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Why Victor Wembanyama hates Chet Holmgren so much Chet Holmgren is the textbook definition of a basketball unicorn. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 7’1 center cashed 36.2 percent of his three-pointers this season on 243 attempts while also being one of the very best shot-blockers in the NBA. NBA teams will tank for years to get a player like Holmgren who can provide stout rim protection defensively while also spacing the floor on offense. The Thunder did tank to get him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and it resulted in a championship in the big man’s third pro season last year.If Holmgren is a unicorn, Victor Wembanyama is an alien. There’s never been a player in league history quite like the 7’5 French sensation. He’s probably already the most dominant defender in the history of basketball, and he hits logo threes from Steph Curry range, uses his 8-foot wingspan for an unprecedented offensive catch radius on interior finishes, and plays with a non-stop motor. I compared Wemby to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a full year before he entered the NBA, and he hasn’t made me regret it yet. Kareem is, by the way, the third best player in NBA history.Wembanyama is 22 years old. Holmgren just turned 24 years old. These two players have been battling since they were teenagers on the international stage, and there’s clearly some bad blood between them. As Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs meet Holmgren’s defending champion Thunder in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, their rivalry is coming back into focus. Here’s why there’s so much hostility between these great young bigs — and why Wembanyama is the one driving it.The 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup started it allWant to get a first-look at the next generation of basketball stars? Lock in to the FIBA youth tournaments in the summer time. Back in 2015, I wrote that a 17-year-old Jayson Tatum had the basketball world in the palm of his hand after watching him on the FIBA stage. He’s just one of many examples of future stars who had their first big breakout in these events. I’ve been following this stuff closely for a long time, and I can never remember a more anticipated matchup than the United States vs. France showdown in the 2021 gold medal game at the U19 FIBA World Cup. It’s an important first chapter in the Wembanyama vs. Holmgren rivalry.The United States won the game, and Holmgren was named tournament MVP. What I remember about that game is that it wasn’t Chet who out-dueled Wemby — it was Kenneth Lofton. Lofton was a 6’6, 275-pound big man who played his college ball at Louisiana Tech, signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, and played 45 NBA games before now continuing his career in China.Lofton won the U.S. the gold medal game, but Holmgren was still that team’s best player.Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren head-to-head in the NBAHolmgren was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft but missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. Wembanyama entered the league the next year as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.The Thunder demolished the Spurs in the first two games between Holmgren and Wembanyama in the NBA. The Spurs won the third matchup in their shared rookie season with Wemby going off for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the loss.Wemby and Chet only matched up once in the next season during the 2024-25 campaign. The Thunder won an Oct. game and would go on to win the NBA championship while the Spurs missed the playoffs after Wembanyama had to be shutdown after the All-Star break with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.“I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet. Chet having one up on him on the championship,” ESPN reporter Marc Spears said.Wemby takes the upper hand in the rivalry this seasonThe Thunder looked like a potential dynasty coming off their 2025 championship. Victor Wembanyama had other ideas.The Thunder started the year at 24-1. Then the Spurs beat them three times in just about two weeks, including knocking them out of the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas in a game where Wemby came off the bench to score 22 points in 21 minutes. Watch the way Wembanyama reacted when Holmgren missed a key free throw late.The Christmas matchup between the two teams was another fantastic showcase. The Spurs beat the Thunder, 117-102, for their third straight win against mighty OKC. Holmgren only had 10 points in the loss, and Wembanyama was clearly trying to get in his head.Watch this hard foul by Wemby, and his reaction when Chet missed another free throw.The Thunder did win the final regular season matchup. Everyone knew we’d see these two again in the Western Conference Finals.Wembanyama vs. Holmgren in the Western Conference Finals is pure theaterThe Spurs’ Game 1 double-OT victory in the 2026 Western Conference Finals was one of the greatest basketball games you will ever see. Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds in a career-high 49 minutes. His logo three will be the shot remembered forever, but he also served Chet a facial with a dunk in double overtime to essentially clinch the win.Wembanyama knows he’s one of the few people alive with a physical advantage on Holmgren. He also seems to play the mental game against his rival relentlessly.This tweet summed it up perfectly:This Wemby vs. Chet TikTok edit also went viral after Game 1. It’s such a good watch:After Game 1 of the WCF, Wembanyama holds a 5-4 edge in head-to-head matchups against Holmgren.Spurs vs. Thunder is cinema. We’re watching the next great rivalry in not just the NBA, but all of sports. Wembanyama taking it personally against Holmgren makes it even better. #Victor #Wembanyama #hates #Chet #Holmgren

Why Victor Wembanyama hates Chet Holmgren so much

Chet Holmgren is the textbook definition of a basketball unicorn. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 7’1 center cashed 36.2 percent of his three-pointers this season on 243 attempts while also being one of the very best shot-blockers in the NBA. NBA teams will tank for years to get a player like Holmgren who can provide stout rim protection defensively while also spacing the floor on offense. The Thunder did tank to get him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and it resulted in a championship in the big man’s third pro season last year.

