update on liv tour

LIV Golf tour live updates: Leaderboard, news as Charl Schwartzel wins first event, PGA Tour suspends players

The controversial LIV Golf International Series has arrived. While Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson headlined a 48-player field for the first event, Charl Schwartzel emerged as the winner by one stroke, taking home $4 million.

The PGA Tour wasted little time bringing down the hammer on golfers who choose to play LIV Golf, issuing a letter outlining suspensions that will affect some of the game's biggest stars, including Mickelson and Johnson.

What is LIV Golf, who's involved and will it be sustainable? Follow here for news, interviews, analysis and all the latest developments.

(Photo: Paul Childs / Action Images / Reuters via USA Today)

Rory Chimes in from RBC Canadian Open

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No post-round comments from Phil Mickelson

Final leaderboard from centurion club.

The top 10 finishers at the first LIV Golf event:

1. Charl Schwartzel (-7)

2. Hennie Du Plessis (-6)

T3. Branden Grace (-5)

T3. Peter Uihlein (-5)

5. Sam Horsfield (-3)

T6. Oliver Bekker (-2)

T6. Adrian Otaegui (-2)

8. Dustin Johnson (-1)

9. Talor Gooch (E)

T10. Louis Oosthuizen (+1)

T10. Justin Harding (+1)

T10. Graeme McDowell (+1)

Charl Schwartzel wins inaugural LIV Golf event

Charl Schwartzel won the first event of the controversial LIV Golf International Series and a $4 million paycheck, holding off Hennie Du Plessis by one stroke at Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

The 2011 Masters winner led after each round of the 54-hole tournament, shooting a 5-under 65 and 4-under 66 on Thursday and Friday before finishing with a 2-over 72 on Saturday. He had not won on the PGA or European Tour since 2016.

Read more here .

Pat Perez joins LIV Golf

LIV Golf officially added Pat Perez to its roster on Saturday. The 46-year-old, currently ranked No. 168 in the world, will join — along with Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed — at the circuit's second event in Oregon at the end of June.

A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, Perez last won at the CIMB Classic in October 2017. He most recently played at the Memorial Tournament from June 2-5, finishing tied for 26th. He last appeared in a major at the 2019 PGA Championship.

Patrick Reed: 'Portland can't get here fast enough'

Patrick Reed joined the LIV Golf broadcast on Saturday and confirmed he'll make his debut in the circuit's second event, which will take place at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Ore., from June 30 to July 2.

The 2018 Masters winner and Bryson DeChambeau have been announced as LIV Golf members since the start of the first event.

LIV Golf pulls from the Masters menu

Inside LIV Golf’s first event, where all the intrigue and hubris is off the tee box

Because as well as being an attempt to make golf more attractive to the TikTok generation — like cricket’s T20 format — it is also the latest chapter in the Big Book of Sportswashing and the opening shots in a battle for control of an entire sport.

Let us tackle those heavyweight issues in that order, as that is how events have played out this week.

(Illustration: Sam Richardson / The Athletic)

Q&A: Matt Jones explains decision to join LIV Golf, desire to remain on PGA Tour

As he walked off the practice green on June 1, Jones stopped to speak with four writers from The Athletic , the Associated Press, ESPN and USA Today. In an effort to give full clarity on what goes into a player making the jump to LIV, the interview is being presented here in full .

(Photo: Reinhold Matay / USA Today)

Canadian Open, sponsor RBC move on without longtime tournament face Dustin Johnson

TORONTO – Laurence Appelbaum heard the news late on May 31, three days before the reveal of the full RBC Canadian Open field.

Dustin Johnson, a two-time major champion and RBC ambassador, was joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour. His name appeared on the list of golfers playing the tour’s first event, happening the same week as the Canadian Open, June 10-12.

When he heard the decision from the PGA Tour, Appelbaum, Golf Canada’s CEO, was surprised and shocked.

“DJ had been so effusive in his commitment to the PGA Tour about 60 days prior,” Appelbaum said. “And he was such an important part of Team RBC.”

Curtis Strange doesn't hold back on LIV

Dustin johnson done with pga tour, plans to play less golf.

Johnson said Friday he'll play the LIV Golf events and majors:

PGA Tour sets viewership milestone

Despite the LIV Golf Tournament being underway, the RBC Canadian Open averaged 385,000 viewers from 3-6 p.m. ET on Thursday.

DJ has spoken with The Masters

Will he be invited going forward?

Bryson is officially official

Sponsor rocket mortgage cuts ties with bryson dechambeau, 'it's hard to turn down'.

Justin Thomas talked about his concern that others will follow to LIV thanks to the money involved.

Rory McIlroy weighs in

The former world No. 1 said Wednesday that the controversial LIV series is "not something (he wants) to participate in" and implied that those doing so are in it "purely for money." On Thursday, he said golfers at the Canadian Open are "pleased" by the sanctions handed out.

He added that he does plan to check out the LIV Golf streams.

"I think like everyone else, I'm intrigued and I'm a fan of golf. I've got quite a few guys over there that I call friends that are playing," he said. "I'll see it and watch it and see what all the fuss is about."

McIlroy is out on the team names, though.

"Certainly not going out to buy any team merchandise any time soon," he said.

Justin Thomas talks PGA Tour sanctions

World No. 6 Justin Thomas, currently playing at the 2022 Canadian Open, on the PGA Tour’s decision to suspend LIV golfers:

“I’m pleased. Anybody that’s shocked clearly isn’t listening to the message that Jay is putting out.”

Here's why the PGA Tour just merged with LIV Golf

The PGA Tour announced Tuesday it would merge with LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed men's golf organization that formed last year to compete with the PGA.

News of the merger sent shock waves through the sports world and even reached the highest echelons of the U.S. government, after a reporter sought comment from the Biden administration about the Saudi government's taking such a large stake in men's golf. Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment.

Here's what it all means.

What is LIV Golf?

LIV was created in 2022 by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) alongside two of the world's most prominent players, Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman, and others.

Norman was appointed CEO, but it was Mickelson who helped LIV come into existence. Mickelson accused the PGA Tour of not fairly compensating players for things like highlight clips and other media rights , accusing the organization of "obnoxious greed."

Eventually, Mickelson helped persuade 48 players to abandon the PGA Tour for LIV.

The merger has shown that Saudi Arabia and its interests cannot be isolated, veteran U.S. diplomat Richard N. Haass said.

“It's not as big as the Biden visit or agreement with Iran , and it doesn't offset their recent failure to raise oil prices,” said Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations . "But it does send the signal they are a player who cannot be ignored."

Why did the PGA Tour initially bar players from participating in LIV?

The PGA Tour immediately viewed LIV Golf as a direct competitor — and many in the golf world agreed, often referring to it as a “breakaway league.”

So the Tour decided to force players to pick a side, creating harsh divisions in the golf world.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan also seemed to disparage the presence of the Saudis in LIV, asking rhetorically in a June 2022 interview , “Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”

And in response to a lawsuit from players who'd joined LIV and said the PGA Tour had retaliated against them, lawyers for the organization condemned LIV as “a strategy by the Saudi government to use sports in an effort to improve its reputation for human rights abuses and other atrocities.”

So why is the PGA Tour merging with LIV?

The two leagues ended up suing each other — but acrimony and lawsuits ultimately proved bad business for the PGA Tour, which made the calculated decision to endure the blowback of turning 180 degrees in exchange for a unified effort with its former rival.

Lawsuits filed by suspended players and a federal probe into possible antitrust actions by the PGA Tour against LIV may also be moot in the wake of Tuesday's announcement.

"We've recognized that together we can have a far greater impact on this game than we can working apart," Monahan told CNBC, seated next to his LIV counterpart, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. "And I give Yasir great credit for coming to the table, coming to the discussions with an open heart and open mind."

Despite the vast financial resources at its disposal thanks to its Saudi backing, LIV had failed to secure major TV deals to broadcast its events, which were often instead relegated to livestreams on YouTube.

With its commercial viability in doubt, LIV officials may have decided it was better to cut their losses and approach the PGA Tour with an offering of peace — and money.

How much money is involved? What are the financial incentives on both sides?

Terms of the merger haven't been disclosed, but LIV Golf players were reportedly being promised eight- and nine-figure earnings to join the league, thanks to the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which is worth about $676 billion.

CNBC's David Faber, who helped break Tuesday's news with an exclusive interview with Monahan and Al-Rumayyan, said the PIF plans to invest "billions" into the newly formed entity while it retains a minority stake.

How will major golf events be affected?

They won't.

The Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open (now known as The Open) and the PGA Championship (which, despite its name, isn't actually owned by the PGA Tour) are all separate entities from the PGA Tour.

Nor does the Tour control the biennial team-based Ryder Cup tournament — though heading into this year's event, there were questions about whether U.S. team captain Zach Johnson would forgo selecting LIV members.

Have there been mergers in professional sports before?

All four of North America's major professional team sports leagues have some kind of merger in their histories, most notably the NFL-AFL union that led to the Super Bowl.

The first World Series in 1903 , the 1976 NBA-ABA deal and the NHL's 1979 takeover of the upstart WHA , though, all pale in comparison to the geopolitical stage where the PGA Tour-LIV drama played out.

What are people in golf saying?

As expected, reaction to the stunning deal ran the gamut — from LIV backers' spiking the ball to 9/11 survivors' criticizing the PGA Tour for merging with the Saudi-backed LIV, which they likened to “terrorists,” with others resigned to money's simply ruling the day.

Former President Donald Trump typed in all caps on Truth Social, boasting that he predicted that the PGA Tour would have to come to terms with LIV.

A key Sept. 11 support group, 9/11 Families United, said it was "shocked and deeply offended" and claimed the merger is "bankrolled by billions in sportswashing money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." It added: "Saudi operatives played a key role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now it is bankrolling all of professional golf."

George Washington University sports marketing professor Lisa Delpy Neirotti verbally shrugged her shoulders and said the deal shouldn't have been a shock.

"I ask my students how to spell the word 'sports?' It's m-o-n-e-y," she said. "Fans have a short memory. They really want to see their stars. They want to see a better product."

Rob Wile is a breaking business news reporter for NBC News Digital.

David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital.

LIV Golf Masters Leaderboard: updates, scores for LIV tour as DeChambeau dominates

Editor's note: Follow live coverage of the Masters, leaderboard, highlights and more.

The Masters are here.

The first major tournament of the year started on Thursday, and nearly 90 players were at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia to contend for a highly sought-after green jacket. Thirteen of them are LIV golfers.

Spanish golfer, LIV participant and 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm will be looking to become the fourth golfer in Masters history to win back-to-back jackets and the first since Tiger Woods in 2001-02.

Several other LIV golfers likely will be in contention for a Masters win by the end of the weekend as well, with Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and up-and-comer Joaquín Niemann also among favorites.

Though it's red-hot American (and non-LIV golfer) Scottie Scheffler who wass the early favorite after winning his second consecutive Players Championship last month. He also won this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational just one week before his Players win. Scheffler played remarkably well on Day 1 as well, shooting 6-under on Day 1. Still, he sits in second place heading into Friday as LIV's Bryson DeChambeau leads all golfers at 7-under after Thursday.

Tiger Woods live: Updates, score and tracker for golf icon at Augusta on Day 1 Thursday

LIV Golfers Leaderboard at the Masters

• 1 - Bryson DeChambeau, -7
• T27 - Tyrell Hatton, E
• T8 - Joaquín Niemann, -2
• T16 - Cameron Smith, -1
• T48 - Patrick Reed, +2
• T27 - Sergio García, E
• T48 - Brooks Koepka, +2
• T36 - Phil Mickelson, +1
• T36 - Jon Rahm, +1
• T48 - Bubba Watson, +2
• T62 - Dustin Johnson, +3
• T48 - Charl Schwartzel, +2
• 86 - Adrian Meronk, +8

Masters Leaderboard: Full updated scores for Augusta leaders

Weather in Augusta, Georgia delays Masters start

The start of the Masters' first round was delayed Thursday morning due to rainy and windy conditions.

Thunderstorms are likely to end around 10 a.m. ET, and the first round is now scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET.

