As he sat inside the modest office-turned-trophy room of his Dallas home that on Wednesday afternoon doubled as an interview area, Jordan Spieth reluctantly panned his webcam over to the display just offscreen.

“That’s the major area, FedExCup and majors,” said Spieth, who was appearing on Golf Today.

“Hopefully can maybe build a couple more shelves.”

Fresh off his victory Sunday at the RBC Heritage, Spieth has injected life back into his own career Grand Slam discussion. Prior to topping Patrick Cantlay in a playoff at Harbour Town, Spieth had missed the cut at the Masters for the first time and was mired in a career-worst putting slump. Then he went out and won, his first title since the previous Easter in San Antonio.

While his putting and swing remain works in progress, Spieth says, his closing 66 in Hilton Head, which was highlighted by two eagles and a clutch 10-foot birdie make at the last, can’t be understated.

“I believe in myself as somebody who when he needs to make the putt, will make the putt,” Spieth said. “Eighteenth hole, I had to can a 10-footer there that I knew was likely to be in a playoff. I wanted to just read it with all the confidence in the world and say this is like me, I want to be in this position, this is why I’m here. I didn’t let anything else creep into my head as I stood over that putt.

“It’s amazing what confidence does in putting.”

Spieth agrees that his recent putting woes – he ranked 180^th in strokes gained before the Heritage – can partly be attributed to “neglect” as he still tries to completely groove some swing changes and make them “innate.” But he also contends that he’s not played too many courses yet where, historically, he feels most comfortable.

As for Southern Hills, which combines Bermudagrass surfaces with windy conditions, Spieth, the native Texan and standout Longhorn likely won’t feel out of place.

“There’s a chance that that could be a good opportunity for me for sure,” said Spieth, who has been trying to complete his career Grand Slam at the PGA ever since winning the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale. “I’m very excited about that.”

Spieth has finished inside the top 30 in every year but one since tying for 28^th at Quail Hollow in his first crack at finishing off the career slam. He tied for third at Bethpage in 2019 and most recently was T-30 last year at Kiawah. His best finish was a runner-up to Jason Day at the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits.

“I still think I feel the most pressure heading into the Masters every year, but the PGA obviously being the one to complete the career grand slam,” Spieth said. “Other PGAs where I played well required playing in tough conditions. … I hope to have 20-something more chances, so yeah, I’d love to get the job done, but I kind of look at it like a long-term view to I guess take a little bit of the pressure off. I’m going to have a lot of chances at this, let’s just try to settle into this one and approach it like any other week.”

And eventually, maybe even soon, he'll need to make room for another backlighted, wooden cabinet.

Ryan Palmer sure knows how to pick ’em.

In the five years that the Zurich Classic has been a two-man team event, the affable Texan hasn’t partnered with a player who was ranked outside the top 11 in the world rankings.

For the first two years, he rode shotgun with fellow Texan Jordan Spieth, who was ranked fifth and third, respectively, in 2017 and 2018.

The following year, he teamed up with then-world No. 11 Jon Rahm – and won. They also defended the title the next year, when Rahm had ascended all the way to No. 3.

And this year? All he’s done is hook up with Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, the hottest player in golf and the newly minted Masters champion.

The average world rank of those five partners: 4.6.

“Word out there is I’m chasing ringers, but I kind of put it out there – they’re asking me to play,” Palmer said Wednesday at TPC Louisiana. “I’ve been out here long enough. Maybe I can give a little veteran advice. I look at it as they’re playing with me, so I’ve got a little bit to add to it.”

Now in his 19th season on the PGA Tour, Palmer started looking for a new teammate earlier this year when Rahm told him that the Zurich wasn’t going to fit into his schedule. At the Genesis Invitational, Palmer talked about the possibility with Scheffler, who was then just a winless third-year Tour pro (albeit highly ranked and one of the game’s most intriguing talents).

The partnership made sense on a number of levels: Palmer, 45, has known Scheffler and his family since Scheffler was a 5-foot-nothin’ high school standout who was beating balls at Royal Oaks. For years they’ve shared the same swing coach (Randy Smith) and trainer (Dr. Troy Van Biezen). They work out together during the offseason; they often play with Jordan Spieth and Tony Romo. They run in the same social circles in Dallas.

