One of the relationships in sport that has always fascinated me is that of the golfer and their caddy. While the undisputed role of the caddy is to carry the golfer’s clubs, some golfers opt for a trusted advisor who can also help them make decisions around the course while other golfers might simply elect a friend who is good company and knows a thing or two about golf.

Over the weekend, Frank Bensel Jr., a player on the PGA Tour Champions (a golf circuit for players aged 50 or older), achieved back-to-back hole-in-ones.

The odds of the feat are 67 million to one. Incredible.

Notably, his son Hagen was his caddy and before he hit the first hole-in-one suggested his father use a seven-iron club. Bensel Jr. ignored his son’s advice and went with a six-iron for both holes. Maybe it’s best to just go with your gut!

50.65
The time American sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran in the 400m hurdles at the U.S. Olympic trials, breaking her world record in the event for the fifth time. McLaughlin-Levrone will head to the Paris Olympics as the reigning champion and heavy favourite.

“To hear that FA are now recognising this club team as the ‘first Matildas’ makes a mockery of the selection process for a national team and is nothing short of farcical.”
Captain of the 1979 Matildas team Julie Dolan, in an interview with The Guardian after Football Australia recognised a 1975 women’s team, who travelled to Hong Kong for an international tournament, as the ‘first Matildas’. The 1979 Matildas who played against New Zealand in Sydney were previously seen as the first Matildas team. Dolan argued that there were “no trials” and “women from interstate clubs… were not invited to try out for this tournament”.

Around 200,000 servings of strawberries and cream are consumed by spectators at Wimbledon each year. Each serve costs £2.50 ($AU4.75), the same price since 2010.

🚴‍♂️ Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay has become the first Black African to win a stage of the Tour de France. In a sprint finish, Girmay won Stage Four (Piacenza to Turin, 230.5km) last night. Richard Carapaz is now the race leader and the first man from Ecuador to wear the yellow jersey.

🛶 Noemie Fox will officially join her sister Jess Fox on Australia’s paddle team at her debut Olympics in Paris. It will be Jess’ fourth Olympics. Both of the sisters’ parents, Myriam and Richard Fox, competed at the Olympics.

⚽ Portugal is through to the quarter-finals of the Euros after they beat Slovenia in penalties. Portuguese goalkeeper Diego Costa saved three penalties. Star player Cristiano Ronaldo was in tears after a penalty attempt during extra time was saved. Portugal will now face France, who beat Belgium 1-0, in the quarter-finals on Saturday morning (AEST).

🏀 Breanna Stewart and Angel Reese have both broken WNBA records. Stewart, in 242 games, is the fastest-ever to reach 5,000 league points while Reese has reached a double-double* in a record ten straight games. *A double-double is when a player reaches double figures (10 or more) in two of the five main statistical categories – points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

The Australian Paralympic Team was welcomed to Parliament House this morning for a launch event before they head to Paris to compete between 28 August and 8 September. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, and Sport Minister Anika Wells met with the athletes to acknowledge their hard work and dedication and wish them luck in Paris. 

Last week, the PM announced a $54.9 million investment in Paralympic Sports over the next two years, calling it “the biggest increase in Paralympic investment by the Australian Government”. The investment sits alongside a $283 million increase in funding for sport over the next two years to help prepare athletes for future Olympics and Paralympics.

Albanese said: "Every one of you representing our country at the Paralympics also represents years of dedication and determination… We are doubling the national funding for Paralympic programs. That means better, fit-for-purpose training facilities. This is about breaking down those systemic barriers that have been ignored for too long.”

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The first round of Wimbledon got underway yesterday. Here’s what you need to know.

Jordan Thompson, Daria Saville and Aleksandar Vukic have all progressed to the second round after winning their first-round matches. Thompson and Vukic both won their matches in five sets with the former making a remarkable comeback from two sets down against Russian Pavel Kotov. Saville beat American Peyton Stearns in straight sets. 

Max Purcell and Alex Bolt both lost their first-round matches. See below for the Australians playing tonight.

Vukic faces a tough assignment in the second round against reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Third seed Aryna Sabalenka, battling a shoulder injury since the French Open, withdrew from Wimbledon on the day of her scheduled first-round match. In the event of a withdrawal, a ‘lucky loser’ (who did not originally qualify for the tournament) is called up to play. In the case of Sabalenka, the lucky loser was 20-year-old Erika Andreeva who capitalised on her good fortune and won her first-round match.

Second-seed Coco Gauff, who won her first-round match against fellow American Caroline Dolehide in straight sets, is now the heavy favourite for the bottom half of the draw. The next highest seed Gauff would face before the final would be no.7, Jasmine Paolini. Paolini made the French Open final in June but is not favoured on grass.

Also on Gauff’s side of the draw is four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka who returned to Wimbledon for the first time in five years and won her first-round match against Diane Parry in three sets.

In a protest organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, over 100 people convened outside the All England Lawn Tennis Club (where Wimbledon is held in west London). The protesters held up signs protesting Barclays Bank’s sponsorship of the tournament. The bank has financial ties to nine companies that supply arms to Israel.

Alexei Popyrin (AUS) v Thiago Monteiro (BRA) at 8:00 pm

Alex de Minaur (AUS) v James Duckworth (AUS) at 8:00 pm

Adam Walton (AUS) v Federico Coria (ARG) from 9:15 pm

Rinky Hijikata (AUS) v Flavio Cobolli (ITA) from 11:15 pm

Ajla Tomljanovic (AUS) v no.13 Jeļena Ostapenko (LAT) from 10:00 pm

Olivia Gadecki (AUS) v Robin Montgomery (USA) from 11:15 pm

You can watch Wimbledon on the Nine Network or Stan Sport.

New Deakin Research, confirms benefit of increased representation of women on boards.

The Office for Women in Sport and Rec has recently released research by Deakin University which found that having gender diversity on boards of sporting organisations contributes to improved board performance, culture and decision making.

Introduced in 2019, Victoria’s Balance the Board policy requires sports boards to be made up of at least 40% women in order to be eligible for government funding. Deakin’s research shows it's working, too. Women on boards grew from 45% to 96% between 2017 and 2023.

But it’s not just about numbers – it’s making a real difference.

"Women directors brought crucial skills like governance, strategic planning, and risk management," said Research lead, Professor Pamm Phillips.

A key challenge to balancing boards is in attracting and keeping women in these roles, and research found that male leaders are key to driving this change.

“We are focused on breaking down barriers for women and girls in sport, ensuring that everyone in Victoria has the opportunity to take part in the sports they love,” said Minister for Community Sport, Ros Spence.

To read a summary of the research, click here.