If Holmgren is a unicorn, Victor Wembanyama is an alien. There’s never been a player in league history quite like the 7’5 French sensation. He’s probably already the most dominant defender in the history of basketball, and he hits logo threes from Steph Curry range, uses his 8-foot wingspan for an unprecedented offensive catch radius on interior finishes, and plays with a non-stop motor. I compared Wemby to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a full year before he entered the NBA, and he hasn’t made me regret it yet. Kareem is, by the way, the third best player in NBA history.

Wembanyama is 22 years old. Holmgren just turned 24 years old. These two players have been battling since they were teenagers on the international stage, and there’s clearly some bad blood between them. As Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs meet Holmgren’s defending champion Thunder in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, their rivalry is coming back into focus. Here’s why there’s so much hostility between these great young bigs — and why Wembanyama is the one driving it.

The 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup started it all

Want to get a first-look at the next generation of basketball stars? Lock in to the FIBA youth tournaments in the summer time. Back in 2015, I wrote that a 17-year-old Jayson Tatum had the basketball world in the palm of his hand after watching him on the FIBA stage. He’s just one of many examples of future stars who had their first big breakout in these events. I’ve been following this stuff closely for a long time, and I can never remember a more anticipated matchup than the United States vs. France showdown in the 2021 gold medal game at the U19 FIBA World Cup. It’s an important first chapter in the Wembanyama vs. Holmgren rivalry.

The United States won the game, and Holmgren was named tournament MVP. What I remember about that game is that it wasn’t Chet who out-dueled Wemby — it was Kenneth Lofton. Lofton was a 6’6, 275-pound big man who played his college ball at Louisiana Tech, signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, and played 45 NBA games before now continuing his career in China.

Lofton won the U.S. the gold medal game, but Holmgren was still that team’s best player.

Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren head-to-head in the NBA

Holmgren was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft but missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. Wembanyama entered the league the next year as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Thunder demolished the Spurs in the first two games between Holmgren and Wembanyama in the NBA. The Spurs won the third matchup in their shared rookie season with Wemby going off for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the loss.

Wemby and Chet only matched up once in the next season during the 2024-25 campaign. The Thunder won an Oct. game and would go on to win the NBA championship while the Spurs missed the playoffs after Wembanyama had to be shutdown after the All-Star break with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

“I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet. Chet having one up on him on the championship,” ESPN reporter Marc Spears said.

Wemby takes the upper hand in the rivalry this season

The Thunder looked like a potential dynasty coming off their 2025 championship. Victor Wembanyama had other ideas.

The Thunder started the year at 24-1. Then the Spurs beat them three times in just about two weeks, including knocking them out of the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas in a game where Wemby came off the bench to score 22 points in 21 minutes. Watch the way Wembanyama reacted when Holmgren missed a key free throw late.

The Christmas matchup between the two teams was another fantastic showcase. The Spurs beat the Thunder, 117-102, for their third straight win against mighty OKC. Holmgren only had 10 points in the loss, and Wembanyama was clearly trying to get in his head.

Watch this hard foul by Wemby, and his reaction when Chet missed another free throw.

The Thunder did win the final regular season matchup. Everyone knew we’d see these two again in the Western Conference Finals.

Wembanyama vs. Holmgren in the Western Conference Finals is pure theater

The Spurs’ Game 1 double-OT victory in the 2026 Western Conference Finals was one of the greatest basketball games you will ever see. Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds in a career-high 49 minutes. His logo three will be the shot remembered forever, but he also served Chet a facial with a dunk in double overtime to essentially clinch the win.

Wembanyama knows he’s one of the few people alive with a physical advantage on Holmgren. He also seems to play the mental game against his rival relentlessly.

This tweet summed it up perfectly:

This Wemby vs. Chet TikTok edit also went viral after Game 1. It’s such a good watch:

After Game 1 of the WCF, Wembanyama holds a 5-4 edge in head-to-head matchups against Holmgren.

Spurs vs. Thunder is cinema. We’re watching the next great rivalry in not just the NBA, but all of sports. Wembanyama taking it personally against Holmgren makes it even better.

