Latvians woke up to go to work Monday morning, only to find they didn't have to. Their parliament had met at midnight to declare a holiday after the national ice hockey team chalked up its best-ever result at the world championship.

Latvia, where hockey is the national sport, was co-hosting the men's championship with Finland, and the country's 4-3, overtime victory over the United States for the bronze medal was greeted with wild jubilation.

A plane bringing the team home from Finland flew at low altitude over central Riga on Monday to greet thousands of fans gathered to welcome the squad.

At quarter to midnight Sunday, sporting red and white national team jerseys, members of parliament convened for a 10-minute session to unanimously declare the holiday.

It was "to strengthen the fact of significant success of Latvian athletes in the social memory of the society," according to the bill's sponsors.

The bill was introduced by a smiling member of parliament with her face painted in the colors of the national flag. Another giggled merrily while trying to read out the names of absent parliamentarians, to laughter from many in the hall. There was an ovation from everyone present after the final vote.

But as dawn broke, there was confusion about who was working and who was not.

Court hearings were canceled and schools and universities were closed, but national exams for high school students went ahead, with staff paid at holiday rates. Several hospitals chose to stay open to honor doctor's appointments.

Businesses found themselves in some disarray, with Aigars Rostovskis, the president of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, telling public broadcaster LSM: "It will be chaos for many."

Canada won the gold medal, its record 28th world title, by defeating Germany 5-2 on Sunday.

Chelsea have appointed former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino to take over as manager, the club announced on Monday.

Pochettino, who joins on a two-year contract with the option of a further year, is tasked with steadying Chelsea following a torrid season at Stamford Bridge that has seen the dismissal of managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter and ended with the club placing 12th in the Premier League on 44 points -- their lowest finish since 1994.

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Pochettino is the third managerial appointment made by co-controlling owner Todd Boehly following the club's takeover last year.

The club said in a statement: "Chelsea Football Club is pleased to confirm Mauricio Pochettino will become head coach of the men's team from the beginning of the 2023/24 season."

Club legend Frank Lampard was appointed as caretaker boss until the end of the season following Potter's departure, although the club crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid in April.

Former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann was one of a number of candidates considered by Chelsea for the managerial post. However, ESPN reported that the 35-year-old pulled out of the race with Pochettino and Burnley boss Vincent Kompany emerging as frontrunners for the job.

Sources told ESPN the Argentine coach feels the project at Stamford Bridge suits him because he will be able to build a young team that can play his style of football.

Chelsea face a season without European football for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign, in which they lifted the Premier League title.

Pochettino has been out of work since leaving PSG last year. He was heavily linked with a return to his former club Tottenham after they sacked Antonio Conte but sources have told ESPN he was never formally approached for the role.

Pochettino won a Ligue 1 title as well as the French Cup and French Super Cup during his 18-month tenure at the Paris club.

He also previously led Tottenham to the Champions League final in 2019 and he guided the north London club to four successive top-four finishes in the Premier League.

It's Memorial Day, MLB fans! And that means you are free to officially look at the MLB standings.

The saying goes, among baseball fans, that you should avoid checking the standings until Memorial Day, which puts us two months into the season. That gives teams time to play enough games to add meaning to what we're seeing happen in every division.

In theory, the small-sample-size blips should start regressing to the mean, and what you see at this point should start to reflect what you might see come October.

And while your team's position in the standings today might not guarantee it will end the season there, there is some truth to the concept: According to Elias Sports Bureau data, 58% of teams (90 of 155) that were in sole possession of first place on the morning of June 1 have gone on to win their division in the wild-card era (since 1995 and excluding 2020).

We asked ESPN MLB experts Bradford Doolittle, Joon Lee, Buster Olney and David Schoenfield to take a good look at the standings and weigh in on what stands out most to them so far.

What's the first thing that jumps out to you when you look at the standings?

Schoenfield: The Rays started off 13-0 or 20-3 or 29-7 or whatever stretch you want to use and yet the ORIOLES ARE RIGHT THERE. It's not like the Rays collapsed in May, either; they're over .500. The Orioles have simply been great as well -- even though their rotation ERA ranks in the bottom third of the majors (the Rays are first). The bullpen has been terrific, the lineup has scored runs and has hit particularly well in big moments (close to .300 in high-leverage situations) and Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins have been two of the best players in the league.

