SYDNEY (AP) — Police with long-armed rifles, a rarity at sporting events in Australia, will patrol the final Ashes cricket test in Sydney starting Sunday as part of heightened security measures following the Bondi Beach terror attack in the city.
Uniformed and mounted police along with public order and riot squad officers will watch over the sold-out match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It comes three weeks after two gunmen killed 15 people and injured many more at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi.
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England's Ben Stokes bats during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Annie, center, is comforted during the funeral of her son Dan Elkayam, a young French Jewish man who was killed in the mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia, in Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
England's Shoaib Bashir bowls during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Street artist Jarrod Grech poses for a photo next to his painting of Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian-Australian shopkeeper who disarmed one of the attackers of Sydney's Bondi Beach shooting, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Rod McGuirk/AP Photo)
England players practice catching during a training session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
The increased visibility of the rifles is intended to reassure the public and there is no threat to the community, New South Wales state Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said Saturday.
“Many people may not be used to seeing police carrying rifles at sporting events, but our objective here is to help the public feel safe and police will be out in force,” he said. “The difference will be in the visibility of long-arms and a stronger presence. Police will otherwise be targeting anti-social and unsafe behavior as usual.”
The measures are similar to those for the fourth Ashes test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground which began Dec. 26 where specialist police officers were armed with semiautomatic rifles and patrolled around the busy stadium, a nearby park and railway station.
Seven people remain hospitalized following the Dec. 14 attack at Bondi. Six remain in stable condition, while one is in a critical but stable condition.
Naveed Akram, 24, one of the two accused gunmen, is facing 59 charges over the attack that includes 15 counts of murder. Akram was shot by police at the scene and spent days in a coma before being charged. His father Sajid Akram, 50, was killed by police at the scene.
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
England's Ben Stokes bats during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Annie, center, is comforted during the funeral of her son Dan Elkayam, a young French Jewish man who was killed in the mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia, in Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
England's Shoaib Bashir bowls during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Street artist Jarrod Grech poses for a photo next to his painting of Ahmed al Ahmed, a 43-year-old Syrian-Australian shopkeeper who disarmed one of the attackers of Sydney's Bondi Beach shooting, in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (Rod McGuirk/AP Photo)
England players practice catching during a training session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy might have set the tone for the 90th edition of the Masters shortly after he finally won that coveted green jacket. “What are we all going to talk about next year?” he said.
Next year arrives on April 9, and McIlroy will be relieved of questions that constantly dogged him about when he was ever going to conquer Augusta National. Now that burden falls to the 73 players in the field who have yet to win.
Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite because he already has won the Masters twice and he has been No. 1 in the world for nearly three straight years. He won in his season debut and has gone quiet by his standards the last month.
Bryson DeChambeau has won his last two tournaments on Saudi-funded LIV Golf, with a 57-man field and limited supply of stars in their prime. The two-time U.S. Open champion played in the final group with McIlroy last year.
Amid what seems like constant change in golf, the Masters brings a degree of normalcy as golf's rite of spring and for many, the true opening week of the sport.
Here is a look at what you need to know leading up to the Masters.
The Masters is April 9-12, keeping its traditional spot on the calendar the first full week in April. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson again are scheduled to hit the ceremonial tee shots about 7:30 a.m. before Thursday's opening round.
The Par 3 Contest is on Wednesday, April 8, created in 1960 to replace what previously was a clinic the golfers performed. Now it's become a showcase for Masters players young and old, and caddies who are mostly young — the children of players.
The field currently is 91 players, keeping with another Masters tradition. Augusta National prefers fewer than 100 players in the field, and it's been that way dating to 1967.
Tiger Woods will miss the Masters for the second straight year. He already was struggling to get his legs in shape for the tournament when he was arrested March 27 in Florida on a driving while intoxicated charge. No alcohol was found in his system, but drug experts determined he was impaired and Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Woods entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday, and then issued a statement that he was taking an indefinite leave to seek treatment. A Florida judge granted a motion for Woods to seek help at an inpatient facility outside the country.
Phil Mickelson is not playing the Masters for only the third time as a pro. Mickelson says his family is navigating through a personal health matter. He already has missed four of five LIV Golf events because of the situation.
It's the first time since 1994 neither Mickelson nor Tiger Woods are at Augusta National. Back then, Woods was a senior in high school who had yet to become eligible. Mickelson broke a bone in his left leg skiing a few months before the Masters.
The best female amateurs in the world are the first to take the stage. The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is Saturday at the home of the Masters, after two rounds determined a 36-hole cut at Champions Retreat.
The options are practically limitless. Thursday and Friday rounds start at 1 p.m. ET on Prime Video, the latest broadcast partner for Augusta National. ESPN will take over at 3 p.m. on the weekday rounds through 7:30 p.m. Then on the weekend, Paramount+ will get started at noon, and CBS will carry live tournament coverage from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
But that's not all.
The Master is offering live video channels on https://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html with a menu that includes featured pairings; live action from the fourth, fifth and sixth holes; Amen Corner (Nos. 11-13); the 15th and 16th holes. Prime Video will have a stats-enhanced stream on Amen Corner.
Other than the blooms peaking a little early, not really. Players long have suspected tweaks here and there without saying so. All that's known is the front of the 17th tee was reduced by 12 yards and the tee marker was relocated to make the scorecard show 450 yards (up from 440 yards).
The buzz is the new Player Services Building located behind the driving range, a three-level structure with an indoor parking garage beneath the members range. It has a gym and recovery room on one level, an enormous locker room on the second level and dining for players, family and support staff on the third level.
And for those who manage to get a ticket, the Masters has a new candy bar in its concession. The name of it: Candy Bar.
Scheffler is the betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, which lists the world's No. 1 player at +500. He is followed by McIlroy and DeChambeau (+1000), former Masters champion Jon Rahm (+1200), and then Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele (+1400).
In what ranks among the greatest Masters ever, Rory McIlroy lost a four-shot lead on the back nine, regained the lead, lost it again and wound up in a playoff with Justin Rose. McIlroy won on the first extra hole with a gap wedge to 3 feet for birdie, making him the six player to capture the career Grand Slam.
The most interesting of the 22 newcomers is Chris Gotterup. He's only the third player since World War II to win four times before he plays in his first Masters. Gotterup first qualified by winning the Scottish Open. He won the Sony Open and Phoenix Open earlier this year.
Three players from the top 20 in the world are making their debut — Ben Griffin, who played in his first Ryder Cup last September, and Riviera winner Jacob Bridgeman, who went to nearby Clemson.
Also playing are Kristoffer Reitan of Norway and Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson of Denmark, part of a record eight players from Nordic countries.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Scottie Scheffler puts the green Jacket on winner, Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, at the Masters golf tournament, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
FILE - Dogwood flowers frame the clubhouse during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on April 5, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - The Augusta National clubhouse during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., April 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File)
