SHANGHAI – Francesco Molinari would love nothing more than to go back to that Sunday at Augusta National, the day Tiger Woods so famously became a Masters champion again when it could have just as easily belonged to him.

A tee shot in the water cost Molinari his two-shot lead.

A wedge that clipped a branch and found the water on No. 15 cost him a chance at a green jacket.

''I'm not the first guy that it happens to,'' Molinari said Wednesday.

What cost Molinari more than the worst kind of memory is the loss of momentum. For more than a year, good golf came easily. He rallied to beat Rory McIlroy at Wentworth. He birdied his way to victory in Washington. Nothing was bigger than winning the claret jug at Carnoustie, and his profile became even stronger as the first European to win all five matches in the Ryder Cup.

There was no stopping him, until everything came to a halt at the Masters.

The HSBC Champions, which starts Thursday as the final World Golf Championship of the year, is his next chance to rebuild what seemingly was lost in a day.

''It's tough,'' Molinari said. ''Like in any sport, I think when you lose a tournament or a game or something like that, it takes a toll mentally. I guess I was coming through a period, an extended period, of a few months where things were most of the time going my way. So yeah, it just happened. And then I tried to do the same things after that – keep pushing and keep improving, day by day – but I don't know.

''I think something obviously changed that week.''

He went into the Masters having won at Bay Hill and reached the semifinals of Match Play. He came out of Augusta having not finished in the top 10 in the 11 tournaments he has played worldwide. Molinari had reasonable results at the U.S. Open (tie for 16th) and in his title defense at The Open (tie for 11th), but he was never in contention at either one.

Getting back to where he was is proving to be as difficult as getting there in the first place.

''I think simply my game hasn't been as good as it was at the beginning of the season,'' he said. ''It's as simple as I need to hit the ball better and putt better and do basic things better. Obviously, with confidence everything comes a little easier. ...

You lose some confidence and you just need to build it up again. Unfortunately, I think it takes longer to build up the confidence than what it takes to lose it in circumstances like that.''

Molinari played so well for a year that he can break back into the top 10 in the world at the HSBC Champions against a field that includes McIlroy, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele, along with Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson.

Sheshan International is where he first showed his knack of taking it deep. He won an exquisite duel against newly anointed No. 1 Lee Westwood in 2010, winning by one shot with no one else among nine shots of them.

''It seems a long, long time ago now,'' he said with a smile.

Much fresher is the Masters, and a loss of momentum that Molinari really can't explain. He just knows it happened. And he knows the way back.

He doesn't expect it to be easy.

''If I have to be completely honest, since April, May ... I've struggled to build that momentum and to get better day by day,'' he said. ''You need to be patient, and like I was saying before, do the basic stuff day by day, hit the ball a little bit better day by day, putt a little bit better day by day. And then in the long term, it shows in the results.''

Then he paused and smiled before adding, ''But it takes a lot of patience, yeah.''

It was a historic victory last week for Tiger Woods, now atop the PGA Tour's all-time wins list following his latest triumph at the Zozo Championship. And while he might be best known for the intense focus he showed on the course during his prime, some of the game's top stars now see a softer side of a player who still remains successful.

Rory McIlroy tied for third last week in Japan behind Woods, and he's one of the headliners in the field for this week's WGC-HSBC Champions. Asked by reporters in China to reflect on Woods' most recent victory, McIlroy shared a belief that the injury woes Woods endured in recent years have added a newfound perspective to the 15-time major champ.

"He's opened up a lot the last few years," McIlroy said. "Read a story about him last week going to the movies that day off that we had and getting stuck in the Domino's in Narita and all that stuff, and that's something that he never would have done."

Those sentiments were echoed by another former world No. 1, Justin Rose, who didn't play the Zozo but has had plenty of experience going toe-to-toe with Woods over the years.

"It's been good to see him mellow for sure. I think maybe adversity does that to you," Rose said. "There's definitely been moments where he's probably thought that he might not get back to being his very best. And with that probably comes, you know, a whole different mindset."

Woods' victory increased the likelihood that he will choose himself as one of his four captain's picks for the Presidents Cup, which will be revealed Nov. 7. According to McIlroy, Woods' stint as captain along with recent vice-captain roles in other team competitions have helped him become more relatable to some of the game's younger stars.

"I think previously in his career, he didn't take the camaraderie or the being one of the guys as seriously as he does now as he transitions to this latter part of his career where he's captaining teams, and he's being part of Presidents Cups, Ryder Cups and almost like mentoring some of these guys," McIlroy said. "He's definitely mellowed as a person, and probably sees the bigger picture a little more than he used to, and that's a great thing."

