A capsule look at 10 top contenders for the British Open, to be played July 19-22 at Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland (listed in order of predicted finish):

JUSTIN ROSE

Age: 37.

Country: England.

World ranking: 3.

Worldwide victories: 20.

Majors: US Open (2013).

2018 Majors: Masters-T12, US Open-T10.

British Open memory: Holing out a wedge for par on the 18th hole at Royal Birkdale in 1998 when he tied for fourth as an 18-year-old amateur.

Backspin: Twenty years after he made his memorable Open debut, Rose will have a chance to reach No. 1 in the world. He has not missed a cut since the PGA Championship, and he has six top 10s in his 11 starts this year. Driving and iron play are his strengths, and they are critical at Carnoustie.

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JUSTIN THOMAS

Age: 25.

Country: United States.

World ranking: 2.

Worldwide victories: 9.

Majors: PGA Championship (2017)

2018 Majors: Masters-T17, US Open-T25.

British Open memory: Making a 9 on the sixth hole at Royal Birkdale last year,..

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland (AP) Facts and figures for the British Open golf championship:

Event: 147th Open Championship.

Dates: July 19-22.

Site: Carnoustie Golf Links.

Length: 7,402 yards.

Par: 71.

The course: Carnoustie opened in 1842 with 10 holes laid out by Allan Robertson. Old Tom Morris expanded it to 18 holes in 1867. It has hosted seven British Opens. While the North Sea is not visible from the course, the links is exposed and susceptible to wind. The final four holes measure 1,679 yards and require 15 shots for par.

Field: 156 players (152 pros, 4 amateurs).

Playoff (if necessary): 4 holes, aggregate score.

Prize money: $10.5 million.

Winner’s share: $1,890,000.

Defending champion: Jordan Spieth.

Last year: Jordan Spieth picked up the third leg of the career Grand Slam in a most unlikely fashion. He lost a three-shot lead in the final round at Royal Birkdale and began his comeback with a bogey on the 13th hole, when he took an unplayable lie by dropping the ball on the..

Carnoustie is known as much for the calamity it causes as the British Open champions it crowns.

Any mention of Carnoustie immediately brings back that image of Jean Van de Velde, equal parts tragedy and comedy, standing in Barry Burn on the 18th hole with water up his shins and rising. He made triple bogey to lose a three-shot lead, and then completed as great a collapse as can be found in a major championship by losing in a three-man playoff in 1999.

Just don’t get the idea Van de Velde owns all the rights to bad endings at Carnoustie.

Jose Jurado was the first victim.

He had a three-shot lead going into the final round in 1931 and was still two shots clear late in the round until coming undone in the brutal closing stretch, topping one shot on the 17th hole into the burn. He lost out to Tommy Armour.

More recently was Padraig Harrington , only it worked out well for him in 2007. Playing the 18th with a one-shot lead, the Irishman hit his tee shot into the Barry Burn. He took a p..

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Jason MillerThe last time Charles Oakley got arrested, the New York Knicks legend had the entire world on his side, and for good reason. It was one of the rare instances that all of America could agree on one thing, that thing being the fact that James Dolan sucks ass. Defending Oak was the only option in that case. This latest arrest is less than ideal for Team Oak.
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With just 10 people remaining from the 7,894 who began the tournament, both Rich Zhu and Antoine Labat were put in that exact situation at the Rio in Las Vegas. But when they flipped over their cards against a third player who was all-in before the flop, Nicolas Manion, their hearts sank. Even Zhu, who held the king of hearts and king of spades. That's because Manion had the ace of hearts and. . . the ace of spades, virtually guaranteeing him a huge pot before the final five cards were dealt.
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GULLANE, Scotland (AP) Phil Mickelson wishes he could take back the moment when he swatted a moving golf ball at the U.S. Open.

”But there’s not much I can do about it now other than just try to … act a little better,” Mickelson said on Thursday at the Scottish Open.

In his most extensive comments since he purposely violated the Rules of Golf at Shinnecock Hills, Mickelson said whatever backlash he receives from players and the public was his own doing.

Mickelson was sliding far out of contention in the third round of the U.S. Open when he chased after a bogey putt on the 13th hole and hit it back toward the hole to keep it rolling off the front of the green. He was assessed a two-shot penalty amid criticism that he should have been disqualified for such a willful violation.

In his next tournament, Mickelson tamped down tall grass just beyond the tee box at The Greenbrier to play a low iron shot, and then immediately realized it might have been a violation. He summoned a rules offi..

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