Mexico's men's national team has officially qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, continuing a stretch that dates back to the 1994 tournament.

Thanks to a win against El Salvador on Wednesday night in their final CONCACAF qualifier, Mexico has finished runners-up in the eight-team table and with a direct ticket to Qatar, behind group winners Canada and ahead of the third-placed United States.

- World Cup finals draw: Date, time, format, seeds
- World Cup: Who has qualified and who is still in contention

"This was something I expected from us and it's something that we needed to do. Now, what's next is preparing for the objective," said Mexico manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino after the victory on Wednesday. "Tomorrow begins a totally different stage than the one we've been living in during these six to eight months for the World Cup qualifiers."

Mexico's path was a tense and nervous one that featured several low-scoring draws and narrow wins. Along with an inability to defeat the United States and Canada in home-and-away battles through the Octagonal, questions swirled over the managerial future of Gerardo "Tata" Martino in Mexico's following lackluster results in recent matches.

With injuries limiting key playmakers like Raul Jimenez and Hirving Lozano, and a lack of reliable backups in the frontline, El Tri struggled to capitalize on goalscoring chances throughout the Octagonal. Defensively, Martino's squad encountered few problems as many opponents preferred to sit back rather than attack.

Mexico's qualifying campaign saw it play one home match at Estadio Azteca behind closed doors and two others with limited attendance as punishments over instances of an anti-gay chant among fans at previous games.

At the World Cup, Mexico has been eliminated the last seven times in the Round of 16, having only reached the quarterfinal stage when serving as hosts in 1986 and 1970. Due to these consistent early departures in the knockout round, reaching the quinto partido ("fifth game") at the World Cup has turned into a mythical objective among El Tri fans and observers.

Mexico will be placed into Pot 2 for the draw to decide the eight four-team groups in Qatar, which will be held Friday at 12 p.m. ET.

Only three teams in the 32-side field have yet to be determined. In a pair of one-game playoffs in Qatar in June, fellow CONCACAF rivals Costa Rica will play New Zealand while Peru will play either Australia or the United Arab Emirates.

The final spot will belong to the winner of Wales vs. Scotland/Ukraine. The Scotland-Ukraine playoff match, originally scheduled for March 24, was postponed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has not been rescheduled.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- The United States men's national soccer team has qualified for the 2022 World Cup, securing its berth to the tournament in Qatar after missing out on the 2018 edition in Russia.

In what was largely a formality, the U.S. lost 2-0 to Costa Rica on Wednesday, but still managed to secure one of CONCACAF's three automatic berths, along with group winner Canada and rival Mexico.

- Social media celebrates after U.S. clinches World Cup spot
- World Cup finals draw: Date, time, format, seeds
- World Cup: Who has qualified and who is still in contention

The U.S., which went into Wednesday's game at Estadio Nacional needing only to avoid a loss of six goals or more to punch its ticket, finished the 14-game qualifying cycle with a record of seven wins, three losses and four draws for 25 points. That total left the U.S. three points behind Canada and Mexico, and level with Costa Rica, with only a goal differential of +11 ensuring the Americans finished ahead of Wednesday's hosts (+5).

Though the team was inconsistent at times during qualifying, it remained in a strong position throughout the cycle.

"It's amazing what this group of guys have been able to do over these last seven months," head coach Gregg Berhalter said after clinching the spot on Wednesday. "I've really seen the team grow and this is a great accomplishment. We are looking forward to the World Cup."

Berhalter was part of the U.S. team that reached the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup, where it lost to Germany. He was also part of its 2006 World Cup squad, but did not play any games as it was knocked out in the group stage.

"I don't think that has sunk in yet," he said, when asked about leading the team to the World Cup as a coach. "Just being at a World Cup as a player is one of the most special things you can do. Now to be doing it as a coach with this group of players is something special."

Berhalter used what amounted to a first-choice lineup, while Costa Rica played a mostly rotated team due to having nine players on yellow cards ahead of a potential playoff, which will now take place in Qatar against Oceania winners New Zealand.

The supposed talent discrepancy didn't matter.

Despite the U.S. controlling play for most of the game, Juan Vargas (51st minute) and Anthony Contreras (59th) took their chances to put Costa Rica up 2-0 early in the second half. But needing four more to clinch qualification and send the U.S. to the intercontinental playoff proved to be too difficult.

Although only four players on the current roster were with the team when it missed the 2018 World Cup, the group has been saddled with correcting that failure. None more so than Christian Pulisic, the star Chelsea forward.