LIV Golfer standings after Day 1 of The Masters

• Bryson DeChambeau, -7
• Tyrell Hatton, -3
• Joaquin Niemann, -2
• Patrick Reed, -2
• Cameron Smith, -1
• Brooks Koepka, E
• Sergio Garcia, E
• Phil Mickelson, +1
• Jon Rahm, +1
• Bubba Watson, +1
• Dustin Johnson, +1
• Charl Schwartzel, +2
• Adrian Meronk, +6

LIV Golfer odds to win Masters 2024

Odds courtesy of BetMGM .

• 1. Jon Rahm (+1200)
• 2. Brooks Koepka (+1800)
• 3. Joaquín Niemann (+2800)
• 4. Bryson DeChambeau (+3300)
• T-5. Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith (+4000)
• T-7. Tyrell Hatton, Patrick Reed (+6600)
• 9. Sergio García (+10000)
• T-10. Adrian Meronk, Phil Mickelson (+20000)
• 12. Bubba Watson (+25000)
• 13. Charl Schwartzel (+35000)

LIV Golfers who have won the Masters before

• Jon Rahm (2023)
• Dustin Johnson (2020)
• Patrick Reed (2018)
• Sergio García (2017)
• Bubba Watson (2012, 2014)
• Charl Schwartzel (2011)
• Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010)

2024 Masters Tournament schedule and how to watch

The Masters begins Thursday, April 11 and run through Sunday, April 14.

Round 1: Thursday, April 11

• Starting at 10:30 a.m. ET
• TV coverage: 3:00-7:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: ESPN
• Streaming: Masters.com (simulcast), CBSSports.com (desktop and mobile), CBS Sports App (desktop and mobile), ESPN+, Paramount+

How to watch: Catch Masters action with an ESPN+ subscription

Round 2: Friday, April 12

• Starting at 8:30 a.m. ET

Round 3: Saturday, April 13

• Starting at 10:00 a.m. ET
• TV coverage: 3:00-7:00 p.m. ET
• Channel: CBS
• Streaming: CBSSports.com (simulcast), Paramount+ (simulcast), CBS Sports app (simulcast)

Round 4: Sunday, April 14

• TV coverage: 2:00-7:00 p.m. ET

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LIV Golf Live Updates: News, Notes and Scores From the Final Round at Trump Bedminster

• Author: Morning Read Staff

> Here are the final results, payouts from Bedminster

Henrik Stenson Wins in LIV Golf Debut

After an eventful two weeks, Henrik Stenson finally had a reason to smile on Sunday. The Swede won in his LIV Golf debut, shooting a final-round 69 to win by two shots at 11 under over Matthew Wolff and Dustin Johnson at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey.

Stenson had his Ryder Cup captaincy stripped last week due to his decision to sign with LIV Golf. He won $4 million at Bedminster, more than twice as much as he had ever won in an event.

"I played like a captain," he said. "It's nice to be here with the guys, getting a feel for it. It's been a busy 10 days, I'm extremely proud to have focused the way I did."

In the team competition, 4 Aces GC won for the second consecutive event. Johnson, Talor Gooch, Patrick Reed and Pat Perez will split $3 million. The Majesticks team, which includes Stenson, finished second.  

Stenson Three Up With Four to Play

Henrik Stenson got to 12 under with a birdie on the par-3 14th and is up three shots with four holes remaining.

Matthew Wolff is alone in second at 9 under, 7 under for his final round. Dustin Johnson is third at 8 under.

Broadcasters Pay Tribute to Bill Russell

The death of legendary basketball champion Bill Russell was mentioned on the broadcast, with commentators paying tribute.

Analyst Jerry Foltz said he worked at a golf course in Seattle for a summer where Russell was a member, remembering that the Hall of Famer had his own unique dress code (understandable for a near-7-footer).

David Feherty remembered when Russell was a guest on his Golf Channel interview show.

"He was a wise old man, and a beautiful soul," Feherty said.

Phil Mickelson Has Something to Play for

In the team competition, the top three foursomes share a $5 million purse. And three of the four players' scores count on Sunday, meaning just about everyone has something to play for regardless of their place on the individual leaderboard.

Hence, Phil Mickelson is still worth watching though he's tied for 36th. His HyFlyers team is contending for third in the team competition and his score is counting at the moment. Teammate Matthew Wolff has the lowest score on the golf course at 6 under, Justin Harding is at 4 under for the day and Mickelson's 1 over score also counts at the moment.

At the top of the team leaderboard, the 4 Aces have a three-shot lead over the Majesticks.

Henrik Stenson in Control at the Turn

With nine holes to go, Henrik Stenson has a four-shot lead at 11 under and hasn't given anyone an opening to get close.

Stenson is 2 under for his final round with two birdies and no bogeys. Matthew Wolff is 5 under on his round and Sergio Garcia is 4 under, both soaring up the leaderboard, but Stenson's playing partners Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed (both 1 under) aren't stacking up birdies.

Johnson and Wolff are tied at 7 under, with Garcia and Reed at 6 under.

Matthew Wolff Going Low on Sunday

The low round on the course belongs to Matthew Wolff, 5 under through eight holes including an eagle at the drivable par-4 10th.

Wolff has surged into solo second at 7 under, four shots behind Henrik Stenson. 

4 Aces Holding on to Team Lead, but It's Closer

About one-third of the way through the final round, the 4 Aces GC is leading the team competition -- but their lead is two shots over the Majesticks, compared to six shots when the day began.

The final round in the team competition counts three of the four players' scores, as opposed to two of the four the first two rounds, so volatility is very possible. 

At the moment, scores by Majesticks' players Henrik Stenson (2 under for his round), Ian Poulter (3 under) and Lee Westwood (even) count. Compare that to Talor Gooch (1 under), Patrick Reed (even) and Pat Perez (even).  

Talor Gooch Moves Into Solo Second

With a long birdie putt at the 3rd hole, Talor Gooch moved into solo second at 6 under, four shots behind Henrik Stenson.

Gooch shot 64 on Saturday to put himself within striking distance for the final round. In his first two LIV events he finished ninth and seventh, making a total of $1,255,000.

Before moving to LIV, Gooch won the RSM Classic early in the PGA Tour season. That paid $1,296,000.

Right Away, Henrik Stenson's Lead Grows

The three-shot lead that Henrik Stenson took to the first tee Sunday was five shots when he left the green, as Dustin Johnson bogeyed and Stenson rolled in a birdie.

Four players are five shots back: Johnson, Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Carlos Ortiz.

Can Henrik Stenson Hold On?

The final group has teed off at Bedminster, with Henrik Stenson leading by three shots over Dustin Johnson and four over Patrick Reed.

As our Bob Harig wrote after Saturday's second round , the attention on Stenson has turned to his play after a tumultuous two weeks that saw him lose the European Ryder Cup captaincy.

Stenson played alongside Reed yesterday and now gets Johnson as well, LIV's best player by world ranking. Reed and Johnson are also teammates on 4 Aces GC, the leading team by six shots at the start of the final round and chasing a second consecutive team title. 

Stenson's biggest payday in golf was $1,710,000 for winning the 2009 Players Championship. The winner today takes home $4 million.  

Hole Assignments and Groups for Round 3

Here are the groups for the final round. The shotgun start is 1:15 p.m. ET with a twist -- the first hole will have two groups, with the leaders teeing off second at 1:26. The theory is that with the top six players on the leaderboard starting on the same hole, the possibility for 18th-hole drama is better.

Hole 1: Henrik Stenson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed Hole 1: Talor Gooch, Carlos Ortiz, Phachara Khongwatmai Hole 2:  Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Turk Pettit  Hole 3:  Charl Schwartzel, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia  Hole 4:  Matthew Wolff, Chase Koepka, Travis Smyth Hole 17:  Paul Casey, Branden Grace, Sam Horsfield  Hole 16: Jinichiro Kozuma, Charles Howell III, Chase Koepka Hole 15: Justin Harding, Peter Uihlein, Jason Kokrak Hole 5:  Louis Oosthuizen, David Puig (a), Scott Vincent  Hole 7: Kevin Na, Bernd Wiesberger, Bryson DeChambeau Hole 8:  Matt Jones, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra,  Shaun Norris Hole 9: James Piot, Pat Perez, Ryosuke Kinoshita Hole 10: Graeme McDowell, Sadom Kaekwanjana, Laurie Canter Hole 11:  Hudson Swafford, Richard Bland, Yuki Inamori Hole 12: Wade Ormsby, Abraham Ancer, Phil Mickelson Hole 13: Jediah Morgan, Hennie Du Plessis, Hideto Tanihara

Henrik Stenson's Lead is 3 After Round 2

A bogey at the par-5 18th hole wasn't the way Henrik Stenson wanted to end his Saturday, but the Swede will take a three-shot lead to Sunday at Bedminster. He's 9 under after rounds of 64-69. 

Dustin Johnson is three shots back at 6 under after shooting 69, while Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Carlos Ortiz are at 5 under.

In the team competition, the 4 Aces are 20 under, five shots ahead of the Majesticks. The Fireballs are a distant third at 6 under.

Henrik Stenson to 10 Under

With the second round coming to a close at Bedminster, Henrik Stenson is giving himself breathing room.

The Swede is 3 under on his second nine with birdies at 16 and 17 and a tee shot in the fairway on 18. He's at 10 under, four shots ahead of Dustin Johnson and five ahead of Talor Gooch, who is in with a round of 64.

Playing for His Status

Not everyone's contractual status is known in LIV Golf, but the broadcasters revealed that Phachara Khongwatmai has to play well on the Asian Tour (which sanctions LIV Golf) to remain high enough on its order of merit to keep making LIV starts. In other words, he's not one on a guaranteed contract like many of the well-known players.

He's also playing well this week, which would presumably keep him around. The 23-year-old from Thailand is tied for seventh, 1 over on his round while playing in the lead group of Henrik Stenson (still leading at 9 under) and Patrick Reed (in solo second at 6 under).

4 Aces Team Surging

The lowest two scores for teams count in Round 2, and the 4 Aces team is building on its first-round lead thanks to Talor Gooch.

The Oklahoman has the low round on the golf course, at 6 under, and with his score helping the 4 Aces are at 18 under as a team, six shots ahead of the Majesticks at 12 under. Then it's five more shots to the Fireballs at 7 under.

The winning team shares $3 million from the $5 million team purse. The 4 Aces won the team title at the last event in Portland.

How About Phil?

Phil Mickelson only has one round under par so far in his LIV Golf career, and it appears that Saturday won't be his second.

The 52-year-old is 3 over for his second round with two birdies, two bogeys and a disastrous triple bogey at the par-3 16th. After opening with a 75 at par-71 Bedminster, he's 7 over for the event.

As our  Bob Harig wrote on Friday , Mickelson is still bullish on LIV Golf but his scores have not matched his enthusiasm.

He's tied for 44th at the moment in the 48-player field. He was 34th in LIV Golf's first event in London and 42nd at its second event in Portland. 

Three Straight Bogeys for Patrick Reed

Patrick Reed has bogeyed three straight holes, from the 10th to the 12th, and has fallen to 4 under and four back of leader Henrik Stenson.

Stenson's lead is three shots over Dustin Johnson and Phachara Khongwatmai. 

Reed is in a five-way tie for fourth with Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel, Carlos Ortiz and Turk Pettit.

Henrik Stenson Leads After Two-Shot Swing

The Swede has the solo lead by two all of a sudden, birdieing the 10th hole while playing partner Patrick Reed bogeyed. Stenson is at 8 under.

Stenson's lead is all the more remarkable given his last two weeks. He was stripped of his European Ryder Cup captaincy on July 20, then on Thursday at his LIV Golf introductory press conference expressed disappointment in the decision and said he was under the impression he could still serve as captain while playing on the controversial tour.

Yet here he is, leading halfway through his first LIV Golf start.

Bedminster Playing Tougher Saturday

The winds have kicked up a bit in Round 2, and consequently few players are making many moves.

The low round on the course midway through the round belongs to Talor Gooch, who is 4 under and 2 under overall, tied for 11th. Turk Pettit is 3 under on his round and 3 under for the tournament, tied for 5th.

Of the top four on the leaderboard, only Dustin Johnson is under par for the day, at 1 under.

Going in the other direction is Jinichiro Kozuma, who opened with 69 on Friday but is 7 over for the round and tied for 38th.

