The longest running conference tournament in women’s college basketball is the one that has been hosted annually since 1978 by the Atlantic Coast Conference.

As more teams in the conference began starting women’s basketball programs at the varsity level in the 1970s after Title IX, the ACC thought it could do for its women’s basketball teams what it had done since 1954 for its men. Back then, there wasn’t even an NCAA Tournament for women’s basketball. That wouldn’t come until 1982.

Still, the ACC rounded up its seven women’s basketball-playing teams and held its first tournament on Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville. Chris Weller’s Maryland Terrapins defeated Kay Yow’s NC State Wolfpack for the first championship.

After more than two decades of bouncing around campus sites and other venues in the Carolinas, the ACC seemingly found a long-term home for its women’s tournament in North Carolina’s Triad Region at the historic Greensboro Coliseum. For 25 of the past 26 years, that’s where Hall of Fame coaches and All-Americans played over several days in early March.

The annual pilgrimage to Greensboro became a tradition for women’s basketball fans across the ACC’s expanding footprint. Last year, it was the only Power 4 conference tournament to average more than 10,000 fans per day and drew its highest overall attendance since 2009.

But this week, a new era begins for the ACC. The tournament is on the move.

For the first time in its 49-year history, it will be played at a neutral site outside of the Carolinas, at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.

Many fans around the sport – and even some coaches in the ACC – are asking the same question: Why?

ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips argues that if there was ever a time to move the tournament around, it’s now.

‘The growth of the game has warranted us to expand our footprint,’ Phillips told USA TODAY Sports. ‘That is part of what I believe is our responsibility as a premier college basketball conference. Women’s basketball has never been better as it relates to fan interest, viewership, attendance and the rest.”

Why Duluth, Georgia?

When Jackie Carson left her position as the head women’s basketball coach at Furman to become the Senior Vice President of Women’s Basketball for the ACC nearly three years ago, she went on a listening tour around the league. One of the things she heard over and over again from the majority of the coaches was something like this: ‘We love Greensboro. Greensboro has been a great home for our tournament. But can we venture out? Can we have a destination? It doesn’t have to be every year, but women’s basketball is expanding. So can we just branch out a little bit?’

So, with the majority of coaches pleading for a different venue, Carson and the ACC went scouting for locations and opened the 2026 tournament up to a bid as their contract with the Greensboro Coliseum was expiring. The bidding was competitive, as sources familiar with the process told USA TODAY Sports that Baltimore, Tampa and Washington, D.C. were among the cities in the mix.

Ultimately, the folks in Gwinnett County, Georgia won the bid. The ACC’s 18 athletic directors unanimously voted to send the 2026 tournament to Gas South Arena. Supporting the Gwinnett Sports Commission’s bid were the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and the Atlanta Sports Commission.

‘I mean, it wasn’t close, just with the support they showed,’ Carson told USA TODAY Sports. ‘There’s something special about somebody who really wants to have you, and they rolled out the red carpet during the bidding process. So we’re excited. It seems like the state of Georgia and the surrounding areas are very excited. I know it’s a basketball hotbed.’

Gas South Arena seats 13,100 fans and is the home of the Atlanta Gladiators minor league hockey team, the Georgia Swarm professional lacrosse team, the state basketball and wrestling championships in Georgia, and the Pro Volleyball Federation’s Atlanta Vibe. It last hosted the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in 2014, and was also the host of Game 3 of the WNBA Finals in 2013.

Since then, the arena and surrounding entertainment district underwent about $300 million in renovations in recent years. It now features 30 corporate suites, two party suites and club-level seating. The ACC has sold out courtside seats in Greensboro in each of the past two seasons and aims to do the same in Duluth.

However, moving the tournament out of North Carolina wasn’t met with applause by everyone.

‘I don’t even know where Duluth is, I’ll be quite honest. I thought it was Atlanta – I’m hearing it’s not Atlanta. I don’t really know,’ North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart said Sunday after her Tar Heels beat Duke. ‘I think people wanted it to move. I think Greensboro has done a really good job. … I don’t get to make those decisions. I guess we’ll see after it if that was the right decision.’