"I think that Christian has always felt that responsibility," midfielder Tyler Adams said on Tuesday.

"Growing up as sort of that golden child in [this] U.S. soccer generation, people put expectations on him. To be quite frank with you, he's dealt with them better than anybody would really deal with that. In every single situation, he's expected to do things that people like [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo are supposed to do.

"He's supposed to bring us to the World Cup."

And while that pressure appeared to get to Pulisic at times during qualifying, his hat trick against Panama on Sunday came in the most consequential game the U.S. had played in years. Pulisic finished the cycle with a team-best five goals. At 23 years old, Pulisic's 12 goals over the past two qualifying cycles rank fourth all time in U.S. history.

Qualification wasn't the only goal the U.S. was chasing, right-back DeAndre Yedlin said Tuesday.

"I think at this point, I wouldn't say it's the ultimate goal, I think the ultimate goal is obviously to win a World Cup," he said. "But there's steps you have to take to get there and one of the huge steps is to qualify for World Cup."

The U.S. will be placed into Pot 2 for the draw to decide the eight four-team groups, which will be held Friday at noon ET in Doha, Qatar.

Only three teams in the 32-side field have yet to be determined. In a pair of one-game playoffs in Qatar in June, Costa Rica will play New Zealand while Peru will play either Australia or the United Arab Emirates.

The final spot will belong to the winner of Wales vs. Scotland/Ukraine. The Scotland-Ukraine playoff match originally scheduled for March 24 was postponed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has not been rescheduled.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica -- The United States men's national soccer team has qualified for the 2022 World Cup, securing its berth to the tournament in Qatar after missing out on the 2018 edition in Russia.

In what was largely a formality, the U.S. lost 2-0 to Costa Rica on Wednesday, but still managed to secure one of CONCACAF's three automatic berths, along with group winner Canada and rival Mexico.

- Social media celebrates after U.S. clinches World Cup spot
- World Cup finals draw: Date, time, format, seeds
- World Cup: Who has qualified and who is still in contention

The U.S., which went into Wednesday's game at Estadio Nacional needing only to avoid a loss of six goals or more to punch its ticket, finished the 14-game qualifying cycle with a record of seven wins, three losses and four draws for 25 points. That total left the U.S. three points behind Canada and Mexico, and level with Costa Rica, with only a goal differential of +11 ensuring the Americans finished ahead of Wednesday's hosts (+5).

Though the team was inconsistent at times during qualifying, it remained in a strong position throughout the cycle.

"It's amazing what this group of guys have been able to do over these last seven months," head coach Gregg Berhalter said after clinching the spot on Wednesday. "I've really seen the team grow and this is a great accomplishment. We are looking forward to the World Cup."

Berhalter was part of the U.S. team that reached the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup, where it lost to Germany. He was also part of its 2006 World Cup squad, but did not play any games as it was knocked out in the group stage.

"I don't think that has sunk in yet," he said, when asked about leading the team to the World Cup as a coach. "Just being at a World Cup as a player is one of the most special things you can do. Now to be doing it as a coach with this group of players is something special."

Berhalter used what amounted to a first-choice lineup, while Costa Rica played a mostly rotated team due to having nine players on yellow cards ahead of a potential playoff, which will now take place in Qatar against Oceania winners New Zealand.

The supposed talent discrepancy didn't matter.

Despite the U.S. controlling play for most of the game, Juan Vargas (51st minute) and Anthony Contreras (59th) took their chances to put Costa Rica up 2-0 early in the second half. But needing four more to clinch qualification and send the U.S. to the intercontinental playoff proved to be too difficult.

Although only four players on the current roster were with the team when it missed the 2018 World Cup, the group has been saddled with correcting that failure. None more so than Christian Pulisic, the star Chelsea forward.

"I think that Christian has always felt that responsibility," midfielder Tyler Adams said on Tuesday.

"Growing up as sort of that golden child in [this] U.S. soccer generation, people put expectations on him. To be quite frank with you, he's dealt with them better than anybody would really deal with that. In every single situation, he's expected to do things that people like [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo are supposed to do.

"He's supposed to bring us to the World Cup."

And while that pressure appeared to get to Pulisic at times during qualifying, his hat trick against Panama on Sunday came in the most consequential game the U.S. had played in years. Pulisic finished the cycle with a team-best five goals. At 23 years old, Pulisic's 12 goals over the past two qualifying cycles rank fourth all time in U.S. history.

