Everything has led to this.
That is the slogan for this year's Open Championship, with golf's oldest major celebrating its 150th edition this week.
Delayed a year by the COVID-19 outbreak, which forced the postponement of the 2020 tournament at Royal St George's – the first time since 1945 that the Open had not been played – this proud old competition will bring up its landmark at St Andrews, the home of golf.
Even against the backdrop of the LIV Golf furore, nothing can detract from the grandeur of an Open Championship at this famous links course.
The Saudi-backed breakaway tour has of course been a recurring topic here on Scotland's east coast this week, but the truly enlivening subject – the one which has prompted the most passionate discussion – has been the Open itself; its history, its prestige, its status as an iconic event that transcends the sport itself.
And that sense of occasion is heightened by The Open's homecoming to the handsome Old Course – the oldest in the world – which clings to the Fife Coast still now, 470 years after being established there.
It may be considered good form for players to speak kindly of any host venue, but none has ever drawn such glowing praise as this storied links, which is staging The Open for the 30th time – more than any other venue on the rotation.
Those who have had the honour of playing here many times before and those who are set to embrace the St Andrews experience for the first time are united in their excitement for what is in store.
Reigning champion Collin Morikawa, whose maiden Open appearance ended in glory down in Kent last year, experienced the golfing equivalent of love at first sight when he pitched up at the Fife track.
"I love it. I can see why guys love it. I can see how special this week can be. I can see how the course can play a million different ways, depending on the weather," he breathlessly declared.
Rory McIlroy, deprived by injury of defending his title when the tournament was last played here in 2015, described winning The Open at St Andrews as "the holy grail" of golf, and all the ingredients are there for another memorable edition this time around.
The course has been basking in sunshine all week and attendees will continue to enjoy fine weather for the remainder of it, while the course set-up in general means a star-studded field will fancy their chances of carding some low-scoring rounds.
Monday's Celebration of Champions event, which saw the likes of McIlroy and Jordan Spieth entertain sizeable crowds alongside all-time greats such as Gary Player and Tom Watson, also welcomed Tiger Woods back to the course where he lifted the Claret Jug in 2000 and 2005.
His presence always adds another level of intrigue, ensuring grandstands are full and even casual observers have a familiar name to lure them in to the spectacle of it all. The man himself said "this does feel like it's the biggest Open Championship we've ever had".
Woods is one legendary name to adorn the pages of The Open's illustrious history book, and whoever lifts the Claret Jug at the 150th championship at St Andrews will join the 15-time major winner in achieving a kind of sporting immortality.
Everything has indeed led to this.
Chris Sale starred on his return following a nine-month layoff for the Boston Red Sox, fanning five across five scoreless innings in their 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Seven-time All-Star Sale had not played since last season after sustaining a stress fracture in his right rib cage in February.
Sale appeared physically stronger on his return, having also had Tommy John surgery in August last year, and displayed that on the mound, allowing only three hits while walking one with five strikeouts.
The lanky left-hander tossed down 78 pitches across the five innings, averaging 95.1 mph, maxing out at 96.9 mph.
"I'm not broken anymore," Sale said after the game. "It’s different this year. It’s definitely different this year. That’s all I’ve really got to say."
Sale's return could not inspire the Red Sox to victory, slumping to their 10th defeat from their past 15, fluffing a 2-0 lead with a sixth-inning defensive mishap and an ensuing base-running blunder.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora said: "He threw the ball well and finished well. Did an outstanding job toward the end, had good velocity and command of the pitches were OK. Delivery was under control, and he gave us five innings, so that's a good start."
Orioles maintain remarkable win streak
The Baltimore Orioles extended their win streak to nine games with a come-from-behind 4-2 triumph over the Chicago Cubs.
Trailing 2-1 in the fourth inning, Ramos Urias hit a two-run home run to put the O's ahead, with Jorge Mateo's solo blast in the seventh inning adding an insurance run.
Baltimore's run is their first single-season win streak of nine or more games since winning 13 in a row in 1999 and lifts them to a 44-44 record in the competitive American League East.
Miggy steals his way home
Veteran designated hitter Miguel Cabrera managed a rare stolen base as he scored in the Detroit Tigers won 7-5 over the Kansas City Royals to end their four-game losing run.