#Victor #Wembanyama #hates #Chet #Holmgren

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Chet Holmgren is the textbook definition of a basketball unicorn. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s 7’1 center cashed 36.2 percent of his three-pointers this season on 243 attempts while also being one of the very best shot-blockers in the NBA. NBA teams will tank for years to get a player like Holmgren who can provide stout rim protection defensively while also spacing the floor on offense. The Thunder did tank to get him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and it resulted in a championship in the big man’s third pro season last year.

If Holmgren is a unicorn, Victor Wembanyama is an alien. There’s never been a player in league history quite like the 7’5 French sensation. He’s probably already the most dominant defender in the history of basketball, and he hits logo threes from Steph Curry range, uses his 8-foot wingspan for an unprecedented offensive catch radius on interior finishes, and plays with a non-stop motor. I compared Wemby to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a full year before he entered the NBA, and he hasn’t made me regret it yet. Kareem is, by the way, the third best player in NBA history.

Wembanyama is 22 years old. Holmgren just turned 24 years old. These two players have been battling since they were teenagers on the international stage, and there’s clearly some bad blood between them. As Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs meet Holmgren’s defending champion Thunder in the 2026 Western Conference Finals, their rivalry is coming back into focus. Here’s why there’s so much hostility between these great young bigs — and why Wembanyama is the one driving it.

The 2021 U19 FIBA World Cup started it all

Want to get a first-look at the next generation of basketball stars? Lock in to the FIBA youth tournaments in the summer time. Back in 2015, I wrote that a 17-year-old Jayson Tatum had the basketball world in the palm of his hand after watching him on the FIBA stage. He’s just one of many examples of future stars who had their first big breakout in these events. I’ve been following this stuff closely for a long time, and I can never remember a more anticipated matchup than the United States vs. France showdown in the 2021 gold medal game at the U19 FIBA World Cup. It’s an important first chapter in the Wembanyama vs. Holmgren rivalry.

The United States won the game, and Holmgren was named tournament MVP. What I remember about that game is that it wasn’t Chet who out-dueled Wemby — it was Kenneth Lofton. Lofton was a 6’6, 275-pound big man who played his college ball at Louisiana Tech, signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022 as an undrafted free agent, and played 45 NBA games before now continuing his career in China.

Lofton won the U.S. the gold medal game, but Holmgren was still that team’s best player.

Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren head-to-head in the NBA

Holmgren was the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft but missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc injury. Wembanyama entered the league the next year as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The Thunder demolished the Spurs in the first two games between Holmgren and Wembanyama in the NBA. The Spurs won the third matchup in their shared rookie season with Wemby going off for 28 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, while Holmgren had 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in the loss.

Wemby and Chet only matched up once in the next season during the 2024-25 campaign. The Thunder won an Oct. game and would go on to win the NBA championship while the Spurs missed the playoffs after Wembanyama had to be shutdown after the All-Star break with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

“I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet. Chet having one up on him on the championship,” ESPN reporter Marc Spears said.

Wemby takes the upper hand in the rivalry this season

The Thunder looked like a potential dynasty coming off their 2025 championship. Victor Wembanyama had other ideas.

The Thunder started the year at 24-1. Then the Spurs beat them three times in just about two weeks, including knocking them out of the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas in a game where Wemby came off the bench to score 22 points in 21 minutes. Watch the way Wembanyama reacted when Holmgren missed a key free throw late.

The Christmas matchup between the two teams was another fantastic showcase. The Spurs beat the Thunder, 117-102, for their third straight win against mighty OKC. Holmgren only had 10 points in the loss, and Wembanyama was clearly trying to get in his head.

Watch this hard foul by Wemby, and his reaction when Chet missed another free throw.

The Thunder did win the final regular season matchup. Everyone knew we’d see these two again in the Western Conference Finals.

Wembanyama vs. Holmgren in the Western Conference Finals is pure theater

The Spurs’ Game 1 double-OT victory in the 2026 Western Conference Finals was one of the greatest basketball games you will ever see. Wembanyama had 41 points and 24 rebounds in a career-high 49 minutes. His logo three will be the shot remembered forever, but he also served Chet a facial with a dunk in double overtime to essentially clinch the win.

Wembanyama knows he’s one of the few people alive with a physical advantage on Holmgren. He also seems to play the mental game against his rival relentlessly.

This tweet summed it up perfectly:

This Wemby vs. Chet TikTok edit also went viral after Game 1. It’s such a good watch:

After Game 1 of the WCF, Wembanyama holds a 5-4 edge in head-to-head matchups against Holmgren.

Spurs vs. Thunder is cinema. We’re watching the next great rivalry in not just the NBA, but all of sports. Wembanyama taking it personally against Holmgren makes it even better.

