World Rugby confirm Wales rankings disaster after defeat to Italy
It has been confirmed Warren Gatland's side have now dropped below Georgia to 12th. The slump, which would have been unthinkable not so long ago, comes at a time when many are calling for the Rugby Europe Championship favourites to be given the chance to stake a claim for a Six Nations place.
Even Wales legend Sam Warburton believes a Six Nations relegation match should be held between the bottom nation and the winners of the second tier competition, which has been dominated by the Georgians for years. You can read about that here.
READ MORE: Wales player ratings as Warren Gatland gets selection wrong but Faletau still has it
READ MORE: Wales are clueless as Gatland's experiment fails and leaves him on the brink
After the game against Italy in Rome today which saw Wales lose 22-15, they have slumped further down the rankings. You can see how the game unfolded here. Dan Biggar and Jamie Roberts described the performance in Italy as one of the team's poorest performances in recent memory.
Jamie Roberts said that we "cannot accept this is the level we should be playing at". Shane Williams, who was reporting on the game for ITV, said that the "gameplan was totally wrong!"
Following the first weekend of the 2025 Six Nations, Wales were already in 11th - the country's worst ever ranking. They have now lost 14 consecutive matches over the past 15 months or so.
Georgia beat the Netherlands 40-7 in the latest round of the Rugby Europe Men's Championship 2025 on Saturday, meaning they now move above Wales.
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New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Women's Open 2025: Charley Hull, Megan Khang join the chase after leader Miyu Yamashita
PORTHCAWL, Wales – As Miyu Yamashita came off a sun-soaked 18th green, where she had just missed one final chance for birdie, the Japanese golfer was presented with a birthday card and a cake. After giving interviews in the mixed zone, she posed for pictures in front of the assembled press on her 24th birthday. There was a bright smile after a testing Saturday on the never-not blustery course at Royal Porthcawl for the third round of the AIG Women's Open. Advertisement Yamashita, a LPGA rookie after standout seasons on the LPGA of Japan Tour, went out on Saturday 11-under-par and came back 9-under. She could hold on to the fact that on a day when everything that could go wrong did, she is still in the lead — though by not nearly as much as she was going into the weekend. A Lim Kim of South Korea shot a 67 to get to 8-under-par after 54 holes, just one shot back. The 29-year-old was one of what felt like a growing group of hungry golfers hitting their form at the right time. Kim has a history of that, of course. In 2020, she came from behind to win the U.S. Women's Open. She had started the final round in ninth place, birdied the last three holes to shoot 67 and take home the silverware on what was her first start at a major tournament. Kim is the only player within four shots of Yamashita who has previously won a major. Yamashita, who dreams of joining the list of major winners, would be a deserved addition should the trophy come her way on Sunday night. She was the first to go bogey-free on Friday when getting back into the clubhouse in only 65 shots. On Saturday, things were different — she bogeyed Nos. 5, 10, 14 and 16. Two birdies helped even out her scorecard and there were some excellent par saves too. A long putt on the 17th, which dropped in after a shot out of the bunker ran a little too fast and past the cup could be viewed as one of the most important shots of the tournament should she win Sunday. She's not backing down! What a moment for Miyu Yamashita to maintain her lead 👏 — AIG Women's Open (@AIGWomensOpen) August 2, 2025 Even for the cake, card and pink paper hat she wore briefly, Yamashita's birthday celebrations are on hold. Her New Zealander caddie John Bennett carried her clubs right through to the practice area. 'Tonight I'll be looking at what went wrong and what went right,' Yamashita said. 'And analysing the day to make the improvements that hopefully will lead to a better round tomorrow.' Advertisement A better round will be whatever it takes to stay in the lead and claim a first major title. As for compatriot and close friend Rio Takeda, who Yamashita was paired with on the first three days, she also found the Welsh winds testing. 'The wind definitely made today's conditions very difficult so it was pretty hard to adjust,' Takeda, 22, said. 'Tonight will be no different to my usual routine, I will get my game ready in the same way and make sure I am well prepared for tomorrow.' That preparation had already started with putting practice in the short game area straight after media duties. Takeda, who hit identical shots to Yamashita on the approach to holes five and seven, also shot a 74. That dropped her into a tie for fourth at 6 under, along with fellow Japanese golfer Minami Katsu, who succeeded where others struggled when going from 1-over-par to 6-under-par in just over four hours. In ahead of them both is American Andrea Lee, a former amateur world No. 1. Lee had a positive run along Rest Bay, hitting 67 to go 7-under-par and into third place. Fellow American, Megan Khang, added her name to fourth on the leaderboard after making an impressive six birdies. British golfer Charley Hull is also tied for fourth. She started the day at level-par and hit her first shot of Saturday's round directly into a bunker. After escaping there to stay even, seven birdies followed in a barnstorming, crowd-pleasing rush which pulled Hull into contention. There was a moment when Hull, on the rise, walked to the 17th putting green, passing Yamashita and Takeda on the opposite fairway as they followed their tee shots on No. 3. Yamashita and Takeda didn't see Hull but they will have heard the noise when she and others made big shots. The wind did not just carry the kite surfers out into the Bristol Channel with its seagulls, it carried the cheers for birdies too. Yamashita did her best to block it out. It is not personal, you can see that in the way the athletes embrace each other at the end of each match, but they all want what she herself does not yet have. 