Padraig Harrington's comments slammed by PGA star – 'Stupidest freaking thing'
The championship is returning to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this year for the first time since Shane Lowry's win there in 2019. Harrington, a past champion in 2007 and 2008, will be competing again.
Earlier this year, Harrington, 53, raised eyebrows when he publicly encouraged the R&A to explore holding The Open in non-traditional locations, citing nations such as Australia and France. His comments coincided with rumours suggesting the event might soon be staged in the Republic of Ireland for the very first time.
"If it goes outside of the UK and comes down south to the Republic, you're kind of saying it can go anywhere," he told Bunkered. "I'm not saying now, but who knows, in 100 years we could be down in the sandbelt in Australia.
"Even 20 years, why not? There's also great links golf courses in the Netherlands. France have great links courses. I don't think it should ever go off a links course.
"But who says we shouldn't go down to the great links in New Zealand? The R&A is a global entity and they run golf around the world, they do a great job." Billy Horschel has made it clear that he does not agree with Harrington's idea (Image: GETTY)
Horschel was asked to respond to Harrington's comments during a guest spot on The Fried Egg Podcast and he didn't hold back. He dismissed the notion entirely, saying: "The stupidest freaking thing I've ever heard. I'm happy if that goes viral.
"You're going to move The Open Championship from links style courses, and if you play them on links-style courses in other countries, it's not the same as being played in the UK.
"I'm okay with going to Ireland and playing Portmarnock. I love that golf course, I think it's great. I played it during the Walker Cup practice session [in 2007]. Padraig Harrington is a two time Open Championship winner (Image: GETTY)
"But to take it outside the UK, I just can't think of a course outside of the [British Isles] that would fit the feel and everything that is The Open Championship. I hope it doesn't happen. I'm old school, I always want to see it played in the UK."
Royal Birkdale in England is set to host next year's edition of The Open, with the championship scheduled to return to St Andrews in 2027. Further host venues remain unannounced, though the 2028 tournament is expected to be shifted to a different date to avoid overlap with the Olympics.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Even in rival Youghal they'll belt out the Killeagh song if Cork topple Tipp today
Kingfishr's surprise hit of the summer, Killeagh, will be sung 'everywhere' around Cork if the Rebels win the All-Ireland hurling final today – though one club mainstay has admitted she can't resist 'rubbing it in' over Killeagh's nearest rivals. The east Cork village and hurling club has been immortalised in Kingfishr's ubiquitous folk track, which has spent the last 18 weeks in the Irish top 10 charts and was used in RTÉ's ads for today's decider against Tipperary. Written for Kingfishr bass player Eoin Fitzgibbon's home parish and former team, the song features references to local places including Killeagh's GAA grounds, Páirc Uí Chinnéide. Helen Kennedy, at the Pairc Uí Chinnéide, Killeagh GAA Grounds, Killeagh, Co. Cork. Helen Kennedy is the grandmother to Charlotte, 4 years old, Hugo, 6 years old, and Poppy, 2 years old. Pic: Seán Dwyer Helen Kennedy, whose brother-in-law Robert 'Danno' Kennedy the pitch is named after, said 'everybody's talking about' the song in the village of around 900 people. 'I've seen it everywhere,' she told 'In fact, it's on the television nearly every night. I've seen videos of people singing it…' The veteran club member said locals don't talk about Kingfishr. 'Instead, we say young Fitzgibbons – Ger Fitzgibbons's son,' she explained. 'And his grandfather – I remember the night the cup came to Killeagh, he danced down the street to the bus. These were dedicated GAA people, even with so little.' Kingfishr. Pic: File The volunteer continued that she 'just can't believe how popular' the song, which has more than 16 million plays on Spotify, has become. She said: 'I think it's wonderful. And I think there's a lot of credit due to the other boys [in Kingfishr, who are from Limerick] who agreed to play it and it has taken off.' Ms Kennedy agrees with a take she read online that the song is relatable to 'every village in Ireland'. Helen Kennedy, at the Pairc Uí Chinnéide, Killeagh GAA Grounds, Killeagh, Co. Cork. Pic: Seán Dwyer 'It is, because villages are different from towns and cities,' she explained. 