After an enforced absence in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Open is thankfully back on this year's golf calendar.
Royal St George's will host the 149th edition of the tournament, a welcome return to the Kent course that saw Darren Clarke triumph a decade ago.
Shane Lowry is the defending champion, having prevailed at Royal Portrush in 2019, but can he retain his crown? Will one of the big guns instead get their hands on the famous Claret Jug, or could another long shot follow in the footsteps of Ben Curtis, an unlikely champion at the venue back in 2003?
Ahead of the opening round, it is time to take a look at some of the players who could be in contention for glory in the final major of the year.
RAHM READY FOR OPEN CHALLENGE – Nicholas McGee
Jon Rahm has struggled to capture his best in four previous appearances at The Open, just one of which has seen him finish with an under-par score (-3 in 2019). However, only in 2018 has he missed the cut, and his blistering form in 2021 suggests he should be firmly in the mix this week.
His 11 top-10 finishes rank as the most on the PGA Tour this season. Rahm also leads the tour in scoring average (69.6) and in strokes gained (2.02 avg). Second in strokes gained tee to green and (1.82 avg) and fifth in greens in regulation (71 per cent), Rahm has displayed consistency that should lend itself to links golf. Further optimism came with a seventh-placed finish at the Scottish Open. The stage looks set for him to emphatically turn his Open fortunes around.
SPIETH HAS THE BELIEF – Russell Greaves
Jordan Spieth has three key things in his favour at this tournament: he's a man in form, he's exceptional with the putter, and he's won it before. The 2017 Champion Golfer of the Year has an overall putting average of 1.566 on the PGA Tour in 2021, placing him seventh in that metric.
That showing on the greens has laid the foundations for a year in which the 27-year-old has enjoyed eight top-10 finishes. He was in a tie for third at the Masters and boasts a career aggregate score of 21 under at the Open Championship, marking him down as a leading contender in Kent.
NO DOUBTING THOMAS AFTER RECENT RUN – Dan Lewis
Justin Thomas has struggled on the links in his career but ended up in a tie for eighth at the Scottish Open last week – his first top-10 finish since winning the Players Championship in March. He opened and closed with rounds of 65 at the Renaissance Club, where he used a new putter, and has not carded a bogey in his last 25 holes.
The 28-year-old may not be among the top group of contenders, but the 2017 US PGA Championship winner is certainly capable of carrying his momentum into this event to claim a second major in his career.
DUSTIN'S TIME TO HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT - Timothy Abraham
The form book might be against him, but world number one Dustin Johnson can have a Claret Jug-shaped silver lining to a disappointing 2021 in the majors. The American failed to make the cut at both the Masters and the US PGA Championship, alongside a 19th-placed finish in the U.S. Open this year.
An aggregate career score of +15 in The Open is hardly the stuff of a potential champion, but a decade ago he tied second behind champion Clarke. Johnson is a better player now, and the type of optimist capable of winning a major out of the blue. Write him off at your peril.
GLORY FOR RORY AGAIN? ABSOLUTELY! – Chris Myson
The Open champion in 2014, Rory McIlroy is rightly seen as a contender in Kent. He did miss the cut at this tournament in 2019 – but that was the first time he has done so since 2013.
When the Northern Irishman gets to the weekend at The Open, he is usually competitive. He had four consecutive top-five finishes prior to his previous disappointing outing and has a total of five in his career, including that triumph seven years ago. A top 10 at the U.S. Open gave McIlroy some much-needed major momentum and he can now finish with a flourish in his final opportunity this year.
HATTON CAN LINK IT ALL TOGETHER - John Skilbeck
Considering the winners Royal St George's has thrown up in the 21st century - Curtis and a past-his-prime Clarke - you might as well stick a pin in the field and take your chances. Tyrrell Hatton has twice won the Dunhill Links Championship which points to him knowing how to handle an Open course, and he has scored victories on each side of the Atlantic in the past 18 months so brings recent experience of closing out tournaments successfully.
Whether he wins or not is another thing: there are missed cuts on his Open Championship CV. However, two top-six finishes in the last four editions suggests the Englishman might not be far away.
Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker says "short memory" will help him move on from his disastrous Game 3 shooting performance ahead of Game 4 on Wednesday.
Booker shot three from 14 from the field, going at 21.4 per cent, and only made one from seven three-point attempts in Game 3, finishing on 10 points as the Milwaukee Bucks won 120-100.
