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Luke Poulter, who is also attempting to win the championship, may thwart Ian Poulter’s attempt to play his first Open championship match in three years.

In the same qualifying competition, the two will be tying the odds to claim one of the few remaining spots in the main event. Both of them might lose out on a spot in the Open.

On Tuesday, 72 players will compete in two Royal Cinque Ports circuits in Kent. One of the many enticing storylines from final qualifying is this family’s 153rd staging of golf’s oldest major.

The former Ryder Cup champion, the older Poulter, has played in 20 Opens, but none since 2022 when he made the decision to join the LIV tour.

The sophomore at the University of Florida is Poulter’s 21-year-old son, who has a lot of talent. Luke is in the top 51 spots in the world’s amateur rankings and was just as close to winning the most recent Oakmont US Open.

If his son had defeated American Austen Truslow in a sudden death play-off, his father would have caddied for him.

Dad and son are now competing for five of Royal Cinque Ports’ available seats.

A total of 20 players will travel to Royal Portrush from 17 to 20 July, with the same equation applied to three other final qualifying locations: Burnham and Berrow in Somerset, West Lancashire, and Scotland’s Dundonald Links.

The field consists of 131 golfers who merit entry because of their professional standing, as well as 131 who emerged from the nearly 2, 000 who applied for regional qualifying on June 23.

It is a fiercely competitive company full of sporting romance.

Poulter starts his 36-hole bid with Tom Lewis, who shot 65, a record-setting low for an amateur, when he took the lead as a qualifier at Royal St George’s in 2011.

McDowell was delighted to attend Portrush, where he was born, in 2019, when the Open took place for the first time in 68 years. Due to his LIV affiliation, he qualified for the Canadian Open and won.

It’s been a big focus, according to McDowell, with the Open returning to Royal Portrush. “I’ll play Dallas and fly straight to London before the qualifier.”

“I’m going to Royal Cinque Ports,” I said. I’ll be pretty excited even though it’s not the best prep there is.

“I’m excited. Although not being there would undoubtedly be bittersweet, I will be giving it my full attention and working hard to get there.

Given Shane Lowry’s runaway success on the island of Ireland six years ago, he is aware that this will be a special championship.

The Masters Green Jacket, a career Grand Slam, and a lot of excitement will be delivered to the Antrim venue by McDowell’s Northern Irish compatriot Rory McIlroy.

The 45-year-old Ulsterman continued, “It would be amazing.” It will be a special week thanks to everything Rory has accomplished this year, with Shane being the defending champion, and returning to Portrush.

I’d love to be a part of it, it goes without saying.

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, a highly promising Dane, is McDowell’s rival, who competed before placing 12th overall at the US Open in June. He hasn’t yet entered an Open.

Matt Southgate, a DP World Tour stalwart who finished sixth at the 2017 Open, and Tyler Weaver and Kris Kim, two other promising amateurs, are also competing in the Deal course. Weaver and Luke Poulter will make their first appearances at the European Amateur Championships in Kilarney, Ireland, on July 8 and 12th, if successful.

Chris Wood finished in a share of fifth place at the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale as a 20-year amateur. Only Stewart Cink and Tom Watson finished above him at Turnberry a year later, with Lee Westwood and him in third place.

Both Englishmen are looking for a Portrush ticket. While Westwood travels from LIV Dallas to Dundonald, Wood plays alongside Eddie Pepperell (T6 in 2018) at Burnham and Berrow.

He and Jamie Donaldson, who split from Jamie in the Ryder Cup, will reunite on the coast of Ayrshire.

Alex Noren, who finished with Scottie Scheffler as the final pairing at the US PGA Championship in May, as well as tour winners Marc Warren and Adrian Meronk, are also on the field.

Danny Willett, a former Masters champion, joins Sam Bairstow, Alex Fitzpatrick, Joe Dean, and Sam Horsfield in West Lancashire.

The longest day is considered to be the US Open’s final qualifying round in the United States. The four events taking place this Tuesday across the UK are clearly a marketing ploy.

Destiny might be decided through a sudden-death play-off, and each location’s dreams will be realized while hearts are broken. A place in the game’s most historic tournament is in question because of it being in its rawest form.

Manchester City have enjoyed themselves both on and off the pitch, making it to the last 16 of the American Club World Cup, but the weather is expected to get hotter.

City are the only team in Orlando to have a 100% winning record, but the hard work will begin on Tuesday when they face Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.

The Premier League team already appears to be much happier and, unforgettably, a more dangerous outfit than they were last term despite a miserable 2024-25 campaign that manager Pep Guardiola and his men endured without winning a major trophy.

City made the decision to establish a base at the opulent Boca Raton Resort on the south-eastern coast of Florida rather than travel around with luggage.

A night at the hotel, which has a private beach, costs $715 (£521), and offers significant wealth.