'I just kind of enjoy chasing. It's quite fun. I like it. It's more fun that way,' Hull, also awaiting her first major win, said. 'I like hunting someone down.' The six players within three shots of the leader know if they can ride out the rain and pressure, they have a big opportunity to do something incredible. 'Tomorrow I'll be focused on one shot at a time,' Yamashita smiled. 'That's how I'll play my best golf.' Come Sunday night she wants to be putting last and placing first. It will taste a lot sweeter than her vanilla-icing birthday cake. (Top photo of Charley Hull: Luke Walker / Getty Images)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Notable golfers who missed the cut at Women's British Open include the first-round leader
The afternoon wave got the brunt of the Welsh wind on Friday as scores soared. The cut line, which started at even, moved to 2 over as the day progressed at the 49th AIG Women's British Open. Billed as the largest women's sporting event ever stages in Wales, fans will miss out on seeing a number of big names this weekend in the LPGA's fifth and final major of the season. A total of 71 players made the cut. Who missed the cut at the AIG Women's British Open? Here's a list of notables and past champions who won't play the weekend at Porthcawl. Brooke Henderson, 3 over (147) A short miss on the 17th will likely linger with Brooke Henderson, who also failed to pick up a birdie on the closing par 5. An inward 40 put her at 76 for Friday's second round and a 3 over total. Henderson missed the cut in two majors this season and failed to finish in the top 30 in any of them. Eri Okayama, 4 over (148) It's not often that a Round 1 leader goes on to miss the cut a major, but the JLPGA veteran heads home after a disastrous 81 on Friday. After opening the championship with a 67, Okayama said she was surprised by her position given how much she has struggled with a back injury of late and was limited in her practice. Ingrid Lindblad, 5 over (149) Swedish rookie Ingrid Lindblad was inside the top 30 going into the 11th hole and then the bottom fell out. A shocking 10 reduced Lindblad to tears on the green, according to the R&A radio. The 7-over 79 put Lindblad at 5 over for the tournament, three shots out of the cut line. Jennifer Kupcho, 6 over (150) Back-to-back 75s led to an early exit for Jennifer Kupcho, who won earlier this season at the ShopRite LPGA Classic for her fourth career title. Kupcho hadn't finished outside the top 25 until since then until this week. Kupcho hit only 12 fairways for the week. Ruoning Yin, 7 over (151) The world No. 4 struggled in her third Women's British appearance. After a share of second last year at the Old Course, Yin missed the cut by a mile in Wales. She hit only six fairways in a second-round 77. After a runner-up and share of fourth in the first two majors, she missed the weekend in the last two. Lilia Vu, 7 over (151) Only two years ago, Lilia vu won two majors. Now she's struggling to make a cut. A second-round 77 for Vu gave her a fourth consecutive missed cut at the majors this season. After winning the AIG in 2023, she finished runner-up last year at the Old Course. Jin Young Ko, 7 over (151) An opening 78 was too much to overcome for the former No. 1 Jin Young Ko. Though she has a runner-up and a third in this championship, she's also missed the cut four times in seven starts. Maja Stark, 8 over (152) It's been a rough stretch for Maja Stark since winning the U.S. Women's Open. The Swede missed her third consecutive cut this week at the AIG. She has played the weekend only once since becoming a major winner, and that was the KPMG Women's PGA, where she broke her putter during the final round. Yealimi Noh, 11 over (155) The American broke through with her first LPGA title earlier this year at the Founders Cup. Noh carded only one birdie over the course of two rounds at Porthcawl and had four doubles. That's three consecutive missed cuts for Noh, but there was a huge highlight: She was recently engaged. Hannah Green, 12 over (156) For as much success as Green has had in recent years on the LPGA, it hasn't come at the majors. The 2019 KPMG Women's PGA winner hasn't had a top 10 in a major since 2022. After three top 10s to start the season, it's been an uphill fight for the Aussie since then. Green made two triples at Porthcawl, where she struggled off the tee. Sophia Popov, 20 over (162) The Cinderella from the 2020 AIG Women's British Open has yet to make a cut in the championship since that magical run. Of course, much has happened since then, with Popov now a mom trying to balance it all. Popov carded back-to-back rounds of 82 to finish last. Past champions of the British Open are exempt until the age of 55. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Women's British Open: Who missed the cut at Royal Porthcawl?