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#Victor #Wembanyama #hates #Chet #Holmgren

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Deadspin | Open Championship tee times: Scheffler paired with LIV Golf’s DeChambeau, Hatton Sep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA golfer Scottie Scheffler and golfer Bryson DeChambeau on the 11th hole on the penultimate day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is paired with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday. Scheffler, playing the Open Championship for the sixth time, arrived after missing the cut at the Scottish Open. It was the first time he failed to reach the weekend since the 2022 St. Jude Championship. Scheffler has 11 sub-70 rounds in 20 total rounds in his Open Championship career. He won the Open last year at Royal Portrush at 17-under par to run away with the Claret Jug. He has two other top-10 finishes among his previous five starts (T7 at Royal Troon in 2024 and T8 in his debut at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s). Scheffler and DeChambeau have been partners for the United States in the Ryder Cup. This is the ninth Open Championship for DeChambeau. He overcame a first-round 78 at Portrush last year to finish tied for 10th, his best showing since St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for eighth. DeChambeau’s first-round score of 69 in 2022 is the only time he shot better than 70 on his opening 18 in the event. Their group, which remains together for another 18 holes Friday, goes off for the first 18 ahead of a threesome of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood. Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are playing with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele. –Open Championship tee times First round, Thursday First tee (local time/ET) 6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas 6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan 6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan 7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean 7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick 7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate 7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a) 7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith 8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a) 8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury 8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a) 8:36 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren 8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth 9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune 9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard 9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee 9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland 9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day 9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau 10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm 10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor 10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig 10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a) 10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt 11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald 11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a) 11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen 11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman 12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter 12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a) 12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama 12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber 12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger 12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis 1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li 1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick 1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a) 1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima 1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a) 2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert 2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston 2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott 2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard 2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka 3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg 3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick 3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a) 3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria 3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta 3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow 4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen 4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a) Second round, Friday First Tee (local time/ET) 6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen 6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman 6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter 7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a) 7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama 7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber 7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger 7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis 8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li 8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick 8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a) 8:26 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima 8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a) 9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert 9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston 9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott 9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard 9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka 9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg 10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick 10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a) 10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria 10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta 10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow 11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen 11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a) 11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas 11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan 12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan 12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean 12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick 12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate 12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a) 12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith 1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a) 1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury 1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a) 1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren 1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth 2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune 2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard 2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee 2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland 2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day 3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau 3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm 3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor 3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig 3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a) 3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt 4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald 4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a) #Deadspin #Open #Championship #tee #times #Scheffler #paired #LIV #Golfs #DeChambeau #HattonSep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA golfer Scottie Scheffler and golfer Bryson DeChambeau on the 11th hole on the penultimate day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is paired with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday.

Scheffler, playing the Open Championship for the sixth time, arrived after missing the cut at the Scottish Open. It was the first time he failed to reach the weekend since the 2022 St. Jude Championship.

Scheffler has 11 sub-70 rounds in 20 total rounds in his Open Championship career.

He won the Open last year at Royal Portrush at 17-under par to run away with the Claret Jug. He has two other top-10 finishes among his previous five starts (T7 at Royal Troon in 2024 and T8 in his debut at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s).

Scheffler and DeChambeau have been partners for the United States in the Ryder Cup.

This is the ninth Open Championship for DeChambeau. He overcame a first-round 78 at Portrush last year to finish tied for 10th, his best showing since St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for eighth. DeChambeau’s first-round score of 69 in 2022 is the only time he shot better than 70 on his opening 18 in the event.

Their group, which remains together for another 18 holes Friday, goes off for the first 18 ahead of a threesome of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood.

Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are playing with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele.

–Open Championship tee times

First round, Thursday

First tee (local time/ET)

6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas

6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan

6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan

7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean

7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick

7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate

7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)

7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith

8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)

8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury

8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)

8:36 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren

8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth

9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune

9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard

9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee

9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland

9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day

9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau

10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm

10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor

10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig

10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)

10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt

11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald

11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)

11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen

11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman

12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter

12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)

12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama

12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber

12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger

12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis

1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li

1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick

1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)

1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima

1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)

2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert

2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston

2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott

2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard

2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka

3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg

3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick

3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)


3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria

3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta

3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow

4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen

4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)

Second round, Friday

First Tee (local time/ET)

6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen

6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman

6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter

7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a)

7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama

7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber

7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger

7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis

8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li

8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick

8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a)

8:26 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima

8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a)

9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert

9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston

9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott

9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard

9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka

9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg

10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick

10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a)

10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria

10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta

10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow

11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen

11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a)

