Clarke basking in a dream come true; Only judge Mayo when it’s do-or-die

Former champion Darren Clarke will hit the opening tee shot in the British Open Championship at Portrush on Thursday morning. Yesterday's tee times revealed Clarke, who owns a house overlooking the Dunluce Links, is scheduled to get play under way at 6.35am alongside Amateur Championship winner James Sugrue and American Charley Hoffman. Clarke told Philip Reid he is basking in the reality of a dream come true this week. Here's an all you need to know guide ahead of the final Major of the year.

Kevin McStay writes in his column this morning that Mayo can only be judged when it's do-or-die: "In Killarney, they did not put in the effort and energy that would make you think that their championship life depended on the result. Why? Because it did not. The stakes were different for Kerry – the importance of not being bullied by Mayo; of minding the Killarney record, of making a statement . . . it was huge."

In this week's Pay for Play pages, Ruaidhrí Croke writes about the lucrative jersey deals helping to distance big clubs from the rest (Subscriber Only). He also explains the rise in jersey memorabilia: "the jersey memorabilia market is booming. Back in 2016, former Brazilian World Cup winner Pele decided to sell off much of his memorabilia in an auction that, in the end, collected $5 million in total." Ruaidhrí has also put together five Irish football documentaries to watch for free online.

Meanwhile Dan Martin has improved seven places, rising to a fine ninth overall after stage 10 of the Tour de France. He had said before the race that his big goal for the opening 10 days was to stay healthy, stay upright and to limit any time losses: he had achieved all three targets, and was quietly satisfied with how things worked out. Tuesday is the Tour's first rest day, and then Martin will head towards his favoured terrain - the mountains.