The result pulled the NBA Finals series back to 2-1 in the Suns' favour ahead of Game 4 in Milwaukee.
"Short memory, just move on," Booker said when asked how when asked about his Game 3 shooting.
Booker had scored 31 and 27 points in the opening two Finals games, shooting at 48 per cent and 38.1 per cent respectively, as well as hitting seven three-pointers in Game 2.
The 22-year-old has already scored 500 points this postseason, steering the Suns to their first NBA Finals in 28 years.
Despite the momentum shift in the series and his own poor display, Booker remained unflapped.
"Just understanding the task at hand and simply you just have to be better if you want to win the game," Booker said.
"That's obviously something I want and something this whole team and coaching staff and training staff wants and this whole city wants.
"I would say it's a good pressure. These are the moments that you prepare for and that you train so hard for, what we're in right now. You have to be excited about it."
Milwaukee won praise for their defensive efforts on Booker in Game 3, but Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said his side expected him to be much improved in Game 4.
"I wouldn't say there was one specific thing or anything we did different," Budenholzer said.
"He's a great player, but he's human also. I think we're expecting we're going to have to be even better on him.
"We just got to be prepared for a really good Devin Booker going into Game 4."
Vladimir Guerrero Jr homered like his father 15 years ago as he won the MVP with the American League defeating the National League 5-2 in MLB's annual All-Star Game in Denver on Tuesday.
The American League extended their winning run to eight in a row, with Guerrero's home run marking the 200th in All-Star history.
Shohei Ohtani started on the mound for the American League All-Star team, sending down a shutout innings with no hits, tossing down the fastest pitch of the game at 100.2 mph.
Ohtani went 1-2-3, taking out Fernando Tatis, Max Muncy and Nolan Arenado.
The Japanese two-way star, who led off as the designater hitter, was zero-and-two at-bat but earned praise from American League manager Kevin Cash.
"We're all in awe of his ability to do that," Cash said about Ohtani's two-way game. "He came in hyped up on this stage.
"He gets warmed up to get take the at-bat, he was sitting in his chair to catch his breath.
"The way he's handled everything makes it more special, watching him interact with his teammates and handle the media, it's pretty remarkable."
Guerrero Jr's 468-feet home run meant the Guerreros joined the Bonds and Griffeys as father-sons who have homered in All-Star games.
The 22-year-old Toronto Blue Jays slugger went one-from-three, with two RBI along with his solo home run in the third inning and becomes the youngest MVP in history.
"It means the world to me," Guerrero Jr said. "I just want to say thank you to my dad. This is for you."
J.T. Realmuto got the National League on the board with a solo home run in the fifth inning, while Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels team-mate Jared Walsh made a crucial diving catch at left from a Kris Bryant fly ball to round out the win.
Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is confident his side is getting better after responding to rare back-to-back losses with a 108-80 win over Argentina on Tuesday.
The gold medal favourite's preparations ahead of the Tokyo Olympics were shaken up after consecutive exhibition game defeats to Australia and Nigeria.
But the Americans were much improved 12 days out from their Olympics opener, led by Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal who both had 17 points and six rebounds.
USA led 58-42 at half-time and never looked back, as Bam Adebayo returned to the starting five with good impact.
“I thought we sustained it pretty well in our game against Australia, and we competed well, rebounded, played defense, ran the floor and had good pace for one half, but then it dissipated through the second half,” Popovich said.
“Tonight, I thought we maintained [effort] pretty much throughout the game, so hopefully that's a sign that we are in a little better condition.
"To play these games is huge for us. So, it was better, and it is getting better, bit by bit, every day.”
Popovich also praised Adebayo along with Draymond Green, while Jayson Tatum missed the game with a right knee injury with no timeframe confirmed.
"I thought both Bam and Draymond Green facilitated a lot of action, and they were very active," Popovich said. "They got everybody involved, which is something that's really important for us."
Beal added that the side had learned some important lessons from the Australia and Nigeria defeats.
"The biggest thing we have to realise is that it’s not the NBA, and coach Pop keeps re-emphasizing that to us every single day," Beal said.
"It’s more physical. These guys have been playing together for five, 10-plus years, so they have this experience and chemistry. We're trying to develop that in a short period of time."