A new court for the ACC Tournament

In addition to the venue change, the ACC Tournament’s playing surface will also have a new look for the first time since 2016.

Designed by graphic artist Boston Logan, the court has hand-drawn elements that feature thoughtful tributes to the ACC’s history. Closer looks will reveal nods to the states where the tournament has been held – a peach for Georgia, a palmetto tree for South Carolina, a crown for Charlotte, and a vintage Greensboro Coliseum logo. Area codes are incorporated, as is 1978 – the year of the first tournament.

About a year ago, the process began when Phillips sent a text to Carson and simply said, ‘It’s time for a new court design.’

So Carson and Logan, the ACC’s director of creative strategy, got to work.

‘The No. 1 thing is, when you turn on that TV, I want folks to know – without that camera scrolling or anything – that’s ACC women’s basketball,’ Carson said. ‘I wanted something bold and distinct and just something that just really stood out. … And we want to paint history and I think that’s what graffiti does.’

Phillips thought it was the perfect fit.

‘It’s an expression of what the game means and it has the energy of the modern game,’ he said of the court design. ‘It’s a celebration of women’s basketball culture, and it provides a voice and attitude and personality. It’s a modern reflection of our past, but as we go into the future.’

What’s the future of the ACC Women’s Tournament?

Next year, the tournament will be on the move again.

For the first time since 1999, it’s heading back to Charlotte and will be played at the Spectrum Center – home of the Charlotte Hornets – for its 50th anniversary. In 2024, the venue set the record for the highest-attended regular season women’s basketball game in the state of North Carolina when 15,424 fans came to watch South Carolina versus NC State.

‘That’s what this championship represents, an opportunity to move it around to areas that we feel really support women’s basketball,’ Phillips said. ‘And again, a chance to host the premier women’s basketball event.’

While the 2027 tournament’s venue is locked in, locations for 2028 and beyond remain undecided. The ACC could reopen talks with cities that were involved in the bidding for this year’s tournament, return to Duluth or Greensboro, or go someplace brand new.

‘We want to continue the growth,’ Carson said. ‘More people are coming in and saying how much they would love to have us in their city. We already know multiple cities that want us in 2028. I think we have some really solid options right now.’

Mark Teixeira, who hit 409 major league home runs as a switch-hitter, scored his first significant victory from the far right flank.

Teixeira, the first baseman for the 2009 New York Yankees squad that won the franchise’s most recent championship, won a landslide victory in Texas’ 21st congressional district primary March 3, securing 60.9% of the vote in a deep red district that all but ensures his ascendance to Congress in November’s general election.

Teixeira, 45, ran as a MAGA-aligned outsider in the race to succeed Chip Roy, who has represented the district since 2018 but ran for Texas attorney general instead. Despite the 11-candidate field, Teixeira easily vaulted the 50% mark required to avoid a runoff and will face Democrat Kristin Hook in the general election.

‘I’ve been on a lot of great teams,’ Teixeira says in his first campaign ad, ‘and President Trump’s team is one I want to be on to secure the border and crush the cartels.’

Teixeira was endorsed by both Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. His platform places ‘border security and enforcement’ as the No. 1 priority, followed by ‘expanding DOGE to cut wasteful insane spending’ and ‘end radical woke indoctrination, defend parental rights, kill DEI, restore patriotic education rooted in American and Texas values.’

Teixeira, the fifth overall pick in the 2001 draft, was a three-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner. He grossed $213 million in salary over his 14-year career.

For NFL teams in need of wide receiver help, it may be best to overlook free agency and stay focused on the 2026 NFL Draft.

With the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to place the franchise tag on George Pickens, the free agent wide receiver class this offseason is among the thinnest in recent memory. Many of the NFL’s best young stars at the position have already signed multi-year extensions in previous years.

That leaves a modest selection of No. 3 wide receivers, slot specialists and aging veterans remaining as free agents to sign this offseason.

In contrast, there are a handful of wide receiver prospects that will be worth a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. There are plenty of talented wideouts that will be available later in the draft as well, allowing teams to bolster their receiving corps on Day 2 or Day 3.

