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A recent study published in Engineering has provided new insights into the spatiotemporal distribution and biosynthesis of ganoderic acids (GAs) in Ganoderma lingzhi (G. lingzhi), a mushroom renowned for its medicinal properties in traditional Chinese medicine. The research, led by scientists from Northeast Forestry University, China, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and the University of Macau, utilized a multi-omics approach to map the distribution of GAs and elucidate their biosynthetic pathways.
G. lingzhi, often referred to as the “mushroom of immortality,” has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years. It contains various bioactive substances, including polysaccharides, terpenoids, glycopeptides, nucleotides, and steroids, with ganoderic acids being particularly significant for their anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective properties. However, the biosynthetic pathway of GAs has remained poorly understood, limiting their large-scale commercialization.
To address this gap, the researchers employed high-resolution matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) to spatially map the distribution of GAs in both the primordium and fruiting body of G. lingzhi. The study revealed that GAs predominantly accumulate in the shell of G. lingzhi, suggesting a role in environmental stress response. The Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) analysis detected 24 types of GAs, grouped into eight common molecular weight categories, with distinct accumulation patterns at different developmental stages.
In addition to MALDI-MSI, the researchers assembled the telomere-to-telomere (T2T) genomes of two haploid G. lingzhi strains, achieving the highest integrity and quality reported to date. The T2T genome assembly provided a complete and accurate genetic blueprint for analyzing the GA biosynthetic pathway. The study also constructed the first single-cell transcriptome atlas of the G. lingzhi fruiting body, identifying six distinct cell types and reconstructing the developmental trajectory of the shell.
A multi-omics analysis was used to annotate a novel cytochrome P450 enzyme (GlCYP512A3) involved in the oxidation of GA 3-hydroxy-lanosta-8,24-dien-26-oic acid (GA-HLDOA) into ganolucidic acids E and F. This finding is crucial for understanding the downstream oxidative modification steps in GA biosynthesis, which have been largely unknown due to the structural diversity of GAs.
The study’s comprehensive spatiotemporal multi-omics framework offers valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms mediating GA biosynthesis. The high-resolution mapping of GA distribution and the identification of key biosynthetic enzymes lay the foundation for future research on metabolic engineering and molecular breeding for high-yield and high-quality GA production.
The research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and other funding sources. The findings not only enhance the understanding of GA biosynthesis in G. lingzhi but also provide a scientific basis for the development of new medicinal applications and cultivation practices to maximize GA yields.
The paper “Unveiling the Spatiotemporal Landscape of Ganoderma lingzhi: Insights into Ganoderic Acid Distribution and Biosynthesis,” is authored by Yupeng Du, Shuang Peng, Hongguo Chen, Jun Li, Feiyu Huang, Wenxiao Chen, Jing Wang, Xiaoxue Fang, Leijiao Liu, Lihui Wei, Kaiquan Zhang, Shuhao Xu, Chang Li, Chunqing Wang, Zheyong Xue, Xin Hua, Shuangcheng Ma, Jing Xu, Hui Xiong, Shasha Zhou, Jing Wu, Shengpeng Wang, Hirokazu Kawagishi, Mohamed A. Farag, Wei Sun, Zhenhao Li, Chengwei Liu, Zhichao Xu. Full text of the open access paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eng.2025.03.030
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A 40-year-old purse that inspired the world’s most prestigious line of handbags sold at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris on Thursday morning for €8.6 million ($10.1 million) after fees to an unidentified Japanese bidder after more than 10 minutes of intense bidding by nine potential buyers vying for the very first Hermès Birkin bag ever made.
Jane Birkin’s original black leather Hermès Birkin bag displayed inside a transparent case at … More Sotheby’s.
Getty Images
Key Facts
The Birkin prototype, which was created specifically for actress and French style icon Jane Birkin, inspired a line of Hermès bags that are notoriously expensive—they commonly resell for tens of thousands of dollars—and hard to acquire.
The bag is the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction, costing the buyer €7 million ($8.2 million) before fees, handily beating an Hermès Kelly 28 that fetched $513,040 in November 2021.
