Scottie Scheffler’s son Bennett steals the show at WM Phoenix Open

At TPC Scottsdale ahead of the 2026 WM Phoenix Open, the biggest cheers weren’t reserved for World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler or his pro-am partners Travis Kelce and Brooks Koepka—they were for his toddler son, Bennett Scheffler.The nearly 20-month-old, born in May 2024, turned heads during Wednesday’s practice round and pro-am festivities. Armed with a blue plastic club, Bennett took swings on the fairway while Scheffler’s caddie Ted Scott knelt beside him, dramatically tossing grass to check the wind and delivering a mock “yardage.” After a miss and a determined second swing, Bennett made solid contact, prompting an eruption from the crowd as if a pro had holed out from 40 feet Videos of the wholesome moment quickly went viral, with clips amassing tens of thousands of views on social media. One observer noted, “Not Ted Scott giving Bennett a yardage and him proceeding to hit the ball—learning from dad well.” Bennett also joined his father at the pre-tournament press conference, sitting nearby as Scheffler discussed his focus amid the rowdy Phoenix atmosphere While Scheffler, a two-time champion here (2022, 2023), prepares to chase a third title starting Thursday, the early storyline belongs to his mini-me. Fans are already joking about Bennett’s future as the 2045 Masters winner. In golf’s most party-like venue, family charm stole the spotlight.

 Lindsey Vonn’s mental coach didn’t need to be at her side after her most recent crash. All the way from Sacramento, and watching the race on TV, he knew what her disposition would be.

“I knew the minute she crashed that she would race [in the Olympics] if there was any opportunity to race,” said Armando Gonzalez, who has worked closely with the ski-racing legend since 2020.

On Friday, a week after that World Cup accident, she completed her first downhill training run. On a day when fog delayed competition at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina, Vonn completed the course in 1 minute, 40.33 seconds, putting her in ninth place through 15 competitors and less than a second off the leader.

She wore a brace to protect her injured left knee. The ACL acts as a stabilizer in the knee, preventing it from buckling and keeping the tibia from moving too far forward. It’s essential to rotational stability, which plays a role in sudden movements and jumping. Downhill ski racers are not running backs or point guards, however, and don’t make those same jolting lateral moves and therefore, experts say, are better able to compensate for a torn ACL.

Still, Vonn has a remarkably high pain threshold.

“Her ability to overcome injury, to push through, her mental attitude, her resilience, it’s amazing,” said Shawna Niles, her massage therapist.

At an Olympics news conference this week, Vonn said her knee felt stable, not swollen, and that she will be ready to compete Sunday in the women’s downhill. She has been in intensive therapy this week, posting videos of her squatting, jumping and moving laterally in a knee brace.

Even some fellow Olympians are astonished.

“She appears to be quite superhuman at times, and she is that right now,” said Brazilian ski racer Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who said Vonn “has been an inspiration for me ever since I was introduced to skiing.”

In an interview with The Times, Gonzalez said the latest comeback “isn’t about proving anything to anyone.”

Gonzalez and Niles were made available to The Times by FIGS, the official scrubwear of the USA medical team at the Olympics.

“It’s about defying the odds,” Gonzalez said of Vonn, “and being the competitor who always finds a way.”

Vonn, a three-time Olympic medalist, is attempting an astounding comeback after almost six years removed from racing and a partial titanium knee replacement in 2024. She had 84 World Cup wins in 21 seasons, making her among the most decorated ski racers in history.

“Unfortunately, in my career, I’ve had a lot of challenges,” she told reporters. “I have always pushed the limits and in downhill, it’s a very dangerous sport, and anything can happen. And because I push the limits, I crash and I’ve been injured more times than I would like to admit, to myself even.

“But those are the cards I’ve been dealt in my life, and I’m going to play my cards the best way I can.”

Despite the injury that would sideline even elite athletes, Vonn called this Olympic opportunity “icing on the cake” of her storied career.