With free agency’s negotiation window less than a week away, here are the top 10 free agent wide receivers set to hit the open market:

NFL free agent WR rankings

Here’s how the top free agent wideouts rank heading into the 2026 league year, listed with the team they played for in 2025:

1. Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

Pierce hits free agency for the first time two months shy of his 26th birthday, coming off the best two seasons of his young career. In 2025, Pierce crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time on just 47 catches. He led the NFL in yards per reception in 2025 with a 21.3-yard average, somehow a step down from the year prior: 22.3 yards per reception in 2024 (37 catches, 824 yards), which also led the league.

The Cincinnati product made a name for himself as a deep threat in Indianapolis. Along with his consistently high yards per reception total, Pierce led the NFL in average depth of target (min. 50 targets) in both 2024 and 2025. Teams looking for a field-stretcher need look no further than Pierce.

2. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

Jennings’ 2025 follow-up to a career-best 2024 season was less impressive, but there’s good reason to believe he was playing hurt all season with the ankle and rib injuries he sustained early on taking their toll. Jennings himself told reporters in mid-October that he was playing through five broken ribs and high and low ankle sprains.

Despite it all, Jennings led the 49ers in receiving touchdowns and was San Francisco’s top wide receiver in targets (90), receptions (55) and yards (643) as his fellow pass-catchers also dealt with injuries. Jennings still has a low-end No. 1 or high-end No. 2 wide receiver ceiling given his 975 yards in 2024 despite missing two games and not starting consistently until Week 7. His injury-marred 2025 season is a more realistic production floor than his early seasons, when he was behind Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk on the depth chart.

3. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There’s more reason to be concerned about Evans heading into 2026 than there had been in just about any other offseason in his 12-year career. After opening his pro career with an NFL-record 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons, Evans lost his streak in Year 12, the 2025 season, thanks to a hamstring injury, then a broken collarbone that knocked him out for more than half of the year.

It was the second straight season in which Evans, now entering his age-33 season, missed multiple games due to injuries. In 2024, the veteran wideout missed three games with a hamstring injury and nearly lost his 1,000-yard season streak a year earlier. Evans is not getting any younger, and his recent crop of bad injury luck is going to be reason enough for prospective teams to be wary of signing him to a long-term deal. But given his history of consistency and excellence as a big-bodied, productive receiver, he still ranks highly among free agent wideouts this offseason.

4. Deebo Samuel, Washington Commanders

It is hard to judge Samuel based on his 2025 season – what may end up being his lone year in Washington. Commanders starting quarterback Jayden Daniels missed 10 starts with various injuries, and lead receiver Terry McLaurin also missed significant time. Perhaps as a result of missing his starting QB and another top wideout to draw opposing defenses’ attention, Samuel did not reach the same level of productivity in 2025 as he had in past seasons with the 49ers.

Still, the then-29-year-old receiver led the Commanders in receiving with his 99 targets, 72 catches, 727 yards and five receiving touchdowns. Samuel’s 10 catches of 20+ yards also led Washington.

On the flip side, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury utilized Samuel as a rusher far less than 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan did in the four seasons prior. Whether Samuel, entering his age-30 season, can return to the heights of his 2021 output of 1,770 scrimmage yards remains doubtful, but he is still a strong No. 2 wide receiver candidate with a significant ceiling.

5. Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks

Shaheed managed to be the only player to play in all 18 weeks of the 2025 season after a midseason trade from the New Orleans Saints to Seattle meant he dodged both teams’ bye weeks. During those 18 games, the wide out/return specialist set a new career high with 1,542 all-purpose yards (756 scrimmage yards), caught two touchdown passes and returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown.

The versatility Shaheed brings as both a speedy, vertical threat on the perimeter and an outstanding, All-Pro-level kick returner should be enticing to just about every team. His receiving production was limited during the back half of the season after his trade to Seattle, but all NFL fans saw Shaheed’s game-breaking potential in the final games of the regular season and in the playoffs.

6. Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants

Robinson showed off what could be projected as his ceiling in 2025. After Malik Nabers, the Giants’ top wide receiver, sustained a season-ending knee injury, the fourth-year veteran stepped up into the leading receiver role for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. The result was a career year: 92 catches, 1,014 yards, four touchdowns while leading Big Blue in targets (140).