Doolittle: It's hard not to notice that both Central divisions are pretty bad. Is this what the balanced schedule hath wrought? I think the Cardinals, Brewers and Twins are all capable of being good, and the Cubs, Guardians and White Sox could get there as well. But it's also possible that we get a sub-.500 division champ. I mean, as a group, the American League Central is a combined 32 games under .500 (35-67) against the other two AL divisions.

Olney: I've got two thoughts: First, it's apparent that one or two of the best teams in the AL is not going to make the playoffs because of the relative strength of the East. Because of the format, at least one and probably two of the AL East teams are not going to reach the postseason. And the other thing that jumps out is how many strong favorites from the preseason have struggled -- the Padres, Cardinals, Phillies, Mets, even the Guardians.

Lee: The overall strength of the AL East cannot be overstated. Through much of the season so far, the last-place team in the division would have been in first place in the AL Central. Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader recently told me that the intensity of the division race forces him to lock in to a degree he's never felt before. There's also some bad blood brewing between some of the teams, especially the Yankees with both the Rays and the Blue Jays. Getting some old-school division tension is something that always excites me.

Of the six NL teams currently in the playoff field, how many will be there in October?

Schoenfield: The National League appears to have infinite playoff possibilities at the moment, and we could see three or even four teams with fewer than 90 wins make the postseason. The only two locks appear to be the Braves and Dodgers -- even though the Dodgers currently have five starting pitchers on the injured list. After that, it's a logjam. The Cardinals have finally started playing well and have the position players and prospects to trade for pitching help if desired. The Mets, Phillies and Padres have all disappointed and aren't sure bets to turn things around. I'll go with three current teams -- with either the Brewers or Diamondbacks joining the Braves and Dodgers (OK, the Diamondbacks).

Doolittle: Four. The Pirates will fade, and while I'm a big believer in Arizona, right now the Mets are teetering on the edge and the Phillies, Cardinals and Padres are all on the outside looking in. I have to think at least two of those teams will nudge their way in. And it could be three if the Cardinals continue their rebound and overtake Milwaukee, and the NL Central doesn't get a wild-card slot.

Olney: I'll say five, and agree with others that the Pirates are the most likely to drift back to the pack. The great unknown in the NL playoff race is what the Brewers will do at the deadline -- we saw them move Josh Hader last summer, even while in first place, and if they follow the analytics, they should probably do the same thing this July with Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Willy Adames, players who have peak value this summer. And if they did move them, that would help open the door for the Cardinals, who will still win the Central despite their awful start.

Lee: The Braves and Dodgers appear to be the only locks so far. After that, it might be just as effective to put the rest of the teams in a hat and pull them out at random. I'm typically of the belief that the strength of a roster usually wins out over the course of a long season, but the Mets, Phillies and Padres cannot escape the disappointment of the season so far given how much all three teams invested in their rosters. Of those three teams, I believe the most in the strength of the Padres, especially with some of the most talented players on that roster (*stares at Juan Soto*) underperforming, but then again, San Diego tops the majors in winning offseasons but falling short when the games are actually played.

Of the six AL teams currently in the playoff field, how many will be there in October?

Schoenfield: I'm going with ... all six. Yuck. Boring. But the Rangers absolutely look like they are for real with the best offense so far in the majors and a rotation that has pitched well even without Jacob deGrom. The Astros have survived injuries and some terrible individual starts (Jose Abreu, Alex Bregman) and are still in a playoff spot -- oh, and they have 10 games remaining against the A's. The Twins are the best of the awful AL Central, although they've allowed Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago to hang around. I suppose either or both of the Guardians and White Sox could figure things out and make a run, but I'll stick with the Twins. That leaves three teams in the AL East and I'm going with the Rays, Orioles and Yankees, which leaves the Blue Jays and Red Sox outside the postseason.

Doolittle: Six. The seedings might change, but I think we've got our field. There's a long way to go, obviously, but if you believe in the Rangers -- and I do -- then one of our preseason playoff favorites is going to lose its spot. Right now, it's Toronto, and while the Blue Jays have playoff talent, there are just more good teams than playoff slots in the AL. There are also far more flat-out terrible teams in the circuit than in the NL, which is relevant because in the AL, the middle class has been hollowed out. It is now mostly just haves and have-nots, which means wins flow to the haves and in turn that raises the bar to get into the bracket.

