15 LIV Golf stars to contest 154th Open Championship

Formula One world champion Lando Norris said he would love to race alongside MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future. The pair appeared together at the Goodwood Festival of Speed when the possibility was raised, especially with Rossi having an active endurance racing career following his retirement from MotoGP in 2021.

 

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Norris immediately embraced the suggestion of racing with the nine-time Grand Prix world champion. "Hell yeah, I would," said the McLaren driver. Rossi, who also oversees the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, was equally enthusiastic about the possibility, but he joked that F1 commitments would make it difficult. "I tried to ask him, but Formula 1 drivers are very busy now," the Italian said. While Norris is unlikely to compete at Le Mans in the near future because of his F1 commitments, McLaren's planned entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship's Hypercar class from 2027 could eventually create an opportunity.

 

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"We have too many F1 races, but maybe in a couple of years I would love to. It would be an honour for me and a lot of fun," Norris said. The partnership would reunite Norris with one of the biggest influences on his racing career. The Briton often described Rossi as his childhood hero, with his signature fluorescent yellow colours inspired by the Italian's iconic racing livery. Reflecting on sharing the stage with Rossi at Goodwood, Norris described the moment as one of the highlights of the weekend. "This was a cool moment for me. They say don't meet your heroes [but] definitely meet your heroes," he said.

 

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Marc Marquez further cemented his reputation as the "King of the Ring" after equalling one of Giacomo Agostini's longest-standing MotoGP records with victory at the 2026 German Grand Prix on Sunday. The Ducati rider fended off Trackhouse pair Ai Ogura and Raul Fernandez to claim his 10th premier-class victory and 13th overall at the Sachsenring. The result matched Agostini's record for the most MotoGP wins at a single venue, a feat the Italian legend achieved at Finland's Imatra between 1965 and 1975. Marquez's love affair with Sachsenring began in 2010, when he won there in the 125cc class before embarking on a remarkable run of 11 consecutive wins across all categories. Fabio Quartararo, Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia shared the German Grand Prix victories between 2022 and 2024 before the Spaniard reclaimed the Sachsenring crown in 2025 and drew level with Agostini's premier-class benchmark. The latest triumph also put him just three victories shy of Agostini's all-class record of 16 wins at a single circuit, also set at Imatra.

 

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Having recently signed a new two-year contract with Ducati, Marquez will have further opportunities to make the all-time premier-class record his own in the coming seasons. It was also a productive weekend in the championship race for the reigning world champion as he reduced the deficit to the riders' standings leader to just 18 points after trailing by more than 100 points earlier in the season.

Riders with the most MotoGP wins at a single circuit

#	Rider	Circuit	Wins
T-1	Marc Marquez	Sachsenring	10
T-1	Giacomo Agostini	Imatra	10
T-3	Giacomo Agostini	Spa-Francorchamps	8
T-3	Valentino Rossi	Assen	8
T-5	Valentino Rossi	Mugello	7
T-5	Valentino Rossi	Jerez	7
T-5	Valentino Rossi	Catalunya	7
T-5	Marc Marquez	Circuit of the Americas	7
T-5	Marc Marquez	MotorLand Aragon	7

Alexander Zverev's defeat to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon men's singles final may have denied him a second Grand Slam title, but it also saw the German achieve one of the sport's rarest career milestones. By reaching the championship match at the All England Club, the 29-year-old became just the 13th man in the Open Era to contest the singles final at all four Grand Slam tournaments.

 

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The 2020 Olympic gold medalist captured his maiden major title at the 2026 French Open after earlier finishing runner-up at the 2020 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open, before completing the set with his first Wimbledon final appearance on Sunday. Zverev joined an illustrious list featuring Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Ivan Lendl, Stefan Edberg, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. He also became the first player born in the 1990s to achieve the feat. Sinner, meanwhile, claimed his fifth Grand Slam singles title by successfully defending the Wimbledon crown, while extending his head-to-head advantage over Zverev to 11-4.

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup reaches its business end, with England taking on Argentina and Spain facing France for places in the final, another Fifa will be hoping to make his own mark on the biggest stage of another sport. While football fans are focused on the World Cup, Thailand's Pongsapak "Fifa" Laopakdee will carry Southeast Asia's hopes as the region's sole representative at the 154th Open Championship, which will be broadcast live on SPOTV NOW.

 

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The 21-year-old earned his place in the field after winning last year's Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, a victory that secured invitations to both the Masters Tournament and The Open. During his Masters debut in April, which saw him become the first Thai amateur golfer to compete at Augusta National, Laopakdee missed the cut after posting 11-over-par through two rounds as Rory McIlroy successfully defended his title by edging Scottie Scheffler by a stroke.

 

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Royal Birkdale now presents Laopakdee with another opportunity to test himself against the world's best and add another chapter to Southeast Asia's history at golf's oldest major. Thailand has produced several golfers who have competed at The Open over the years, including Thongchai Jaidee, Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Jazz Janewattananond, Prom Meesawat, Phachara Khongwatmai and Sadom Kaewkanjana. Among them, Jaidee remains the country's most experienced campaigner with 10 appearances, while Kaewkanjana holds the best finish by a Thai and Southeast Asian golfer after tying for 11th in 2022. Meanwhile, although no Asian golfer has yet lifted the Claret Jug, the continent has produced increasingly competitive performances over the past two decades. South Korea's Tom Kim finished joint-runner-up in 2023, while China's Li Haotong placed third in 2017. For Laopakdee, expectations will naturally be modest in just his second major appearance. But having already earned his place among golf's elite, the young Thai now has another opportunity to gain valuable experience and continue building a career that promises much more in the years ahead.

 

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