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.

Former amateur star Rose Zhang admits the brilliant start to her professional career has exceeded her expectations.

Zhang spent a record 141 weeks at the top of the amateur rankings and became the first female player to win two NCAA individual titles, a victory which saw her exceed the number of wins Tiger Woods achieved at Stanford.

The 20-year-old also won the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in April and the US Women’s Amateur two years ago, as well as helping the United States to Curtis Cup wins over Great Britain and Ireland in 2021 and 2022.

Just nine days after joining the paid ranks, Zhang defeated Jennifer Kupcho in a play-off to win the Mizuho Americas Open, becoming the first player to win on the LPGA Tour in their professional debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951.

And on her next start she contended for a major title in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, getting within a shot of the lead in the final round at Baltusrol before finishing in a tie for eighth.

Next up for Zhang is another major as the US Women’s Open is staged for the first time at Pebble Beach, where Zhang set the women’s course record of 63 while in college.

“It certainly has (exceeded my expectations),” Zhang told a pre-tournament press conference.

“I would have never expected myself to be in this position. Just being able to be in contention has been incredible, feeling-wise, and I feel like my game has been on par with a lot of the professionals and the veterans out here.

“But yeah, it’s not something that I anticipated and I have just felt like these positions has helped me to really realise that I have a lot of potential and I can become better, get better, but I’m always just someone to try to put my foot forward and improve even more.

“So I have never really thought about results-wise how I would end up, but I assumed that the transition was going to be a lot more difficult for sure.”

Asked about her goals for the week, Zhang added: “Well, in order to be in contention and play well, you have to make the cut first, right? So that is the first goal.

“Then if I make it, if I play well, we’ll just continue from there. So it’s the same mindset as what I had at KPMG.

“Not any expectations on how I finish, but I certainly do have expectations on how I should perform and how I should play the sport.”

Australia’s Minjee Lee will defend the title she won by four shots at Pine Needles last year, her second major victory following the 2021 Evian Championship.

“I think the course itself is in really great condition,” Lee said. “The rough is very lush.

“The fairways and greens are also in great condition. I’m really looking forward to how the USGA sets up the course for the tournament.

“I do love it that the greens are small. I think the ball-striking is going to be really important, especially tee to green.

“The par threes are all very strong, so I think they’ll be quite a good challenge and a good test.”

A sunny day in north-west England should have provided the ideal backdrop for Sergio Garcia’s bid to qualify for the Open Championship but while the 43-year-old had a place at Hoylake in his hands for so long he eventually let it slip.

The Spaniard was followed by bumper crowds at West Lancashire Golf Club in Crosby near Liverpool – a part of the world which has proved a happy hunting ground for Garcia in the past – but came up three shots shy of extending his run at the major into a 26th successive year.

Having got to eight under through 24 holes, which at the time was good enough for one of the top five spots to qualify, one bad lie and poor chip cost him a shot and halted his momentum.

From there it was all a bit of a struggle as he appeared to run out of steam – as a LIV golfer Garcia is more used to playing 54 holes over three days rather than 36 in a little over 10 hours.

His frustrations boiled over at the par-five 16th where, having been pin-high on the right fringe in two, he backed off a five-foot birdie putt after being disturbed by a photographer and then when he missed he could not hold back any longer.

“D***! As if it’s not frickin’ hard enough” was the invective spilled at the unsuspecting bystander.

That was the point when Garcia knew he was probably not going to be successful in his quest and it was effectively confirmed when his ball rolled off the green into a hollow at the par-three next.

At six under he had already been passed by others to push him out of contention and even if he had holed his 12-foot birdie attempt at the last it would not have been enough.

“I was rolling nicely, I got a pretty bad break on seven in the afternoon and it stalled my momentum a little bit. Then it was tough to get going again but I gave it everything I had,” he said afterwards.

“I was thinking probably eight might get to a play-off but I was trying to get to 10.

“If you come here you put yourself in that situation. I felt I had it close, in the grasp of my hand, but that’s what it is.

“I was trying and unfortunately it just wasn’t good enough.”

The day began for Garcia at 7.20am off the 10th tee, where a crowd of about 200 had assembled under cloudy skies and windy conditions.

Such was the Ryder Cup star’s draw there would probably have been a few local schools double-checking their attendance registers but those who turned up were given a rare treat.

