The Open 2022 LIVE: Golf news from St Andrews including tee times and latest odds

The Open 2022 is finally almost here and St Andrews hosts the 150th edition on the historic Old Course. Tiger Woods is back, Rory McIlroy enters the week as favourite and defending champion Collin Morikawa is among a star-studded field looking to create more history at the Home of Golf.

Jack Nicklaus once said “your career is not complete unless you’ve won an Open Championship at the Home of Golf” and Woods admitted he agrees as he bids to ignite the latest stage of an incredible comeback after missing the US Open due to the lingering effects of that serious car crash in 2021.

It was a memorable Open last time at St Andrews in 2015, with Zach Johnson clinching a second major title when he beat Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole play-off, which left Jordan Spieth agonisingly one shot away from joining them in pursuit of a calendar grand slam.

“This is going to be a special week of golf and having many of the sport’s great champions and future stars play in this event is a great way to mark this historic championship,” Woods said. “St. Andrews has such a unique atmosphere, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of the fans again and on a course that holds fantastic memories for me.’’

Follow all the latest news and updates with our live blog below:

Latest news from the 150th Open

• St Andrews hosts the 150th Open on the iconic Old Course

• Round 1 gets underway at 6.35am on Thursday morning

• Collin Morikawa is defending champion after lifting the Claret Jug at Royal St George’s 12 months ago

• Tiger Woods is competing after skipping the US Open due to injury

• “I disagree with it”: Woods lays into breakaway LIV Golf tour during press conference

Rory McIlroy insists winning Open at St Andrews is Holy Grail of golf

Wednesday 13 July 2022 18:57 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy believes winning an Open Championship at St Andrews is golf’s version of the Holy Grail as he bids to end his eight-year major drought.

McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug in 2014 and won his fourth major title in the US PGA a month later, but has not won one of the game’s biggest titles since.

Augusta National co-founder and three-time Open champion Bobby Jones famously said that a player’s career would not be complete without lifting the Claret Jug on the Old Course.

And while McIlroy is not sure that is strictly true, the world number two is well aware of the significance of winning the oldest major title at the Home of Golf.

“I don’t know if a golfer’s career isn’t complete if you don’t, but I think it’s the Holy Grail of our sport,” McIlroy said.

Rory McIlroy insists winning Open at St Andrews is Holy Grail of golf

The Open 2022 tee times: Full schedule for Day 1 at St Andrews including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

Wednesday 13 July 2022 18:42 , Michael Jones

Tiger Woods tees it up for the 150th Open Championship with a late start alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa.

The three-time Open champion, with two wins at the Old Course in 2000 and 2005, is bullish about his health heading into Thursday.

But Woods has also been speaking about his loyalty to the PGA Tour amid the ongoing threat posed by LIV Golf.

“Greg has done some things that I don’t think are in the best interests of the game,” Woods said. “I just don’t understand it. Fifty-four holes, guaranteed money up front. Where is the incentive to practice? If LIV events don’t get world ranking points, some of these players might never get to play in majors.”

Here are tee times and full schedule for day 1 of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews:

The Open 2022 tee times and full schedule for Day 1 at St Andrews

Playing The Open at St Andrews a ‘dream come true’ for Robert MacIntyre

Wednesday 13 July 2022 18:27 , Michael Jones

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre admits he got goosebumps arriving in St Andrews ahead of this week’s Open.

The 25-year-old has played in the last two editions of the championship but to feature in one at the home of golf is a dream come true.

“When I was driving in on Sunday, that’s the first time I’ve ever had goosebumps coming to St Andrews,” said MacIntyre, who hails from Oban.

“I always drove into town, and it’s like, ‘oh, we’re in St Andrews’ – but when I came in from above the town I actually had goosebumps. I was like, ‘wow, this is just different’.

Playing The Open at St Andrews a ‘dream come true’ for Robert MacIntyre

Former winner Paul Lawrie still excited by Open and hoping to play ‘a few more’

Wednesday 13 July 2022 18:13 , Michael Jones

It is 23 years since he won the Open Championship, but at times Paul Lawrie finds it hard to believe.

“It is still, to this day, quite spooky and quite scary that my name is on a trophy along with some people I’ve looked up to my whole life,” Lawrie told the PA news agency ahead of hitting the opening shot in the 150th Open at St Andrews.

“If you’re British it’s the biggest tournament in the world. If you’re American I understand they probably want to win the US Open and the Masters before the Open, but for British players it is the tournament you want to win.”

Former winner Paul Lawrie still excited by Open and hoping to play ‘a few more’

The Open and Tiger Woods’s return give golf timely shot of purity

Wednesday 13 July 2022 18:00 , Michael Jones

Golf’s royalty descends on St Andrews this week for the 150th Open Championship, providing some much-needed respite for a sport currently embroiled in a civil war.

As LIV Golf lurks in the shadows, the battle for the Claret Jug provides a much-needed shot of purity. The tournament is engulfed in history; the esteemed names from the past, many of whom have gathered to celebrate everything the Champion Golfer of the Year stands for, provides a befitting reminder of the priceless reward the game still has to offer.

Tiger Woods, golf’s knight in shining armour, is fit, beaming from ear to ear after squeezing 58 holes into barely four days leading up to lights out on Thursday. Like a kid in a candy shop, Woods has attracted a legion of supporters who have descended on this little corner of the east coast of Scotland, some from as far as Argentina, just to capture perhaps a last glimpse of one of the greatest still confident he can summon his legendary best.