Eagle Returns Henrik Stenson to Co-Lead

Henrik Stenson eagled the par-5 8th, offsetting a double bogey from earlier in the round to get back to 7 under alongside Patrick Reed.

The day began with the lead threesome of Reed and Stenson tied at 7 under and Phachara Khongwatmai at 5 under, and they're in the same positions again as Khongwatmai also eagled the 8th. 

Patrick Reed Back in Front by 2

With a birdie at the par-3 7th, Patrick Reed got back to where he started the day at 7 under. He leads by two over Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.

Reed and Johnson are teammates on 4 Aces GC, so they're also in the driver 's seat in the team competition given that two scores are counted from a team's four players in Round 2.

Dustin Johnson Ties for the Lead

Dustin Johnson, the highest-ranked player in LIV Golf at No. 17 in the world, is tied for the lead in his quest for a first win.

He birdied the sixth hole, his second birdie in three holes, to get to 6 under alongside Patrick Reed. 

Two shots back and also making a move is Lee Westwood, 2 under for his round after stuffing one close at the par-3 4th.

Patrick Reed Bogeys, But Still Leads

Patrick Reed lipped out a short putt at the par-3 4th but remains in the lead at 6 under by one over playing partners Henrik Stenson and Phachara Khongwatmai, and Dustin Johnson, who birdied the 4th hole to get to 5 under.

Henrik Stenson Falls Out of Lead

Henrik Stenson endured an adventure at the 3rd hole, taking a double bogey after a prolonged discussion over a tee shot that ended up in the woods.

His drive on the par 4 kicked off a slope and cart path into the woods, and after he found the ball he discussed taking an unplayable lie -- except the subsequent drop after two-club relief would have also been in deep grass next to the cart path and no sure thing. After much deliberation, he went back to the tee. He then made "4" with his second ball, but it was a 6 thanks to the errant first drive.

Patrick Reed also had a ruling, taking a free drop from a sod seam next to a greenside bunker that was considered ground under repair. He hit a high flop to a foot and made the putt, leaving him as the solo leader.

Justin Harding Makes Two Quick Birdies

South Africa's Justin Harding opened with two birdies Saturday to get to 2 under for the tournament and into a tie for sixth.

The 36-year-old is another player that American golf fans may be less familiar with. He made 15 of 23 cuts on the PGA Tour, with half of those starts coming in the 2018-19 season. He has two wins on the DP World Tour, most recently in March 2021 at the Magical Kenyan Open.

He has finishes of 11th and ninth in his first two LIV Golf starts.

The Third Man in the Final Group

Co-leaders Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson are a marquee pairing on Saturday at Bedminster, but far lesser known is the other man in the threesome.

Phachara Khongwatmai, two shots behind the leaders, is a 23-year-old from Thailand, ranked No. 148 in the world.

In 2013, at age 14, he became the youngest winner of a professional tournament when he won the Sing Hua Hin Open on the All Thailand Golf Tour. Three years later he played in the British Open at age 17, missing the cut.

He finished 28th in the LIV Golf opener in London and 29th at the second event in Portland.

Hole Assignments and Groups for Round 2

Here are the groups for Round 2. Everyone tees off at 1:15 p.m. ET in the shotgun start, and are grouped by scores in order -- Hole 1 has the tournament leaders, down to Hole 13 for the threesome at the bottom of the leaderboard.

• Hole 1: Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson, Phachara Khongwatmai
• Hole 2: Dustin Johnson, Carlos Ortiz, Martin Kaymer
• Hole 3: Charles Howell III, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter
• Hole 18:  Jinichiro Kozuma, Jason Kokrak, Lee Westwood
• Hole 17: Branden Grace, Chase Koepka, Travis Smyth
• Hole 16: Peter Uihlein, Charl Schwartzel, Sergio Garcia
• Hole 15:  Justin Harding, Yuki Inamori, Scott Vincent 
• Hole 4: Pat Perez, Matthew Wolff, Sam Horsfield
• Hole 5: Ryosuke Kinoshita, Bernd Wiesberger, Bryson DeChambeau
• Hole 7: Abraham Ancer, Kevin Na,   Turk Pettit
• Hole 8: Hudson Swafford, Shaun Norris, Richard Bland
• Hole 9: Paul Casey, Matt Jones, Talor Gooch
• Hole 10: Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, David Puig (a), Graeme McDowell
• Hole 11: Louis Oosthuizen, Wade Ormsby, James Piot
• Hole 12: Phil Mickelson, Laurie Canter, Hideto Tanihara
• Hole 13: Jediah Morgan, Hennie Du Plessis, Sadom Kaekwanjana

Patrick Reed, Henrik Stenson Tied at Top

Round 1 is in the books at Bedminster, with Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson leading the way after 7-under 64s. They are two shots clear of the field.

"I have to be extremely pleased with my focus, it's been pretty busy the last 10 days," Stenson said, referring to a week that saw him lose his European Ryder Cup captaincy in the wake of coming to LIV Golf.

Reed bogeyed his fourth hole of the day, then poured in eight birdies over the remaining 14 holes to get to 7 under.

"I was not only hitting the ball well, I was putting it in the right spots," Reed said. "I was able to feel I was able to putt aggressive around this place."

Thanks to Reed and Dustin Johnson, who shot 4 under, the 4 Aces team is leading at 11 under in their quest for two team wins in a row. The Majesticks, with new team member Stenson and Ian Poulter (3 under), are 10 under and one shot back. Then it's four back to the Iron Heads, whose top player was Phachara Khongwatmai at 5 under. He's in solo third place overall.  

Patrick Reed Gets to 6 under

After this chip to the par-5 15th, Patrick Reed birdied to get to 6 under and the solo lead.

Henrik Stenson is in solo second at 5 under, then three players are at 4 under: Dustin Johnson, Carlos Ortiz and Phachara Khongwatmai.

Stenson-Reed, Part 2?

Henrik Stenson birdied the 11th hole (his 14th of the day, remember the shotgun start) to match Patrick Reed at the top at 5 under par.

If the round ended like this, the two would be paired on Saturday for Round 2 in a matchup with some history.

Stenson and Reed faced off in Ryder Cup singles in 2014, in a spirited match that saw seven lead changes before Reed won 1 up. Along the way, Reed famously put his finger to his mouth to shush the partisan crowds in Scotland. The U.S. lost the competition, but Reed made an unforgettable impression as a rookie in winning 3.5 points, the most on the American side.

Carlos Ortiz in the Hunt Again

Mexico's Carlos Ortiz finished second in his LIV Golf debut last month in Portland and is 4 under with five holes to play in his first round, one shot off Patrick Reed's pace.

Ortiz won $2,125,000 for the runner-up finish, more than double what he had made all year on the PGA Tour in 20 events before leaving for LIV.

Patrick Reed On a Hot Streak

After finishing T3 in Portland with better rounds as the event went on — 72-68-67 — Patrick Reed is staying hot at Bedminster.

Reed is 5 under and leading on the par-71 course, having birdied the 10th for his sixth birdie in seven holes. His lone bogey came early in his round at the 3rd.

His 4 Aces team is tied with the Majesticks at 6 under.

It's Good to Be New on Friday

Three of the newest players in LIV Golf are on the first page of the leaderboard.

Henrik Stenson and Charles Howell III are in the lead group at 3 under, while Jason Kokrak is at 2 under. Paul Casey, the other newcomer, is 2 over.

Stenson's teammate on the Majesticks, Lee Westwood, is 2 under, so that team leads early. The low two scores count for teams in the first round.

Bubba Watson Officially Introduced

LIV Golf made it official Friday, announcing two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson as its newest player. As the circuit has done with some other signees, such as Paul Casey and Patrick Reed, it brought Watson on during the broadcast for a chat.

Watson last played at the PGA Championship in May, finishing T30. He has since had what he said is "meniscus preservation surgery" on his right knee and that he hopes to begin swinging again in mid-October.

He will appear at LIV's next event in September in Boston as an off-course captain, and will play in 2023.  

One of LIV Golf's Newest Is Leading

Henrik Stenson has had quite a week. It began with him having his European Ryder Cup captaincy stripped in the wake of signing with LIV Golf, and then he came to Bedminster to begin his LIV Golf career with a press conference.

On Thursday, Stenson reiterated his disappointment over losing the captaincy , saying he believed he could keep it while playing with LIV Golf.

"I made every arrangement possible here to be able to fulfill my captain's duties, and I've had great help here from LIV to be able to do that," he said. "And still, the decision was made that I was to be removed."

On the course, the story is more positive. Early on Friday, the Swede got to 3 under to take the lead. 

Bryson DeChambeau Seeing Improvement

The first half of 2022 was all but lost for Bryson DeChambeau, as hip and hand injuries limited his starts. When he tried to play hurt, it didn't go well, like at the Masters where he missed the cut.

But three months after surgery on the injured hand , his game appears to be coming back. DeChambeau finished in a tie for 10th at LIV Golf's Portland event (his first LIV start), then tied for eighth at the British Open. 

He's 1 under early at Bedminster after holing a long putt for birdie.

Pat Perez Out to a Fast Start

The last time Pat Perez teed it up at LIV, he was shooting a final-round 80 in Portland.

Friday, he opened with birdies on his first two holes to take the early lead.

Perez, 46, shot 69 in his first round in Portland, which counted for his 4 Aces team. The third-round 80 did not, but teammates Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Talor Gooch played well and the 4 Aces won the team competition and split $3 million. 

David Feherty Debuts in the Booth

LIV Golf came on the air Friday from Bedminster with a retooled broadcast booth. 

David Feherty, new to the circuit after leaving NBC Sports following the British Open , is in the booth alongside play-by-play man Arlo White and analyst Jerry Foltz. Dom Boulet, in the booth for the first two events, has been moved into an on-course role.

Feherty will be counted on to deliver humor to the broadcast. When Phil Mickelson was shown beginning his round, Feherty called him the "gorilla whisperer," a reference to Mickelson being shown in a nature preserve during a video welcoming Feherty to LIV .

Notable Teams This Week

With a number of new players joining LIV Golf this week, some of the four-man teams are new. And some aren't.

The team champions of the first two events remain intact. Stinger GC, winners of the inaugural event in London, is the South African foursome of Louis Oosthuizen (captain), Charl Schwartzel, Hennie du Plessis and Branden Grace. The American foursome 4 Aces GC, winners in Portland, stays the same with Dustin Johnson (captain), Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez.

Majesticks GC had been an all-English team with Lee Westwood (captain), Ian Poulter, Laurie Canter and Sam Horsfield, but newcomer Henrik Stenson of Sweden has replaced Canter. The Cleeks team now has Canter, along with Martin Kaymer (captain), Graeme McDowell and amateur David Puig.

Charles Howell III, who said he was recruited to LIV by Bryson DeChambeau, is on the DeChambeau-captained Crushers team with another newcomer in Paul Casey, plus Shaun Norris.

The other new LIV player this week, Jason Kokrak, is on Smash GC with the Koepka brothers and Richard Bland.

In the team format, the two best scores in Rounds 1 and 2 are combined with three scores from Round 3 for a total team score. The top three teams are paid from the $5 million team purse.

Hole Assignments and Groups for Round 1

Here are the groups for Round 1. Everyone tees off at 1:15 p.m. ET in the shotgun start. After Round 1, players will be paired by score for the remaining two rounds.

• Hole 1: Branden Grace, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia
• Hole 2: Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood, Charl Schwartzel
• Hole 3: Jason Kokrak, Ian Poulter, Talor Gooch
• Hole 4: Graeme McDowell, Charles Howell III, Sadom Kaewkanjana
• Hole 5:  Jinichiro Kozuma, Peter Uihlein, Scott Vincent
• Hole 7: David Puig (a), Jediah Morgan, Hideto Tanihara
• Hole 8: Hennie Du Plessis, Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, Bernd Wiesberger
• Hole 9: Travis Smyth, James Piot, Richard Bland
• Hole 10: Ryosuke Kinoshita, Laurie Canter, Chase Koepka
• Hole 11: Wade Ormsby,   Phachara Khongwatmai,   Turk Pettit, Ian Snyman, Blake Windred, Branden Grace
• Hole 12: Hudson Swafford, Yuki Inamori, Shaun Norris
• Hole 13: Matt Jones, Justin Harding, Sam Horsfield
• Hole 15: Matthew Wolff, Pat Perez, Kevin Na
• Hole 16: Louis Oosthuizen, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson
• Hole 17:  Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Carlos Ortiz
• Hole 18: Abraham Ancer, Paul Casey, Patrick Reed

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PGA Tour goes to Dallas for same course and new title. LIV Golf plays in Singapore

Shane Lowry, of Ireland, hits out of the sand on the 15th fairway during the final round of the PGA Zurich Classic golf tournament at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, La., Sunday, April 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

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THE CJ CUP BYRON NELSON

Site: McKinney, Texas.