While the 2019 Masters will be remembered as a watershed moment for Tiger Woods, it remains a far more bittersweet memory for Francesco Molinari.

Molinari entered the final round with a two-shot lead, looking to become the first reigning Open champion to slip into a green jacket since Woods pulled off the feat in 2001. He maintained that two-shot cushion through 11 holes, but then watery approaches on Nos. 12 and 15 ended his title chances.

A T-5 finish at Augusta National lifted Molinari to seventh in the world rankings, but he's gone 11 starts since without a single top-10 finish. The Italian arrived for this week's WGC-HSBC Champions at No. 11 in the world, having recently parted with his longtime caddie, and he told reporters in China that the ripple effects of the Masters reached far beyond Amen Corner.

"In hindsight, obviously it's easy to see after that, the results haven't been quite the same," Molinari said. "It's tough, like any sport I think, when you lose a tournament or lose a game or something like that. It takes a toll mentally."

The self-described toll on Molinari was especially surprising given the form he flashed in the months leading up to the Masters. Molinari was coming off a career season in 2018, one that included three wins highlighted by The Open, and in March he rallied to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a final-round 64 before a third-place showing at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

But since then the highlights have slowed significantly, with Molinari's best result a T-11 finish in defense of his Open title at Royal Portrush. He failed to advance to the Tour Championship and missed the cut in the Italian Open in his most recent start.

In his mind, the line of demarcation traces back down Magnolia Lane.

"I think something obviously changed that week in a way. Since then, I've been trying to get back to where I was," Molinari said. "Obviously with confidence everything comes a little bit easier, and like I said, in golf and I think in any sport, when you lose a tournament or a game, you lose some confidence and you just need to build it up again. Unfortunately I think it takes longer to build up the confidence than when it takes to lose it in circumstances like that."

The calendar year may be winding down, but Justin Rose is hoping to heat up.

Ranked No. 1 as recently as April, Rose enters this week's WGC-HSBC Champions at No. 8 in the world. That's his lowest standing in two years, when Rose pulled off a double-dip by winning in Shanghai and capturing the Turkish Airlines Open in consecutive weeks. He followed with a T-4 finish in Dubai to nearly take the European Tour's season-long prize, and the Englishman is looking to spark a similar rally this week as he returns to Sheshan International Golf Club.

"To be honest, I've probably got to win the last three [European Tour events] to challenge Shane [Lowry] and Jon Rahm and the guys that are doing really well, but that's the situation I put myself in in 2017 and I very nearly did it," Rose told reporters. "Looking forward to going back to the well and trying again."

Rose won earlier this year at Torrey Pines and tied for third at the U.S. Open, but he slowed during the PGA Tour's postseason and ultimately tied for 26th at the Tour Championship. With this week's event in a unique position of winding down the European Tour slate while starting Rose's 2019-20 season on the PGA Tour, he feels some added incentive to continue success on a course where last year he finished third as the defending champion.

"You've got to trust your game and you've got to trust the fact that you're going to play well in tournaments that are on your schedule and put yourself eventually in a position come August to be competing well in the FedExCup," Rose said. "When you're a couple thousand points behind someone and it's January, it always feels like a little bit of an uphill battle."

LA Galaxy general manager Dennis te Kloese has said he plans to meet with Zlatan Ibrahimovic to discuss the striker's future, with a view to keeping him at the club.

"My deal with him, and I have known him for a long time, is to sit down with him after things have calmed down postseason and evaluate what is good for him, his family, his fitness and for us as well," Te Kloese told ESPN Deportes.

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Galaxy's season is over after they were defeated 5-3 by city rivals LAFC in the MLS Cup Western Conference semifinals. Ibrahimovic's contract at the club expires at the end of 2019.

Ibrahimovic, 38, has made disparaging comments about Major League Soccer throughout the campaign, leading to strong rumours he would be leaving -- which were followed a cryptic tweet by the former Barcelona forward about going to Spain.

"You all already know Zlatan," Te Kloese added. "He is a topic all by himself, he is a unique character, with so many facets.

"And I think he helped us this year, basically and obviously, with the number of goals he scored, which was so impressive.

"And all of that we will be talking about, for sure, next week when he returns. He is a very mature athlete in that sense and so we will first and foremost be speaking like adults and after that we will determine what is the best for all parties involved."

Earlier in the campaign, Ibrahimovic said Galaxy teammate Cristian Pavon was "too good for MLS" and that, should he leave "nobody will remember what MLS is."

Ibrahimovic, who scored 30 goals this campaign had a long-running battle with LAFC's Carlos Vela throughout the campaign and finished just behind the Mexico forward, who netted 34, in the Western Conference top goal scoring charts.