There has been a cutting tone to the adulation Woods has shown towards the Old Course though; thrilled and grateful to play, of course, but also conscious of his role in golf’s bitter struggle and the power his words hold.

The Open and Tiger Woods’s return give golf timely shot of purity

Mullet over? Cameron Smith unlikely to make the cut with a win at St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 17:48 , Michael Jones

Australia’s Cameron Smith claims not even winning the Open at St Andrews this week would tempt him to cut off his now trademark ‘mullet’.

The world number six grew his distinctive hairstyle for a joke ahead of last year’s Olympics but with the intention of having it cut short should he land one of the game’s top prizes.

Yet, after enjoying the attention it has brought him – and securing some eye-catching results while sporting the look – the mullet could be set to stay.

Mullet over? Cameron Smith unlikely to make the cut with a win at St Andrews

Banning LIV Golf players from the Open ‘not on the agenda’ – R&A

Wednesday 13 July 2022 17:37 , Michael Jones

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers insists banning LIV Golf rebels from next year’s Open is “not on the agenda”, but has not ruled out changing the championship’s entry criteria.

The PGA Tour has suspended members who have competed in the Saudi-backed breakaway without permission, while the DP World Tour fined players £100,000 and banned them from last week’s Genesis Scottish Open, but saw that temporarily stayed on appeal.

The R&A announced last month LIV players who were exempt for the Open would be allowed to compete at St Andrews, following the stance taken by the USGA in relation to the US Open.

But USGA chief executive Mike Whan did admit he could foresee it becoming harder for LIV players to qualify in the future, a view echoed by Slumbers in his pre-tournament press conference.

Banning LIV Golf players from the Open ‘not on the agenda’ – R&A

St Andrews’ charm has Tiger Woods and golf primed for special Open Championship

Wednesday 13 July 2022 17:26 , Michael Jones

“It’s my favourite golf course in the world,” Tiger Woods said of St Andrews with such conviction and that signature smile.

Perhaps the greatest of all time, Woods has pulled off a miracle to merely play this week at the “home of golf”, but The Open, this Open, played a crucial part in the darkest of times, spurring him on to make an inspirational comeback that resumes 18 months after his severe car accident.

Woods speaks of “jeopardy”, had he played last month’s US Open at Brookline. The 46-year-old’s arduous weeks and months of rehabilitation designed to return to elite golf, yes, but specifically the 150th Open.

“I want to play there again, and I don’t know when they are ever going to go back while I’m still able to play at a high level,” Woods conceded, cognisant that the next Open here is at least four years away. “I want to be able to give it at least one more run at a high level.

“So yes, it’s worth it because some days moving off the couch is a hell of a task.”

St Andrews’ charm has Tiger Woods and golf primed for special Open

The Open 2022: Greatest moments at St Andrews in Open history

Wednesday 13 July 2022 17:16 , Michael Jones

The Old Course at St Andrews will host the 150th Open Championship from Thursday until Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the most memorable moments to occur at the most-used venue for the game’s oldest major championship:

The Open 2022: Greatest moments at St Andrews in Open history

‘I’m not retiring but this could be my last Open at St Andrews’ says Tiger Woods

Wednesday 13 July 2022 17:07 , Michael Jones

Tiger Woods believes it is possible for him to compete at The Open well into his 50s but accepts this may be the last time he plays his all-time favourite venue of St Andrews.

Two of the 15-time major winner’s three Claret Jugs have been won on the Old Course, in 2000 and 2005, but after this year’s 150th Championship the event will not return for at least another five years.

By then Woods will be five months away from his 52nd birthday: the oldest modern-day winner of the event was the 44-year-old Roberto De Vicenzo in 1967, while Phil Mickelson, a month short of his 51st birthday, became the oldest major champion with last year’s US PGA Championship victory.

Tiger Woods: I’m not retiring but this could be my last Open at St Andrews

The Open 2022 prize money: How much will players earn at St Andrews?

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:57 , Michael Jones

The 150th Open Championship will feature a record prize fund at St Andrews this week.

The total purse has increased by 22% to over £11.6m while the winner of the Claret Jug will claim a tournament record £2.1m. That figure also represents a significant increase with Collin Morikawa taking home £1.6m for his victory last year.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said: “There have been significant changes in prize money over the last year. We have therefore increased the prize fund by 22% which means that the prize money has increased by more than 60% since 2016.”

The Open 2022 prize money: How much will players earn at St Andrews?

The Open 2022 latest odds: Who is the favourite to win at St Andrews?

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:49 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy is set to begin The Open Championship as favourite to lift the Claret Jug on Sunday after an impressive few weeks in the US.

McIlroy has contended at certain moments in the majors this year without getting over the line, and there would be no better place to end his eight-year wait for a fifth title than at the home of golf.

St Andrews hosts the 150th edition of The Open on the historic Old Course, and competing with McIlroy is Tiger Woods – who won here in 2000 – and defending champion Collin Morikawa among a star-studded field looking to create golfing history.

Jack Nicklaus once said “your career is not complete unless you’ve won an Open Championship at the Home of Golf” and Woods admitted he agrees as he bids to ignite the latest stage of an incredible comeback after missing the US Open due to the lingering effects of that serious car crash in 2021.

The Open 2022 latest odds: Who is the favourite to win at St Andrews?

The 150th Open: Players to watch

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:42 , Michael Jones

Will Zalatoris.