Course: TPC Craig Ranch. Yardage: 7,414. Par: 71.

Prize money: $9.5 million. Winner’s share: $1,710,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (CBS).

Defending champion: Jason Day.

FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.

Last week: Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Notes: Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris and Tom Kim lead the contingent of Dallas-area residents playing the tournament. ... CJ Cup takes over as title sponsor after AT&T ended its sponsorship after nine years. CJ Cup started out with a tournament in South Korea, then moved to Las Vegas and South Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. ... The field features only 10 of the top 50 in the world ranking. Spieth is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 20. ... Scottie Scheffler is missing the tournament as his wife is expecting their first child. ... Adam Scott is playing the tournament for the third straight year. He won the Byron Nelson in 2008. ... This is the final week to finish among the top 70 in the PGA Championship points list to assure a spot at Valhalla in two weeks. The points list is PGA Tour earnings the last 12 months. ... Spieth now has gone 43 starts over two years on the PGA Tour since his last victory.

Next week: Wells Fargo Championship.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

LIV GOLF LEAGUE

LIV GOLF SINGAPORE

Site: Singapore.

Course: Sentosa GC (Serapong). Yardage: 7,406. Par: 71.

Prize money: $20 million. Winner’s share: $4 million.

Television: Thursday-Saturday, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (CW app); Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (The CW Network-Tape Delay).

Defending champion: Talor Gooch.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Last week: Brendan Steele won LIV Golf Adelaide.

Notes: Brendan Steele last week became the third straight first-time winner on LIV Golf, matching the longest such streak since the league launched in June 2022. ... Jon Rahm has yet to win since joining LIV this year, but he is the only player in 2024 to have finished in the top 10 in all six events. ... Ian Poulter and Hudson Swafford were the only players who did not have a round under par last week in Australia. ... Poulter in 2009 and Sergio Garcia in 2018 won the Singapore Open when it was played at Sentosa. ... With the PGA Championship approaching, LIV has three players in the top 100 who are not already eligible — Adrian Meronk, Lucas Herbert and Patrick Reed. ... LIV already has 10 players in the PGA Championship field at Valhalla. ... After back-to-back weeks in Australia and Asia, LIV Golf is off for a month until a week before the U.S. Open.

Next tournament: LIV Golf Houston on June 7-9.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

EUROPEAN TOUR

VOLVO CHINA OPEN

Site: Shenzhen, China.

Course: Hidden Grace GC. Yards: 7,147. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.25 million. Winner’s share: $375,000.

Television: Thursday-Friday, 12-5 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 12-4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday, 11:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. (Golf Channel).

Previous winner: Sarit Suwannarut.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last week: Yuto Katsuragawa won the ISPS Handa Championship.

Notes: The China Open returns to the European tour schedule for the first time since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament was held last year co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the China Tour. ... This is the final event that counts toward the Asian Swing on the European. The top three players get exemptions into the PGA Championship next month at Valhalla. Sebastian Soderberg, Keita Nakajima and Jesper Svensson are currently holding down the top three spots. ... Thriston Lawrence leads the European tour this season with five finishes in the top 10. ... Katsuragawa is the fourth player from Japan in the last seven months to win on the European tour. The others were Ryo Hisatsune, Rikuya Hoshino and Nakajima. ... The tour is off until the PGA Championship on May 16-19. After that begins a stretch in which 17 consecutive events (outside the majors) are staged in European countries.

Next tournament: PGA Championship on May 16-19.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

INSPERITY INVITATIONAL

Site: The Woodlands, Texas.

Course: The Woodlands CC (Tournament). Yards: 7,002. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.7 million. Winner’s share: $405,000.

Television: Friday, 12:30-3:30 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 3-6 p.m. (Golf Channel).

Defending champion: Steven Alker.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Stephen Ames.

Last week: Stephen Ames won the Mitsubishi Electric Classic.

Notes: Bernhard Langer returns to competition after injuring his Achilles tendon while playing pickleball on Feb. 1. The injury caused him to miss the Masters. ... Langer has won every year since first becoming eligible for the PGA Tour Champions in 2007. He is a four-time winner of the Insperity Invitational. ... Stephen Ames took over the Charles Schwab Cup lead over Steven Alker by winning at the TPC Sugarloaf last week. It was his second win this season. ... Alker is the two-time defending champion at The Woodlands. ... Ames is the only multiple winner on the PGA Tour Champions in 2024. ... The field includes Steve Stricker, who missed the cut last week in New Orleans on the PGA Tour. ... Paul Broadhurst of England has won and finished runner-up in his last two starts. ... This is the last regular event before the first of five majors on the PGA Tour Champions schedule.

Next week: Regions Tradition.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

Last week: Hannah Green won the JM Eagle LA Championship.

Next week: Cognizant Founders Cup.

Race to CME Globe leader: Nelly Korda.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

KORN FERRY TOUR

Last week: Tim Widing won the Veritex Bank Championship.

Next tournament: AdventHealth Championship on May 16-19.

Points leader: Tim Widing.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour

OTHER TOURS

Epson Tour: Casino Del Sol Golf Classic, Sewailo GC, Tucson, Ariz. Defending champion: Gigi Stoll. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

PGA of America: PGA Professional Championship, Fields Ranch at PGA (East and West), Frisco, Texas. Defending champion: Braden Shattuck. Television: Tuesday, 5-8 p.m. (Golf Channel); Wednesday, 4-7 p.m. (Golf Channel). Online: https://www.pga.com/

Japan Golf Tour: The Crowns, Nagoya GC (Wago), Aichi, Japan. Defending champion: Hiroshi Iwata. Online: https://www.jgto.org/en/

Asian Tour: GS Caltex Maekyung Open, Namseoul CC, Seongnam, South Korea. Defending champion: Chanmin Jung. Online: https://asiantour.com/

Legends Tour: Barbados Leges, Apes Hills Barbados, Saint James, Barbados. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.legendstour.com/

Japan LPGA: World Ladies Championship Salonpas Cup, Ibaraki GC (East), Ibaraki, Japan. Defending champion: Yuri Yoshida. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Korea LPGA: Kyochon 1991 Ladies Open, Sunsan CC, Gumi South Korea. Defending champion: Bokyeom Park. Online: https://klpga.co.kr/

AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

LIV Golf Masters live: Updates, scores Leaderboard for LIV tour Friday for Round 2

Follow  live updates from all the Masters action here .

The biggest golf tournament of the year started on Thursday with a field of 89 players at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Of that field, 13 LIV golfers are competing for the iconic green jacket.

Defending Masters champion and LIV golfer Jon Rahm shot a 1-over-73 in Round 1. But it was another LIV golfer - Bryson DeChambeau - who took the top spot after the first day at Augusta National with a 7-under-65.

From NFL plays to college sports scores, all the top sports news you need to know every day.

DeChambeau led the field but multiple LIV players were high up the leaderboard. Tyrrell Hatton finished Round 1 tied for sixth after shooting a 3-under-69. Joaquín Niemann and Patrick Reed both finished tied for ninth with a 2-under-70.

Here's the latest leaderboard for LIV golfers at the 2024 Masters Tournament:

LIV Golfers Leaderboard at the Masters

• T-1. Bryson DeChambeau (-6)
• T-8. Cameron Smith (-1)
• T-15. Patrick Reed (E)
• T-24. Brooks Koepka (+2)
• T-24. Tyrell Hatton (+2)
• T-35. Phil Mickelson (+4)
• T-35. Joaquín Niemann (+4)
• T-44. Jon Rahm (+5)
• T-61. Sergio García (+7)
• T-77. Bubba Watson (+10)
• 81. Charl Schwartzel (+11)
• T-85. Dustin Johnson (+13)
• T-87. Adrian Meronk (+14)

Masters Leaderboard: Full updated scores for Augusta leaders

LIV Golfer odds to win Masters 2024

Odds courtesy of  BetMGM as of Thursday night.

• Bryson DeChambeau (+600)
• Brooks Koepka (+2500)
• Joaquín Niemann (+2800)
• Tyrrell Hatton (+2800)
• Jon Rahm (+5000)
• Patrick Reed (+5500)
• Cameron Smith (+8000)
• Dustin Johnson (+10000)
• Sergio García (+30000)
• Phil Mickelson (+50000)
• Bubba Watson (+75000)
• Charl Schwartzel (+150000)
• Adrian Meronk (+250000)

LIV Golfers who have won the Masters before

• Jon Rahm (2023)
• Dustin Johnson (2020)
• Patrick Reed (2018)
• Sergio García (2017)
• Bubba Watson (2012, 2014)
• Charl Schwartzel (2011)
• Phil Mickelson (2004, 2006, 2010)

2024 Masters Tournament schedule and how to watch

The Masters begins Thursday, April 11 and run through Sunday, April 14.

How to watch:  Catch Masters action with an ESPN+ subscription

Round 2:  Friday, April 12

• Starting at 8:30 a.m. ET
• TV coverage: 3-7:30 p.m. ET
• Channel: ESPN
• Streaming:  Masters.com  (simulcast), CBSSports.com (desktop and mobile), CBS Sports App (desktop and mobile), ESPN+, Paramount+

How to watch: Catch Masters action with an ESPN+ subscription

Round 3:  Saturday, April 13

• Starting at 10 a.m. ET
• TV coverage: 3-7 p.m. ET
• Channel: CBS
• Streaming: CBSSports.com (simulcast), Paramount+ (simulcast), CBS Sports app (simulcast)

Round 4:  Sunday, April 14

• TV coverage: 2-7 p.m. ET

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LIV Golf Masters live: Updates, scores Leaderboard for LIV tour Friday for Round 2

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2024 Zurich Classic leaderboard, scores: Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry two shots off lead after 54 holes

It will be a sprint to the finish in new orleans on sunday afternoon.

The 2024 Zurich Classic leaderboard got turned upside down early in Round 3 before a couple of familiar names came roaring down the back nine to put themselves in position to win for the first time at this event. Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn shot a best-of-the-day 60 on Saturday, leading for the most of Moving Day. They still lead at 23 under entering Sunday's finale at TPC Louisiana. 

While Blair and Fishburn are out in front, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the pair that rocked the course coming home. After a tepid start, they poured in birdies on six of the final 10 holes with Rory doing, well, pretty much all of the work.

"We got off to a slow start," Lowry told CBS Sports after the round, "and then Rory McIlroy turned up on the 9th hole, and it was all him from then on in. I was just there enjoying the ride."

Everybody at the event was doing the same as McIlroy capped a thrilling final stretch with a near hole-out at the par-5 18th to touch off a 64 in the best ball format, bringing the duo within two shots of the lead.

Let's take a look at the top of this leaderboard and what to expect on Sunday.

The leaders

1. Zac Blair & Patrick Fishburn (-23):  Perhaps not the duo anyone expected coming into the week given their recent play, but they were awesome, especially early. They played the first 15 holes in 12 under and needed just one birdie over the final three holes to break 60. The duo parred all three, though, and had to settle for 60 while grabbing the last tee time on Sunday afternoon.

"Any time you get someone that makes six or seven or eight birdies and an eagle, it obviously helps," said Blair, who has known Fishburn since the pair were kids. "I think it's kind of one of those weeks where you're maybe able to stay a little bit looser, especially having a friend as your partner. I think that's kind of really what we've tried to do is just not take it too seriously. We know tomorrow will be a big day, but it's a really cool opportunity for both of us."

Blair and FIshburn have two-year exemptions on the line with a win on Saturday, which for both guys would be massive for the rest of the year.

Other contenders

2. Luke List & Henrik Norlander (-22) T3. Ryan Brehm  &  Mark Hubbard (-21) T3. Rory McIlroy  &  Shane Lowry (-21) T5. Adam Hadwin  &  Nick Taylor (-20)

It would be a surprise if the winner came from beyond this group. Obviously, Ryder Cup partners McIlroy and Lowry are the favorites, and they should be after their 70 in alternate shot in Friday's second round. But Lowry did not look great coming down the stretch on Saturday, and with so many teams bunched up near the top, pretty much anything can happen over the final 18 holes.