The resort is described on Boca Raton’s website as a place where “the extraordinary inspires endless possibilities.” The title of the City team’s song is rather poetic for a City side that has won four consecutive Premier League titles and the Treble three years ago. However, last season, the City side hit the buffers in large part because of a lengthy injury list.

The defending champions appear rejuvenated and ready to take control of the world once more.

The City players and staff’s faces have been brightened by three straight victories against Moroccan side Wydad AC, UAE team Al-Ain, and Serie A giant Juventus, which have each scored 13 goals.

The team has flown in and out of their matches in Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Orlando before returning to a well-known resort base where their families have been permitted to stay.

According to insiders, this has created a “homely feeling,” where the players dine together on a terrace with a view to the ocean.

Even taskmaster Guardiola has had a bangabout with his players on the beach, and the 27-member traveling party has been given the opportunity to let their hair down.

In their spare time, the team has played table tennis and basketball, though Silva joked that Erling Haaland, one of the team’s stars, is “looking like a lobster” in the 30C heat.

Guardiola told BBC Sport, “The end of the season was very emotionally demanding.” It didn’t deliver the best results or consistency.

I made the decision to continue with the players’ good training while allowing them to unwind. They can play golf, use the pool, take a day off, or spend time with their families. Otherwise, the mentality would be so challenging.

“It’s fresh in the training sessions, not using up energy before the games because it would be so difficult,” he said.

Some athletes won for their national teams without taking any vacations. It keeps people at their current levels of fitness and relaxes. We have 11 months to go, and I’ve given them that.

Four new signings have seamlessly integrated into the set-up, replacing both the playing staff and the backroom staff before the tournament.

Tijjani Reijnders will bring a clear energy to the midfield while Rayan Ait-Nouri has already demonstrated his credentials at left-back, and Rayan Cherki has scored his first goal for the club. Pep Lijnders, Juve’s former right-hand man, is also settling in as Guardiola’s new assistant.

The new additions “have given everyone a boost” and “brought a lot of energy,” according to defender Nathan Ake, while midfielder Ilkay Gundogan claimed there have been many “jokes” and “banter” from them.

Champions League champions Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich all featured in the top group, which meant City’s victory over the rest of the draw was crucial for them.

Statistics Opta, behind the brilliant PSG, have appointed them as second-favourites to win the trophy in New York thanks to City’s serene progression.

Guardiola and Enrique’s former Barcelona teammates would meet if both sides advanced.

The Club World Cup will begin its campaign as soon as the last Premier League game in May, blurring the lines between whether it will be a continuation of the previous term or whether it will be the start of a new campaign.

A shortened pre-season with little rest ahead of the opening league game against Wolves on August 13 would result in a 13-day deadline for the final.

However, Guardiola insists that the Club World Cup is a “clean chapter,” and goalkeeper Stefan Ortega added that they are not taking a vacation.

“Wining is the goal of City in any competition.” That is the club’s current status, said Ferran Soriano, the organization’s chief executive officer.

The large, yellow-lettered state-specific billboards along Route 4 near Camping World Stadium state, “Win or go home!”

Jess Fishlock is undoubtedly the greatest player in all of Welsh women’s football.

The greatest male player would stoke debates. It is easy to make the case for John Charles or Gareth Bale but perhaps you preferred Cliff Jones or Ian Rush – or maybe you were a Neville Southall enthusiast.

However, any discussion about Wales’ greatest female footballer would be brief.

Fishlock has won numerous club titles, twice winning the Champions League, and twice winning the NWSL MVP award in 2022. She also has long-standing experience playing for Seattle Reign in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for Seattle Reign.

Yet despite clocking up more air miles as a player than many pilots, Fishlock has always remained available for her country, having represented Wales 162 times since her debut in Switzerland in 2006.

For the first 19 years, Fishlock has been representing Wales, always upholding the highest standards and tirelessly urging the country to reach the biggest stage of football.

Sometimes things get harder when you’re getting closer to a dream you can’t get. So it was for Fishlock and for Wales. In advancing to the major finals, there have been three near misses in a row.

Fishlock would join the list of the greatest players never to compete in a major international tournament, a list already brimming with Welsh players like Gary Speed, Ryan Giggs, Rush, and Southall.

A pioneer of women’s football who has won numerous awards and raised her team-mates throughout her trophy-filled club career has made the dream a reality for her.

“You don’t play for this long unless it means so much to you,” Fishlock told BBB Sport Wales.

“I don’t think I can put into words how much playing for Wales means to me.

“We have had instances where we ought to have gotten into a major tournament,” he said.

Can I get to a major tournament? is a big story that has permeated my entire international career. Can we get to a major tournament? ‘ We have fought so hard throughout.

Fishlock’s journey to professional football would be a familiar one, if at the time a pathway had existed for a football-mad girl from Cardiff to play the game professionally.

She was a young girl who spent her early years in Llanrumney, just playing in the garden with her brothers. “Brother James recalls that is where it all began.

Her love for football developed further at a soccer camp in Cardiff during the summer holidays.

