The Open: Shane Lowry makes his move in Royal Portrush
We'll bring you updates across the week
Gareth Hanna and Adam McKendry
It's a massive week in Royal Portrush as the 153rd Open Championship takes place.
We will bring you all the action from the course all week as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry lead the Irish challenge.
3 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
The winds of change
We - and the players, obviously - knew this was going to happen but the wind out there is in the opposite direction to yesterday's subtle breeze. Take the 17th, instance, yesterday the players were bouncing drivers down the slope and to the green - today it's a case of driving to the top of the hill and pitching down. Phil Mickelson did just that to give himself a look for birdie.
Edit: He rolls it! Back under par after his drop shots at 11 and 14.
10 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Tom McKibbin on his opening 72: 'Rory made that tee shot scarier!'
On his round
" There was a lot of good in there, a little bit of bad. One over, not great but not bad. Overall, not too annoyed, but not that happy either. It was a very up and down day. It was a really difficult start to overcome. I just missed the fairway on one and didn't have a good lie at all. Thought I hit a good shot on three but it came out a little bit short and I hit it down the middle of the fairway on four and was in a divot. So I was like, it's just not going my way. And then I hit a good bunker shot on five and made a birdie there and thought one-over after five isn't too bad. And then I sort of played quite nicely after that. I only struggled on the holes with the wind off the left but besides that it was okay."
What will have him around for the weekend
"It's just important to try and not make big numbers. I think you can certainly get a few unlucky shots out there, it's all about trying to get yourself back in position, try not to be too greedy and go for something that could ultimately make a six or a seven very easily. So when you do go out of position, just try to be patient and stick in there."
On his nerves
"Not too bad, I think Rory's made that (first) tee shot a lot scarier. That's all I could probably think about for the last few days! I wouldn't say I was too nervous, I just didn't really want to hit that bad of a shot. I was very happy to get it underway. It was pretty cool to get out there first, get those nerves or a little bit of unsettlement out of the way early. And to go out with two great players as well was very good."
On the course: "It was tricky. Some of the pin positions are really good, they're just over slopes. I've played here so many times and you would never even think of seeing pins where they are. So it played pretty tricky."
11 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Birdie for Shane!
Lowry's up to -2 and three back. Lovely roll from 15 feet and his Srixon number '15' ball drops into the middle of the cup on the 193-yard par three sixth. This atmosphere is going to get jacked if he keeps coming up the leaderboard. Also in that group, Scottie Scheffler get a par to stay -1 while Collin Morikawa follows Lowry in for a birdie to get back to level par after his bogey at the first.
15 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Leader on 18
It's a fairway wood off the 18th tee for our left-handed leader and it's straight down the middle into the fat part of the fairway.
16 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Guess who?
22 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
How's my early tip doing?
I was telling everybody yesterday how Ryan Fox - with two wins on the PGA Tour this year - was worth a bet. Today? Well he opened up: bogey, par, bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, so...
Bounce-back birdie at the seventh and the comeback is ON, guys!
26 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
There's no 'I' in 'SCHM D'
Matti Schmid is under par after a two-putt birdie at the par five second. The German has got Northern Ireland's Chris Selfridge on the bag - hopefully he's got his bib malfunction fixed since this photo was taken earlier in the week.
36 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Disappointing finish
It's a bogey on 18 for McKibbin as he can't hole the putt, so that's a one-over 72 that he will be disappointed with given he was, at one point, -2 and co-leader.
Pádraig for birdie... no, it stays up too. Par will do for him, a four-over 75 and he'll be battling to make the weekend tomorrow.
Nicolai Højgaard tidies up his par too and after a two-under 69, he's your (very!) early clubhouse leader!
39 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Long putt for par
If McKibbin is to finish with a flourish, he's going to have to hole out from 30 feet or so after hitting sideways out of the bunker and then pushing his approach.
Pádraig has a better look at birdie after a fine shot from the fairway. It wouldn't be great but +3 wouldn't be an awful score in his bid to make the weekend.
