World number one Scottie Scheffler insisted he was unsatisfied with a season which had produced two wins and an incredible run of consistent golf.

Scheffler successfully defended his title in the WM Phoenix Open in February and also won the prestigious Players Championship in March, while his worst finish in the whole of 2023 so far was a tie for 12th in the Genesis Invitational.

The former Masters champion has also not finished worse than fifth in his last six starts, a run which includes being runner-up in the US PGA Championship and third in the US Open.

“I’m very proud of how I’ve been so consistent,” Scheffler said ahead of the £7million Genesis Scottish Open at Renaissance Club, where he missed the cut 12 months ago.

“I would obviously like to win more. But if I win eight times, I want to win nine. If I win nine, I want to win 10. Golf is one of those games that you’re never really satisfied. You’re never really satisfied with the results of things and you always want more.

“I want to win every time I tee it up. You win once and you want to win twice. It’s funny, as a kid, if you think you win once on the PGA Tour you’ll be satisfied. And you win once and it’s pretty fun and you want to win again and the cycle continues.”

Scheffler is unsurprisingly ranked first in numerous categories on the PGA Tour this season, including strokes gained off the tee, approaching the green and greens in regulation, but he is ranked a lowly 131st in putting.

“I think that it’s all just perception,” the 27-year-old said. “I’m not going to let what you guys think about my golf game affect how I think of my golf game. I believe that I’m a very good putter and everything returns to the average.

“If you’re hitting the ball as good as I have been in the past year, it’s very, very difficult to make all the putts. I feel like the things I’ve been working on to improve have been working significantly.

“As my “putting struggles” have continued in y’alls’ minds, I’ve gotten back to number one in the world and I’ve had a bunch of top-five finishes. Granted, if I can make a few more putts, those would have been more wins.

“But at the end of the day, I’m proud of tournaments this year and playing solid golf and that’s what I’m working on.”

Eight of the world’s top 10 are in the field for the Scottish Open, including three-time major winner Jordan Spieth and defending champion Xander Schauffele, who equalled the lowest score in major history with an opening 62 in last month’s US Open.

Schauffele survived a rollercoaster final round 12 months ago to secure his third win in succession, with Spieth getting to within a shot of the lead in the final round before making a double bogey on the 14th.

“I really enjoyed this tournament last year,” Spieth said. “We had the wind blowing significantly all four days, including a tough final round where I had a chance to win.

“Something about the golf course fit my eye so I’m just trying to pick up where I left off here. I really enjoy coming to Scotland, it’s one of my favourite places in the world to play golf.

“You can’t even count on two hands how many phenomenal golf courses there are. There’s four or five in a five-mile radius here, so I went out last night and played North Berwick just trying to have a lot of fun while we’re in the middle of working.

“My coach Cameron and his son were going to go out and play, I thought I would just go out there maybe with a few clubs and chip and putt and walk with them. I ended up taking my bag and played all 18 holes.

“Played the first few and was like, I can’t really quit on nine like you can in the States and I know that the last five, six holes are just incredible.

“It was just a fun evening to play golf. We don’t really get a lot of run, random rounds on the road and that was one to take advantage of.”

Rory McIlroy is confident he will bear no mental scars from his latest near-miss in a major championship as he prepares to return to the scene of his Open triumph.

McIlroy held a share of the lead when he birdied the first hole in the final round of last month’s US Open, but failed to make another and finished a shot behind American Wyndham Clark at Los Angeles Country Club.

The 34-year-old has now recorded 19 top-10 finishes since winning the last of his four major titles in the 2014 US PGA, a month after also winning the Open at this year’s venue of Royal Liverpool.

McIlroy declined to speak to the written press ahead of this week’s £7million Genesis Scottish Open, but gave two short television interviews in which he would only speak about on-course matters.

Asked if there were any mental scars from the US Open, McIlroy said: “I don’t think so.

“The one nice thing about the US Open a few weeks ago is I had to play golf the week after. Well, I didn’t have to, but it was nice to play the week after at the Travelers because then you’re not really dwelling on it, right.

“You have to get right back in the saddle and go all over again. There has not been much dwelling on anything.

“I was really happy with my performance (in Los Angeles). I thought I stuck to my game plan really well. I know my game is in good shape so, I’m excited about that.