The 39-year-old's game included a game-tying sacrifice fly, a go-ahead ground ball and the stolen base to get home at the top of the seventh inning to put the Tigers up 5-3.
Cabrera took off for third base from second when Jose Cuas unleashed a wild pitch, but Royals catcher MJ Melendez's throw sailed wide too, allowing the veteran to keep going all the way for home. It marked Cabrera's first stolen base since 2020.
Pat Connaughton is set to extend his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, on the verge of finalising a three-year, $30 million contract extension, sources confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday.
Connaughton already helped the Milwaukee Bucks win one NBA title and will now have a few more chances to add another, in a move that will keep the 6-foot-5 swingman with Milwaukee until the 2025-26 season.
The 29-year-old had the best season of his seven-year career in 2021-22, averaging 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 26 minutes per game in 65 appearances. He also shot 39.5 per cent from three-point range and ranked third on the team with a personal-best 146 triples for the season.
A key piece during the Bucks’ NBA championship run in 2021, Connaughton’s emergence last season was one reason why the team felt comfortable trading Donte DiVincenzo to the Sacramento Kings at the trade deadline.
Connaughton put off free agency by opting into the final year of his current contract last month. He was eligible to sign an extension for up to four years and approximately $59million after opting in.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout has exited his side's game against the Houston Astros due to upper back spasms.
Trout was forced out in the fifth inning, having gone zero-for-two with two strikeouts.
The three-time American League MVP, who has been named as a starting outfielder for Friday's All-Star Game, has struggled during July, with only one home run and four RBIs in 10 games, batting at .167/.231/.250.
The Angels have slumped to a 38-49 record, after a run of eight losses in their past 10 games.
Across the season, Trout has 24 home runs and 51 RBIs from 79 games, but the Angels have missed infielder Matt Duffy and third baseman Anthony Rendon due to injuries more recently.
LeBron James has criticised the United States government for its handling of WNBA star Brittney Griner's imprisonment in Russia.
James addressed the issue in a trailer for his online talk show, "The Shop: Uninterrupted."
"Now, how can she feel like America has her back?" the Los Angeles Lakers forward said. "I would be feeling like, 'Do I even want to go back to America?'"
The episode will air in its entirety Friday on YouTube.
Griner, a seven-time WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on February 17 for carrying vape cartridges that allegedly contained cannabis products.
Last week, Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard referenced James in her plea for officials to act more quickly.
"If it was LeBron, he'd be home, right?" Nygaard said. "It's a statement about the value of women. It's a statement about the value of a Black person. It's a statement about the value of a gay person. All of those things. We know it, and so that's what hurts a little more."
The sports community has continued to advocate for Griner's return to the U.S. over the last five months, but she remains in Russian custody while the war in Ukraine continues to cause tension between Washington and Moscow.
The WNBA held its All-Star Game Sunday in Chicago, with Griner’s detention receiving plenty of attention. Players on both teams wore Griner’s No. 42 and name on their jerseys during the second half.
In recent weeks, both Griner and her wife Cherelle have had correspondence with President Joe Biden, but the administration has not publicly declared a plan for her return.
Griner entered a guilty plea last Thursday in Russian court, saying she packed the cartridges accidentally. ESPN reported over the weekend that Griner’s plea could be part of a strategy to facilitate a prisoner exchange that could also include former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is also being detained in Russia.
In June, the U.S. State Department classified Griner as being wrongfully detained.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated that returning the prisoners to the U.S. remains a priority.
"We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their loved ones," Blinken said on Twitter last week.
Fans can expect a “strong, fast, fierce and fit competition” according to Rugby Americas North Communication Manager Bryan Kelly as the July 14-17 tournament prepares to get underway at the UWI Mona Bowl in Kingston.
Kelly, in an interview with Sportsmax.TV, described the event as a development tournament.
“This is the first Rugby Americas tournament since 2019 so this event that we’re throwing this week is a development competition. In Rugby there’s two different versions of the sport. There’s Rugby 7s which they play in the Olympics and Rugby 15s which is a much longer game and the one we’ll be playing this week in Jamaica,” he said.
