SAN ANTONIO — Russell Knox recorded four straight birdies on the back nine and fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Valero Texas Open.

Knox closed out his round with a seven-foot putt to save par at the par-5 18th at TPC San Antonio, and was one shot ahead of Rasmus Hojgaard.

Hojgaard fired a 66 despite a double bogey on his final hole. Matt Kuchar is another stroke back after an opening 5-under 67 and is among a group that includes Denny McCarthy, Aaron Rei and J.J. Spaun.

Defending champ Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy finished at even-par 72. They were outside the top 60 after one round and could flirt with the cut line on Friday.

Bryson DeChambeau had a 1-over 73. After holing a bunker shot for eagle on his 11th hole and following with a birdie on the next, he made bogey on four of his last six holes.

Knox, a 32-year-old Scotsman with two career PGA Tour wins, started his birdie streak at No. 12. All of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet. At the 15th, he was about 20 feet away from a back pin position following his approach and chipped in from the fringe. It was his second chip-in in the round.

“That was one of those kind of bonus birdies that you need when you’re going to have a good day,” Knox said. “Obviously thrilled with the round. It’s been more of the way I want to play.”

Hogjaard, a 21-year-old from Denmark and two-time winner on the European Tour, had his sights on the first-round lead heading to his closing hole. But, his drive sailed well left of the fairway. It took him four shots to reach the green on the par-4 ninth.

“I had to chip sideways back into the fairway,” he said. “Just was a little too aggressive after that. Yeah, short-sided myself and I didn’t get up and down and suddenly you walk away with double-bogey. Yeah, that was a bit annoying, but it happens.”

Kuchar was 5 under after 11 holes. Thirty feet away from the pin on the next hole, he failed to get up and down and missed a seven-foot putt for par. He got a shot back with a birdie on his 14th hole, and parred out, falling short in a bid to match his season-best round of 64 at the Sony Open, where he finished in the top 10.

“A lot of good and bad that can happen here on this course,” Kuchar said. “I was kind of managing early on in the round and then found a little something on about the fifth or sixth hole. I started having some birdie chances and converted on a few late in my first nine.”

Kuchar has won nine times on the PGA Tour. McCarthy, Rai and Spaun are looking for their first.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has rejected claims that the organisation pushed for a biennial World Cup.

Speaking at the 72nd FIFA Congress in Doha, Infantino said FIFA had merely explored the possibility of halving the four-year World Cup cycle despite Chief of Global Football Development and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger conducting a series of interviews in support of the idea.

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It was originally hoped that Congress would vote to advance the prospect of a World Cup every two years this week after Infantino advocated the proposal at a virtual global summit last December.

A subsequent feasibility study suggested FIFA could pass on an additional $19million every four years for each member nation should a biennial World Cup come to pass but the idea was met with opposition from a number of countries.

And Infantino said in his speech on Thursday: "Let me be very clear that FIFA has not proposed a biennial World Cup. Let's get the process clear. The last FIFA Congress asked the FIFA administration with a vote, which 88% voted in favour, to study the feasibility of a World Cup every two years and some other projects.

"Now the FIFA administration, under the leadership of Arsene Wenger, did exactly that: studied the feasibility. FIFA did not propose anything.

"FIFA came to the conclusion that it is feasible, that it would have some repercussions and impacts but once this was certified, the next phase starts and it is a phase of consultation, discussion, trying to find agreements and compromise. In addition to the confederations and the associations, we have the leagues, the clubs and the players present here as well.

"We work together, we try and will try to have a debate and a discussion to find what is most suitable to everyone because everyone has to benefit. The big ones have to become bigger and the small ones have to benefit as well. We have to give opportunities to everyone. And I am thanking everyone for your input, for your feedback, positive, negative or neutral.

"What is important in this discussion is that we put back on the agenda national team football which is what makes football live all over the world.

"We have to do this in balance with the clubs, of course, which is the biggest part of where the players are playing. There are ways to find compromises and agreements.