USA have further games against Australia and Spain, before departing for Tokyo next Monday with the first Olympics game against France on July 25.
The Los Angeles Clippers announced on Tuesday that star forward Kawhi Leonard has undergone surgery on a partially torn ACL.
Two-time NBA Finals MVP Leonard sat out the Clippers' last eight games in the postseason with a knee injury, with details undisclosed at the time.
The Clippers confirmed on Tuesday that the 30-year-old had gone under the knife, with no timeframe set on his recovery.
ACL surgery typically requires 12 months of rehabilitation and recovery to return to the court, although the Clippers stated Leonard's tear was only "partial" offering hope of a shorter timeframe.
Leonard originally sustained the knee injury in Game 4 of the Conference Semi-Finals against the Utah Jazz.
The Clippers had insisted Leonard was a game-by-game proposition but he did not return in the postseason as they bowed out in the Conference Finals to the Phoenix Suns.
The small forward averaged 24.8 points per game in the 2020-21 NBA regular season, along with 6.5 rebounds and a career-high 5.2 assists per game.
Leonard averaged 30.4 points per game in the postseason, with a career-best field goal percentage of 57.3 per cent, before injury intervened.
American Trayvon Bromell reinforced his favouritism for gold at the Tokyo Olympics after flying to victory in the men's 100m sprint at Gateshead on Tuesday.
Bromell won the final Diamond League race prior to the Olympics in 9.98 seconds from British pair CJ Ujah (10.10) and Zharnel Hughes (10.13) in second and third respectively.
The victory at Gateshead was 26-year-old Bromell's first-ever Diamond League triumph, following years plagued by injuries.
"I’ll take the win,” Bromell said. “I’m happy to cross the line with no injuries.
"I’m just trying to tune up for Tokyo, stay mentally relaxed and continue to fight."
Bromell started strong and finished well ahead of the field, despite Ujah's surge.
“I know I can do better than that. I want the gold," Ujah said. "This is a different CJ and I am really excited.
"It’s now about getting out to Japan, acclimatising and preparing for the race.”
Switzerland's Ajla Del Ponte won the women's 100m in 11.19 seconds, ahead of Canadian pair Khamica Bingham and Crystal Emmanuel.
Jamaican Elaine Thompson-Herah claimed her career 23rd Diamond League win in the women's 200m in 22.43 seconds.
“I am very pleased. I am going to train, reset and stay focused,” the Olympic champion said.
Britain's Jodie Williams ran second in the 200m before competing in the 400m less than an hour later and finishing second with a personal best 50.94 behind Stephenie McPherson.
Ronald Levy won the men's 110m hurdles in 13.22, while Cindy Sember won the women's equivalent in 12.69.
French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova made light work of qualifier Isabella Shinikova to start her Prague Open campaign with a win.
Following her triumph in Paris, Krejcikova made it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon only to lose to eventual champion Ash Barty.
Krejcikova will be representing the Czech Republic at the Tokyo Olympics, and is using this home tournament as a warm-up event.
The second seed defeated Shinikova 6-2 6-3 to tee up a second-round tie with Ysaline Bonaventure. With Petra Kvitova already out, Krejcikova will be hoping to seal a third singles title of her career.
Compatriot and fourth seed Marie Bouzkova did not fare well, however, as the fourth seed slumped 3-6 6-4 6-2 to world number 141 Storm Sanders.
Fellow Czechs Katerina Siniakova and Tereza Martincova did progress, beating Jodie Burrage and Samantha Murray Sharan respectively.
While Krejcikova will look to take advantage of a weakened field and prepare for the Olympics in ideal fashion, one player who will not be at the Games is Johanna Konta.
The British number one said on Tuesday she had withdrawn from Tokyo 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19 and seeing her tennis fitness suffer, having also had to pull out of Wimbledon. Konta, who is not in action this week, described the blow as "a heart-breaking reality".
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, third seed Bernarda Pera had to come from behind to beat Julia Grabher – ranked at 201 – 5-7 6-1 6-2.
Pera, who joins a fellow American seed, Danielle Collins, in round two, will next face Anhelina Kalinina.
Irina-Camelia Begu, a finalist in Budapest 10 years ago, will not be making a repeat trip to the title match, the fourth seed losing 6-3 6-4 on Tuesday to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
Meanwhile, at the Lausanne Open, fourth seed Camila Giorgi scored a ruthless 6-2 6-0 win over Norway's Ulrikke Eikeri.