11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas

11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan

12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan

12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean

12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick

12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate

12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a)

12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith

1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a)

1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury

1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a)

1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren

1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth

2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune

2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard

2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee

2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland

2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day

3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau

3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm

3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor

3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig

3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a)

3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt

4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald

4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a)

#Deadspin #Open #Championship #tee #times #Scheffler #paired #LIV #Golfs #DeChambeau #Hatton">Deadspin | Open Championship tee times: Scheffler paired with LIV Golf’s DeChambeau, Hatton Sep 27, 2025; Bethpage, New York, USA; Team USA golfer Scottie Scheffler and golfer Bryson DeChambeau on the 11th hole on the penultimate day of competition for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is paired with LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau and Tyrrell Hatton for the opening round of the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale on Thursday. Scheffler, playing the Open Championship for the sixth time, arrived after missing the cut at the Scottish Open. It was the first time he failed to reach the weekend since the 2022 St. Jude Championship. Scheffler has 11 sub-70 rounds in 20 total rounds in his Open Championship career. He won the Open last year at Royal Portrush at 17-under par to run away with the Claret Jug. He has two other top-10 finishes among his previous five starts (T7 at Royal Troon in 2024 and T8 in his debut at the 2021 Open at Royal St. George’s). Scheffler and DeChambeau have been partners for the United States in the Ryder Cup. This is the ninth Open Championship for DeChambeau. He overcame a first-round 78 at Portrush last year to finish tied for 10th, his best showing since St. Andrews in 2022, when he tied for eighth. DeChambeau’s first-round score of 69 in 2022 is the only time he shot better than 70 on his opening 18 in the event. Their group, which remains together for another 18 holes Friday, goes off for the first 18 ahead of a threesome of Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood. Matt Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy are playing with two-time major winner Xander Schauffele. –Open Championship tee times First round, Thursday First tee (local time/ET) 6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas 6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan 6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan 7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean 7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick 7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate 7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a) 7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith 8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a) 8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Hennie du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury 8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a) 8:36 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren 8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth 9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune 9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard 9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee 9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland 9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day 9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau 10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm 10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor 10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig 10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a) 10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt 11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald 11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a) 11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen 11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman 12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter 12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a) 12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama 12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber 12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger 12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis 1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li 1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick 1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a) 1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima 1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a) 2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert 2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston 2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott 2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard 2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka 3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg 3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick 3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a) 3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria 3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta 3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow 4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen 4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a) Second round, Friday First Tee (local time/ET) 6:35 a.m./1:35 a.m.: John Parry, Eric Cole, Tiger Christensen 6:46 a.m./1:46 a.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Matt Wallace, Max Greyserman 6:57 a.m./1:57 a.m.: Michael Brennan, Sahith Theegala, Laurie Canter 7:08 a.m./2:08 a.m.: Cameron Smith, Keith Mitchell, Stuart Grehan (a) 7:19 a.m./2:19 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Joaquin Niemann, Kurt Kitayama 7:30 a.m./2:30 a.m.: Sami Valimaki, Shaun Norris, Jackson Suber 7:41 a.m./2:41 a.m.: Darren Clarke, Adrien Saddier, Bernd Wiesberger 7:52 a.m./2:52 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Corey Conners, Casey Jarvis 8:03 a.m./3:03 a.m.: Matt McCarty, Harry Hall, Haotong Li 8:14 a.m./3:14 a.m.: Padraig Harrington, Marco Penge, Michael Hollick 8:25 a.m./3:25 a.m.: Tom Kim, Billy Horschel, Mason Howell (a) 8:26 a.m./3:36 a.m.: Johnny Kiefer, Pierceson Coody, Keita Nakajima 8:47 a.m./3:47 a.m.: Louis Oosthuizen, Jesper Svansson, Jack Buchanan (a) 9:03 a.m./4:03 a.m.: Bud Cauley, Jayden Schaper, Lucas Herbert 9:14 a.m./4:14 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Patrick Reed, J.T. Poston 9:25 a.m./4:25 a.m.: Chris Gotterup, Sam Burns, Adam Scott 9:36 a.m./4:36 a.m.: Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Nicolai Hojgaard 9:47 a.m./4:47 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Aaron Rai, Brooks Koepka 9:58 a.m./4:58 a.m.: Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Luvig Aberg 10:09 a.m./5:09 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick 10:20 a.m./5:20 a.m.: Jacob Bridgeman, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Tim Wiedemeyer (a) 10:31 a.m./5:31 a.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Daniel Berger, Nico Echavarria 10:42 a.m./5:42 a.m.: Peter Uihlein, Alistair Docherty, Francesco Laporta 10:53 a.m./5:53 a.m.: Cameron John, Austen Truslow, Sam Bairstow 11:04 a.m./6:04 a.m.: Naoyuki Kataoka, Marcus Plunkett, Baard Bjoernevik Skogen 11:15 a.m./6:15 a.m.: Kazuki Higa, Jiho Yang, Nevill Ruiter (a) 11:41 a.m./6:41 a.m.: Matthew Baldwin, Thomas Detry, James Nicholas 11:52 a.m./6:52 a.m.: Michael Kim, Daniel Hillier, Andy Sullivan 12:03 p.m./7:03 a.m.: Ryan Fox, Andrew Novak, Matthew Jordan 12:14 p.m./7:14 a.m.: Henrik Stenson, Max Homa, Joe Dean 12:25 p.m./7:25 a.m.: Robert MacIntyre, Rickie Fowler, Alex Fitzpatrick 12:36 p.m./7:36 a.m.: David Duval, Martin Couvra, Matthew Southgate 12:47 p.m./7:47 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Daniel Brown, Fifa Laopakdee (a) 12:58 p.m./7:58 a.m.: Gary Woodland, Jake Knapp, Jordan Smith 1:09 p.m./8:09 a.m.: Francesco Molinari, Tom McKibbin, Lev Grinberg (a) 1:20 p.m./8:20 a.m.: Hennie Du Plessis, Jose Luis Ballester, Dan Bradbury 1:31 p.m./8:31 a.m.: Angel Ayora, Victor Perez, Mateo Pulcini (a) 1:42 p.m./8:42 a.m.: Stewart Cink, Scott Vincent, Joakim Lagergren 1:53 p.m./8:53 a.m.: Michael Thorbjornsen, Kota Kaneko, Travis Smyth 2:09 p.m./9:09 a.m.: Alex Smalley, Sam Stevens, Ryo Hisatsune 2:20 p.m./9:20 a.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Harris English, Rasmus Hojgaard 2:31 p.m./9:31 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee 2:42 p.m./9:42 a.m.: Russell Henley, Justin Rose, Viktor Hovland 2:53 p.m./9:53 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Alex Noren, Jason Day 3:04 p.m./10:04 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Tyrrell Hatton, Bryson DeChambeau 3:15 p.m./10:15 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm 3:26 p.m./10:26 a.m.: Brian Harman, Si Woo Kim, Nick Taylor 3:37 p.m./10:37 a.m.: Ryan Gerard, Maverick McNealy, David Puig 3:48 p.m./10:48 a.m.: Kazuma Kobori, Tom Sloman, David Howard (a) 3:59 p.m./10:59 a.m.: Antoine Rozner, Ren Yonezawa, Caleb Surratt 4:10 p.m./11:10 a.m.: MJ Daffue, Frederic Lacroix, Jack McDonald 4:21 p.m./11:21 a.m.: Jeongwoo Ham, Ryutaro Nagano, Alejandro De Castro Piera (a) #Deadspin #Open #Championship #tee #times #Scheffler #paired #LIV #Golfs #DeChambeau #Hatton

