18/7/2026

SPORTS SATURDAY | JULY 18, 2026

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Rookie rules Royal Suber the shock leader of British Open as McIlroy faces cut battle

Alcaraz set for Cincy return DEFENDING champion Carlos Alcaraz has entered next month’s Cincinnati Open as he targets a return from a wrist injury, tournament organisers said. The 23-year-old Spaniard, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, was unable to defend his French Open crown and also missed Wimbledon as he continued his recovery. But the world No. 3 is set to defend his title in Cincinnati in August, marking his return for the first time since withdrawing from the Barcelona Open in April. Alcaraz won last year’s Cincinnati Open title after Jannik Sinner retired from the final and will be aiming to regain momentum ahead of the defence of his US Open crown. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will also compete in Cincinnati. Sinner, who beat the Spaniard in last year’s final to become the first Italian man to win a Wimbledon singles title, joined an elite group of players to retain the title in the professional era at this year’s tournament. B IG-HITTING Bryson DeChambeau answered questions about his links-course skills in the best way possible yesterday as he began his challenge at the British Open with a three-under 67 at a sun drenched Royal Birkdale. Armed with a set of 3D-printed irons, the two-time US Open champion appeared to enjoy every minute of his opening round, high-fiving fans as he plotted his way round the undulating course in impressive fashion. The 32-year-old certainly did not resemble a player three-time Open winner Nick Faldo accused of having “zero clue on strategy” in the build-up to the tournament – beginning his round with back-to-back birdies and mak ing three more on the back nine. A bogey at the 18th when he missed a short par putt left a sour taste but with condi tions fast and fiery, DeChambeau has put himself in the mix for an assault on the Claret Jug. “It was a hard-fought battle out there. The wind was switching quite a bit. It was fun see ing the fans going at us, and they were root ing for all of us,” DeChambeau, one of the sport’s most charismatic characters, told reporters. “It was fun just seeing the ups and downs of the group, but we all played pretty well. It was a lot of fun.” DeChambeau outshone playing partners, 2025 champion Scottie Scheffler who carded a two-under round of 68 and England’s Tyrrell Hatton (69). “I feel like I did a really good job today of being incredibly strategic and focused super hard on placing it in the right places,” he said. “Besides 18, I placed the ball in some good areas. I just need to hit more fairways. Other than that, I feel like my strategy was nice today.” DeChambeau actually offered a clue that he is mastering links golf last year at Royal Portrush when after an opening round seven over 78 he put together sizzling rounds of 65, 68 and 64 to finish in a tie for 10th. Playing partner Hatton said no one should be surprised at his impressive start at Royal Birkdale. “He flights the ball great. His ball flight today was really good. He didn’t really hit many bad shots,” Hatton said. DeChambeau said he liked it when the test was “difficult” and enjoyed playing with world No. 1 Scheffler. “Any time you get off to a great start, it’s awesome, but there’s three more days,” he said. – Reuters DeChambeau answers Faldo’s ‘zero clue’ jibe American SHORTS

U NHERALDED American Jackson Suber leads after the first round of the British Open at five-under par, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler among a host of major champions in the chasing pack. Rory McIlroy’s hopes of ending a 12-year wait to win his home major are hanging by a thread after a two-over par 72. Suber, ranked 115th in the world, had a first ever round at the British Open to remember. After making the turn at level par, he picked up five shots in the next eight holes, topped off by an eagle on the 17th to give him a one-shot lead from England’s Daniel Brown and South Korean Im Sung-jae. The 26-year-old is playing in just his third major and had never experienced European golf until his first practice round on Monday. “Monday was my first round of links golf, so I’ve played 27 holes before I played the first round today. I’ve never been to Europe,” said Suber. “Things just really