Asked which is the more valuable player, Te Kloese said: "I think they are two very different players, different clubs and they had a different impact. I would rather talk about our own club because the only thing Carlos and LAFC deserve is all my respect.

"I know their coach [Bob Bradley] very well, I worked with him a few years back. He manages very well. It is a new club, we went up against them three times this season. At the end of the day, we are trying to build ourselves up to be a bit more consistent with our results."

Chelsea and Manchester United meet in a heavyweight Carabao Cup clash at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (streaming on ESPN+, 3:55 p.m. ET) that will end with one of England's biggest clubs having a route to silverware closed off less than three months into the season. The two teams are both in a period of transition under the management of legendary former players in Frank Lampard (Chelsea) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (United), but progression in the Carabao Cup will keep alive the prospects of a trophy this term.

Much has changed for both clubs since United recorded a 4-0 win over Chelsea at Old Trafford on the opening weekend of the season, so how does this game stack up, and where will it be won and lost?

What has changed since that 4-0 result at Old Trafford?

Back on Aug 11, United made a dream start to the season by hitting four past Chelsea, but the victory proved to be a flash in the pan for Solskjaer's team. United have since struggled for goals and form, with Sunday's 3-1 win at Norwich the first time they've scored more than once in a game since that opening weekend.

Injuries to key players like Paul Pogba, who is out until December, and the fit-again Anthony Martial have held United back, but their squad remains worryingly thin, meaning that several first-team players will have to play at Stamford Bridge when they would ordinarily be given a midweek off.

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Chelsea have bounced back strongly from that defeat at United, with Lampard lifting his team into the top four and guiding them to two wins out of three in their Champions League group.

With Chelsea under a transfer ban, Lampard has had to give youth a chance and he has been rewarded with some outstanding performances from Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Callum Hudson-Odoi and, most recently, Christian Pulisic.

The success of Chelsea's start under Lampard is that nobody is talking about Eden Hazard. The Real Madrid forward was obviously a big loss when he left in the summer but Chelsea have moved on impressively.

Who needs the win the most?

There's no straightforward answer to this one. If you are Chelsea or Manchester United, the expectation is to challenge and/or win every competition you enter and they will both regard the Carabao Cup as a chance to bag some silverware this season. The better question is probably centred on who would feel a defeat most painfully: The answer to that is Solskjaer.

Chelsea are in the top four and the Champions League, so their season is going to plan. In fact, many would argue that they are exceeding expectations. But Solskjaer is battling to revive United and he needs every break he can get right now, so elimination at this stage of the Carabao Cup would be a big blow.

Chelsea and Lampard could still look at the positives of this season if they go out, but United need a cup run to boost morale, on and off the pitch.

Which club has the best kids?

Chelsea and United have put their faith in youth this season, albeit for different reasons, but both clubs are reaping the rewards of that approach.

Thanks to a two-window transfer ban for breaching regulations over the signing of foreign U18 players, Lampard has been forced to hand opportunities to Mount, Hudson-Odoi and Tomori, and all have taken their chance.

At United, Solskjaer has offloaded the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Ander Herrera, Antonio Valencia and Marouane Fellaini this year in order to give the club's home-grown youngsters, such as Scott McTominay, Mason Greenwood, Axel Tuanzebe, James Garner and Brandon Williams a run in the first-team.

Chelsea's youngsters are older and more experienced, so they have the edge right now, but both clubs are laying the foundations for future teams by giving the kids a chance.

Who are the key men in this game?

Much depends on the strength of the two sides, with Chelsea's squad deeper than United's, who may be restricted from too many changes by injuries to first-team players. But after scoring a hat trick at Burnley at the weekend, Pulisic will hope to be handed another start by Lampard in order to build on his goalscoring form after a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge.

Solskjaer may rest £85 million centre-half Harry Maguire and give a rare start to Phil Jones, but United's strengths are up front, where Martial and Marcus Rashford will look to develop their attacking partnership in this game.

Who wins?

United have a poor record at Stamford Bridge, with their FA Cup third-round victory last season only their third win at Chelsea this century.

While United will be buoyed by that 2-0 triumph last term, Chelsea's recovery from the opening day loss at Old Trafford makes them favourites heading into the game. But having ended their 11-game winless streak away from home with a 1-0 Europa League win against Partizan Belgrade in Serbia last Thursday, United backed it up with Sunday's 3-1 victory at Norwich.

This one is too close to call, so it may even go to penalties at the end of 90 minutes.

Darren Gough has been appointed to a short-term role as bowling consultant during England's tour of New Zealand.

