St Andrews hosts the 150th Open from Thursday with Rory McIlroy starting as the favourite for the Claret Jug while a determined Tiger Woods hopes to make an impact at a venue where he has triumphed twice before.
Record crowds for the week of 290,000 are expected on Scotland's coast for this landmark edition of the world's oldest golf tournament, which comes to the Old Course for the 30th time.
With fine weather expected to continue for much of the week, it is shaping up to be a fitting way to mark a historic Open, even if the sport continues to be rocked by the fallout caused by the breakaway LIV Series.
Players who left to join the Saudi-backed tour were allowed to take part by Open organisers, just as they were at last month's US Open despite both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour moving to ban the rebels.
That means four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and former Open champion Phil Mickelson will all tee off on Thursday.
Tiger Woods prepares for Open
McIlroy, though, is aiming to end an eight-year wait to add to his four major titles and the Northern Irishman is the favourite in the eyes of experts.
“I think it's the holy grail of our sport. So not a lot of people are going to get that opportunity to achieve that, but that's what winning an Open at St Andrews is,” McIlroy said.
There is certainly plenty of money swirling around in golf, and the prize money at St Andrews is sizeable.
How much prize money is on offer?
1st £2.1 million ($2.5million)
2nd £1.2 million ($1.45million)
3rd £773,000 ($930,000)
4th £602,000 ($725,000)
5th £482,000 ($580,000)
6th £419,800 ($505,000)
7th £360,700 ($434,000)
8th £304,200 ($366,000)
9th £266,800 ($321,000)
10th £241,000 ($290,000)
The amount then goes down all the way to 70th place, who takes home £26,750 ($32,200) after making the cut.
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Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
