If anyone is still yet to see the benefit of the new UEFA Nations League, then I despair.

There has been plenty since the competition was announced four years ago, with most of the criticism coming from people that just don’t understand the system.

OK, it is a bit complex when you get down to the nitty gritty of how the competition links into the Euro 2020 playoffs, but the general thrust of the competition is replacing four to six meaningless friendly internationals (which, let’s be honest, none of us care about) with the same number of more meaningful matches against similarly ranked teams.

That has an obvious benefit to England boss Gareth Southgate and his preparations for next year’s Euro 2020 qualifying as we all know that at whatever level, whether it is internationals or your local five-a-side league, you’re going to put in more effort for a competitive game.

But it is a big positive for us fans as well, and the Nations League magic has certainly turned a few sceptics into believers. Who didn’t go a bit crazy when Harry Kane sent England into the inaugural Nations League finals with a late winner against Croatia on Sunday? I watched the last ten minutes in the office (for any colleagues reading, I was working, promise) and jumped out of my seat and punched the air when he sent Ben Chilwell’s free-kick into the bottom corner. A late winner in a friendly would barely have elicited a reaction, if I was even watching it in the first place.

I also found myself on tenterhooks for Switzerland and Belgium’s group showdown. Belgium were 2-0 up with Switzerland needing four goals to reach the inaugural Nations League finals next summer, and they only went and scored five. I wouldn’t have remotely cared if it had been a friendly.

The competitive element also has other benefits, with the group winners across the continent securing at least a playoff for the 2020 finals. Yes, those in the top league like Portugal, England and Switzerland would be hoping to go through automatically anyway, but it will be a big boost for the winners in the lower divisions.

One of them was Scotland, who now have a playoff in the bank regardless of how they perform in next year’s traditional qualifying group stage. They could lose all ten games but will still be just two playoff wins away from their first tournament finals since Euro 96, all thanks to the Nations League.

  • Golfers Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, two of the sport's biggest stars over the last 10-15 years, are set to go head-to-head today in a one-off winner-takes-all event called The Match at Las Vegas’ Shadow Creek course.

It all sounds quite entertaining as these two great rivals go toe-to-toe over 18 holes, but why? Neither of them are at the top of the game anymore, Phil hasn’t won a major in five years and Tiger hasn’t won one in the last decade, so why are we doing this when the sport has moved on from them?

Quite simply, money. The prize pot for the showdown is a ridiculous £7 million, especially when you consider that the pair will have earned millions throughout their career.

The amount of money involved is divisive enough (especially when none of it is for charity), but promotional photos of the pair posing with huge wads of cash was enough to turn the stomach.

It would be slightly more palatable if they were ranked one and two in the current PGA rankings, but neither even feature in the top ten (Woods is 13th and Mickelson is 27th).

It all seems a bit like two of the game’s former stars desperately looking for one last bit of attention and, crucially, one last big payday.

  • I was also happy to see young German tennis star Alexander Zverev beat Novak Djokovic in the ATP Tour Finals on Sunday. Tennis needs a future after the current golden generation eventually departs the top level of the game.

We have been treated to some brilliant tennis from Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray for the last 10-15 years, but the quartet will have disappeared from the top level of the game within five years (if not entirely) with no-one marked as an obvious heir to their thrones.

Hopefully Zverev can be the one.