Gough, the former England fast bowler, is ECB Level 3 qualified but does not hold much of a track record as coach - he has pursued a career as a radio presenter since his playing career ended - but has vast experience as a player and is an old friend and team-mate of England's new head coach, Chris Silverwood.

England are currently without a bowling coach after Silverwood was promoted out of the role. While he is currently combining the roles on England's tour of New Zealand, it appears England will look to make a series of interim appointments before deciding on a long-term replacement.

Gough will fly out to join the tour this weekend, where he will be working with the Test squad in the build-up to the two-match series, which starts at Mount Maunganui on November 21.

"I'm delighted to have Darren on board," said Silverwood. "I have known him a long time and his vast knowledge and experience at international level will drive our bowling unit forward leading into the two-match Test series. He will be excellent around the group and will settle in quickly."

Gough added: "It is a tremendous honour to be asked by Chris Silverwood and Ashley Giles to be involved in this elite environment. I very much look forward to working with all the bowlers and helping them improve.

"I will gain a lot from the experience and to work at this level will do benefit me as a coach for the long-term. I can't wait to get cracking."

Kevin Shine, previously the ECB's lead bowling coach, might have been expected to fill the vacuum but has recently left the ECB. A full-time replacement may not be appointed until the start of the next English season.

While the news is a surprise - Gough certainly represents a departure from recent coaching appointments - there is some logic behind it. With the tour lasting little more than three weeks, there is unlikely to be scope for much technical intervention. Instead, Gough will be able to share his experience and advice safe in the knowledge that his record - he remains England's 12th highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, with a bowling average lower than Sir Ian Botham or Stuart Broad - demands the respect of the players.

"Giles and Silverwood approached me over the last month or so," Gough told listeners of his Drive show talkSPORT. "Chris wants me by his side. He trusts me. That's important when you start a new job. He wants fresh input. I'm not someone who has been around the coaching scene for years saying the same old things. I'm a fresh voice.

"I've seen coaches in the past come in and feel they have to do something straight away. 'Change this, change that'. The best thing is to do to start with is to watch. You don't want to be bothering these players too much about technique. They know their game inside out.

"But if the players come to you and ask a question, you give an honest answer. It's mainly about picking game plans, working batsmen out and getting them in the right frame of mind and helping them with my experience of playing in New Zealand.

"It's only a consultancy basis. I don't think it's for me full-time. Drive is the thing I love doing. This is my job. I'm still working in the media and, come Boxing Day, I'll be commentating on the side. It can't be something that happens too often in sport. I consider it a huge honour."

Gough played 58 Tests, 159 ODIs (only James Anderson has more ODI wickets for England) and two T20Is combining an indefatigable attitude with an ability to swing the ball - including the kookaburra ball - both by conventional and reverse means. He is not thought likely to be a candidate for the role on a long-term basis as it would force him to abandon his successful career in the media. talkSPORT are the official broadcasters for England's South Africa tour later this winter, where Gough will be a lead summariser, but BBC Test Match Special have the rights for the New Zealand tour.

He has had some previous experience of working with England squads, having donned an England tracksuit to work with the Test team ahead of the Headingley Test against West Indies in 2017. He also advised the Under-19 squad during their series against India earlier that summer.

Scotland 198 for 6 (Munsey 65, Berrington 48, Mustafa 2-38) beat United Arab Emirates 108 (Shahzad 34, Sharif 3-21, Watt 3-21) by 90 runs

After a lacklustre group stage, defending co-champions Scotland showed they still had enough left in the tank after two off days to see off the tournament hosts as George Munsey's second half-century of the event laid the platform for a lopsided 90-run win over UAE. The result clinched Scotland's second straight trip to the T20 World Cup and fourth appearance overall.

Netherlands had executed a brilliant plan to negate Munsey's bread-and-butter scoring option, the reverse sweep, in Scotland's last group match on Sunday. But UAE had no answers to the shot on Wednesday as Munsey cracked a pair of sixes with the shot off Sultan Ahmed to get his innings going in the third over and he never looked back.

Along with captain Kyle Coetzer, Munsey added 87 for the opening stand in 11.2 overs, scoring just as efficiently against pace and spin. Munsey flicked Waheed Ahmed's medium-pace over square leg and midwicket for two more sixes in the 10th over to go to 49 before a single in the next over raised a 33-ball half-century. The stand ended when Coetzer swatted Junaid Siddique's medium pace to Muhammad Usman at long-off for 34. Munsey fell in the 14th over off a candidate for catch of the tournament as Rameez Shahzad plucked a lofted drive leaping one-handed at long-off.