"Yeah, can't wait," McIlroy said. "I think to make those birdies coming in and to only be two behind, alternate shot is a tough format, and yeah, you want to be within a couple strokes of the lead. I thought it was important to finish the way we did, and yeah, excited to have a chance to win tomorrow."

2024 Zurich Classic updated odds, picks

Odds via Sportsline consensus

• Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry: 13/5
• Zac Blair & Patrick Fishburn: 4-1
• Luke List & Henrik Norlander: 5-1
• Adam Hadwin & Nick Taylor: 9-1
• Ryan Brehm & Mark Hubbard: 11-1

I still love the Canadian duo of Hadwin and Taylor. They are only three back with not a ton of teams in front of them. Taylor and Hadwin are extremely underrated as individuals, and they shot one of the better alternate shot rounds on Friday with a 69. If they do that again, they might end up winning the event.

Rory and Lowry moving

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are making a late move toward the top of the leaderboard. They are currently 7 under through 16 holes and three back of the lead with a par 4 and par 5 upcoming. They probably won't get the lead but they could absolutely get within one or two.

Blair and Fishburn scare 59

Needing just two birdies in their last four holes for 59, Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn could only muster one. Their 60 has them at the top of the leaderboard, though, and nearly guarantees them one of the final few tee times on Sunday afternoon. 

Blair and Fishburn rolling

Zac Blair and Patrick Fishburn are rolling so far. They went out in 29 and are currently 4 under on the second nine with four holes to go. A real chance at something in the 50s. They need to play the last four in 2 under for a 59 and 3 under for a 58. The last hole of the day is a par 5, too.

Big Drop from Top

Here's something that's unique to this event: The leaders on Friday night -- Davis Thompson and Andrew Novak -- are currently in second to last after playing four holes on Saturday. They played those holes in 1 over, and because it's best ball, scoring is so easy and everyone else has passed them up. 

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Johnny Damon: How I started loving golf

25 - 28 Apr 2024

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Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah regardless of cease-fire deal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Israel’s position that its forces will launch an anticipated military operation in Rafah regardless of whether a cease-fire and hostage deal is reached with Hamas. He made the remark amid fresh optimism that new negotiations could lead to a halt in fighting. Secretary of State Antony Blinken continued his tour of the Middle East, arriving in Israel Tuesday to work toward getting more humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

• U.S. lawmakers warn of backlash if ICC issues Israeli arrest warrants
• Netanyahu vows to invade Rafah ‘with or without’ a cease-fire deal
• Blinken continues Middle East tour with stops in Jordan and Israel

Here's what to know:

Here's what to know, live coverage contributors 16.

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• Six months of the Israel-Gaza war: A timeline of key moments April 7, 2024 Six months of the Israel-Gaza war: A timeline of key moments April 7, 2024
• Colombia is the latest and largest country to sever ties with Israel May 1, 2024 Colombia is the latest and largest country to sever ties with Israel May 1, 2024
• Hamas touts ‘positive spirit’ in cease-fire talks, will travel to Cairo May 2, 2024 Hamas touts ‘positive spirit’ in cease-fire talks, will travel to Cairo May 2, 2024

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10:07 a.m. EDT Bullet Key update 10:07 a.m. EDT

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Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for six months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding region .

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel that included the taking of civilian hostages at a music festival . (See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded ). Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948 .

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars , killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “ famine-like conditions. ” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave .

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians , including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons , funds aid packages , and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 . Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip .

'Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse Live in Concert' Announces Tour Dates

'spider-man: across the spider-verse' live in concert tour dates announced, ‘where is wendy williams' producers promise 'more of the story' is coming (exclusive), jennifer lopez and jennifer garner 'have gotten closer' (source), princess charlotte looks so grown up in 9th birthday portrait taken by kate middleton, 'bachelorette' charity lawson shares relationship update 1 year after engagement (exclusive), khloé kardashian dares sister kim to recreate 'keeping up with the kardashians' fight, chloe lukasiak confirms she's single and 'excited' for her post-grad era (exclusive), '90 day fiancé’: shawn feels disconnected to alliya as she becomes more extroverted (exclusive), watch mariska hargitay and glenn close play around on red carpet at celebration of women, boris kodjoe on his ‘station 19’ directorial debut (exclusive), gypsy rose blanchard addresses the ‘biggest misconception’ about her (exclusive), fox news host bret baier’s son forced to undergo emergency surgery after aneurysm, bill pullman beams over son lewis' hollywood success (exclusive), ‘if’: behind the scenes with emily blunt, ryan reynolds, matt damon and more (exclusive), brandon scott jones on repeating the same outfit on ‘ghosts’ (exclusive), britney spears exits chateau marmont after ambulance called to hotel: everything we know, chris hemsworth makes rare red carpet appearance with his twin boys, amy schumer shares cushing syndrome health update (exclusive), mariska hargitay reacts to child mistaking her for real-life police officer on 'svu' set (exclusive), maddy baloy, tiktok star with terminal cancer, dead at 26, anitta reacts to fans shipping her and peso pluma after steamy coachella performance (exclusive), a new 50+ city u.s. tour will kick off beginning this fall..

Get ready, web-heads,  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse   is returning to screens! On Monday, it was announced that after the success of last year's live orchestral concert tour of  Into the Spider-Verse , its sequel will be getting the same treatment with a 50+ U.S. city tour.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse:  Live in Concert will kick off in London on June 30, before touring the rest of the United Kingdom. The tour will then make its U.S. debut in the fall, starting on Sept. 1 in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Audiences will get to watch  Across the Spider-Verse  presented on a HD screen, accompanied by a range of musicians and instrumentalists performing music from the film's score and soundtrack live to picture. This will include an orchestra, a scratch DJ on turntables, percussion and electronic instruments.

" Across The Spider-Verse is probably the most exciting, ground breaking and impactful score I've written," says the Emmy-winning composer, Daniel Pemberton, who created the film's score. "I've always believed that there should be no barriers to music, but it's rare to get the opportunity that you get within the Spider-Verse -- where else could you have powerful orchestral themes side by side with punk drum solos, virtuoso record scratching next to twisted electronics, off-kilter whistling next to hip-hop beats?"

A press release shares that the Oscar-nominated composer took influence for both Spider-Verse film scores from "growing up amid the London rave scene in the 90s, where he regularly immersed himself in ambient and techno nights." He also drew inspiration from "the scratch DJ's at The Blue Note Club in East London, where he first witnessed scratching vinyl being used in an artistic form. This, coupled with heavy-drumming and punk guitars, gives the soundtrack its unique sound, fusing genres to make something bold and unparalleled which will be brought to life in an exhilarating style in these live concerts."

"Watching the film with the live band performing in a huge room of people is one of the most thrilling ways to experience it and it's a huge honor to know that audiences are going to get a show that delivers a unique emotional hit they will hopefully remember for a long, long time after," Pemberton adds.

Across the Spider-Verse  shows Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) meeting more Spider-People as  he reunites with Gwen Stacy  (Hailee Steinfeld) for a new adventure. This time, he's battling the multiverse-traversing The Spot and dealing with an adversary that hits closer to home -- Oscar Isaac's Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099 and his Spider-Force of multiverse protectors, which includes  Issa Rae's Jessica Drew , Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and Spider-Man India (Karan Soni).   

Metro Boomin curated the film's beloved soundtrack, which features appearances from Future, Nas, Swae Lee, James Blake, Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert and more.

Tickets for  Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse:  Live in Concert will be available starting May 3. For the complete tour schedule visit spiderverseinconcert.com.

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Election Updates: Praising police, Trump calls crackdown at Columbia a ‘beautiful thing to watch.’

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Chris Cameron

Donald Trump again attacked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate who polls suggest is taking some support from Trump voters , in a post on his social media site, pleading that Republicans “don’t waste your precious vote on this phony liberal activist” while also insisting that Kennedy’s candidacy hurts President Biden more than it hurts him.

In an interview with local television in Waukesha, Wis., Donald Trump again said he would not sign a national abortion ban if elected , after a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine in which he suggested he would consider other federal abortion limits. He has struggled to strike a balance between siding with the anti-abortion activists who helped elect him in 2016 and what he sees as a risk to his electability.

Anjali Huynh

Trump has finished speaking in Freeland, Mich., where he blasted his New York criminal trial, laying into the judge who fined him, falsely suggesting the case amounts to political persecution and claiming, without evidence, that the trial is helping his poll numbers. The comments, among the first he’s made on the trail since the trial started, show how he plans to use the trial to rally supporters whenever he can hit the road.

In Michigan, Donald J. Trump again insists abortion should be left “to the states,” rather than supporting a federal ban. He praised the justices who overturned Roe but alluded to the electoral risk to Republicans, saying, “A lot of bad things will happen beyond the abortion issue, if you don’t win elections.” Kamala Harris, in Florida today, tried to make Trump the face of the state’s six-week abortion ban.

Michael Gold

At his second rally of the day, Donald J. Trump has spoken far more extensively about his criminal trial in New York, though he is mostly expounding on his view that the trial is, as he put it, “an unlawful exercise in very stupid and very evil politics” that is keeping him from campaigning.

Former President Donald J. Trump has taken the stage in Freeland, Mich., a state he visited last month for an event focused on illegal immigration and border policy. He opened today by briefly praising Mike Rogers, the Republican he endorsed in Michigan’s Senate race, before pivoting to criticizing the economy under President Biden.

Migrant crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped significantly in the first three months of the year, according to official figures , from a peak of 301,981 in December to under 200,000 a month from January to March. That could ease political pressure on President Biden, but Republicans are likely to continue attacking him by pointing out that border crossings remain relatively high.

Donald J. Trump, at a rally in Waukesha, Wis., called for tougher action against campus protests and again suggested some of the protesters were paid actors. He called on college presidents to “remove the encampments immediately, vanquish the locals and take back our campuses for all of the normal students.”

At his rally in Wisconsin, former President Donald J. Trump is again trying to walk a fine line on abortion. He is celebrating that the issue was returned to states after Supreme Court justices he appointed overturned Roe, while also criticizing Democrats for being too liberal and anti-abortion activists who are pushing for broader bans.

Former President Donald J. Trump, who has campaigned on a tough law-and-order message while facing criminal charges and criticizing the legal system, commended the New York police for arresting dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University. “That’s one good thing that really happened,” he said, adding later, “It was a beautiful thing to watch.”

Nicholas Nehamas

On the day that a six-week abortion ban went into effect in Florida, Vice President Kamala Harris warned a crowd in Jacksonville that Donald J. Trump would bring “more bans, more suffering, less freedom,” if he won in November. Harris and Democrats have sought to tie abortion bans directly to Trump, seeing abortion as a winning political issue.

Donald J. Trump at a rally in Waukesha, Wis., again contended without evidence that the protests at college campuses over the war in Gaza were an effort by the left to distract attention from the surge of migrants at the border. “Some people are saying they do the colleges so they can get your eyes off the border,” he said, repeating an assertion that he made on social media last night.

Donald J. Trump just took the stage in Waukesha, Wis., for his first rally since his trial in New York began. He noted that Republicans would hold their national convention in Milwaukee in July, telling the crowd of hundreds of his supporters, “That means you’ve got to vote for us because we’re spending our money in your state.”

Alyce McFadden

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed that his campaign and President Biden’s campaign jointly conduct a poll in October to see who would do better against former President Donald J. Trump in a hypothetical two-way race. He teased the idea that the underperformer should drop out. But Biden really has no incentive to do this, and by October, it'd be too late drop off the ballot anyway.

Rebecca Davis O’Brien

The Libertarian Party is one of the more established third parties — it is on 37 state ballots, with plans for more. Angela McArdle, the party’s chair, said: “For 50 years, we’ve been trying to get our candidates on the main stage with major party POTUS candidates and we’ve finally succeeded in bringing one to our stage. We will do everything in our power to use this incredible opportunity to advance the message of liberty.”

