just days before the opening ceremony, a top u.s. tennis star drops out of the olympics as the number of coronavirus cases linked to the games continues to rise. and just hours before england lifted its remaining covid restrictions, the british prime minister announced he's self-isolating after contact with the health secretary who has tested positive. and the german chancellor gets a firsthand look at the devastation left by days of historic flooding. welcome to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. this is cnn newsroom.

♪ ♪ with just four days to go until the opening ceremonies, the number of covid cases linked to the 2020 olympic games has risen to 58. this includes american tennis hopeful corey coco gauff who announced on sunday she was pulling out of the competition. coronavirus cases are rising in japan which raised fears the start on friday could turn into a super global spreader event. blake essex joins us from tokyo. the olympic organizers must be scrambling to deal with the fallout. what's the latest? >> reporter: yeah, kim. look, i mean, the health and safety concern remains a big issue here in japan, and a main reason why these games continue

to be so deeply unpopular. but just last week international olympic committee president bach said the risk of spreading because of the olympics is zero. a growing number of cases are testing olympic organizers' promise they'll be able to deliver a safe and secure owe lim olympic games. take a listen. >> olympics is a safe place to stay. we cannot say there will be no positive cases within the olympic community. given the situation that we have a massive number of people are, you know, engaged within this project. >> reporter: and there have been positive cases so far. so far, 58 people involved with the games have tested positive for covid-19 after arriving in japan, with the first cases being reported over the weekend from inside the olympic village. that included two players and a video analyst from south africa's football team. there is also a growing list of

athletes and olympic related personnel who have been forced into isolation after being considered close contacts with people who tested positive. the most recent includes at least 21 people who were close contacts with those members of the south african football team, and six athletes and two staff members from the british olympic team who came into contact with someone who tested positive on their flight into japan. there's no question these are difficult times here in japan. cases related to the olympics are piling up daily, and separately the cases continue to surge amongst the japanese people here in the capital. kim? >> all right, thanks so much, blake essig in tokyo. appreciate it. all right. let's turn now to cnn sports analyst christine brennan who is also in tokyo. thanks so much for joining us. i want to start with the number of athletes who have dropped out because of covid and the games haven't even started yet obviously. how badly do you think the missing athletes and the loss of the star power will disrupt the

games from a sporting point of view? >> reporter: kim, it's certainly hard to tell what the final count will be and the final numbers will be. but i think right now the olympics can weather these losses. in other words, the games will move on and the swimming and track and field and so many other sports, gymnastics, of course, with the great samoan biles. i think that they will be missed, but i think the overwhelming headlines will be about the athletes who are here. now, if this continues even more, if it gets to the point where there are bigger names yet to come, especially like men's basketball, women's basketball, et cetera, then i think you could see this becoming more of a headline. but right now i think the news is important, but i don't think it is devastating for the olympic games. >> but then, you know, beyond the drop-outs, how big of a problem is the danger that athletes might miss their events because of the uncertainty over covid tests and, you know, possible, you know, contamination, contacts with infected people and so on?

>> reporter: oh, i thought, kim, this would be the biggest story of the olympics. i thought that for several months. the possibility of being contact traced right out of your event, can you imagine? you've spent five years, not just four, five years waiting n for this moment. and because of a brush up against someone in the hallway or a few minutes there potentially, you could lose your chance at not only an olympic medal, but just being able to participate. i think that is the great fear here. and there is so much unknown. i think the most important thing to say journalistically as i have just arrived in tokyo, the usa today offices in the press center, is that we don't know. we don't know if there is going to be an explosion of covid cases. we don't know if there will be issues where lots of athletes are contact traced out of their opportunities to compete, or we don't know if it's going to go off okay. that's where we are. when you're trying to have an olympics in the middle of the pandemic, that's where you are with about five days, four or five days to go before the opening ceremonies.