“I’m as close as I’ve ever been (to winning), really. My consistency in performances, especially in the majors over the last couple years, is way better than it has been over the last few years.

“Having had a really good chance at St Andrews last year, having a really good chance in LA a few weeks ago, I need to keep putting myself in those positions obviously and the more times I go through them, even though I’m not getting the wins, it’s going to stand by me for whenever I get myself in that position again.”

McIlroy was bullish about his chances of winning the Masters in April to complete the career grand slam only to miss the cut at Augusta, but feels he has learnt from that experience.

“I felt like my game was in really good shape, I didn’t produce what I needed to produce the first two days and that was disappointing,” he said.

“I think I learned a lot from that and just about playing a golf tournament…72 holes is a long time. A lot can happen. It’s a journey to get yourself into contention and to be there on Sunday afternoon and there’s a lot of golf shots to be hit and a lot of golf to be played.

“The worst thing you can do in this game is get ahead of yourself.”

Alison Reid has renewed calls for more females to consider participating in golf to help drive growth and, by extension, prolong Jamaica’s success in the sport on the regional stage.

Reid’s comments follow another credible showing by the country’s young prospects at the just-concluded 35th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships, where they secure two individual trophies courtesy of Emily Mayne and Rocco Lopez.

The Jamaican team which placed third overall with 116 points behind Puerto Rico (161 points), who took the coveted Hank James trophy, while Dominican Republic was second on 131 points.

Reid, who served as manager for the team stressed the need to increase the number of girls who play the sport going forward.

“Even though we are losing two players, we will still have a good 18 and under Boys section. The girls are where we are weak. It's hard to find girls and so that's where we really have to put our emphasis in,” Reid said.

Mayne, who was the team’s captain, brought home the second-place trophy in the 18 and under girls. She scored 14 over par 227 to end the tournament 15 shots behind group winner Holly McLean (212) of host country Cayman Islands.

Jamaica's other representative in the category, Mattea Issa, ended sixth, after posting 28 over par 241. Jamaica placed second in the group.

Mayne expressed pride at the team’s performance, especially due to the tough conditions they had to endure.

“The conditions we faced, it was very, very windy and of course we are used to some wind in Jamaica, but we really had to adapt to the wind. The First day was not so bad, but the second day and the third the wind really did pick up, so we had the whole 18 holes for both days in the wind,” Mayne explained.

"I went into the tournament trying not to put too much pressure on myself as I won last year but of course in the back of your head you are always going to put a bit of pressure on yourself. The girl, who won Holly, it was her home course, but I just try to stick to my game plan. The first day I had a rough start, probably just due to some nerves but then I brought it back on the second day and the last day,” she added.

Lopez, who entered the final day joint third with Aman Dhiman, finished with a one under par 70, to end three over par 216 in third place in the 18 and under boys’ section. He was one of just three players to post under par score during the championship.

Puerto Rico’s Kelvin Hernandez finished tops with a 10 under par 203, while Dhiman (227) and Ryan Lue (230), collected enough points to bag third place in the group.

“The scores weren't too bad, but I felt like I could have played a lot better. I felt like I wasn't hitting the ball that great. I like the greens, but I couldn't make puts and I didn't make all birdies, but I managed to scramble very well and that kept me around par each day,” said Lopez.

 Meanwhile, the two 11-13 boys, Kemari Morris and Shasa Redlefsen were responsible for the third place in the group. Puerto Rico was the group winner.

The girls' 11-13 representatives, Alessandra Coe contributed the team's fourth place in the group won by The Bahamas, while the 15 & under girls, Samantha Azan and Anoushka Katri, also gave points to the group's fourth place finish. Puerto Rico won the category.

Aaron Ghosh and Davin Hogan closed the championship in sixth place in the 15 & under boys’ category, also won by Puerto Rico. 

Home favourites Richie Ramsay and Robert MacIntyre are relishing the chance to make immediate amends for a missed opportunity in a star-studded Genesis Scottish Open.

The Scottish pair were both in contention to win in Denmark last week, with Ramsay finishing a shot outside the eventual play-off after hitting his approach to the last into the water and making a double bogey.

MacIntyre held a two-shot lead at the turn but ran up a triple-bogey seven on the 13th after failing to move his second shot from waist-high rough and then having to take a penalty drop.