“We have our men’s U-19 tournament and this is the first taste of international competition that a lot of these players will have and, for the women, it’s their first time playing since 2019 and, as I said, this is 15s Rugby but because our region is still growing and we’re trying to get the Rugby ball into as many female hands as possible, they’re playing 12s which is three less players,” Kelly added.
Even with this fact, Kelly says teams will still play as hard as possible.
“Yes, this is a development tournament and yes, this is a lot of these athletes first time getting on the field in a couple of years but you will not see teams playing casually. It’s going to be a strong, fast, fit and fierce competition for all four days this week,” Kelly said.
The men’s U-19 tournament will be contested by hosts Jamaica, Mexico, USA South, Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda and Cayman Islands while the Women’s seniors will have Jamaica, USA South, Dominican Republic, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Cayman Islands.
Matches will be streamed live on the Sportsmax.TV YouTube Channel beginning on Thursday at 9:00am Jamaica Time (10:00am EST).
Andy Murray stormed to a straight-sets win over Sam Querrey at the Hall of Fame Open in Rhode Island, while 2020 US Open champion Dominic Thiem earned his first victory in over a year in Sweden.
Murray needed less than an hour to record a 6-2 6-0 triumph over the big-serving American, setting up a last-16 meeting with Australia's Max Purcell.
Three-time grand slam champion Murray hobbled out of his last meeting with Querrey at the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2017, a defeat which marked the start of his injury woes.
But he produced a polished display on the grass to wrap up his eighth career win over the American on Tuesday.
Elsewhere in Rhode Island, eighth seed James Duckworth battled to a 6-2 4-6 6-2 win over Liam Broady, and seventh seed Jiri Vesely raced to a 6-4 6-2 triumph against Spain's Feliciano Lopez.
Meanwhile, Thiem ended a 426-day wait for a Tour-level win by overcoming Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5) at the Swedish Open.
The Austrian, who has won 17 career titles, halted a run of 10 consecutive losses on the ATP Tour with his first triumph since he beat Marton Fucsovics at the last-32 stage of the Internazionali d'Italia in May 2021.
The 28-year-old expressed his delight at ending his drought in the aftermath, saying: "It's a long time. My last victory was in Rome in 2021, it feels like a different world somehow.
"Many, many things happened. It was tough, but it was also a very good experience I think, for life in general. I'm so happy that I got this first victory here today."
Thiem will face fourth seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the last 16, while Sebastien Baez will take on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after the former beat Fabio Fognini in straight sets.
The round of 32 did see two shock exits, however, with seventh seed Holger Rune succumbing to a 6-3 6-3 defeat against Switzerland's Marc-Andrea Huesler, and Nikoloz Basilashvili being forced to retire at one set down against Hugo Gaston.
Also, Francisco Cerundolo beat Pedro Sousa to set up an enticing clash with top seed Casper Ruud.
Top seed Danielle Collins suffered a shock defeat in a marathon first-round match with Simona Waltert at the Ladies Open Lausanne.
Collins, ranked a career-high seventh in the world, lost to a player 147 places below her as home hope Waltert prevailed in a final set tie-break.
The American battled back from a break down three times in the final set and had three match points in the tie-break.
But Collins could not find the telling blow as Waltert improbably turned the tide to win five successive points, and claim her first top-10 win 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 7-6 (8-6) after three hours and one minute of play.
Meanwhile, Waltert's compatriot Belinda Bencic survived a scare to avoid joining Collins on the casualty list, recovering from a set down to beat Diane Parry 3-6 6-3 6-1.
World number 77 Parry has claimed notable recent scalps in former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova at Roland Garros and Kaia Kanepi at Wimbledon, but was denied another as the second seed hit back to advance.
But there was no joy for fifth seed Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, who suffered defeat to Petra Martic, while eighth seed Varvara Gracheva lost to qualifier Eva Lys.
However, third seed Irina-Camelia Begu overcame Tamara Korpatsch in straight sets and sixth seed Caroline Garcia - fresh off a fourth-round run at Wimbledon - defeated Jasmine Paolini 6-3 6-3.
At the Hungarian Grand Prix, second seed Martina Trevisan came from a set down to survive against Natalia Szabanin and third seed Yulia Putintseva and ninth seed Anna Bondar also prevailed.