>> despite all the precautions and despite the fact that organizers have been changing and adjusting their protocols to try to deal with this, there have been growing cases in the olympic village. you were, i understand, i was following you on twitter you were at the organizing press conference committee today. how are they planning on getting a handle on the situation? >> reporter: well, they said that even though there have been obviously as reported, over 50, what, 58 now reports of covid cases involving olympic people that are involved with the olympic games. of course, the south african men's football soccer team is by far the biggest news right now. what they say is robust reaction to it. spokesperson was talking about that, that basically if there is something that happens, you immediately isolate them, continue the testing, put them in quarantine. right now you can do that with the few cases. but if there were to become, in a doomsday scenario, kim, more cases, many, many more, dozens

or hundreds, no indication that will be the case, but if that happens, then i don't know how quickly you can isolate everyone. so they say it's the reaction as much as it is the actual finding out about covid cases. >> so, for the athletes getting vaccinated is optional. some have chosen not to do so. i'm trying not to make this a leading question because i know you've been quite critical of some u.s. athletes who have chosen not to be vaccinated. vaccinations aren't going to guarantee to stop infections, but still, with everything that's going on now, does it really underscore the potential folly of skipping the shots for athletes to whom it's available? >> reporter: i think a case can be made, kim, that vaccines should have been mandatory. it is not a right to be an olympian, it is a privilege. and i think we would be looking at a very different olympics if vaccines had been mandatory. now, i realize there are people around the world watching this saying, that's not fair. what about the countries that didn't have the opportunities that, say, the u.s. did to get

vaccines early? i get that. maybe there was a way to get those vaccines into arms quicker into some of those nations that would have needed that. but because vaccines are not mandatory, everything starts from that sentence, and everything cascades down from that point. and so, yes, the american swimmer michael andrew not vaccinated, that becomes a problem for the u.s. swim team. will they be able to weather that? hopefully they will and hopefully there will be no incidents at all. but when you have unvaccinated athletes in your midst, that adds to the layers of concern. that's what this is all about right now. the ultimate concern, the worries, the fears that something terrible could happen here in terms of covid. that hasn't happened yet, and let's hope it doesn't. but if it does, i think the unvaccinated could play a big role if that, in fact, were to become the story. >> let's hope it doesn't as you say. christine brennan, we look forward to your reporting from the games. thanks so much for being with

us. >> reporter: kim, thank you so much. today is england's long awaited freedom day, the day the country lifts nearly all of its remaining social distancing restrictions. but so far, at least it doesn't seem very free. there are red flags galore, not the least of which is the surge in case count in the uk, 50,000 new infections per day. and then there is the prime minister, boris johnson, who has been forced to self-isolate after coming into contact with the british health secretary who has tested positive for the virus himself. so even as england ditches the mask mandates and capacity limits at bars, restaurants, shops, sports venues, johnson is urging caution, but also says it's a risk worth taking. here he is. >> we don't do it now, we're going to ask ourselves, when will we ever do it? so this is the right moment. but we've got to do it cautiously. we've got to remember that this virus is sadly still out there. cases are rising. we can see the extreme

contagiousness of the delta variant. >> cnn's phil black is in london for us. phil, let's start with freedom day. is there a celebratory mood there in the streets of london? >> reporter: no real celebration, no triumphant return to normal life in eng england. the mood is i guess more resigned which fits the prime minister's logic and his often repeated question you heard there, if we don't do it now, when should we do it. that logic essentially says there is no good time to do this. you're going to get a wave of cases inevitably, so better to do it in the summer months, better to do it when you've just hit a point where two-thirds of the population is now vaccinated. and this prime minister, who throughout the pandemic has loved to talk about his libertarian instincts wants to do this because he wants to restore people's freedoms, sense of choice to their lives. he wants to create opportunities for economic opportunity. all these things have been desperately missed through the

pandemic, but the prime minister, the government is proceeding despite having presented by their own scientific advisers, a list of definite and potential consequence, some of them very serious here. we know the cases are going to continue to soar further. there are going to be more infections. that will inevitably mean more people falling seriously ill. the question is how many more and to what degree the health system is going to come under pressure in the coming months. some of the forecasts suggested it's going to come under incredible pressure, perhaps as great or greater than previous waves that have been experienced here. there is also the likely consequence of more people experiencing long covid. this is particularly a concern for children because they are the ones -- children and young people really because they are the ones that currently do not have significant protection through the vaccine program. and there is another big warning, and this is one that could impact everyone everywhere, and that is scientists say the government's

