement under a new and limited program announced this ​week by the U.S.-based circuit, has been with LIV Golf since its launch in June 2022.He was LIV's first season-long individual champion in 2022 and his 4Aces also won that year's team championship. The 41-year-old American, whose peak years are behind him, missed the cut in the first three majors of 2025 before earning ⁠a share of 23rd at the British Open. 

Brooks Koepka, a five-time major winner who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in 2022 but quit the Saudi-backed series last month, has applied for PGA reinstatement, ESPN and Golf Channel reported.The 35-year-old American, a nine-time PGA Tour champion and five-time LIV winner, departed LIV with a year remaining on his contract, but it was unclear when he might be allowed to return to the PGA Tour, according to the reports.ESPN reported that the PGA Tour will begin a reinstatement and disciplinary process that includes input from players on the board of directors.Koepka, a two-time US Open champion and three-time PGA Championship winner, has not competed in a PGA Tour event since the Valspar Championship in March 2022.After jumping to LIV Golf, Koepka became the first active LIV golfer to win a major title when he captured the 2023 PGA at Oak Hill, which has made him eligible to compete in all four majors this year.Koepka won the 2018 US Open at Shinnecock, where this year's US Open will be contested in June.The PGA Tour ban on Koepka did not keep him from playing for the United States in the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy.LIV Golf chief executive Scott O'Neil said in December that Koepka and LIV "mutually agreed" to his departure.Koepka won LIV titles in 2022 at Jeddah, 2023 in Orlando and Jeddah and 2024 at Singapore and Greenbrier.Since leaving the PGA Tour, Koepka has not been critical of the tour and was not among players who filed a lawsuit against the tour over its ban of defectors to LIV from its tour events."Brooks Koepka is a highly accomplished professional and we wish him and his family continued success," the PGA Tour said in a statement when the Koepka-LIV split was announced.Another LIV star, two-time US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau, is not signed with LIV Golf beyond the 2026 season.DeChambeau won the 2020 US Open and became the second active LIV player to win a major when he captured the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst.DeChambeau has won nine times of the PGA Tour and three times in LIV Golf, including last year's South Korea event.Rory McIlroy, who completed a career Grand Slam by winning last year's Masters, spoke on the subject of players returning to the PGA Tour from LIV in the "Stick to Football" podcast."They've made the money, but they've paid their consequence in terms of the reputation and some of the things they've lost by going over there," McIlroy said of PGA defectors to LIV."If it made the overall tour stronger to have Bryson DeChambeau back and whoever else, I would be OK with it. But again, it's not just me and I recognize that not everyone is in my position. It would be up to the collective group of PGA Tour members to make that decision."Asked about the issue, two-time major winner Xander Schauffele said, "It's going to be hard to make everybody happy, I can answer that." 

Christo Popov became the first French player to reach the title match at the World Tour ‌Finals where he faces world champion Shi Yuqi ‌Saturday, while Paris ‍Olympics gold medallist An Se-young set up a women's showpiece clash ⁠with holder Wang Zhiyi.Popov, making ⁠his tournament debut as a singles player, overwhelmed Japan's ‍Kodai Naraoka with his speed and power to win 21-19 21-8 in the semi-finals in Hangzhou."The first game was very important, being very long and winning that made me confident for the second game, and I got more aggressive," Popov said."One thought was ‌getting out of the group stage, which would be a huge thing for me. Now I’m into the final, so ‍I'm happy."Popov is trying to ⁠become the ‌third European to clinch the men's singles title after Danes Anders Antonsen and Viktor Axelsen, with the latter winning a record three times.China's Shi, who is looking to equal Axelsen with a third straight World Tour Finals title, beat Thai world number one Kunlavut Vitidsarn 21-16 21-13 in the second semi-final.In the women's semis, South Korean An took just 38 minutes to beat Japan's Akane Yamaguchi 21-15 21-12.Bidding ​for a second title ‌at the season-ending championships, An came at the world champion with power and ⁠pace but Yamaguchi ‍repelled the attacks with pinpoint accuracy from the front court.An's pressure eventually told, however, and she kept Yamaguchi off balance to take the match with quick rallies.In the second women's semi-final, Wang, 25, dropped the first game to Ratchanok ​Intanon, who caused the Chinese player all sorts of problems with the variety of her shots.The Thai defended well on the back court but Wang ticked up the aggression to take the second game.Wang's superior fitness began to tell in the third as the 30-year-old Ratchanok tired and the Chinese player emerged with a 15-21 21-17 ⁠21-11 victory to reach the final. (Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena and Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford ) 