It’s hard to project the same level of production going forward. New York was severely lacking in receiver depth behind Nabers, and it had to lean heavily on Robinson as a result. The Giants had Robinson – normally a slot receiver – split out wide more often in 2025 than in any other season of his career, with a notable spike in outside alignments appearing after Nabers’ injury. His average depth of target was still just nine yards by the end of the year.

Robinson should project as one of the top slot receivers available in free agency this offseason, but he won’t necessarily be a strong fit in any offensive scheme.

7. Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers

Doubs sneakily led the Packers in targets (85), receptions (55) and receiving yards (724) in 2025 while also tying for the team lead in touchdown catches (6). However, injuries to receivers Christian Watson (end of 2024) and Jayden Reed as well as tight end Tucker Kraft, were likely more responsible for that than Doubs’ performance alone.

For most teams, the Packers’ wideout projects better as a No. 3 wide receiver able to complement other pass-catchers’ skill sets with a strong success rate on contested catches and wins over the middle of the field. Doubs has not put up production consistent with that of a No. 1 receiver in his four years in head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense, which tends to spread the ball around to multiple targets rather than focus on top pass-catchers.

8. Christian Kirk, Houston Texans

Over the first five years of his career, Kirk’s production slowly rose. It culminated with an all-time peak in 2022, his first season with the Jaguars: 84 catches, 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. Since then, the veteran receiver’s output has declined as injuries to his core and collarbone cut short his 2023 and 2024 seasons. In 2025, Kirk had the lowest yardage total of his career (239) and just one touchdown despite playing in 13 games, his highest total since 2022.

If not for Kirk’s postseason performance, his declining production might have left him short of joining the ranks of top free agent receivers. Instead, the 29-year-old caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ wild-card game against the Steelers, proving his ceiling can still be high in the right situation.

9. DeAndre Hopkins, Baltimore Ravens

Even at 33 years old, Hopkins proved he can still win at the catch point and deep downfield. The 13-year NFL veteran had an average depth of target of 14.5 in 2025, per Pro Football Focus, the third-highest mark of his career. He also won contested catches at a 64.7% clip (11 for 17) last year, the highest rate in his career since at least 2016, per PFF.

At this stage in his career, Hopkins is no longer the 1,000-yard-a-season leading man in a passing offense. His 330 yards in 2025 were by far a career low. But there are a handful of teams that will want to take advantage of the talent Hopkins still has to maximize it, as the Ravens did in 2025.

10. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

The number one question for Hill is whether he’ll be healthy enough to play in 2026. The number two question for Hill is whether he’ll be anywhere near as fast as he used to be as a 32-year-old after suffering the brutal dislocated knee injury he had in 2025. If the answer to both of those questions is ‘yes,’ Hill could deserve a higher spot on the list.

However, the uncertainty surrounding those two questions is significant enough on its own. Taking into account his sharp decline in production in 2024, one year after a 2023 season in which he led the league with 1,799 yards, adds even more uncertainty to how effective Hill can be at this stage of his career, especially after a severe injury.

Given the relatively weak nature of the rest of this year’s free agent wide receiver class, if Hill can even be half of the receiver he was in 2023 this season, he would be worthy of his top-10 status.

The 2025-26 women’s college basketball regular season is over for the Power 4 conferences and a handful of players rose to the top ahead of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

The reigning champion UConn Huskies finished the regular season with a perfect 31-0 (20-0 Big East) record, where they bulldozed competition wining by a average of 38 points. Senior guard Azzi Fudd and sophomore forward Sarah Strong have powered UConn’s high-scoring offense and stout defense as the Huskies look to become the first back-to-back champions in a decade.

Strong and Fudd are among the top players set to tipoff March Madness later this month. USA TODAY Sports ranked the top 10 players in women’s college basketball ahead of the conference tournaments that begin Wednesday, March 4, for the Power 4.