Shane Goldmacher

Former President Donald J. Trump called Libertarians “some of the most independent and thoughtful thinkers” ahead of his speech to the party later this month and urged them “to remember that our goal is to defeat” President Biden. He added, “If Libertarians join me and the Republican Party, where we have many Libertarian views, the election won’t even be close.”

Reid J. Epstein

The Biden video, recorded Tuesday when he was in Wilmington, Del., is part of the Biden campaign’s effort to extend the news cycle surrounding former President Donald J. Trump’s interview with Time. Polling has shown abortion rights is Biden’s best issue against Trump; talking points the campaign sent to surrogates Tuesday urged them to focus attention on Trump’s abortion comments.

President Biden called former President Donald J. Trump’s comments on abortion in the Time interview published yesterday “shocking” in a video released by the president’s campaign Wednesday . “This should be a decision between a woman and her doctor,” Biden said. “And the government should get out of people’s lives.”

The Libertarian Party's invitation to Trump, to speak at the party's national convention , is an intriguing one at a moment when third-party candidates and ballot lines are a major focus of the 2024 race. A Trump spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Neil Vigdor

Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker, compared the student protesters who occupied a building at Columbia University to Juan M. Merchan, the judge presiding over Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in New York. It was not the first time that he tried to make such an equivalency in Trump’s defense. In 2018, he likened the F.B.I. probe into Russia’s election interference to the “Gestapo.”

Michael Gold and Anjali Huynh

Michael Gold reported from Waukesha, Wis., and Anjali Huynh from Freeland, Mich.

Trump praises police crackdowns on campus protests.

Holding his first campaign rallies since his criminal trial in Manhattan began, former President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday urged college presidents to take a tougher approach to protests over the war in Gaza that have swept across campuses and praised police action at the demonstrations.

Calling protesters “raging lunatics” and suggesting without any evidence that they were hired by liberal groups to draw attention away from the surge of migrants at the border, Mr. Trump commended New York City police officers who, in riot gear, arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at Columbia University and cleared a building that they had occupied.

Speaking to supporters in Waukesha, Wis., Mr. Trump called for similar actions at universities across the country.

“To every college president, I say remove the encampments immediately,” he said. “Vanquish the radicals and take back our campuses for all of the normal students.”

Both in Wisconsin and at a later rally in Freeland, Mich., Mr. Trump promoted a strong a law-and-order message, even as he contends with a criminal case in New York in which he is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal.

Mr. Trump, who on Tuesday was held in contempt and fined $9,000 for violating a gag order in the trial that bars him from attacking witnesses and jurors, criticized the order. He laid into the judge who fined him, calling him “crooked” and “conflicted” at both rallies.

“I have a judge who gags me,” Mr. Trump said. “I’m not allowed to talk about things. And nobody’s seen anything quite like it.”

And he reiterated his typical complaints about the criminal case: that it is a sham, that it is impossible for him to get a fair trial in deep-blue Manhattan and that the whole ordeal amounts to political persecution by President Biden — a claim made without a shred of evidence but that has helped him bolster support among his base.

“What you’re witnessing in New York is not a legal proceeding — it’s an unlawful exercise in very stupid and very evil politics,” he said.

As Mr. Trump is tied down in court proceedings, he and Republicans have seized on the campus demonstrations as a wedge issue. They hope to foment discontent among Mr. Biden’s Democratic base over his handling of Israel, while also pointing to the protests to support Mr. Trump’s frequent contention that Mr. Biden is a weak leader.

In the past week, Mr. Trump has also used the protests to diminish violent episodes involving right-wing extremists that took place during his presidency. He tried to downplay the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, by calling it “peanuts” compared with the campus protests. One woman was killed and nearly 40 people were injured when a neo-Nazi plowed his car through a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville.

And building on his bid to portray federal prosecutors as politically motivated, Mr. Trump suggested the government would be lenient with the protesters, comparing them to supporters who he has said were treated harshly after they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Though he has made small campaign stops in New York City, Mr. Trump has in the weeks since his trial started been visible more as a criminal defendant than as a political candidate. A planned rally in North Carolina last month was canceled at the last minute because of weather.

“I’ve got to do two of these things a day,” Mr. Trump told the crowd in Michigan. “You know why? Because I’m in New York all the time with the Biden trial.”

Mr. Trump’s energetic demeanor at Wednesday’s rallies stood in stark contrast to the stern speeches he has given in the hallway outside the courtroom, and to reports from the court that depict him as dour, glowering or, at times, asleep. He bantered lightly with members of the crowd in both states and repeatedly expressed pride at the size of his crowds.

But Mr. Trump’s dark, and sometimes coarse, campaign message has changed little. He again argued that Mr. Biden’s leadership was steering the country toward doomsday and stoked fears about immigration, accusing Democrats of creating “mayhem” at the border. He also repeated unsubstantiated claims that Democrats were encouraging migration in order to register undocumented immigrants to vote.

On a day when abortion was in the spotlight again, with Florida’s six-week ban taking effect and Arizona lawmakers repealing their state’s 1864 ban , Mr. Trump largely kept his focus elsewhere. But he defended his position in an effort to neutralize an issue that Democrats hope to make central in 2024.

Mr. Trump has tried a balancing act on the issue, arguing that all abortion rights should be left to the states even as he has voiced opposition toward strict six-week bans. And he stressed the need to consider the political implications of calling for further abortion restrictions as Republicans try to win in November, saying in Michigan that “a lot of bad things will happen beyond the abortion issue, if you don’t win elections.”

In Wisconsin, he presented his views as a kind of compromise. “Some people will be very happy,” he said. “Some people won’t be as happy. But time will make this.”

Still, in Michigan, he praised the conservative justices who had overturned Roe v. Wade, singling them each out by name. His remarks there came shortly after Vice President Kamala Harris visited Florida , where she called the state’s new restrictions “another Trump abortion ban,” part of a larger effort by Democrats to tie Mr. Trump to strict limits on the procedure.

At both rallies, Mr. Trump also railed against Mr. Biden’s handling of the economy, arguing that the president’s economic policies were hurting the middle class and that Mr. Biden had not done enough to fight inflation.

Both parties are focused intently on winning Michigan and Wisconsin, two battleground states that were critical to Mr. Trump’s 2016 victory but flipped to Mr. Biden in 2020. Mr. Trump visited both states last month, shortly before his New York criminal trial began.

The Republican National Committee is holding its 2024 convention in Milwaukee, which Mr. Trump acknowledged in nearby Waukesha. “That means you’ve got to vote for us, because we’re spending our money in your state to have the big convention,” he said.

The two states were also central in Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Last week, he was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an investigation by the Michigan attorney general’s office into efforts he and his allies took to subvert Mr. Biden’s victory in the state. So far, 15 Republicans who acted as fake electors have been charged.

An earlier version of this article misquoted a statement from Donald J. Trump at a

campaign rally. He called on college leaders to “vanquish the radicals and take back our campuses for all of the normal students,” not “vanquish the locals.”

How we handle corrections

Michael Gold and Chris Cameron

Michael Gold reported from Waukesha, Wis. Chris Cameron reported from Washington.

Donald Trump, repeating his 2020 election lies, tells a Milwaukee newspaper that he will not commit to accepting the 2024 outcome.

Former President Donald J. Trump told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday that he would not commit to accepting the results of the 2024 election, as he again repeated his lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

“If everything’s honest, I’ll gladly accept the results. I don’t change on that,” Mr. Trump said, according to The Journal Sentinel. “If it’s not, you have to fight for the right of the country.”

In an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, he also dismissed questions about political violence in November by suggesting that his victory was inevitable.

When pressed about what might happen should he lose, he said, “if we don’t win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.”

Mr. Trump’s insistent and fraudulent claims that the 2020 election was unfair were at the heart of his efforts to overturn his loss to President Biden, and to the violent storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by a mob of supporters who believed his claims. Mr. Trump now faces dozens of felony charges in connection with those events.

Mr. Trump’s vow to “fight for the right of the country” also echoes his speech on the Ellipse on Jan. 6, where he told his supporters that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore,” before urging his supporters to march to the Capitol.

As he campaigns in battleground states this year, Mr. Trump has repeatedly tried to sow doubt about the integrity of the fall election, while repeating many of the same lies that he used to assail the integrity of the 2020 election. Months before any voting has taken place, Mr. Trump has regularly made the baseless claim that Democrats are likely to cheat to win.

“Democrats rigged the presidential election in 2020, but we’re not going to allow them to rig the presidential election — the most important day of our lives — in 2024,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Freeland, Mich.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Trump has for years promoted the lie that he won Wisconsin in 2020, and he did so again in the Journal Sentinel interview. Even after Jan. 6, 2021, and years after his exit from office, he has repeatedly pressured Assembly Speaker Robin Vos , the top Republican in the State Legislature, to help overturn Mr. Trump’s loss in the state and to impeach the state’s nonpartisan chief of elections.

More than 1,250 people have been charged with crimes in connection to the Jan. 6 attack — and hundreds of people have been convicted . Mr. Trump said in a recent interview that he would “absolutely” consider pardoning every person convicted on charges related to the storming of the Capitol. A bipartisan Senate report found that at least seven people died in connection with that attack.

The former president and his allies have also installed election deniers in influential positions in his campaign and in Republican Party institutions. In March, Trump allies newly installed to the leadership of the Republican National Committee appointed Christina Bobb , a former host at the far-right One America News Network, as senior counsel for election integrity. A self-described conspiracy theorist, she has relentlessly promoted false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.

Ms. Bobb was indicted in Arizona last week, along with all of the fake electors who acted on Mr. Trump’s behalf in that state and others, on charges related to what the authorities say were attempts by the defendants to overturn the 2020 election results in Arizona.

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee have made an aggressive approach to “election integrity” — a broad term often used by Republicans to cast doubt on elections that the party lost — central to their efforts heading toward November.

Last month, the committee announced a plan to train and dispatch more than 100,000 volunteers and lawyers to monitor the electoral process in each battleground state and to mount aggressive challenges.

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump said at the rally in Freeland that his campaign and national and state Republican parties would put together “a team of the most highly qualified lawyers and other professionals in the country to ensure that what happened in 2020 will never happen again.”

“I will secure our elections because you know what happened in 2020,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in Waukesha, Wis., on Wednesday.

Mr. Trump lost Wisconsin by more than 20,000 votes .

Reporting from Jacksonville, Fla.

In Florida, Harris looks to make Trump the face of the state’s abortion ban.

Harris blasts trump over florida abortion ban, on the day that florida began to enforce its six-week abortion ban, vice president kamala harris delivered a searing attack on former president donald j. trump in jacksonville, fla., calling the measure “another trump abortion ban.”.

Today, this very day, at the stroke of midnight, another Trump abortion ban went into effect here in Florida. As of this morning, four million women in this state woke up with fewer reproductive freedoms than they had last night. This is the new reality under a Trump abortion ban. The contrast in this election could not be more clear. Basically under Donald Trump, it would be fair game for women to be monitored and punished by the government. Whereas Joe Biden and I have a different view. We believe the government should never come between a woman and her doctor. [crowd cheering]

On the day that Florida began to enforce its six-week abortion ban, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a searing attack on former President Donald J. Trump in Jacksonville, calling the measure “another Trump abortion ban” and saying he was forcing women to live a “horrific reality” without access to essential medical care.

“As much harm as he has already caused, a second Trump term would be even worse,” Ms. Harris said to about 200 supporters at a convention center in a historically African American neighborhood.

If Mr. Trump were to win in November, she argued, Americans would be compelled to endure “more bans, more suffering, less freedom.”

President Biden has made abortion — a rare issue on which he polls strongly against Mr. Trump — a pillar of his re-election campaign. He and Ms. Harris have campaigned aggressively in states that have imposed abortion restrictions, including Florida, where the president spoke last week , and Arizona, where legislators voted on Wednesday to overturn a near-total ban dating to 1864.

The president and vice president have used their appearances to illustrate the consequences of electing Republicans, and have placed the blame for the bans squarely on Mr. Trump, whose appointments to the Supreme Court helped overturn Roe v. Wade. “Donald Trump did this” has become a frequent refrain in Mr. Biden’s ads and speeches — a pointed and direct attack from a campaign that has struggled to sell its message to voters.

