⛳ It's Scottie Scheffler Season

Howdy, it's Tuesday, 12 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Martin Gabor are at the mic. 

Today's listen time: 10 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺  What we're watching 

🏐 6.00pm - Super Netball - Vixens v Fever - John Cain Arena, Melbourne - Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ 7.45pm - Women's International Friendly - Australia v New Zealand - GIO Stadium, Canberra - 10 Bold, 10 Play, Paramount+

⚽ 5.00am (Wed) - UEFA Champions League - Real Madrid v Chelsea - Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid - Stan Sport

All times are in AEST

⛳ Scottie knows he's the best in the world 

There was no magical Masters moment for Cam Smith. But a new champ was crowned and a couple of stars pulled off spellbinding shots. 

Golden points: He started the final round well but Smith’s hot run came to an end with a couple of loose shots later in the day.

• 12 might be his unlucky number after he found the water on the 12th hole and posted a triple bogey.

• That saw him drop down to 3rd, with Rory McIlroy leapfrogging him into 2nd. The Northern Irishman had an amazing final round that included a stunning shot in the 18th bunker (check it out later in the newsletter).

• But the man of the moment is world #1 Scottie Scheffler. He hadn’t won a tournament 8 weeks ago. He’s now won 4, has a green jacket and is really, really rich.

They said it: "Gosh, it was a long morning." - Scheffler spilled his dinner in the car the night before and then cried all morning because he was so nervous. It was worth it. 

What’s next: There’s no rest for the wickedly good because the 2nd major of the year starts next month. That would be the US PGA Championship, and it begins on 19 May.

Watch it: Scheffler turned the momentum of the final round with a stunning chip in on the 3rd hole. He's not one for over-the-top celebrations. 

🏉 AFL casualty ward is way too full 

One of the main reasons we all love to watch sport is because we get to see the best athletes in the world in action. That’s why injuries suck.

Golden points: A number of stars in the AFL will be missing for a while after they got injured over the weekend. The hardest-hit team is out west.

• The Eagles have had to deal with heaps of positive COVID tests but things just got worse. Star ruckman Nic Naitanui is out until the 2nd half of the season with a knee injury.

• Lance Franklin won’t add to his goal tally for a while. He broke a finger and needs surgery.

• Carlton captain Patrick Cripps hurt his hamstring on Sunday which means he’s out for a while.

They said it: "It's not a great result for us. He's a pivotal part of what we do and we care deeply for him." - Collingwood coach Craig McRae knows the club will miss Jamie Elliott after he was forced to have shoulder surgery. 

Key click: Here’s a wrap of all the big injuries from the weekend.

🏉 This is not a winning streak 

We’ve all got a few things we’d love to do on our bucket list. Some of us want to go to outer space. Others want to go to Antarctica. And it turns out running onto the field during an NRL game was one fan’s dream.

Golden points: The woman who interrupted play on Saturday night in the game between the Titans and Eels has explained why she did it.

• She ran onto the field, evaded one security guard and was then tackled by another guard. Some people thought it was over the top but she says she got what she deserved. 

• This wasn’t a spur of the moment thing. She posted on TikTok that she would do it.

What’s next: She wasn’t the only pitch invader in Round 5 of the NRL. The man who stopped play at Shark Park when he ran on with a flare is off to jail for 3 months.

Watch it: Here's the moment he got way too close to the players. 

⚽ Road trip 9 years in the making 

It’s been a while since the Matildas last played in Canberra. How long? It’s 9 years, to be exact. But that’s about to change.

Golden points: The Aussies play New Zealand in the 2nd game of their international series tonight.

• Let’s hope for another thriller as we saw in the first game. Australia dominated that game in Townsville but needed 2 stoppage-time goals to win 2-1.

• The last time these teams met in Canberra just so happened to be that game back in 2013. The Matildas won that one on penalties after it finished 1-1 at full-time. 