Olney: Seattle's rotation is absurdly great, and as we saw this week, the Mariners have an advantage that the East teams do not -- playing a really bad team in their division and feasting. That's a chit that the Yankees or the Orioles would love to have. And I'm going to climb onto the bonkers bandwagon here and say that with Carlos Correa down and the Guardians starved for run production, the White Sox will wind up winning this division. Michael Kopech is the difference-maker.

Lee: There are two switches I could potentially see happening: the Mariners overtaking the Rangers and the Blue Jays passing the Orioles. We have yet to see Julio Rodriguez heat up, and there's no chance he plays this way the entire season. When you factor that in with the type of season Jarred Kelenic is having, it's easy to imagine this Mariners offense going to another level. With the Blue Jays, it's hard for me to imagine that this is just who Alek Manoah is now, especially given how strong he looked the past two seasons. If Manoah can just find a middle ground between his horrific start and his track record, Toronto will be able to combine a dynamic offense with a strong rotation.

Which team is the biggest disappointment?

Schoenfield: I thought the Padres were overhyped before the season, but nobody expected them to be mediocre AND just kind of uninteresting. Yes, the lack of lineup depth has been an issue, the catching situation has been a disaster and Joe Musgrove and Blake Snell haven't pitched well, but also the Big Four haven't exactly clicked and Manny Machado is now on the IL following a slow start. At least Soto is heating up and there's still plenty of talent and time to make a run -- but nothing we've seen so far suggests the Padres are a playoff team (including their 1-5 record against the Dodgers).

Doolittle: The Padres. It's another lesson telling us that winning the offseason is just that -- winning the offseason. All of that superstar talent in the lineup -- Fernando Tatis Jr., Soto, Machado, Xander Bogaerts -- and the offense has still been awful. They have time to get rolling, of course, but if they continue on this trajectory and have all that money on the books in the years to come ... it's not going to be a good situation.

Olney: Well, I picked the Padres to win the World Series this year, so I cannot credibly pick any other team. San Diego is starting to remind me of the 2011 Red Sox, who looked like a monster team on paper after the signing of Carl Crawford and the trade for Adrian Gonzalez and wound up missing the playoffs. For a team with so many great players, they are wildly inconsistent.

Lee: It's hard to choose anyone other than San Diego. When a team trades for Soto at the deadline, then has Tatis Jr. return from PED suspension and signs Bogaerts, you'd expect its offense to set the world on fire and it just hasn't. As much as I appreciate Ha-Seong Kim, the fact that he's the team's leader in bWAR among position players through this point in the season shows how much the rest of the team has underperformed expectations.

Which team will finish the season with the most wins in MLB -- and how many games will it win?

Schoenfield: I still think the AL East teams are going to beat up on each other. The Rays, for example, have played 21 of their 52 division games, so still have 33 to go. They do have such a great record already that 100 wins is definitely in the picture. The Rangers have blitzed through these first two months and have an impressive run differential and perhaps a Cy Young contender -- Nathan Eovaldi, not deGrom. But I'll go with the Braves. The NL East doesn't look so tough with the Mets and Phillies scrambling, Michael Harris II and Austin Riley will step it up, and they'll get Max Fried back. I'll say 102 wins.

Doolittle: The Rays still seem like the best bet, even if they have moved a bit back toward the pack and have had some major pitching injuries. They have just been so consistent and are so deep and are strong across the board, ranking in the top five in hitting, pitching and defense alike. They look like a 105-to-110 win team and that's going to be hard for anyone else to beat.

Olney: The Rays started the season without Tyler Glasnow, and they got off to a record start. They lost Jeffrey Springs and then Drew Rasmussen, and they continued to win; their offense is so dynamic. As long as Wander Franco and Randy Arozarena continue to play well, the offense will be a force that should drive them through some of the inevitable dip in performance. They're on pace to win about 110 games, which is why I wrote last month that they'll go wire to wire -- and I'll stick with that.