But after sharing a car to the airport on Sunday evening, MacIntyre and Ramsay were also singing from the same hymn-sheet in terms of focusing on the positives ahead of a £7million event on home soil which boasts eight of the world’s top 10.

“The past week was probably the best golf I’ve played in a long, long time,” MacIntyre said at the Renaissance Club.

“I had so much control of the golf ball. For 71 holes I was in absolute cruise control. When I sit back and look at it, for the first 12 holes (on Sunday) I played golf perfectly. I didn’t put a foot wrong.

“On 13 I hit a good shot, flushed it, but just pulled it 10 yards. My natural shape is a draw and with the wind off the left, it was curving the wrong direction.

“But my head’s in a good place. I feel like you’ve got to take a couple of punches before you can hold a trophy. OK we had such a good chance to win, but it was all preparation for these two weeks.

“I shared a car with Richie going to the airport on Sunday night and he was on the phone speaking to his family and friends, I was getting phone calls from my manager and I was hanging up.

“I wasn’t speaking to anybody, I wasn’t in the right frame of mind. Richie has been out here a lot longer than me. He was a bit calm and chatting away. Once he was on the phone calls, I sat in a huff in the front seat.

“I was sitting there in absolute silence thinking to myself, ‘What just went wrong? Why has it went wrong?’… But I’m here now and last week is last week.

“Once I spoke to people they just assured me that’s not going to be the last hiccup I’m going to have on the journey. It’s going to happen again. But if you keep putting yourself in positions like Kenya, Korea, last week, I can’t not lift a trophy at some point.

“I was one step shy last week and what better time to correct the wrong than one of these next two (Scottish Open or Open Championship)?”

Ramsay, who also double-bogeyed the 72nd hole of last year’s British Masters at The Belfry when needing a par to claim the clubhouse lead, promised to keep “shooting for the stars” when in contention.

“It hurt to lose,” Ramsay said. “Ever since I was a little kid I hate losing but it’s part and parcel of the journey these days and only makes you stronger and more determined to get a win.

“I spoke to my brother this morning and he said you’d have a problem if you weren’t putting yourself in that position and I took that on board and realised that the problem is not that I hit a bad shot at the wrong time, the problem would be if I wasn’t putting myself in that position.

“I mean, I was annoyed I didn’t win but for me, I didn’t do anything wrong. The shot I hit at The Belfry was because I was indecisive. I didn’t make a clear decision and that’s on me.

“That’s why it hurt a lot more but on this one last week, my viewpoint is that you’ve got to hit a great shot down the stretch to win a tournament.

“There’s an opportunity here. If you don’t take it, you’re going to regret it. I don’t regret taking it, because if I pulled it off, I feel that I left myself in a good position to get up and down or two-putt, and you win a tournament.

“You kind of shoot for the stars and I will hit one of those stars again sooner or later.”

The 154th Open Championship will be played at Royal Birkdale in 2026, the R&A have announced.

The Southport venue has hosted the Open on 10 previous occasions, most recently in 2017 when Jordan Spieth edged out fellow American Matt Kuchar to lift the Claret Jug.

Three shots clear of Kuchar heading into the final round, Spieth was a shot behind after his fifth bogey of the day on the 13th, which involved a 20-minute ruling and playing his third shot from the practice ground.

But the former Masters and US Open champion amazingly played the next four holes in five under par to card a remarkable closing 69 and finish three shots clear of the unfortunate Kuchar.

The victory gave Spieth the third leg of a career grand slam and saw him join the likes of Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington in winning the Open at Royal Birkdale.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said: “Royal Birkdale is a world-class championship venue and its outstanding links will once again provide the world’s best men’s professional golfers with a tough but fair test of their talents and capabilities as they compete for the Claret Jug.

“It has produced many memorable moments that are woven into the story of this historic Championship, including a dramatic final round in 2017 when Jordan Spieth won for the first time.

“We look forward to another special occasion in three years and it will be fascinating to see which player will emerge to join a list of renowned Champion Golfers to have won at Royal Birkdale.”

The 2026 Open will be staged from July 16-19.

This year’s Open gets under way at Royal Liverpool next week, with Royal Troon hosting in 2024 and Royal Portrush in 2025.