With the freedom to roam the fairway behind their hero the public got much closer to Garcia then they ever would at an Open Championship.

Although it was slightly chaotic, it was all good-natured, with the players not bothered by fans as they made their way through the melee, but six holes in it had started to cause an issue for the group behind who were continually waiting for the landing area to clear.

More stewards with long pieces of rope were called for and the issue quickly subsided.

Three successive birdies from the 18th moved Garcia to three under and after finding a bunker at the 154-yard third saw him drop his first shot, birdies at the fifth, where he narrowly missed eagle, and ninth saw him sign for a five-under 67 and sit just one off the lead.

Just over an hour later he was back out off the first, with an enlarged gallery basking in the sun, and two birdies in his first six holes got him to eight under.

Everything seemed to be well in this part of north-west England where Garcia has a good record, with three of his 10 best Open finishes coming at Hoylake, in 2006 and 2014, and Royal Lytham in 2001.

But then things started to stutter when he left himself an impossible up-and-down after his short chip flew the green at the almost-drivable 355-yard seventh.

A three-putt from the front of the 10th, missing a five-footer for par, and suddenly he was back to six under and under pressure.

A free drop off a path at the par-five 11th resulted in a 15-footer for birdie which brought Garcia’s first – and only – fist pump of the day but the frown was back again at the 363-yard 13th when his approach missed the green.

With holes running out the pressure was starting to build, resulting in his blow-up at the 16th, and while he was welcomed back by a large crowd in front of the clubhouse it was not the finish Garcia – or they – wanted.

A sunny day in north-west England should have provided the ideal backdrop for Sergio Garcia’s bid to qualify for the Open Championship but while the 43-year-old had a place at Hoylake in his hands for so long he eventually let it slip.

The Spaniard was followed by bumper crowds at West Lancashire Golf Club in Crosby near Liverpool – a part of the world which has proved a happy hunting ground for Garcia in the past – but came up three shots shy of extending his run at the major into a 26th successive year.

Having got to eight under through 24 holes, which at the time was good enough for one of the top five spots to qualify, one bad lie and poor chip cost him a shot and halted his momentum.

From there it was all a bit of a struggle as he appeared to run out of steam – as a LIV golfer Garcia is more used to playing 54 holes over three days rather than 36 in a little over 10 hours.

His frustrations boiled over at the par-five 16th where, having been pin-high on the right fringe in two, he backed off a five-foot birdie putt after being disturbed by a photographer and then when he missed he could not hold back any longer.

“D***! As if it’s not frickin’ hard enough” was the invective spilled at the unsuspecting bystander.

That was the point when Garcia knew he was probably not going to be successful in his quest and it was effectively confirmed when his ball rolled off the green into a hollow at the par-three next.

At six under he had already been passed by others to push him out of contention and even if he had holed his 12-foot birdie attempt at the last it would not have been enough.

“I was rolling nicely, I got a pretty bad break on seven in the afternoon and it stalled my momentum a little bit. Then it was tough to get going again but I gave it everything I had,” he said afterwards.

“I was thinking probably eight might get to a play-off but I was trying to get to 10.

“If you come here you put yourself in that situation. I felt I had it close, in the grasp of my hand, but that’s what it is.

“I was trying and unfortunately it just wasn’t good enough.”

The day began for Garcia at 7.20am off the 10th tee, where a crowd of about 200 had assembled under cloudy skies and windy conditions.

Such was the Ryder Cup star’s draw there would probably have been a few local schools double-checking their attendance registers but those who turned up were given a rare treat.

With the freedom to roam the fairway behind their hero the public got much closer to Garcia then they ever would at an Open Championship.

Although it was slightly chaotic, it was all good-natured, with the players not bothered by fans as they made their way through the melee, but six holes in it had started to cause an issue for the group behind who were continually waiting for the landing area to clear.

More stewards with long pieces of rope were called for and the issue quickly subsided.

Three successive birdies from the 18th moved Garcia to three under and after finding a bunker at the 154-yard third saw him drop his first shot, birdies at the fifth, where he narrowly missed eagle, and ninth saw him sign for a five-under 67 and sit just one off the lead.