My mother suggested that I accompany her and that my older sister wanted to attend the camp, “Fishlock recalls.

That is what I wanted to do right away.

” Jess would be up and she would want to be in the garden, she’d be over here, over there, wouldn’t matter if it was a mud pile, Jess would be out in it, “Fishlock’s mother Sharon remembers.

Fishlock was having dreams about it when she wasn’t playing football.

Jessica was the one who used to go to bed before going to bed, according to her father, Kevyn.

With her talent increasingly clear, Cardiff City Ladies fast-tracked Fishlock, who joined the club aged seven, making her first team debut at 15.

Sister Kathyrn says, “She used to say she wanted to be a professional football player when she was 14 years old, and I used to mock her because there was no such thing as a female professional football player at the time,” as she does now.

Fishlock became the first player in the Eredivisie to play abroad when she joined the amateur side in 2008 and then made her debut in Wales with a move to the Netherlands.

Back-to-back titles followed but it was far from easy for a young woman who had never been away from her family.

When she wasn’t playing, she was also washing dishes in the stadium, Kathryn continued.

Fishlock has accomplished her goals by playing all over the world.

She helped Bristol win the FA Cup in 2011 and won the Women’s Super League players’ player of the year award at the end of her second season with the organization.

Fishlock then joined Melbourne Victory in Australia, leading the team to two Grand Finals, including the club’s first title in 2013, with Fishlock named player of the match in the final.

Since joining Reign in 2013, Fishlock has won three NWSL titles and three titles while working for the club on loan.

Before once more winning the Australian league with Melbourne City in 2016, 2017 and 2018, Fishlock won the Scottish title with Glasgow in 2014. He then won the German league and the Champions League with Frankfurt in 2015.

In 2019, Fishlock helped Lyon win both the first division title and the Champions League, meaning she won league titles for seven successive seasons.

Her brother James refers to her as the best player I have ever seen play the game.

For Fishlock, Seattle has been her semi-permanent home for more than ten years, where she met her now-wife, Tziarra King, an ex-teammate.

Fishlock and King were married in 2023 and LGBTQ+ advocacy has always been a big priority for Fishlock, who says she was bullied at school because of her sexuality.

For her contributions to women’s football and the LGBT community, Fishlock received an MBE in 2018 and a Fellowship at Aberystwyth University in 2024.

A mural of Fishlock was only recently unveiled on a Splott (Cardiff) pitch.

” You are proud, proud of her for achieving what she’s achieved – nobody else has done it. Sister Francesca says, “I’m more proud that she’s now able to be her true authentic self no matter where she is.” You really can’t ask for more, “says the man.

However, while Fishlock should be at national treasure status, former Wales captain and UEFA executive committee member Laura McAllister says she has been celebrated less than she deserves.

Fishlock’s desire to compete at the top with Wales has seemed like less of a fantasy in the past decade with increased spending from the Football Association of Wales leading to steady progress for the international side.

Under Jayne Ludlow’s leadership, they almost qualified for the World Cup and European Championship, respectively. Despite having the same points total and significantly superior goal difference, Wales still fell short of Northern Ireland in terms of away goals scored.

It was a similar story in 2022 – Wales beaten in a World Cup play-off final in (again) Switzerland, losing 2-1 to the Swiss in the final seconds of extra time, with a penalty shootout looming.

Fishlock has contemplated retiring from international football after failing every time.

I had no idea what to do after Switzerland. Can I do two more years? Can I get over my heartache? It took a while for me to recover from that defeat, which was a little soul-destroying, to be honest.

Yet she continued, never stopped chasing the dream and eventually, it came to fruition.

With Slovakia in the semi-finals, Wales qualified for the Euro 2025 play-offs after winning their Nations League B Group.

Disaster struck as a result of Fishlock’s calf injury, which kept him out for a month before the match and made it impossible for him to start as a sub in the home leg. With Wales 2-0 down and facing a crisis, Fishlock entered the fray and created a goal for Ffion Morgan.

Fishlock, of course, scored the goal in Cardiff that gave Wales a 2-0 lead, with Fishlock scoring Ceri Holland’s injury-time winner after 120 minutes of play.

In the play-off final, Wales defeated the Republic of Ireland 1-1, before the dramatic second leg in Dublin, where a 2-1 Welsh victory saw them finally make history and make their first-ever bid for a major tournament. Lily Woodham also had assist in the match.

After the match Fishlock told the pitchside BBC reporter that it was” the proudest moment, “of her career.

In the end, the euphoria has been enhanced with a different emotion. a relief, perhaps.

” There was a big element of, you know, oh my god, finally, “Fishlock said.

This has finally occurred. And there was a relief, which I didn’t anticipate. Maybe I just hadn’t realised how kind of big it had been weighing on me for all these years until that moment. And so, for me, relief and joy were evident, but also relief in particular.

“I can’t believe we did it,” I thought.

Finally the greatest female footballer Wales has ever produced will represent her country on the biggest stage.