They said it: “If we see every time we are on the field that kind of grit and competitiveness and fight from our players, I will be always proud.” - NZ coach Jitka Klimková was happy with the effort in Townsville.

Watch it: The game kicks off at GIO Stadium at 7.45pm (AEST). It shouldn’t be too cold in Canberra, but if you want to stay at home then you can watch it on 10 Bold, 10 Play and Paramount+.

🏀 Play time is over, and the play-in starts now 

Woohoo, it’s time for the NBA playoffs! Slow down, cowboy. We’re not there yet. There’s a little thing called the play-in tournament, and it’s kinda important. 

Explain it: The NBA playoffs used to be the top 8 teams from the eastern and western conferences battling it out for a spot in the finals. But that changed in 2020 when the play-in tournament was brought in.

• Huh? It’s not that confusing. The top 6 teams in each conference still automatically qualify. So if you support teams like the Warriors or the Bulls then you can relax.

• The big difference is the teams that finished 7-10 on the ladder now have to earn their way into the post-season.

• The winner of the game between teams 7 and 8 becomes the 7th seed in the playoffs. The loser of that game plays the winner of the match between teams 9 and 10. The winner there gets the last spot.

Key click: Need more info? Then just click here to get up to speed before it all starts tomorrow morning.

👀 Quick singles

🏀 The LA Lakers have fired head coach Frank Vogel after the team failed to make the playoffs. Vogel was told yesterday by a journalist he'd been sacked but now it's official. 

🏉 Rugby union’s Super Round just got even bigger with news the Super W Grand Final will be played in Melbourne that weekend. The Fijiana Drua have qualified for the game and will play the winner of the match between the Waratahs and the Reds. 

🎾 World #1 Novak Djokovic is back for his 2nd tournament of the season. The tennis star plays Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Monte Carlo Masters tonight to get ready for next month’s French Open. 

🏎 A Russian karting driver is facing a massive punishment after he gave a salute that has links to the Nazis. Artem Severiukhin had just won a race in Portugal when he did it, and the governing body has described his actions as “unacceptable”. 

🏉 South Sydney fullback Latrell Mitchell will miss the next 8 weeks because of a hamstring injury. This is bad news for the NSW Blues because the State of Origin series opener is on 8 June. 

⚽ A football game in Portugal had to be delayed after a pitch invader threatened players. The man got on the field and tried to kick 2 players before he was eventually taken away by security. 

🏀 The Brisbane Bullets beat Adelaide by 8 points last night to continue their late-season form in the NBL. Neither team can make the playoffs but their younger players showed promising signs for the future.

⛸ US Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu has retired from competition at the age of 16. Liu says she completed her goals in skating and is moving on with her life. 

🙃 Left of field…

We’ve already talked about a green jacket, but if green isn’t your thing, don’t worry. There’s a blue jacket floating around, but you need to be pretty good at baseball to wear it.

Golden points: Major League Baseball team the Toronto Blue Jays have a snazzy jacket that has caught the eye of fans and opposition teams.

• But not everyone can wear it. All you’ve got to do is hit a home run and the jacket is yours. That is until someone else hits one.

• There is a deeper meaning. Baseball is a diverse sport, so on the back of it are the names of all the countries represented by Blue Jays players and staff.

Watch it: Vlad Guerrero Jr currently owns the jacket, and that’s gonna be a pretty common occurrence because he hit the most home runs last season. Here’s his latest effort against Texas.

📽 The highlight reel

We mentioned it earlier, and here it is in all of its glory. Rory McIlroy had a ripping final round, but nothing tops this absurd shot from the bunker. Believe it or not, Collin Morikawa did the same thing seconds later. 

📸 Photo finish

Roger Federer in rehab... does this mean he's coming back? The Swiss maestro has been out with a knee injury but these pics suggest he wants to get back on the tennis court soon. 

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

The USA beat the Netherlands 2-0 in the 2019 final.