Qualification wasn't the only goal the U.S. was chasing, right-back DeAndre Yedlin said Tuesday.

"I think at this point, I wouldn't say it's the ultimate goal, I think the ultimate goal is obviously to win a World Cup," he said. "But there's steps you have to take to get there and one of the huge steps is to qualify for World Cup."

The U.S. will be placed into Pot 2 for the draw to decide the eight four-team groups, which will be held Friday at noon ET in Doha, Qatar.

Only three teams in the 32-side field have yet to be determined. In a pair of one-game playoffs in Qatar in June, Costa Rica will play New Zealand while Peru will play either Australia or the United Arab Emirates.

The final spot will belong to the winner of Wales vs. Scotland/Ukraine. The Scotland-Ukraine playoff match originally scheduled for March 24 was postponed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and has not been rescheduled.

The top of the NBA's Eastern Conference couldn't be much more compact.

Entering Tuesday's action, four teams -- the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers -- were within a single loss of one another.

And, in serendipitous timing, all four were set to face off, with the Bucks playing in Philadelphia on Tuesday, followed by the Heat and Celtics squaring off in Boston on Wednesday -- a 24-hour span that could have delivered a pair of Eastern Conference semifinal previews.

Let's look at one key question surrounding each of the conference's top four teams as they prepare for the playoffs, and how each storyline played out in two high-level matchups.

The results -- a pair of close, competitive games with Milwaukee and Miami both winning on the road -- only whet the appetite for what should be a scintillating spring full of playoff action in the East.

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Is Lowry Miami's playoff X factor?

When Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked whether Kyle Lowry's do-it-all performance in Miami's win against the Celtics on Wednesday night was indicative of the kind of performances the Heat expected when they signed him last summer, Spoelstra smiled.

"Look, we've been on the other side of it," Spoelstra said. "There were many years that I just really did not like Kyle Lowry, because he was such a thorn in our side."

Spoelstra pointed to the seven-game series between the Toronto Raptors and Miami in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, which Lowry's Raptors won.

"As that series got deeper, the better he played in clutch moments," Spoelstra said. "You can't define it by an analytic or a number or a playcall ... he just knows how to make winning plays."

Lowry made all sorts of them Wednesday. He finished with 23 points (6-for-12 from 3-point range) and eight assists in 36 minutes. He played his usual brand of in-your-face defense despite collecting four fouls down the stretch.

"That's just a great luxury to have a Hall of Fame point guard who can choreograph your offense but also take on big challenges defensively on the other end," Spoelstra said.

It's been an up-and-down season during Lowry's first in Miami after nine seasons with the Raptors, particularly because he has missed chunks of time to deal with personal matters. After a rocky week that saw Miami relinquish three fourth-quarter leads and get pummeled at home by the Brooklyn Nets, this performance was vintage Lowry.

Coming into Boston, which had been the hottest team in the league over the past two-plus months, and winning a back-and-forth game was a perfect elixir to wash away the ugly moments of last week.

In last year's lopsided first-round sweep to Milwaukee, the Heat were exposed as a team that needed another playmaker. Adding Lowry gave them a guard who could helm their offense, remain part of the Heat's defensive identity and provide the kind of offensive jolt he gave Miami on Wednesday inside TD Garden.

"I think having a real live point guard that's a pass-first guy who has of late, 'Screw pass-first, I'm going to score first.' ... That's good," Jimmy Butler said. "I miss Goran [Dragic] like hell, I like handling the ball, Tyler [Herro] likes handling the ball.

"But having a guy like Kyle that's telling everybody where to go, knowing how to get everyone the ball. ... Yes, we needed Kyle Lowry."

How will Boston adjust to life without its anchor?

In Boston's first test without Robert Williams III, who will be sidelined at least four weeks after meniscus surgery, the results were a mixed bag.

Heat center Bam Adebayo controlled the game. In a reminder of what Adebayo did to Boston in the 2020 East finals, he finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. It wasn't a coincidence that he was a plus-12 in 33 minutes, and Al Horford, who struggled to 6 points on 2-for-6 shooting, was minus-14 in 34 minutes. Grant Williams, meanwhile, was 2-for-7 from the field, and missed all three of his 3-point shots in his first start in place of Robert Williams alongside the rest of Boston's usual starting lineup of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Horford.

Meanwhile, Daniel Theis finished with 15 points on perfect 6-for-6 shooting in 17 minutes.

It's a reminder of the varying skill sets Boston must now use to match Robert Williams' impact at both ends of the court.

