REUTERS SPORTS SCHEDULE AT 10 a.m. ET/2 p.m. GMT

Steve Bruce said he faced a huge challenge after being appointed manager of Newcastle United on a three-year contract on Wednesday.

GOLF-OPEN/ Rain sweeps in on final Open practice day at Portrush

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland, July 17 (Reuters) - The final day of practice before the British Open Championship at Royal Portrush was hit by steady rain on Wednesday, and forecasts are for showers on the first two days of competition. BASKETBALL-NBA/SIMMONS

Basketball-Simmons opts out of World Cup in blow for Australia MELBOURNE, July 17 (Reuters) - Australia's hopes of claiming a maiden basketball World Cup have been dealt a blow, with Ben Simmons opting out of the tournament to focus on his NBA preparations.

UPCOMING CYCLING

CYCLING-FRANCE/ (PIX) (TV) Cycling - Tour de France

Stage 12 of the Tour de France is a 209.5-kilometre mountain stage from Toulouse to Bagneres-de-Bigorre. 18 Jul 05:50 ET / 09:50 GMT

GOLF GOLF-BARBASOL/

Golf - PGA Tour - Barbasol Championship first round Coverage of first round of the PGA Tour event in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

Jul 18 GOLF-OPEN/ (PIX) (TV)

Golf - The 148th Open Championship - Royal Portrush Round one of the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

18 Jul 01:35 ET / 05:35 GMT OLYMPICS

OLYMPICS-2020/SURFING (TV) Olympics-Tokyo 2020 surfing test event held in Chiba

Surfing, set to make its Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, is under the spotlight one year out from the Games. Organisers hold a test event at Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach to check whether conditions will hold up. 18 Jul 03:00 ET / 07:00 GMT

RUGBY RUGBY-UNION-CHAMPIONSHIP-ZAF-AUS/

Rugby Union - Australia team announcement for Rugby Championship opener Australia coach Michael Cheika will name his team for the Rugby Championship opener against South Africa at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Jul 18 SOCCER

SOCCER-CHINA/ Soccer - Beijing look for derby win to return to summit

Beijing Guoan take on struggling Beijing Renhe on Wednesday looking to return to top spot in the Chinese Super League 17 Jul 12:00 ET / 16:00 GMT

SOCCER-ICC-ARS-BAY/REPORT Soccer - International Champions Cup - Arsenal v Bayern Munich

Arsenal play Bayern Munich in the International Champions Cup in Carson, California. 17 Jul 23:00 ET / 03:00 GMT

SOCCER-NATIONS-TUN-NGA/REPORT Soccer - Africa Cup of Nations - Tunisia v Nigeria

Cairo's Al Salam Stadium hosts Africa Cup of Nations third-place playoff between Tunisia and Nigeria. 17 Jul 15:00 ET / 19:00 GMT

SOCCER-NATIONS/ (PIX) (TV) Soccer - CAF Congress

The Confederation of African Football holds its Congress in Cairo against the backdrop of ceding control of the organisation to FIFA following corruption allegations against its president Ahmad Ahmad 18 Jul 04:00 ET / 08:00 GMT

SOCCER-NATIONS/CHEERS (PIX) Soccer-The highs and lows of emotion of fans watching their teams during the Africa Cup of Nations AFCON as the goals are scored

As a preview to the final of the Africa Cup of Nations a visually led story of fans in cities and villages around Africa reacting as their team scores or concedes a goal. From screams of joy, nail biting penalty shoot out stress to tears of dejection the fans faces say it all as they watch the games in small crowded hot bars to organised fan zones. 18 Jul 05:00 ET / 09:00 GMT

SOCCER-NATIONS/DRAW (PIX) Soccer - Africa Cup of Nations - Africa Cup of Nations 2021 qualification draw

The Confederation of African Football will conduct the draw for the qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which are due to start in October. Jul 18

SWIMMING SWIMMING-WORLD/ (PIX)

World Aquatics Championships - Gwangju 2019 The southwestern city of Gwangju will host the world swimming championships, with athletes looking to make a mark ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Jul 18

Also Read: Steve Bruce resigns as SWFC manager - report