Australia’s Cameron Percy posted a 7-under-par 63 on Thursday to secure the first-round lead of the ISPS Handa Senior Open in Perth, Scotland.

Percy earned birdies on six of the first 12 holes on his way to an eight-birdie, one-bogey tour of Gleneagles Golf Course. He claimed a one-shot lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ final major of the year over France’s Lionel Alexandre.

“I drove it really good, but you have to here,” said Percy, who found something that clicked late in his practice round on Wednesday. “I didn’t hit in the rough once and so that was really nice.”

Alexandre, 53, does not have a ton of experience playing in majors – a 72nd-place finish at the 2000 Open Championship served as his only major during his PGA Tour days – but it didn’t affect Thursday as he notched birdies on six of the final 12 holes for his 66.

“Today it was really, really cool,” Alexandre said. “My caddie is a really good friend [and] we joke a lot on the course. I just take it as a regular tournament on the Tour. I see the same guys. Maybe some … a few more names than are playing in the States.”

South Africa’s Ernie Els leads a quartet sitting at 5 under. While Els enjoyed a relatively quiet round with six birdies and one bogey, Tom Pernice Jr. sprinkled an eagle and a double bogey into his 65. Pat Perez and Spain’s Miguel Angel Jimenez also posted 65s.

“I had not played much this year,” Perez said, who enjoyed a bogey-free trip. “This is only my ninth tournament round. Any time I play, I start off-season again, so I never really know what’s coming. I prepared the last two weeks.”

Jerry Kelly tops the group of five golfers at 66 while 11 more carded a 67 on a day when the links-style course was dry and relatively tranquil.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland, who struggled with knee pain the previous two weeks while failing to make the cut at the Scottish Open and Open Championship, was not among the 44 golfers in the 144-man field to break par.

Harrington settled for a 70 as he matched three birdies with three bogeys, but he reported no issue with his knees.

“I had an excellent day with both of my knees,” Harrington said. “I had a lot of trouble in Scotland, affect[ed] me playing golf a little bit yesterday and the day before, but today, it’s fine.”

–Field Level Media

The hype machine around Arch Manning never stopped last season and nobody knows that better than the Texas quarterback.

Entering his fourth college season, Manning has been giving outsiders a Heismanesque stiff-arm so he can focus on what he can control.

“My goal this offseason was just to stay present, take it one day at a time,” Manning said Thursday at Southeastern Conference Media Days in Tampa, Fla. “I’m not really worried about the outside world. And that’s what I’ll continue to try to do.”

Manning was the Heisman Trophy favorite prior to the 2025 season and passed for 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions as a first-time regular starter.

Those were good numbers for a normal quarterback, but he was held to a higher standard as part of the Manning Family Tree that features grandfather Archie and uncles Peyton and Eli.

“Oftentimes I’m like, ‘I wish I could be a little bit more under the radar,'” Manning said. “It’s like, that’ll never happen.”

Last year, the Longhorns lost their opening showdown to Ohio State in Columbus and later sustained an awful road loss to Florida in early October. When Texas squeezed by lowly Kentucky in overtime in mid-October — and Manning threw for fewer than 200 yards for the fourth time in seven games — the early Heisman hype had fully evaporated.

All of a sudden, the narrative flipped to Manning failing to live up to expectations.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t like that at the time and he still gets worked up discussing it.

“You know, Arch Manning a year ago wasn’t on social media or on television saying I’m going to be the first pick of the draft,” Sarkisian said. “He wasn’t on television saying I’m going to win the Heisman Trophy. All he did was work really hard. All he did was try to be the best teammate he can be.

“Then we had some failures as a team. He didn’t play to the way of what he was capable of playing. Then those same people that were saying that about him wanted to criticize and demean him almost for letting them down because he didn’t live up to what they thought he was going to be. Very interesting concept right there.

“I think the way of what he got put through probably would have melted or destroyed 99% of people in his shoes. All he did was stay consistent and true to who he was.”

Manning played better after the Kentucky game, topping 300 yards three times and throwing three or more TD passes on three occasions. He accounted for 15 touchdowns versus two interceptions over the last five regular-season games as Texas finished 9-3 and missed out on the College Football Playoff by one spot. The Longhorns landed 13th in the final CFP rankings.

Manning is better prepared for the scrutiny now. He said the 2025 season was a growing experience.

“I think I’ve become more present. I’ve obviously matured,” Manning said. “I think going through those rough times, I learned a lot about myself. And I’ve become a better man because of it and hopefully a better player.”

Texas once again has a big early-season showdown against Ohio State, this time in Week 2 at home in Austin.

“Yeah, we’re excited,” Manning said. “Obviously Week 2 is a big game. But we’ve got a bunch of big games and so we’re just gonna take it one day at a time.”

–Field Level Media

The Milwaukee Brewers will look to continue their second-half surge behind rookie left-hander Shane Drohan when the Colorado Rockies visit on Friday to open a three-game series.

Drohan (5-3, 3.20 ERA) will be opposed by right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (9-4, 4.76), who’ll make his second start since needing a stint on the injured list due to back spasms.

Both Milwaukee and Colorado were idle Thursday.

The NL Central-leading Brewers improved to 5-1 since the break with a 4-3 victory on Wednesday at home over the New York Mets. Joey Ortiz continued his recent hot hitting with a single, double and two-run triple while starter Logan Henderson allowed two runs on five hits in five innings.

The Rockies wrapped up their six-game homestand with an 8-0 loss to Washington on Wednesday, managing just six hits against Nationals starter Cade Cavalli and two relievers.

Milwaukee, one-half game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the majors, has a seven-game division lead over the Cubs. Colorado is in last place in the NL West, 24 1/2 games behind the frontrunning Dodgers.

Ortiz, who lost his starting shortstop job when highly touted prospect Cooper Pratt was called up from Triple-A on June 16, has hit .333 (19-for-57) in July with four doubles, three homers and nine RBI. He has raised his average from .188 at the end of May to .239 while his OPS has jumped from .518 to .662 over the same span.

Drohan picked up the win his last time out, allowing three runs and fanning a career-high nine over six innings in an 8-6 victory over Miami. He gave up three runs in the second inning, but none the rest of the way as he retired the final nine hitters he faced and 13 of the last 14.

“He didn’t get discouraged, he got better,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy. “He’s just a great competitor, he cares, he’s a teammate. The guys love him.”

Drohan, making his 11th start and 21st appearance, moved into the rotation at the beginning of June. He is 3-3 with a 3.86 ERA as a starter.

Drohan has faced the Rockies once this season, allowing three runs in 6 1/3 innings to get the win in a 12-4 road victory on June 7.

Infielder David Hamilton, who began a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday, could rejoin the Brewers on Friday.

Sugano, mentioned as a potential trade target for contenders, has become the first Rockies starter with nine victories since Austin Gomber in 2023.

Sugano is 5-1 in his last seven starts despite a 6.08 ERA over that span. He picked up the win in five of his last six starts, the first Rockies starter to do so since Gomber in 2021.

Sugano won his last start, allowing three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings in a 10-3 home victory over Cincinnati. He struck out three without a walk in his first outing since June 26.

“I saw excellent fastball command, I saw strong velo, splitter was really good, he gave us just what we needed,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said after the game. “Typical Tomo Sugano stuff. He was great today.”

Sugano faced the Brewers once last season when he was with Baltimore — allowing two runs on five hits in six innings — but did not get the decision in an 8-4 road victory.

Opponents are batting .268 against Sugano, who has given up 18 homers in 90 2/3 innings.

–Field Level Media