"We feel confident with the three bigs, [and] the versatility that they have," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. "It's not the same as Rob from the shot-blocking perspective, but a lot of the similar things he was doing on- and off-ball, they're very capable of."

Robert Williams certainly could've helped in trying to contain Adebayo on Wednesday, even as a help defender. And, perhaps more glaringly, he could've given Boston a boost offensively with his ability to both create vertical spacing as a lob threat and create easy shots when it mattered most (Boston shot 6-for-22 in the fourth).

"It's definitely an adjustment not having Rob here," Horford said. "We have to find ways to be effective and we have to find other ways to score."

Even if fully healthy, the red-hot Celtics were bound to lose a game or two. Their 24-4 stretch through Sunday's win over Minnesota -- the game in which Williams injured his knee -- wasn't likely to carry forward at that clip. Still, Wednesday's game displayed the difficulties this team will face navigating the East playoffs with its defensive anchor off the court.

Splash Mountain is back: Could Lopez unlock the best version of the Bucks?

The Bucks have spent virtually the entire season with Brook Lopez, their starting center, watching in street clothes. He has played in only eight games -- seven coming in the past three weeks -- after undergoing back surgery on Dec. 2.

Tuesday night was an important test. How would Lopez, matching up against arguably the league's biggest and toughest to guard center, Philadelphia's MVP candidate, Joel Embiid, hold up over the course of the game?

The answer, it turned out, was quite well.

Lopez played 29 minutes and scored 17 points for Milwaukee -- 11 of which came all in a row to open the second half for the Bucks. More importantly, Lopez went 4-for-9 from 3-point range, helping create some of the space on the court for Giannis Antetokounmpo -- he finished with 40 points, 14 rebounds, six assists, a steal and three blocks, including the one that won the Bucks the game -- to operate.

That Milwaukee is 14th in the league in defense this season with Lopez, one of the league's best (and biggest) interior defenders mostly watching as a spectator, is not a shock. The part of Lopez's game that is forgotten, however, is how he can break the court wide open for Antetokounmpo & Co.

It's rare for a guy of Lopez's size (7 feet, 282 pounds) to be able to shape the game at both ends. And while he's not Milwaukee's most important player -- or even their third -- the Bucks looked like a team ready for the playoffs Tuesday with him on the court.

And for a team that has spent much of the season playing a combination of Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis at center, getting another 30 minutes of high-level, big-man play made everything else fall back into the places they were so effective for the Bucks during last year's championship run.

On a night when there were plenty of reasons to smile for the Bucks, Lopez's return and his effectiveness might have been the biggest of all.

Will MVP-level Harden make more appearances for Philly?

After Tuesday night's loss, 76ers coach Doc Rivers said he and James Harden had spoken at length that morning about needing the guard to get back to being the scorer he was with the Houston Rockets, rather than operating as the distributor he was with the Brooklyn Nets.

And, after playing arguably his best game as a 76er -- 32 points, five rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes in the loss to Milwaukee -- Harden said he felt it was a step in the right direction.

"I'm trying to get it right," Harden said. "I'm trying to be the best James Harden I can be. And I'm trying to make sure that I'm doing the things necessary to help my team win.

"[Rivers] just told me, to sum it all up, to just go out there be you. And that was kind of my mindset today, and it felt good to have that confidence from Doc."

The 76ers need the best James Harden he can be -- because that's the version they hoped they were acquiring from the Nets at the trade deadline. And, while Harden has had moments of brilliance -- he's averaging 23.0 points, 9.8 assists and 7.4 rebounds in 15 games as a Sixer -- he has failed to consistently play to the type of MVP level Philadelphia hoped for.

For example: Of the 133 players who have attempted at least 200 layups or dunks this season, only three are shooting under 50% from the field: the Orlando Magic's Cole Anthony, the Utah Jazz's Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Harden.

But Tuesday night was a vintage performance for Harden. He went 5-for-7 from inside the arc, had the step-back working (he went 4-for-10 from 3) and got to the free throw line 12 times. More importantly, he made short work of Milwaukee's experiment of having Wesley Matthews start the game guarding him. In the closing minutes, it was defensive stopper Jrue Holiday -- not Matthews -- checking Harden.

If Philadelphia can get that version of Harden on a nightly basis over the next few months, he will form the partnership with Embiid that the 76ers need to make a deep playoff run.