'I suppose we just don't have other facilities like they do, and all the kids go to the hurling field.' The song has even been readily belted out by supporters from other Cork clubs, possibly helped by Killeagh's underdog status – they have never won a senior championship and are 'not doing very well at the moment'. But there remains a 'next-door-neighbour hurling rivalry' with nearby Youghal. 'I be saying to my little grandson, 'That's your granduncle [in the song] – Páirc Uí Chinnéide!' Ms Kennedy laughed. 'And of course his father's from Youghal and I know it's driving him simple. I just love rubbing it in. They love to have one up on me whenever they can.' But even in Youghal, they are singing the catchy ballad, 'and if Cork wins it'll be sung everywhere', Ms Kennedy said. Killeagh's current home, officially opened in 1996, was named in honour of the man who 'was so dedicated he put his own money in to keep the club going' and offered his own fields as sporting pitches, clearing cattle off before matches'. 'It was usually my late husband and my brother-in-law's land that the matches were played on,' Ms Kennedy recalled. 'I remember when I was a child – nobody told me I was going to be his sister-in-law then – going to a match above in Kennedy field. 'And the older fellas would tell you they'd have to take the cow sh*t off the field and then they'd play the match.' The long-serving club member continued that the 'proud people' of Killeagh are 'very proud of our youth', who have 'served us well' and kept the GAA grounds busy generation after generation. 'Every kid went to the hurling field, and that's why Páirc Uí Chinnéide means so much to everybody,' she said. 'And now there's children coming in from other countries and going to the schools and learning to hurl and play with the children here, which I think is lovely to see.'
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Olympic Gold medallist visits Wexford gymnastics club
Gorey Guardian Today at 02:00 Gorey Gymnastics club had a visit from Olympic Gold medallist Rhys McClenaghan recently. Gorey was one of eight clubs chosen around the country to take part in the Gymnastics Ireland Club Tour. 'There was great excitement and preparation in the weeks leading up to the visit,' said Angie Dooley, head coach of the club. Rhys McClenaghan made history as he became Ireland's first gymnast to win a gold medal for the Men's Pommel at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. 'Rhys spoke to the gymnasts, giving an account of his journey to the Olympics and making history both as the first Irish gymnast to reach an Olympics final and the first Irish gymnast to win a medal in the Olympics,' Angie said. Angie added that Rhys mentioned his motivations, ups and downs and encouraged gymnasts in Gorey to keep training and working to improve their skills. Gymnasts had the opportunity to be in a group photo with Rhys and hold the Olympic gold medal. A number of students took part in an exclusive training session with Rhys, where he gave expert tips and advice. He also showed the coaches various coaching techniques, demonstrating his extensive knowledge and skills. Speaking on behalf of the club, Angie thanked those involved with the special day. 'The coaches and gymnasts at Gorey Gymnastics Club are very grateful to Rhys McClenaghan for his generosity of time and his dedication to the sport and to Gymnastics Ireland for the opportunity to take part in this club tour,' Angie said.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Long after Jonathan Edwards lost God, his record leap of faith still stands
God knows how Jonathan Edwards popped up in my Google news feed this week. Especially singing the praises of a round of golf at Royal Portrush. Can your phone, like God, know your thoughts even before you speak? It had crossed my mind at some point that in this summer of fast-tumbling world records, the triple-jump mark set by Edwards 30 years ago next month remains in a realm of its own. Not once but twice inside 20 minutes Edwards made sure of that, leaping out with near-miraculous faith to 18.29 metres – exactly 60 feet – at the 1995 World Championships in Gothenburg. Then just like that, there he was in Google news, in Portrush this week as an ambassador for R&A global development, also helping to keep score at the 153rd Open. Golf being his thing now. God and Edwards were once very close. Long before pushing the world record to where no mortal had the right to expect to go, Edwards had declared that triple jumping was a mere extension of his devout Christianity, a faith fundamental to his identity. It was what drove him to become a full-time athlete back in 1987. READ MORE Then, four years after his retirement in 2003, came his sudden leap away from faith, Edwards losing his religion in 2007. Born in Westminster, the son of a Devon vicar, Edwards soon became Britain's most famous advocate of divine intervention, or at least divine inspiration, on the road to sporting glory. If faith can indeed carry the devout, Edwards always looked to God for the courage and strength to take on the world's best triple jumpers, and to beat them. Such was his devotion, Edwards initially refused to compete on the Sabbath, skipping the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo because his qualifying took place on the first Sunday. He eventually relented on that stance. 