Just over an hour later he was back out off the first, with an enlarged gallery basking in the sun, and two birdies in his first six holes got him to eight under.

Everything seemed to be well in this part of north-west England where Garcia has a good record, with three of his 10 best Open finishes coming at Hoylake, in 2006 and 2014, and Royal Lytham in 2001.

But then things started to stutter when he left himself an impossible up-and-down after his short chip flew the green at the almost-drivable 355-yard seventh.

A three-putt from the front of the 10th, missing a five-footer for par, and suddenly he was back to six under and under pressure.

A free drop off a path at the par-five 11th resulted in a 15-footer for birdie which brought Garcia’s first – and only – fist pump of the day but the frown was back again at the 363-yard 13th when his approach missed the green.

With holes running out the pressure was starting to build, resulting in his blow-up at the 16th, and while he was welcomed back by a large crowd in front of the clubhouse it was not the finish Garcia – or they – wanted.

Three charities are to benefit from proceeds coming from the Red Blazer Charity Golf Classic set for July 22 at the Constant Spring Golf Club, in Kingston, with an 8 a.m. start in full handicap Stableford format. 

There will be four categories of players:  Men, Ladies, Seniors and Juniors.  Eighty golfers are expected to participate to win prizes donated by Corporate Jamaica.

Now in its 21^st staging the event is to be hosted by the Liguanea Lodge to benefit the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North Education Foundation; a new bursary at the Tony Thwaites Wing, which will select senior residents carrying out cutting edge research and the 2023-24 Rotary Club of St. Andrew North’s major project focusing on autism.

Since the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North Education Foundation was formed 27 years ago, it has contributed grants to more than 130 students in need at the secondary and tertiary levels.  It is funded by earnings from investments and fundraising efforts, including an annual golf tournament which began in 2018.

“We are pleased and grateful that the Liguanea Lodge has identified our Foundation as a worthy beneficiary of proceeds from its tournament. We can forego our tournament this year and yet be in a position to disburse grants to 10 or more students for the September start of the school year,” said Donald Patterson, Director of the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North Education Foundation.

Judith Price, General Manager of the Tony Thwaites Wing of the University Hospital of the West Indies said the hospital was pleased to again partner with the Liguanea Lodge on the annual golf tournament. 

“Through this partnership and the proceeds of the event, we will be establishing a new Tony Thwaites Wing (TTW) bursary for doctors enrolled in the Senior Residency programme at the UHWI. We see this as an added opportunity for us to invest in the future of our junior doctors who are undertaking cutting edge research studies and continued education in their respective disciplines. As an established charitable organisation, TTW has a long-standing history of supporting our local health workforce through scholarships and sponsorship programmes for nurses and practising doctors. We are excited about this event and anticipate a great turnout and support for this worthy cause,” she said.

Part proceeds will also go to the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North’s major project for 2023-2024, which is the construction of a new classroom at the McCam Child Development and Resource Centre, in Papine.  “The early childhood centre caters to children with autism and during my presidency I wish to complete the project and hand it over.  It will cost about $2.6 million and we hope to begin construction in September, based on commitments received,” said Kirk Crichton, newly installed president of the Rotary Club of St. Andrew North.

Presenting sponsor is the Tony Thwaites Wing; Associate Sponsors: MicroLabs and Supreme Venture Foundation; Corporate Sponsor:  ICD Group; while hole and prize sponsors include: JN Group, Round Hill, Deja, Grand Hotel Excelsior, Altamont West; Wisynco Group, General Foods, National Supply, Royale Computers and Caribbean Broilers Group.

Sergio Garcia will miss the Open Championship for the first time since 1997 after failing to come through final qualifying.

Garcia, who finished joint second behind Rory McIlroy the last time Royal Liverpool staged the Open in 2014, was unable to claim one of the five places on offer in the 36-hole qualifying event at West Lancashire.

The former Masters champion was in good shape following an opening 67, but could only add a second round of 71 to finish six under par, five shots behind leading qualifier Matt Wallace.

“I haven’t really missed many majors since turning pro in 1999, just one because of Covid and the PGA a couple of months ago and unfortunately I’m going to miss this one,” Garcia said.

“It’s a shame but it’s the game. I felt I had it close, in the grasp of my hand, but that’s what it is. If you don’t even come here you can’t get disappointed because you are not even trying. I was trying and unfortunately it just wasn’t good enough.”

