CNN
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As Rory McIlroy sunk to his knees in celebration, the party of all parties was about to begin.

McIlroy ended his long wait to win the Masters last Sunday, joining an exclusive list of golfers to complete golf’s career grand slam – winning each of the four majors.

And back in his native Northern Ireland, the celebrations were just about to begin, despite the late hour.

Images from inside the Holywood Golf Club clubhouse – the place where McIlroy began his golfing journey and where he is an honorary member – show the pure delight at seeing one of their own finally banish his demons, jumping to their feet and cheering as McIlroy drained his winning putt before embracing one another.

Trevor Heaven, the men’s captain at Holywood, remembers the feeling of seeing the local boy finally slip on the famous green jacket.

“Oh, it was fantastic: the emotions, the excitement, the crowd, the noise,” Heaven told CNN Sports. “People jumping up and down, people going outside because they couldn’t watch it, it was just a fantastic evening.”

It’s not been an easy journey for McIlroy, having to endure 11 years of highs and lows as he strived to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to win all four majors.

Those years were filled with the joy of winning other, big-name tournaments but also the lows of injuries, near misses and high-profile collapses – none more so than at the 2011 Masters where he blew a big third-round lead to finish tied for 15th.

But the turbulent nature of his career since exploding onto the scene almost 15 years ago makes his victory at Augusta even sweeter, says Heaven.

“Over the years, he’s always gone down, he’s gone up, he’s gone down, but he’s always come back. He’s a battler,” Heaven explained. “He always gets his way around and he finds a way to win.

“This time on Sunday, when he had the disappointment on the 13th hole, he pulled it back on the 15th hole, then he pulled it back on the 17th hole, and then he had to do it all again on the playoff. It was such an achievement that it’ll go down in history as one of the greatest Masters ever.”

McIlroy’s journey into golf has become part of local folklore, beginning as an avid fan of Tiger Woods and spending long hours on the driving range honing his skills from a young age.

Heaven first encountered McIlroy when he was six years old and remembers he and Michael Bannon – another aspiring player and now McIlroy’s coach – hitting drives down the 17th hole at Holywood Golf Club.

“All the other golfers used to be coming through the course, and they used to stop and watch, and they just couldn’t believe how good he was at that age, hitting the balls down the 17th hole,” Heaven remembers.

McIlroy was always surrounded by golf, Heaven explains, beginning with his grandfather Jimmy who was a member at Holywood.

McIlroy’s parents, Gerry and Rosie, went to great lengths to ensure that McIlroy could fulfill his full potential as a golfer, as Heaven paid tribute to their dedication for providing him with an opportunity to flourish.

“When (McIlroy) was growing up as a young boy, Gerry and his mom, Rosie, they had many jobs to support Rory,” Heaven explained. “To support him on his career, to take him to all the tournaments, to travel all around Ireland so he could enter the tournaments.

“And it was such a commitment by the parents, everyone in Holywood acknowledges that, that they went through hard times to make Rory turn up at all the tournaments.”

And all the hard work and long hours have paid off with McIlroy cementing his name in the history books with his victory at this year’s Masters.

Winning at Augusta National had become the one achievement that had remained elusive for McIlroy across his golfing career, but with that weight no longer on his back, Heaven believes he can go onto bigger and better things and surpass 10 major titles – he currently has five – now that the “shackles are off.”

“I think it’s a free run over the next couple of years, and he’s so talented that when he turns up to all the golf tournaments, he’s always the favorite,” he said.

“But Rory pushes through the ‘Rory-coaster.’ He makes us wait but the excitement, the humbleness of the guy, the professionalism of the guy, the homeboy of Holywood, it’s an unbelievable achievement that he’s done, and he’s now a global superstar.”

CNN
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Shohei Ohtani missed the Los Angeles Dodgers’ game against the Texas Rangers on Friday as he stayed with his wife ahead of the birth of their first child.

“He’s on paternity. He and Mamiko are expecting at some point. That’s all I know,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters.

