On the surface, Augusta National appears to have declared war on technology. Cellphones aren't allowed, scoreboards are manually operated and the main clock is a sundial. But behind the scenes, golf's grandest event is a technological marvel.

State of play: The Masters app, developed by Augusta and IBM, is widely considered the best app in sports despite only being fully operational for one week every year.

• The app is a "365-day operation," says Shannon Miller, a partner and lead of IBM Consulting's sports and entertainment practice.
• But the magic happens the week of the tournament, in a white building with black shutters tucked away on the Augusta grounds.
• That's where teams from IBM and the Masters turn a sea of data into a streaming experience that even Netflix engineers consider to be the best in the world (outside of Netflix, of course).

Between the lines: Roughly 20,000 shots are hit during any given Masters, and IBM gathers 30+ data points for each shot using cameras, microphones and lasers. That data is then used to power features like custom broadcasts and instant highlights.

• Custom broadcast: The popular "My Group" feature lets fans watch every shot on every hole from all their favorite players. IBM's Watson AI determines the most important shots to show and can even provide commentary.
• Instant highlights: AI scours footage for visual and audio cues (think: the roar of the crowd or a celebratory fist pump) to find each round's most significant moments. Minutes later, a three-minute highlight reel is available in the app.

The big picture: It's a bit ironic that a golf club with a strict "no phones" policy has a world-class mobile app.

• But after 27 years of partnership with IBM, it's not all that surprising that the Masters, rooted in the past, also feels like the future.
• Next up for Augusta: a long and well-deserved offseason.
• Next up for IBM: Wimbledon, where it will play a similar role behind the scenes.

Jeff Bezos will not bid on the Commanders, per multiple reports.

The backdrop: The world's third-richest man has been linked to the Washington franchise ever since current owner Dan Snyder enlisted Bank of America in November to explore a potential sale.

• In hindsight, some of the speculation about Bezos' interest may have been overblown. But there's no denying that he was legitimately interested.
• The Amazon founder hired bankers to explore an offer, signed an NDA to view the team's financials, and spoke directly with Snyder around the holidays, per Puck News ($).

Where it stands: A group led by Josh Harris, who owns the 76ers and Devils, has reportedly submitted a ~$6 billion bid. The group also includes Magic Johnson and billionaire Mitchell Rales, who like Harris is from the D.C. area.

The 12-0 Rays remain atop our power rankings this week, and they're now just one win shy of matching the longest season-opening winning streak in modern MLB history, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

Spotlight: A brief look at one team each from the top, middle and bottom thirds of our rankings.

• No. 6 Brewers: Milwaukee's hot start, paired with the Cardinals' slow one, has flipped the NL Central title odds in their favor. But a new challenge awaits: Co-ace Brandon Woodruff just landed on the 15-day IL (shoulder).
• No. 20 Diamondbacks: Arizona has vaulted into the top 20 despite all their games coming against the mighty Brewers, Dodgers and Padres. My wild card prediction looks good early.
• No. 30 Athletics: Oakland has by far the worst run differential (minus-49) and average attendance (11,428) in baseball as rumors continue to swirl about a possible move to Las Vegas.

🏒 Streak snapped: The Penguins were eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday, ending the longest active postseason streak in North American major sports (16 straight).

⚽️ One leg complete: All four Champions League quarterfinals have completed the first of two legs. Man City leads Bayern, 3-0; Inter Milan leads Benfica, 2-0; Real Madrid leads Chelsea, 2-0; AC Milan leads Napoli, 1-0.

🏈 NFL x New Balance: NFL Pro Bowler Chase Young has signed with New Balance, becoming the brand's first NFL athlete. The Commanders' star pass rusher will work with New Balance to create its first football cleat.

⚾️ Ohtani's latest record: Shohei Ohtani's outing on Tuesday was his 10th straight start allowing two runs or fewer, breaking Nolan Ryan's 50-year-old franchise record.

The total value of sports media rights in the U.S. across TV and streaming will surpass $30 billion by 2025, per data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Why it matters: The inclusion of deep-pocketed tech giants like Apple and Amazon bidding for sports rights has driven the price sky-high, Axios' Tim Baysinger writes.

