British Open pays tribute to Nice terror victims

Golfers at the British Open at Royal Troon on Friday wore black ribbons on their caps in tribute to the victims of the Bastille Day terror attack in Nice.

France's Clement Sordet also sported the message 'Pray for Nice' as he went out in the first group of the day at 6:35am local time (0535 GMT).

The French flag flew at half mast over one of the stands around the 18th green at Troon on Scotland's west coast.

Sordet comes from near the city of Lyon but now lives in Nice, so admitted he was deeply concerned by events there before he went out to play on Friday morning.

"My thoughts are with the families and the victims. I woke up at 4am and tried to find out what had been going on, mainly on the radio," Sordet said at the end of his round.

"The attack happened less than 500 metres from where I live. My girlfriend's family come from there."

Sordet's second successive round of 75 left him eight over par and means he will miss the cut and will likely return home later on Friday.
The only other French golfer in this week's Open field is Victor Dubuisson, who was due to start his round at 1:48pm (1248 GMT).

Dubuisson comes from Cannes, just along France's Mediterranean coast from Nice, where the attack took place.

A gunman smashed a truck into a crowd of revellers celebrating Bastille Day in the French Riviera city, killing at least 84 people.

President Francois Hollande on Friday called it a "terrorist" attack and has declared three days of mourning in the shellshocked country.

Source: AFP