Event of the Day: The British Masters
Our event of the day is the opening day of the British Masters on the European Tour at Walton Heath Golf Club in Tadworth. Fresh from his success at the Ryder Cup, world number two Justin Rose headlines the event and will be one of the favourites to pocket the £500,000 winner’s share of the £3 million event prize fund. The Englishman has had a strong year, with a birdie on the final hole of the Tour Championship securing him the FedEX Cup. This is a season long competition, where player’s accumulate points over the entire year, so the FedEX Cup victory was a testimony to the consistency of Rose. He followed this up with two wins from four in France to help Europe win back the Ryder Cup in emphatic style. A top two finish for Rose in Tadworth will result in him regaining his world number one status. Victory on home soil would round off a pretty perfect year for the 38-year-old. Rose’s Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn and European teammate Thorbjørn Olesen will also be teeing off at Walton Health.
The sublime Ryder Cup partnership of Tommy Fleetwood and Francesco Molinari are on display too. They made history by becoming the first European pair to win four out of four matches, all the more impressive considering Fleetwood was making his Ryder Cup debut. Molinari has had one of the best seasons of his career, claiming his first PGA Tour win in Washington and winning the Open Championship. The pair have been drawn together for the opening two rounds at Walton Heath. Defending champion Paul Dunne is also present. He tees off alongside Justin Rose and compatriot Matt Fitzpatrick. With so many golfing stars in action, a fantastic four days of golf are forecast.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NFL fixture between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles at the MetLife Stadium. Super Bowl champions the Eagles will be hoping to recover from their slow start, with just two wins to their name so far. Similarly, the Giants have only managed one win in their opening five games. Elsewhere in the United States, the New Jersey Devils play the Washington Capitals at the Prudential Centre in Newark in the NHL. Golf is on display in South Korea, as the LPGA Tour stops off at Sky 72 Golf Club. Additional sporting action in Asia comes from China, where it’s day four of the Rolex Shanghai Masters on the ATP World Tour, and day five of Tianjin Open on the WTA World Tour. An array of international football friendlies are taking place across the globe, including Wales versus Spain at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The Fifth Day of the First Test between Pakistan and Australia reaches an exciting climax, with Australia chasing a target of 462. At Newmarket Race Course, the first day of the Dubai Future Champions Festival gets underway.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by European Tour; British Masters