10. Joyce Edwards, South Carolina | So. F

2025-26 average: 19.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals, 59.0 FG%, 22.2% 3PT (31 games)

Joyce Edwards has taken a large step this season. The 6-foot-3 forward slid into the starting lineup after senior forward Chloe Kitts was ruled out for the season with an ACL injury in her right knee. Edwards has powered South Carolina to the third-best scoring offense in the nation (87.2 points per game). She’s averaging a team-high 19.8 points in 31 starts, up from 12.7 points and one start her freshman year. Her stat line is rounded out by 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

9. Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State | So. G

2025-26 average: 23.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 50.1 FG%, 36.8% 3PT (30 games)

Jaloni Cambridge has arrived! The sophomore guard is in midst of a breakout season. She upped her points per game from 15.4 last season to 23.4, which leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the nation. Her field-goal percentage also increased by nearly eight points. She’s scored double-digit points in every game this season and became the 40th Buckeye to surpass 1,000 career points on Feb. 8 against Oregon. She’s only the fifth Ohio State player to record 700 points in a season.

8. Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame | Jr. G

2025-26 average: 25.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 5.6 steals, 47.7 FG%, 24.0% 3PT (29 games)

Notre Dame has faltered this season, losing seven games in a 12-game span, but Hannah Hidalgo has been sensational. Hidalgo turned in career highs in points, steals, rebounds, field-goal percentage and made ACC history by winning both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons. Hidalgo set an NCAA record with 16 steals in a game and scored a school-record 44 points in Notre Dame’s 85-58 win over Akron on Nov. 12. She leads the nation in total steals (162), the second most in ACC history and steals per game (5.59). Hidalgo is three steals short of breaking Donna Holt’s single-season ACC record set in 1987 at Virginia.

7. Olivia Miles, TCU | Sr. G

2025 average: 20.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.9 steals, 48.3 FG%, 34.9% 3PT (31 games)

Miles’ transfer from Notre Dame to TCU has been seamless if you look at her stat line. Miles is the centerpiece of the Horned Frogs’ offense and has upped her scoring average from 15.4 points last season to a career-high 20.1 points. Miles tops the nation with five triple doubles and is the only player to record 600 points, 200 assists and 200 rebounds so far this season. She has done so efficiently, setting career highs in field goal (49.3%) and free throw percentage (84.3%). Miles was named Big 12 Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, following in the footsteps of Hailey Van Lith. Miles can be a liability on the defensive end, however, which dropped her rating slightly.

6. Lauren Betts, UCLA | Sr. C

2025 average: 16.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.0 blocks, 55.8 FG% (28 games)

Betts’ stats are slightly down from last season, but she’s no less dominant. She leads UCLA in points (16.3), rebounds (8.8) and blocks (2.0) per game and has 11 double-doubles, second-best in the Big Ten. Betts’ 8.8 rebounds also leads the Big Ten. Her efforts earned her Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the first player in Big Ten history to earn both in the same season.

5. Azzi Fudd, UConn | Sr. G

2025 average: 17.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals, 49.0 FG%, 45.1 3PT% (31 games)

Azzi Fudd is shooting lights out from the 3-point line. She’s averaging a career-high 45.1% from beyond the arc and her 96 3-pointers rank first in the Big East and second in the nation. Her field goal percentage is not too shabby either at 49.0%, another career-high. Fudd has also helped anchor UConn’s top-ranked scoring defense. She’s one of three Huskies to have at least 78 steals this season, joining Sarah Strong (97) and KK Arnold (86). Fudd is also flirting with the 50-40-90 stat line — 50% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.

4. Audi Crooks, Iowa State | Jr. C

2025-26 average: 25.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 blocks, 65.1 FG% (29 games)

Audi Crooks ended the season with a bang, dropping 41 points and 13 rebounds against Kansas State — shooting an efficient 16-of-19 from the field. That marked Crooks’ fourth 40-point game of the season and 12th double-double. Crooks has scored in double digits every game this season, extending her streak to 96 straight career games — the longest active streak in the nation. She became the fastest player in Big 12 history to reach 2,000 points on Jan. 28 and picked up an unanimous first-team All-Big 12 nod.