39 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Darren drops back and Shane stays strong
Darren Clarke drops another shot at the 10th after missing the fairway right, so he goes back to +2. Meanwhile, back to back pars for Shane Lowry leave him -1 after four. He hit both greens in regulations but with both putts over 35 feet, no big birdie chances.
42 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Tough Day just got better for Jason
Jason Day gets his second birdie of the day at the 15th to get back to +2.
45 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Bunker bound
Tom McKibbin finds one of the cross bunkers off the tee on 18 needing a par to at least finish the day where he started at level-par - I'm not sure he even has a shot to the green from here.
Højgaard is looking for a closing birdie from the middle of the fairway to set an impressive clubhouse lead at -3, Harrington also in the fairway.
46 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Potential bogey to actual birdie
Well, that's how you lead an Open Championship. Olesen looked like he might make bogey on the par four 15th. He missed the fairway off the tee and so came up short with his approach, but his chip shot trundles up and drops into the hole. Five under par and he's now two clear of Li and Westwood.
The Open on Twitter / X
Chipped in from 23 yards. Jacob Skov Olesen extends his lead with a birdie on 15. pic.twitter.com/KQW8YZe9Qe— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025
56 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Referee on course
That's never a good sign as one sidles up beside me on 17 with this first group. There's no major issue, they've just gotten a little slow so there's a friendly reminder to speed up a bit. Harrington's lost ball on 10 didn't help.
On the green, Højgaard is already guaranteed to make at best a par as he leaves his birdie putt just shy. Here goes McKibbin from around 12 feet for his birdie.
Nope. Up and out of it early. Par and he stays level.
Højgaard also tidies up, as does Harrington after being in the greenside bunker with a nice putt to stay +4.
Today 06:04 AM
Gareth Hanna
Two on the card for Scottie Scheffler
The world number one, gets a two, at hole three.
-1.
Today 06:01 AM
Gareth Hanna
Mickelson at 13
The 55-year-old is now back at one under par after a drop shot at 11 and is on that downhill 199-yard par three. As Adam said earlier, it's hard to hold with the wind behind, as Mickelson's balls bounds just off the back edge. Lengthy look at birdie.
Edit: Just the par and he remains -1.
Today 05:56 AM
Adam McKendry
The crowds are here
Anybody who thought the 6.35am tee time wouldn't have crowds following them all day were badly mistaken. A huge following for Harrington and McKibbin, and I'm sure there's a Dane or two here for Højgaard too.
Speaking of the trio, it's three pars on 16 for them. McKibbin makes a fantastic up and down from the rubbish in front of the green to stay level-par, with the other two two-putting.
Today 05:55 AM
Gareth Hanna
The putt that earned the lead
The Open on Twitter / X
Jacob Skov Olesen moves to four-under with an eagle on 12 to take the lead. pic.twitter.com/LjaBfccHEY— The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025
Today 05:55 AM
Gareth Hanna
Shane's in blue... but in the red!
