San Fernando was originally chosen as a destination because it was the nearest Port of Entry to Hong Kong. It was a quiet seaside holiday town then, and even more quiet more recently. Actually, that’s being over-polite – it was run down well beyond quaintness or shabby chic, and wasn’t really an attractive destination at all. Research Reef, that partially protected the fleet at anchor in front of Bauang Beach, had largely disappeared on account of dynamite fishing. The beach itself disappeared leaving an eroded shore line right up to cabana-style resorts that accommodated the fleet, and a change of venue was definitely called for.

For some while a coterie of RHKYC members campaigned for the race to go to Puerto Galera – the Port of the Galleons, form the days of the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. It’s a fabulous anchorage, and is officially listed as one of ‘The Most Beautiful Bays in the World’. There’s the Puerto Galera Yacht Club, which is more relaxed than a ginger cat in the sun. There are plenty of bars along the town quayside, and lots of accommodation on tap. All-in-all, it seems like a no-brainer. So this year, for the first time, it’s a race to Puerto Galera instead of San Fernando.

However. The RHKYC’s ‘senior’ race, the much-celebrated Rolex China Sea Race which has been running since 1962, began at 650nm (Hong Kong to Manila) and is now a 570nm race (Hong Kong to Subic Bay). The San Fernando Race, often considered to a less serious affair, was raced over 480nm, and the rhumb line to Puerto Galera is a full 650nm. Where that puts it in the pecking order is anyone’s guess.

Here’s another good reason for going to PG: now you’re on the lip of some of the most fabulous cruising in the world. The Philippines is massively underestimated as a cruising destination, but turn west out of PG and slip through the Calavite Passage, and you find yourself among the northern Palawan islands – Calauit, Busuanga, Culion, Linapacan – and then on to Palawan itself. Quite simply, why wouldn’t you? These days you can fly into and out of almost anywhere, straight from Manila International Airport. Some of the destinations have scheduled services, and a charter fllight is a cost effective option for the rest. Sail-World Asia once flew Subic to Puerto Galera, and landed less than 100m from our host’s house – it’s the only way to go!

PHINSAF (the Philippines Inter-island Sailing Federation) has just run its third Punta Fuego to Busuanga Race (see story, below). These are the people who run the Philippines Hobie Challenge over a different route every year, and they know a thing or two about where to go in this immense and fabulous archipelago.

It’s Singapore Yacht Show time again – currently the best boat show in Asia but held somewhat ironically in the least private-boat-friendly place in the entire SE Asia region. If you could arrange a test drive (which you can’t) the only place you’d get to outside One15 Marina would be Lazarus Island, just 1.7nm away. Who needs a boat in Singapore? If you really want to go boating hereabouts, get across the Singapore Strait to Nongsa Point (Batam, Indonesia) and start exploring the Riau Archipelago. Magic.

The 29-year-old, who opened with a 69 on Thursday, traded three birdies against as many bogeys at Augusta National to end the second round in T16 with his two-day aggregate of 3-under 141, maintaining his perfect record at the year’s opening major where he has made the cut in three appearances.

Kiradech, the first Thai to play full-time on the PGA TOUR, produced some wonderful golf to keep himself on the fringe of contention but he also endured an injury scare after producing a gutsy recovery shot on 17.

A star-studded leaderboard sees PGA TOUR stars Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, Jason Day, Adam Scott and Louis Oosthuizen sharing the halfway lead on 137, with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson amongst those lying just one back.

After an opening bogey on five, Kiradech drained a 16-foot birdie on seven and following another dropped shot on 11, the burly Thai responded brilliantly by nearly shooting a hole-in-one at the par-3 12^th hole by sticking his tee shot next to the pin.

A third birdie of the round came at the par-5 13^th hole from close range but he gave away the stroke straight back by flying the green with his approach on 14 after misjudging the wind. He needed to make a good par save from 10 feet on 16 to ensure he entered the clubhouse with a fighting 72.

“I played some good golf. The winds were everywhere and  it’s very tricky and my putting wasn’t sharp. I had chances from around 10 feet, about three or four chances but overall even par on this course is acceptable,” said Kiradech, who finished T15 and T44 in 2016 and 2018 here.

Kiradech, who played alongside Japan’s Shugo Imahira and recent WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion Kevin Kisner, took some time to shake off pain in his right knee after tumbling onto the turf following a hooked approach shot around some pine trees on the 17^th hole.