Cycling superstar Tadej Pogacar of the Team UAE Emirates will try for a fifth Tour de France title in 2026 but is more excited by the two one-day Monuments that have so far eluded him; Paris-Roubaix and Milan San Remo.The 27-year-old Slovenian was speaking Saturday at a pre-season training camp at Benidorm in Spain.“I’m going to do Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Tour de Romandie, and the Tour de France. And then we’ll see, that’s already quite a lot,” Pogacar said.“If I could choose between a win at Roubaix or the Tour, I would choose Roubaix because I have already won the Tour four times,” said Pogacar, who complained of feeling drained during the 2025 Tour.“There is a bigger difference between zero and one than between four and five,” he added.Tour de France champion in 2020, 2021, 2024 and 2025, he can join an elite clique of five-time winners alongside Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil next July.“The Tour de France of course is the biggest race, everybody always arrives ready, teams always send their best team and you have to be super ready,” he said.“But if I won Roubaix and San Remo, I would feel sort of complete, but there’s always something else, like The Vuelta, I haven’t won that either,” he said, while refusing to be drawn on his participation in the Spanish Tour for 2026.Team UAE also confirmed that last year’s break-out rider Isaac del Toro would also race the Tour de France.The Mexican burst on to the cycling scene last May when he came close to winning the Giro, finishing second to Simon Yates.“The team’s idea is for me to learn as much as possible alongside Tadej, whose level I want to reach one day,” said Del Toro.Pogacar spoke glowingly of Del Toro.“Maybe he’s going to be better than me one day. He has his own way, his own style, and I admire him as a a rider and a person and hope he keeps going that way.” said Pogacar 

The Doha Equestrian Tour Organising Committee has unveiled the tour’s official identity and logo, symbolising the 10 rounds that make up this year’s edition and reflecting the event’s deep connection to equestrian heritage and Doha’s growing sporting excellence on the international stage.Speaking on the occasion, Khalifa al-Attiyah, Executive Director of the Doha Equestrian Tour, said the new identity is rooted in a strategic vision aimed at strengthening Qatar’s presence on the global equestrian map.“The Doha Equestrian Tour has consistently enriched the international equestrian calendar with high-quality competitions, reinforcing Qatar’s position as a global sporting capital and a preferred destination for hosting major international championships,” al-Attiyah said.He added that Qatar’s advanced infrastructure, including world-class venues such as Al Shaqab, plays a central role in the continued success of the tour.The Doha Equestrian Tour 2026 will feature 10 international championships ranging from one to five star events, running from January 2 to April 4, with a total prize purse exceeding €10mn.The series will open with the HH The Father Amir’s Cup, scheduled from January 2 to 31, comprising four rounds across 1 to 5-star categories. This will be followed by the HH The Amir’s Sword International Equestrian Festival, which runs from February 11 for four days and includes 1, 3 and 5-star competitions, along with dressage events.The sixth stop on the calendar is the Al Shaqab International Show Jumping Championship (CHI), sponsored by Longines, to be held from February 18 to 21. The event will feature show jumping, dressage and para-dressage competitions across 1, 4 and 5-star levels. Next is the Longines Global Champions Tour, scheduled from March 4 to 7, with 1, 3 and 5-star categories.The organising committee also announced the introduction of three new championships for the 2026 edition: the Qatar Olympic Committee Cup, the Al Shaqab Cup and the Qatar Equestrian Federation Cup.The Qatar Olympic Committee Cup will serve as the eighth championship, running from March 11 for four days and featuring 1, 2 and 3-star competitions. The Al Shaqab Cup, the ninth event on the tour, will take place from March 26 over three days and will include 1 to 5-star competitions, as well as team events across various categories.The Doha Equestrian Tour 2026 will conclude with the Qatar Equestrian Federation Cup, scheduled from April 2 to 4, featuring one- to five-star competitions.All competitions of the Doha Equestrian Tour 2026 will be staged at Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre, one of the region’s leading equestrian venues, renowned for its state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities built to the highest international standards.

