Thai amateur 'Fifa' ready for Masters kick-off

Napoli are still in the hunt to retain their Serie A title after the champions beat Scudetto rivals AC Milan 1-0 on Monday.

Matteo Politano came off the bench and lashed home the only goal of the game with 11 minutes remaining in front of delighted fans in Naples as the hosts racked up a fifth straight win.

Napoli leapfrogged Milan into second place but still have a battle on their hands to deny Inter a 21st league crown as they sit seven points off the pace with seven matches remaining.

Antonio Conte's team were superior at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where Politano's second goal of the season decided a largely stodgy contest not helped by Milan only being able to select star attackers Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic.

"It's a happy moment for us because we're back in second place, I thanked the boys for what they've done this season as it could have finished badly," said Conte of an injury-ravaged season.

"We've got back to what we're were like last season, we've got to keep going without getting ahead of ourselves."

Milan now trail their local rivals Inter by nine points and will in all likelihood have to content themselves with a return to the Champions League.

"I think we're done with the Scudetto race. We're nine behind Inter and Napoli are ahead of us now," said Allegri.

"We've got an advantage of a few points for the Champions League, let's try to keep it that way by winning some matches."

Napoli's win came without Romelu Lukaku who has incurred the wrath of the club hierarchy after staying in Belgium for treatment for a hip injury, while Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund ruled out with a stomach bug.

Winter signing Giovane forced Maignan into the best save of the match in the 50th minute with a stinging drive from distance and there was little more goalmouth action until Politano pounced on Koni De Winter's weak headed clearance with a powerful, and decisive, first-time finish.

- Juve eye Champions League -

Juventus moved to within a point of Serie A's Champions League places with a 2-0 win over Genoa, as the top four battle heats up.

Taking advantage of fourth-placed Como's goalless draw at Udinese earlier in the day, Juve notched the three points in Turin thanks to Gleison Bremer's fourth-minute header and a 17th-minute strike from the ever-reliable Weston McKennie.

American McKennie's fine finish took his Serie A tally to five, equalling his best-ever haul in a single league season back in his first campaign with Juve in 2020/21.

But he showed no interest in that personal statistic when speaking with DAZN after the match, saying "the important thing is getting into the Champions League".

Home fans had to thank goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio for a superb double save which stopped spirited Genoa from getting back into the game, first pawing away Aaron Martin's penalty and then keeping out Vitinha's volley.

Di Gregorio has had a tough second season at Juve, dropped from the first team in February following a series of clangers and only in goal on Monday due to Mattia Perin being substituted at half-time with a calf injury.

"He has some good moments and some tough moments, but we always knew that he was a quality goalkeeper. He knew that his moment would come," said Bremer.

Di Gregorio's stops helped put some distance between fifth-placed Juve and Roma, who trail Spalletti's team by three points in sixth after being thumped 5-2 at Inter on Sunday.

Juve are also four points ahead of Atalanta, 3-0 winners at Lecce, ahead of Saturday's clash between the pair in Bergamo, with Como hosting Inter the following day.

Genoa suffered no real damage to their bid to avoid relegation as Daniele De Rossi's team sit six points above Lecce, who are in the bottom three after a heavy defeat.

Lecce were booed off by disgruntled fans after a defeat which left their team level on 27 points with Cremonese, who sit just outside the drop zone thanks to their superior head-to-head record.

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Minnesota United denied reports that James Rodriguez was suffering from a potentially fatal health condition on Monday as the Colombian star returned to training after being sidelined for several days due to severe dehyration.

Rodriguez, 34, was hospitalized for three days with dehydration last week after being taken ill during Colombia's 3-1 loss to France on March 29 in Landover outside Washington.

Some US media initially reported that the Colombia captain was suffering from rhabdomyolysis -- a severe breakdown of muscle tissue that, in extreme cases, can be fatal. 

"Minnesota United FC takes the health and privacy of its players seriously," the Major League Soccer side said in a statement.

"The club and our medical professionals can unequivocally state there has been no clinical or laboratory evidence of rhabdomyolysis."

Minnesota said Rodriguez had been recovering at home after being discharged last week before returning to training on Monday, where he participated in "a supervised return-to-activity" session.

"His reintegration into full team training will follow the protocols established by the club's medical department and will be guided entirely by his clinical progress," Minnesota said.

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© Agence France-Presse

Tiger Woods was missing from the Masters on Monday, but the 15-time major winner was in the hearts and minds of several stars at Augusta National.