“I think I’ll be fine. I felt sharp pain on my right knee and I fell down. It took a few minutes to recover,” he  said.

Maverick Viñales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) upset the odds on Day 1 at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, ending Friday at the top of the timesheets to depose six-time COTA winner Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team). Viñales stalked the reigning Champion’s laptimes throughout the day and by the end of action his 2:03.857 was just enough to pull 0.044 clear. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) completes the top three, with just 0.146 splitting the trio. Top Independent Team rider Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) was incredibly close, however – only another 0.002 in arrears in P4.

After a cat and mouse FP1 between Marquez and Viñales, action really heated up with 11 minutes to go in FP2. The weather forecast looks like it could well worsen, meaning Friday’s times could decide direct entry to Q2 if conditions don’t allow riders to improve in the third practice session of the weekend on Saturday morning. The stage was therefore set for a serious time attack on Friday – and one that Viñales topped.

Rossi was the first big improver; ‘The Doctor’ jumping up to P2 from P9 to put himself 0.105 off leader Marquez, before it was red sectors galore on the timing screens as FP2 entered the final seven minutes. Miller was shadowing Marquez and initially it was the Ducati man who took top spot as the pair crossed the line exchanging fastest laps. But it wouldn’t last long as Viñales took over at the top, going quicker by over a tenth. After that benchmark was laid down, it looked like Marquez would go back to the top but a moment for the reigning Champion kept him in P2.

Behind the four riders within a tenth and a half at the top, Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was the man who locked out the top five, two and a half tenths down on Viñales. Behind him, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took P6 with a late lunge – and broke some hearts at Mission Winnow Ducati as that pushed Andrea Dovizioso out of the top ten. Teammate Danilo Petrucci also misses out on a provisional automatic Q2 place, as does Repsol Honda Team’s Jorge Lorenzo.

Seventh was a completely different story. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pol Espargaro built on an impressive FP1 to get right in the mix in FP2 as well, putting in an impressive lap to take P7 – only just over half a second off the top for the Austrian factory. Next up was Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) in eighth, with his rookie teammate Fabio Quartararo just behind him. Second rookie Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) completed the top ten for a provisional place in Q2, with he and teammate Jack Miller the Borgo Panigale representatives highest up the timesheets on Friday.

The aforementioned Dovizioso was P11, with rookie Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) splitting him from teammate Petrucci, who was down in 13th. Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) and Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) complete the top fifteen, just ahead of Lorenzo.

Will the weather hold on Saturday morning and give us an almighty fight in FP3 for a place in Q2? Or have the cards been played until Q1 and qualifying? Practice for the premier class begins at 9:55 (GMT -5), before qualifying and Q1 from 14:10.

Liverpool are chasing their first English top-flight title since 1990. A victory over the Blues at Anfield would be a big step toward that dream.

But Chelsea stirs some extremely unpleasant memories for everyone connected with the Premier League leaders.

Back in 2014, Liverpool, then managed by Brendan Rodgers, sat top of the table when they were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea at Anfield in a match made famous by a costly slip from Steven Gerrard that gifted a goal to Demba Ba.

That painful loss came at a similar stage of the campaign and current title rivals Manchester City went on to lift the trophy by two points.

With Liverpool sitting two points clear of City, who have a game in hand, there is just as much at stake for the Reds in their latest meeting with Chelsea.

Few Liverpool players remain from that game and Klopp is adamant that past failures will be a burden for this generation.

“I’m not sure that’s in anyone’s mind. You can tell all the fans out there to ignore it. It has nothing to do with us. It is a completely different story,” Klopp said.

“It’s all about the game on Sunday. Anyone who wants to talk to any of my players about what happened years ago, don’t do it. We want to write our own history.

“I’m not nervous. I feel the intensity of the competition, but we see the positivity of the moment.

“We want to make the next step because it’s not over yet. We try to encourage them to play ‘big balls’ football. We will make mistakes and we have to deal with them.”

For all Klopp’s optimism, Liverpool have not beaten Chelsea at Anfield in their past eight encounters, a barren run that includes a 2-1 League Cup defeat this season inspired by Eden Hazard’s superb late winner.

Klopp is well aware of the threat posed by Hazard, who is in fine form after scoring sublime goals against West Ham and Brighton recently.

– ‘Big targets’ –

“Hazard is in very good shape. On his day he can be the world’s best,” he said. “In a one-on-one situation you can’t defend him. If he plays his best game we have to live with that.

“But he has to play against us as well. We have to stop a few passes to him, read the game and react a bit quicker.”