Playing alongside Garcia, Royal Liverpool member Matthew Jordan carded rounds of 65 and 69 to finish a shot behind Wallace, with South Africa’s Kyle Barker, England’s Alex Fitzpatrick and German amateur Tiger Christensen securing the other qualifying places.

“Playing in front of my home crowd today was brilliant so I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like come two weeks’ time,” Jordan said in a social media post on the DP World Tour’s account.

“It was great playing with Sergio, obviously a great player, Masters champion and brilliant off the tee. He obviously brought more people along so I thoroughly enjoyed his company. I cannot wait to get there (Hoylake).”

Former US Open champion Graeme McDowell joined fellow LIV Golf League player Garcia in missing out following rounds of 72 and 68.

Michael Block, the American club professional whose incredible tie for 15th in the US PGA Championship included a hole-in-one alongside McIlroy in the final round, also failed to advance at Dundonald Links.

Rounds of 77 and 76 left Block nine over par as Scotland’s Michael Stewart led the qualifiers on seven under.

“It was obviously a great day. It was great to have so much support out,” said Stewart, who is attached to the nearby Troon Welbeck Golf Club and birdied four of his last five holes.

“This morning was really quite tough, then the wind died a little bit in the afternoon. I’m just delighted, absolutely delighted.”

New Zealand’s Daniel Hillier admitted he was “gobsmacked” after producing a stunning burst of scoring to claim his first DP World Tour title in the Betfred British Masters.

Hillier holed from 40 feet for eagle on the 15th, made birdie from a fairway bunker on the next and then holed from six feet for another eagle on the 17th in a brilliant final round of 66 at The Belfry.

That gave the 24-year-old a winning total of 10 under par, securing the first prize of £468,000 and also a place in the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool later this month.

Hillier, who began the day three shots off a six-way tie for the lead, said: “I’m gobsmacked. I think it’s going to take me a while to process to be honest.

“Early on in the day I was not feeling it at all. I was a little bit uncomfortable with the driver, didn’t have many chances but obviously knew there were some chances coming in.

“I didn’t think I would take them that well, but obviously pretty ecstatic.

“I’m not going to lie, I was definitely looking at the leaderboard and seeing my name up there and thinking about what it would be like to finish it off but it’s all a bit of a blur really.”

Hillier admitted his eagle putt on the 15th was going “a little quick” when it hit the back of the hole and dropped, while he also made the most of a favourable bounce on his approach to the 17th.

And he also revealed he will now have to cancel his planned trip to play in two PGA Tour events which take place the week before and the week of the Open.

“Late change of plans but I’m not complaining,” added Hillier, who missed the cut on his Open debut in 2021.

“It’s going to be a pretty awesome experience playing the Open again so I can’t wait.”

Hillier finished two shots ahead of England’s Oliver Wilson and American Gunner Wiebe, who secured the other two spots up for grabs at Hoylake.

Wiebe, who is ranked 1,349th in the world and has made just one cut in 14 DP World Tour events this season, had set the early clubhouse target after carding an eagle, seven birdies and a triple bogey in his closing 66.

“That is quite special,” the 34-year-old said of his Open place. “It’s the major that I’ve adored since I was a kid.

“It was on at 6am when I woke up in the morning. I’d watch till 2.30 when the coverage ended and I would go try to hit shots that I saw on TV.

“And it’s also the last major that my dad (Mark) played in 2014 at the same course. That was his 500th career start and it was his final major so to get where he sort of ended his career in a way, that’s pretty special.”

Wilson birdied the 18th to snatch the final Open spot from Scotland’s Calum Hill, who had to settle for a share of fourth place with compatriot Ewen Ferguson and pre-tournament favourite Justin Rose.

Rose was seven under par after an opening 65, but finished on the same total following subsequent rounds of 73, 74 and 69.

“Obviously a good week,” said the former world number one, who won this event in 2002 and acted as tournament host in 2018. “I’ve enjoyed it. The crowd were really rooting me on.

“I felt like I was struggling with momentum in the middle of the tournament, obviously sensing their frustration, and I was getting a little frustrated, too, because obviously I really want to play well here at home.