"But [what] it is important, and we have all been defending it for over 100 years, is the respect of the football institutions, respect of the football pyramid with FIFA at the top, the confederations, the associations, the leagues, the clubs and the players.

"That is how football is organised. It is paramount that we protect this organisation and model of football from all possible challenges."

However, Infantino caveated the situation at a news conference after Congress closed.

"We are not in a hurry," he added. "The [match] calendar is there until 2024. If we find an agreement in one week, it is great. If it is one year, it is great as well. One hundred years ago, some wise man decided the World Cup should take place every four years. Times are evolving. Let's see what we can do better."

Infantino, who confirmed he will stand for re-election at the 2023 Congress, also fended off criticism of FIFA's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

After deliberating the issue for several days, FIFA initially said teams could continue to participate under the name of the Football Union of Russia, playing home games on neutral territory and behind closed doors only to announce the suspension of all teams a day later.

A delegation led by Russia FA executive Alexey Sorokin attended the Congress in Doha but when asked whether FIFA would now adopt a policy of banning teams from countries invading another, Infantino said: "Any decision you take is maybe the wrong one. We don't know. We know with time. What we do is analyse every single case on its own merits and then based on our conscience, we try to take a decision we feel is the right one in these particular circumstances."

Specifically on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Infantino added: "At the Russia World Cup in 2018, it was by all means a great World Cup, a great success sportingly and culturally. Obviously it did solve the problems of the world. It did not even solve the problems in the region. It did not create a lasting peace.

"But what I want to say now is that once this terrible conflict is over -- and there are other conflicts around the world as well -- hopefully very soon football can play a small part in rebuilding relationships, in establishing peace and understanding.

"We will be there at the forefront of doing that. Therefore my plea to all of those who have some power in this world, to all of those in important political positions: please, please stop conflicts and wars, please.

"For our children, for our future. Please engage in dialogue, even with your worst enemy, please try to come together."

Premier League clubs voted in favour of reintroducing the use of five substitutes per game from the start of the 2022-23 season at a shareholder meeting, the organisation said on Thursday.

The substitutions can be made on three occasions during a game, not including halftime, and clubs can name nine substitutes in total on their team sheet, the league said in a statement.

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Top-flight clubs were allowed to increase the number of substitutes from three to five per match in the 2019-20 campaign when the league restarted in June after a three-month hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soccer's law-making body, IFAB, had recommended making the rule permanent, but the Premier League was the only top league in Europe to decide against continuing five substitutes from 2020-21 even as a number of managers voiced concerns about player fatigue.

The Professional Footballers' Association backed the league's latest decision, with chief executive Maheta Molango saying the increasing workload on players is damaging their health and wellbeing.

"The adoption of this rule is a welcome step forward in what needs to be an ongoing effort to address issues with player fatigue, making sure they have the opportunity to perform at their best," Molango said in a statement.

The Premier League added that it would stop twice-weekly COVID-19 testing of players and staff from Monday, with only symptomatic individuals to be tested.

"The wellbeing of players and staff remains a priority and the Premier League will continue to monitor the national COVID-19 situation and adapt League-wide protocols as required, in line with the latest guidance from public health authorities and medical experts," the statement said.

The Premier League also said the summer transfer window will open on June 10 and close on Sept. 1.

Ahead of their teams' Premier League matchup on Saturday, the managers of Leeds United and Southampton spoke out in favor of reintroducing the rule.

"It helps the game. Makes games faster and more intensive," Leeds boss Jesse Marsch told reporters. "More playing time for the players. I came from a situation where two years I was working with five subs. Back to three makes me feel handcuffed. Hard to be as aggressive before. Better teams have better rosters, but they also have a better XI. I like, with the way we play, more fresh players on the pitch than fewer."

Added Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl: "There's no surprise, we've spoken a lot of times about it. For us, I think [five substitutes] will be a game-changer, it's very intense the way we play.