Mohammed Saeed Haidan clinched the top honours in the Diamond Tour during the fifth round of the ninth edition of the Longines Hathab Championship – Qatar Equestrian Tour at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena. Haidan clocked 32.83 seconds astride Quick, while Saudi rider Khaled al-Eid finished second with a time of 34.34 seconds on Q Line. Hamad Nasser al-Qadi was third in 38.98 seconds on Edison.In the 120cm Bronze Tour, Jaber Rashid al-Ameri took first place in 44.74 seconds on Apollon. Khaled al-Hadi finished second in 46.02 seconds on Capion, while Hamad Nasser al-Qadi came third on Deep Water in 50.79 seconds. In the Bronze Tour team event, The Dome emerged victorious, followed by Ajwad and Al Adaid Al Shaqab.In the 90cm Future Riders competition, Sultan Jassim al-Suwaidi secured first place on Violet. Fahad Talal al-Nuaimi finished second on Croat, and Mohammed al-Mutairi came third astride Baccarat.In Dressage, Hamad Nasser al-Marri won the preliminary test title with 68.333 points, while Hajar Khan claimed the Level 2 preliminary title with 70.000 points. Mohammed Faisal Al Marri topped the Junior Level 2 preliminary test with 68.621 points, and Michelle Grimes took first place in the Level 1 dressage round with 74.817 points.

Mohammed al-Asaker stole the spotlight in the fifth round of the ninth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab – clinching the Golden Tour title with a commanding performance at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arenaRiding Skoblinski, al-Asaker delivered a superb round to finish in 56.07 seconds, ahead of Ibrahim Yousef al-Mahmoud on Costa (57.69 seconds) and Khaled al-Eid on Raker (59.57 seconds). In the Golden Tour Team event, Wathnan emerged victorious with a combined time of 120.62 seconds, narrowly edging Ajwad (120.93 seconds), while Al Fardan settled for third (121.68 seconds).Earlier in the day, the Open Tour (110 cm) produced thrilling performances, with Khaled Al Hadi taking first place after clocking 30.51 seconds on Doremi. Mohammed al-Dhalaan came in second on Sarina (30.67 seconds), followed by Saif Mohammed al-Nuaimi on Sydney (31.08 seconds).In the junior category, Khalid Jassim al-Suwaidi secured top spot on Du Guinette (31.23 seconds), ahead of Ali Omar al-Ansari on Nikita (33.07 seconds) and Sherida Nasser al-Kaabi on Extra Pam (33.31 seconds).The competition also featured the Future Riders Tour (70 cm), where Mashael Mohammed al-Thani excelled to claim first place on Malaga with a time of 50.07 seconds, just 0.07 seconds off the ideal time. Nasser Hamad al-Thani took second on Coco Chanel (49.59 seconds, 0.41 seconds off), while Hessa Ali al-Jaber finished third on Violet (50.68 seconds, 0.68 seconds off).

The Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) has returned to Rabat, upholding the cultural and diplomatic bond forged between Qatar and Morocco during the successful 2024 Year of Culture (YoC) initiative. In a statement, Qatar’s ambassador to Morocco HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Thamer al-Thani said: “The Years of Culture initiative was never about a single moment, but about creating exchanges that continue to live on.” “Seeing that spirit carried forward through the Longines Global Champions Tour reminds us how sport can keep cultural connections alive long after the official celebrations end,” he said. Jan Tops, founder and president of the Longines Global Champions Tour, said: “What began as a collaboration under the Qatar-Morocco Year of Culture has grown into an enduring connection, reminding us that horses have long been a bridge between people, traditions, and continents.” This year’s event marked the 15th leg of the 2025 Tour, held just before the Riyadh finale. The world’s top 30 riders competed in one of the most striking venues on the circuit, framed by the Hassan Tower, the Rabat Grand Theatre, and the Mohammed VI Tower, landmarks that embody the city’s harmony between tradition and modernity.