own scientists say that by creating these circumstances where you have high prevalence of the virus in a population where there is significant immunity, you are creating the circumstances where you are most likely to see a new variant emerge that is better at beating the existing vaccines. so there are tremendous potential consequence here. there is a great deal at stake. this is a hugely significant day for britain. for the first time in its pandemic experience, a big part of the united kingdom is going to be managing a wave through simply allowing it to to run its course and no one is precisely sure how that is going to end. at this point, kim, i've lost my audio connection to you, so i'm throwing back to you in the studio. >> all right. well, we heard you, phil black in london, appreciate it so much. the delta variant is also driving covid case numbers higher in nearly every u.s. state. just have a look here at this map showing increases week over week. the dark red indicates states

where cases are up at least 50%. health experts warn the delta variant is hitting unvaccinated americans hard. >> and this virus is so contagious, this variant is so contagious, most people will get vaccinated or have been previously infected or they will get the delta variant. for most people who get the delta variant it will be the most serious in their lifetime in terms of the risk of putting them in the hospital. >> less than half of the u.s. population is vaccinated. the biden administration places some of the blame on the health association. it is a matter of life and liberty. >> we are seeing proliferation of information online. we know health misinformation harms people's health. it costs them their lives. i've seen that as a doctor over the years, as patients have struggled with health misinformation. here's a key thing to remember. health misinformation takes away

our freedom and our power to make decisions for us and for our families. >> in los angeles county, masks are mandatory once again as new infections and hospitalizations skyrocket. l.a. county health officials say infections have spiked 300% in the last two weeks. now experts are trying anything they can to help patients get better, even after they leave the hospital. cnn's paul vercammen reports. >> reporter: the recrafted l.a. public health mask policy is now in effect. you have to wear a mask indoors at places like movie theaters, restaurants or the super market. but the sheriff of l.a. county is not on board. he has said that his deputies will ask for voluntary compliance. they are not going to be out enforcing this rule. what led to this? a spike the wrong way in covid-19 cases. more than 1600 new cases at last count, more than 500 people hospitalized. and as for the hospitalizations, here at ucla medical center, they are now treating people who

had serious long-term effects, people who were in the i.c.u. or in a ventilator. they are treating them with opera in a zoom class and teaching them how to breathe again. >> for me, singing helped me connect breathing to purpose, and it gave me a reason to -- a reason and a technique to learn how to breathe again. >> adding mindfulness and adding something that relaxes the limbic system, breathing therapy and music and just bringing that to people who are suffering so badly right now. i mean, it's the greatest opportunity to be of service. >> reporter: and doctors here at ucla pulmonologists saying that these opera lessons, if you will, strengthen the diaphragm. they help to strength enthe lungs, in turn, and people can breathe more easily and more deeply. reporting from rlos angeles, i'

paul vercammen. back to you. >> as he said the sheriff won't enforce the mask mandate. resources are already thin. if they had approached him about the issue, they might have been able to work it out. here it is. >> they did this on their own without considering what the consequences are and our ability to enforce it. they just assumed that they're going to come down the mountain with a tablet like moses and say this is the law of the land and deal with it. it doesn't work that way. we have to work together. >> german chancellor angela merkel said she doesn't have the word to describe the damage in a german flood zone. we'll have a live report from the region coming up and in belgium how a catholic shine helps recover from the devastation. stay with us. . we gave new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep to people who were tired of being tired. what is even in this? clinically-studied plant based ingredients passion flower, valerian root, and hops. new zzzquil pure zzzs restorative herbal sleep.

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a place of horror and destruction, that's how one german official describes the scene after days of historic flooding. hundreds are still missing and at least 189 people are confirmed dead in belgium and germany. flood waters slammed into some towns with little warning carrying mud and debris. much of the focus was on northwest germany and the low countries over the weekend.

the southern german state of bavaria also saw flash floods. the state's premiere said at least two people were killed there. atika shubert joins us from northwest germany. it sounds like angela merkel was horrified by what she saw as she toured the disaster zone. what more can you tell us? >> reporter: yeah, i mean, you know, this is no ordinary flood. what we've seen here is devastation on a scale comparable almost to that of a tsunami, and certainly the power of the water had the spees and for speed and force of something like that. the water barreled down the river. you can see some of the debris still behind me. that's a car standing in the middle of the river there. and the search and recovery efforts are going to take some time. they're still ongoing. the death toll at the moment is 163 from germany, but there are still hundreds more missing and so we've seen a lot of search and recovery teams out and operating.