Brooks Koepka would relish a Sunday showdown with rival Bryson DeChambeau at The Open as the pair's feud continued at Royal St George's.
The American duo have been exchanging barbs for a long while now, with Koepka invited to offer an explanation when he faced the media ahead of the 149th Open in Kent on Tuesday.
Koepka revealed the issue started at the 2019 Northern Trust at Liberty National after he called out his compatriot for slow play.
A disgruntled DeChambeau took it up with Koepka's caddie, Ricky Elliott, before the pair apparently decided to call it quits, only for DeChambeau to stoke the fire with some unflattering comments about his countryman during a public online video game session.
Four-time major winner Koepka explained: "It was at Liberty. He didn't like that I had mentioned his name in slow play, so we had a conversation in the locker room, and then I guess we said something else in the press conference but didn't mention his name in it, and he walked up to Ricky and said: 'You tell your man if he's got something to say, say it to me.'
"I thought that was ironic because he went straight to Ricky. Ricky told me when I came out, I hit a few putts, and then just walked right over to him, we had a conversation.
"We both agreed we'd leave each other out of it and wouldn't mention each other, just kind of let it die off, wouldn't mention each other's names, just go about it.
"So then he decided I guess he was going on that little, whatever, playing video games online or whatever and brought my name up and said a few things, so now it's fair game."
Asked about the prospect of being paired with DeChambeau for the final round at golf's oldest major this weekend, Koepka said he would be up for the battle.
"Yeah, I would enjoy it. I would enjoy it. I'll be close to the final group come Sunday," he said.
"I always feel like I play well in the big events, the majors. I think it would be a lot more people tuning in, with everything that's gone on over the last two years, something like that, three years. So yeah, I think there would be a lot of people tuning in."
With the Ryder Cup to come at Whistling Straits in September, the two are set to be team-mates, but Koepka can handle a week of being on the same side.
"It's only a week. I mean, look, I can put it aside for business," he said.
"If we're going to be on the same team, I can deal with anybody in the world for a week. I'm not playing with him.
"I'm pretty sure we're not going to be paired together; put it that way. I think it's kind of obvious. It doesn't matter.
"We're not going to be high-fiving and having late-night conversations. I do my thing, he does his thing."
Speaking later the same day, DeChambeau was a little more succinct, saying of Koepka: "He can say whatever he wants. I think he said something back at Liberty National not upholding something. I don't know what he's talking about in that regard."
Jan-Lennard Struff suffered a disappointing defeat on home soil to Laslo Djere at the Hamburg European Open on Tuesday.
Djere triumphed 6-4 7-5 against the seventh seed to book a last-16 tie against qualifier Thiago Seyboth Wild at the ATP 500 event.
It was a day of missed chances for world number 47 Struff, who took just one of eight break-point opportunities and hit five double faults as he went down in one hour and 50 minutes.
There was no such disappointment for Filip Krajinovic, though the sixth seed had to work hard before seeing off home wild card hope Daniel Altmaier 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-1.
Krajinovic will face another German next in the form of Philipp Kohlschreiber.
The number one seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is yet to start his campaign in Hamburg.
In the Nordea Open, held in Bastad, there was a first-round defeat for teenage talent and sixth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who went down in three sets to Swiss qualifier Henri Laaksonen.
Roger Federer has withdrawn from the Tokyo Olympics because of a setback to his knee suffered during the grass-court season.
Olympic gold in singles is one of the few honours missing from Federer's glittering resume, the 20-time grand slam champion having won silver in 2012, losing the gold medal match to Andy Murray less than a month after beating the Briton in the Wimbledon final.
While Murray will be in Tokyo to attempt to defend his title again having successfully retained it in 2016, Federer – a doubles gold medallist in 2008 – has elected not to make the trip to Japan.
"During the grass-court season, I unfortunately suffered a setback with my knee, and have accepted that I must withdraw from the Tokyo Olympic Games," Federer wrote in a statement on Twitter.
"I am greatly disappointed, as it has been an honour and highlight of my career each time I have represented Switzerland.
"I have already begun rehabilitation in the hopes of returning to the tour later this summer. I wish the entire Swiss team best of luck and I will be rooting hard from afar. As always, Hopp Schwiz!"