Lee: I'm going to go with the Rays -- with the caveat that Wander Franco must stay healthy the entire season. Their rotation has definitely taken some hits with Jeffrey Spring and Drew Rasmussen on the injured list, but Shane McClanahan continues his reign as one of the game's best pitchers. But it's hard to overstate the impact of Franco on this lineup. The way opposing teams approach Tampa Bay's lineup has changed dramatically due to the star shortstop's presence in the middle of the lineup forcing them to pitch to everyone else around him -- Randy Arozarena, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Taylor Walls -- completely differently.

Norwegian brushes aside challenge of Yared Nuguse and Olli Hoare to win 1500m at the Diamond League in Morocco as Soufiane El Bakkali, Gudaf Tsegay and Yaroslava Mahuchikh also impress

Such is the recent form of Yared Nuguse, there was speculation ahead of the Diamond League in Rabat on Sunday (May 28) that the American could topple Jakob Ingebrigtsen at 1500m. For the Norwegian, though, it was business as usual as he cruised home in 3:32.59 to win by half a second from Nuguse and Olli Hoare.

In his first race since the European Indoor Championships in March, the Olympic champion had too much firepower on the final lap. Due to an inconsistent pace (55.56 then 59.57 and 57.13), it meant Ingebrigtsen still had company with 200m to go, but he kicked from the front entering the home straight and his rivals had no answer.

Still, Nuguse ran a PB of 3:33.02 in his first-ever Diamond League race while Commonwealth champion Hoare ran 3:33.39.

“You never really know in your first race of the season, so I kind of worked my way into it,” said Ingebrigtsen, who added he was surprised his rivals were so far behind.

Nuguse added: “I gave it everything I could. Jakob’s an amazing runner and I wasn’t expecting to roll over him in the first race. That would be ridiculous.”

What can we expect from Ingebrigtsen during the rest of the season? “Better, faster, stronger!” he replied.

Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse are due to race again at the Diamond League in Oslo on June 15.

World and Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali was also in terrific form in front of his home crowd as he stormed to 3000m steeplechase victory in a PB of 7:56.68 despite slowing down to enjoy the moment in the closing metres.

El Bakkali soaked up the early pace which, for a while, was inside world record schedule, before romping clear in the closing stages. His winning time places him No.8 on the all-time rankings as runner-up Getnet Wale of Ethiopia ran 8:05.15.

“My aim was to break the world record but I got tired on the last lap,” he said. “Now I will rest to get ready for my next competitions and especially the World Championships where my aim is to keep my title.”

Like El Bakkali, Gudaf Tsegay ran a meeting record and world lead of 3:54.03 with a powerful display in the women’s 1500m. Passing 400m in 61.3 and 800m in 2:03.6, Tsegay drew ahead of teenager Birke Haylom to clock an African all-comers’ record. Fellow Ethiopians Freweyni Hailu and Haylom were second and third in 3:57.65 and 3:57.66 respectively.

The men’s 100m was missing Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs – the Italian controversially withdrawing from his showdown with world champion Fred Kerley. In his absence, Kerley won impressively in a meeting record of 9.94 from Akani Simbine’s 9.99 and Ferdinand Omanyala’s 10.05. If Jacobs recovers, we could see the head-to-head at the Diamond League in Florence on Friday June 2.

In the sprint hurdles, there was a shock as Rasheed Broadbell won in 13.08 ahead of world champion Grant Holloway.

Mary Moraa, meanwhile, sped to victory in the women’s 800m in 1:58.72.

In the field, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh set a meeting record of 2.01m, while Kristjan Ceh of Slovenia took the men’s discus with 70.32m.

Wyn Jones has said he will use his World Cup disappointment to come back and make himself a better player.

It came less than two years after Gatland made him his Test prop for the British & Irish Lions in South Africa.

"I was disappointed not to get named in the World Cup squad [but] now I'll go back, work on my own game," said Jones.

Gareth Thomas, Nicky Smith, Rhys Carre and uncapped duo Corey Domachowski and Kemsley Mathias were named ahead of 48-cap Jones, who started three games in this year's Six Nations.

Gatland admitted it was a "tough call" but said the mobility of Wales' front five had to improve.

Jones, 31, said after appearing for a World XV against Barbarians at Twickenham: "[Gatland] briefly explained the decision but not too much.

