Jessica Korda and Sophia Popov left the 17^th hole arm and arm after a tense double-hole playoff to conclude the Aramco Team Series. What the two talked about is something Korda, who took home the team trophy at Glen Oaks, says will stay between the two competitors and friends.

“Sophia and I are great friends and playing anything against any of your best friends is tough,” said Korda, “but golf is golf and friendship is more important.”

The moment may have been a quiet exchange between friends, but the scene was apropos for a week focused on the expansion of the Ladies European Tour to U.S. soil and a return to team golf following the dramatic Solheim Cup. Popov and Korda found themselves on opposite teams, just as they did in Ohio for September’s Solheim contest between the U.S. versus Europe, with Korda walking away victorious this time around.

The Aramco Team Series, held over three days in Glen Oaks Club, Long Island, marked the first-ever Ladies European Tour event in the United States. The move is all part of a growing synergy between the LPGA and LET after the two entities signed a 50-50 merger in 2019. The joint venture seeks to grow the game and especially in Europe, where the tour was once struggling to put events on the calendar. Weathering the pandemic shutdown, the LET appears to be on the upswing, a point many competing in the Aramco Team Series were keen to point out.

Catriona Matthew, who captained Europe to back-to-back Solheim Cup wins in 2019 and 2021, says events like the one at Glen Oaks is “great exposure” for European players “who wouldn’t normally get the chance to play here in the States.”

“Obviously, with the LPGA and LET merging now, I think you’ll hopefully see this a little more over the next few years,” said Matthew, adding, “It’s a win-win for both tours. Obviously, the LPGA played in New Jersey last week and we’ve got the likes of Lexi [Thompson], Jessica [Korda], Nelly [Korda], and Danielle [Kang] this week and, again, that’s a good thing for the LET to have these top players playing.”

Alexandra Armas, the CEO of the LET, was present for the groundbreaking New York series, an event she couldn’t have imagined only a few years ago.

“On the back of where LET was, and it was struggling in the last few years, and then we had this big vision of where we wanted to take it and the collaboration with the LPGA and then COVID hit, we didn’t know how we wanted to get through that,” Armas admits.

In collaboration with Golf Saudi, the Aramco Series started in Jeddah in 2020 as a COVID solution for the Tour, growing to a four-leg event following the success of the contest in Saudi Arabia. The competition added a critical string of events to the LET and a prize fund of $1 million for each of the New York, Sotogrande, Jeddah, and London tournaments. The Series’ innovative set-up features teams of four, including three pros and one amateur, a format Armas hopes will attract new eyeballs to the sport.

“We have to, and on the back of COVID especially, be more creative about how we become relevant, how we appeal more,” said Amras, “you know it’s easy for the PGA Tour, it’s established, they don’t have to be that creative, but we have to be, we have to be kind of be modern with the game and try to get more attention and fan base and grow.”

Without the same coverage and television rights deals as men’s golf, Armas says the Tour is just at the beginning of their journey, making commercial partnerships, like the one with Aramco, imperative to the growth of the game.

Charley Hull, who took home the individual trophy at Glen Oaks for her third LET title and first since 2019, agrees with Armas, praising the competition for its role in progressing the sport.

“The backing these Aramco Team Series events gets is so important to supporting and growing the game, and they are all done really well.”

Fellow LET and LPGA competitor Anna Nordqvist echoed Hull’s sentiment, calling the New York competition “one of the most professional events I have ever been a part of,” a major statement from a golfer that has been on the Tour for over a decade.

“For companies to believe in women’s golf and wanting to give girls an opportunity, I think that’s massive,” said Nordqvist, adding, “I think it’s changed a lot of girls on the European Tour’s life and the fact that they can play and go to these amazing places.”

World No. 1 Nelly Korda summed up the underlying and pervasive conversation around investment succinctly, stating, “Aramco also invests in men’s sports, so the fact that they equally support women is important. I like seeing companies step up and support men and women… because what we do is just as fun as what the men do.”

The 2021 Aramco Team Series makes its final stop in Jeddah next month at the Royal Green Golf and Country Club, with the future of the competition looking bright. Armas says she hopes to be back in New York next year to put on another Aramco Series, with a date yet to be announced.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."

Former Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo has signed on with Athletes Unlimited and will compete in the AU Pro Softball AUX this June.

The NCAA record holder in career home runs (122), total bases (761), and slugging percentage (.987), Alo was originally drafted by the league in 2022 but opted instead to join the newly debuted Women’s Professional Fastpitch. 

Alo currently plays for independent pro softball team Oklahoma City Spark, with team owner Tina Floyd reportedly on board with her recent AUX signing. AUX games are scheduled for June 10-25, while the Spark's season will kick off June 19th. Alo will play for both. 

Among those joining Alo on the AUX roster are former James Madison ace pitcher Odicci Alexander and former Wichita State standout middle infielder Sydney McKinney.

According to Alo, the decision to play in the Athletes Unlimited league was fueled by her desire to propel women's sports forward as well as provide more exposure to a sport that's given her "so many opportunities."

"Not only to challenge myself more, but just for the growth of the game," Alo said, explaining her reasoning to The Oklahoman. "I genuinely believe that professional softball can be a career for girls."

Joining AUX is also one more step in her plan toward representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I’m constantly thinking about how can I do these little things right in these four years to prepare me for the biggest stage of softball," she told The Oklahoman. "I definitely want to play in the Olympics, for sure."

Alo further expressed enthusiasm in the hope that the rise of other women’s sports, like women’s basketball and the NWSL, will push softball’s professional viability even higher.

"We’re seeing the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) get their stuff going, I see the WNBA starting to get hot," she continued. "I feel like the softball community is like, 'All right, it’s our turn and it’s our turn to just demand more.'"