Federer missed most of the 2020 season due to persistent right knee problems that led him to undergo two surgeries.
The length of his recovery forced Federer to miss this year's Australian Open but he made his return to the tour in time for the French Open, reaching the fourth round before withdrawing to focus on the grass-court season.
Yet he was stunned by Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round in Halle and was often unconvincing in progressing to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, where his quest for a ninth title was ended by Hubert Hurkacz, the Pole becoming the first player to win a set 6-0 against Federer at the All England Club.
The 39-year-old's withdrawal makes him the latest tennis big name to pull out of the Tokyo Games. On the men's side, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem decided against competing, while Serena Williams confirmed before her first-round retirement at Wimbledon that she had no plans to play at the Olympics.
World number one Novak Djokovic has said he is "50-50" on going for his first Olympic title. Having won all three majors so far this year, Djokovic is in prime position to become the first man to do the 'Golden Slam' in the same season. Steffi Graf achieved the feat in 1988, with a sweep of the majors followed by her victory at the Seoul Olympics.
England's Football Association has been hit with four UEFA charges after trouble at the Euro 2020 final, and a separate investigation has been launched into chaotic events involving supporters at Wembley.
On Tuesday, UEFA said an ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to look into events. There were major disturbances at the stadium on the day of England's big match against Italy.
England lost the final on penalties, after 120 minutes of action ended with the contest level at 1-1.
Damage was caused prior to the match as a number of supporters were seen clashing with security as they tried to enter the stadium in north London without tickets.
The inspector will be tasked with conducting "a disciplinary investigation into events involving supporters which occurred inside and around the stadium".
UEFA confirmed it has forwarded initial charges relating to England supporters to its control, ethics and disciplinary body.
The FA faces possible sanctions over an invasion of the field of play, throwing of objects, disturbances during the national anthem and lighting of a firework.
A UEFA statement read: "Disciplinary proceedings have been opened following the UEFA Euro 2020 final match between the national teams of Italy and England, played on 11 July at Wembley Stadium, London."
After listing the charges brought against the FA, the statement added: "The case will be dealt with by the UEFA control, ethics and disciplinary body [CEDB] in due course."
UEFA previously charged England relating to their semi-final in the tournament after a laser pointer was directed at Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel prior to a penalty for the hosts, fining the FA €30,000 (£25,600) for three offences stemming from that game.
Rory McIlroy believes missing the cut at the Scottish Open could prove beneficial as he bids for glory at The Open.
The four-time major winner, who claimed the Claret Jug in 2014, endured a testing couple of days at the Renaissance Club, where an intruder attempted to steal his club.
McIlroy failed to make the weekend but that gave the 32-year-old extra preparation time ahead of the 149th Open at Royal St George's.
He will try to atone for a poor showing at the 2019 edition of golf's oldest major, where he missed the cut as the home hope at Royal Portrush.
The omens bode well for McIlroy, who has bounced back to win the next tournament in three of the previous nine instances where he has seen his campaign ended after two rounds.
Asked if that fact was mere coincidence, McIlroy said: "No, I certainly don't think it's a chance statistic.
"Look, I think in golf you always learn more about your game when you've missed a cut or struggled or not played as well. I think anyone can play well, anyone can hit the ball great and give themselves chances to win, but you just learn more.
"I've always learnt more from disappointments and from not doing as well, but I've always tried to learn. I've always tried to figure out, okay, why did this week not go so well, and then you give yourself a couple of thoughts and they're fresh in your mind going into the next week.
"That's why I say in golf there's always next week, and that's a great thing, because you can right some wrongs pretty quickly. I've been able to do that in the past.
"I missed the cut at Memorial a couple years ago, went down and won the Canadian Open the next week. Yeah, missed the cut at the Masters and then went and my next start was Quail Hollow and I won.
"Golf always just gives you another opportunity to go out and play well and to see if you've learned from your mistakes, and I've always made it a priority in my career to really try to learn from my mistakes, all the way back to what happened at Augusta in 2011 and going and winning the U.S. Open the next major."
Indeed, after his disappointment in Northern Ireland in 2019, McIlroy closed that year by winning the FedExCup, which he said "gave me a few million reasons to feel better".
He will tee off at the Kent links in pursuit of a second Open title on Thursday at 15:21 local time alongside Patrick Reed and Cameron Smith.
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