WORLD OF SPORT

Most realistic aspirations of the day

Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng will be happy to just play all four rounds of a British Open for the first time when he makes his sixth appearance in the tournament at Royal Birkdale next week. Marksaeng, 51, won his 10th Asian Tour title at the Singapore Open in January to qualify for the year’s third major, which will tee off at the Merseyside course on Thursday. “It is very difficult to make the cut because the course and weather is very different,” Prayad, who is playing in his first British Open since 2012, said. “Every year, I will be in the last or first groups and I will be playing in the wind or rain. If I can make the cut, I will be very happy. “This will be the sixth time I will play in The Open. I feel that my game is very good and in good shape. But like I said, it will be windy, cold and raining, so it won’t be easy to control the ball. It will be a very difficult week.” ▷▷▷

Biggest step up ahead of the day

Staying on the golf theme, a first British Open appearance for England’s Toby Tree will be a true debut as he has never attended a major either as a fan or a player. The 23-year-old booked his place at Royal Birkdale in a 72-man qualifier at Woburn last week, but he has admitted that despite playing the sport competitively, not even as a spectator has he been at one of the four majors on the golf calendar. He said the biggest event he had been previously involved in was the 2012 Junior Ryder Cup in the United States, and he said: “I suppose that is the only thing I can relate to so I’ll just have to go with the flow when I get there. It is a big opportunity to play on a big stage.”

Best windfall of the day

When Vasteras sold Victor Lindelof, who made his Manchester United debut against LA Galaxy on Saturday, to Benfica in 2011 many fans in the small Swedish team wondered if the initial transfer fee of €100,000 (Dh421,300) was enough for the defender. But a lucrative sell-on clause of 10 per cent in the contract has meant a huge financial windfall for the third-tier Swedish club following Manchester United’s €35 million purchase of Lindelof last month. “Absolutely, it’s a safety net. Now I don’t have to lie there sleepless the day before the wages are paid,” Vasteras chairwoman Christina Liffner said. The money could not have come at a better time for the club, who were tettering on the brink of bankruptcy. The Lindelof cash solved most of those issues, but Liffner said she planned to spend some of the proceeds on youth development.