The bag was sold to an unnamed private collector from Japan, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Birkin is now the second most valuable fashion item ever sold after a pair of Ruby Red Slippers from “The Wizard of Oz,” which sold for $32.5 million in 2024.
The original bag, which includes a non-removable strap and is stamped with Jane Birkin’s initials, differs from the purses later produced in its name in several ways: it’s a unique size between the 40 and 35 sizes later made for the Hermès line, it has gilded brass hardware instead of the gold-plated hardware used when the bag was officially launched and it has noticeably smaller bottom studs, or “feet,” than those used on production Birkin bags.
The purse is also noticeably worn from use—Jane Birkin was known to treat the bag as any other, as opposed to keeping it in pristine condition as many collectors do today, and she famously personalized her bag with stickers and other accouterments.
This particular bag has been sold twice before for undisclosed amounts: Birkin donated it to an auction benefiting Association Solidarité Sida, a French AIDS charity, in 1994 and it was sold again at auction in 2000 to Parisian collector Catherine Benier, who has had it since.
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Hermès, The Original Birkin Crafted For Jane Birkin, 1985.
Sotheby’s
Key Background
The origin story of the Birkin bag has fallen into fashion legend. Jane Birkin, considered a French icon and muse thanks to her unique Parisian style, was reportedly carrying a plastic bag as a purse on a plane in the mid 1980s. The bag broke, and she audibly complained that Hermès, the French design house, didn’t design a bag that would hold all her things. Jean-Louis Dumas, the CEO and head designer of Hermès at the time, happened to be sitting next to her. Birkin then sketched the design of the now-famous handbag on an airplane sickness bag, and Dumas went on to create a chic leather bag meant to be suitable for everyday use. The first Birkin bags were released later that year and have since become a symbol of status. The bags range in price, but on average cost between $10,000 and $60,000 and waiting lists for rare bags can extend for months or years. Customers must be personally invited to purchase a Birkin by sales associates of Hermès, and the invitation often isn’t extended until a customer has spent thousands on other merchandise. Customers also aren’t usually permitted to request a specific bag—they’re offered what’s available on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Because of their scarcity, Birkin bags have a crowded resale market. Today, Sotheby’s has 239 Hermès Birkin bags listed for resale on its website ranging from an $8,000 orange Birkin 42 to a $220,000 white crocodile Himalaya Birkin.
Big Number
$2 million. That’s the price of the most expensive Birkin ever designed. The Sac Bijou Birkin bag, unveiled in Hermès’ 2012 collection, was designed by the brand’s fine jewelry director. The mini bag included 2,712 diamonds and was intended to be worn as a bracelet, according to Sotheby’s. Only three diamond Sac Bijou Birkin bags were made.
What We Don’t Know
Who placed the winning bid. The auction was open to individual collectors and institutions, like museums. The largest known Hermès collection belongs to Singaporean socialite Jamie Chua, who keeps it in a fingerprint-secured, 700-square-foot closet. Her bags are kept behind glass and her collection includes what’s called a Himalayan diamond Birkin, which is estimated to be worth as much as $500,000. Stars like Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Jefree Star are also known to have large collections, while other high-profile lovers include Pippa Middleton, Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.
Tangent
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals U.K. has sent a letter to Benier asking she donate the proceeds from the auction to wildlife charities “to make up for at least some of the harm caused to animals by the production of Birkin bags.” Hermes is one of a handful of luxury brands that have faced criticism for their use of exotic animal skins, particularly crocodile, alligator and snake, to make their products. PETA has said three crocodiles are killed to make a single exotic Birkin bag, and Jane Birkin herself once asked Hermès to remove her name from the bag, specifically the crocodile version, due to concerns about animal welfare. She later dropped the request after Hermès responded by threatening to end its affiliation with a crocodile farm in Texas found to not be following international production standards.