Zalatoris remains without a win on the PGA Tour but his record in the game’s biggest events is remarkable, the 25-year-old recording six top-10s in his last seven completed majors.

That includes losing a play-off to Justin Thomas for the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills and finishing joint second in the US Open at Brookline.

His sole Open Championship appearance to date ended after one round due to a back injury suffered hitting a shot out of heavy rough at Royal St George’s.

Tommy Fleetwood hoping stroke of luck will help to turn his season around

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:33 , Michael Jones

If Tommy Fleetwood ends up winning the 150th Open Championship on Sunday, he can pinpoint precisely when he was set on the road to glory.

Fleetwood’s third round of the Genesis Scottish Open was threatening to go from bad to worse when he followed a three-putt on the ninth by seemingly getting his ball stuck up a tree on the 11th.

But it then transpired that Fleetwood’s ball had been misidentified by a marshal and the Ryder Cup star went on to birdie the hole and three of the next four, shoot back-to-back 67s and finish fourth, his best result of the season.

“It just turned round on 11,” Fleetwood told the PA news agency. “They told me my ball was up a tree and it wasn’t. So I’ve gone from losing my ball and having to go back to the tee, to finding it and making birdie.”

Tommy Fleetwood hoping stroke of luck will help to turn his season around

Spectators enjoy St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:26 , Michael Jones

The fans and supporters that have travelled to The Open for these practice rounds have had a great time. Lots of players have spent time with them signing autographs and posing for photos.

Tiger Woods has even returned to the course today after saying he was going to have a day off before the tournament begins tomorrow.

World number one ranking does not add to the pressure for Scottie Scheffler

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:21 , Michael Jones

World number one Scottie Scheffler admits his position at the top of the rankings may not be universally acknowledged but insists it is the least of his concerns.

The 26-year-old made his major breakthrough with victory at the Masters in April, having already usurped Jon Rahm to become number one with three victories in 43 days.

He has maintained his form with a joint-second place at last month’s US Open but still does not appear to get full credit for his achievements.

“I guess I am number one in the rankings – I’m not sure if I’m necessarily perceived that way by you all or whoever it is, but that’s not stuff that I really ever think about,” he said ahead of his St Andrews debut for the 150th Open Championship.

World number one ranking does not add to the pressure for Scottie Scheffler

The Open 2022: When does it start, how to watch, TV information and St Andrews odds

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:13 , Michael Jones

It’s The Open 2022 and St Andrews hosts the 150th edition on the historic Old Course. Tiger Woods is back, Rory McIlroy enters the week as favourite and defending champion Collin Morikawa is among a star-studded field looking to create more history at the Home of Golf.

Jack Nicklaus once said “your career is not complete unless you’ve won an Open Championship at the Home of Golf” and Woods admitted he agrees as he bids to ignite the latest stage of an incredible comeback after missing the US Open due to the lingering effects of that serious car crash in 2021.

It was a memorable Open last time at St Andrews in 2015, with Zach Johnson clinching a second major title when he beat Louis Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman in a four-hole play-off, which left Spieth agonisingly one shot away from joining them in pursuit of a calendar grand slam.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Open 2022 at St Andrews:

The Open 2022: When does it start and how to watch online and on TV

The 150th Open: Players to watch

Wednesday 13 July 2022 16:03 , Michael Jones

Shane Lowry.

The 2019 Open champion missed the cut in the US Open by a shot after being on the tougher side of the draw, but has otherwise been in consistent form in 2022, posting five top-10 finishes.

The most recent of those came on home soil in the Horizon Irish Open, where he birdied the last four holes in the second round to make the halfway cut with a shot to spare before carding weekend rounds of 68 and 67.

Collin Morikawa says returning Claret Jug ‘sucked’ but hopes it can spark season

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:54 , Michael Jones

Defending the Open champion Collin Morikawa admits it “sucked” to have to hand back the Claret Jug, but hopes doing so can spark his season into life.

Morikawa won his second major title at Royal St George’s last year and gets to keep a replica version of the Claret Jug for life, but the real thing was returned to the R&A clubhouse on Monday ahead of this week’s 150th Open at St Andrews.

“It sucked. It really did,” Morikawa said. “I woke up this morning and looked at it. The replica is beautiful, but it’s not the same. It really isn’t. It will never be.”

Collin Morikawa says returning Claret Jug ‘sucked’ but hopes it can spark season

Prospect of record-breaking round at St Andrews does not faze The Open 2022 organisers

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:45 , Michael Jones

Organisers of The Open insist they would welcome a record-breaking sub-60 round at St Andrews despite suggestions the Old Course is becoming obsolete.

At 7,297 yards, the historic links is one of the shortest among the current major venues and this week it has hard, fast-running fairways after sustained dry and windy conditions.

There has been speculation, if the wind does not blow hard during the tournament days, that the course will be defenceless against the world’s top professionals taking it apart and potentially posting the lowest round in men’s major history.

Prospect of record-breaking round at St Andrews does not faze Open organisers

Ernie back in action

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:38 , Michael Jones

Thirty years after his Open debut, two-time Champion Ernie Els is ready for action once more.

Els tied for second on the Old Course in 2010 and gets underway this time around at 9.25am tomorrow morning, alongside Adri Arnaus and Brad Kennedy.

Can the 52-year-old shock the world and claim his third Open title this year?

The 150th Open: Players to watch

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:30 , Michael Jones

Tyrrell Hatton.

Hatton missed the cut the last time the Open was held at St Andrews in 2015, but the following year won the Dunhill Links Championship, which includes two rounds on the Old Course, and successfully defended his title 12 months later before narrowly missing out on a hat-trick of wins in 2018.

