US PGA Championship
It was a difficult start to the final major championship of the year for many of the world’s top players as the sapping 40 degree heat and tricky afternoon wind saw many fall behind. Shane Lowry could only manage a two over par opening round of 70 while US Open champion Dustin Johnson played himself out of the tournament with a 77.
Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy (+4) will need something special today to haul himself within touching distance of leader Jimmy Walker (-5). Philip Reid reports from Baltusrol. You can also follow all of the action live on our liveblog from 1pm today at irishtimes.com/sport.
Meanwhile, at the Women's British Open, Leona Maguire fired an opening round of one under par to sit nine shots back at Woburn while Royal County Down's Olivia Mehaffey is a further four shots behind her Irish counterpart.
Soccer
On to soccer and Jose Mourinho looks set to initiate a Manchester United clearout over the next few weeks with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Adnan Januzaj on the top of the list heading for the exit door. On their way out however they will most likely be passing Paul Pogba. The Juventus midfielder is expected to complete his move to Old Trafford by tomorrow at the latest.
GAA
In Gaa, Seán Moran reports that the GAA are growing increasingly concerned about lack of attendances. As Feargal McGill, the GAA's head of games administration and player welfare, explains, there are a number of factors leading to the decline.
Galway Races
In Galway it's day five of this year's festival where Tony Martin will be hoping Heartbreak City can get punters off to a good start in the opening handicap hurdle.
John Allen
John Allen writes that intercounty GAA players should be given a break from club commitments to concentrate on their county careers.
“Would the club-only player get a much more satisfactory season when the club isn’t held to ransom by the intercounty calendar and the demands of the county managers? Is the GAA doing a disservice to the club player by continuing to prioritise the intercounty senior competitions? The decision to continue with replays in many games is a major issue. Is there a real effort being made by counties to run a club masterlist that they follow? The answer to that is affirmative in many instances but the county boards are definitely hamstrung by the replay issue and on occasion (often enough) by the county manager.”
Rio Olympics build-up
Stephen Findlater looks ahead to the Ireland men's hockey team's historic appearance in the Rio Olympics.
“They become the first Irish team of any description to compete in the Olympics since their basketballing counterparts of 1948. It was 1908 when an Irish hockey team last played in the marquee event for the sport, albeit – before the formation of the state – under the British flag with England winning, Scotland coming third and Wales fourth,” he writes.
Meanwhile, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee says more than 250 Russian athletes will clear the anti-doping checks required to compete in Rio and insisted the Russian team will be the cleanest at the Games.
What to watch out for
Formula 1: German Grand Prix Practice – F1 Sky Sports F1 from 8.45am, eir Sport 1 from 8.55am
Soccer: Tottenham take on Atletico Madrid in the International Champions Cup – Sky Sports 1 from 10.45am
Golf: Women’s British Open where Leona Maguire and Olivia Mehaffey are in action – BBC 2, 1pm-5.15pm
Horce racing: Glorious Goodwood day five including King George Stakes – Channel 4, 1.35pm-4pm
Golf: Day two of the US PGA Championship from Baltusrol – Irish Times liveblog, 1pm, Sky Sports 4, 7pm-1am
Soccer: Sligo Rovers take on Derry City in the Airtricity League – eir Sport 1 from 7.30pm