Further Reading
ForbesHermès Surpasses Growth Estimates, Nears $5 Billion In The First QuarterBy Kevin RozarioForbesThe Hermès Man Proves Quiet Luxury Sometimes Raises Its VoiceBy Roxanne RobinsonForbesWhat Makes Hermès: A Tapestry Woven In Leather And LegacyBy Gustaf Lundberg ToressonForbesHermès Heir Giving Billions To Gardener Isn’t Alone: Here Are Other Shock Inheritance Choices From The Super-RichBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs
Julian McMahon, who has died of cancer aged 56, was one of a select band who graduated from Australian soap actor to Hollywood star. Guy Pearce, Alan Dale and Margot Robbie were among those who conquered Tinseltown after regular roles in Neighbours – which also helped to launch Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s singing talents on both sides of the world – while Home and Away could boast McMahon, Isla Fisher and Chris Hemsworth.
McMahon’s appearances as a model in 1987 Levi’s commercials, which included him teasingly pulling up a pair of the brand’s famous 501 jeans over his briefs, brought his clean-cut good looks and sex appeal to the attention of producers at the Seven Network.
They cast him in a new daytime serial, The Power, The Passion (1989-90), as Kane Edmonds, a medical student and grandson of the wealthy but nasty business executive surrounded by a family of vultures waiting to pounce once he dies.
McMahon as Ben Lucini in Home and Away in 1990. Photograph: David Nichols/Shutterstock
When the soap was dropped after a year, McMahon joined Home and Away, broadcast in the evening in Australia. After four auditions, he had a 16-month run as Ben Lucini (1990-91), a relaxed, easy-going soldier with Italian ancestry arriving in the fictional Summer Bay and grappling with whether to sign on for a further five-year term in the army.
Within two weeks, Ben proposed to Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson), a teenager with a troubled past. He rejoined the army and she moved to Perth with him. More than 12 million ITV viewers tuned in for the wedding in Britain, where McMahon and Hodgson were among the cast during a 1991 stage tour of Home and Away: The Musical.
McMahon also met Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie, through the soap. When she launched her music career, he appeared as her boyfriend in promotional videos for her 1993 hits This Is It and This Is the Way, before they married in 1994.
They divorced a year later, with Minogue claiming that her mother-in-law, the socialite Lady Sonia McMahon, refused to speak to her. “I was never accepted,” she said.
The couple were also separated for long intervals by McMahon spending time in the US as Hollywood opened its doors to him. He eased himself in through another soap, playing Ian Rain, a gardener, then restaurant manager, aiming to take revenge on his father’s killer, in the long-running daytime serial Another World. “Here I was, this 22-year-old dude from Australia, and the first scene I had to shoot was in a Speedo, getting out of the Cory [family] pool,” he told Soap Opera Digest in 2020.
McMahon, right, with his co-star Dylan Walsh in a publicity photograph for Nip/Tuck in 2003. Photograph: Alamy/Allstar
Further roles came his way in US peak-time programmes before he found worldwide fame as the playboy plastic surgeon Dr Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck. He and Dylan Walsh, who played Dr Sean McNamara, starred as the owners of the McNamara/Troy plastic-surgery centre in a drama reflecting a new real-life obsession with beauty and looking young.
Nip/Tuck’s first series, screened on FX in the US, was the most-watched cable programme of 2003 and by its second run was dubbed the “coolest show on television” by TV Guide. The drama was finally axed in 2010 after 100 episodes.
McMahon was born in Sydney shortly before his father, the Liberal politician William McMahon, became Australia’s 20th prime minister. Julian and his sisters, Deborah and Melinda, were left in the care of a nanny while William and his wife, Sonia (nee Hopkins), stayed in Canberra, the seat of government. On leaving Sydney Grammar, a private school, McMahon spent several months studying economics at Wollongong University before dropping out to become a model.
One of his earliest TV roles on settling in the US was the crusading Detective John Grant in all four series of Profiler (1996-2000). He followed it by playing Cole Turner, a half-demon who marries Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano), one of the three leading witches, in the supernatural drama Charmed, between 2000 and 2005.
McMahon as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four – Rise of the Silver Surfer in 2007. Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Marvel/Kobal/Shutterstock
Later, he was Jonah, an Australian doctor, in Runaways (from 2017 to 2019); a special agent, Jess LaCroix, in FBI (from 2019 to 2021) and its spin-offs, FBI: Most Wanted (from 2020 to 2022) and FBI: International (in 2021); and the Australian prime minister in the Netflix comedy-mystery The Residence (2025).
