What the back pages of the papers say - July 17

Cristiano Ronaldo was last night handed a dramatic snub after it was claimed that Real Madrid are better off without the Manchester United winger.

Also: Justin Rose believes the chances of a first-ever British success
in The Open at Birkdale will soar if the predicted bad weather shows up.

Mark Hughes begins his voyage at the helm of Manchester City tonight with the
strongest crew he can muster, philosophical about the empty berth that had been
reserved for Ronaldinho.

Waiting game: Mourinho will take the Lampard saga to the bitter end

THE SUN

Cristiano Ronaldo is not wanted at Real Madrid because he is a mega-earning bottler.

Also: Padraig Harrington claims he has just a 50-50 chance of lasting The Open.

Dwain Chambers has made a desperate last-ditch plea to compete in the Olympics.

DAILY MIRROR

Nick Faldo last night warned Colin Montgomerie that he will miss out on the Ryder Cup unless he raises his game.

Also: Gareth Barry was spared a showdown with Martin O'Neill  yesterday - but is under no illusions about the Aston Villa manager's anger towards him.

Jose Mourinho is willing to wait until the final day of the transfer window to sign Frank Lampard for Inter Milan.

DAILY STAR

Roman Abramovich is set to let Frank Lampard leave Chelsea - if Inter Milan bid £20m for him.

Also: Chelsea's new £16million signing Jose Bosingwa has revealed it is not Cristiano Ronaldo he is desperate to take on in the Premier League - but Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen.

New Fulham signing Bobby Zamora believes West Ham's cash crisis means several other stars will leave Upton Park this summer.

DAILY EXPRESS

Nick Faldo has demanded his European stars make the most of Tiger Woods' absence and show that they too possess the 'X-Factor' at The Open.

Also: Liverpool have stepped up their bid for Robbie Keane to £20million, making
the Spurs striker their top transfer target.

Kevin Keegan has launched a raid for England defender Stephen Warnock as he waits to discover whether Pablo Aimar will sign up for his Newcastle revolution.

THE TIMES

An in-form Lee Westwood will shoulder the hopes of a nation when he leads a strong British challenge into the 137th Open Championship, which starts today at what is predicted to be a wet and windswept Royal Birkdale.

Also: England's answer to the Indian Premier League (IPL) will not be a radical option
of nine city-based franchises, but a more conservative two-division structure
involving 20 teams.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Defending champion Padraig Harrington believes he has only a 50-50 chance of completing the Open Championship.

Also: The opposing sides in the row over the English Premier League Twenty20 tournament will this week call a truce in an attempt to persuade big money investors to buy into the 20-team tournament that was announced yesterday.

THE GUARDIAN

Plans unveiled yesterday for a new domestic cricket structure which includes a two-division English Premier League could lead to an American-style draft system in which the weakest teams get first choice of the overseas players available.

THE INDEPENDENT

So much for the absence of Tiger Woods making this the easiest Open in recent memory for his rivals.