3. Madison Booker, Texas | Jr. F

2025-26 average: 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.3 steals, 50.7 FG%, 27.7% 3PT (31 games)

Booker has reached new heights this season earning first-team All-SEC after recording career highs in points (18.8), steals (2.3) and field goal percentage (50.7%), which she raised from 46.1% last season. Booker leads the Longhorns in scoring and has been in double-digits for all but two games this season. She’s only a junior, but she’s already climbed to No. 7 on Texas’ all-time scoring list with 1,813 career points.

2. Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt | So. G

2025-26 average: 27.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.9 steals, 46.6 FG%, 36.1% 3PT (30 games)

Blakes was named the SEC Player of the Year after leading Vanderbilt to its first 27-win regular season in program history. Blakes leads the nation in scoring, averaging 27.1 points per game including to 12 games of 30 or more points. Ten of those 12 games came in conference play. Blakes has recorded double-digit points in every game this season and is currently riding a 49 game double-digit scoring streak, the longest active streak in the SEC and third longest in NCAA Division I women’s basketball. Blakes is the second Vanderbilt star to win SEC Player of the Year and the first sophomore since South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson in 2016.

1. Sarah Strong, UConn | So. F

2025-26 average: 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.2 steals, 59.5 FG%, 40.7 3PT% (30 games)

It’s hard to believe Sarah Strong could top her record-breaking freshman season after she was named an AP second-team All-American and WBCA Freshman of the Year, but she’s one-upped herself. Strong has career highs in points (18.6), assists (4.3), steals (3.2), field goal percentage (59.5%) and free throw percentage (88.1%). She leads UConn in nearly every statical category, including points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Expect Strong to have a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament. She set the freshmen points record in an NCAA Tournament (114) last season.

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

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The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational is the third signature event of the PGA Tour season, and this field should be the most stacked of them all due to a notable return.

Justin Thomas is slated to make his 2026 debut after undergoing microdiscectomy surgery for his back and will be playing in a professional tournament for the first time since the Ryder Cup in September. This week’s tournament favorite, Scottie Scheffler, is seeking his third win in five years at Bay Hill.

Collin Morikawa, who nearly won last year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, is among the contenders based on betting odds just a few weeks removed from his first PGA Tour win in more than two years. Russell Henley is the defending champion.

Will it be one of golf’s big names who wins Arnie’s annual event, or is a surprising winner in the cards? Here are the latest predictions, odds and picks ahead of the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational, as well as how to watch the PGA Tour’s latest signature event of the 2026 season:

When does the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational start?

The 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational is scheduled to begin with first round action on Thursday, March 5, with tee times starting at 7:40 a.m. ET at Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, Florida. The tournament concludes with final round action on Sunday, March 8.

Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 odds: Favorites to win PGA Tour signature event

Scottie Scheffler (+333)
Rory McIlroy (+900)
Tommy Fleetwood (+1800)
Collin Morikawa (+2200)
Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200)
Xander Schauffele (+2200)
Hideki Matsuyama (+3000)

2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational predictions

Golfweek: Six experts, six different picks

Cameron Jourdan: Collin Morikawa (+2200)
Todd Kelly: Rickie Fowler (+5000)
Jason Lusk: Rory McIlroy (+900)
Adam Schupak: Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200)
Nick Stavas: Scottie Scheffler (+333)
Tim Schmitt: Si Woo Kim (+3300)

Sports Illustrated: Jake Knapp (+3300)

‘Can’t look past just how well Jake Knapp has played this season. He has finished inside the Top 11 in all five of his starts and he enters this week ranking second in scoring average and third in total strokes gained. Knapp also leads the PGA Tour in Par 5 scoring average, which is a crucial ingredient for success at Bay Hill.’

New York Post: Viktor Hovland (+3300)

‘If you look beyond his showing here last year, there’s a lot to like about Hovland’s profile for this event. He’s had a decent start to 2026 with a T14 at the Dubai Desert Classic and a top-10 finish at the Waste Management, plus his overall record at Bay Hill is pretty solid. He finished second to Scheffler in 2022 and then followed that up with a T10 in 2023.’

Arnold Palmer Invitational sleeper picks

Golfweek: Pierceson Coody (+5500)

Coody made his tournament debut here in 2023 and finished 14th, his only start at Bay Hill. He’s playing even better now than he was then, making him a real sleeper this week. His 1.65 strokes gained from tee-to-green ranks eighth in the field since the start of the season, and he’s gaining strokes across the board in all 5 major categories.