He finished 13th in the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills but has missed the cut in two of his last three starts. He’s looked pretty comfortable over the practice rounds so far and with the wind expected to die down on Thursday the opportunity will be there to shoot a low score.

Can Hatton put in a decent challenge this week?

Tiger Woods ‘feeling good’ despite defeat to former Open winners at St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:23 , Michael Jones

Four former winners of the Open at St Andrews unsurprisingly came out on top in the Celebration of Champions ahead of this week’s 150th Open.

Nick Faldo, John Daly, Louis Oosthuizen and Zach Johnson teamed up to shoot six under par in the light-hearted, four-hole event over the first, second, 17th and 18th holes on the Old Course.

That gave the illustrious quartet – winners at St Andrews in 1990, 1995, 2010 and 2015 respectively – a three-shot win over the teams captained by Laura Davies and Tiger Woods.

Woods was partnered by Rory McIlroy, Georgia Hall and Lee Trevino, with McIlroy driving the 18th green after hitting his tee shot on the 17th into the garden of the Old Course Hotel.

Tiger Woods ‘feeling good’ despite defeat to former Open winners at St Andrews

Jack Nicklaus not concerned about prospect of record low score at Open

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:15 , Michael Jones

Three-time Open champion Jack Nicklaus insists he has no concerns about the Old Course yielding a record low score this week.

Branden Grace created history when he became the first man to shoot 62 in a major during the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale, while Ross Fisher holds the course record at St Andrews after a 61 in the Dunhill Links three months later.

If a lack of wind leaves the Old Course vulnerable to similar scoring Colin Montgomerie is among those to fear a sub-60 score could be possible, telling Golf Monthly recently: “It doesn’t deserve to have a 59 on it.”

However, Nicklaus had a completely different response when asked about the chances of that happening during the 150th Open this week.

“So what?” the 18-time major winner said. “That’s sort of the way I look at it.”

Jack Nicklaus not concerned about prospect of record low score at Open

The 150th Open: Players to watch

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:08 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy.

McIlroy has finished second, eighth and fifth in the majors this season after finally ending his bad habit of getting off to slow starts, although he has not really been in contention to win on the back nine in the final round.

Injury prevented him from defending his Open title in 2015 at St Andrews, where he carded an opening 63 in 2010 and shot 80 in the second round in terrible weather before recovering to finish third.

Is it time for McIlroy to lift the Claret Jug once again?

Matt Fitzpatrick relishing Open bid as he looks to repeat St Andrews junior joy

Wednesday 13 July 2022 15:00 , Michael Jones

The last time Matt Fitzpatrick won a tournament at St Andrews it was witnessed by his parents and their dog.

Fourteen years later, a record crowd of 290,000 will be in attendance during the week of the 150th Open Championship as Fitzpatrick seeks back-to-back major titles following his US Open triumph last month.

“I can’t really remember it,” Fitzpatrick said of his victory in the 2008 St Andrews Boys’ Open. “There wasn’t much atmosphere. There was literally my mum, dad, and our dog watching.

“It was two rounds of stroke play, one on the Eden Course and one on the New. If you qualified then you came to play match play on the Old Course.”

Matt Fitzpatrick relishing Open bid as he looks to repeat St Andrews junior joy

Lowry enjoys celebration of champions

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:51 , Michael Jones

Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush and has been revelling in the celebrations of former champions this week including the champions dinner last night.

St Andrews win would mean I’ve accomplished everything, says Padraig Harrington

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:43 , Michael Jones

Padraig Harrington has no intention of retiring – but admits winning the Open at St Andrews would give him the perfect reason to hang up his clubs.

It has been a decade since the Irishman last challenged for one of the game’s major prizes but he heads to the home of golf this week with renewed vigour after winning the US Senior Open last month.

The 50-year-old, who won back-to-back Opens in 2007 and 2008 at Carnoustie and Birkdale respectively, does not see age as a hindrance as he bids to tame the Old Course and claim a third Claret Jug.

Harrington said: “If I could win an Open at the home of golf – I won’t say I’d retire because I wouldn’t – but it is that sort of feeling that you’ve accomplished everything you could in Open golf, to win at the home of golf.”

St Andrews win would mean I’ve accomplished everything, says Padraig Harrington

The 150th Open: Players to watch

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:34 , Michael Jones

Scottie Scheffler.

The world number one is in a brilliant run of form, which saw him win four times in the space of 57 days, including a first major title in the Masters.

Eventually that came to an end with a surprising missed cut in the US PGA, where he double-bogeyed his final hole to miss out by two shots.

However, Scheffler bounced back the following week to finish second in the Charles Schwab Challenge and was also runner-up to Matt Fitzpatrick in the US Open and will certainly put together a strong showing around the Old Course at St Andrews this week.

Tiger Woods turns on the style during practice round at St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:26 , Michael Jones

Tiger Woods ended his second practice round at St Andrews in style as he continued his preparations for the 150th Open Championship on Sunday.

Woods, who won two of his three Open titles on the Old Course in 2000 and 2005, drove the green on the par-four 18th before leaving an eagle putt from around 20 feet just short of the hole.

The 15-time major winner was again accompanied by US PGA champion Justin Thomas, the pair having spent Saturday evening walking the course with a handful of clubs and hitting chips and putts on and around the vast greens.