these farm houses have stood for more than a century. now all but destroyed. extreme rainfall is what turned this river into a raging torrent, engulfing the small village. now farm yard backhoes operate next to armoured vehicles to clear away the rubble. german chancellor angela merkel has been quick to blame the climate crisis for this catastrophe. on sunday she met with survivors, promising to release more financial aid if possible. >> translator: i have to say it is a surreal situation, shocking, she said. i can almost say the german language doesn't have the words for this kind of devastation. >> reporter: flood warning systems are also coming under scrutiny, but nobody could have predicted the speed of this disaster says the mayor. >> translator: i think that flood protection temperatures would not have helped. you could not have calculated

this. what happens to the river with masses of water? >> reporter: residents here are now fearful of more floods. if it is climate change, i will never build near the water says dana kristen. i know that now, and i'm afraid that this could happen again, and that i will find more dead bodies. >> reporter: as they struggle to save what's left of their homes, many here are worried that this could happen again. now, we're a little further down the river from schulte. you can see behind me the bridge, the excavator there trying to clear the bridge. this is a top priority, trying to recover what critical infrastructure they can. this bridge has partially collapsed and it is not passable. there's another bridge that's completely washed away. in fact, in this entire valley, there is only one passable bridge now that can be used and it's reserved for emergency personnel.

so the priority has been, one, restoring that infrastructure, but also two, trying to recover those missing. and that's going to be continuing for the next few days, kim. >> only one working bridge. that's unbelievable. atika shubert, thanks so much. well, neighboring belgium, the death toll has reached 31 and the national crisis center says 163 people are still missing. officials say impacted areas are out of imminent danger. now the focus is on search and clean-up operations. so, in this moment of crisis, people in belgium are coming together and lending each other a helping hand. al goodman has more from one catholic shrine that's been turned into a shelter. >> reporter: lunchtime at a roman catholic shrine in belgium, diners in need of a miracle. forced out of their homes by the devastating floods in eastern belgium. ♪ the shrine of our lady of beno

dates to the 1930s and attracts hundreds of pilgrims per year. it's the first time since world war ii that they're helping people of other faiths. the shrine opening its doors to victims of the flooding is an example of what's been happening in western europe. people here seem to recognize the magnitude of the disaster and are responding in kind. the rector says they provided food for 130 people since the floods began. 80 more are expected this week from various faiths. he said the virgin mary would be pleased. >> she says, well, i've got a new kind of servant to welcome. i'm not sure that they will pray a lot, but they are really welcome here in this place. >> reporter: this man says he's grateful for the help. his family's home, right next to the river. he was most worried about the kids.

the basement is 2 meters tall and it rose one meter in the room above that. we were above in the bedroom. it was all around us. >> reporter: the damage left little doubt about the scale of the danger. the response from the shrine an article of faith. as belgium prepares for a national day of mourning on tuesday. al goodman, cnn, belgium. all right. much more to come on cnn newsroom, including a look at efforts to drive vaccination rates up in places like alabama where inoculation numbers are low. plus how the pandemic is impacting one of the most important rites of passage for muslims around the world. stay with us

welcome back to all of you watching us here in the united states, canada and around the world. i'm kim brunhuber. you're watching cnn newsroom. u.s. health officials are working hard to convince more americans to get a covid vaccine, but vaccination rates have been slowing for weeks. in 12 states, less than 40% of the population is fully vaccinated, which makes the risk of catching the delta variant especially high in these areas. now, alabama is one of those states. it's tied with mississippi at the bottom of the vaccination list. the cdc says alabama's vaccination rate is not quite 34%. community groups are pushing a pro-vaccine message, but it's still a tough sell. here's natasha chen. >> take it from me, i'm 15 years old. go get the vaccine. >> reporter: the effort to get covid vaccines into arms in alabama is an uphill battle.