Woods stepped away from golf last week to begin treatment after pleading not guilty following a DUI arrest near his Florida home after a car crash, telling police he was looking at his phone just before the accident, in which there were no injuries.

Police later revealed Woods was found with two hydrocodone pills, an opioid painkiller, and appeared unable to safely drive a vehicle when he was apprehended.

"He's just a human being like everyone else and we have struggles," said Jason Day, the 2015 PGA Championship winner from Australia.

"It's unfortunate. The only thing that I don't understand is that it's a little bit selfish of him to drive and put other people in harm's way as well.

"But when you're the player that he was and how strong-willed he is, he thinks he can do almost anything, and that's probably why he's probably driving and a little bit under the influence."

Fred Couples, a pal of Woods and the 1992 Masters champion, was happy to hear Woods had flown to Switzerland.

"If he's in Switzerland he must be at a spot that's going help him and that's the key thing," Couples said.

"Probably won't see him for a few months, and when he comes back, hopefully we can keep in touch."

Day's thoughts were on the struggle ahead of Woods at age 50 with numerous back and leg surgeries.

"In regards to Tiger, it just shows the human element and the human side of someone that is struggling with some sort of an addiction," Day said.

"He's not immune to it just because he can hit a golf ball really well. He's had 25- to 30- something surgeries and when you're going through that many procedures, it's painful coming out of those procedures.

"I've had procedures done and I typically try and stay away from all that stuff because I just know that painkillers, there can potentially be a downfall to it."

High attention on Woods will only make matters tougher, Day said.

"It's hard to see him go through what he's going through, and especially under the microscope -- it must be hard to be who he is and have everything, everyone look kind of down on him," Day said.

"Some people want him to fail. Some people obviously want him to succeed. It's really difficult for me to go through that and watch him. I know that he's getting the help now, which is good. I'm just hoping he comes out on the other side and is better."

Couples has battled back pain for decades.

"I'd tell him I love him and things can always get better," Couples said. "I used to snap at everyone... after eight to 10 hours you just can't take it... pain is a rough thing."

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, summed up the loss felt at Augusta with Woods absent.

"Hopefully he's able to get a speedy recovery and get back here to golf as fast as he can," Reed said.

- 'A little bit sad' -

Day said Woods has plenty of support among golfers

"People out here do support him and want him to kind of get through this," Day said.

"It must be tough to be isolated the way he is normally. He stays at home pretty much most of the time, doesn't really get out too much just because of how popular he is as a person...

"Sometimes you don't have people around, loving people around enough to be able to steer you in the direction that you need to.

"He's human and we all make mistakes. That's just part of learning and getting better, and I'm hoping that he gets the help that he needs and that he comes out stronger and better on the other side ... it's a little bit sad to not have him here this week."

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Pongsapak Laopakdee, a 21-year-old Thai golfer better known as Fifa, is ready for a historic start Thursday at the 90th Masters.

Fifa, a junior at Arizona State University, will become the first Thai amateur to compete at Augusta National when he tees off in the opening round at the famed course.

"It's a huge honor, that's for sure, to be the first Thai amateur to play in the Masters. It's always nice to know that you're playing for something that's bigger than yourself," he said on Monday.

"Thai fans have been very nice to me. It's nice to see how much they care and how much they support me and have my back."

Fifa won last October's Asia-Pacific Amateur in Dubai to claim a spot in this week's Masters field, making birdies on the last two holes of regulation play and all three playoff holes to earn his trip to Augusta.

"I was just singing songs down the fairway in the playoff and trying to stay in the present, not think too much about what's going on around me, just stay composed," he said.

"And it worked out perfectly."

Fifa can thank his father for his nickname being the same as the world football governing body, which will stage the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada this year.

"My dad is a huge soccer fan and he was choosing between Fifa from FIFA World Cup and Uefa from UEFA Champions League," Laopakdee said. "So luckily it ends up with at Fifa."

Fifa was amazed at the hospitality at Augusta Nation -- "they're treating us like a king" -- and with his place in the locker room.

"It's amazing to be walking into the locker room and my locker is between Tiger (Woods) and Bryson (DeChambeau). That's a lot to soak in. I definitely took a picture of that," Laopakdee said.

"It's amazing that all these guys that you always watch on TV and now you finally get to play in the same event with them in one of the most prestigious events on one of the most prestigious golf courses in the world. You couldn't ask for anything better."

Fifa had a January practice session with Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner, and other former Arizona State stars.

"It has been an honor to have those kinds of guys in town and practice alongside you and give you any answers," Fifa said.

That helped Fifa keep his cool during his first official Masters practice round.