"It was disappointing but then things like this [playing for the World XV] come up and it's one of these experiences in rugby you'll never forget.

"Now I'm going to meet Jonathan Humphreys soon to go through a few things with him and go from there."

It capped a miserable season for Jones with Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship and Wales during the troubled autumn and Six Nations campaigns.

Delays in a deal being struck between the Welsh Rugby Union and regions left players in limbo over their futures.

Welsh rugby in a 'mess'

Even now with an agreement, Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets face smaller squads next season with a salary cap of £5.2m, falling to £4.5m for the following campaign.

"Things have been pretty messy off the field this season. Sometimes it was hard to concentrate on games because of the stuff going on," said Jones.

"I hope there's some stability now but, if I'm honest, I'm really not sure there is.

"I'm seeing some big names out of contract and nothing has been offered. It's disappointing for us other players who are watching that. You feel for them."

Wales fly-half Gareth Anscombe, who will be without a club when his Ospreys contract expires next month, said players in Wales have been let down by the authorities as the regions face a major financial hit.

Jones backed his Wales team-mate but still hopes Scarlets can be competitive next season.

"I agree with what all the players are saying. It's pretty obvious to see," he said.

"Hopefully next year, things will settle out and be rectified.

"I think we [Scarlets] can be competitive. You hear stories about some teams not having enough boys to train, but we're one of the fortunate regions in that we have enough numbers. I'm pretty sure we'll be ready to go come the start of the [season].

"We're probably over-played. So it's nice to have that break and time away from the game. We'll come back excited and motivated, ready to play again."

KAMLOOPS, British Columbia -- Logan Stankoven had a goal and four assists, Connor Levis had a goal and two assists and the Kamloops Blazers routed the Ontario Hockey League champion Peterborough Petes 10-2 in the Memorial Cup on Sunday.

The win came after Kamloops defenseman Kyle Masters was taken off the ice on a stretcher after he was hit and fell backward into the corner boards with less than seven minutes remaining. There was no immediate word on Masters' condition.

Ryan Michael, Fraser Minten, Ashton Ferster, Matthew Seminoff, Dylan Sydor, Jakub Demek, Matthew Seminoff and Ryan Hofer each scored goals for the Blazers, who bounced back from an 8-3 loss to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Quebec Remparts on Friday night.

Caedan Bankier and Olen Zellweger also added two assists each for the Blazers, who scored four power-play goals and improved to 1-1 in the four-team, 10-day tournament.

Peterborough dropped to 0-2 and must beat Quebec on Tuesday to advance.

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Pajaree Anannarukarn of Thailand capped off the longest week on the LPGA Tour with a 3-and-1 victory Sunday to win the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play over Ayaka Furue of Japan.

Anannarukarn, who beat Linn Grant of Sweden in the semifinals Sunday morning at Shadow Creek, took the lead for good with a birdie on the par-5 seventh hole.

The Thai kept up the pressure on a hot day north of Las Vegas, with both players carrying umbrellas under a bright blue sky to fend off the sun. But right when it looked as though fatigue was setting in from playing seven matches in five days, they produced some of their best shots.

Furue simply couldn't catch up, and finished runner-up for the second straight year.

“Match play is taking a lot of energy throughout the week,” Anannarukarn said. “I'm really soaking it in right now. It's been a great week, and I'm grateful for everything.”

The match ended on the par-3 17th when Anannarukarn drilled her tee shot to a right pin about 6 feet to the right of the hole and Furue found a back bunker. Furue's bunker shot hit the left side of the hole — had it hit the pin it might have dropped — and rolled out some 12 feet. She conceded the match.

Anannarukarn won for the second time on the LPGA Tour, and the first time since ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland in 2021, a tournament co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.

Two days ago, it looked as though she might get eliminated. Anannarukarn lost on the 18th hole to Karis Davidson of Australia, forcing a sudden death playoff. Anannarukarn hit a tee shot that sank deep into a divot in the first cut. She hit perhaps her most important shot of the week, gouging it out and onto the green to win with a par.

In the knockout stage, she took out Solheim Cup stalwart Carlota Ciganda and then Cheyenne Knight of the United States in the quarterfinals. She made eight birdies against Grant in the semifinals, superb golf considering the fast, firm conditions of Shadow Creek.