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
AIG Women's British Open third round recap: After Miyu Yamashita stumbles, it's wide open
With 54 holes in the books, Miyu Yamashita holds on to a one shot lead at the 2025 AIG Women's British Open. While she might still have the outright lead, Yamashita faced her fair share of struggles in Saturday's third round, and now a congested leaderboard promises a dramatic and exciting finish Sunday at Royal Porthcawl. Read below for a recap, scores, highlights and more from the third round of the 2025 AIG Women's British Open. AIG Women's British Open leaderboard Keep tabs on every score being carded at Royal Porthcawl with the 2025 AIG Women's Open leaderboard from USATODAY sports. Here's what it looked like at the top after Saturday's third round: POS PLAYER SCORE 1 M. Yamashita -9 2 A. Lim Kim -8 3 A. Lee -7 T4 M. Katsu -6 T4 C. Hull -6 T4 M. Khang -6 T4 R. Takeda -6 Miyu Yamashita's troubles bunch up the board at Women's British Open What looked like a two-player race cracked wide open for the final round of major championship golf in 2025. NBC booth analyst Morgan Pressel summed it up best as Japan's Miyu Yamashita limped home at Royal Porthcawl: "Almost everything has gone wrong for Miyu Yamashita, and she's still in the lead." The straight player with the sweet short game suddenly turned crooked and her putter went ice cold, taking 34 putts. Yamashita's overnight three-stroke lead over compatriot and friend Rio Takeda slimmed down to one – over South Korea's A Lim Kim, the only player in the top 7 who has won a major. Of course, it's worth noting that while Yamashita has yet to win on the LPGA, she's a 13-time winner on the JLPGA, including three majors on that tour. "Today I'll be just looking at what went wrong and what went right," said Yamashita, "and analyzing the day and make the improvements that hopefully will lead to a better round tomorrow." Yamashita and Takeda, playing together for a third straight day, both shot 2-over 74 in challenging afternoon conditions. For a player celebrating her 24th birthday, there wasn't a whole lot to clap about as she dropped down to 9 under for the tournament. Kim's bogey-free 67 sets her up for a second title this year. Incredibly, there have been no repeat winners on tour this season, a record for this time of year. Kim burst onto the scene internationally when she stormed from behind to win the 2020 U.S. Women's Open, held in December, with three straight birdies down the stretch at Champions Golf Club in Houston. "Honestly, I'm not focused on the leader," said Kim. "I focus on my process and my shot and then my position." While Kim is a power player, American Andrea Lee, like Yamashita, plays a game of precision. She's two back at 7 under and in search of the first big title of her career. The former Stanford star needed only 25 putts in the third round. "I think Evian was probably my best ball-striking week of the year," said Lee who finished fifth in France, "and so I gained a lot of confidence from that." Four players trail by three in a share of fourth, including English star Charley Hull, who delighted crowds early on with a 66. Hull's close friend Georgia Hall, the 2018 British Open champion, is five back. The always entertaining Hull noted that she loves a good chase. "Kind of like playing golf with your mates," said Hull. "You just want to make birdies on every hole. That's how it feels tomorrow." Charley Hull leads strong force of of English players With seven birdies in her first 13 holes, Charley Hull lit up crowds early Saturday during the third round of the 2025 AIG Women's British Open at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. The round started off with a bit of an "oops" moment, however, when Hull hit a wayward tee shot off the fourth that almost hit Minjee Lee as Lee prepared to tee off the 17th. "Nearly took Minjee out," said Dame Laura Davies from the booth. Hull went on to par the hole and then rattled off three consecutive birdies to ultimately shoot 66. It's been quite a run for English players, with Georgia Hall sitting in a share of eighth at 4 under after a 68 and Mimi Rhodes T-11 at 3 under alongside compatriot Lottie Woad, who shot 71 on Saturday. A Lim Kim the only major champion on the board at AIG "It being so close to home, yeah, I've had so much family out here supporting and cheering for me," said Rhodes. "Honestly, it's just been better than a dream come true." South Korea's A Lim Kim sits at 5 under through 15 holes and in a share of second at 8 under with Rio Takeda. Kim, who plays more of a power game compared the petite leader Miyu Yamashita, burst onto the national scene when she won the 2020 U.S. Women's Open in Houston. Now a three-time winner on the LPGA, Kim won the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions in Florida to start to the season. She has yet to make a bogey today. Lottie Woad makes it through No. 16 unscathed at Porthcawl One day after a triple-bogey seven on the 16th essentially derailed Lottie Woad's championship hopes, Woad poured in a par save on the