For the first time in more than 60 years, the British Open is headed across the Irish Sea. The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. That was the only time it was held outside Scotland or England since the Open began in 1860. "We have every confidence Royal Portrush will prove to be an excellent venue in every way," R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said. "There is passionate support in Northern Ireland and we expect there will be huge interest." Dawson said it was the "worst-kept secret," although one mystery remains -- the year. To bring the links course up to modern standards of a major championship, the R&A has recommended using the golf architecture firm Mackenzie & Ebert to create new 17th and 18th holes. Royal Portrush club members would have to sign off on the proposal, though that is likely to be a formality. The next available date is 2019. Dawson said it could be "a year or two longer than that." "It has been more than 60 years since the Open was played here, and its been too long," Dawson said. "And were very excited to be coming back." For years, there has been a quiet push to bring the Open back to Portrush and the movement picked up momentum with the success of three players from Northern Ireland. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Darren Clarke captured the British Open a year later at Royal St. Georges. Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011 and then the PGA Championship in 2012. Throw in Padraig Harrington, and Irish golfers won seven of 22 majors during one stretch. What really caught Dawsons attention was when Royal Portrush staged a wildly successful Irish Open in 2012, which attracted some 130,000 fans for the week. And then Martin Ebert suggested the right changes to the links course to make it all work. More than just a golf course, the Open now requires room for such amenities as a television compound and a tented village. Dawson said the R&A would be investing several million pounds (dollars), without giving a more detailed estimate. "No Open venue is immune from the march of time," he said. "They all move and they all have to keep up. This isnt any different from that, except that it hasnt had an Open for a long time." Portrush also has held the Senior British Open six times, and is hosting the British Amateur this week. The British Open this year is being played at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, which had gone 39 years until it returned to the rotation in 2006 with a popular win by Tiger Woods. Turnberry off the Ayrshire coast in Scotland went 17 years without an Open, despite a history that include the famous "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. That required work on the roads to alleviate traffic. Dawson said the work involved to get Royal Portrush in shape for an Open "is a little bit more." "That perhaps reflects the time gap," he said. "Its over 60 years since the championship has been here. The requirements of a modern championship are very different from what they were then. But its something thats manageable." Omar Vizquel White Sox Jersey .com) - The Los Angeles Kings peppered Ryan Miller with shot after shot. Bobby Thigpen Jersey .com) - The Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors are back in the great white north for a brief moment and will host the Dallas Mavericks Friday night from Air Canada Centre. https://www.cheapwhitesox.com/1124e-ray-...-white-sox.html. Bell Medias 12-year partnership with the Ottawa Senators includes five major components: - English-language regional television broadcast rights for TSN – a minimum of 52 regular season and pre-season games - French-language regional television broadcast rights for RDS – a minimum of 40 regular season and pre-season games - English-language broadcast rights for TSN Radio 1200 – all games - French-language radio broadcast rights – all games - Telecommunications and retail sponsorship and activation rights "We recognized early on that our regional broadcast rights coming up for renewal was a very important asset," said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. Kid Gleason White Sox Jersey . Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon; a brief, poor outing that served to highlight two trends that have developed this season. Daniel Palka White Sox Jersey . Johnny Manziel, college footballs most entertaining player with the reputation for pulling off magical plays, was selected with the No.The NBA is holding a news conference on Tuesday in New York to discuss the investigation into racist comments allegedly made by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in a recorded conversation. You can watch it live on TSN, TSN.ca and TSN GO at at 2pm et/11am pt. The news conference is a clear sign NBA Commissioner Adam Silver - in the first real crisis of his short tenure - is both following through on his plan to move quickly on this matter and adhering to a request from the players union for some sort of resolution in short order. The Clippers host Golden State in Game 5 of their Western Conference first round series on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. "He should not continue owning the clippers," Lakers star Kobe Bryant wrote Monday on Twitter. Fallout from the Sterling scandal continued Monday, with CarMax -- the nations largest retailer of used vehicles -- ending its sponsorship of the team. The company said in a statement it finds the statements attributed to Sterling "completely unacceptable." "While we have been a proud Clippers sponsor for nine years and support the team, fans and community, these statements necessitate that CarMax end its sponsorship," it explained. Portions of the recordings were released over the weekend by TMZ and Deadspin. Silvers first step in the process was to authenticate that Sterlings voice is on the tape, and while the NBA has not confirmed that it is, Sterlings wife attributed the comments to her husband. "Our family is devastated by the racist comments made by my estranged husband," Rochelle Sterling said in a statement sent KABC-TV in Los Angeles. "My children and I do not share these despicable views or prejudices. We will not let one mans small mindedness poison the spirit of the fans and accomplishments of the team in the city we love. We are doing everything in our power to stand by and support our Clippers team." Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, the former NBA All-Star who is serving as an adviser to the National Basketball Players Association while the Sterling matter plays out, called it "a massive distraction" to the league. What Silver will do remains unclear. He works for the owners -- and so far that group seems to have no sympathy for Sterlings latest controversy. Among those who have spoken out publicly to condemn the alleged Sterling remarks: Washingtons Ted Leonsis, Miamis Micky Arison and perhaps most notably, Charlottes Michael Jordan, who won six NBA titles as a player. "Im obviously disgusted that a fellow team owner could hold such sickening and offensive views," Jordan said in a statement released Sunday. "Im confident that Adam Silver will make a full investigation and take appropriate action quickly." Silvers tenure&nbbsp;as commissioner began on Feb.dddddddddddd 1, replacing the retired David Stern. Silver met with Kevin Johnson on Sunday and heard five things that the players union wants from the commissioner. The list includes: - Sterling not attending any NBA games for the rest of the playoffs because of the "enormous distraction." - A full account of past allegations of discrimination by Sterling and why the league never sanctioned him. - An explanation of the range of penalties the league could bring against Sterling. - Assurance the NBA and the union will be partners in the investigation. - A decisive ruling. "Hes got to come down hard," Hall of Fame player Magic Johnson, who was referenced on the audio recording, said Sunday on ABC. The NBA constitution is not public, though its understood the commissioners powers are broad when it comes to dealing with matters deemed "prejudicial or detrimental to the best interests of basketball." A fine, a suspension, a demand for sensitivity training, all those and more are surely at Silvers disposal. Meanwhile, more audio may be coming. An employee in the office of attorney Mac E. Nehoray, who represents the woman allegedly on the tape, said the full recording lasts about an hour. The clips released by TMZ and Deadspin are significantly shorter than that. The attorneys office also insists that the recording is legitimate and that Sterling is the man on the tape. Also on Sunday, the NAACP announced on Twitter that Sterling will not be receiving a lifetime achievement award from the LA Branch of the NAACP." Sterling had been slated to receive the honour May 15 as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the groups Los Angeles chapter. Some players feel for the magnitude of the task Silver is facing. "What, hes been three months on the job? And he has to deal with an issue like this," Washingtons Garrett Temple said. "Its unfair to him. ... Its going to be a difficult situation for him to take care of, and hes probably going to act swiftly as he said. And he needs to do so. Its a very tough issue. A lot of different sides. But its more than basketball." Sterling has been the subject of many past controversies, but this, particularly at playoff time and with his own team a potential title contender, has perhaps generated more outcry than the others combined. Even President Barack Obama addressed the issue Sunday at a news conference in Malaysia. The next move will be made by Silver, and Tuesday apparently is the day. "This is a defining moment for the league," Kevin Johnson said. "Its a defining moment for the commissioner." AP Sports Writers Antonio Gonzalez and Joseph White and Associated Press Writer John Rogers contributed to this report. ' ' '