Expanding technology and resale options were supposed to make obtaining tickets to sporting events easier than ever, but instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.

It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.

When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.

“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”

This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.

Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.

Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:

On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.

StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:

  1. A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of tickets
  2. Rather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expenses
  3. Andro profits off the inflated ticket sales
  4. StubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer fees

That’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.

Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.

Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.

The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.

There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.

#StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers">StubHub’s CEO is helping fund the biggest ticket scalpers Expanding technology and resale options were supposed to make obtaining tickets to sporting events easier than ever, but instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of ticketsRather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expensesAndro profits off the inflated ticket salesStubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer feesThat’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers. #StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers

instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.

It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.

When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.

“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”

This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.

Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.

Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:

On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.

StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:

  1. A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of tickets
  2. Rather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expenses
  3. Andro profits off the inflated ticket sales
  4. StubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer fees

That’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.

Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.

Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.

The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.

There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.

#StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers">StubHub’s CEO is helping fund the biggest ticket scalpers

Expanding technology and resale options were supposed to make obtaining tickets to sporting events easier than ever, but instead it’s become a hellscape. Scalpers dominate online platforms, ensuring that desirable events sell out immediately, causing local sports fans to miss out unless they’re willing to pay exorbitant prices for fear of missing out.

It’s now been revealed that one of the biggest stakeholders in online ticket sales is helping fund the very people ruining ticket sales for sports fans. An investigative report by the CBC uncovered information inside StubHub’s IPO filing from last November, which revealed that CEO Eric Baker also runs a hedge fund which scalps tickets, and provides funding to scalpers.