McMahon was best known in films as the Marvel Comics villain Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). He also played Sandra Bullock’s husband in Premonition (2007) and the corrupt US vice-president, alongside Bruce Willis, in RED (2010).
Returning to Australia occasionally, he appeared in the films Bait (2012) as a supermarket robber, the 1970s beachside partner-swapping comedy Swinging Safari (2018) and the leader of a group of beach bullies, opposite Nicolas Cage, in The Surfer (2024).
McMahon’s second marriage, in 1999 to the Baywatch actor Brooke Burns, ended in divorce in 2001. In 2014, he married Kelly Paniagua. She and Madison, the daughter from his second marriage, survive him, along with his sisters.
World Netball (WN) today held its virtual Congress 2025, with Shirley Hooper re-elected as Vice President (VP).
Hooper was up for re-election for the role, having completed her first term of four years, and was running alongside second candidate Kate Palmer AM.
Both candidates addressed Congress, before voting delegates elected Hooper into the role.
Speaking on being elected Hooper said: “We are at an exciting point in the development of netball across the world in all 76 of our Member countries.
“I hugely appreciate the support from those Members to remain in the role of Vice President and hope to continue to drive this momentum.”
In addition to this, Rob Mills was also re-appointed by Members as WN’s Independent Director.
Mills, who is Director and CEO of Tenka, a global sport and entertainment consultancy, was first appointed as WN Independent Director for an initial term of four years at Congress in 2021 and has now been appointed for a second term of four years.
To view all items that were discussed at Congress, you can view our Board papers here.
WN would also like to congratulate its latest Service Award Holders Dr Grace Bryant OAM (Australia), Noeleen Dix AM (Australia), Pam Smith (Australia), and Wai Taumaunu (New Zealand).
To view the full list of Service Award Holders and read their citations which were read out at Congress, click here.
Make sure you are following us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for the latest World Netball news.
The FTSE 100 index of the most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange has soared to a new record high as investors shrugged off concerns over Donald Trump’s trade wars.
The FTSE 100 had the 9,000-point mark in its sights on Thursday, as it climbed to 8,973 points, above its previous all-time high of 8,908 points.
Stocks rose in London amid a global rally, as traders grew confident that Trump would either reach agreements with US trading partners, or again delay or dial back his threatened tariffs.
Mining stocks led the FTSE 100 risers, with Anglo American up more than 5%, closely followed by Glencore and Rio Tinto.
Victoria Scholar, the head of investment at Interactive Investor, said: “Commodities are fuelling the gains for the FTSE 100, with copper in the green and gold catching a bid on the back of a weaker US dollar.”
The blue-chip share index has now risen by more than 9% during 2025, having recovered from sharp losses in early April when markets tumbled after Trump announced new tariffs on what he called “liberation day”, before recovering after he postponed them.
The precious metals producer Fresnillo has been the top-performing FTSE 100 stock so far this year; its shares are up 140% since 1 January, driven by gains in the prices of gold and silver.
The British defence company Babcock’s share price has doubled so far this year, while weapons-maker BAE Systems is up 63% year-to-date, helped by expectations of a surge in defence spending as the Russia-Ukraine war continued.
Shares have pushed higher this week despite Trump announcing new tariff rates that will be imposed on imports from 1 August – postponed from a previous date of 9 July.
Chris Beauchamp, the chief market analyst at IG, said investors were in an “ebullient summer mood”.
“Perhaps most notable is the market’s apparent indifference to escalating trade tensions. Trump’s 50% tariff on copper imports and threats toward Brazil triggered little reaction. Many now view such announcements as political posturing, summed up by Taco: Trump always chickens out,” he said.
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Germany’s DAX share index also hit a record high on Thursday. It has gained more than 23% so far this year, lifted by plans from the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to increase government spending to drive investment and lift growth.
The FTSE 100 is seen as a gauge of optimism about the world economy, as many of the largest companies listed in London have a global focus.
Susannah Streeter, the head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “The FTSE 100 is stuffed full of multinationals which are sensitive to the outlook for the world economy and with the so-called ‘Taco trade’ in full swing, it’s benefiting from more optimism around.