the cut at the previous three majors this year after an opening round 67. The two-time US Open champion has often struggled in the wind of links conditions at the British Open but, with the weather set fair for the next three days, he is hoping to take advantage. World No. 4 Cameron Young is also poised to strike at three-under. McIlroy and the later starters endured the worst of the conditions as the wind picked up. The six-time major champion was com pletely out of sorts in a round that contained six bogeys, including at both par fives. “Just too many stupid mistakes. But every time I made a stupid mistake, thankfully I made a birdie to sort of keep myself in it,” said McIlroy “Not too far away. Hopefully we’ll get the bet ter conditions tomorrow and maybe the greens are a little bit smoother in the morning.” Matt Fitzpatrick, playing in the same group as McIlroy, also struggled with one of the form players on the PGA Tour this year posting a 72. – AFP

started going after the birdie on 10. I just felt like the momentum was really in my favour.” Scheffler made a steady start to his defence of the tournament with a two-under par 68. After his record of 78 successive cuts made dating back four years, came to an end at last week’s Scottish Open, Scheffler looked refreshed with four birdies in five holes between the second and the sixth. But bogeys at the seventh and par-five 17th dropped him back and a birdie putt at the last came to a halt just inches shy of the hole. “I got off to a hot start in the round today and wasn’t able to make as many birdies as I would have hoped to down the stretch,” said Scheffler, who has not won on the PGA Tour since January. “If I continue to strike the ball the way I did today and just keep giving myself looks, that’s part of it. Golf is played over 72 holes, and I defi nitely liked what I saw today.” Bryson DeChambeau is set to snap his unwanted streak of failing to make

Rory McIlroy (left) and Jackson Suber in action during the first round of the 2026 British Open at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England on yesterday. – AFPPIC/REUTERSPIC

statement. Luxury brands have long staked out their territory in professional sport, with Tiffany & Co. crafting the prize awarded to the Super Bowl champion – now known as the Vince Lombardi Trophy – since the first edition in 1967. Louis Vuitton also crafts bespoke luxury tro phy trunks for major Grand Prix circuits under a 10-year deal with Formula 1. But there is only one trophy for the quadren nial global showpiece – the prize typically resides at the Fifa Museum in Zurich – making the chance to design its bespoke luggage a particular hon our. Morocco back coach Ouahbi WO R LD CUP quarterfinalists Morocco gave coach Mohamed Ouahbi a vote of confidence yesterday to continue with his deal in the run up to the 2030 World Cup on home soil. While the Moroccan football federation has not specified the length of the contract, Ouahbi, who is 49, said after he was hired in March, that his deal ran until 2030, when Morocco will cohost the World Cup with Spain and Portugal. Ouahbi took over from Walid Regragui, who

The Cincinnati Open will be held from Aug 13 23. Fashion meets football THE World Cup trophy will be transported to the New York-New Jersey stadium in a bespoke Louis Vuitton trunk, with the French luxury fashion house once again entrusted with designing the carry case for the most coveted prize in football. The trunk features a golden V for “Victory” and “Vuitton” across the front, with the brand’s recog nisable monogram pattern and gold-plated brass corner protectors. The interior is lined with beige leather and features a patch commemorating the partnership between Louis Vuitton and Fifa. It is the fifth successive occasion in which the French company has designed a trunk for the tro phy, following those used at the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 tournaments. “For over a decade, Louis Vuitton and Fifa have shared an unwavering commitment to excel lence, bound by a shared belief in sport’s power to inspire and bring people together,” Louis Vuitton CEO and Chairman Pietro Beccari said in a

led to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals and to the final of the African Cup of Nations in January when they lost the match but were declared champions. Under Ouahbi, the Atlas Lions lost 2-0 to France in the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup last week. But yesterday the Moroccan federation expressed their “confidence in him to continue in his role.” Ouahbi, who is 49, led Morocco to victory in the under-20 World Cup in 2025. Pele’s priceless legacy THE shirt worn by Brazil great Pele when he scored twice in the 1958 World Cup final has sold for US$4.9m (RM20m) at auction, becoming the most valuable piece of memorabilia linked to the football legend, Sotheby’s said yesterday. The sale made it the second-most expensive football shirt sold at auction, behind the US$9.3m (RM38m) paid in 2022 for the shirt worn by Diego Maradona when he scored his “Hand of God” goal for Argentina against England at the 1986 World Cup.