Justin Leonard delivered an electrifying finish to open the PGA Tour Champions postseason.The 53-year-old rolled in an eagle on the par-5 18th at The Country Club of Virginia on Sunday, capping a 4-under-par 68 to win the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at 12 under. Leonard edged South Africa's Ernie Els and Thomas Bjorn of Denmark by one stroke, securing his second victory of the season to go with February's Chubb Classic win."I've been on this nice run here the last three or four months and I've had some chances to win and played some pretty good golf," Leonard said after the win. "Maybe not my best golf through it, but today was really special on a really special golf course."Leonard's closing heroics flipped a leaderboard long controlled by Els. The Hall of Famer began the day in front and was still tied for the lead late before a bogey at the par-4 17th dropped him to 11 under. Needing birdie on 18 to force a playoff, Els' putt stayed on the high side of the cup, leaving Leonard's eagle as the tournament winner. Els signed for an even-par 72 and Bjorn matched Leonard's 4-under 68 to share runner-up honors."I feel for Ernie," Leonard said. "Golly, he's played so good. It feels like he could have won 12 tournaments this year. Fortunately, today was just my day."After going bogey-free in each of the first two rounds, Els had three bogeys and three birdies in Sunday's final round. He said that he found the wind difficult, admitting it played a big part in his finish to the round."Yeah, I played good. It was very tough conditions today," Els said. "Got totally screwed on 17 and 18, that was the breaks I got. Hey, listen, we played good and came up short again, so disappointing. Got to keep going."The win vaults Leonard up eight spots to ninth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings as the three-event playoffs move to the Simmons Bank Championship in Little Rock, Ark. Only the top 54 in the standings advanced on Sunday. Miguel Angel Jimenez of Spain and Stewart Cink remain in the top two spots in the standings, while Els jumped up a spot to third with his performance.Scott Parel snuck in with a tie for 21st place, bumping David Bransdon out of the postseason. After next week, the field will be trimmed again, down to 36, for the season-ending Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix.

Mohammed Saeed Haidan clinched victory in the 140cm Gold Round of the fourth leg of the ninth edition of the Qatar Equestrian Tour – Longines Hathab – held at the Qatar Equestrian Federation’s outdoor arena. The event is organised by the Qatar Equestrian Federation in partnership with Al Shaqab, a member of Qatar Foundation. Riding Quick Bell, Haidan clocked a winning time of 35.65 seconds. Khaled al-Hadi finished second in 38.31 seconds on Capion, while Ghanem Nasser al-Qadi came third in 38.49 seconds on Assis.In the team competition of the same round, Al Fardan Team secured first place with a combined time of 78.32 seconds. Lekhwiya Team followed in second (79.31 seconds), and Al Shaqab Team finished third (82.77 seconds).In the Open Round, Khaled al-Hadi claimed first place with a time of 44.59 seconds on Carlton, ahead of Yaqoub Nasser al-Mas on Equinox (44.64 seconds) and Sheikha Fatima bint Jabor al-Thani on Eddie (45.81 seconds).In the Junior category, Abdulaziz bin Jassim al-Thani topped the standings with a time of 46.53 seconds on Gabbana. Khalid Jassim al-Suwaidi came second on De Genette (56.52 seconds), while Hadi Mansour al-Shahwani finished third on Brouq (60 seconds).In the Future Riders Tour (0.70m), Mishaal Mohammed al-Thani triumphed on Malaga with a time of 52.8 seconds, just 0.08 seconds off the ideal mark. Salman Faisal al-Marri placed second on Kingstar (50.92 seconds), followed by Manar Rashid al-Shahwani on Coco Chanel (49.96 seconds).