"I was pretty calm and collected today on the course. I didn't feel a lot of nerves because I was trying to go out there and have fun, be myself," he said.

"Obviously on the first tee on Thursday, you're going to feel nerves, and that's the thing you have at playing the Masters for the first time.

"I'm just going to embrace it. I'm not trying to think too much and just go out there and have fun."

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(The Center Square) - President Donald Trump has endorsed former Fox News anchor Steve Hilton in California’s Republican gubernatorial primary.

Trump picked Hilton over the other prominent GOP candidate -- Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is an outspoken Trump supporter.

Sunday night’s endorsement on social media comes as Democrats face the risk of being shut out of the general election for the first time in the Golden State’s history.

Besides the two Republicans, there are eight prominent Democratic candidates. Under California law, the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the June 2 primary, regardless of party affiliation, will face off in the Nov. 3 election. Hilton and Bianco could get more votes if Democrats spread their votes among the eight candidates. 

And a recent University of California, Berkeley poll shows Hilton, a small business owner in addition to being a former commentator, and Bianco are ahead of the Democratic candidates.

According to the poll, Hilton has 17% of the vote, and Bianco, 16%. The leading Democratic candidates are U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of San Francisco with 14%, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County with 13% and billionaire and consumer protection advocate Tom Steyer, who financed the successful campaign to pass congressional redistricting in California, with 10%. The poll says none of the five remaining prominent Democrats - former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former state Controller Betty Yee and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan - has more than 5% of the vote.

The Democratic Party is taking the risk seriously, with California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks urging Democrats with less support to drop out. So far, no one has budged. Hicks has said the risk of shutout is "relatively low but not impossible."

Hicks wasn’t available for further comment on Monday, and the state Republican Party and Bianco or his campaign staff didn’t respond to The Center Square’s requests for comment. 

Hilton also wasn’t available for an interview, but his spokesperson Hector Barajas emailed The Center Square a statement saying Hilton was honored to be endorsed by Trump. The candidate's statement noted California has the nation’s highest poverty, unemployment and cost-of-living rates after 16 years of "one-party rule" by Democrats. Hilton promised to cut electric halls by half, have no taxes on the first $100,000 of income, make house purchases more affordable and reduce the cost of gas to $3 a gallon.

California consistently has had the nation's highest gas taxes for several years, and the tax has grown more than $1 a gallon since the Feb. 28 start of the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran. On Monday, California's average price was $5.93 a gallon, above the national average of $4.12 a gallon, according to AAA.

Roxanne Hoge, chair of the Los Angeles County Republican Party, told The Center Square that under the top-two primary system, Democrats have spent a lot of money to help Republican candidates they think they can beat in November.

“We as a party have not gotten to choose our standard bearer for a long time, from state Senate all the way up to governor,” Hoge said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. ”The fact that for the first time in hundreds of races they [Democrats] might be shut down does not fill me with great empathy or concern."

She added two Republicans and no Democrats in the general election's gubernatorial race would be the best outcome for California.

“I'm firmly of the opinion that either Steve Hilton or Chad Bianco — or any Republican — would be a vast improvement over the public-sector-union puppets we have running our state now,"she said.

In his endorsement on his social media platform TruthSocial, Trump said he has known and respected Hilton for many years. 

“People are fleeing, crime is increasing, and Taxes are the highest of any State in the Country, maybe the World," Trump's post said. "Steve can turn it around, before it is too late, and, as President, I will help him to do so! With Federal help, and a Great Governor, like Steve Hilton, California can be better than ever before!”

There’s the question of whether Trump’s endorsement of Hilton could pull enough votes away from Bianco to mean Hilton would face a Democrat in the general election. But Hoge isn't willing to predict that would happen.

“Republicans are first and foremost rugged individuals,” Hoge said. “For me to know what they’re going to do would be a fool’s errand.”

Campaign staffs for some of the leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates did not respond to The Center Square's requests for comment Monday. 

When the creators of the hit series "Hacks" explained their planned ending to star Jean Smart, the actress had her doubts, but she trusted the team's vision. 

"I didn't really have an idea of how it would end. I wanted to be surprised," she told reporters ahead of the fifth and final season of the HBO smash that has earned her four Emmy Awards.

"I've loved being surprised every episode for all these years."

Smart said she was a little taken aback when she first learned how things would pan out for aging comic Deborah Vance and her mentee Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder.

"I was not sure," she confessed. "But I said: 'Hey, I trust you guys. Always have, always turns out great.' And it did. And now I think it was perfect."