Allisen Corpuz finished three shots clear of England’s Charley Hull and Jiyai Shin of South Korea to win the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

The 25-year-old Hawaiian closed out her tournament on nine-under-par, with a fourth round score of 69 enough to clinch her first win on the LPGA Tour.

Speaking after her victory, Corpuz said: “Every few holes I kind of looked out and said, ‘I’m here at Pebble Beach’.

“There’s not many places that are better than this.

“Twenty, 30 years from now, I think just the fact that it’s a US Open means a lot to me. But know that it’s at Pebble makes it even sweeter.”

England’s Hull did well to find herself in the hunt on Sunday, having carded scores of 73, 72 and 71 heading into the fourth round.

She opened her final session with an eagle on the second, before birdieing three of her next four holes.

Hull picked up three more shots on the back nine to keep an element of pressure on Corpuz, but was ultimately left to rue two costly bogeys.

Austria’s Sepp Straka boosted his Ryder Cup chances by claiming a second PGA Tour title in the John Deere Classic, despite a double bogey on the 72nd hole.

Straka needed to birdie the 18th at TPC Deere Run to card a stunning closing 59, but pulled his approach into the water left of the green.

The resulting six meant Straka had to settle for a 62 and setting the clubhouse target at 21 under par, with six groups still to finish.

A birdie on the 14th took Brendon Todd to within a shot of the lead, only for the American to then three-putt the 16th and fail to birdie the par-five 17th.

Todd finished in a tie for second on 19 under with playing partner Alex Smalley, with Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg another stroke back in a tie for fourth with American Adam Schenk.

Straka, who had recorded an eagle and nine birdies in his first 14 holes, said: “The 59 was nowhere in my head really.

“I knew I had a chance but in that situation the only thing that matters is trying to win the golf tournament.

“It was not a good shot [on 18]. I was really just trying to go middle of the green, pulled it early and the wind dragged it over to the water. It was unfortunate but the first bad shot I hit all day so I’ll give myself a bit of slack.”

Australia’s Cameron Smith enjoyed the ideal preparation for the defence of his Open Championship title at Royal Liverpool with a second victory in the LIV Golf League.

Smith carded a final round of 68 at the Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead to finish 15 under par, a shot ahead of Ripper GC team-mate Marc Leishman and former Masters champion Patrick Reed.

“It’s good,” said Smith, who won his first major title at St Andrews last year thanks to a superb closing round of 64 on the Old Course.

“I think it’s more of a confidence thing there. Just winning again I think is nice.

“It really hasn’t been that long, I think. In Australia at the end of the year was my last win, but it feels like forever, and especially the way I’ve been playing the last couple months, I’ve been knocking on the door.

“It’s nice to get one out of the way, and hopefully it opens the floodgates a little bit.

“I wouldn’t say it really takes the pressure off. I think it’s just nice to be playing good golf. There’s nothing worse going into a big golf tournament and you’re playing crappy golf.”

Asked how he will prepare for defending the Claret Jug on a course he has never played before, Smith added: “Probably no golf for me next week.

“I’ll be heading up to Hoylake on Saturday, so I’ll have a bit of a longer prep than usual, but yeah, put the clubs down for three or four days, just hang out in London, see all the sights, and yeah, just have a good time, relax.”

Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard overturned a six-shot deficit before beating Nacho Elvira in a play-off to become the first home winner of the Made in HimmerLand event.

Elvira hit his second shot out of bounds on the sixth extra hole to effectively gift a fourth DP World Tour title to Hojgaard, who had holed from nine feet for par on the previous hole to keep his hopes alive.

“I’m speechless,” Hojgaard told Sky Sports after a win which moves him within 100 points of an automatic qualifying place for the Ryder Cup.

“To be fair I did not think I would end up in a play-off today. It’s quite amazing. It’s a dream come true to win our home event.

“This is better than I could ever dream of. We’ve wanted a Danish winner for so long now so to be the first one to do it is amazing.”

Hojgaard, who used to attend the event with his family – including fellow professional and twin brother Nicolai – added: “It isn’t that long ago that I was one of those kids trying to get balls and signed gloves. It’s awesome to see them out here supporting us.”

Hojgaard began the day six shots off the lead but surged through the field with a closing 64, including a birdie on the daunting 18th, to set the target on 13 under par.