Defenseman Duncan Keith announced his retirement on Tuesday after an illustrious 17-year career in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers.
Considered one of the best blue-liners of the past two decades, Keith helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2015 as the playoff MVP.
He also earned two Norris Trophies in 2010 and 2014, making him one of only 12 players in NHL history to win the award given to the league's top defensemen twice.
A second-round pick by the Blackhawks in 2002, the 38-year-old spent his first 16 seasons in Chicago before being traded to the Oilers prior to last season.
Known as a two-way defenseman and an adept stick-handler, Keith finished his career with 106 goals and 540 assists in 1,256 regular-season games. Since his 2005-06 rookie season, Keith's 646 points and 159 +/- rating both rank fourth among all defenseman, while only Kris Russell blocked more shots (2,044) than Keith's 2,010.
Named one of the 100 Greatest Players during the NHL's Centennial season in 2017, Keith also routinely rose to the occasion and displayed his phenomenal endurance the longer the season went on, adding another 19 goals and 72 assists in 151 playoff games.
During Chicago's run to its third Cup title in a six-year span in 2015, Keith tallied three goals and 21 points in 23 playoff games with a plus-16 rating while averaging 31:07 minutes per game in ice time.
According to Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer, it's no guarantee that Baker Mayfield will be the team's starting quarterback in Week 1 against his former Cleveland Browns team-mates.
With Carolina’s acquisition of Mayfield from Cleveland for a conditional fifth-round draft pick in 2024 official, Fitterer met with the media on Tuesday and said the starting QB job is up for grabs with Mayfield, Sam Darnold, third-year pro P.J. Walker and rookie Matt Corral all in the mix.
"The reason why we added Baker was to make the group better as a whole," Fitterer said. "Our whole philosophy is to add competition not just in the quarterback room but every position.
"So if we see an opportunity to get better, where we can add a player that makes sense for us as a team, makes sense for us financially, makes sense for us just from an addition standpoint, we're going to do that.
"And with Baker being out there, having the conversations, it made sense for us."
Mayfield went 29-30 in 59 regular-season starts with the Browns after they selected him first overall in 2018. Darnold was taken two picks later by the New York Jets, who traded him to Carolina in April 2021.
Darnold appeared in 12 games last year in his first season with Carolina and went 4-7 in 11 starts.
"Sam really had a nice spring for us, stepped up, showed a lot of edge, threw the ball really well," Fitterer said. "And I think competition would be good for him, would be good for P.J., it's good for Matt Corral — the young guy that's going to be in the room learning. And it's good for Baker. It's a fresh start for him.
"So I think overall, it's a very healthy situation for us all to be in."
Potentially starting against the Browns in the season opener has Mayfield excited.
"I'm not going to sit here and be a robot and tell you that's not one I've marked on the calendar already," Mayfield said.
"One, that's not who I am. To me, it's about winning games. Whoever we have marked on the schedule, I'm going to try to win.
“Obviously, this one has a little more history and personal meaning, but for me, it's about winning and setting the tone for the rest of the year, and however I can help this team do that, I'm going to do."
An exciting finish to Stage 10 of the Tour de France saw Magnus Cort finish ahead of Nick Schultz by a matter of inches in Megeve.
With under three kilometres left, Schultz and Matteo Jorgenson caught up with Luis Leon Sanchez at the front, only for the chasing pack, including Cort, to also reach them in the closing stages.
After a few attempted to break away, it was Schultz and Cort who ultimately did so, with the victor uncertain as they both crossed the line.
Replays showed that Cort narrowly took it, and the Dane said following the race after his second Tour de France victory that it was the lure of another stage win on the tour that motivated him to push harder.
"Unbelievable," the EF Education-EasyPost rider said. "I was on the limit for so long on this climb, and luckily I had [Alberto] Bettiol up front and he was really strong, which meant I could sit on, and save some energy.
"I was losing the group a couple of times in the last few kilometres. Suddenly it was all back together and I was able to take it in the sprint.
"[The win] was huge. For me, my type of rider, it can't be any bigger than this... In my first tour I won a stage and I've been a few times without. It's unbelievable to do it again.
"When we entered the runway and I could see things coming back together, I could see the podium and the logo of the Tour de France, I thought 'I have to take this, no matter the price.'"