“It was a pretty seamless decision,” Scheffler said.

But Palmer still had to seal the deal. In his head, he started mapping out Scheffler’s schedule: No Hilton Head, wasn’t traveling to Mexico, wouldn’t play another event before his home game at the Nelson.

“I was like, There’s no way he takes four weeks off. He can’t,” Palmer said. “That’s kind of how I put it [to him].

“But the thing that really sealed it was I sent a picture of me and Jon with the trophy, but I imposed his face on it. I think that got him.”

Perhaps another glitzy partner will be just the spark that Palmer needs to turn around his season. After back-to-back top-20s to start the calendar year, he has missed four cuts and failed to finish better than T-48 in the other two events. More than halfway through the season, he sits at No. 130 in the FedExCup race.

In this Golf Central Podcast presented by Callaway Golf, Rex Hoggard and Ryan Lavner discuss the significance of Jordan Spieth’s win, handicap the top teams at the Zurich Classic and present their top 5 picks for New Orleans eats.

Drained from his Masters victory, Scottie Scheffler barely left the house for a week once he returned home from Augusta National.

Every once in a while, he’d head into his closet and slip on the green jacket – to make all of this was real, sure, but also to see if he could get out of some household chores.

“When my wife asks me to do stuff at home,” he said, “sometimes I’ll grab it out of the closet and look at her like, Huh, really?

“It hasn’t worked yet.”

Scheffler was speaking Wednesday at the Zurich Classic, where he’ll team with Ryan Palmer and compete for the first time since his life and career changed at the Masters. Scheffler’s fourth victory in his last six starts stamped him as one of the next generation’s brightest talents and solidified his spot atop the world rankings.

What it didn’t do, however, was change his outlook, either in the short term or for future years.

“For me, I don’t look too far ahead,” he said. “I don’t pay attention to that kind of stuff. People kept asking me last week at the Masters, I think they kept saying three [wins] out of six, and I had to remember if it was three out of five, or four out of six – like, I couldn’t remember what it was. I just try to stay in the moment.

“For me, that’s fun for you guys to talk about. It’s nice to be on a good run. All I’m focused on is this week and getting ready to play with Ryan. Goals, expectations – nothing like that changes for me. I just like being out here playing golf.”

In the past week and a half, Scheffler said he received a particularly meaningful handwritten note from former President George W. Bush; and though he isn’t on social media, he was also alerted by his wife to social-media messages from former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

His partner this week, Palmer has known Scheffler since he was in high school, and he hasn’t sensed a single change since the 25-year-old became a major champion.

“That’s what’s so unique about him is he’s just such a humble and down-to-earth guy,” Palmer said. “I’ve listened to plenty of interviews – he’ll never change. His upbringing has been so great. His family, I know them all, and they’re all great folks. That’s what so great about him is somebody will be thrown in that limelight so fast, and to do what he’s done, and then being home, it’s like nothing’s changed.”

That was apparent even in their Wednesday pro-am grouping with two area legends, former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees.

“Even seeing him this morning for the first time playing today, it’s the same guy I’ve cut up with for the last two years on Tour playing practice rounds, and that’s what is very unique,” Palmer said. “You don’t get that very often. It’s such an individual game, but he’s got such a great team around him and a lot of good friends around him as well as from back home.

“He’s the same guy, it seems like to me. Nothing’s changed from the outside. So it’s pretty remarkable to watch a guy like that do what he did, has been doing, and nothing’s changed. It says a lot.”

D.C. United announced it has fired manager Hernan Losada just six games into the season.

Losada's assistant, Chad Ashton, will take over as manager on an interim basis and sources tell ESPN that he is expected to see out the remainder of the current season. Losada finishes his tenure with a record of 16-19-5.

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"We believe that Chad's ability to prepare for upcoming opponents and man manage players and in-game strategic match situations paired with his knowledge of the league will provide a springboard to further progress our style of play and enable us to compete at a higher-level as we push forward for a successful season," said Dave Kasper, President of Soccer Operations for D.C. United.