When asked for comment, StubHub reiterated its public-facing comment that the company doesn’t own or hold any tickets itself.

“StubHub does not own, possess, or sell tickets. We are a technology platform that connects independent buyers and sellers. (Think: eBay).”

This comment conveniently ignores that some of these “independent buyers” are being directly aided by the CEO of the company. Of course, the devil is in the details. Nobody is accusing StubHub of owning the tickets for their own sale, but it’s now clear that the top of the company is heavily invested in inflating its own marketplace. We discussed this fundamental issue late in the NBA and NHL playoffs, with how reselling sites like StubHub have a vested interest in scalpers, because their percentage-based resale fees are better for the company when event tickets soar — while also giving them multiple bites of the apple if the tickets are sold multiple times on the platform.

Baker, the StubHub CEO, reportedly is a large stakeholder in “Andro Capital,” a hedge fund based out of Los Angeles, which offers loan funding to large scale ticket purchasing operates which have the express purpose of buying tickets and reselling them for profit on platforms like StubHub.

Filing documents for Andro Capital show the hedge fund was formed in March of 2024, 18 months before StubHub announced it was going public in an IPO filing. In that filing to the SEC StubHub revealed its deep relationship with Andro, including this key detail from 2024:

On April 15, 2024, as part of our ongoing relationship with Andro, we entered into an agreement with the Andro Fund under which we agreed to cover certain costs incurred by Andro in connection with ticket management services.

StubHub was not required to divulge the totality of this agreement with Andro Fund, but having the company “cover certain costs incurred” raises mammoth red flags. That theoretically means that the hedge fund could have waived reselling feels on the seller side of the transaction, thereby incentivizing the fund to scalping operations. In short, the business flow could look like this:

  1. A scalping group has capital to buy massive amounts of tickets
  2. Rather than invest themselves, it’s better to invest their money in Andro to do the buying, because they have an agreement with StubHub to cover some of their expenses
  3. Andro profits off the inflated ticket sales
  4. StubHub benefits through massively inflated prices, which they profit off through buyer fees

That’s not all. The filing also lists “Colloquy LLC,” a subsidiary of Andro Capital, which serves as a loan servicing arm for tickets sellers — offering financing to mass buy tickets, which they resell on StubHub directly.

Under the terms of the Program Agreement, we refer certain of our sellers to Colloquy for the opportunity to enter into separate financing arrangements with Colloquy. Under such arrangements, it is anticipated that Colloquy may provide short-term financing to sellers based on those sellers’ existing and/or future expected proceeds generated through ticket sales on our platform.

Not only is Andro Capital its own ticket buyer, but it also runs an arm of the company that gives funding to sellers, based on referrals from StubHub itself. Essentially, the entire scalping business is fully intertwined with StubHub, from the CEO being involved in a large-scale seller AND offering funding to sellers.

The only person who loses out in this whole transaction are sports fans. The consumers who use the platform are being held hostage by ticket prices, which fundamentally wouldn’t be inflated to the same level without the input of StubHub. This is all legal from the SEC’s perspective due to a lack of oversight when it comes to hedge funds. There are few other industries in which a publicly traded company could be legally allowed to price fix to the level that is happening on StubHub, while trying to pretend with its public face that it’s just a platform for fans to sell to other fans.

There should be an immediate investigation into ticket pricing, as well as outlawing the kinds of predatory practices designed to inflate the wealth of StubHub and Andro Capital at the expense of consumers.

#StubHubs #CEO #helping #fund #biggest #ticket #scalpers

France’s march to the World Cup semifinals has been ‌powered by the goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, but the players believe ​an equally important part of their success has been forged away from the ⁠cameras, in private conversations without the coaching staff.

Didier Deschamps’ side faces Spain on Tuesday, seeking to reach a third successive World Cup final, having developed a unity that midfielder Adrien Rabiot and defender Jules Kounde say ‌extends well beyond tactical meetings and training sessions.

The players analyse matches together in small groups, challenging each other and taking responsibility for finding solutions beyond those provided by ‌Deschamps and his assistants.

“We communicate a lot and talk among ourselves regularly,” Rabiot told reporters on ‌Monday.

“At ⁠the hotel, during our downtime, we try to analyse matches together in small groups. ⁠That is important, beyond everything the coach and his staff provide. We all speak the same language, we all have the same objective and everyone is directing their energy towards it. What the staff bring us is essential, but the dialogue between ​the players, without the staff being involved, is ‌important as well.”

That sense of ownership has helped France combine one of the tournament’s most potent attacks with a collective defensive effort that begins with the forwards.