Richie Ramsay had the first chance to surpass that target after a birdie on the 16th took him to 14 under, only to find the water with his approach to the last to run up a double bogey and finish a shot outside the play-off.

Overnight leader Elvira, who had bogeyed the 13th and 15th to fall two shots off the pace, birdied the next two holes to catch Ramsay as the Scot played the 18th, but bogeyed the same hole after a long wait on the tee as Ramsay determined where his ball had entered the hazard.

Elvira, who had made just five cuts in 17 previous events this year, had the consolation of securing a place in the Open Championship with his runners-up finish, with former champion Marc Warren and Kalle Samooja taking the other two spots in a tie for fourth.

Ramsay, who also double-bogeyed the 72nd hole of last year’s British Masters when needing a par to claim the clubhouse lead, tweeted: “Today will hurt for a long time but I did play very well.

“Played to win so took that shot on (on 18) just didn’t come out great. My daughter told me she was proud of me, massive cushion for today.”

Compatriot Robert MacIntyre held a two-shot lead at the turn after covering the front nine in 32 to reach 15 under, but ran up a triple-bogey seven on the 13th after failing to move his second shot from waist-high rough.

MacIntyre also bogeyed the 15th to card a closing 71 and finish alongside Warren, Samooja and Alexander Bjork on 11 under par.

Nasa Hataoka produced a dazzling 66 in tough conditions to seize the third-round lead in the US Women’s Open at Pebble Beach as England’s Charley Hull kept her faint hopes alive.

The Japanese leader, 24, shot a bogey-free 66 to finish on seven-under-par on a day when nobody else broke 70 and only 11 of the 74-strong field came home under par.

American Allisen Corpuz fell out of a share of the lead with a bogey on the last with overnight leader Bailey Tardy and South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim two shots back, two ahead of Korean duo Jiyai Shin and Hae Ran Ryu – the only other players under par.

Hataoka has lost in play-offs at two majors, including the US Women’s Open two years ago.

She said: “Although circumstances may be different, I think some of the elements are still the same as they were versus two years ago.

“In other words, I have to go on all of those 18 holes, discuss with my caddie and work out what’s the best for me, and enjoy my day tomorrow.”

Two birdies on the front nine had seen Hull move under par, but she dropped two shots coming home before a birdie on the last saw her continue her daily improvement with a round of 71.

She is tied for seventh on level par with American Angel Yin, seven strokes behind Hataoka and one ahead of a group including rookie sensation Rose Zhang – who won on her professional debut earlier this season – and former world number one Minjee Lee from Australia.

Hull said she “played solid all day” and admitted having more to focus on at Pebble Beach than just the golf was helping her game.

She said: “I struggle to concentrate on the golf course sometimes, so taking it all in, looking at the views, is helping a lot. There’s such good views… I’m really enjoying it out there.

“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. On this golf course, anything can happen.

“I like it when it’s tough – when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. That’s what my dad always used to say to me.”

Ireland’s Leona Maguire slipped back to two-over-par as she included two double bogeys in a 75, with England’s Bronte Law tied for 14th a shot further back after a 72.

Irish amateur Aine Donegan fired a third round 75 after a nine on the eighth derailed three early birdies but remained just inside the top 20 on four over.

Ireland’s Leona Maguire remained in the hunt for her first major title as Pebble Beach bared its teeth on the second day of the US Women’s Open.

Maguire is tied for fifth on one-under-par, one of just six players under par at the halfway stage as American Bailey Tardy opened a two-stroke lead.

Out early, Tardy took advantage of the conditions before the wind got up as she included four birdies and an eagle in her 68 that leaves here on seven-under par – two clear of fellow American Allisen Corpuz and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea.

Tardy said: “It was not as windy on my front nine as the back nine. Definitely took advantage of that.

“Then just was able to hold on, I guess, through the wind.”

Maguire had a slow start with four dropped shots in her opening five holes, but finished strongly with two birdies to keep herself in the mix going into day three.

She said: “I had a lot of really good up-and-downs to sort of keep me in it, but didn’t really play my best golf today. Didn’t hit enough greens, and that kind of made things a little bit difficult.”

England’s Charley Hull birdied her last three holes to move into the top 12 on one-over-par to lie alongside Irish amateur Aine Donegan and rookie sensation Rose Zhang, who won on her professional debut after a stellar college career.