“I never expected to be here,” she said. “I felt like this was an amazing opportunity to close out my career in a way that I wanted to. It hasn’t gone exactly the way I wanted it to, but I don’t have any regrets.

“I’m still here. I think I’m still able to fight. I think I’m still able to try.”

Emma Raducanu has shared her thoughts after coming through a “proper battle” at the Transylvania Open to reach her second final at WTA Tour level.

The world No 30 fought her way to a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 victory against 91st-ranked Ukrainian qualifier Oleksandra Oliynykova in a semi-final lasting two hours and 48 minutes.

Raducanu, whose father Ion is Romanian, was roared on by the crowd in Cluj as she recovered from being a break down at 1-2 in the deciding set.

The 23-year-old Brit will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea, the world No 36, in the final at the WTA 250 tournament as she chases her second career title.

Here is everything Raducanu said in her post-match press conference.

Q. Your thoughts on this amazing win?

Raducanu: Yeah, I mean, what a match, it was a proper battle. Such a tricky opponent, just made so many balls, played in a way that isn’t very common, and you don’t face that very much. It’s such a challenge to play, especially as the balls get older and it gets a bit slower, it gets harder to put the ball away. And yeah, she’s incredibly crafty and what an athlete and competitor, so I’m really, really happy to have come through that.

Q. What do you think about the crowd that supported you so loud… did they help you win this match?

Raducanu: Yeah, I’d really say that, and I mean it because when I’m a break down in the third set, it’s very easy I guess if there was no one in the crowd and a dead atmosphere… you know, you don’t know how you’re gonna fight compared to when the whole stadium is kind of willing you on to fight for every point and that’s what I did really well in that moment. No matter how I was feeling, no matter how uncomfortable I was, I really just gave my best for every point so I could leave the court with no regrets. And I think the crowd helped me so much to do that and it was such a nice atmosphere. And I’ve said it all week, they’ve really helped through tough moments and it’s really felt like I’ve been playing at home.

Raducanu: Yeah, I mean, I think the key moment was… There were two. I think it was 3-1 in the second set where I was in control, and I played a bit of a sloppy game to return and she held. But if I’m 4-1 up there, you don’t know how the match is gonna go. And then the next one, I think, turning point, I mean for sure, the 2-1 game when I’d just been broken, I just felt like all the momentum was going her way. I think I lost eight points in a row and I just felt like I couldn’t put the ball anywhere because she was there and she was going to hit a winner or she was going to hit something that I didn’t know what to do with. So that was a really big break at 2-1, and it gave me a little bit of hope. And then I managed to hold serve and get new balls, and I really think the new balls helped in the third set because shots that she was making with the old fluffy ones, they were just a bit late and she was missing, and it was travelling a bit too far, so that helped as well.

Q. How much resilience did it take to win today?

Raducanu: I mean, today took, like, all my supply of resilience. I think for a while I need to recharge that tank. It was such a difficult match, I have to say mentally, emotionally, you’re facing something. It looks… the whole stadium’s probably watching it like and can’t believe what’s happening, and I’m the same, but you have to face what’s in front of you, and it’s so difficult to deal with, I think. Sometimes more difficult than if someone’s hitting the ball fast, and especially when it’s relentless every single time . It just doesn’t really happen on the tour. So for me to have overcome that, it took a lot of patience, it took a lot of mental strength, and really pleased.

Q. You took a medical timeout at the end of the first set… what was the problem and how are you feeling now?

Raducanu: Yeah, I mean, now, yeah, I feel pretty tired. Obviously, I played like three hours and really, really tough physical match, moved so much, but I think it’s, when you’re playing four matches in a row it’s not something that I’ve done much, but to be feeling your body, to be feeling the pain, I guess, of the sweet rewards of being in the final, I think it makes it worth it. It’s just a bit of wear and tear from playing back-to-back matches. So I’ll take it.