Here comes the Offaly man. A fine second shot into the heart of the green from 266 yards at the par five second and a two-putt sees Lowry go to red numbers at -1 early doors.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
5 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Christy O'Connor: Player drain to the AFLW an issue not going away anytime soon for the LGFA
When it emerged last December that Kerry's Kayleigh Cronin – player of the match in last year's All-Ireland ladies final – had signed for Adelaide Crows in the AFLW, there were fears that Cronin's loss could leave Kerry vulnerable in the 2025 championship. Nobody in Kerry was prepared to look that far ahead at the time because nobody knew what might happen next. Plenty of players who had signed for AFLW clubs played with their county in the championship before departing for Australia, but the matter was going to be complicated this year with the AFLW beginning a fortnight earlier, kicking off next weekend. Cronin played for Kerry in the National league and proved her worth in the process, being named on the Team of the League after Kerry hammered Armagh in the final. And then Cronin was gone to Adelaide. The loss of another key player from the game increased the debate as to how much the drain of the AFLW may be effecting the overall standard of the ladies game. 'You would be foolish to say that you are not worried because at this point they (AFLW) have so many players and so much backing,' said Dublin's Carla Rowe earlier this year. 'And it is the top players on every single team that are going over.' This year will see the highest number of Irish girls playing in the AFLW, 39, five up from last year's figure of 34. The numbers have been steadily increasing each year but the figures are also slightly inflated through players who emigrated to Australia and graduated to the pro game through the pathway of local football. Is too much being made of those numbers anyway? Every county sheds players from their squads every year. Kerry did lose Cronin but they also lost a significant chunk of its panel from last year's All-Ireland winning group. There are only a tiny proportion of players playing AFLW in comparison to the huge playing numbers right across the board in the ladies game. Still, the game at the elite level is bound to be affected when so many of the top players are being drained out of the system. How would Gaelic football look if up to 30 of the best players in the country were no longer involved? There is always a fear of a decreasing standard when any game is being stripped of some of its best players. Vikki Wall, Meath's outstanding player, has been able to play for the county this year (which has been crucial to Meath's progress to Sunday's final) before she returns to North Melbourne – where she won an AFLW title last year. Yet Wall's exceptional talent and experience granted her that dispensation because the majority of players are no longer able – or willing – to combine an AFLW career with a ladies football career. The issue will become far bigger again if the recruitment drive starts at a younger age, like it does in the men's game. As it is, the AFLW are always looking to recruit the game's best players. It's hard to blame players for not going. The attractions of a professional lifestyle and playing sport in beautiful weather are huge. More than 5% of players on AFLW lists are now Irish, and the trend suggests growth could continue. This weekend is all about the All-Ireland finals and the six counties competing on Sunday. Still, the issue around the ladies game and the increasing player drain to the AFLW is not going away anytime soon.
Irish Examiner
35 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Nick Griggs fighting way back to fitness and form after being sidelined due to injury
Between the highs of two European U23 medals, seven months apart, Nick Griggs sank to some difficult depths. Up until recently, the career of the rising star from Tyrone had been one of steady improvement and outlying performances, but all that changed when he was pushed to the ground at the start of the U23 race at the European Cross Country in Antalya, Turkiye last December. Griggs got back to his feet swiftly, then sliced his way through the field to win silver. But as he cooled down after the race he felt a strange, achy pain in his right knee. He thought it was nothing major and trained on in the weeks after, but it kept swelling to the point where he was soon struggling to bend his knee. Three scans followed in January and he was diagnosed with osteomyelitis, a bone infection that was likely related to the wound from the fall. 'They still don't know the root cause,' he admits. 'Maybe the mud got in and caused some sort of infection which sounds incredibly unfortunate, that something so small leads you to have so much time off.' Griggs was hospitalised for a week and given intravenous antibiotics, then put on oral antibiotics for another four weeks. Only in mid-March did he start back running, hammering bike sessions to regain fitness before returning to his usual 85-90 miles a week by late May. He opened his season with a 3:55.97 mile in Belfast while at the Morton Games in Dublin, he clocked an Irish U23 mile record of 3:52.42. At the recent European U23 Championships in Bergen, Norway, he claimed another silver medal, outkicked in the 5000m only by Dutch star Niels Laros, a 3:45 miler. 'In the immediate aftermath I was a bit disappointed but once you take a bit of time to reflect, you realise not only the year I've had but the competition I was up against,' says Griggs. Coached by Mark Kirk in Belfast, Griggs is one year into a sports science degree at Ulster University. He signed a professional contract with Puma long before enrolling there but figured the full-time athlete life could wait, this year's issues showing him the value of a 'safety net'. This weekend, he'll race over 1500m at the Irish nationals in Santry and while he's a huge underdog against the two 'big guns' of Irish men's 1500m running, Andrew Coscoran and Cathal Doyle, he's ready to contend: 'I'm confident I'm in shape and whether it goes fast or slow, I think I can compete.' Next Saturday, he will chase a fast time over 5000m in Oordegem, Belgium, hoping to get near the automatic World Championships qualifying standard of 13:01 and to boost his world ranking. 'It should be the perfect race to completely go for it,' he says. 'I've been happy enough so far (with the season) but there's been nothing outstanding. I'm coming off the Europeans feeling really good so I hope the next couple of weeks there'll be something really big. That confidence and belief is coming back.'