demanding par 4 to stay at 2 under for the week. After a bogey on the first hole, Woad has one birdie and 14 pars to remain in the top 20 in her second event as a pro. Final pairing loses ground on front nine at Women's British Japanese stars Miya Yamashita and Rio Takeda began the day firmly in control but have slipped back after finishing the front nine 1 over par. Yamashita didn't card a single birdie on the front nine while Takeda managed only one. Yamashita now leads American Andrea Lee by two strokes while major champ A Lim Kim and Takeda are three back. Three amateurs vie for Smyth Salver honors at British Open Three amateurs made the cut this week at Royal Porthcawl, and two of them were paired together on Saturday, with Paula Martin Sampedro and Jeneath Wong playing alongside each other while Carla Bernat, known as Carla Bernat Escuder prior to this week, was just a few groups back. Spain's Martin Sampedro carded five birdies in a 2-under 70 on Saturday to take a three-shot lead in the amateur race, moving to even par for the championship. A 73 from Bernat, the Augusta National Women's Amateur champion, moved her to 3 over for the week while Wong's 77 put her at 7 over for the tournament. Andrea Lee rockets up the board and within two at British Open American Andrea Lee turns up the heat with four consecutive birdies to get to 8 under and in solo second. Six under on the day through 12 holes, Lee now trails Miyu Yamashita by two shots. Lee has a consistent Women's British record, finishing outside the top 25 only once in five pervious appearances. Meanwhile Japan's Minami Katsu rocketed 32 spots up the board after a 7-under 65 that included bogeys on two of the first three holes. Katsu carded seven birdies and an eagle over the last 15 holes. Now 27 years old, Katsu became the youngest winner in JLPGA history when she captured the 2014 KKT Cup Vantelin Open at age 15. She has eight victories on the JLPGA. Miyu Yamashita still in command at Women's British Overnight leader Miyu Yamashita picked up where she left off, carding several stress-free pars on the first three holes to stay at 11 under, though her lead has now grown to four over compatriot Rio Takeda. It's a comfortable pairing for the decorated Japanese players, who teamed up together at the Dow Championship earlier this year. Another birdie for English star Charley Hull at Women's British Make it six birdies for Charley Hull in 12 holes at Royal Porthcawl as the crowds begin to swell around the English star. Hull, who has been quite vocal about the fact that she's not a big fan of links golf, had a health scare at the Amundi Evian Championship last month when she was carted off the golf course on a stretcher. While recovering from a virus, she then tweaked her back getting something out of her car. On Saturday in Wales, it all seems to be in the rear view. She's currently 5 back. Major winners making waves in Wales Minjee Lee vaulted up the board with a 4-under 68, putting the three-time major winner into the top 20. She's now 2 under for the championship. Frenchwoman Celine Boutier shot 69 on Saturday to get to 1 under. LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko just wrapped up a 70 to get to even par. Charley Hull among early movers at Women's British Open It's another hour before the leaders tee off, and Charley Hull is making a move. The English star has birdied four of the first eight holes at Royal Porthcawl to move up to 4 under for the championship and into a share of third with China's Yan Liu, who birdied the first two holes. Another English star, Lottie Woad, has hit the fairway on the opening hole. Where to watch, follow the 2025 Women's British Open In addition to the options listed below, the R&A will live stream coverage and have R&A radio all four days as well. Third round, Saturday, Aug. 2 7 a.m. ET-12 p.m. ET, USA 12 p.m. ET -2 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock 7 a.m. ET -2 p.m. ET, NBC Sports App When do the leaders start their third round? The last five twosomes to hit the first tee on Saturday will be: 8:55 a.m. ET: Casandra Alexander, Sei Young Kim 9:05 a.m. ET: Madelene Sagstrom, A Lim Kim 9:15 a.m. ET: Laura Fuenfstueck, Chiara Tamburlini 9:25 a.m. ET: Pajaree Anannarukarn, Lindy Duncan 9:35 a.m. ET: Rio Takeda, Miyu Yamashita Which big names missed the cut at the Women's British Open? The first-round leader was one of the golfers to not make the weekend. Other notables to miss the cut include a rookie sensation who took a 10 on one hole and as well as several major champions. What is the prize money for the 2025 Women's British Open? The total purse at the AIG is $9.5 million with the winner taking home $1.425 million. That first-place money compares to the $1.2 million Grace Kim won at the Amundi Evian Championship, the $1.8 million Minjee Lee won at the KPMG Women's PGA, the $2.4 million Maja Stark won at the U.S. Open and the $1.2 million that Mao Saigo won at the Chevron Championship. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: AIG Women's British Open 2025: Miyu Yamashita leads by one after 54 holes