“This week has been a good test of everyone’s game I think and it’s a good sort of benchmark on where you’re at. So quite happy with the test and the way I passed that test and can hopefully build on that the next few weeks.”

Rickie Fowler came home with a wet sail at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Saturday, birdieing six of his last eight holes to take the lead in Detroit.

The American picked up three shots on the front nine but a bogey after the turn threatened to derail his round.

He righted the ship quickly however, his late flurry propelling him to 20 under par and a one stroke lead ahead of Adam Hadwin.

Speaking after his round, Fowler said: “Whether it happens (Sunday) or not, it’s going to happen here soon.

“I’ve been playing a lot of really good golf and been putting myself in good positions.

“This definitely won’t be the last.”

The Canadian carded a stellar third round 63 to gain seven spots on the leaderboard and keep in close range of Fowler, who has not won an event on the PGA Tour in four years.

England’s Aaron Rai is tied for fourth on 17 under following a Saturday score of 66.

England’s Andy Sullivan, Oliver Wilson and James Morrison are part of a six-way tie heading into the final round of the Betfred British Masters as tournament favourite Justin Rose battled to stay in contention.

The home trio were joined on seven under par by Holland’s Joost Luiten, Italy’s Guido Migliozzi and Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard as a blustery wind wreaked havoc at The Belfry.

Rose had been seven under following an opening 65, but carded a 73 in round two and was a shot worse on Saturday to fall three off the pace in an event he won in 2002 and hosted in 2018.

Nuneaton-born Sullivan admitted he was “absolutely buzzing” to be in contention for a fifth DP World Tour title in front of a partisan home crowd, birdies on the 17th and 18th completing a third-round 70 in style.

“I wanted to do something like that all day to try and get it going, fortunately it came on the last,” Sullivan said after holing from 40 feet on the last.

“I was just grateful for it to hit the hole because it might actually have gone down the other ridge. I didn’t get anything going all day, very steady, very solid, and then yeah, the last couple of holes it was sweet to finish like that.

“I’m buzzing. I’m absolutely buzzing. I’m not going to lie, I’ll probably go have a little beer right now to calm down.

“It’s been so nice to see so many friendly faces out there. It’s lucky I’ve got quite a few friends on Tour and I managed to scrounge about 120 tickets so it’s fantastic to have all these people come out and watch you.

“I’m very grateful for the support they give, taking the time out of their weekend and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. I can’t wait for tomorrow.”

Wilson surged into the lead with four birdies in his first seven holes, but missed from three feet for another on the ninth and then dropped shots on the 10th and 11th before carding seven straight pars.

“It was a massive tale of two halves,” Wilson, who was part of the 2008 Ryder Cup team captained by tournament host Sir Nick Faldo, told the PA news agency.

“I was awesome on the front nine. I’m not good at bigging myself up but that was pretty good. I had a three-footer on nine to go five under for the day, missed that and then started to realise how hard it was.

“I just made a couple of errors on 10 and 11 and then it was a bit of a scramble but I did a lot of good stuff and it was so fiddly out there.

“It’s hard to keep it on the fairways on quite a few of the doglegs and every shot out of the rough is jumping. But I’m in good shape and look forward to seeing what I can do tomorrow.”

France’s Antoine Rozner had holed a bunker shot on the eighth and birdied the ninth to join Wilson in the lead on nine under, only to dump two wedge shots into the water on the 10th and make a quadruple-bogey eight.

Rozner stumbled home in 42 but was still within four of the lead on three under, while Thorbjorn Olesen’s chances of defending his title effectively disappeared when he also made two visits to the water on the par-five third to run up a triple-bogey eight, the Dane carding a 76 to finish the day one under.

Rose was initially put down for a triple bogey of his own on the 12th when he appeared to need multiple attempts to hack his ball out of a muddy lie on the edge of a water hazard, but had actually been taking two practice swings.

“My ball was plugged inside the hazard but fortunately there was a rule officials near me and he clarified you can take practice swings,” Rose explained.

“My thinking was if I just wallop it really, really hard can I kind of take all the earth that my ball is sitting in and just move it forward the three or four yards that I need.

“I took big heaves of a practice swing and felt like I could do it, so the third swing you saw was my attempt at the ball.”

As for his chances of victory, Rose added: “I’m in a position where there’s so many guys ahead of me on seven under that one of those guys is going to go out and play well.