The 46-year-old withdrew from the US PGA after a third round of 79 and skipped last month’s US Open to give his body more time to recover due to the lingering aftermath of the car accident in February last year which he said almost resulted in his right leg being amputated.

Tiger Woods turns on the style during practice round at St Andrews

‘It’s a very different feeling when you stand on the 18th at St Andrews’ says Jon Rahm

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:18 , Michael Jones

Jon Rahm isn’t too proud to admit that the pain of near misses used to eat him up.

He had always played with a fierce passion, but the only source of genuine “hate” had been reserved for golf’s most reviled honour: the best player not to win a major.

It weighed heavily until last year’s US Open when he holed two behemoth putts to snatch victory at the last, and it made defeat easier to swallow when a turbulent final round wrecked his chances of keeping that title from Matt Fitzpatrick just a few weeks ago in Boston.

“It’s a little bit easier to get over it,” he says. “And when I get home and see my [one-year-old] son, he doesn’t care what I’ve done, he just wants his dad. It helps me switch that flick from golf very, very quickly.”

It is not to say the fire has been doused a great deal either, though. Rahm has only played once since Brookline, at last week’s Scottish Open where he finished in a tie for 55th, and there have been quiet murmurs about a slight drop in form, even accounting for his win at the Mexico Championship in May.

The whispers, it is safe to say, have not gone unnoticed.

Jon Rahm: ‘It’s a very different feeling when you stand on the 18th at St Andrews’

Featured groups for tomorrow’s action

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:10 , Michael Jones

In the afternoon, Tiger Woods and Matt Fitzpatrick share the spotlight with a tee off time at 2:59pm before Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth get underway a little later.

Woods and Fitzpatrick are joined by Max Homa with Harold Varner III partnering Spieth and Rahm.

Featured groups for tomorrow’s action

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:06 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy will be involved in one of The Open’s featured groups tomorrow morning as he gets his tournament underway alongside 2021 Champion Golfer, Collin Morikawa, and Xander Schauffele.

Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland make up the second featured group of the morning.

Famous faces at St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 14:00 , Michael Jones

Princess Anne is up in Scotland ahead of the start of the 150th Open.

The Princess Royal became an honorary member of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, five months after it decided to admit women back in 2015.

Also seen on the course today is two-time Open champion Ernie Els and big-hitting American Bryson DeChambeau.

Alex Wrigley prepares for ‘a dream come true’ with his wife at St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:50 , Michael Jones

Open qualifier Alex Wrigley admits his game has always been in the shadow of his wife, Ladies European Tour player Johanna Gustavsson, but now he will get his chance to shine at St Andrews.

After coming through a play-off at nearby Fairmont St Andrews to book his place at the 150th Championship the 32-year-old will have Gustavsson caddying for him next week.

The Swede, who will play in the AIG Women’s Open at Muirfield next month, has cancelled plans to play in an LET event in Holland to be on the bag for her husband’s debut in the event.

“She has carried before and is obviously a good player in her own right,” Wrigley, who married Gustavsson in May, told the PA news agency.

Alex Wrigley prepares for ‘a dream come true’ with his wife at St Andrews

St Andrews will feel like the Open title defence I never had, says Rory McIlroy

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:42 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy is relishing the title defence he never had in the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.

McIlroy led from start to finish to win the 2014 Open at Royal Liverpool, but was prevented from attempting to retain the Claret Jug on the Old Course the following year after suffering an ankle injury playing football.

That means it is 12 years since the world number two last contested an Open at St Andrews, when he started with a brilliant 63, slumped to a second round of 80 in terrible weather and fought back to finish in a tie for third.

“I can’t go into The Open approaching it like I’ve got unfinished business at this golf course,” McIlroy told TheOpen.com.

St Andrews will feel like the Open title defence I never had – Rory McIlroy

The 150th Open: Talking points

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:35 , Michael Jones

Can Rory McIlroy turn top 10s into an overdue win?

McIlroy finished runner-up in the Masters, was eighth in the US PGA Championship and fifth in the US Open this season, yet was never really in contention on the back nine in the final round of any of them as he seeks a first major win since 2014.

An ankle injury prevented him defending his Open title in 2015 at St Andrews, where he shot a 63 in the first round five years earlier.

“The only thing I remember about the 63 is hitting a six iron into three feet at 17 and missing the putt,” a relaxed McIlroy joked in his pre-tournament press conference.

Can Rory find the shots to win this week?

Rory McIlroy insists winning Open at St Andrews is Holy Grail of golf

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:29 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy believes winning an Open Championship at St Andrews is golf’s version of the Holy Grail as he bids to end his eight-year major drought.

McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug in 2014 and won his fourth major title in the US PGA a month later, but has not won one of the game’s biggest titles since.

Augusta National co-founder and three-time Open champion Bobby Jones famously said that a player’s career would not be complete without lifting the Claret Jug on the Old Course.

And while McIlroy is not sure that is strictly true, the world number two is well aware of the significance of winning the oldest major title at the Home of Golf.

Rory McIlroy insists winning Open at St Andrews is Holy Grail of golf

Brown set for Open debut at St Andrews

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:21 , Michael Jones

Amateur golfer, Barclay Brown, is living the dream as he makes his major debut at the 150th Open Championship in St Andrews - the Home of Golf.

The Englishman has high hopes for the week and is looking to come away with the Silver Medal.

The Silver Medal is awarded to the amateur with the lowest score at the Open every year – and its roll of honour includes some big names like Jose Maria Olazabal, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.