Before you jump all over the concept of Home Run Derby X, think back to when you were a kid and you could only round up five kids in the neighborhood, and you had to invent some sort of knock-off version of baseball. (If you're a kid right now: Yes, we used to do this sort of thing.)

Former England full-back Ben Foden has officially announced his retirement from the sport aged 36, saying the decision took a "lot of deliberation".

After starting his career at Sale Sharks, he spent 10 years at Northampton and helped the Saints lift their only Premiership title in 2014.

"It's been a 18-year career filled with every emotion possible," he said.

Foden won the first of his 34 England caps against Italy in 2009 and scored seven tries over a four-year period.

"Rugby has given me so much through my lifetime and given me enough memories to keep me smiling for the rest of my days," he added.

"It's taken me all over the world and I feel privileged to say it's given me friendships and a family I can always depend on.

"To everyone who has been part of this journey with me, thank you for everything."

EVANS, Ga. – Even superheroes have off days.

Rose Zhang entered this week’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur with other-worldly expectations – and rightfully so, as the world No. 1 and two-time USGA champion has won three times and hasn’t finished worse than T-10 in seven collegiate starts as a freshman at Stanford. But on Wednesday at Champions Retreat, Zhang dug herself an early hole with an opening-round, 4-over 76.

“Today was a little bit rough,” said Zhang, who carded six bogeys in an uncharacteristically sloppy – relative, of course – performance. “I felt like it was just really hard to get my numbers right. Whenever I hit a really good shot, it would be a very unlucky bounce. The greens today were very tough to read, for me. Overall, it was definitely a grind out there.”

Zhang admitted that she hasn’t had the “sharpest game” recently. She closed in 2-over 74 on Sunday at Arizona State’s event for her worst college finish to date.

On Wednesday, she frequently found herself hitting her ball into the wrong spots.

“You really have to place your ball correctly on this course,” Zhang said, “and if you’re not able to do that, you’re going to shoot high numbers very easily. … It’s a little bit of everything, especially the putting a little bit, and just being on this golf course, you really have to have the right course management, and I didn’t really have that today. So, there’s definitely much to talk about and discuss about with my team later.”

With rough weather rolling in, including heavy rain, on Thursday, Zhang is likely to face a tough challenge to make her third straight cut at the ANWA. She tied for third last year after sharing 17th as a 15-year-old in 2019. That latter performance marks the last time that Zhang has failed to crack the top 10 in a non-professional stroke-play tournament. During that period, she’s won 12 times.

A closing birdie from 35 feet on Wednesday moved her into a tie for 39th at 4 over. The top 30 players after Thursday’s second round advance to Saturday’s finale at Augusta National.

Zhang is accustomed to going low when she absolutely needs to. Earlier this spring, she closed with a course-record 64 at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, California, to secure runner-up finishes for her and the Cardinal.

On a difficult course in trying conditions, it shouldn’t take a superhuman round for Zhang to make the cut. Something in 60s should do the job this time.

“It’s definitely difficult, but you just have to keep yourself in the right mindset,” Zhang said. “I already knew going into this event that it’s going to be a grind, and I’m continuing to have that mindset. Tomorrow’s not going to be an easy day, especially with the weather, so I’m going to have to just go out there and play my best.”

EVANS, Ga. – At 16 years old, Anna Davis is one of the youngest players in the field at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She feels like it, too.

“Usually when I go to events, I know the people who are playing, and I don't know a lot of the girls here,” Davis said. “So, I kind of feel like an underdog.”

Considering Davis’ resumé – a seven-shot victory at last year’s Girls Junior PGA, reigning first-team AJGA All-American, Junior Solheim Cupper, five straight top-4 finishes in junior events – it’s not often that she is overlooked. The last time Davis hasn’t been among the favorites at a tournament, she says, was almost a year ago, at the AJGA’s Heather Farr Classic last April.

How did she fare that week? She won.

“When you’re the underdog, there’s not as much pressure to play super well,” Davis said.

No wonder she played, well, super on Wednesday at Champions Retreat. Competing in the shadows of amateur stars like Rose Zhang, Rachel Heck and Ingrid Lindblad, the teenager from Spring Valley, California, beat all but one player on Wednesday, firing an opening-round, 2-under 70 to share the lead with Italy’s Benedetta Moresco, a sophomore at Alabama.

Normally a gifted ball-striker, on this day Davis shined around the greens. With firm putting surfaces making strong GIR performances difficult, Davis scrambled often and well, carding just one bogey, at the par-4 15th hole.