“It means that it’s going to take a pretty low one from myself or the chasing pack to get it done, but maybe something along the lines of (my) round one might have a chance.”

America’s Taylor Moore and Canadian Taylor Pendrith shared a narrow lead ahead of a jam-packed leaderboard at the halfway mark of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

The pair finished Friday’s second round on 13 under par after mirroring each other’s scores across the first two days – Moore carding a 64 and 67, while Pendrith scored a 67 on Thursday followed by a 64.

They lead by one stroke from America’s Rickie Fowler and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg.

England’s Aaron Rai features among a group of four players in the hunt on 11 under, after he recovered from an early bogey to head into the clubhouse on Friday with a score of 68.

Six players are a shot further back, with just four strokes separating the top 18.

Justin Rose admitted he was delighted with a “gutsy” 73 which kept him in contention for a second Betfred British Masters title, 21 years after the first.

Rose held a one-shot lead after a superb opening 65 at The Belfry, but it was a different story on Friday as he covered his first 10 holes in four over par.

However, the former world number one rallied to card four birdies in a six-hole stretch on the back nine and finished the day on six under par, tied for the lead with France’s Antoine Rozner.

“It felt like a very, very tough day,” Rose said. “I got off to kind of a weird start, I didn’t feel like I was hitting poor shots and three-putted number one. The hole looked a little smaller for some reason.

“It wasn’t easy and this golf course holds up. Every year it has a pretty stout winning score and you can see why.

“I made some mistakes clearly, I was four over par at one point in my round, so actually delighted to bring it back and finish minus six.

“A good result out of the day I think and also generally feel pretty decent with how I played today. Just three three-putts and one or two little errors which crept in but not too bad considering what was a tough afternoon.

“I did readjust and tried say to myself I can make three birdies coming in down the last seven holes and that’s kind of how it played out.

“It was a good gutsy finish I suppose and dinner will taste good because of that. Through 36 holes I’m in a great spot.”

Rose and Rozner enjoyed a one-shot lead over a seven-strong group of players which included defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen, former Ryder Cup players Oliver Wilson and Andy Sullivan and English amateur John Gough.

Sullivan dodged a fine for swearing as he moved into contention for a fifth DP World Tour title with a second round of 68, the 37-year-old Midlander making five birdies in the space of six holes from the 12th.

“It was good. I played really well today,” Sullivan said, who was part of the European team beaten by the United States at Hazeltine in 2016.

“I missed an eight-footer on 11 which did get a massive expletive. Luckily the cameras weren’t there as I would have got fined, and then I got going after that.

“I felt the momentum and obviously having a home crowd behind you is nice, local crowd and quite a few out there today, so it’s good when you get the roars going and you get them going, you feel like your energy is up today.”

Sullivan joked that it had been a “pain in the a***” to secure tickets for all his friends and family, but Olesen was certainly appreciating the support of the sizeable crowds.

“It was great from early doors this morning,” the Dane said. “There was a lot of people and good atmosphere the whole way around, so it’s always fun to play in front of that.

“I didn’t think it was that easy today. It was quite windy but I had some really nice up-and-downs to keep the round going which was very important. I’m pretty happy with today.”

Scotland’s Ewen Ferguson and Robert MacIntyre lie two shots off the lead on four under par, while Welshman Jamie Donaldson slipped four strokes off the pace after following his opening 66 with a 76.

Compatriot Rhys Enoch holed out from 220 yards with a four iron to make an albatross on the par-five third hole, a second round of 69 leaving him one under par.

Justin Rose lived up to his billing as pre-tournament favourite by setting the pace on day one of the Betfred British Masters.

The world number 31, the top-ranked player in the field, carded eight birdies and a solitary bogey to record a seven-under-par 65 and enjoy a one-shot lead over former Ryder Cup team-mate Jamie Donaldson.

Donaldson, who secured the winning point at Gleneagles in 2014, birdied five of the last six holes in his 66, with Germany’s Yannik Paul, English amateur John Gough, James Morrison and Spain’s Sebastian Garcia all on four under.

“I felt very comfortable with my game from the first shot,” said Rose, who won the British Masters in 2002 and hosted the event in 2018.