The 148.5-kilometre stage was always likely to be dominated by a breakaway of some sort, with 25 riders doing so, including Lennard Kamna who moved into the virtual yellow jersey for a brief period.
While Tadej Pogacar lost time in the overall classification, he remained ahead atop the GC by 11 seconds, having understandably ridden a conservative race after losing UAE-Emirates Team member George Bennett for the rest of the tour due to COVID-19.
Protest almost halts Tour de France in its tracks
The race was briefly halted with 36km still to go as protestors demonstrated in the middle of the road. The leader at the time, Bettiol, was given a new start when it resumed, with the 24 chasers and then the peloton following.
It was not the first confusing moment of the day, with the race's start also delayed due to Cofidis rider Benjamin Thomas having an issue with his shoes.
STAGE RESULTS
1. Magnus Cort (EF Education-EasyPost) 3:18:50
2. Nick Schultz (Team BikeExchange-Jayco) same time
3. Luis Leon Sanchez (Bahrain Victorious) +0:07
4. Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) +0:08
5. Dylan van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers) +0:10
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 37:11:28
2. Lennard Kamna (BORA-Hansgrohe) +0:11
3. Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) +0:39
Points Classification
1. Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) 284
2. Fabio Jakobsen (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 149
3. Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates) 139
King of the Mountains
1. Simon Geschke (Cofidis) 19
2. Bob Jungels (AG2R Citroen) 18
3. Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ) 14
Haiti strolled to their first title at the Caribbean Zonal Volleyball Association (CAZOVA) Junior Men's Championship after cruising past host Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-15) at the Southern Regional Indoor Sports Arena.
With the win in the final match of the tournament, the Junior Siecle-coached Haitians, who ended in second spot in 2017/2018 and fourth in 2015, ended with a perfect 4-0 win-loss round-robin record and 18 points, two ahead of runner-up Suriname (3-1) while Jamaica took the bronze medal with a 2-2 record and 11 points with Trinidad and Tobago (1-3) fourth with three points, and winless US Virgin Islands, fifth with a 0-4 record and two points.
The victory for Haiti put them on par with their 2015 Under-21 women's team who won their maiden title in Barbados and secured their ticket to the NORCECA Under-21 Men's Continental Championship to be hosted by Cuba from May 7 to 15, 2023.
Suriname secured a surprisingly comfortable 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18) triumph over Jamaica in a battle of teams with 2-1 win-loss records for the second spot.
With the win, the Antoine Vliet-coached Suriname, ended their four-match round-robin schedule in the five-team winner-take-all competition with a 3-1 record and 16 points to earn their best finish in the tournament history.
Despite the loss, Steve Davis, coach of Jamaica said he was very proud of his players because he knew that they worked very hard in the limited time they had to prepare.
"Today, I have no blame for the boys even though I think that we contributed to our defeat by not having a good serving, passing or attacking game. Those errors happens when there is a lack of preparation and that is what happened with us, so to come away with a medal, is still a positive and something for us to work with," Davis said.
Estakend Beauvoir of Haiti capped off a memorable tournament for his team by being named as the "Most Valuable Player.”
Beauvoir was very influential throughout the five-team round-robin tournament and picked up the "Best Scorer" accolade.
Haiti captain Dieulengy Relis who enjoyed a very productive tournament to lead his team to the historic crown copped the"Middle Blocker 1" award.
Tournament runners-up Suriname who also enjoyed their best finish at this age-group had two awardees in Jonovan Wijngaarde (Outside Hitter 1), and Jason Lesperans (Best Digger) while US Virgin Islands had four award recipients in captain Gabriel Rosa (Best Setter), De Andrae Tylor (Middle Blocker 2), and Taj Bales (Best Receiver and Best Libero).
Third-placed Jamaica received three awards thanks to Damion Smith (Best Server and Best Opposite Player), Kenneth-Roy Clarke (Outside Hitter 2).
Formula One's former race director Michael Masi has left motorsport's world governing body, the FIA.
The Australian was stood down by the organisation from his position in February following his controversial actions during the 2021 season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Masi incorrectly applied safety car rules during the closing stages, effectively helping to hand the race win – and with it, the drivers' championship – to Max Verstappen over rival Lewis Hamilton.