Irish Daily Mirror
35 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Time and TV channel info for Lions v Australia, betting info and team news
After the drama of the MCG seven days ago comes the last Test between the Lions and Australia, and despite the series being over Andy Farrell is hungry for one more win to complete the nine-match clean sweep Down Under. The head coach is chasing a piece of history before he resumes his duties as Ireland boss - Farrell wants his players to become the first Lions outfit in 98 years to record a series whitewash, which they achieved in Argentina back in 1927. A final win on the tour would also see the 2025 Lions equal the achievement of the 1974 greats, who were victorious in the first three Tests in a four-match series against the Springboks. After the celebrations of the series win in Melbourne, Farrell was keen for his charges to get back down to business to prepare for a Wallabies outfit that were hurt at the manner of the defeat having held a 23-5 lead, and especially with the decision not to disallow Hugo Keenan's match and series-winning try in the last play of an enthralling contest seven days ago. Once again, Farrell has leaned on his senior Ireland lieutenants to get the job done, with nine Ireland internationals named in the starting line-up and with two more on the bench. For Tadhg Furlong, it is a remarkable ninth Test start for the Lions. Where is the game taking place? The final Test will be at the Accor (Olympic) Stadium, Sydney, with an 80,000 sell-out crowd expected. What time is kick-off? The game kicks off on Saturday at 11am Irish time. Where can I watch it? Sky Sports are showing the game live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky's dedicated Lions channel from 9.30am. Betting odds Australia are 13/5 to win, the British and Irish Lions are 3/10 to win, the draw is 22/1 Team news The bad news for the Wallabies is that Rob Valentini, the flanker who made such a positive impact on his return from injury last week, is ruled out - same goes for hooker David Porecki, who was initially named in the side. He is replaced by Billy Pollard. So there is even more of an emphasis on Will Skelton having an impact, but the man Ronan O'Gara has dubbed his best signing for La Rochelle is unlikely to be able to go the distance after he was called ashore so early into the second half in Melbourne. Nic White comes in at scrum-half for what is his final Test match - a milestone marked by his team-mates, and head coach, at the captain's run as they wore fake moustaches in his honour. The selection of tighthead Taniel Tupou, making his third appearance against the Lions on this tour but his first in a Test, will provide Andrew Porter with a searching examination. Farrell, meanwhile, has signalled his intent by making just two changes to his starting XV and that's good news for James Ryan, the Leinster lock earning his reward for a big impact off the bench last week and so it's a first Lions Test start for him. Also in is Blair Kinghorn for Huw Jones to partner Bundee Aki in what could be a dynamic centre partnership - Kinghorn looked very threatening when he came on seven days ago. Sadly, Joe McCarthy, Mack Hansen and Garry Ringrose weren't ready to return to action while the selection was bad news for Josh van der Flier, who will return home without playing in one of the three Tests. Australia: Wright; Jorgensen, Suaalii, Ikitau, Pietsch; Lynagh, White; Slipper, Pollard, Tupou, Frost, Skelton, Hooper, McReight, Wilson. Replacements: Paenga-Amosa, Bell, Nonggorr, Williams, Gleeson, McDermott, Donaldson, Kellaway. British and Irish Lions: Keenan; Freeman, Jones, Aki, Kinghorn; Russell, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, Ryan, Beirne, Curry, Conan. Replacements: Kelleher, Genge, Stuart, Chessum, Morgan, Earl, Mitchell, Farrell Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