Mbappe has scored eight goals and Dembele five, but Kounde said France’s work without the ball had been as important as their ‌individual quality in possession.

“We have done a good job defensively, but it goes well beyond ​the defenders,” Kounde said.

“It is a collective effort, starting with the way we press from the opposition’s very first pass. When the work is done properly higher ⁠up the pitch and in midfield, it makes our job at the back much easier.”

France’s cohesion has been visible in the willingness of their attacking players to track back and in the discipline with which ‌the team have defended difficult moments.

STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

The players insist that what happens on the pitch is an extension of relationships built elsewhere.

“We get on very well,” Rabiot said. “There is a real sense of harmony and genuine cohesion. It is difficult to explain, but things work extremely well away from the pitch, and that energy carries over onto it.”

Kounde described a group that enjoyed playing together and making sacrifices for one another.

“There has been a strong sense of cohesion since the very beginning — even going back to 2022,” ‌he said.

“There is continuity within this group. It has been built over time, and everyone is focused on the same ​objective. That is one of our strengths, and you can feel it on the pitch. We enjoy playing together and we also enjoy making the effort for one another.”

France’s ⁠run has also taken place against the backdrop of Deschamps’ decision to step down after the tournament, ending ⁠a reign that began in 2012 and included victory at the 2018 World Cup and another final four years later. The 57-year-old had to deal with a personal loss too during this World Cup after his mother died during the group stage.

Rabiot said the ‌knowledge that this was Deschamps’ final competition had given the players an additional emotional drive.

“The difficulties the coach has gone through have brought us even closer together,” he said. “You want to give ​everything, especially knowing that this is his last competition in charge of the France team. This is the moment.”

Published on Jul 14, 2026

#FIFA #World #Cup #Frances #secret #weapon #Communication #analysis #field">FIFA World Cup 2026 — France’s secret weapon: Communication and analysis beyond the field France’s march to the World Cup semifinals has been ‌powered by the goals from Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele, but the players believe ​an equally important part of their success has been forged away from the ⁠cameras, in private conversations without the coaching staff.Didier Deschamps’ side faces Spain on Tuesday, seeking to reach a third successive World Cup final, having developed a unity that midfielder Adrien Rabiot and defender Jules Kounde say ‌extends well beyond tactical meetings and training sessions.The players analyse matches together in small groups, challenging each other and taking responsibility for finding solutions beyond those provided by ‌Deschamps and his assistants.“We communicate a lot and talk among ourselves regularly,” Rabiot told reporters on ‌Monday.“At ⁠the hotel, during our downtime, we try to analyse matches together in small groups. ⁠That is important, beyond everything the coach and his staff provide. We all speak the same language, we all have the same objective and everyone is directing their energy towards it. What the staff bring us is essential, but the dialogue between ​the players, without the staff being involved, is ‌important as well.”That sense of ownership has helped France combine one of the tournament’s most potent attacks with a collective defensive effort that begins with the forwards.Mbappe has scored eight goals and Dembele five, but Kounde said France’s work without the ball had been as important as their ‌individual quality in possession.“We have done a good job defensively, but it goes well beyond ​the defenders,” Kounde said.“It is a collective effort, starting with the way we press from the opposition’s very first pass. When the work is done properly higher ⁠up the pitch and in midfield, it makes our job at the back much easier.”France’s cohesion has been visible in the willingness of their attacking players to track back and in the discipline with which ‌the team have defended difficult moments.STRONG RELATIONSHIPSThe players insist that what happens on the pitch is an extension of relationships built elsewhere.“We get on very well,” Rabiot said. “There is a real sense of harmony and genuine cohesion. It is difficult to explain, but things work extremely well away from the pitch, and that energy carries over onto it.”Kounde described a group that enjoyed playing together and making sacrifices for one another.“There has been a strong sense of cohesion since the very beginning — even going back to 2022,” ‌he said.“There is continuity within this group. It has been built over time, and everyone is focused on the same ​objective. That is one of our strengths, and you can feel it on the pitch. We enjoy playing together and we also enjoy making the effort for one another.”France’s ⁠run has also taken place against the backdrop of Deschamps’ decision to step down after the tournament, ending ⁠a reign that began in 2012 and included victory at the 2018 World Cup and another final four years later. The 57-year-old had to deal with a personal loss too during this World Cup after his mother died during the group stage.Rabiot said the ‌knowledge that this was Deschamps’ final competition had given the players an additional emotional drive.“The difficulties the coach has gone through have brought us even closer together,” he said. “You want to give ​everything, especially knowing that this is his last competition in charge of the France team. This is the moment.”Published on Jul 14, 2026 #FIFA #World #Cup #Frances #secret #weapon #Communication #analysis #field

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