Rory's British open calamity
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News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
Aussie golf star predicts possible return to the ‘glory years' for the Australian Open as organisers hope to lure more stars to Melbourne
The Australian Open is on track to shatter modern day attendance records on the back of Rory McIlroy mania as organisers refuse to give up on luring more international top-100 ranked players for the history-making event. On the eve of The Open in his native Northern Ireland, where he was even given an ovation as he walked off the range on a practice day, McIlroy's presence has emboldened Adam Scott to predict the Australian Open could return to its 'glory years'. Golf Australia has already reported ticket sales have surged past traditional markers at this time of the year after the McIlroy coup, with the event to be played at Royal Melbourne later this year. McIlroy will return to Victoria for next year's tournament at Kingston Heath. Scott skipped last year's event after a gruelling season and was a critic of the format, in which men and women played separate tournaments on the same course in the same week. Asked if he was pleased for the Australian Open to return to its traditional position with men and women having stand-alone tournaments, easing the logistical chaos, Scott said: 'I am. I think they've made significant changes and I think it's in the right direction. 'I think the fact that Rory's been lured down shows that they're making good decisions and I hope this is the start of glory years of the Australian Open again. 'And that's not to take away anything from the last whatever years, but it is hard to think that the Aussie Open hasn't been played at Royal Melbourne since '91. 'So, I'm happy that I'm going to sneak one in my career.' McIlroy is expected to be joined in the Australian Open by the best homegrown stars such as Scott, Cameron Smith and Min Woo Lee. But Golf Australia chief executive James Sutherland and PGA of Australia's Nick Dastey have been speaking to further overseas players at Royal Portrush about the Stonehaven Cup and Australian PGA Championship, to be held at Royal Queensland. McIlroy's management confirmed to News Corp at Royal Portrush the grand slam winner would bring the green jacket to Australia, his most coveted prize after being just the sixth man to claim all four majors. 'We obviously would like to have as many international players of high ranking come in,' Sutherland said. 'We'll continue to explore our opportunities, but I think we all know and understand the realities of the timing at the end of the year, that it's sometimes difficult to get people to play more golf at that time of the year. 'But we're also optimistic that there are players for various reasons that will want to come out. They'll see that the event and our summer of golf is getting bigger and better all of the time.' Smith has been the most vocal critic of the course set-up under the dual gender format, but a long-awaited return to Royal Melbourne on the sandbelt is expected to bring firm and fast conditions. 'That's the way we'll intend it to play, and we'll be doing everything we can to make sure that's the case,' Dastey said. 'Sometimes the weather gods don't allow it, but it's certainly the intention that it'll be a traditional Royal Melbourne.'
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- News.com.au
McIlroy on home turf as Scheffler seeks satisfaction at British Open
Rory McIlroy will be roared on in his homeland as the 153rd British Open gets underway at Royal Portrush on Thursday as world number one Scottie Scheffler seeks his first Claret Jug. McIlroy returns to Northern Ireland as the Masters champion but determined to make amends for his disastrous start at Portrush six years ago when a quadruple bogey at the opening hole on his way to a first-round 79 saw him miss the cut. The world number two is the star attraction for the close to 280,000 spectators set to attend the four days of play at the final major of the year. Scheffler, though, is the favourite despite having never won the British Open before, while defending champion Xander Schauffele is aming to put a frustrating year behind him. McIlroy, who tees off at 15.10 local time (1410 GMT) alongside Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood and American rival Justin Thomas, may have to battle the worst of blustery weather for the opening round with thunderstorms forecast early evening. But the man who announced himself as a star of the future by breaking the course record at Portrush with a 61 as a 16-year-old 20 years ago, is confident after ending his 11-year major drought at the Masters in April. "When I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was the tournament that was probably circled even more so than the Masters for different reasons," said McIlroy, who finished second at the Scottish Open last week. "It's lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that's happened this year. I'm excited with where my game is." - Scheffler unfulfilled - Scheffler's eighth-place finish at the Scottish Open stretched his streak of top-10 finishes to his last 10 tournaments, a run which includes three victories. The American has also added to his major haul this year by winning his third at the PGA Championship. Yet, Scheffler's comments on the eve of the tournament that his is "not a fulfilling life" caught the eye. "There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to number one in the world, and they're like, 'What's the point?'" Scheffler said. "It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling." Schauffele is craving that winning feeling after failing to hit the heights of his two major wins in 2024. The world number three has not won a tournament since lifting the Claret Jug a year ago and has not even managed a top-five finish in 12 tournaments this year. Shane Lowry is another former winner hoping to recreate his career high when he stormed to victory amidst a sea of Irish flags at Portrush back in 2019 -- the first hosting of the event on the island of Ireland for 68 years. Lowry's victory is now commemorated in a mural in the town of Portrush, but he joked he is glad not to have to drive past it every day on his commute to the course. "When I won here in 2019 it was very special and it was an amazing day for the country and everyone around me, but it didn't change me as a person," said Lowry. "When the mural was put on the wall I didn't think I was immortalised. I'm just myself, I'm just okay at golf and I've gotten to achieve what I did in the sport." Ryder Cup places are also on the line for most of the European and US players this week with only Scheffler and McIlroy so far guaranteed of their places at Bethpage, New York in September. Two-time champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland will hit the opening tee shot at 6:35 am local time, playing with Northern Irish youngster Tom McKibbin and Denmark's Nicolai Hojgaard.
Perth Now
19 hours ago
- Perth Now
Birthday boy Adam Scott still dreaming at 97 not out
Adam Scott has spent his birthday at Royal Portrush being inundated with bewildering numbers. Yet while celebrating the day he turned 45, on the eve of his 25th consecutive British Open appearance and his amazing 97th straight major championship outing, Australia's most evergreen sportsman promised there was only one figure he was still bothered about. "Yeah, the numbers are getting big," mused 'Scotty' after enjoying a practice round on championship eve on Wednesday. "But what's not big is my number of major wins -- so I'd like to change that, double it this week." And the 2013 Masters champion isn't ruling out the best belated birthday gift of all as he feels confident of another good run at winning major number two, just as he did at the US Open before the storm-hit finale at Oakmont derailed him, taking him from a share of the lead on the 12th hole to an eventual tie for 12th. It was only the latest in a list of cruel finales for Scott at majors, none, of course, more soul-crushing than the meltdown at Royal Lytham in 2012, when he blew a four-shot lead with four holes to play to gift Ernie Els the Claret Jug. At 45, it gets no easier but he keeps giving himself a chance. Asked if the fire was still burning, Scott said on Wednesday: "Yeah, I've worked hard to keep myself in this spot and I really don't have any results to show for how good I feel like I've played this year, which is part of golf and frustrating. "I hope I can do this for another 10 years, but it only gets harder and harder. So this week's my best opportunity to win a major. That's every major I play probably from now on. "That's how I'm going to feel and I still feel like I sacrifice a lot to keep myself in this position, so I want to make the most of it." His record in a quarter-of-a-century of British Opens demands respect, of course. Twice he's finished in the top-three, three times in the top-five and half-a-dozen times in the top-10. He's also had 11 finishes in the top-25. His run of consecutive majors, which should see him get to a century at the US Open next year, is only topped by Jack Nicklaus's 146 between 1962 and 1998. That means Scott would have to play every major between now and the 2038 Masters if he wants to break the Golden Bear's record, by which time he'd be 58! Yet while of course he's not thinking that far ahead, he still allows himself the odd idle reflection about the Claret Jugs that got away. "I've put myself in a good spot, which I'm really pleased, optimistic and hopeful about," he said. "And I still think the dream can come true."