Brown tees off at 6.46am tomorrow, in the company of Sadom Kaewkanjana and Ben Campbell.

The 150th Open: Talking points

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:15 , Michael Jones

How will US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick perform?

Fitzpatrick was not in the field the last time St Andrews hosted the Open in 2015, having only turned professional 13 months earlier, but the 27-year-old is rightly one of the favourites following his US Open triumph at Brookline.

A tie for 20th at Portrush in 2019 is his best Open result in six appearances, but he warmed up for St Andrews with a tie for sixth in the Scottish Open and could take inspiration from his pairing with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds.

The Open 2022 tee times: Full schedule for Day 1 at St Andrews including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:08 , Michael Jones

Tiger Woods tees it up for the 150th Open Championship with a late start alongside Matt Fitzpatrick and Max Homa.

The three-time Open champion, with two wins at the Old Course in 2000 and 2005, is bullish about his health heading into Thursday.

But Woods has also been speaking about his loyalty to the PGA Tour amid the ongoing threat posed by LIV Golf.

“Greg has done some things that I don’t think are in the best interests of the game,” Woods said. “I just don’t understand it. Fifty-four holes, guaranteed money up front. Where is the incentive to practice? If LIV events don’t get world ranking points, some of these players might never get to play in majors.”

Here are tee times and full schedule for day 1 of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews:

The Open 2022 tee times and full schedule for Day 1 at St Andrews

Scheffler’s thoughts on St Andrews and being World No. 1

Wednesday 13 July 2022 13:01 , Michael Jones

Scottie Scheffler is playing at St Andrews for the first time in his career and spoke about what it is like to play since becoming the world number one. Take a look:

‘People threatening you is not a nice position to be in’ says Ian Poulter

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:54 , Michael Jones

Ian Poulter would ordinarily be riding a tidal wave of blue support heading into an Open Championship, but golf’s civil war has split loyalties and even infiltrated the burnt fairways of the Old Course.

The 46-year-old was among the defectors to LIV Golf who sought an emergency injunction to “abate” their suspension from the DP World Tour in order to play in last week’s Scottish Open at Renaissance Club. Their appeal was successful but the outcome for Poulter was not altogether positive.

He opened last Thursday with a torrid round of 78 before a barely assuaging 72 condemned him to a missed cut. His unwavering pride prohibits him from “giving excuses for a poor performance”, but the ructions have been wearying.

“There are definitely factors,” Poulter says. “To be honest, that’s up to everyone else to decide what the distractions were in play last week.”

It is clear the Englishman is keen to take solace from the LIV storm at St Andrews this week, where conditions are set to be far calmer and the depth of history defends against the shallow arguments of the present.

At times, Poulter admits, that has been difficult. He has had to stop checking the comments on his social media in recent weeks due to the abuse he has received over his decision to align with the Saudi-backed breakaway.

“There’s been an awful lot of unpleasant remarks from the times when I have looked at it and it’s not very nice,” he says. “People threatening you is not a nice position to be in, hence why I haven’t been looking an awful lot at it.”

Ian Poulter: ‘People threatening you is not a nice position to be in’

The 150th Open: Talking points

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:48 , Michael Jones

Is it the last major for LIV rebels?

Officials confirmed late on Tuesday evening that LIV Golf’s application to be allowed to award world ranking points in its events had been submitted on July 6th.

That could be crucial to the future of the rebel circuit as a player’s world ranking is one of the main avenues into the majors, with the top 50 at various times of the year earning a place in the Masters and the Open, the top 60 getting into the US Open and the top 100 traditionally invited to the US PGA if not already exempt.

If the LIV Golf application is turned down, the players participating in that tour may no longer qualify for major tournaments as they wouldn’t be able to collect enough ranking points especially if the PGA and DP World Tours are allowed to uphold their bans on LIV Golf players.

Jordan Spieth reiterates commitment to PGA Tour amid ‘false’ LIV Golf rumours

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:42 , Michael Jones

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth has dismissed rumours that he was considering joining LIV Golf as “categorically untrue”.

While the likes of Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and Brooks Koepka have signed up with the Saudi-backed circuit, Spieth reiterated that he is committed to the PGA Tour and attempting to win more major titles.

In a post on his official Twitter account, the 28-year-old wrote: “Because of false reporting today, I feel the need to comment.

“Let me be clear, any reports that I am contemplating competing anywhere other than the PGA Tour are categorically untrue.”

Jordan Spieth reiterates commitment to PGA Tour amid ‘false’ LIV Golf rumours

‘I wasn’t going to miss this one’ says Lawrie ahead of 150th Open

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:35 , Michael Jones

Paul Lawrie has been able to get a feel for how the Old Course is playing this week as he took part in Monday’s Celebration of Champions event, when he was part of a fourball captained by Tom Watson which also included Stewart Cink and Kipp Popert.

This is the 53-year-old’s sixth Open at the home of golf with his best finish so far being a share of 40th seven years ago but he is full of praise for the set-up ahead of his latest return.

“It is a proper links out there and the course is looking great,” he said. “As good as I have seen it. I have not played [The Open] for a couple of years but I was not going to miss this one.

“I stepped back a bit from playing the full-time stuff but I will play a few more Opens before I’m 60.

“There will not be many more but I was not going to miss this one, it is a big occasion for everyone and it’s always nice to play around the Old Course.”

The 150th Open: Talking points

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:29 , Michael Jones

Will we see an historic low score?