Ms. Harris’s appearance in Jacksonville also allowed her to capitalize on an interview Mr. Trump gave to Time magazine that was published on Tuesday. In the interview, Mr. Trump refused to commit to vetoing a federal abortion ban — which seemed to contradict recent statements from him — and said he would permit states to punish women who violated abortion bans.

“Just this week, in an interview, Trump said that states have the right to monitor pregnant women to enforce these bans, and to punish pregnant women for seeking out abortion care,” Ms. Harris warned.

In talking points distributed to surrogates on Tuesday, the Biden campaign urged them to focus attention on Mr. Trump’s abortion comments. And on Wednesday it released a video of Mr. Biden speaking directly to the camera.

“There seems to be no limit to how invasive Trump would let the state be,” the president said. “This should be a decision between a woman and her doctor, and the government should get out of people’s lives.”

On Wednesday, the six-week ban had already started to change lives. About 15 minutes away from Ms. Harris’s campaign event in Jacksonville, a reproductive health clinic called A Woman’s Choice received calls from women seeking abortions.

One woman said she was calling from Georgia, which also has a six-week ban. An official at the clinic informed her that a six-week ban was now in effect in Florida, too.

“Oh, Lord Jesus,” the woman responded, before opting to make an appointment in North Carolina, the nearest state where an abortion for someone at her stage of pregnancy would be available.

Many women do not know that they are pregnant at six weeks. And Florida’s ban means patients in the Southeast will have to travel as far away as North Carolina and Virginia to seek abortions, an unaffordable expense for many.

“The extremists who wrote this ban either don’t know how a woman’s body works, or they simply don’t care,” Ms. Harris said.

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, signed the six-week ban last year ahead of a failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination in which he tried to court social conservatives. Floridians will have the chance to overturn the law with a ballot referendum in November. That has revived faint hopes among Democrats that Florida could be in play in the presidential election, although the Biden campaign has yet to invest significant resources in the state and Republicans hold a major advantage in voter registration.

“This is going to be a game changer here in Florida. It’s going to be a motivator,” said Christina Diamond, the chief executive of Ruth’s List Florida, a group that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights.

“The reason we have a six-week ban,” Ms. Diamond added, “is because the State Legislature and our statewide offices are held by Republicans.”

To emphasize that point, the Democratic National Committee put up billboards around Florida with Mr. Trump’s face that told women how far they would have to drive to reach a state where they could receive an abortion. And it also hired a plane to fly over Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s home in Palm Beach, Fla., trailing a banner that read: “Trump’s Plan: Ban Abortion, Punish Women.”

(Mr. Trump is campaigning in Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday as the criminal trial against him in Manhattan is on break for the day.)

Republicans in Florida responded to Ms. Harris’s visit by talking about everything except abortion.

“In Florida, especially in Jacksonville, families are suffering under the train-wreck Biden-Harris Bidenomics,” Evan Power, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said in a statement. “Groceries cost more. Gas prices are surging. And the cost of housing continues to push Americans’ wallets to the breaking point. Meanwhile, the open border lawlessness of the Biden Bloodbath has made all states — including Florida — a border state.”

Jacksonville has one of the largest Black populations in the United States, and the six-week ban will most likely have a disproportionate impact on African American women, who receive the procedure at higher rates than other groups.

The Biden campaign has been working to shore up its support among African Americans. Polling shows that Black voters are more likely to say abortion is their top issue. At the Jacksonville event, a marching band from Edward Waters University, a historically Black university, warmed up the crowd. Ms. Harris’s introductory speakers included Fentrice Driskell and Tracie Davis, two of the state’s most prominent Black politicians.

“We want the little girls of Florida to have the same freedom that their mothers and their grandmothers did,” said Ms. Driskell, a Tampa Democrat and the state House minority leader. “So let’s say it loud enough that they hear it from Jacksonville all the way to shake the walls of Mar-a-Lago: Get out of our health care. Get out of our exam rooms. We are taking our rights back.”

Abigail Geiger contributed from Jacksonville, Fla., Reid J. Epstein from Washington and Patricia Mazzei from Miami.

Chris Cameron and Michael Gold

Chris Cameron reported from Washington, and Michael Gold reported from Waukesha, Wis.

Trump says at rally that he wanted to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Former President Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he asked his Secret Service detail to take him to the Capitol after his speech at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, acknowledging a key detail of his actions that were central to the findings of the House committee established to investigate the attack.

During a campaign rally in Waukesha, Wis., Mr. Trump brought up a sensational but disputed element of testimony given to the House Jan. 6 committee by a Trump White House aide: that Mr. Trump had lunged for the wheel and physically struggled with Secret Service agents when they refused to take him to join the large crowd of supporters who were marching toward the Capitol.

“I sat in the back,” Mr. Trump said, giving his version of events. “And you know what I did say? I said, ‘I’d like to go down there because I see a lot of people walking down.’ They said, ‘Sir, it’s better if you don’t.’ I said, ‘Well, I’d like to.’”

“It’s better if you don’t,” Mr. Trump recounted an agent saying. The former president said he replied, “All right, whatever you guys think is fine,” and added, “That was the whole tone of the conversation.”

President Biden’s campaign immediately highlighted Mr. Trump’s comments, amplifying that the former president had intended to participate in what would become an attack by his supporters on the Capitol in an effort to overturn Mr. Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.

It is not the first time that Mr. Trump has spoken of his effort to go to the Capitol on Jan. 6. He has said in several interviews that he regretted not marching on the Capitol with his supporters that day, and that his Secret Service detail prevented him from doing so.

“Secret Service said I couldn’t go,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with The Washington Post in April 2022 . “I would have gone there in a minute.”

Cassidy Hutchinson, the former White House aide, later testified to Mr. Trump’s conversation with Secret Service agents during televised hearings held by the House Jan. 6 committee. Ms. Hutchinson was not in the car with Mr. Trump, and said that her testimony to those events came secondhand or thirdhand from what other people had told her that day.

In an interview with the same committee, Mr. Trump’s driver, whose name was not disclosed, said: “The president was insistent on going to the Capitol. It was clear to me he wanted to go to the Capitol.”

Mr. Trump at the rally on Wednesday portrayed his requests to his Secret Service detail as casual ones.

In the interview with investigators for the House panel, the driver said that while he did not see Mr. Trump accost agents or reach for the steering wheel, “what stood out was the irritation in his voice, more than his physical presence.”

After Mr. Trump was driven back to the White House by his Secret Service detail, the former president sat and watched the ensuing violence play out on television, according to testimony by an array of former administration officials . After Mr. Trump’s speech at the Ellipse where he repeated his false claims that the election was stolen from him and urged attendees to march on the Capitol , a mob of his supporters overran police barricades to storm the building, temporarily disrupting the certification of Mr. Biden’s victory.

In a lengthy interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, Mr. Trump said he would “absolutely” consider pardoning every person who had been convicted on, or pleaded guilty to, charges related to the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6. He also would not rule out the possibility of political violence after this year’s election.

“I think we’re going to win,” he said. “And if we don’t win, you know, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of an election.”

Shane Goldmacher ,  Neil Vigdor ,  Nicholas Nehamas and Maggie Astor

more news from the campaign

Trump to address Libertarian Party, hundreds of Black women endorse Alsobrooks in Maryland and more.

The Libertarian Party announced that Donald J. Trump will address the party’s national convention in late May in Washington, D.C., calling it the first time a former president will speak to a gathering of the party. — Shane Goldmacher

Over 650 Black women — ranging from House members to local activists — endorsed Angela Alsobrooks against Representative David Trone in Maryland’s Democratic Senate primary and criticized a recent ad from Trone. The ad featured Black officials questioning the qualifications of Alsobrooks, the executive of Prince George’s County, and suggesting she might need “training wheels”; the statement said that the ad “echoes tones of misogyny and racism.” Race has been a major undertone in the contest; Alsobrooks is Black and Trone is white. Some of Trone’s supporters hit back: State Senator Jill P. Carter, who is also Black, said she thought the ad was not an attack but simply “a campaign ad where some individuals are speaking about their specific experience.” — Maggie Astor

Almost four in 10 local election officials who were surveyed by the Brennan Center of Justice for a new report said they had experienced threats, harassment or abuse, another sign of the duress that the group has been under since the 2020 election. Sixty-two percent said they were worried about political leaders trying to interfere with how they or other election officials did their jobs. — Neil Vigdor

Florida’s six-week abortion ban takes effect today, giving Democrats another opportunity to press their case against former President Donald J. Trump. In a statement, President Biden called the ban “extreme” and a “nightmare,” and said voters would teach Trump “a valuable lesson” in November. — Nicholas Nehamas

Katie Glueck

From Florida to Arizona, abortion politics are dominating the 2024 race.

In Florida, a ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy took effect.

In Arizona, state lawmakers repealed a stringent abortion ban that dates to the Civil War era.

And across the country, the presidential campaign trail on Wednesday was brimming with reminders of just how central Democrats hope the abortion rights debate will be to voters’ decisions this fall.

Nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade , Democrats are betting that the tangible effects of abortion restrictions that many Americans are already experiencing — and the threats of more to come — will help their party power through an ominous and volatile political environment, as Republicans struggle to address an issue that has become a significant, sustained liability for them.

“Donald Trump is to blame for the harm state abortion bans are doing to women every day in our country,” Vice President Kamala Harris wrote on social media on Wednesday morning, ahead of delivering remarks n Jacksonville, Fla., about the state’s “extreme” new ban.

Mr. Trump, she said there, would bring “more bans, more suffering, less freedom,” if he won re-election.

As they did in the midterm elections in 2022, Democrats are borrowing from language long favored by Republicans — about freedom and limiting the reach of government — to make their case.

They believe that Mr. Trump, whose Supreme Court nominees helped overturn Roe, recently bolstered their argument further.

In a Time magazine interview released on Tuesday, Mr. Trump refused to commit to vetoing a national abortion ban and said he would allow states to monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violated abortion restrictions.

“There seems to be no limit to how invasive Trump would let the state be,” President Biden said in a video released on Wednesday morning. “This should be a decision between a woman and her doctor, and the government should get out of people’s lives.”

The focus on abortion rights propelled Democrats in the midterm elections, when candidates harnessed voter anger over abortion restrictions to overcome challenging national headwinds in key contests.

And it has remained a potent force in subsequent elections.

State Representative Mike Caruso of Florida, a Republican who opposed the six-week ban, noted that a number of states including Florida are expected to have abortion rights-related measures on the ballot this fall.

“It’s going to hurt Republicans,” he said. For Democrats who were unenthusiastic about Mr. Biden, he said, “now they’ve got reason they can show up. I think it’s going to have a major impact on the elections in November.”

But it is not yet clear how galvanizing the issue will be across the country in a presidential election shaped by economic concerns at home and crises abroad, with two well-known and unpopular men — one of whom, Mr. Trump, faces multiple criminal cases — at the top of their party’s tickets.

“President Trump has long been consistent in supporting the rights of states to make decisions on abortion,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, said in a statement. “Women want a president who will secure our nation’s borders, remove violent criminals from our neighborhoods and build an economy that helps hardworking families thrive.”

And even as Democrats sought to keep the issue at the forefront of voters’ minds on Wednesday, they were competing with unrest at college campuses across the country, including in critical battleground states, as students protested the war in Gaza, with many objecting to Mr. Biden’s support for Israel.

Such scenes of turmoil, some party strategists have warned, can be damaging for the party that controls the White House.

Nicholas Nehamas contributed reporting.

A new progressive PAC is targeting 8 key House races in California.

Democrats nearly pulled off the impossible in the 2022 midterms.

In the final weeks of the campaign, with an unpopular president in his first term, polls forecast a red wave that would sweep the country and flip control of the House and the Senate — prompting alarm from Democrats and predictions from Republicans of a decisive victory.

But that wave never materialized, a mirage of bad polling and inflated expectations . Democrats came close to maintaining a national trifecta, but Republicans eked out a thin majority in the House — prevailing in a handful of seats in New York and California, each by just a few thousand votes .

Now, a new coalition of progressive groups in California has formed a super PAC aiming to bolster Democratic candidates in a state that the party sees as crucial to winning control of the House this fall.

The super PAC, Battleground California, says it aims to spend $15 million this year on eight competitive House races, seven with Republican incumbents — in Northern California, Orange County, the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles, the Central Valley and Los Angeles — as well as the seat left open by Representative Katie Porter, a Democrat who is not running for re-election after a failed Senate campaign.

