THE British Open has teamed up with Manchester City Football Club ahead of the 146th staging of the Championship at Royal Birkdale next month.

The agreement will see the Open and Man City deliver exclusive content to both golf and football fans in the build-up to the much-anticipated golf tournament.

To mark the occasion, Spanish golfer and two-time Masters champion, Jose Maria Olazabal, visited City Football Academy where he was met by former player and club legend Paul Dickov and Manchester City Women and England Lionesses captain, Steph Houghton.

He was then given a guided tour of the state-of-the-art facility by good friend and Man City manager, Pep Guardiola.

The pair posed with the famous Claret Jug trophy before delving behind-the-scenes of the first team training complex, including the indoor pitch, players’ gym and dressing rooms.

To complete the visit, Olazabal demonstrated his prowess on a golf simulator, alongside Pep who is an avid golf fan.

Olazabal said: “The Open is huge, especially for us. Obviously it is huge for the world of golf but for us Europeans it is the only major played on this side of the Atlantic, so for us it is everything.

“It has a lot of history and the rotation of the courses make it special, but what makes it really special is the knowledge of the crowds as they are always fantastic.”

Speaking at the official launch, R&A championships executive director Johnnie Cole-Hamilton, said: “Manchester City is one of the biggest clubs in the world and the Open is one of the world’s greatest sporting events.

“We are looking forward to working with Man City to help promote the Championship ahead of its return to the historic links at Royal Birkdale for the 10th time.”

Chief Operating Officer for Man City, Omar Berrada added: “The Open is a cherished sporting institution, steeped in history, with an ever-growing global fan base. As a proud north-west club, we’re delighted the R&A is hosting the next Championship in the region and look forward to collaborating on innovative and engaging content for both sets of fans.”

Tickets for the 146th Open, to be staged at Royal Birkdale from July 16 to 2, are available online at TheOpen.com/Tickets