>> if you have not had the vaccination, then you are part of the problem. >> reporter: pastor cedric has passed out flyers in his community. sometimes he meets pushback from people who bring up the tuskegee experiment. he says it is not a good experiment, and he warns. >> you can't get your news from social media. >> reporter: but the rampant spread of misinformation on social media is the biggest hurdle according to officials. some are buying into false narratives including people under 30 who are the least vaccinated in alabama. birmingham city schools have been hosting vaccine clinics at their high schools, getting the band to play, cheer leaders to perform. >> go, fight. >> reporter: but some members of this pep squad still need a pep talk. half of these girls told cnn they are too scared to get vaccinated. they don't want the actual virus injected into them, which is not how covid-19 vaccines work. instead the pfizer and moderna

vaccines use a tiny piece of the sequence which prompts our immune system to protect itself against the virus. and like snapchat, the message then disappears. still must trust in the african-american communities looms. >> i hear, i'm not sure, i want to wait a little longer. i want to see how it affects my family and my friends. >> reporter: kennedy brown and mother both became infected with the coronavirus powerful enough to motivate them to get the vaccine on saturday. >> most of my parents don't make them do anything, so it's really their choice. but my mom made me come get it. >> reporter: since april 1st, 529 people have died of covid-19 in alabama. more than 96% of them were unvaccinated. around 34% of people in the state are fully vaccinated and since peaking in march and april, the number of doses

administered has been dropping dramatically. now the state is seeing another surge, with more than double the new case numbers last week compared to the week before. in mobile -- >> i was counting the hopes this was over with. >> reporter: the entire baker high school football team is quarantined. >> i think the variants that are out and about are kind of poking around. >> reporter: and the first baptist church in spanish port announced it would be postponing events and all in-person services are canceled for the rest of july. people commented on the post, asking for prayers for loved ones who have gotten covid-19. >> just yesterday i got a call from my father about my uncle who did not get the vaccine. and guess what? he's in the hospital now. >> reporter: anthony gardener is the c.e.o. of alabama regional medical services. even he can't convince all of his family to get vaccinated, but he says he won't give up. >> no, it's not an uphill battle. it's my mission, it's my purpose for being here. >> reporter: only about a dozen people came through this vaccine clinic in a church on sunday. an example of the challenge in

convincing people across the state to get vaccinated. this church is set to start condensed in-person services in the beginning of august, but the pastor tells me he will monitor the spread of the virus in the community in the coming weeks to determine whether those plans should be modified. natasha chen, cnn, fairfield, alabama. >> well one of the most important holidays of the islamic calendar begins on tuesday. and for the second year in a row, muslims around the world will mark the holiday with scaled back celebrations. before that, thousands of muslim pilgrims gathered in mecca for the second hajj of the pandemic era. only 60,000 saudi residents are allowed to take part in this year's pilgrimage. they must be vaccinated against the pandemic. 2 million attend each year. we are joined by international correspondent arwa da man in

istanbul, turkey. take us through how the hajj will be different this year. >> reporter: well, kim, for anyone who has experienced it before, even looked at the vigils, they are going to continue to be very starkly different. normally with that number of people, 2 million-plus that we saw back in 2019, and even in previous years, every single aspect of the ritual is something of a crush of humanity. people are so closely packed together during all of this, kim, that sometimes as the crowds are moving through the various different rituals of the hajj, one's feet don't even touch the ground, and that is the sort of a situation that as we unfortunately know all too well now would potentially -- could potentially lead to significantly high infection rates. and the saudi authorities are once again for a second year in a row, clearly wanting to adhere to the side of great and grave

caution. they are only allowing 60,000 people to partake in this pilgrimage this year. you know, for so many muslims who would have wanted to go to the hajj, this has to be incredibly devastating. many people you will meet who were there have saved up their entire lives for this experience. this is a requirement of every single muslim who is physically and financially able to carry it out. but this also comes on the heels of the widely-spreading delta variant of covid-19. but the w.h.o. recently warning that the middle east and north africa, predominantly muslim part of the world, is nearing a critical point, especially when it comes to some countries that have very low vaccination rates. tunisia last week was saying its mortality rate had doubled. iraq was clocking some of its highest numbers since the covid-19 pandemic began.

iran, which is the hardest-hit country in the region was nearing its own infection records. and so, you know, you have the situation where, once again, we're seeing because of the spread of this delta variant, especially at this stage coupled with low vaccination rates, people having to significantly adjust their lives. and as we're going into this religious holiday, the w.h.o. is warning people against carrying out the traditional large gatherings, bringing extended family together to try to bring down the spread of infection rates, kim. >> all right. arwa daman in istanbul, thanks so much for that. coming up on cnn newsroom, u.s. diplomats in vienna are reporting disturbing health incidents that have alarming similarities to a mystery illness first seen in cuba. we'll have the latest just ahead. and the afghan government and the taliban met this weekend

for peace talks. the brutal slaying last month brought possible war crimes. our reporter who first broke the story joins me live next. stay with us. s not in his room. ♪ dad, why didn't you answer your phone? your mother loved this park. ♪ she did.