"Hacks" hit HBO Max in May 2021 to widespread critical acclaim.

It triumphed in every awards season, scooping several Emmys and Golden Globes, with the show's acting, writing, and directing all receiving recognition.

Paul W. Downs, who created the series alongside Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, said the finale encapsulates the ethos of the entire five-season project.

"It is about what we set out in the very first episode, which is your legacy and what you leave behind," he said.

"We're leaving behind a series, and we're thinking about that for ourselves and for our characters."

After filming more than 40 episodes, the farewell felt bittersweet for the performers. 

Einbinder, 30, said it has been nice to grow alongside her character, and she was delighted with how it all fit together.

"I think every evolution that these characters have undergone has felt warranted and earned," she said.

"Everything that I would hope for them has been achieved."

For 74-year-old Smart, the realization that the end had come was a gradual process as they filmed the final scenes on each of the show's sets.

"They let me sneak little souvenirs from each set," she laughed.

The final season of "Hacks" premieres April 9 on HBO Max.

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Justin Rose shrugs off those who doubt he can win another major title at age 45 just as the Englishman sets aside the heartache of three runner-up Masters finishes.

Rose, the 2013 US Open champion and 2016 Rio Olympics winner, took his 13th career PGA Tour title in February at Torrey Pines, becoming the first wire-to-wire winner there since 1955.

That's part of why he is confident he has what it takes to win this week at Augusta National after losing to Rory McIlroy in a historic 2025 Masters playoff.

"Feeling good about things," Rose said. "I've clearly found my game. I've played very well. (Torrey Pines) is a good example of that, more evidence I'm still able to find my best, which is great to know."

Rose, a two-time British Open runner-up as well, also lost a playoff to Spain's Sergio Garcia in 2017 and shared second behind Jordan Spieth at the 2015 Masters.

He tries to keep the near misses in perspective.

"I hope it only boosts my belief that I can go ahead and do it," Rose said. "I feel like I've pretty much done what it takes to win. I just haven't walked over the line. I feel like I've executed well enough to have done the job.

"I don't feel like I have to find something in myself to do something different. I don't feel like it owes me anything. I come here with a good sort of attitude. It's a place that I enjoy being."

As for age, Rose doesn't focus on it as much as he does the work he must do to stay at his competitive best.

"I don't think about it on a day-to-day level," Rose said. "Happy the narrative around it is more positive than negative, for the most part.

"Definitely there's some motivation there to keep going, keep pushing, try to find new habits, new ways of trying to get better, realizing that's a pretty difficult ambition at this stage of my career.

"Still feel like there's areas of my game I can improve on significantly and easily without age being a factor.

"Still enjoying the work really and that's the most important thing. When you enjoy it, you don't feel your age."

- 'Key is showing up' -

Rose, however, does make some allowances to Father Time when it comes to pacing on day one.

"There was a tendency early in my career to try to be perfect for Thursday," Rose said. "You need to be ready for Thursday, but you need to save your gas for Sunday as well. If you start great, you still need to finish strong, be able to finish it off."

World number nine Rose, making his 21st Masters start, vows he will never think "Why me?" when it comes to defeat.

"I'm very aware that I've been close here. I'm very aware I've had tough, tough losses here," he said. "I also am aware that I enjoy this place. I don't want to feel those three second-place finishes need to create a different sort of feeling for me."

He tries to accept what he cannot control.

"You can't skip through a career without a little bit of heartache and heartbreak, no chance," Rose said. "If you're going to be willing to win them, you've got to be willing to be on the wrong side of it as well.

"The key is showing up. The key is to try to be as free as you can in those moments."

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(The Center Square) – The Rose Bowl is getting infrastructure upgrades ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Just over $1 million in federal funds will go toward water and sewer pipes.

U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman, D-Los Angeles County, is thrilled. She called it a win for Pasadena, the Los Angeles County city where the Rose Bowl is located.

“This will bring federal dollars back to California that would most likely be spent somewhere else in the country,” Friedman told The Center Square. “And this will relieve the burden on local taxpayers to pay for very necessary things for the Rose Bowl.”

Because of these upgrades, Friedman said there will be improved drinking water quality, better flow capacity and drainage to eliminate backups and maintenance problems, upgraded wastewater systems, and more reliable infrastructure.

Friedman added that the improvements are inside walls and underground, but that does not mean they are not important for a stadium that is 104 years old.

“You all know what happens when the water doesn’t work at your home,” said Friedman. “Now imagine that happening during a major sporting event. This is something that is necessary.”