“I don’t know when he’s going to come back. I don’t know when they’re going to have the baby. But obviously, they are together in anticipation.”

The Japanese star is now on the paternity list, where he can stay for up to three days, according to MLB.com. If he needs more time off, he can be put on the restricted list.

There is a “chance” that Ohtani returns to the team later this weekend, Roberts said, though he added he did not know what day that could be.

“He’s a very good compartmentalizer, he loves his sleep so it’ll be interesting to see how the sleep wins out or doesn’t win out when you have a baby,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers, who defeated the Rangers 3-0 on Friday in Ohtani’s absence, have two more games in Texas on Saturday and Sunday. They then travel to Chicago to take on the Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ohtani announced in February 2024 that he had married Mamiko Tanaka, a former star for the Fujitsu Red Wave in the Women’s Japan Basketball League, though he initially kept her identity secret before releasing a photo of her two weeks later.

In December, he then announced they were expecting their first child, posting a picture on Instagram of his dog, Decoy, lying next to a sonogram picture, baby romper suit and tiny shoes.

Before going on the paternity list, Ohtani had featured in all 20 of the Dodgers’ games this season, hitting .288 with a .930 OPS and picking up where he left off after enjoying a historic 2024 season.

CNN
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The NBA playoff picture came into full focus Friday night with the final two games of the play-in tournament.

The Miami Heat, who were the last team into the Eastern Conference play-in bracket with the 10th-best record in the regular season, knocked off the Atlanta Hawks with a 123-114 overtime win to become the No. 8 seed in the East.

In the Western Conference, it was the Memphis Grizzlies pummeling the Dallas Mavericks 120-106 to take the eighth seed in the West.

In the first game of the night the Heat rolled into looking for a second straight do-or-die win after defeating the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday in their first play-in game.

The Heat caught the Hawks flat-footed, leading by as much as 17 points in the first half.

The Hawks shook off a poor shooting performance early in the game and rallied to take the lead in the fourth quarter, sparked by some clutch shooting from guard Trae Young. It was a driving lay-up from Young that tied the game at 106 with just a second left on the clock to force overtime.

Heat reserve guard Davion Mitchell took over in the added period with a trio of 3-pointers to outscore the Hawks single-handedly in overtime. Mitchell scored nine of his 16 points in OT.

The Heat’s Tyler Herro led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, while Young had a team-high 29 points for Atlanta.

With the win, the Heat slide into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and become the first 10th place team to ever advance out of the play-in tournament. Miami will now face the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a first round series beginning Sunday.

In Friday’s nightcap, the Grizzlies were not about about to let Dallas become the second 10th place team to advance, as Memphis dealt the Mavericks a decisive defeat.

The Grizzlies pounced all over the Mavs early, walloping Dallas from the opening tip to establish a 39-24 lead after the first quarter.

Memphis continued to pour it on in the second quarter, running their lead up to as many as 25 points. The Grizzlies would coast from there.

With star guard Ja Morant playing on an injured right ankle after rolling it in Grizzlies’ loss to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, Memphis was lifted by an all-around team effort on Friday.

All of the Grizzlies’ starters scored in double figures, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.’s 24 points. Morant scored 22 for Memphis.

The Mavericks, on the other hand, were more or less a one-man band. Anthony Davis, who joined Dallas as part of the much-scrutinized trade with the Los Angeles Lakers involving Luka Dončić, scored a game-high 40 points.

The next highest scorer for Dallas was Klay Thompson with 18, and two of the Mavericks’ starters – PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II – didn’t score at all.

It was a lackluster ending to a disappointing season for the Mavericks, who entered the season with championship dreams fueled by the presence of their MVP-candidate Dončić. But the surprising mid-season decision to trade the Slovenian superstar coupled with a slew of key injuries, including to star guard Kyrie Irving, ultimately derailed any title aspirations Dallas might have had.

With their win, the Grizzlies earn the final spot in the Western Conference and a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, owners of the NBA’s best record during the regular season. That series will begin Sunday.

First round playoff action begins Saturday with the NBA Finals scheduled to tip off on June 5.