“Investors expect that Trump will ‘chicken out’ from imposing his threat,” Streeter added.
Newswise — A new wearable wristband could significantly improve diabetes management by continuously tracking not only glucose but also other chemical and cardiovascular signals that influence disease progression and overall health. The technology was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
The flexible wristband consists of a microneedle array that painlessly samples interstitial fluid under the skin to measure glucose, lactate and alcohol in real time using three different enzymes embedded within the tiny needles. Designed for easy replacement, the microneedle array can be swapped out to tailor wear periods. This reduces the risk of allergic reactions or infection while supporting longer-term use.
Simultaneously, the wristband uses an ultrasonic sensor array to measure blood pressure and arterial stiffness, while ECG sensors measure heart rate directly from wrist pulses. These physiological signals are key indicators of cardiovascular risk, which is often elevated in people with diabetes but is rarely monitored continuously outside of a clinical setting.
“Comprehensive and effective management of diabetes requires more than just a single glucose reading,” said An-Yi Chang, a postdoctoral researcher in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at UC San Diego. Factors like diet, alcohol intake, exercise and stress influence blood sugar and heart health in ways that traditional monitoring systems cannot fully capture. “By tracking glucose, lactate, alcohol and cardiovascular signals in real time, this pain-free wristband can help people better understand their health and enable early action to reduce diabetes risk,” added Chang, who is a co-first author on the study with Muyang Lin, Lu Yin and Maria Reynoso, all from the same department.
The development of this wearable system was made possible by the collaboration of the research groups led by Joseph Wang and Sheng Xu, both professors in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. Wang’s group specializes in creating wearables that can monitor multiple chemical biomarkers in the body simultaneously, while Xu’s group specializes in developing wearable ultrasound sensors that can monitor cardiovascular signals deep inside the body. By combining their expertise, the teams designed a device that provides continuous, simultaneous measurement of biomarkers and cardiac signals in a single wearable wristband platform.
A smart device linked to the wristband displays live data streams from the sensors. It shows blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness alongside real-time readings of glucose, alcohol and lactate levels. This enables wearers to see how daily activities—like meals, alcohol intake or exercise—affect their body in real time and in turn, obtain personalized insights into their metabolic and cardiovascular responses.
The wristband demonstrated excellent agreement with commercial devices across a variety of tests. When monitoring glucose, results closely matched those of a blood glucose meter and continuous glucose monitor while simultaneously capturing cardiovascular responses. Similarly, tests tracking alcohol intake aligned with a breathalyzer, and lactate monitoring during exercise paralleled results from a blood lactate meter. At each step, the wristband provided continuous, simultaneous monitoring of additional signals, including real-time quantitative blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness.
This capability could offer wearers a comprehensive physiological snapshot during everyday activities. It could also help patients and clinicians identify dangerous trends before they escalate, potentially alerting users to cardiovascular risks that traditional glucose monitors would miss.
Next steps include expanding the wearable system to include additional chemical and cardiovascular markers, and designing it to be powered by sweat or sunlight. The researchers also envision integrating machine learning algorithms to analyze the vast amounts of personal data the system collects.
Full study: “Integration of chemical and physical inputs for monitoring metabolites and cardiac signals in diabetes”
This research is supported by the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors.
Scientists in the US were in for a massive surprise when a drilling project beneath a Denver museum’s parking lot led to the unexpected discovery of a nearly 70-million-year-old dinosaur fossil.
The Denver Museum of Nature and Science was carrying out a geothermal test drilling project in January this year to assess the feasibility of transitioning away from natural gas, when researchers launched a scientific coring initiative.
However, upon drilling beneath the museum’s City Park parking lot in a bid to better understand the geology of the Denver Basin, the scientists were stunned when they stumbled upon a nearly 70 million old partial dinosaur fossil.
Buried 763 feet below the surface, the fossil was classified as a vertebra from a herbivorous dinosaur, similar to a Thescelosaurus or Edmontosaurus, and identified as the deepest and oldest dinosaur fossil ever found within the city limits.