It is an ambitious effort, one that seeks to establish a durable progressive machine in California — advised and supported by local activists and community organizations — to lift swing district Democratic candidates through an extensive field operation, including marathon door-knocking campaigns aimed at driving turnout among minority groups.

“Trusted messengers from the community are a very critical element,” said Steve Phillips, a co-founder of the California Donor Table, the group leading the Battleground California PAC, adding that those residents are not only more trusted by voters but are better able to provide feedback on what messages work and what messages don’t.

Pablo Rodriguez, the executive director of Communities for a New California, a group focused on civil rights, is among the activists working with the PAC. He said that focusing on local issues, and less on the “national noise” generated by President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump, would be the key to victory.

“The path towards victory,” Mr. Rodriguez said, “is not making big TV or radio buys or even digital ad buys, right? We need to actually have face-to-face conversations with voters.”

Battleground California has set a challenging goal. Only two of the seven Republicans that the PAC will spend against — Representatives David Valadao and John Duarte, who represent predominantly Latino districts in the Central Valley region — won their 2022 races by what would be considered close margins. They will both face rematches with their 2022 opponents: Rudy Salas and Adam Gray, two Democratic former state assemblymen.

The PAC’s target spending figure of $15 million, while substantial, will not go far in a state where House races can get expensive. In the Central Valley, the race for Mr. Valadao’s seat in 2022 fielded more than $25 million in outside spending . Ms. Porter also spent more than $28 million on her re-election campaign . Michael Gomez Daly, political strategist at California Donor Table, said the coalition had raised about $1.3 million to date, aiming for $5 million by July.

Mr. Phillips and Mr. Daly said their targets were within reach for Democrats with enough investment of resources.

“All the districts should be flippable,” Mr. Daly said. He declined to say how many victories would be considered a success, adding that “failure is not really an option this cycle.”

Both Mr. Gray and Mr. Salas attributed their losses in 2022 to depressed turnout, and in interviews they both highlighted their efforts to start get-out-the-vote efforts early. They also had high expectations for a boost in presidential-year turnout.

Mr. Valadao and Mr. Duarte declined interview requests, but Republican pollsters, strategists and consultants in California have said that demographic changes and new efforts to reach voters of color have shifted the balance of power in their favor. They point to Mr. Valadao’s close victory in 2020, as well as wins by minority candidates like Representatives Young Kim and Michelle Steel in that same year. Others say that the presidential race is just as likely to inflate turnout among Republicans.

“It’ll be close, but Valadao will win,” said Cathy Abernathy, a Republican campaign consultant in Kern County. “And he’ll win most likely because Trump’s on the ballot.”

The Republican voter base is also growing in the Central Valley districts represented by Mr. Valadao and Mr. Duarte, according to registration records by the California secretary of state’s office, a net gain of several thousand voters in both districts from September 2022 to February this year — exceeding the narrow margin of victory in those seats in the 2022 races.

“It’s a little bit of contrast to, I think, the typical narrative that people of color are more progressive-minded,” said Rachel Hernandez, a member of the City Council in Riverbank who is running for mayor. Instead, she added, “what we’re seeing in the Central Valley is that the Latino community is electing more conservative candidates.”

Ms. Hernandez added that, for now, that is not an irreversible trend, but a warning sign for Democrats to pay attention to the nuances of the Latino electorate. She encouraged many of the same tactics that Battleground California says it plans to use: molding a message for the needs of a specific community, and working with staff members and volunteers who represent the community.

“My volunteers, for example, up until just this weekend actually, were all young women,” Ms. Hernandez said. “Young Latina women, college-aged, who approached me because they were saying ‘Wow, this is like our campaign.’”

Trump is heading to two Midwest battlegrounds, his first major campaign events since his criminal trial began.

Former President Donald J. Trump will return to the campaign trail today, with stops in Wisconsin and Michigan, his first major events in battleground states since the beginning of his felony criminal trial three weeks ago.

Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver remarks “about the fight for reproductive freedoms” in Jacksonville, Fla., as a six-week abortion ban begins in that state. Her visit is part of a national tour aimed at energizing Black voters in battleground states. In Washington, President Biden will attend a campaign reception at the Mayflower Hotel.

Mr. Trump will first deliver remarks in Waukesha, Wis., before holding a rally later in the evening in Freeland, Mich. Thousands of voters in the county, Saginaw, backed Nikki Haley in the Republican primary, though Mr. Trump has so far not directly appealed to her voters for support.

With friendly audiences, Mr. Trump is likely to use his bully pulpit during his Midwest trek to attack the justice system. He has repeatedly asserted without evidence that his legal troubles are a conspiracy to interfere in the election, and he has argued that he should be immune from criminal charges for actions he took as president — while simultaneously promising to wield the Justice Department to go after President Biden and his family .

But Mr. Trump became familiar with the limits of those attacks on Tuesday, when the judge in his criminal trial held him in contempt for violating a gag order for attacking witnesses and jurors. He was fined $9,000 and ordered to take down offending posts on his social media site, Truth Social. Mr. Trump complied and took the posts down before a midafternoon deadline.

The former president is also expected to speak about escalating clashes between the police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators on college campuses. Mr. Trump has painted the mostly peaceful protests as “riots,” filled with “tremendous hate.” He has also repeatedly distorted the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017 in comparing the two events, describing it on Tuesday morning as “a big hoax” when compared with the campus protests.

Reporting from Atlanta

Federal judges block Louisiana’s newly drawn congressional map.

A newly drawn congressional map in Louisiana was struck down on Tuesday by a panel of federal judges who found that the new boundaries, which form a second majority Black district in the state, amounted to an “impermissible racial gerrymander” that violated the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

The 2-to-1 ruling now leaves uncertain which boundaries will be used in the November elections, which are just six months away and could play a critical role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives.

Critics warned that the decision could have broader implications on voting rights. Eric H. Holder Jr., the former U.S. attorney general and current chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said the “ideological nature of the decision could not be more clear.”

Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill, a Republican, indicated on Tuesday that the case could advance to the U.S. Supreme Court. “I’ve said all along the Supreme Court needs to clear this up,” she wrote on social media .

The judges have scheduled a hearing on May 6 to discuss next steps. The Louisiana secretary of state has ordered that the congressional map be finalized by May 15.

Read the Federal Judges’ Ruling

A newly drawn congressional map in Louisiana was struck down by a panel of federal judges who found that the new boundaries, which form a second majority Black district in the state, amounted to an “impermissible racial gerrymander” that violated the U.S. Constitution.

The new districts had been outlined in January during a special session of the State Legislature. Lawmakers had been ordered to sketch out the new boundaries after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the previous map had very likely violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the voting power of Black residents.

But the new maps went before another panel of federal judges after a group of residents scattered across the new congressional district who describe themselves as “non-African American” voters challenged the maps. They argued that lawmakers had moved to “segregate voters based entirely on their races,” and to achieve that they stitched together “communities in far-flung regions of Louisiana.”

The new majority Black district cuts across a long, narrow swath that reaches from Baton Rouge, the capital city in the toe of Louisiana’s boot, to Shreveport, in the northwest corner of the state. About 54 percent of the district’s population is Black.

In the ruling on Tuesday, Judges David C. Joseph and Robert R. Summerhays, both of the Western District of Louisiana, acknowledged that factors other than race, like protecting certain incumbents, had figured into the process. Even so, they said, it was evident that creating a second district with a majority of Black voters was lawmakers’ overarching objective.

“The predominate role of race in the state’s decisions,” the judges wrote, “is reflected in the statements of legislative decision makers, the division of cities and parishes along racial lines, the unusual shape of the district and the evidence that the contours of the district were drawn to absorb sufficient numbers of Black-majority neighborhoods to achieve the goal of a functioning majority Black district.”

The judges noted that the ruling did not decide “whether it is feasible to create a second majority Black district in Louisiana that would comply” with the Equal Protection Clause. But they added that the Voting Rights Act “never requires race to predominate in drawing congressional districts at the sacrifice of traditional districting principles.”

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Carl E. Stewart of the Fifth Circuit argued that the challengers had failed to prove that their constitutional rights were violated.

“The totality of the record,” he wrote, “demonstrates that the Louisiana Legislature weighed various political concerns — including protecting of particular incumbents — alongside race, with no factor predominating over the other.”

The ruling is the latest wrinkle in the lengthy legal battle over the shape of Louisiana’s congressional districts and comes as other Southern states have also been forced by courts to redraw district lines amid accusations of racial discrimination.

Louisiana was obligated to redraw congressional districts after the 2020 census to take into account population changes. The census had found that the Black population in the state had increased by 3.8 percent over the past decade, meaning that roughly a third of the overall population was Black. But in the map drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature, only one of the six congressional districts had a majority Black population.

In June 2022, a federal judge found that the map had been racially gerrymandered and illegally weakened the electoral power of Black voters. The judge ordered lawmakers to create another district that would give Black voters the chance to elect a candidate of their choice. But the disputed map was still used in the 2022 election.

Other Southern states had also been ordered to redraw maps after a surprise U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year in which the justices threw out Alabama’s congressional boundaries, finding that they did not adequately account for the state’s Black population. The ruling reaffirmed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which had been diminished over the years by the court’s conservative majority.

Critics of Tuesday’s ruling argued that the repercussions in Louisiana could extend beyond a single election, or even partisan divisions. Ashley Shelton, who leads the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, which was part of the challenge to the original 2020 map, said she and others remained undeterred.

“We will continue to fight for a map that reflects our communities, that honors the promise of the Voting Rights Act,” Ms. Shelton said, “and that respects the voices of thousands of Louisianians who have engaged throughout the redistricting process. We have been clear since day one in our call for a fair and representative map.”

Nicholas Fandos

Democrats win a special House election in New York, narrowing the Republican majority.

Timothy M. Kennedy, a Democratic New York State senator, easily won a special House election on Tuesday to replace a retiring congressman in western New York, according to The Associated Press .

The victory was hardly a surprise. Democrats have controlled the Buffalo-area district for decades. And Mr. Kennedy outspent his Republican opponent, Gary Dickson, by an eye-popping 47 to 1 .

But his victory will have an immediate impact on the House at a time when Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana is laboring to hold onto a narrow Republican majority and fend off a rebellion on his right flank.

Once Mr. Kennedy is seated, Mr. Johnson’s margin will effectively shrink to just a single, tenuous vote on partisan issues. A handful of special elections in Wisconsin, Ohio, Colorado and California are expected to offer Republicans reinforcements, but not until this summer.

In the meantime, Mr. Kennedy, 47, is expected to provide a reliably liberal vote. He campaigned on a familiar Democratic platform, promising to fight for federal infrastructure dollars for a region that has struggled economically, for federal abortion rights and against former President Donald J. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee to face President Biden this fall.

Mr. Dickson, a former F.B.I. agent and local town supervisor, ran a relatively moderate campaign for a Republican in the Trump era. He had endorsed the former president, but called the Jan. 6 Capitol riot “a travesty.” He supported Ukraine’s war against Russia and federal investment in transportation projects, spending priorities that more conservative Republicans forcefully oppose.

But it was not enough to win over a district that counts more than twice as many Democrats as Republicans. With 62 percent of the votes counted, Mr. Kennedy was beating Mr. Dickson by 34 percentage points, 67 to 33.

The seat was vacated in February by the retirement of Brian Higgins , a moderate Democrat who had represented the Buffalo area for 19 years.

Mr. Higgins, who left the job early to lead Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, was part of a wave of seasoned lawmakers from both parties heading toward the exits this year. Like many others, Mr. Higgins, 64, cited an increasingly toxic and unproductive environment on Capitol Hill.

Mr. Kennedy is a former occupational therapist who has served in the New York State Senate since 2011. In Albany, he led an important legislative committee on transportation and supported a tough package of gun safety measures after a racist shooter killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket in 2022. He also earned a reputation as a prolific fund-raiser.

He was selected directly by party leaders as the Democratic nominee to serve the remainder of Mr. Higgins’s term. Mr. Kennedy will likely remain in campaign mode this year, with a Democratic primary in June and November’s general election still ahead.

The district sweeps north from Buffalo, including the city, many of its suburbs and Niagara Falls.

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