By the time Liverpool kick off on Sunday, they will find themselves knocked down to second place if City win at Crystal Palace a few hours earlier.

But if City slip up in south London, Liverpool can stretch their lead by beating Chelsea in the last major obstacle on their road to the title, with four eminently winnable games remaining.

“We have to create the power of Anfield and use it,” Klopp said. “We have only big games now. We have really big targets, that is clear. We have to fight for it.”

Chelsea are determined to spoil Liverpool’s title ambitions again as they cling to third place in a tense struggle to qualify for the Champions League via a top four finish.

Blues captain Cesar Azpilicueta played in the 2014 upset in a team that included current Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, who was given extra motivation to beat his old club when a group of Chelsea supporters were filmed chanting racist abuse the about Egyptian in midweek.

“It was a few years ago, but we went there and they had the party ready because they were smashing every team at Anfield,” Azpilicueta said.

“We enjoyed that day and hopefully we can replicate it on Sunday.”

For 11-time tournament champion Nadal, it’s all about his troublesome left knee.

For Djokovic, the major goal will be to emerge from a minor slump which left the world number one short of the quarter-finals at both the Indian Wells and Miami Masters events last month.

The Serb, embroiled in ATP political issues as president of the Player Council, has admitted to recent distractions.

“I just had way too many things off the court. I guess that affected me a little bit on the court,” he said after going out in the last 16 in Miami.

Djokovic has plenty on the line at his home base in Monaco, with the 31-year-old looking ahead to completing a possible “Djoko Slam” with a French Open title in two months.

He collected trophies at Wimbledon and the US Open before defeating Nadal last January for a seventh title in Melbourne.

“I grew up on clay, so I like playing on it, though statistically hard court was always my most successful surface,” Djokovic said after exiting in Miami. “I definitely have to play better.”

While revealing no details, the winner of 15 Grand Slam titles admitted that he was not particularly fit for the American hardcourt swing.

“I didn’t feel my best health-wise, as well, in Indian Wells and Miami. But, hey, look, you learn that’s life.”

– Nadal’s points haul at risk –

The Nadal camp has put a positive spin on the condition of Spain’s king of clay, posting on social media footage of a final practice session before he left his Mallorca home to train at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner, and defending champion in the principality, has not competed since withdrawing from his semi-final clash against Roger Federer at Indian Wells a month ago.

The distraught Spaniard flew home for medical tests and can only hope that his chronically bad left knee will hold up in the gruelling run to  Roland Garros, which begins May 26.

Nadal is defending a massive haul of more than 4,000 ranking points from 2018, thanks to titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Paris.

But injury also blighted him last season, with the Spaniard only able to compete on a limited basis.

“It’s tough to play only nine events a year and to finish only seven,” he said. “In times of injuries, I want to suffer less.”

Federer, a four-time Monte Carlo finalist, is again skipping the renowned event, with the 37-year-old set for a return to clay for the first time since 2016 when he plays next month at Madrid prior to returning to Roland Garros.

Should he go out early, the Rome Masters a week later is holding a wildcard for the Swiss icon.

– Zverev looks to rebound –

The opening of the clay campaign could mean a fresh start for No.3 Alexander Zverev, who lost the Acapulco final last month to Nick Kyrgios but has done little else of note in 2019 after winning the ATP Finals in November.

He crashed out of this week’s Marrakech tournament in the second round.

The German will hope to rediscover his form in Monte Carlo, where he is now based. His best showing at the event was a 2018 semi-final, which he lost to Kei Nishikori.

Hoping to again pose a threat on clay will be last year’s Roland Garros finalist Dominic Thiem.

The Austrian, ranked fifth, made a breakthrough with his first Masters 1000 trophy at Indian Wells, but lost days later in the Miami first round.

Thiem has all but dropped longtime mentor Gunter Bresnik, instead working with travelling coach Nicolas Massu, the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist.

Thiem has never been past the Monte Carlo quarters, losing to Nadal at that stage a year ago.

Nishikori is back for his first clay appearance since Paris last June while Wimbledon finalist Kevin Anderson has withdrawn to give a healing shoulder injury another week of rest.

Tenth-ranked American John Isner is also missing after suffering a foot stress fracture in Miami as he lost to Federer in the final.

ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR highlighted the biggest and brightest stars of ONE Championship who came out to showcase their incredible skills. In the main event, reigning ONE Featherweight World Champion Martin Nguyen retained his title with a scintillating knockout of Narantungalag Jadambaa. In the co-main event, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio avenged a prior loss to Yosuke Saruta to be crowned 2-time ONE Strawweight World Champion.

Visit the official ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR photo gallery by clicking: https://bit.ly/onephotos

In the main event of ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR, Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen of Vietnam and Australia continued his reign over the featherweight division with a spectacular knockout victory over former World Champion Narantungalag Jadambaa of Mongolia to retain the ONE Featherweight World Title. Nguyen and Jadambaa exchanged thunderous strikes in the opening round, both looking to end the night early. In the second round, Nguyen punished Jadambaa with powerful kicks to the leg before unleashing a perfectly-placed flying knee to take the Mongolian star out and remain the featherweight division’s king.

In the co-main event, Joshua “The Passion” Pacio of the Philippines reclaimed the ONE Strawweight World Championship in highlight-reel fashion after knocking out Japan’s Yosuke “The Ninja” Saruta in their highly-anticipated World Title rematch. Pacio survived some early trouble courtesy of a first-round knockdown from Saruta and began getting more comfortable with his strikes as the bout wore on. In the fourth round, Pacio caught Saruta with a well-timed high kick that instantly knocked Saruta out.

Japan’s Tatsumitsu “The Sweeper” Wada booked his ticket to the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Semi-final round after defeating Cuban Greco-Roman Wrestling World Champion Gustavo “El Gladiador” Balart via unanimous decision. The former DEEP Flyweight World Champion Wada utilized his height and reach advantage to outstrike Balart and keep the relentless Cuban grappler at bay. After three rounds of action, Wada earned the victory and the right to face Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in the next round of the flyweight tournament.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Leandro “Brodinho” Issa showcased his elite grappling skills with a first-round submission win over China’s Fu Chang Xin. Issa brought the action to the ground early and wasted no time in imposing his will on the mat, working his way into an armbar with relative ease. Issa then transitioned into a triangle choke before locking in another deep armbar to force the tap from Fu in the opening round.

Romanian kickboxer Andrei “Mister KO” Stoica prevailed over Morocco’s Ibrahim “Mr. Cool” El Bouniin an action-packed ONE Super Series kickboxing bout. The two world-class light-heavyweight strikers figured in an intense back-and-forth bout as they stood toe-to-toe and went strike-for-strike until the final bell. After three rounds of action, it was Stoica who was declared the winner.

Unbeaten American James Nakashima picked up a massive win after an apparent knee injury rendered former World Title contender Luis “Sapo” Santos of Brazil unable to continue in the second round of their welterweight contest. Santos found success in the early moments of the bout, using his elite-level Muay Thai striking to punish Nakashima in the stand up. In the second round however, Nakashima countered a kick with a takedown and landed awkwardly on Santos’ left leg, ultimately leading to the stoppage.

Filipino featherweight contender Edward “The Ferocious” Kelly weathered a storm of submission attempts from South Korean grappler Sung Jong Lee to score a second-round TKO win in front of his hometown crowd. Kelly fought off a wave of kneebar and heel hook attempts from Lee, who was in constant pursuit of grappling exchanges. Kelly turned the tables in the second round however, as he fended off yet another submission attempt and pounded Lee out with piston-like punches for the stoppage win.

Brazilian kickboxing World Champion Anderson “Braddock” Silva announced his arrival to the global stage of ONE Championship, knocking out Australia’s Andre “The Giant” Meunier in the first round of their ONE Super Series kickboxing bout. The hard-hitting heavyweights wasted no time in providing fireworks as they traded massive combinations right off the bat. Midway through the opening round, Silva connected on a counter-right hook that knocked Meunier out cold instantly.

“Pretty Boy” Kwon Won Il of South Korea bounced back in a big way after making quick work of Filipino veteran Eric “The Natural” Kelly with a flash knockout in the first round. Kwon landed a well-placed right straight that rocked and dropped Kelly. The Korean prospect finished things off with some ground-and-pound for the stoppage win in just 19 seconds.

Thai legend Saemapetch Fairtex was once again victorious on the ONE Super Series stage, as he outstruck Serbian-American Ognjen Topic en route to a hard-earned a majority decision win. Saemapetch was aggressive from the opening bell, overwhelming Topic with a seemingly unending barrage of strikes. Topic rallied late in the final round, but it proved to be too late, as Saemapetch walked away with the judges’ decision.