The firing comes less than 24 hours after the Black and Red's 3-0 U.S. Open Cup victory over Flower City Union, which plays in the third-tier National Independent Soccer League. But DCU has struggled in league play of late, losing its last four games, and currently sits in last place in the 14-team Eastern Conference with just six points.

Losada was hired prior to the start of the 2021 campaign, joining from Belgian top flight side Beerschot. He immediately instituted a high-tempo, pressing style. The team narrowly missed out on qualifying for the MLS Cup playoffs by a single point.

Losada at times criticized the team's fitness and the composition of the roster, and injuries played a significant role in the team's failure to reach the postseason. Designated Player attackers Edison Flores and Paul Arriola combined for a total of just 30 games.

A significant overhaul of the roster took place in the offseason, with 15 new players coming in. Arriola was among the departures, traded to Dallas in the offseason. Homegrown midfielder Kevin Paredes was transferred to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg.

Ashton has long been part of the D.C. United organization, having first jointed the DCU staff in 2007. He previously served as interim manager following the firing of Ben Olsen in 2020.

Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales has vehemently denied that a conflict of interest exists with Barcelona defender Gerard Pique's company in the FA deal that was signed with Saudi Arabia to host the Spanish Super Cup from 2019 until 2029.

Information and audio recordings stolen from Spanish FA's top executives, including Rubiales, by hackers revealed that Pique's company, Kosmos, acted as intermediary in the agreement between the Spanish FA and Sela, a public Saudi Arabian sports marketing company, and received a €24 million commission.

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"Kosmos' commission is being paid by Saudi Arabia and not by the federation," Rubiales said in Wednesday's press conference. "We have no financial rapport with Pique or Kosmos. Our compliance department told us that there is no conflict of interest because the rapport is between Saudi Arabia and Kosmos.

"Each of us has its own ethical standard but at the Spanish FA, we have three filters that have to be passed and this agreement did."

Rubiales said Pique is a role model to other footballers.

"I hope that there are more footballers like Pique, who are businessmen and have other activities," he added.

"What we want is for footballers to have studies, to have other careers."

The RFEF reported the theft of information to the police, and Rubiales said he believes the "mafia" are behind the act in a bid to discredit him.

"I trust the police and I hope they can catch the mafia that have done this," he said. "I am upset that they [media] are prioritising the false news that I'm hearing rather than the robbery of private information taken from my phone. I've been at the helm of the RFEF for four years. I haven't stopped being attacked since I decided to run for president. There is a campaign to discredit me. If they can do this, I cannot guarantee that one day they will put a bag of cocaine in the boot of my car.

"I don't deserve this, neither does my family."

Rubiales said the agreement signed with Saudi Arabia was done in a "transparent, honourable, legal" way and is "beneficial" for Spanish football.

"This is a great and exemplary agreement, that some people want to stain," he said. "We have worked well; we have acted in an honourable manner.

"The Italian FA took their Super Cup [final] overseas and got €7m and we have gotten €40m per tournament (€400m in total). I don't know where those €7m in Italy went to, but I can assure you that of the €40m, half of this amount, will go to our modest clubs, that need to survive."

The rest of the amount will go to the clubs that participate.

The Spanish FA received criticism for taking the competition to a country that has been criticised for its treatment of women.

"Thanks to the Spanish FA, women in Saudi Arabia have been able to walk into a stadium and not have to sit by themselves," Rubiales said. "Our ambassador [in Saudi Arabia] even thanked us for signing this agreement."

Among the audios stolen that were leaked to the media, was a conversation between Pique and Rubiales in which the veteran defender expressed his desire to play at the Tokyo Olympics.

A 2010 World Cup winner and 2012 European Champion, Pique retired from the Spanish national team in the summer of 2018.

"He [Pique] wasn't the only player to call me," Rubiales said. "There were others. I spoke to [Spain Under-21 coach Luis] De la Fuente about him and about many others. But I told him to make the decision he had to make. Luis then made his own decision.

"It's better that no player calls me because as you can see, it didn't work."

Manchester United have confirmed that senior scouts Jim Lawlor and Marcel Bout have left the club.