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only at covered california. this way to health insurance. we first saw it in cuba five years ago. now authorities in austria are investigating alarming health incidents in about two dozen u.s. personnel in vienna. sources say some of these people had to be flown out of yemen and are receiving medical assistance in the u.s. it resembles a phenomenon known as havana syndrome first noted by diplomats in 2016. it includes virt goh, nausea and a piercing noise. the acting u.s. ambassador in kabul is calling for an investigation into the taliban murder of 22 surrendering afghan commandos. our anna coren was the first to report on the executions and she joins me now live from hong

kong. anna, we are hearing more official reaction after these horrific killings. what's the latest on that? >> reporter: yeah, kim, we've heard from ross wilson, as you say, the acting ambassador in kabul for the united states, and he has described what happened to these 22 commandos last month as possible war crimes that must be investigated, and the pu perpetrators brought to account. it is highly unlikely to happen. this is the taliban, and we are hearing about atrocities happening to not just the military, but everyday civilians, every single day. but certainly he confirms that the violence has to end. he has said to the taliban over and over again that this has to stop. that a political solution is the only way forward, and there's

been a joint statement signed not just by the united states, but nato and a host of other countries, calling on the taliban to end the violence and bring on a cease-fire. unfortunately, that, kim, is not happening. the other story that is breaking at the moment out of afghanistan is that the country has called back the afghan ambassador to pakistan following the assaulting kidnap of his daughter. he has been called back to kabul. he's due to fly back later this afternoon with his daughter cecila who was in a taxi saturday in islamabad when a group of men jumped in the taxi. she was abducted and severely beaten. she's been in hospital, but according to her father, she is fit enough to fly. he has described this as an in

human attack. pakistan has obviously regretted that this incident took place. they said it's unfortunate and regrettable. there is a high-level investigation going on as we speak, but the perpetrators are yet to be found. it's a rather mysterious situation. there are few details about this. but from what we understand, cecila who is in her 20s is in stable condition and is being brought home to kabul, kim. >> now, i want to go back to something you said moments ago about the peace talks. there had been some optimism about a cease-fire. but from what you just said, it sounds as though hope is fading. >> reporter: well, yes. you have the u.s. ambassador, or acting u.s. ambassador and nato and all these other countries calling for a permanent cease-fire. but the peace talks taking place

in doha over the weekend were looking for a cease-fire over the holiday eve, which as you mentioned is this religious holiday in the muslim calendar, which will start tomorrow and go until thursday. they will hope that perhaps they would come to some agreement for a three-day cease-fire. they failed, kim, to do just that. both parties are saying the afghan government and the taliban have walked away thag that we're committed to continuing peace talks. these peace talks, kim, have been going on almost a year and nothing has happened. you know, i spoke to some friends and colleagues in kabul today where we have just returned from, and they say they're just completely disheartened. they're not surprised there's been no progress made whatsoever, but they feel the afghan government has failed them. they're not providing security. they're not providing stability. they're not coming up with any

deal with the taliban. we know the taliban is not interested in piece no matter what they say to the international community. we've been witnessing this the last couple of weeks. advances the taliban have been making on the battle field across the country, and they can smell victory. they can taste it. they know it is within reach. so what interest do they have in striking a peace deal? as far as these local afghans who are the people who will suffer, they say it's all just a ruse. >> and so the chaos continues. all right, thanks so much, anna coren, in hong kong. really appreciate it. still to come, making history at golf's open championship. collin morikawa speaks with cnn about putting his name in the record books at one of england's most prestigious courses. stay with us. infused with natural essential oils into a mist. to awaken your home with an experience you can see,

