First look as thousands of people descend on Merseyside

The 154th Open championship has welcomed thousands of golf fans since its opening day on Sunday, July 12. The championship began on Thursday, July 16, with some of the biggest names in golf teeing off for the first time. Today, Sunday, July 19, the competition will come to a close with one golfer taking home the coveted Claret Jug. Over the past week, Merseyside has welcomed golf fans from across the world for The 154th Open. The ECHO team has been at the golf club this week, meeting Americans, Australians, and golf fans from other parts of the globe. This morning, ECHO photographer Colin lane has captured some of the day's early arrivals. People are in good spirits for what is set to be another incredible day of golfing. The ECHO team are live in the dedicated blog bringing all the latest