But the faintest glimmer of hope UAE had of clawing back into the match was quickly washed away with the arrival of Richie Berrington at No. 4. The Scotland vice-captain only failed to score off the first and last balls he faced. In between were 16 balls of fury as he commenced a merciless assault at the death. Waheed's medium pace was slog-swept for six before a slower ball was hammered back over his head for another six in the 16th over. There was no respite when he fell in the 18th over to Rohan Mustafa either as Calum MacLeod finished the innings with three fours in the final over before being run out off the last ball as Scotland finished two shy of reaching 200 for the second time in the tournament.

Considering how UAE's line-up fared against the Netherlands pace attack a day earlier, their chances of chasing Scotland's total were remote and so it proved in the Powerplay. Chirag Suri skied the third ball off Safyaan Sharif taken at short fine leg with the gloves by Matthew Cross. Mustafa's wild charge to Josh Davey two overs later resulted in a toe edge behind to make it 12 for 2. Darius D'Silva retired hurt at the end of the Powerplay to leave UAE further in a hole, at 35 for 2, and the chasm only grew wider when their best batsman Rameez drove a catch to Munsey on the off-side boundary off Mark Watt's left-arm spin in the ninth over to make it 55 for 3.

The slide accelerated a few overs later when UAE's middle order lost four wickets in eight balls to effectively end the match. Waheed was bounced out by Berrington with a slower ball flicked to short fine leg. Muhammad Usman skied a drive to long-on where Michael Leask charged in for a fantastic sliding catch. Two balls later Sultan Ahmed played inside the line of a stock delivery from Watt to be bowled for a golden duck before MacLeod's part-time offspin resulted in a pull to deep square leg by Mohammad Boota to make it 84 for 7.

D'Silva eventually returned to the crease but Sharif wound up cleaning up the tail. A miscued slog was skied back to Sharif for the final wicket and UAE were bowled out with nine balls unused.

Scotland now move into the fifth place playoff for T20 World Cup seeding purposes against the winner of the remaining elimination playoff match between Oman and Hong Kong.

Hamilton Masakadza, former Zimbabwe captain and opening batsman, has been appointed Zimbabwe Cricket's (ZC) director of cricket. Masakadza, who is Zimbabwe's fourth-highest run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs, retired from international cricket last month and will begin in the new position on Friday.

The director of cricket is a new role created by the ZC board in August when a decision was taken to restructure its management. Masakadza will be responsible for defining policy, strategy and programmes of best practice through all Zimbabwe's teams, he will be accountable for the recruitment, management and interaction of senior cricket technical staff and is tasked with ensuring that coaches and captains are providing effective leadership to the national teams.

"This is a key appointment that clearly indicates our desire to strengthen our cricket across all levels while also improving the game administratively," ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani said. "I have no doubt that his incredible passion for Zimbabwe cricket, massive knowledge of our game and the wealth of experience that he gained from playing at the highest level will help transform ZC and see him becoming a respected leader in the sport."

Masakadza has his work cut out for him. Zimbabwe's recent results include a T20I loss to 22nd-ranked team Singapore in a tri-series and finishing at the bottom of the points table in another tri-series, in Dhaka, which included Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Those matches were played while Zimbabwe was suspended by the ICC for government interference in the board. They have since been reinstated as Full Member, a decision that came too late for them to participate in the ongoing T20 World Cup Qualifier. Instead, Zimbabwe's focus is on the ODI Super League, which will determine qualification for the 2023 World Cup.

Zimbabwe do not have any more international fixtures this year but are due to host Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and India next year and are scheduled to travel to Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka.

The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has suspended UAE wicketkeeper Ghulam Shabber for "absconding" from the team camp during the ongoing T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE. The ECB also confirmed Shabber is part of an ongoing ICC anti-corruption investigation.

Shabber had gone missing ahead of UAE's match against Hong Kong on October 21 in Abu Dhabi, after leaving the squad and country without explanation, to later resurface in Pakistan. His sudden disappearance had come in the wake of an ICC diktat that had provisionally suspended four UAE players - Mohammad Naveed, Qadeer Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Ashfaq Ahmed - for various breaches of the ICC anti-corruption code. At the time of his disappearance, UAE team manager Peter Kelly had said that Shabber was not part of an investigation.

The ECB said in a release that they had conducted an extensive search for Shabber when it was discovered he wasn't on the team bus that left for the Hong Kong match. This, they said, included liaising with UAE authorities to track him and ensure his "wellbeing and safety". Through this extensive search, the board discovered that he had flown out in the early hours of October 21 without informing the team management and without permission from the board.

The board has not pressed formal charges against Shabber.