The FIA, which put the mistake down to "human error", initially said it would offer Masi an alternative position after the rotating duo of Eduardo Freitas and Niels Wittich took his place for the 2022 season.
But now it has been announced by the FIA that Masi, who took the race director position following Charlie Whiting's death on the eve of the 2019 season, will move on from the organisation.
"The FIA confirms that Michael Masi has decided to leave the FIA and relocate to Australia to be closer to his family and take on new challenges," read an official statement.
"He oversaw a three-year period as FIA Formula One race director and safety delegate following the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting in 2019, carrying out the numerous functions he was tasked with in a professional and dedicated manner.
"The FIA thanks him for his commitment and wishes him the best for the future."
Dominic Thiem halted a run of 426 days without a win at ATP Tour level on Tuesday, ending a dismal chapter in the career of the former US Open champion.
The Austrian, who has won 17 titles and earned $26.8million (£22.5m) in prize money, finally got another victory when he fended off Emil Ruusuvuori in round one of the Swedish Open.
It was a first success at tour level for 28-year-old Thiem since he beat Marton Fucsovics at the last-32 stage of the Internazionali d'Italia in May of last year.
He did it the hard way too, coming from a set down and prevailing in a deciding-set tie-break, winning the match 3-6 6-1 7-6 (7-5).
It brought to an end a run of 10 consecutive defeats on the ATP Tour for the former world number three, who won the US Open in 2020 but has plunged to 339th in the rankings.
Thiem recently elected to skip Wimbledon in an effort to work on his game. His losing run was interrupted by a nine-month lay-off with a wrist injury, which he suffered in a match against Adrian Mannarino at the Mallorca Championships in June 2021.
Since returning to action he had lost six ATP Tour matches in succession. A first sign of form returning came with a first-round win last week in Salzburg on the Challenger Tour, the level below the main tour, although he was beaten by Facundo Bagnis in his next match.
Thiem will look to keep up his progress when he faces Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in round two in Bastad.
Tiger Woods was desperate not to miss the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews, revealing playing at the home of golf was his focus once he knew he could compete at a high level.
Woods' future in the sport was in doubt following a car accident in February last year that left him with compound fractures in his right leg and a shattered ankle.
He said in November that his full-time career as a pro was over, however, he committed to playing a few events a year and made the weekend at The Masters in April.
Woods then played at the US PGA Championship, only to withdraw after three rounds due to a pain in his right leg, and did not compete at the U.S. Open last week.
Yet the 46-year-old was determined to tee off at St Andrews, where he won the first two of his three Claret Jugs and will tee off in a group also featuring U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa.
He told a media conference on Tuesday: "For the most part of my rehab I was just I was hoping that I could walk again, you know, walk normal and have a normal life and maybe play a little hit-and-giggle golf with my son or my friends at home.
"But lo and behold, I've played championship golf this year. And once I realised that I could possibly play at a high level, my focus was to get back here at St Andrews to play in this championship being, as I said, it's the most historic one we've ever had. I just didn't want to miss this Open here at the home of golf.
"This has meant so much to me. This is where I completed the career Grand Slam. At the time I had the record in scoring in all four major championships. So it meant a lot to me. This venue has meant a lot.
"I remember coming around here, my very first practice round, I couldn't believe how stupidly hard this place is because I played every hole into the wind. I happened to have the tide change, and I played every hole into the wind. Where do you drive some of these par-fours? This is not what people say it is. All of a sudden it changes, and I see, no, these bunkers are now in play.
"It's amazing the ingenuity that they had then that this golf course has stood the test of time to the best players."
Asked earlier if the build-up feels different as The Open celebrates 150 years, Woods replied: "It really does. It feels more historic than it normally has. And it's hard to believe that because we are coming back to the home of golf. It is history every time we get a chance to play here.
"But there's so much that's going on this week that to be able to play yesterday with Lee Buck and to hear him chatting the entire time over every shot as he's hitting the shot, and just to be able to have that type of experience. And tonight we're going to have our Champions' Dinner, because we only do it here.
"It's hard to believe, it's been 150 years we've played this tournament, and it's incredible, the history behind it, the champions that have won here. As I said, it's hard to believe it's more historic, but it really is. It does feel like that. This does feel like it's the biggest Open Championship we've ever had."