"It helps, definitely. There are some arguments from the small clubs [saying] not to do it because of the sporting difference we have with the biggest clubs, but I always see it as an advantage for us."

United States men's national team manager Gregg Berhalter is shifting his focus to the team's preparation for the World Cup after securing qualification, adding that his initial goal is to get out of the team's group, regardless of how Friday's draw plays out.

"The starting point is getting out of the group and once you do that, it's tournament time, you know, it's knockout, single elimination so anything can happen," Berhalter said.

The U.S. lost 2-0 to Costa Rica in its final qualifier, but knew going in that all it had to do was avoid losing by six goals to the Ticos in order to clinch qualification. The U.S. finished third in CONCACAF qualifying, level on points with the Ticos, but took the final automatic qualification spot due to its superior goal difference.

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The qualification effort was full of ups and downs, and the team had to contend with the specter of the failed qualification effort over four years ago. Berhalter credited the players and staff for successfully navigating their way through the 14-game campaign.

"Going through it, the expectation is that we win every game, and so there's a disconnect, I think, between expectations and reality," Berhalter said on a Zoom call with reporters, prior to flying to Qatar for Friday's draw. "And I think that that builds pressure on the team a little bit. But then the second thing is we really felt the public was behind us in this, and it was a great feeling. So particularly the home games when the stadiums were electric and creating an amazing atmosphere.

"But in the same sense, there was also this feeling that the public was on edge and they desperately wanted us to make it. We desperately wanted to make the World Cup, and I think overall it's just a great lesson for everyone that you can't take qualifying for granted. It's about what you do on that day, and it's about staying one game at a time."

Berhalter, who as a player was part of the U.S. teams that went to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, added that the conditions and atmosphere at the World Cup could suit his players better than the wide range of environments the team faces in CONCACAF.

"The games are a lot more controlled. I think that the atmospheres are a lot more controlled. The field conditions are standardized," he said about World Cup matches. "So it's a lot more predictable, in a sense, but the level is better. I think our guys can adapt to that easier. I think that will be something where our guys are used to playing with top players in the world, and this will be another opportunity for them to do so."

Once Friday's draw is completed, Berhalter will be aiming to maximize his time with the team. The U.S. will have four matches in the CONCACAF Nations League in June, with another two matches in the September window. Berhalter said he hopes the latter two matches will be against teams in confederations that the U.S. hasn't played much recently, such as Africa and Asia. The USSF is looking at games against South American and European opponents as well, though there is room for only two matches.

For Berhalter, it's still not enough time, given the awkward timing of the tournament starting in November.

"It's less than ideal preparation, in terms of the time we're going to have. But every team is going to be doing the same thing, so we'll be able to deal with it, just like everybody else," he said.

Berhalter added there are still some parts of the field, such as left-back, where he would like to increase the team's depth. There is also the ongoing competition to see who will take hold of the No. 9 role.

"[I'm] hoping that the No. 9 gets in good form and continues to push whether that's Ricardo [Pepi] or Daryl [Dike] or Gyasi [Zardes], or Jordan [Morris]or Jesus [Ferreira], wherever that may be, or Josh Sergeant even. We're hoping that one of our nines gets into good form by the time the World Cup comes around."

Berhalter also made it clear that his goals go beyond getting out of the group.

"I didn't want to paint it as we have low expectations because. That's not the case at all," he said. "But you see the time and time again, top teams not getting out of their group. So it has to be a priority for any team to get out of your group and go from there, see where you play next, prepare to beat that team. And that's where it becomes fun."

DOHA, Qatar -- For Qatar, the World Cup draw Friday is the bell signaling the last lap of a race that began more than two decades ago. That's when the Gulf state -- poor in square miles, population and (back then) name recognition, but rich in per capita GDP and ambition -- decided to make sports one of the central planks of its development.

