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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Lee Westwood secures Open place but Ian Poulter and son miss out
Lee Westwood made light of jet lag to book his return to The Open following a two-year absence after winning his qualifier in Scotland. However, his former Ryder Cup and current LIV Golf team-mate Ian Poulter and his son Luke – and Portrush-born ex-US Open champion Graeme McDowell – all came up short in their bids to make the final major of the year. Westwood, 52, who has played in golf's oldest championship 27 times previously, finished top at Dundonald Links after posting seven under for 36 holes. Westwood had flown in from Dallas where he had been competing in Sunday's LIV Golf event. 'I've been up since half-past one this morning with jet lag so I was starting to feel it,' said Westwood, whose move to the Saudi Arabia breakaway series removed his chances of qualifying for majors through regular tour events. 'I haven't tried to qualify for the last couple of years for one reason or another. ' Royal Portrush is a fantastic golf course and I played well there last time, finished fourth in 2019, so that was another reason to come and play. 'The Open Championship is the greatest tournament on the golfing calendar. I'm not getting any younger, I'm 52 now.' Poulter at least finished the day with some pride intact as, having trailed Luke all day in the scoring, finished level with his 21-year-old son on one under. Luke followed an opening 67 with a 76 at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent, with his dad shooting 72-71, as they and McDowell finished just short. 'I played good on the first 18, the last 18 not great,' said Luke. LIV golfer Dean Burmester topped the leaderboard at Royal Cinque Ports after a brilliant eight-under second-round 64 lifted him to 10 under. That was three better than Nathan Kimsey – whose professional golfer girlfriend Lauren Taylor won the 2011 Women's Amateur at Portrush – and Curtis Knipes, who qualified for the 2019 Open. Derbyshire amateur Sebastian Cave and Dane John Axelsen completed the five qualifiers. At Dundonald, amateur Connor Graham won a play-off to join fellow Scot Daniel Young, Spain's Angel Hidalgo, Swede Jesper Sandborg and Westwood in qualifying. Another LIV golfer, Lucas Herbert, finished top at West Lancashire, near Liverpool, with an eight-under total after rounds of 69 and 67. That was one better than China's Sampson Zheng, with England's George Bloor third and amateur Richard Teder – who holed out from the fairway for eagle at the third extra hole to become the first Estonian to play at The Open – and Finland's Oliver Lindell coming through a four-man play-off. England's Jacob McGoldrick endured a roller-coaster end to his qualifying as a hole-in-one at the 15th put him in line to progress, only to card two late bogeys to miss the play-off by one. At Burnham & Berrow in Somerset, Cornwall -born PGA Tour winner Harry Hall qualified alongside winner Justin Walters, who finished nine under, Dane Jakob Skov Olesen, amateur Frazer Jones and fellow Englishman OJ Farrell.


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Jodie Burrage ponders trip to see boyfriend play for the Lions after Wimbledon exit
Jodie Burrage is contemplating a trip to Australia to cheer on rugby star boyfriend Ben White after fighting back tears following a distressing early Wimbledon exit. The British wild card began the week with good news when Scotland scrum-half White was a late addition to the British and Irish Lions squad for their series against the Wallabies. But her joy turned to despair on Tuesday following a comprehensive 6-3 6-1 first-round loss to American Caty McNally on her SW19 comeback. The 26-year-old, who missed much of last season due to injury, revealed she rolled an ankle at the All England Club just three days before the start of the championship and was visibly upset during an emotional post-match press conference in which she branded her performance 'shocking'. As her attention turns to the hardcourt swing in the United States, Burrage is considering flying out to support long-term partner White. 'It's a conversation I'm going to have to have with my team,' said Burrage, who is still scheduled to play doubles in south west London this week. 'Maybe considering my ankle and stuff, I might be able to. Obviously Australia is a very easy place to find tennis courts and train, so that's one thing going for me. 'I've been playing so many tournaments. I've been going week after week after week, so I do need some time training. That was always the case anyway. So maybe that will be there.' Toulon player White initially missed out on Lions selection before receiving a call from head coach Andy Farrell due to the injury withdrawal of Wales' Tomos Williams. The 27-year-old swiftly joined the squad in Brisbane, having been with the Scotland team in New Zealand – 11 hours ahead of Burrage in the UK. 'I was about to go to sleep, and he called me 10 minutes later and kind of was just looking at me down the phone, like with a grin on his face,' she said. 'I was, just, like, 'Oh, my God, what?' I was very, very happy for him to get that call. He'll do great. 'He's enjoying being with the Lions and it will be a very fun six weeks for him ahead.' Burrage, who would have faced five-time grand slam winner Iga Swiatek in round two, defeated McNally at Wimbledon two years ago. But hampered by the latest of a series of ankle problems, she was unable to repeat the feat on Court 18 and was eliminated by the world number 208 in an hour and four minutes. 'It's nowhere near 100 per cent,' she said of her ankle. 'My level today was shocking compared to how I've been playing the last few weeks. 'There's probably a few things going into that: wanting to do well this week at Wimbledon because I missed it last year, obviously what I just said about what happened on Friday (rolling her ankle), just everything. 'Sometimes you just have a bad day at the office, and sometimes your opponent has a very good one. 'I just wanted more from myself. I know the work that I've put in, and I felt like I deserved a better outcome than that.'


Times
an hour ago
- Times
Glenalmond College head resigns after Qatari investment deal
The headmaster of one of Scotland's most prestigious private schools has unexpectedly quit in the wake of an influx of Qatari money. Mark Mortimer announced his departure from Glenalmond College, near Perth, sometimes known as the Eton of the North, as pupils broke up for the summer. As he resigned the outgoing head praised the deal between Glenalmond Group and a newly formed London company, 35 Education, led by a Turkish academic and Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, a former politician with links to the Qatari royal family. Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah is a former deputy prime minister of Qatar and is president of the schools group OLIVIER DOULIERY/POOL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Mortimer, a former infantry officer who has twice rowed across the Atlantic, wrote in an open letter to parents that the partnership was a 'collaboration which blends tradition with innovation, united by common values and a shared ethos and purpose — to develop young people of courage and character, committed to making the world a better place'.