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are you a christian author with a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! american golfer collin morikawa has won the 149th open championship and made history. the 24-year-old won the open in his first time playing in the prestigious tournament. he's now the first golfer to win two differ rent majors in his first attempt. he also won last year's pga

championship. cnn's alex thomas caught up with the new number 3 shortly after his latest victory. >> reporter: collin morikawa's win here at the open was so confidence, so self assured that it almost turned the end of the tournament into a bit of anti-climax. it was supposed to be a two-horse race, a fierce dual between him and louis oosthuizen, the young pga championship winner versus the veteran who had won this tournament way back in 2010 at the home of golf, saint andrews. but in the end, oosthuizen had a poor start and never fully got going, where as morikawa just smoothly moved up through the gears. three birdies to finish his opening nine, and then another one to come home in a total round of 66. not a single dropped shot. he only had four bogeys the whole tournament. that shows us how in control of his golf game he was. and winning here on his debut, setting more records in the

process because no one's won on debut in two majors as morikawa now has. he's also the first since tiger woods to hold both the open and pga championship titles before he turns 25. and his total score of 265 for the four rounds here at royal st. george's is one off the record for open history. he could have easily got that one as well. an incredible performance that blew away a top class field, four major champions finishing at the top of that leaderboard. >> i have a piece of advice that anyone gets, any kid, any person trying to take up the game. embrace it. look around. that's what i do. i observe and try to take inasmuch as i can. i feel like it's unnecessary to put it out, but you can learn from a lot, not just from people like me or people that are the best in the world about this. maybe your next door neighbor, maybe someone you play with

every day. but i enjoy it so much, i love what i do, and i think that's why i embrace the moment that we're in. it's so much fun and hopefully, i'm glad i'm calm, but there's nerves, and the nerves are channels into excitement, and using that positive kind of, you know, feeling you're able to play some good golf. >> you singled out the fans and your family for thanks in your victory speech. why was that? >> because i owe it to everyone. i owe it to you, i owe it to the media, my family obviously, my coaches, my trainers, my caddy, agents, sponsors. but the fans, the fans mean so much. you know, obviously everyone has been going through tough times the last year and a half, two years almost, year and a half that's seen people just have the joy for the game of golf. i owe it to them. you know, i owe them a thank you because they took time-out of their day, out of their work to come out here and enjoy golf,

enjoy what we do, enjoy what they do, and hopefully we put on a show. >> not only is morikawa a supremely talented golfer. he showed us he has a personality too, giving a well received victory speech on the 18th green, thanking the fans. what we have not heard since 2018, it was canceled due to the pandemic. mor morikawa thanking his family, his parents, his brother, his girlfriend. he's a popular guy on tour and now a two-time major champion. what about those other players that could have beaten him to the claret jug? it looks like a terrific leaderboard as i said, with four major winners finishing on top of it. jordan spieth perhaps the closest challenger with a round of 66, despite dropping a couple of shots early in his round. spieth said afterwards he did the best he could. he couldn't be too disappointed. but you know what will bug him the most will be those two dropped shots at the end of his

third round on saturday, particularly the very short par putts that he missed on the 18th, causing him to runoff, not speak to the media and immediately practice his putting. he'll be back again. he's certainly been on the comeback trail this season. spieth, like morikawa, a young golfer with a bright future. morikawa can look forward to a whole lot more, big opportunities on the biggest stage. he'll be making his ryder cup debut later in the year at whistling straits in september. alex thomas, cnn, at the open. on tuesday amazon founder jeff bezos is hoping to join the ranks of billionaire astronauts. he's scheduled to rocket to the edge of space and back with his company blue origin, also on board will be his brother mark bezos, as well as 18-year-old oliver daman and 82-year-old aviator wally funk. theme be the youngest and oldest people to travel into space. the dutch team took a rain check

due to a scheduling conflict. >> i've been dreaming about this all my life. i'll be the youngest ever because i'm 18 years old. i am super excited to experience zero g. thank you so much for the people of blue origin for making this happen and making us shepherds. thank you. >> this trip comes just nine days after richard branson became the first billionaire to travel to space in his own company's spacecraft. liftoff is targeted for 9:00 a.m. eastern time. well, that wraps this hour of cnn newsroom. i am kim brunhuber. my colleague isa soares has another hour of cnn newsroom after the break.

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as we countdown to the opening ceremony, the covid cloud broke over the olympics, more than 50 cases are linked to the games, and officials admit they can't guarantee tokyo 2020 will be risk free. in england, freedom day finally arrives but boris johnson urges caution as covid cases spike. and germany's angela merkel talks surreal devastation caused by flooding. hello and warm welcome to our viewers joining us in the united states around