“This is a scientifically and historically thrilling find for both the Museum and the larger Denver community,” James Hagadorn, PhD, curator of geology at the Museum said.
A rare piece of history
Radiometric dating places it at approximately 67.5 million years old, from the Late Cretaceous period, spanning from approximately 100.5 to 66 million years ago, just before the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
“This fossil comes from an era just before the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, and it offers a rare window into the ecosystem that once existed right beneath modern-day Denver,” Hagadorn confirmed.
Image of a plant-eating ornithopod dinosaur, Thescelosaurus during the latest Cretaceous Period, nearly 67 million years ago. Credit: Andrey Atuchin / Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Meanwhile, Patric O’Connor, PhD, director of earth and space sciences at the museum who was part of the team that identified the bone, revealed that the discovery may well be the most extraordinary dinosaur discovery of his career.
“Not only is it exceptionally rare to find any fossil as part of a drilling project, but the discovery provided an outstanding collaborative opportunity for the Museum earth sciences team to produce an article led by Denver Museum of Nature and Science postdoctoral scholar, Holger Petermann, PhD,” O’Connor stated.
Unearthing Denver’s prehistoric past
Hagadorn emphasized the significance of the find, saying it felt like winning the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day. “No one could have predicted that this little square foot of land where we started drilling would actually contain a dinosaur bone beneath it,” he revealed in a statement.
The project was supported by a USD 250,000 grant from Colorado’s Geothermal Energy Grant Program, as part of a larger USD 7.7 million state initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The museum is using the funds to explore sustainable energy systems that could one day replace its reliance on natural gas for heating and cooling.
Left to Right: James Hagadorn, PhD, and Bob Raynolds, PhD, examining a drilling core in the parking lot at Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Credit: Rick Wicker / Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Meanwhile, the fossil is now on public display in the Museum’s “Discovering Teen Rex” exhibition, where it’s drawing the attention of curious visitors and sparking new conversations about what else might lie hidden beneath our cities.
“In my 35 years at the museum, we’ve never had an opportunity quite like this – to study the deep geologic layers beneath our feet with such precision,” Bob Raynolds, PhD, earth sciences research associate concluded in a press release. “That this fossil turned up here, in City Park, is nothing short of magical.”
The study has been published in the journal Rocky Mountain Geology.
Along with live coverage from Royal Portrush, R&A TV is home to an extensive archive of exclusive Open content so you can whet the appetite as the latest edition of golf’s original championship approaches.
Fans can watch official films from every Open since 1970, when Jack Nicklaus claimed a play-off win at St Andrews. Highlights of more recent battles for the Claret Jug are also available for those looking to refresh their memory in a more abbreviated fashion, while the Chronicles of a Champion Golfer series sees past winners go in depth in looking back on their moments of glory.
The likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tom Watson reflect on their remarkable success at The Open, while the man who calls Portrush home, Darren Clarke, talks about his long road to winning the Claret Jug at Royal St. George’s, a success in which this year’s Championship venue played a key role.
There are also several R&A Films exclusives to enjoy.
‘Trevino’ examines the incredible life and unlikely rise of Lee Trevino, the six-time major champion who twice lifted the Claret Jug and became a crowd favourite with his infectious personality.
The story of the epic battle between Nicklaus and Watson in 1977 is retold in ‘DUEL’, with the likes of Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm giving their insights on the ‘Duel in the Sun’, which is still widely thought of the best head-to-head fight in major championship history.
Watson also features in R&A Films’ latest offering ‘Underdogs’. The 138th Open in 2009 is synonymous with Watson, who went within one putt of a record-tying sixth Open title at the age of 59 at the same venue where he outduelled Nicklaus. By contrast, champion Stewart Cink is somewhat forgotten.
Underdogs tells the story of the struggles Cink faced after denying Watson, with his triumph resulting in vilification rather than celebration. It is a stirring tale of legacy, heartbreak and resilience.
In addition to getting you in the mood for The Open, R&A TV can help you improve your own game through the OneClub coaching series, which provides tips to assist you in everything from driving the ball on the range to finding magic on the greens with the putter.
You can explore the extensive archive of content on R&A TV now.
