Glover added to play in the Masters

Lucas Glover held down the 50th spot in the final world ranking of the year, making him one of nine players who will be added to the invitation list to play in the Masters. The field has eight more players than it did at this time a year ago. The Masters takes the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of the calendar year, and it will take the top 50 not already invited from the world ranking published a week before the tournament is held April 10-13. The addition of the nine players brings the field to 85 players who are eligible and expected to play. There were 77 players who were eligible at this time a year ago, a difference that would point to weaker fields in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Fall. The Masters has the smallest field of the four majors, and Augusta National prefers that it stays below 100 to give players an experience unlike any other. It last topped 100 players in 1966, when there were 103 players in the field. Glover had dipped outside the top 50 in the last few weeks, but the ranking is based on a formula that measures a two-year period with points gradually losing value.

Former Eagle pleads guilty for fraud

Former Philadelphia Eagles running back Wendell Smallwood Jr. has pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges after he was accused of submitting fraudulent tax returns and applications for hundreds of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 pandemic aid programs. The signed plea agreement was approved by a federal judge in Delaware. Smallwood, of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, faces sentencing in May on the three fraud charges. Smallwood’s lawyer, Mark Sheppard, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Smallwood appeared in court “and forthrightly took full responsibility for his actions. He recognizes that this is but the first step to try to begin to make amends to the government and to those closest to him. He will continue to do so.” Smallwood, 30, filed false tax returns for himself and others in 2021 and 2022, drawing refunds for himself of about $110,000, prosecutors said. He also used what prosecutors said were defunct or recently registered businesses and provided false information about the scale of their operations, such as start dates, revenue amounts, expenses and number of employees.

Ex-Man City player challenges ruling

Former Manchester City forward Benjani Mwaruwari challenged a ruling to block him from potentially becoming the new head of Zimbabwe’s soccer federation. Benjani, who also played for Portsmouth, Sunderland and Blackburn in the Premier League, last week filed his nomination to become the next president of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA). But an ethics committee of the association on Monday didn’t include the 46-year-old among those eligible to contest the January elections, without immediately giving a reason. “Our client is aggrieved by your committee’s decision and he intends to appeal ... without any further delay,” the player’s lawyers wrote to ZIFA’s interim boss Lincoln Mutasa. Zimbabwe has been under a FIFA-appointed normalization committee since July 2023 when soccer’s governing body lifted the southern African country’s 17-month international ban caused by government interference. Former Zimbabwe international Benjani still has a chance, however, through an appeals committee of the federation. — Associated Press