What's next: A slew of key deals up for renewal in the next few years will only drive the price up further. The most notable is the NBA, which just agreed to a new CBA with its players and will begin negotiations soon.

💭 Tim's thought bubble: It's getting harder for media companies, especially those tied to the fading cable TV bundle, to justify these high prices. This threatens to push sports into a subscription-based environment.

• Sports leagues will be faced with a choice: Reach the biggest audience, or get the most money. They may no longer be able to get both.

The Hughes family had quite a night on Tuesday, when brothers Jack and Luke each hit major career milestones in the Devils' 6-2 win over the Sabres, Jeff writes.

• Jack, 21, scored his franchise-record 97th point with a third-period goal.
• Luke, 19, made his NHL debut just five days after his Wolverines were knocked out of the Frozen Four.

By the numbers: The Hugheses are just one of 31 sets of siblings currently playing in the NHL — by far the most among the big four leagues. The NBA has 13, the NFL has 10 and MLB has eight.

What they're saying: When asked after the game how he thought his parents would celebrate the big night, Jack said, "Probably sitting on the couch watching Quinn play!"

That's right ... There's a third Hughes brother in the NHL, and 23-year-old Quinn is no slouch. The Canucks defender has 66 assists this season, eighth-most in the league.

The big picture: The Hughes brothers, who were born in the U.S. but raised near Toronto, are one of just three active sibling trios* in North American major sports.

• 🏒 Hughes: Jack (Devils), Luke (Devils), Quinn (Canucks)
• 🏒 Staal: Eric (Panthers), Marc (Panthers), Jordan (Hurricanes)
• 🏀 Holiday: Jrue (Bucks), Justin (Mavericks), Aaron (Hawks)

*Of note: The Watts (J.J., T.J. and Derek) were part of this list until J.J.'s recent retirement, and the Antetokounmpos (Giannis, Thanasis and Kostas) were at the start of the season when Kostas signed a two-way deal with the Bulls, but now he plays in Turkey.

Imagine taking the best parts of NASCAR, the X Games and motocross and merging them together. Okay, now stop imagining because that sport exists. It's called Supercross.

30 of the NHL's 32 teams are in action tonight for the unofficial regular-season finale. All 16 playoff spots have been secured, but teams are still jockeying for position.

• National TV: Blues at Stars (8pm ET, ESPN); Golden Knights at Kraken (10:30pm, ESPN) ... See the full slate.
• State of play: The regular season will officially conclude tomorrow with two makeup games: Sabres at Blue Jackets and Avalanche at Predators.

More to watch:

• ⛳️ PGA Tour: RBC Heritage (7:30am, ESPN+; 2pm, Golf) ... 38 of the world's top 50 golfers tee it up in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
• 🏒 Women's Hockey Worlds: USA vs. Germany (1:30pm, NHL); Canada vs. Sweden (5pm, NHL) … Quarterfinals.
• 🤸🏾‍♀️ NCAA gymnastics: Championship semifinals (3pm, ESPN2) … Finals are on Saturday.
• ⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Reds (6:40pm, MLB.TV) … Free game of the day.
• ⛳️ LPGA: Lotte Championship (7pm, Golf/Peacock)
• ⚽️ CONCACAF Champions League: Tigres (up 1-0) vs. Motagua (10pm, FS1) … Quarterfinals, second leg.

Five NBA teams have made the playoffs in each of the past five seasons (note: the play-in tournament is not the playoffs).

• Question: Can you name them?
• Hint: Four East, one West.

Answer at the bottom.

In 1773, Boston famously staged a protest involving tea. 250 years later, they're rebelling over condiments.

Driving the news: Red Sox fans have begun airing their grievances about the ketchup at Fenway Park, which is sugar- and gluten-free.

• The change happened in 2020 when the team switched suppliers and signed a three-year partnership with True Made Foods.
• Some fans are so displeased with the supposedly subpar ketchup that they've begun rolling up to Fenway with their own Heinz packets.