Entertainment
Aryna Sabalenka v Iga Swiatek battle No 1 spot in WTA Rankings: Could Pole return to top after Asian swing?
Aryna Sabalenka’s withdrawal from the China Open has opened the door for Iga Swiatek to return to No 1, but she faces an uphill battle during the Asian swing.
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Join us on WhatsAppFollowing the successful title defence at the US Open at the start of September, Sabalenka maintained her dominant lead at the top of the WTA Rankings as she finished the North American hard-court campaign with a 3,292-point lead over Swiatek with Coco Gauff another 59 points adrift in third place.
With only two WTA 1000 events remaining on the calendar, Sabalenka looked set to keep the No 1 ranking until the season-ending WTA Finals, but the four-time Grand Slam winner then announced her withdrawal from the China Open to add a slight twist to the plot.
WTA Rankings Before Asian Swing
1. Sabalenka – 11,225
2. Swiatek – 7,933
3. Gauff – 7,874
With Swiatek in action at the Korea Open, there is an opportunity for her to replace Sabalenka at the top at the end of the current swing, but her chances are pretty slim as she needs a perfect record.
The reigning Wimbledon champion’s hopes are also boosted by the fact that she doesn’t have any points to defend up until the WTA Finals she missed last year’s Asian campaign due to her suspension, while Sabalenka will drop 215 points after the China Open following her withdrawal.
The Belarusian is also the defending champion at the Wuhan Open so will drop another 1,000 points, but of course she will have a chance to earn points again with each win at the tournament.
Sabalenka – who has been top since October last year – will effectively be on 10,010 points at the start of the Wuhan Open once the 215 and 1,000 points drop so that is the minimum target for Swiatek.
Can Swiatek get there?
The short answer is yes, it is mathematically possible, but the long answer is that it is highly unlikely she will finish ahead of Sabalenka as she will need to have a near-perfect record in her next three tournaments.
Swiatek is currently in action at the WTA 500 Korea Open and will then compete at the WTA 1000 China Open and WTA 1000 Wuhan Open. She needs to win at least three tournaments and reach the latter stages of a third.
If Swiatek wins the two WTA 1000 events she will be on 9,993 and will then need to make it to the quarter-final in Korea for 108 points to move to 10,041. If she wins the Seoul title and one WTA 1000 event, she will need to reach the final of the second WTA 1000 tournament.
For now, Sabalenka is the clear favourite to head to the WTA Finals as the No 1 where both players have 400 points to defend.
There is also a chance that the WTA’s controversial WTA 500 rule could have an impact as neither Sabalenka and Swiatek has entered a mandatory six WTA 500 events this year.
Players who fail to adhere to the rule will lose ranking points and you can read the full explainer here…
Entertainment
Paige Spiranac’s surprising NFL fandom confession triggers heated debate over loyalty, authenticity, and fan culture
The 2026 NFL Draft starts Thursday night in Pittsburgh, and the spotlight isn’t only on prospects and front offices. Golf influencer Paige Spiranac has again found herself pulled into NFL conversation, this time for her open support of multiple teams.
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Join us on WhatsAppWith the Steelers hosting the first round, her long-standing connection to Pittsburgh has resurfaced. But it’s not just about hometown ties. Her broader fandom, which stretches beyond one franchise, continues to draw mixed reactions at a time when fan loyalty is often treated as non-negotiable.
Paige Spiranac roots for 2 NFL teams: Who are they?
Paige Spiranac has never hidden where her loyalties lie, even if they don’t fit the usual mold. She has consistently pointed to her roots while leaving space for other allegiances.
“Both my parents are from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a Steelers ..fan since the day I was born. I also love the Bills. It’s a complicated relationship…Who’s your team?” she previously asked her followers. It’s a candid admission, one that reflects personal history more than calculated fandom.
Still, the reaction has been sharp. NFL culture tends to rew ..
Entertainment
Quiet moments on the course can say a lot about what’s coming next.
Sometimes the most important work happens when nobody is really watching.
Lexi Thompson was out on the 18th green, working through her putting during a practice round ahead of the Chevron Championship in Houston.
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Join us on WhatsAppIt’s a simple scene, but it shows the kind of quiet preparation that goes into these big tournaments—getting the feel of the greens, adjusting to conditions, and building trust in every stroke.
These are the small details that can shape how a player starts when the pressure kicks in.
Entertainment
Predicting what will happen to Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson if LIV Golf collapses
It looks like LIV Golf is over.
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Join us on WhatsAppThe Saudi Public Investment Fund has reportedly decided that this league simply isn’t worth the hole it’s burning in their pocket, and they’re pulling funds at the end of 2026.
That gives them less than a year to seek new investment. While CEO Scott O’Neil seems confident, it’s going to be extremely difficult to secure funding for a league that is operating at such eye-watering losses.
So this probably pulls the curtain closed on one of the most turbulent, frustrating, confusing, and ridiculous eras in golfing history. Hopefully, we can all return to some reality after the year is over.
But there is still so much uncertainty surrounding golf’s future thanks to this. Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed saw the signs early and jumped ship, but they did that with some leverage. So what on earth is going to happen to the rest of these players who didn’t take the olive branch when it was offered to them?
Feelings will be hurt, and careers will be ended. Let’s take a look.
Jon Rahm rejoins the PGA Tour
Koepka returned to the PGA Tour under the returning member program, which saw him pay $5 million to charity, accept that he’ll receive no FedEx Cup bonus money, and agree he cannot be a sponsor exemption for the 2026 signature events.
That same deal was offered to Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. They didn’t accept it, but a similar offer will likely be handed out to them again.
If LIV Golf folds, Rahm will not hold the same leverage as Koepka did, but he is a bigger star at this stage of his career. Make no mistake, the PGA Tour will want him back immediately.
But Rahm does risk leaving himself without any options at all. Reed didn’t come straight back to the PGA Tour, so he’s spending a year on the DP World Tour first. You’d imagine Rahm would consider doing the same, but it might not be so easy for him.
Rahm is in a feud with the DP World Tour, as the only one of eight players to reject a deal which would have seen him retain his full-time membership. If Rahm agreed to play in six DP World Tour events this year, then he could have played on both LIV Golf and the tour. He did not agree.
For now, his membership is at risk. So, will it be possible for him to spend a season on the DP World Tour like Reed? Maybe not. That makes it all the more likely that Rahm will be back on the PGA Tour the moment LIV folds.
Bryson DeChambeau does YouTube full-time
With DeChambeau, I don’t think it’s as much of a done deal that he returns to the PGA Tour. Not immediately anyway.
He’s been negotiating his contract with LIV, which expires at the end of this season. During these negotiations, he’s made it very clear that he is completely willing to step away from full-time competition and be a full-time YouTuber.
DeChambeau’s channel has over two million subscribers, so he could feasibly do that with all of the money he’s making there.
He was annoyed to see LIV move to a four-day format, so he could commit himself fully to being the content king. It would be a wild thing to do, but it’s also exactly the kind of move you could see the two-time major winner making.
He could qualify for The Open Championship and the US Open, and earn enough points there to play The Masters and the PGA Championship. It’s possible.
He does seem to live for competition, so maybe YouTube won’t quite scratch the itch, but it is on the table for DeChambeau. At least for a year until his suspension expires. Out of Rahm and DeChambeau, the American is absolutely the least likely to take a deal.
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