Furue took out Leona Maguire of Ireland in the semifinals, another star from the last Solheim Cup, and grabbed an early lead against the Thai in the championship match until the first of several mistakes by both players.

But the temperature was rising and the wind picked up. Anannarukarn and Furue each made only one birdie through 11 holes, and the Thai missed short birdie putts on the eighth and ninth hole that could have expanded her lead.

“The wind picked up a lot. I think I used up all my birdies,” Anannarukarn said. “I really tried hard. I missed a couple of putts, I shanked one out of the bunker. It's golf, and I really tried. I'm glad I was able to play decent enough.”

The finishing kick was special.

Anannarukarn won the 12th with a short birdie to go 2 up, only for Furue to answer with a long iron to 2 feet for a conceded birdie on the 13th.

Back came the Thai on the 14th, using the firm ground to her advantage on a back right pin. The ball bounded across the green to the edge of the green, then trickled back the other direction with the slope to 2 feet for a conceded birdie to regain her 2-up margin.

They halved the 15th with bogeys, the 16th with pars, and then Anannarukarn put her away with a winning tee shot on the 17th.

Anannarukarn is the first Thai winner on the LPGA Tour this season, a country so strong that it won the International Crown two weeks ago without Anannarukarn on the four-player team.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Asked if lag putting was a strength of his, Ohio State senior Neal Shipley could barely get a word in before his teammates interrupted.

“Nope! Nope! Nope!” a few Buckeyes shouted, before Shipley confessed.

“Absolutely not,” Shipley said. “By far the weakest part of my game.”

To which senior Maxwell Moldovan chimed in, “It was there when it mattered, though.”

That it was. After birdieing three straight holes, including a pair of 25-foot makes at Nos. 7 and 8, Shipley stepped up to the tee at Grayhawk’s par-4 ninth hole and promptly spun a drive into the desert. He took an unplayable and then hit his third shot to about 50 feet.

Ahead of Shipley, Moldovan had gotten a 40-footer to drop for birdie that temporarily pushed the Buckeyes, six shots out of the top 15 to start Sunday’s third round of the NCAA Championship, to 25 over, a stroke ahead of Texas Tech, which over on the par-4 18^th hole had just watched its star player, Ludvig Aberg, cap a 1-under 69 with bogey.

One putt and Shipley would send Ohio State into Monday’s final round of stroke play. Two putts would force a playoff with Tech at 8 a.m. Monday morning.

“You put in the work, and you practice it, and sometimes it stays just the same,” Shipley said of his speed on the greens. “And sometimes it shows up when you need it.”

Shipley put a good roll on his par lag, which slid toward the hole at what looked like perfect speed before stopping a few feet short.

“I was pretty wobbly over that fifth shot,” Shipley admitted.

Yet, he got it to drop, the exclamation point on a 3-under 67 that has Shipley tied for second individually with North Carolina’s Dylan Menante at 5 under, four shots behind solo leader Ross Steelman of Georgia Tech.

“That two-putt was amazing,” Ohio State head coach Jay Moseley said, “because we’ve been on him; he tends to really get aggressive on his putts, so that two-putt was pretty darn clutch.”

Moseley brought back all five starters from last year’s team that finished 23^rd at the NCAA Championship, but with senior Patrick Schmucking battling a back injury – he played just two events this season before having surgery – he'd need someone to fill that spot. In stepped Shipley, a transfer who graduated after three years at James Madison.

Without a single Power 5 offer as a high-school recruit, Shipley got better every season for the Dukes. The summer before his third year, Shipley qualified for the U.S. Amateur on Ohio State’s Scarlet Course. When he entered the portal, Shipley reached out to Moseley, who wasn’t necessarily looking to add to his roster but had heard some good things about the Pittsburgh native. So, Moseley invited Shipley on a visit and later signed him.

“He’s a Big Ten type player, hits it long and straight,” Moseley said. “Since he’s stepped on campus, his ball-striking has been some of the best I’ve ever seen. When he makes putts, he’s hard to beat.”

For the first time ever, players will vie for the NCAA individual title knowing that a victory will come with a Masters invitation. Vanderbilt’s Gordon Sargent, last year’s national individual champ, received an invite to Augusta National this spring, but that came retroactively.