Among those missing the cut were world number one Jin Young Ko and major champions Jennifer Kupcho, England’s Georgia Hall, Lexi Thompson and Lilia Vu.

The highly anticipated and renowned MCOBA-Lindy Delapenha Golf Classic, one of the biggest charity golf tournaments, is set to take place next weekend at the Caymanas Golf & Country Club. Organized by the Munro College Old Boys Association (MCOBA), this event serves as their primary fundraising initiative for the school.

Tournament Manager, Telroy Morgan, elaborated on the allocation of funds raised, emphasizing their impact within the school community. "This annual event commemorates the life and legacy of Lindy Delapenha, an exceptional schoolboy and legendary sportsman in Jamaica. Moreover, it provides us with an opportunity to raise funds that will greatly contribute to the educational, sports, and infrastructural development of Munro College," he stated.

Scheduled to commence on Saturday, July 15th at 8:00 a.m., the tournament will feature a "ShotGun Start," where all golfers will simultaneously tee off from the 18 tee-boxes spread across the golf course. The event will adopt the 7/8th handicap stableford format and offer a range of exciting prizes, including luxurious weekends for two at esteemed hotels on the island's north coast. Competitors will compete in various categories, namely Ladies, Men (up to 50), Men's Senior (50 - 60), and Men's Super Senior.

Nicole Touzalin, the Operating Principal of title sponsors Keller Williams Realty Jamaica, expressed her delight in supporting the event and highlighted the shared values between her company and Munro College. "We are privileged to be a part of this tournament as it perfectly aligns with our core values and vision. At KW, we understand the significance of giving back and strive to positively impact the lives of others. By supporting events like this, we aim to promote an active lifestyle, foster friendly competition, and create networking and connection opportunities," she explained. Touzalin further emphasized that Keller Williams Realty Jamaica's sponsorship represents their commitment to Munro College on behalf of their late founder, Rory Marsh, and the Marsh family.

Victor Tomlinson, President of MCOBA, anticipates the participation of Jamaica's top amateur golfers, both male and female, exceeding 80 participants. He also announced the return of the event highlights, including a luncheon and presentation ceremony following the competition.

Looking back at the 2022 edition, Diane Hudson emerged as the Overall Champion, becoming the first female winner. Regrettably, Hudson will not be available to defend her title this year.

Irish amateur Aine Donegan is one shot out of the lead after her first major championship round – despite a broken driver and the late arrival of her clubs.

Donegan recovered from starting the US Women’s Open with two bogeys to shoot a three-under-par 69 at Pebble Beach, one behind China’s Xiyu Lin and Hyo Joo Kim of South Korea.

She was joined in a group on 69 by compatriot Leona Maguire, who birdied two of the last four holes after also bogeying the first.

Donegan, playing in her first tournament on the LPGA Tour, arrived at Pebble Beach having helped Europe reclaim the Vagliano Trophy in Scotland – but without clubs.

When she was reunited with them on Tuesday, the driver was in two pieces and so she used one in a set pieced together by her club manufacturers.

The 21-year-old, who holed out with a wedge for an eagle to go with five birdies, said: “The whole thing has been a bit surreal to be honest. Nearly every five minutes it’s like a pinch-me moment.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I started bogey-bogey. For me to come back then and finish how I finished and play the rest of round, I’m really proud of myself for that.”

Maguire, who held the lead after the third round at last month’s Women’s PGA Championship before falling away, said it did not take her long to get over that disappointment.

She said: “It’s golf. These things happen. I think you have to get on with things pretty quickly, dust yourself off.”

She said playing a major at Pebble Beach has “been circled on the calendar”.

England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff opened with a one-under-par 71, two better than compatriot Charley Hull and Scotland’s Gemma Dryburgh, English trio Alice Hewson, Charlotte Thomas and Bronte Law finishing on 74 with Georgia Hall a further two strokes back.

Rose Zhang, the 20-year-old sensation who won on her professional debut earlier this season, opened with a 74.

World number one Jin Young Ko made only one birdie in an opening 79, three worse than number two Nelly Korda playing alongside her who put her opening drive over the cliff and onto the beach at the 10th.

Natthakritta Vongtaveelap of Thailand only made it through five holes of the first round when she was disqualified for her caddie using a rangefinder, which is allowed at other LPGA events.