There was also a little bit of luck involved, of course, as her chip on the par-5 18th hole was struck a little thin but hit the flatstick, resulting in a tap-in birdie to close.

“Good thing the hole was there,” Davis quipped.

Her twin brother, Billy, was thinking the same thing. Billy Davis – also an accomplished junior player, who learned the game alongside his sister when they were “just of out their walkers” – was watching from the gallery. Anna says she’ll frequently get a snarky remark or two out of her brother during rounds. “I'll like hit a bad shot, and he'll go, ‘Ooh, that was a good one,’” she said.

But as his sister stood in front of the cameras after a skillful opening display, Billy couldn’t help but give Anna her due.

“She’s pretty inspiring actually,” Billy said. “The way she plays, the way she handles herself on and off the course; she handles herself like she’s a grownup.”

While Anna may be short in the tooth as it relates to this field, she’s mature beyond her years. Yes, she still considers herself a “stereotypical 16-year-old,” who doesn’t own a driver’s license, loves lunches with friends and spends too much time on her phone. But there’s also a reason Billy calls her his “older sister.”

Anna plays the game like a seasoned vet, with cleverness and confidence. She’s serious about her craft, too, recently switching to online classes so that she can practice more. Asked hypothetically what she’d serve at the Masters Champions Dinner, she responded: steak and potatoes.

And her independence is arguably unmatched. She isn’t even old enough to legally talk with college coaches (she remains uncommitted), yet for much of the past year, she’s traveled to tournaments by herself or with friends.

“A lot of people look at that and they're like, ‘Your parents are letting you travel alone? That's a little weird,’” Anna said. “I think I'm a little mature for my age, and I know how to handle things.”

Her solo trips have taught her a lot, but mostly she’s learned to, in her words, “pay a little more attention to what's actually going on around me because I don't have my parent there holding my hand.”

That translated well to the golf course on Wednesday, as Anna noticed her playing competitors hitting their tee balls through the wind on the par-3 17th hole. Instead of staying in her own little world and keeping 6-iron in hand, Anna went back to her bag and switched to a 7-iron.

The result: a stress-free par – and a clap from her brother.

“She hit it great, drove it great,” Billy said. “If her speed control on the greens is good and she makes a few more putts, I definitely think she has a chance.”

Anna, sitting at No. 100 in the world amateur rankings, began the week with no expectations except only to have fun.

Now, though, she’s put both herself in a position to win and the rest of this talented field on notice.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. – Brooke Henderson waited as long as she possibly could to put a new driver in her bag. Come Thursday, for the first time in competition, Henderson will put a 46-inch driver into play at the Chevron Championship.

“I was going to use the 48 [inch driver] up until I couldn't anymore,” Henderson said Wednesday about replacing her old club. “I'm going to miss it, but definitely excited moving forward. I feel like I have a solid driver in the bag, and hopefully it'll do the job.”

In October 2021, the USGA and R&A made available a model local rule which restricts driver length to 46 inches. Although she didn’t know if the LPGA Tour would adopt the rule, the Canadian began the search for a new club. She had played a 48-inch driver since she was 15 years old, and she knew that finding a replacement would take some time.

In January, the LPGA Tour announced they would adopt the rule, which went into effect on March 21, ahead of last week’s JTBC Classic.

After months of testing, Henderson said she landed on a replacement around the new year. She says she tried out more than a dozen different shafts. Ultimately, the major champion settled on a Ping driver with the same head and shaft as the one she had in her previous club. Henderson said Ping also put some added weight in the grip to try to emulate the feeling she had when she hit her old driver.

Henderson used the new 46-inch driver during Wednesday’s pro-am, and she was no longer choking down on the grip, which she had done with her previous club. Instead, she’s gripping it at the end. Henderson says the shorter driver, combined with the new grip position, has cost her some distance. This season, she’s averaging 272 yards off the tee. However, she says the ball she switched to earlier this season has helped to offset the loss and chalked it up to a couple of yards.

“The thought process on gripping at the end [of the club] was to gain back some yardage that I lost by choking up,” Henderson explained about the grip change. “It's definitely a big adjustment since I choke down on everything else, but I think it's what needs to be done to get some distance back.”

Henderson will continue to choke down on the rest of the clubs in her bag for now, but says she may adopt a more traditional grip with all her clubs as she becomes more comfortable with her shortened driver.

“I think as I get used to the timing and the rhythm of it, I'll be able to gain back some of the distance that I lost,” Henderson said. “It's just a little bit of an adjustment now, but moving forward I think it'll be good.”