Sports would raise the country's profile, drive business opportunity, provide some sort of legacy for the day when, inevitably, the oil and natural gas run out. It was just one prong of the strategy -- security (the U.S. military's Gulf Central Command is in Doha), media (Al Jazeera) and education were also priorities -- but in some ways, it was the most significant.

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The most significant step in the journey was back on Dec. 2, 2010, when a vote by FIFA's Executive Committee awarded them the 2022 World Cup. It would turn out to be a day of controversy -- three of the 25 ExCo members were suspended for corruption before the vote even took place, another 11 who voted that day were subsequently banned, prosecuted or suspended, and longtime FIFA president Sepp Blatter was ousted a few years later -- but it meant Qatar was on its way and there was no turning back.

And now, stuff gets real.

The draw Friday will determine how the 32 participating nations will line up in groups of four. Well, almost -- real life, of course, has gotten in the way in the form of a pandemic and a war, which means three spots are still to be determined. Barring any further twists, one will be contested by Ukraine, Scotland and Wales, another by Australia, United Arab Emirates and Peru and the final one by Costa Rica vs. New Zealand. While most of FIFA's 211 member nations had their World Cup dreams crushed a long time ago -- and a few just in the past 10 days -- fans in 37 countries can continue to hope, at least until June, when the final qualifiers are played.

What will they find when November rolls around and the so-called Biggest Show in Sports kicks off? A World Cup like no other.

For a start, we're used to countries hosting World Cups, but this is essentially a tournament held in a single city, Doha. Qatar has a population of nearly 2.5 million, and nearly 90% of them live in the Doha metropolitan area. Seven of the eight venues are either in central Doha, or within a couple of miles of the city limits. The one that's not (Al Khor) is a mere 30 miles away. Never before in the history of the game has so much "stuff" -- players, fans, sponsors, executives, hangers-on -- been concentrated in so little space.

Also, never before has a World Cup been contested in a place that feels so new, so unmoored from the constraints of history and, specifically, from football culture.

Qatari culture is rich and ancient: People have been living here since the Stone Age, but the nation itself only achieved independence in 1971 and, for much of its history, it was ruled by others, whether British, Saudi or Ottoman. That independence, broadly coinciding with the discovery of vast oil and natural gas reserves, was a blessing. Its riches were -- relatively speaking -- spared from being extracted by foreigners, and it suddenly found itself with a blank slate in terms of development and the cash to make (almost) anything happen.

Doha felt like a vast construction site when I first visited nearly 20 years ago and while it's bigger and bolder today, it still feels like a work in progress. Very little that is tangible is older than the turn of the millennium: not the luxury tower blocks, not the mega-malls filled with familiar brands, not the stadiums themselves. Most of them look like what you would expect them to look like: striking architectural follies that look especially impressive from afar, though one (Stadium 974) deserves credit for creativity, as it was built entirely from shipping containers and will be disassembled after the tournament.

They too contribute to the air of impermanence and rootlessness: You're in Qatar, but you could be anywhere -- anywhere that sports and entertainment, sponsors and politics meet.

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In some ways, that's an unfair criticism. The past few World Cup hosts (Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Germany) didn't just have strong and distinct footballing cultures; they were powerful global country brands too. There was an identity there that folks were familiar with and which the tournament built on. Qatar doesn't have that luxury. To many, they are what the world chooses to project on them: a cookie-cutter, uber-wealthy Gulf petro-state with an absolute ruler, garish luxury constructions and designer stores, a nation that mistreats migrant workers and likes to accumulate shiny assets, like the 2022 World Cup, in fact. Fair? Probably not.

Qatar would point to the strides they've made -- especially relative to their neighbors -- in terms of women's rights, democratic process, education and, thanks in part to the spotlight the World Cup has brought, migrant worker rights and working conditions, too. But clearly there's still more work to do. And if the 2022 World Cup is to have any purpose for the country, beyond providing global sports entertainment and bragging rights, they will need to get better at telling their story to the rest of the globe.

The bell has been rung, this is the last lap. Now is when you have to make it count.