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Golf

Masters champion Jordan Spieth will have the benefit of home support when he looks to bounce back from missing the cut in the Players Championship with victory in the Crowne Plaza Invitational.

The Dallas-born 21-year-old returns to action in his native Texas a fortnight after making an early exit at Sawgrass, where he was put in the shade by playing partner Rory McIlroy over the first two days.

Spieth finished seventh at Colonial in 2013 and 14th last year, when Adam Scott defeated Jason Dufner in a play-off to ensure he held on to the world number one spot he had inherited from Tiger Woods the week before. "I'm very excited," Spieth told a pre-tournament press conference. "I feel like I got my feet under me this past week. Unfortunately I had a week and a half off. Don't really like taking weekends off.

* MASSEREENE assistant Noel Murray will be off again to the Grand Final of the Galvin Green PGA Assistants' Championship in Coventry in August 5 and he promises to do better this time than last, writes Tony McGee.

Murray topped the leaderboard in the Irish Region qualifier at the Co Meath Club near Trim to lead the 14 players who have got their passes to the final. He posted a two-under-par 71 to be one shot clear of joint second-placed Neil O'Briain (Old Conna) and Patrick Small (Galway).

It will be Murray's third visit to the West Midlands venue and he is determined to better than on his previous two performances in the lucrative tournament. "I finished 19th in 2013 and had a top ten finish last year but I definitely want to finish higher next August," he said.