“I hit a beautiful little wedge into the 10th hole, made a nice birdie there and I think that’s the cleanest round of golf I’ve played in a long, long time.

“I really drove the ball well, the irons were being struck pretty cleanly and I actually hadn’t made many putts through the front nine to be four under so it was great to manage to make a few coming in.

“It all amounted to a very good day’s work.”

Asked about being a short-priced favourite to win the £2.7million event, Rose added: “I haven’t really paid any attention to that, even though I played with the Betfred lads (in the pro-am) and they were telling me about the pricing of the field.

“It’s obviously somewhat of a compliment but it doesn’t mean anything, does it? You have to go and play well.

“Quality players, if they play well, they are going to be hard to beat, but the hard part is playing well. Obviously I’ve done the first step, got off to a good start, but got a long way to go this week.

“Coming off a missed cut at the US Open and a week off without too much practice, the beginning part of this week was important for me to get tuned back in to my feels and it’s nice to get off to a good, positive start.”

Donaldson was just one under par after 12 holes of his round before picking up shots on the 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th.

“Nothing was going in, it was all a bit slow at the start and suddenly it all kicked in on the back nine,” the 47-year-old Welshman said. “Five in six holes to finish, so yeah, fantastic.

“I was just trying to be patient. There were a lot of downwind holes towards the end there, so it made it easier to have birdie chances and hit a few good shots.”

The leading three players on Sunday evening, who are not already exempt, will earn a place in next month’s Open Championship and Donaldson added: “It’s a big goal.

“I’m down for the qualifier at West Lancs next week but it would be great to do it here and save having to play 36 holes in one day. There’s a long way to go but I do really want to be playing in the Open. Three more days and I need three more similar rounds.”

Paul currently holds an automatic qualifying place for the Ryder Cup and overcame a back injury which forced him out of last week’s BMW International on home soil to card an opening 68.

“Sometimes when the expectations aren’t as high, your acceptance if you hit bad shots is better,” said Paul, who won his maiden DP World Tour title in Mallorca last season.

“I’m obviously really pleased with my round. I flew here on Tuesday morning, thinking I’d have a 30 per cent chance that I could tee it up.

“My physio Rob is here this week and I also received some good treatment last week, but it took some time to get better.”

Defending champion Thorbjorn Olesen is five shots off the lead after an opening round of 70.

Former champion Justin Rose justified his position as pre-tournament favourite with a superb opening round in the Betfred British Masters.

The world number 31, the top-ranked player in the field, carded eight birdies and a solitary bogey to record a seven-under-par 65 at The Belfry.

That gave Rose a one-shot lead over former Ryder Cup team-mate Jamie Donaldson, who birdied five of the last six holes in his 66, with Germany’s Yannik Paul and English amateur John Gough two shots further back.

“I felt very comfortable with my game from the first shot,” said Rose, who won the British Masters in 2002 and hosted the event in 2018.

“I hit a beautiful little wedge into the 10th hole, made a nice birdie there and I think that’s the cleanest round of golf I’ve played in a long, long time.

“I really drove the ball well, the irons were being struck pretty cleanly and I actually hadn’t made many putts through the front nine to be four under so it was great to manage to make a few coming in.

“It all amounted to a very good day’s work.”

Asked about being a short-priced favourite to win the £2.7million event, Rose added: “I haven’t really paid any attention to that, even though I played with the Betfred lads [in the pro-am] and they were telling me about the pricing of the field.

“It’s obviously somewhat of a compliment but it doesn’t mean anything, does it? You have to go and play well.

“Quality players, if they play well, they are going to be hard to beat, but the hard part is playing well. Obviously I’ve done the first step, got off to a good start, but got a long way to go this week.

“Coming off a missed cut at the US Open and a week off without too much practice, the beginning part of this week was important for me to get tuned back in to my feels and it’s nice to get off to a good, positive start.”

Donaldson, who sealed the winning point at Gleneagles in 2014, was just one under par after 12 holes of his round before picking up shots on the 13th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th.

“Nothing was going in, it was all a bit slow at the start and suddenly it all kicked in on the back nine,” the 47-year-old Welshman said. “Five in six holes to finish, so yeah, fantastic.

“I was just trying to be patient. There were a lot of downwind holes towards the end there, so it made it easier to have birdie chances and hit a few good shots.”