PGATour.com: Sepp Straka (+5500)

‘While (Straka) is not even close to a traditional sleeper, even in this robust field, these odds defend the nod. Consider that he finished T5 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last year after opening with a 5-over 77. He had rallied with a potent combination of accuracy on approach, elite touch around greens and one of his best performances of the year with the putter. When right, he’s the total package, which is what Bay Hill Club & Lodge requires. Also recently put four sturdy rounds together for a T2 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.’

Draftkings Network: Sahith Theegala (+9000)

‘Six starts have yielded three top 20s and two top 10 finishes, one of which came on another target golf course in Palm Springs at the American Express. On top of the solid placings, Theegala has also showcased the sort of control needed to win around Bay Hill. He’s been gaining on approach at better rates than he has in years past and is coming off a solid ball-striking week at the Genesis, where he fell back to T22, but still managed to gain 2.0 strokes on approach and shot 68-67 on the weekend to end his tournament. Experience-wise, Theegala has shown us he likely has what it takes to find a win someday on these challenging Florida layouts.’

Get PGA Tour Live with ESPN+

How to watch Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026: TV, live streaming

All times ET

First round, Thursday, March 5

Golf Channel: 2-6 p.m.
ESPN+: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Second round, Friday, March 6

Golf Channel: 2-6 p.m.
ESPN+: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Third round, Saturday, March 7

Golf Channel: 12:30-2:30 p.m.
NBC/Peacock: 2:30-6 p.m.
ESPN+: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Final round, Sunday, March 8

Golf Channel: 12:30-2:30 p.m.
NBC/Peacock: 2:30-6 p.m.
ESPN+: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Watch Golf Channel with Fubo

One month before Inter Miami plays its first MLS home game in a new stadium, the reigning MLS champions announced a name for the venue: Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park.

The latest Inter Miami partnership with Nubank – one of the world’s largest digital financial services platforms with 131 million customers across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia – will also see the company’s logo on the lower back of club jerseys beginning in August 2026.

Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, striker Luis Suarez, midfielder Rodrigo De Paul and defender Noah Allen were featured in promotional photos to announce the partnership, while co-owner Jorge Mas expressed last week that Nu Stadium would be ready to host Austin FC in the first home game of the season on April 4.

‘Nu is exactly the partner we look for – driven by the same disruptor mindset and global ambition that define Inter Miami. Together, we are proud to welcome our fans to Nu Stadium at Miami Freedom Park very soon, a special place they can call home where they can feel connected, inspired, and part of something truly extraordinary,’ Mas said in a statement on Wednesday, March 4.

‘This long-term partnership represents a strategic alignment with an international sports franchise that shares our ambition and global mindset,’ said Cristina Junqueira, co-founder and CEO of Nu’s emerging U.S. business. ‘Nu Stadium will anchor our brand in the United States, allowing us to engage with a diverse, international community as we build the most influential consumer technology platform in the world.’

Added Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham: ‘Opening our new stadium is a really special moment on our journey – a place for fans across South Florida and for people from around the world who feel connected to our club to watch us play. Nu Stadium will be a home for the Inter Miami family and a place that reminds everyone who visits of the Freedom to Dream.’

Nu will also anchor two signature spaces inside the stadium: The Nu Club, a 770-person premium hospitality lounge featuring a glass tunnel view of players as they walk from the locker rooms to the pitch. And the Nu Plaza, a public space at the center of the district.

Inter Miami will play 10 of its first 11 matches in 2026, including the preseason, on the road before its new venue opens.

The lone exception will be when Inter Miami hosts rival Nashville SC in the second leg of their Round-of-16 Concacaf Champions Cup tournament matchup on March 18. The match will be hosted in their previous venue – renamed Inter Miami Stadium – in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

‘We’re kicking off April 4; it’s going to be an amazing day. It’s a mad rush. The stadium will be ready – as close to 100 percent as a new stadium can be without rehearsals. … The stadium will be in optimal condition,’ Mas said of the new stadium during a FIFA World Cup event in Miami on Feb. 25.