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A notable absentee, the return of an old favourite and the resumption of the LPGA Tour feature in golf talking points this week:

With so many European Tour events falling victim to the coronavirus in 2020 it is nice to report on one being resurrected.

The English Open at the Forest of Arden, near Birmingham, returns on Thursday for the first time since June 2002.

The last time it was played Ronaldinho and Ronaldo were starring for Brazil at the Soccer World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and last week’s British Masters winner Renato Paratore was still in kindergarten.

For the record, Darren Clarke made history 18 years ago by becoming the first player to win the title for a third time.

But not everything changes. The defending US Masters champion in 2002 was the same as now – Tiger Woods.

Stanford’s errant drive

When 144 of the world’s leading women tee off on Friday at the Inverness Club in Ohio, it will be the LPGA Tour’s first event for 166 days since the Australian Open in February.

The resumption sees back-to-back events in Toledo with no fans but face masks, Covid-19 testing, social distancing and thermal scanners.

However the biggest challenge in the new normal might be getting to the events safe and sound.

Many are opting to drive their own cars vast distances to the appropriately named Drive On Championship rather than risk flying.

Getting behind the wheel had one major champion flummoxed.

Angela Stanford, the 2018 Evian Championship winner, was forced into a U-turn after setting out from her home in Fort Worth, Texas for the 17-hour, 1,200 mile (1,900 kilometre) drive north.

“Well I packed the car this morning for Toledo. All the emotions you can imagine, excited, nervous, anxious, all of it,” Stanford tweeted last Friday.

“It was bitter sweet pulling out of the driveway About 15 min down the road… I forgot my golf clubs. #2020 #letstrythisagain.”

Men’s Official World Golf Rankings updated 27 July 2020 (top 20):

1. Jon Rahm (ESP) 8.97

2. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 8.51

3. Justin Thomas (USA) 7.54

4. Webb Simpson (USA) 6.92 (+1)

5. Dustin Johnson (USA) 6.88 (-1)

6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 6.26

7. Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 6.04

8. Patrick Reed (USA) 5.89

9. Adam Scott (AUS) 5.67

10. Patrick Cantlay (USA) 5.56

11. Xander Schauffele (USA) 5.38

12. Collin Morikawa (USA) 4.95 (+1)

13. Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 4.93 (-1)

14. Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 4.81 (+1)

15. Tiger Woods (USA) 4.69 (-1)

16. Tony Finau (USA) 4.47 (+1)

17. Justin Rose (ENG) 4.43 (-1)

18. Marc Leishman (AUS) 4.30

19. Gary Woodland (USA) 4.24

20. Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG) 4.17