'My relationship with Jesus and God is fundamental to everything I do,' Edwards said at the time. 'I have made a commitment and dedication in that relationship to serve God in every area of my life.' After winning a bronze medal at the 1993 World Championships, Edwards went to Gothenburg two years later in the form of his life, his annus mirabilis. In July of 1995, he broke his first world record, his 17.98m surpassing by 1cm the mark which had stood for the previous 10 years to Willie Banks from the US. Edwards also jumped a wind-assisted 18.43m that June. A sign of things to come. British triple-jumper Jonathan Edwards makes his third jump at the World Championships in Athletics in Gothenburg, Sweden, on August 7th, 1995. Edwards' previous jump set a new world record at 18.29m. Photograph:With his first triple jump in Gothenburg, Edwards landed beyond the 18m marker in the sand, clearly a world record even before measured at 18.16m. His second attempt measured 18.29m. The next-best triple jump in history is the 18.21m Christian Taylor from the US landed to win the 2015 World Championships, 20 years after Edwards' record. When winning his Olympic gold in Sydney 2000, Edwards carried a tin of sardines in his kitbag, symbolising the fish Jesus used in the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, and a reminder that the result, win or lose, was in God's hands. At his retirement after the 2003 World Championships, Edwards quoted from the Bible: 'A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his step.' Then he began presenting Songs of Praise on BBC. So it made for shock reading when Edwards told the Times newspaper in 2007 that 'when you think about it rationally, it does seem incredibly improbable that there is a God'. His new revelations were all personal, and begged another profound question: could Edwards have broken that world record without his belief in God? 'I now realise my belief in God was sports psychology in all but name,' he said. 'Believing in something beyond the self can have a hugely beneficial psychological impact, even if the belief is fallacious.' Jonathan Edwards celebrates after winning gold in the Men's Triple Jump final at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Photograph: Stu Forster/Allsport/In another interview in 2014, Edwards said: 'Seven years on I don't feel a gap in my life, and I suppose that's the proof of the pudding, isn't it? Had I suddenly thought that life doesn't quite feel right, maybe I'd re-examine that – re-examine my faith. In fact, more than ever, I feel comfortable with where I am in life.' [ Edwards's loss of faith no godsend Opens in new window ] There was never any doubting the merits of his triple-jump efforts, the speed Edwards carried through to his final jump phase his greatest ally. 'I was very light, very quick across the ground,' he told Eurosport last year. 'And I maintained my speed, and my technique and my rhythm was very good, so my final jump was a long way ... that was the key for it.' Talking to National Club Golfer magazine on Thursday, Edwards still believes faith can play a role in sporting success, especially in a high-pressure game like golf. 'In some ways, it becomes part of your psychology for dealing with the pressure,' he said. 'I think subconsciously, your mind finds ways to just ratchet down the pressure a little bit. 'My faith certainly helped me do that, to deal with the pressure ... It's out of your hands. You do the best with what you've got, and the result is separate from that. Winning wasn't the be-all and end-all of those things, and no matter what happened, my worth as a person wasn't the penalty of the result. There was a whole bunch of stuff that the Christian narrative gave me which made it much easier to go out and compete.' Such words may or may not be a godsend to anyone playing for the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush this weekend, unless of course God has already made plans of his own.
