Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Good tee time for Alker at Open

Updated at 7:54 am on 17 July 2012

The New Zealand golfer Steven Alker has a good tee time for the opening round of this week's British Open at Royal Lytham St Annes in England.

Alker tees off at 11.53 local time with England's Lee Slattery and the veteran American left hander Russ Cochran as his playing partners for the first two rounds. But they're away at 6.41 am in round two.

The defending champion Darren Clarke has returned the Claret Jug to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in S Andrews having taken the trophy on a global tour without taking a single drink from it.

The 43-year-old Northern Irishman thought about it a few times, but always decided he had too much respect for the Open championship to pour anything into the Auld Mug.

But the replica, which he gets to keep, received quite a workout.

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