Rory McIlroy and Sergio Garcia have ended their feud in the wake of the proposed peace deal between golf’s rival factions.

The former Ryder Cup team-mates fell out following Garcia’s move to LIV Golf, with McIlroy emerging as the most vocal opponent to the Saudi-funded breakaway.

But even though McIlroy admitted earlier this month that he still “hates” LIV Golf, he and Garcia rekindled their friendship at the US Open in Los Angeles.

Asked in a press conference ahead of LIV’s event in Valderrama this week if the deal was good news, Garcia said: “I think so. I think it’s great.

“I think in my personal opinion I wish this would have happened a year and a half ago when we all started, and it would have been better for all of us. I really think so.

“To give you an example – it wasn’t because of the merger, but the US Open was a great event for me.

“I feel like I played well, but more than anything because I gained a friend back, a friend that I kind of felt like I lost in the last year or so. We talked and we had a great conversation, and I feel like I have that friend back and that to me means a lot.”

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Garcia revealed that a friendly interaction at the US Open between his wife Angela and McIlroy had been the catalyst.

“I had been thinking about it for a while but I wasn’t totally sure,” Garcia said.

“But then I saw that reaction from him and it kind of gave me the incentive to get closer and we had a great chat.

“I think that at the end of the day, the important thing is that we got together and talked; we were two friends that wanted to get back to that spot.

“Like I said, no doubt it was the saddest part of all of this, these friendships turning sour.”

Sir Nick Faldo believes LIV Golf cannot survive the proposed deal between golf’s warring factions, but that Rory McIlroy can thrive following the shock outbreak of peace.

Earlier this month the PGA Tour announced it was creating a new commercial entity with the DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway circuit.

The deal is subject to judicial scrutiny in the United States and details remain thin on the ground, but the “framework agreement” does state that LIV’s future will be determined by the new entity, whose board will be controlled by a PGA Tour majority.

Asked ahead of the British Masters if LIV can survive, tournament host and six-time major winner Faldo said: “I don’t think so, because nobody’s really interested.

“They’re not going to get the sponsorship that they want. They call it a team (event) and it’s not because it’s strokeplay.

“You see your mates on the putting green and say ‘play well’ and you see them in the scorers tent and say ‘What did you shoot?’ That’s it. A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team.

“You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, you know the passion and the atmosphere of that. They’re not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup.

“It’s only half a dozen (players) that are really current, half of the field I don’t really know and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20 over.”

Unsurprisingly, LIV player and HyFlyers team captain Phil Mickelson has a different view and believes everything that the rebels were promised by LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is coming to pass.

“I think that right now we have basically an agreement to have an agreement and everything over the last couple of years that we’ve been told by Greg and everybody on LIV has come to fruition, so we have a lot of confidence in what they have been saying to us because everything has been happening,” Mickelson said ahead of the LIV event in Valderrama.

Asked if he felt vindicated by developments, Mickelson added: “I would say I felt appreciation that we got to this point where we’re working together because it makes me confident with where the game of golf is headed in the future.

“We felt like it was going to be about two years roughly before we got to that point. It took a year and a half, or six months quicker than I thought it would be.”

McIlroy admitted he felt like a “sacrificial lamb” when the proposed deal was announced, the four-time major winner having emerged as the public face of the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV.

The following week he cancelled his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, where he finished second to Wyndham Clark to extend his major championship drought.

“I’m pretty sure Rory’s suffered from being constantly asked, being a spokesman (for the PGA Tour),” Faldo said. “You want a clear head when you go and play golf, you want to be able to concentrate.

“I’d rather be playing well and fending off questions about why I finished second than why I finished 152nd. If you finish second it’s stewards’ inquiry and a dissection but he’s there, he’s playing that well every week.

“He’s playing beautifully so if he can just get those wedges a smidgen closer that changes everything. Putting under pressure to putting for birdie is a huge difference.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s seriously inspired at Hoylake. That’s where he won last time (the 2014 Open).

“There is scar tissue from nine years without a major and not too many players have come back from a long gap and then go on to reboot your career and win more, but I’m sure he would just love to be able to bowl up, go and practice and play with minimal off-course work and interference.

“You need that when you’re trying to play your best. You’ve got to have that all day long.”