China’s “The Stalker” Xie Bin scored another impressive win after submitting Afghanistan’s Ahmad Qais Jasoor in the second round. It was a competitive opening round between the two bantamweight contenders, as they displayed their grappling skills by trading submission attempts. In the second round, Xie wasted little time in getting the action to the ground and worked his way into a deep D’Arce choke that left Jasoor with no other option but to tap out.

Singaporean flyweight Niko Soe was triumphant in his return to the ONE Championship Circle, defeating Indonesian wrestling champion Eko Roni Saputra via doctor stoppage due to injury. Soe connected on a glancing elbow midway through the first round that opened up a cut on Saputra’s head, prompting an official halt to the action. After getting inspected by the cageside physician, it was ruled that Saputra would be unable to continue and Soe was awarded the TKO victory.

Lerdsila Phuket Top Team of Thailand put on a striking clinic as he defeated Japan’s Momotaro via unanimous decision in their ONE Super Series Flyweight Muay Thai bout. The multiple-time Muay Thai World Champion utilized a masterful mix of thunderous kicks and well-timed throws to outclass the Japanese striker on all fronts. After three rounds of action, Lerdsila earned the nod from all three judges.

Vietnamese-American women’s atomweight and ONE Championship newcomer Bi “Killer Bee” Nguyenwas impressive in her promotional debut, dominating Indonesia’s Dwi Ani Retno Wulan en route to a first-round TKO win. Nguyen was relentless as she took Wulan down to the mat early in the opening round. From there, Nguyen seamlessly transitioned into full mount and punished her opponent with strikes from the top to pick up the stoppage victory.

Kicking off the action at ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR, Filipino flyweight Ramon “The Bicolano” Gonzalescontinued his impressive run in ONE Championship by making quick work of Japan’s Akihiro Fujisawawith a submission win in the first round. Fujisawa attempted a takedown early in the first round but found himself getting caught in a deep guillotine choke. Gonzales postured up and tightened the choke, forcing Fujisawa to tap out abruptly.

Official results for ONE: ROOTS OF HONOR

ONE Featherweight World Championship bout: Martin Nguyen defeats Narantungalag Jadambaa by Knockout (KO) at 1:07 minutes of round 2

ONE Strawweight World Championship bout: Joshua Pacio defeats Yosuke Saruta by Knockout (KO) at 2:43 minutes of round 4

ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix Quarter-final bout: Tatsumitsu Wada defeats Gustavo Balart by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Catch Weight (68.0 KG) bout: Leandro Issa defeats Fu Chang Xin by Submission (Armbar) at 3:03 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Light Heavyweight Kickboxing bout: Andrei Stoica defeats Ibrahim El Bouni by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Welterweight bout: James Nakashima defeats Luis Santos by TKO (Injury) at 0:56 minutes of round 2

Featherweight bout: Edward Kelly defeats Sung Jong Lee by TKO (Strikes) at 2:51 minutes of round 2

ONE Super Series Heavyweight Kickboxing bout: Anderson Silva defeats Andre Meunier by Knockout (KO) at 1:14 minutes of round 1

Featherweight bout: Kwon Won Il defeats Eric Kelly by Knockout (KO) at 0:19 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Bantamweight Muay Thai bout: Saemapetch Fairtex defeats Ognjen Topic by Majority Decision (MD) after 3 rounds

Bantamweight bout: Xie Bin defeats Ahmad Qais Jasoor by Submission (D’Arce Choke) at 2:27 minutes of round 2

Flyweight bout: Niko Soe defeats Eko Roni Saputra by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 3:03 minutes of round 1

ONE Super Series Flyweight Muay Thai bout: Lerdsila Phuket Top Team defeats Momotaro by Unanimous Decision (UD) after 3 rounds

Women’s Atomweight bout: Bi Nguyen defeats Dwi Ani Retno Wulan by TKO (Strikes) at 3:55 minutes of round 1

Flyweight bout: Ramon Gonzales defeats Akihiro Fujisawa by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:19 minutes of round 1

City travel to Crystal Palace trailing Jurgen Klopp’s men by two points, but still with the title in their hands thanks to a game in hand.

However, the visit to Selhurst Park kicks off a tough run of fixtures in which Pep Guardiola’s men host Tottenham twice, play Manchester United at Old Trafford and face a tricky trip to Burnley.

The 1-0 defeat at Spurs in Tuesday’s first leg of their Champions League quarter-final snapped a 14-game winning streak and means Guardiola has huge calls to make with his team selection this weekend.