Ian Poulter believes changes need to be made at the top of golf’s established tours for the proposed peace deal between the game’s rival factions to work.

World number two Jon Rahm admitted players felt a “bit of betrayal” following the shock announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour plan to merge their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan conceded he would be labelled a hypocrite for negotiating the framework agreement and was accused of becoming a “Saudi shill” by a group representing families of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Monahan faced calls to resign at a heated players meeting immediately after the deal was announced and is currently recuperating from a “medical situation” which means he will not testify before a Senate committee looking into the deal next week.

DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley is also facing questions after it was revealed in court documents filed in Florida that the PGA Tour regarded the European Tour Group as a “borderline distressed asset” during analysis intended to aid a merger between the parties last year.

The tours have pledged to establish a “fair and objective process” for LIV players to re-apply for membership, although resentment over fines and suspensions for playing LIV events without permission remain a bone of contention.

Speaking ahead of this week’s LIV event in Hemel Hempstead, Poulter was therefore asked if it would be easier to start afresh if changes were made.

“It would definitely help,” the former Ryder Cup star said.

“I’m not going to say what those changes have to be, but shall we say there needs to be changes? People need to be accountable for their actions.”

Majesticks team-mate Lee Westwood believes the emergence of LIV has led to more “transparency” in the game and that opinions may be changing as new information comes to light.

“I just think people are better informed now, there’s more transparency in what goes on in all of the golfing organisations,” Westwood said.

“It’s not so much vindication, it’s just that people know the true facts now.

“I didn’t really want to get involved. I’m just a golfer at the end of the day, the politics of it all and the way tours are run is kind of above my pay grade, but it is nice to see it down in black and white what’s been going on.”

Asked if he felt tempted to say ‘I told to you so’ to those who spoke out against LIV when it launched, Westwood added: “No, not really.

“I think we’re happy within the position and the choices we’ve made and then it’s up to everybody else to form an opinion on it. Now it’s an informed opinion.

“There’s a lot of people now looking like hypocrites. You’ve seen what people are saying in the press and now they’re backtracking. He (Monahan) has even admitted himself he’s going to look hypocritical.

“We don’t even have to say it any more. We knew it at the time about sponsors on the PGA Tour.

“He sat in front of the RBC sign when they [RBC] did the deal for Aramco to go public and make all that money from Saudi Arabia and the next minute he’s mentioning 9/11 families and stuff like that. It’s really uncomfortable to watch now.”

A confident Jamaican team left the island on Sunday afternoon, for the Cayman Islands to compete in the 35th Caribbean Amateur Junior Golf Championships.

Coaches Jonathan Newnham and Jason Lopez were upbeat about the team's chances to win the championship.

“The team is great. We have representation in every category,” Newnham said of the team that had encouraging practice rounds on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s start to the tournament.

“We have quite a few experienced (players) and most of the team have played there before. We have a few new guys but we have been training with them and welcoming them with open arms so we are looking forward to the challenge.

“Cayman, I have a lot of personal familiarity with it and the course should be a good fit for our players so I am excited by the challenge ahead."

Coach Lopez supported that position saying, "We have a good team so I think that myself and coach Johnny are going to really do everything we can to get them across the finish line this time."

 Team co-captain Mattea Issa was happy to take on the additional responsibility.

"It feels good to be co-captain (and) all the responsibilities that come with it and I am going to help the team as much as I can to put our best foot forward to try and get the best results possible,” she said.

“As far as competing in the Under 18 age group - the big guns now, being 16, I still have two more years in this age group so I am just hoping to do my best and not think about expectations or pressure and just compete as calmly as possible."

Samantha Azan is one of two age-group defending champions having won the U15 Girls trophy and the Kenneth Francis Trophy last year – the first time ever for a Jamaican player.

"This is my last year in this category. It was definitely a struggle but I pushed through to the very last hole last time. I have been training really hard with my coaches in both Florida and Jamaica so I am pretty confident but then again the course conditions are very different compared to what I am used to, so I am going to do my best.”

Meanwhile, Davin Hogan, the only new member of team says he is looking forward to the experience.

 “I have never done this before and it'll be new for me and hopefully it will be a good experience for everybody."

 The Jamaicans are set to take on players from The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, and host country, the Cayman Islands.