The infrastructure upgrades come amid other improvements at the Rose Bowl. Examples include a new seating section to better accommodate today’s concert and event-goers. This is being paid for with separate funds from the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, which receives private donations.

Friedman recommended that anyone who has not been to the Rose Bowl recently to return and see this “very loved” amenity in the area.

“The city of Pasadena owns that stadium and pays for it as do donors and people who grew up going to the Rose Bowl, people who played there, people who live in the area, so it's something that the community cares deeply about,” said Friedman. “Let me also remind people that during the Eaton Fire, the Rose Bowl was our public safety staging location because there aren't many areas where you can put hundreds of fire trucks and ambulances. And this is the place in that region to host public safety during a national emergency, so this will also certainly help with its ability to function as an emergency staging area.”

Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo did not respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.

Construction of the then horseshoe-shaped stadium was completed in 1922 with a seating capacity of 57,000. It was named The Rose Bowl in 1923.

The 2028 Summer Olympics will mark the third time that the Rose Bowl has been used for the games. The other times were the 1932 Summer Olympics and the 1984 Summer Olympics.

US forces carried out a high-risk mission to recover the pilot and weapon systems officer of an F-15 fighter jet -- the first crewed American warplane shot down over Iran in more than five weeks of combat.

President Donald Trump said last week that US-Israeli operations had left Iran with "no anti-aircraft equipment" or radars, but the Islamic republic's forces subsequently shot down the F-15 and heavily damaged another plane during the rescue mission.

More than 170 American aircraft and some 200 troops took part in the operation to rescue the F-15 crew members, Trump said Monday, an effort that included assistance from the Central Intelligence Agency.

- F-15 shot down -

Trump said the F-15 was shot down by a shoulder-fired heat-seeking missile, with the jet's two-person crew ejecting and landing in different locations inside Iranian territory on Friday morning local time.

"I immediately was asked to make a decision," Trump told a news conference. "I ordered the US armed forces to do whatever was necessary to bring our brave warriors back home."

- Pilot rescued -

More than 20 military aircraft were dispatched to recover the F-15 pilot, flying over Iran and facing heavy enemy fire, Trump said.

General Dan Caine -- the top US military officer, who spoke alongside Trump -- said these forces "audaciously penetrated enemy territory in broad daylight to find, fix and recover" the pilot.

The pilot was picked up by a flight of rescue helicopters, but these aircraft were then "engaged by every single person in Iran who had a small arms weapon," the general said. One helicopter was hit and the crew sustained minor injuries but "are going to be fine."

"This was an incredibly dangerous mission," Caine said.

- A-10 damaged, lost -

US A-10 ground attack aircraft were part of the rescue effort, "violently suppressing and engaging the enemy in a close-in gunfight" to keep Iranian forces away from the downed pilot, according to Caine.

One of the A-10s was hit by enemy fire but continued fighting. Its pilot then flew the plane to an unidentified country and determined the aircraft was not in landable condition.

That pilot ejected over friendly territory and has been safely recovered, Caine said.

- CIA deception -

Finding the second crew member -- the weapon systems officer, who sits behind the pilot -- was a mission that CIA Director John Ratcliffe likened to "hunting for a single... grain of sand in the middle of a desert."

"This was... a race against the clock, as it was critical that we locate the downed aviator as quickly as possible, while at the same time keeping our enemies misdirected," Ratcliffe told the news conference.

The CIA "executed a deception campaign to confuse the Iranians, who were desperately hunting for our airmen," whom Washington located as of Saturday morning, Ratcliffe said, without providing details on the deception efforts.

- Second rescue -

The weapon systems officer was injured but managed to evade Iranian forces, traverse rough terrain, treat his own wounds and contact American forces with his location, according to Trump, who said more than 150 aircraft were dispatched as part of the second rescue effort.

"A lot of it was subterfuge. We wanted to have them think he was in a different location because they had a vast military force out there," Trump said.

Once the crew member was located, two large US planes -- reportedly C-130s -- flew in carrying equipment including three small helicopters that were quickly rebuilt on the ground.

But the larger aircraft became bogged down in sand and could not take off, requiring smaller planes to fly out the US personnel in multiple trips.

Aircraft including the C-130s were reportedly destroyed on the ground to keep them from falling into enemy hands -- bringing the price tag for the lost aircraft to over $250 million.

More than 50 hours after the start of rescue efforts, both of the downed F-15 crew members were back in friendly territory, Caine said.

"These two operations reflect our nation's most sacred obligation to our military service members," Caine said. "We leave no one behind."

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