Lawlor will step down from his role as chief scout in the summer after 16 years at Old Trafford while Bout, who arrived under Dutch manager Louis van Gaal in 2014, has ended his eight-year stint as head of global scouting.

"Jim Lawlor has decided to step down from his role as chief scout in the summer after 16 years with the club," a United club spokesperson said.

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"During that time, Jim played a key role in the development of multiple trophy-winning Manchester United teams and was an important source of guidance to Sir Alex Ferguson and each of the managers who have followed him.

"Jim leaves the club with our warmest thanks for his significant contribution and our very best wishes for the future."

Sources have told ESPN that the departures are not related to the imminent arrival of a new permanent manager.

Ajax boss Erik ten Hag is set to take on the role of manager, sources have told ESPN.

United are continuing to revamp the way they recruit new players following the appointments of John Murtough as football director and Darren Fletcher as technical director in March 2021 and the exits of Lawlor and Bout are viewed as part of that process.

"Marcel Bout has departed from his role as head of global scouting after eight years with the club," added a United spokesperson.

"A respected figure within and outside of Manchester United, Marcel has played an important part as an assistant coach and in the strengthening of our scouting capabilities in recent years.

"Marcel leaves the club with our warmest thanks for his significant contribution and our very best wishes for the future."

LAFC star Carlos Vela is in the process of finalizing a new Designated Player contract to remain with the Black and Gold "at least through 2023," sources confirmed to ESPN.

Fox Sports was the first with the news.

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Vela's current deal is due to expire on June 30, and as such he has been free to sign a pre-contract anywhere in the world since the start of the year. Sources cautioned that Vela hasn't signed the deal just yet, but now the former Mexico international looks set to remain in Los Angeles through the end of the 2023 campaign, if not beyond.

Vela, 33, has been LAFC's marquee player since arriving ahead of the club's inaugural season in 2018. Since then he has scored 63 goals and added 40 assists in 97 league and playoff appearances, leading LAFC to the Supporters' Shield in 2019 and winning the league's MVP award that same season. It was during that campaign that he scored a league record 34 goals.

Injuries have impacted Vela's production since that year, recording just five goals and six assists in 20 appearances last season. So far in 2022 he has scored four goals with two assists.

Vela started his professional career with Arsenal, but spent much of his time there on loan with the likes of Celta Vigo, Salamanca, Osasuna, West Bromwich Albion and Real Sociedad. He eventually stuck with the White & Blues, signing permanently in 2012. He went on to score 73 goals in 250 appearances with Real Sociedad.

At international level, Vela has made 72 appearances for Mexico, scoring 19 goals. He was part of the Mexico squad that competed at the 2018 World Cup. He also helped Mexico win the U-17 World Cup in 2005.

Major League Soccer is investigating Austin FC midfielder Cecilio Dominguez over possible instances of verbal and emotional abuse directed by the player toward his ex-partner, sources told ESPN.

The league's investigation continues after a visit by Austin police on April 8 to the alleged victim's residence.

In the police report, a redacted copy of which was obtained by ESPN, Dominguez "was advised to not come back to the home as a result of report of family abuse."

On that same date, April 8, MLS indefinitely suspended Dominguez "pending an MLS investigation into possible off-field misconduct."

On Wednesday, an Austin FC spokesperson told ESPN: "After proactively providing preliminary information to Major League Soccer, Austin FC continues to help and work closely with MLS on its ongoing investigation. The club will refrain from further comment until the conclusion of that investigation."

Police filed no charges against Dominguez. A spokesperson for Austin police department said there is no further follow-up and no court proceedings.

The police spokesperson said that at this point the report is for documentation only, and that Dominguez wasn't arrested, and there is no open criminal investigation related to him.

In the Austin police report, the alleged victim said that she and Dominguez are separated, and that they live in different residences, but that Dominguez would assist her with support of her family.

A source told ESPN that the Austin FC contacted the league and domestic violence experts after receiving information about potential abuse by Dominguez.

Austin FC and MLS worked in conjunction with the Austin Police Department to put a safety plan in place to protect the alleged victim.