Branden Grace created history when he became the first man to shoot 62 in a major during the 2017 Open at Royal Birkdale, while Ross Fisher holds the course record at St Andrews following a 61 in the Dunhill Links three months later.

Jack Nicklaus responded “So what?” when asked about fears of similar scores this week, while Rory McIlroy predicted that the firm and fast conditions would provide an adequate defence against some of the game’s biggest hitters.

Rose has some fun in the sand

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:21 , Michael Jones

Justin Rose shows fans the easiest way to get out of a steep bunker:

The 150th Open: Talking points

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:15 , Michael Jones

The 150th Open Championship gets under way on the Old Course at St Andrews tomorrow so we’ll break down some of the most exciting talking points ahead of the tournament, starting with:

Can Tiger Woods contend for a third Open victory at St Andrews?

Woods was at the peak of his powers when he won his first Open title by eight shots at St Andrews in 2000 and returned five years later to lift the Claret Jug for a second time.

The 46-year-old, who suffered severe leg injuries in a car accident in February last year, withdrew from the US PGA after a third round of 79 and missed the US Open to ensure he could play at St Andrews, where he has practiced extensively for four days and dismissed rumours he was planning on retiring.

He seems to be relaxed and enjoying himself at one of the oldest and most traditional courses in the world. Can this atmosphere translate into another historic win?

The Open 2021: Collin Morikawa makes history with debut win at Royal St George’s

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:07 , Michael Jones

The 150th Open Championship begins in the early hours of tomorrow morning as America’s Collin Morikawa looks to retain the title of Champion Golfer that he won last year.

Here’s a reminder of Morikawa’s historic win at Royal St George’s:

Faced by the first shudders of uncertainty on the tenth green at Royal St George’s, Collin Morikawa quietly clenched his fist and punched the air three times. After a faultless front-nine had cut the cord on a sputtering field, the 24-year-old American’s approach had sailed over the back of the green and buried itself into a deep tuft of rough that invited whispers of disaster.

A treacherous par-putt spiked Morikawa’s adrenaline, the blood rushing through his arteries and echoing in his eardrums until his ball hit the heart of the hole with utter conviction. In that moment, even as Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm mounted daring insurgences, it became clear that Morikawa’s stranglehold on the Claret Jug would never slip.

Under the glare of such unforgiving temperatures in Sandwich, the coolest head proved to be the least experienced, and the scale of Morikawa’s remarkable achievement can hardly be overstated. He is just the fifth winning Open debutant since the Second World War and the only player in history to win two different majors on his maiden attempt, having already stormed to victory at the PGA Championship last summer.

That is the greatest testament to Morikawa’s unparalleled precision and preternatural composure. The spearhead of a generation that had so aggressively pursued distance, instead he relies on a purity of ball-striking that no player can match in the modern game, and has now shown it can adapt to any terrain and stay true under the most heightened strains of pressure.

It’s an omen that may well herald a new era, even if that mantle has been inherited so cumbersomely since Tiger Woods’s decline.

Collin Morikawa makes history with debut win at The Open

I disagree with it – Tiger Woods firmly opposed to LIV Golf breakaway

Wednesday 13 July 2022 12:00 , Michael Jones

Tiger Woods has reiterated his opposition to the Saudi-backed breakaway fronted by Greg Norman and questioned if its younger recruits will ever be able to compete in majors.

Speaking in a press conference ahead of the 150th Open Championship, Woods said he supported the R&A’s decision not to invite Norman, a two-time winner, to the Champions’ Dinner at St Andrews due to his role as CEO of LIV Golf.

And the 15-time major winner said he could not understand why the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka had “turned their backs” on the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf’s series of 48-man, 54-hole events.

“Greg has done some things that I don’t think is in the best interest of our game, and we’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it’s the right thing,” Woods said.

I disagree with it – Tiger Woods firmly opposed to LIV Golf breakaway

McIlroy putting on a show

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:52 , Michael Jones

Rory McIlroy has been delighting the supporters with some interesting shots at the Road Hole. Take a look at how he fared with his putting from off the green earlier on:

The Open at St Andrews could be too easy, Jordan Spieth claims

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:45 , Michael Jones

Jordan Spieth fears St Andrews could prove too easy for the world’s best players when it hosts the 150th Open Championship next week.

Seven years after missing out on a play-off by a shot as he attempted to win the third leg of an unprecedented calendar grand slam, Spieth returns to the Old Course in pursuit of a second Open title following his victory at Royal Birkdale in 2017.

The 62 recorded by Branden Grace in the third round that year remains the lowest in men’s major championship history, although three months later Ross Fisher set a course record of 61 at St Andrews in the Dunhill Links Championship.

Asked after an opening 68 in the Genesis Scottish Open if the Old Course could prove too easy, Spieth said: “Yeah, I think it might be.

“It’s hard for me to tell given in 2015 we had so much wind that we couldn’t even play. But I think if it’s like it was this morning out here, it’s just a wedge contest, really.”

The Open at St Andrews could be too easy, Jordan Spieth claims

The dynamic duo

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:38 , Michael Jones

Tommy Fleetwood has been keeping the spectators entertained this morning as he’s enjoying a practice round with his good friend Francesco Molinari.

Molinari has great memories of The Open after becoming the 2018 Champion Golfer. That same year he combined with Fleetwood to win five points at the Ryder Cup in Paris helping Europe to regain the trophy.

The duo will see a lot of each other this week as they’re paired together in the opening two rounds. Will they be able to repeat their form from four years ago this week?

