WORLD OF SPORT

THE European Tour will return to Belgium in 2022 when the Rinkven International Golf Club hosts the Soudal Open. The €1,000,000 event will take place in May or June, with the exact dates to be confirmed. European Tour CEO Keith Pelley said: ‘Belgium has a strong tradition of European Tour events as well as history of producing some terrific talent, so we are delighted the country’s national Open will be part of our schedule again next year. Soudal is a fantastic partner for this tournament, and we are very happy.’

FORMULA ONE bosses have moved qualifying for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix forward by an hour to avoid overlapping with the start of the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral. The session will now take place between 1pm and 2pm on Saturday as a mark of respect for the Prince. It is unusual for F1 to bend its timetable for external events but, as seven of the 10 teams are based in the UK, chiefs wished to avoid the possible embarrassment of Sir Lewis Hamilton, a knight of the realm, and his fellow drivers fighting for pole as the funeral begins in Windsor.