Asked if he knew what was on the line on Monday as he attempts to track down Steelman, Shipley, who is planning on a fifth year at Ohio State next season, nodded.

“I’m aware, yes,” he said.

But he’d sacrifice all that to give his team a chance to qualify for match play.

“I want both,” Shipley said, “but for these guys, I want us to make it through that playoff, and I want us to get into that top 8. Tomorrow anything can happen.”

He’ll just need to keep that putter warm.

Free agent running back Le'Veon Bell admitted that he smoked marijuana before NFL games.

Bell, who last played in the NFL in 2021, opened up about the topic on the "Steel Here" podcast, which focuses on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bell played for Pittsburgh from 2013 to 2017, then sat out the 2018 season amid a contractual battle with the team.

"Looking back on this, that's what I did," Bell said. "When I was playing football, I smoked, bro. Even before the games, I'd smoke and I'd go out there and run for 150, two [touchdowns]."

When Bell finally left the Steelers, he played for the New York Jets in 2019 and two games in 2020. The Jets' coach at the time was Adam Gase, who came under criticism from Bell on the podcast.

"Bro, we get to New York, and that's when you instantly find out that head coaches make a huge difference," Bell said. "As soon as I get to New York I find that out like the first week. ... Bro, the team wasn't that great, don't get me wrong, but I feel like if Coach [Mike] Tomlin [of the Steelers] was coaching that team, we win nine games at least. It's to the point where [ex-Jets quarterback] Sam Darnold don't even know like the actual line's protections because he's so confused about our offense because the coach is confusing him."

Bell, 31, added that Gase was "terrible" at calling plays. The Jets went 7-9 in 2019, with Bell producing 789 yards and three touchdowns on 245 carries.

New York released Bell on Oct. 14, 2020, after he had 19 carries for 74 yards that year. He signed with the Chiefs three days later and added 254 yards and two touchdowns on 63 carries in nine games with Kansas City. Bell appeared in one playoff game during the Chiefs' run to the Super Bowl, rushing twice for 6 yards.

In 2021, Bell played five games for the Baltimore Ravens and three for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, totaling 39 carries for 101 yards and two scores.

During his Steelers tenure, Bell was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro. In 96 career NFL games (81 starts), Bell ran 1,595 times for 6,554 yards and 42 touchdowns. He was also suspended twice for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy while with the Steelers.

After leaving the Jets, Bell had short stints with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, and Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

Despite not playing last season and dabbling in a professional boxing career, Bell said he hasn't yet officially retired from playing football. He told the podcast he'd like to retire with the Steelers but wants a chance to get a few carries in the preseason "so I can show y'all" he can still play.

Information from Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Michael Soroka will start for the Atlanta Braves on Monday night at Oakland, manager Brian Snitker announced, marking the right-hander's return to the big leagues after almost three years and two Achilles tears.

Soroka, 25, last pitched in the majors on Aug. 3, 2020, three games into the pandemic-shortened season, when he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon against the New York Mets. Following a setback that required a follow-up surgery, he suffered another tear of the same Achilles tendon midway through the 2021 season while walking into the clubhouse.

Soroka suffered another complication in his comeback when a hamstring injury slowed his progress this spring.

"To get back is really a feather in that kid's cap," Snitker said Sunday night after his team defeated the visiting Phillies 11-4.

Soroka initially was set to pitch for Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday against the Durham Bulls before the team called an audible and scratched him in favor of right-hander Nolan Kingham.

Ronald Acuna Jr. said he was "super happy, super excited for him, super proud of him" and added "I'm just hoping for continued good health."

Soroka looked like an emerging ace when he finished 13-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 2019 and placed second in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and sixth in the NL Cy Young voting.

The Braves are 0-3 in bullpen committee games as they attempt to overcome losing two key starters, Max Fried (strained left forearm) and Kyle Wright (right shoulder inflammation), to the injured list in early May. Each is expected to miss at least two months.

Soroka was 1-2 with a 4.33 ERA in eight games with Triple-A Gwinnett. He allowed a combined four hits and two runs over 10⅔ innings in his last two starts for the Stripers.

Right-hander Dereck Rodriguez, who gave up one hit in two scoreless innings Sunday against the Phillies, was optioned to Gwinnett after the game to clear a roster spot for Soroka.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.