How to win The Open according to Scottie Scheffler

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:31 , Michael Jones

World no. 1, Scottie Scheffler, has been practising all over the course this week as he looks to add The Open championship to his ever growing list of tournament wins.

The Masters champion is playing at St Andrews for the first time this week and is relishing the experience even when he’s found the bunkers. .

Scheffler was asked about his thoughts on the best way to win The Open and he said: “Avoid the bunkers.

“The legend of Tiger, avoiding them all for 72 holes, is right. I still don’t know how he did that. Avoid bunkers and use angles where you can, like driving into the rough. It will be tough to miss them but you can lose two shots each time you find a deep one.”

Scheffler also elaborated on his experience of this famous course adding: “I did not know what to expect. I heard rumours but to see it first hand is different.

"It is a really special place, I can see the history and how golf was designed to be played hundreds of years ago.”

Woods excited for 150th Open

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:24 , Michael Jones

Tiger Woods has been having a great at St. Andrews this week.

He’s been joking around with Justin Thomas during the practice rounds and causing a bit of chaos on the putting green by pranking Rory McIlroy.

Woods seems very relaxed ahead of his most recent return to professional golf but under that laid-back demeanour he’ll be thinking about how he can win this tournament.

Those thoughts will all play out over the next four days but for now Tiger seems more determined than ever to enjoy his time on the course.

LIV Golf and PGA Tour urged by Rory McIlroy to hold peace talks to avoid ‘splitting the game’

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:16 , Michael Jones

The shadow of LIV Golf - the new Saudi backed tour that offers huge prize money - hovers over this week’s Open as the players continue to debate whether the rebel tour has harmed the professional game.

Rory McIlroy has been quite vocal in his opposition to LIV Golf but says that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour should hold talks with the Saudi-funded series as the escalating tension between the circuits is “splitting the game”.

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson are among a number of top players who have joined the lucrative series, which brought suspensions and fines from the U.S. and European tours.

Four-times major winner McIlroy has been one of the most outspoken critics of the breakaway circuit but said now was the time to find common ground.

“That needs to happen,” McIlroy told BBC Sport when asked whether peace talks should take place. “I wish it hadn’t got that messy ... In hindsight there were probably steps that were missed that wouldn’t have made it as messy.

“Everyone has to pivot and change and try to be better and hopefully get to that stage but ... all the narrative isn’t good. It’s splitting the game instead of everyone coming together.”

LIV Golf and PGA Tour urged by McIlroy to hold peace talks

Golfers get to grips with Old Course during practice

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:07 , Michael Jones

There’s a relaxed atmosphere around St. Andrews as the professionals continue to prepare for the 150th Open Championship tomorrow morning.

The sun is blazing and the wind isn’t too troublesome. The course is firm and a little unpredictable after the ball bounces so the players will use today to get to grips with different parts of the course and how different shots work out.

‘I’m going to be a wee bit more anxious’ says MacIntyre

Wednesday 13 July 2022 11:01 , Michael Jones

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre will have a great deal of home support from the spectators at St. Andrews this week but admits his heart will be pumping hard on the first tee.

"Of course I’m probably going to be a wee bit more anxious, a wee bit more nervous at the start.” said the 25-year-old Scot. "Once I get into it and after I play the first couple of holes, I’m playing golf.

“I’m competing for the biggest tournament in the world. That’s why everyone’s here. And it’s on a special golf course.

"I’ve had that dream since I was a wee boy. When I was driving in on Sunday, that’s the first time I’ve ever had goose bumps coming to St Andrews. I always drove into town, and it’s like, oh, we’re in St Andrews.

"But when I came in from above the town and I had the music on, and I actually had goose bumps. I was like, wow, this is just -- this is different.

"This is what, as I said at the start, if I was ever to play just one Open Championship, it would have been here. I’ve not had the best of times here, but it’s just different. The Open Championship in here, again, it’s the biggest golf tournament that you can play in."

Lawrie to hit opening tee shot of 150th Open

Wednesday 13 July 2022 10:55 , Michael Jones

Hitting the opening tee shot in The Open is a once in a career honour bestowed on a select few golfers and for the 150th anniversay of golf’s oldest major the opportunity has been given to Scotland’s Paul Lawrie.

The 1999 Champion Golfer will begin proceedings at 6.35am on Thursday morning and Lawrie is relishing the chance to set the tone for what will undoubtably be a gripping four days.

“It is a huge week, a big milestone,” he said. “The more you think about it, actually, it is a nice thing to be asked to do on the 150th.

“I’m always nervous on the first tee, no matter what tournament I’m playing. It is the only time I’m ever nervous when I play, I don’t know why, I’ve always been that way.

“Thursday will be the same, if not more, but luckily it is a nice, wide fairway down there. Now I have said that, it will narrow a bit on Thursday morning!”

Wednesday 13 July 2022 10:46 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of The Open 2022.

St Andrews hosts the 150th Open on the historic Old Course and there are plenty of storylines to watch. Tiger Woods is back, Rory McIlroy enters the week as favourite and defending champion Collin Morikawa is among a star-studded field looking to create more history at the Home of Golf.

Jack Nicklaus once said “your career is not complete unless you’ve won an Open Championship at the Home of Golf” and Woods admitted he agrees as he bids to ignite the latest stage of an incredible comeback after missing the US Open due to the lingering effects of that serious car crash in 2021.

The spectre of LIV Golf also hangs over the week, setting us up for plenty of drama, and we’ll keep you up to date with all the latest news.