If he has one eye on Wednesday’s second leg on home soil, Palace could hurt City and hand Liverpool a title boost.

Roy Hodgson’s men inflicted City’s only home defeat of the campaign in December and also ended the champions’ record 18-game winning run in the Premier League last season.

– Gerrard’s slip –

Victory for City to go back on top would flip the pressure onto Liverpool’s shoulders just minutes before they kick off against Chelsea at Anfield.

The Londoners’ visit evokes memories of the last time Liverpool, who took a big step towards the Champions League semi-finals by beating Porto 2-0 at home in midweek, went close to ending their long wait for a league title.

Then under Brendan Rodgers, the Reds were three games away from glory in 2014 until captain Steven Gerrard’s now infamous slip allowed Demba Ba to score the opening goal in a gutting 2-0 Chelsea victory.

Chelsea are the only visiting side to have won at Anfield this season thanks to a wonderful Eden Hazard solo goal that sealed a 2-1 victory in the League Cup back in September.

Ominously for Liverpool, the Belgian was back to his best on Monday, scoring both goals — including another incredible individual effort — in a 2-0 win over West Ham that lifted Chelsea into third.

– Spurs look to Son –

Chelsea are likely to be back down in fourth spot by the time they kick off, as Tottenham host already relegated Huddersfield on Saturday.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men have to be wary of a Champions League hangover and need to prepare for another period without striker Harry Kane as they aim to qualify for next season’s edition of Europe’s top competition.

The England captain is expected to miss the rest of the season after injuring the same left ankle that forced him to miss seven matches earlier this year in the win over City on Tuesday.

Son Heung-min helped fill the void left by Kane back then and scored the winner against City in midweek.

Four of Tottenham’s remaining six games are at their new stadium, but much will depend on the South Korean as the club attempt to ensure Champions League football next season.

– Man Utd search for form –

Manchester United are just as desperate to be in the top four but defeats to Arsenal and Wolves during a run of four losses in five games in all competitions have seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men slip back down to sixth.

They have also been knocked out of the FA Cup and are on the brink of Champions League elimination after losing 1-0 to Barcelona at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

A reaction at home to mid-table West Ham on Saturday is an absolute must if they are to remain in contention for the top four, with a tough run of Everton, City and Chelsea to come in their following three Premier League games.

– Cardiff on the brink –

Cardiff’s trip to Burnley could have huge implications at both ends of the table.

The Welsh side seem set to join Fulham and Huddersfield in the Championship next season as they are five points adrift of safety and have Liverpool and United to come in their remaining six games.

A third straight victory for Burnley would realistically seal their survival and give Southampton, Brighton and Newcastle extra breathing space.

That could also ease the run-ins for City and Liverpool, with the champions still to travel to Burnley and Brighton, while Liverpool visit Newcastle in the penultimate game of the season.

Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated)

Friday

Leicester v Newcastle (1900)

Saturday

Tottenham v Huddersfield (1130), Brighton v Bournemouth, Burnley v Cardiff, Fulham v Everton, Southampton v Wolves, Manchester United v West Ham (1630)

Sunday

Crystal Palace v Manchester City (1305), Liverpool v Chelsea (1530)

Monday

Watford v Arsenal (1900)

The key was a 16-foot eagle putt at the par-five 13th that ignited his round — and none too soon.

“I’d been waiting for my first birdie for quite awhile, after 12 holes, one bogey and 11 pars,” he said.

“After my drive on 13, I ended up in the right rough but (at) quite a good number for my 3-iron.

“The greens are quite soft, so I could land it in the middle of the green, into the slope, bring the ball down close to the flag.

“I got about 16 feet and holed the putt, which is one of the best putts so far.”

He followed up with birdies at 15 and 16 and shared sixth place behind overnight leaders Bryson DeChambeau and BrooksKoepka.

The 29-year-old from Thailand, playing the Masters for the third time, said he’s still a long way from feeling comfortable at Augusta National, where danger lurks among the lush landscape.

“Not really,” he said. “If you go for it too much, it might hurt a lot. A couple of holes give a chance, but you have to be really careful.”

Kiradech, whose four European Tour victories include last year’s Handa World Super 6 in Perth, was delighted with his position as he vies to improve on his previous best Masters finish of equal 15th, achieved in 2016.

“Really happy with the way I started,” he said. “Three-under here is not easy at all. You have to be solid every single shot, hole the putts. This course can hurt you a lot.”