John McEnroe claims "tortured" soul Nick Kyrgios can play a big part in shaping the future of tennis, if he finds a way to manage his demons.
Wimbledon runner-up Kyrgios repeatedly lost his cool during his run at the All England Club, aiming cruel jibes at on-court officials, swearing during matches, being hostile to his own support team, and even spitting towards a spectator on one occasion.
It made it all the more remarkable that the Australian navigated a path through to the title match, albeit benefiting from a walkover in the semi-finals when Rafael Nadal pulled out with an abdominal injury.
McEnroe was no stranger to a vitriolic outburst during his playing career, earning the nickname of 'Superbrat'.
The 63-year-old is well positioned to assess the volatile Kyrgios, whose talent has never been in question but often rubs up awkwardly against his application and attitude.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, McEnroe said: "I get a lot of what's going on here more than most people.
"He's a good kid, the players like him, he's well liked in the locker room, he does a lot of charity work.
"But he's got demons you know, in a way – we all have this fear of failure, and it's a question of how you best deal with it."
McEnroe said Kyrgios "moves the needle for us in tennis", suggesting the 27-year-old has skills that can move the sport in an exciting direction.
"We need this big time, but we don't need him to try half the time," McEnroe said.
The likes of Novak Djokovic, who got the better of Kyrgios in Sunday's Wimbledon final, along with Nadal, are in their mid-30s and cannot keep going forever. Roger Federer, now without an ATP ranking after a year of inactivity, is widely assumed to be close to retiring.
It remains to be seen whether Kyrgios, who has been summonsed to face a common assault charge in Australia, invests more into his tennis career in future. He appears to have an on-off love affair with the sport, being reluctant to let it dominate his life.
Of the world's top 100, only Djokovic and Nadal have played fewer ATP tournaments than Kyrgios' 12 events in the past year. Djokovic (11 tournaments) has missed some events due to his refusal to accept a COVID-19 vaccination, while injuries have limited Nadal's involvement to nine events.
McEnroe said Kyrgios "is a genius out there" on the court.
"He needs Sigmund Freud to come out of the grave and somehow figure out a way to keep this guy going for a couple of years because we could use him," said the American.
Kyrgios would likely not submit to such psychoanalysis, having been rattled by the coverage of his tantrums rivalling that of his tennis during the Wimbledon fortnight.
McEnroe added, speaking to BBC Sport: "You know he's sitting there and he's obviously tortured in certain ways. [He's] unbelievably talented, very smart."
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris have hit out at the "stupid" track limits penalties dished out at the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, while George Russell has suggested F1 should revert to a single race director.
The sport has strict rules this season regarding exceeding the borders of the circuit, with 43 offences notched for crossing the white line during Sunday's race, won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Red Bull racer and incumbent world champion Verstappen came home second while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton was third, but the former admitted that events felt somewhat overshadowed by the stringent enforcement.
"I think the track limits debate this weekend has been a bit of a joke," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
"I don't think we should have this value on one millimetre over, that's a penalty or whatever. Then just add a wall or put some gravel back. I think that's great because there is gravel, you punish yourself if you go wide.
"These kind of things, I think it just doesn't look good for the sport."
McLaren's Norris, who was hit with a five-second penalty for repeat abuse, was also frustrated by the rules, adding: "You can't see the white lines. It's just guessing and I'm obviously not good enough at guessing.
"But I got a warning from Turn 1, and it was just a complete mistake. I lost time, so when you look at it that way, I can say it's a bit stupid. This was just me making mistakes. So I don't feel like I should be punished for it."
Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate Russell meanwhile questioned whether the application of the rules was down to F1's revolving cast of race directors this season.
The sport has utilised multiple directors after Michael Masi's infamous handling of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of last season, which ultimately helped hand Verstappen the world title at Hamilton's expense.
"We don't want to be dishing out penalties left, right and centre but there needs to be an element of consistency somewhere and I think we need to look at the root cause of the issues," Russell added.
"I do agree that we need to stick to one race director. We need to have a bit more consistency with the stewarding.
"We come to the following event and often the steward in the previous event is not there. There's no accountability, no explanations of decisions. It is tricky. Everybody's got their own interpretations."
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