The Open: Rory McIlroy makes another surprise early start alongside other two NI players
Gareth Hanna
Rory can you sign my cap?
A young fan makes his pitch as Rory strolls off the tee with Clarke. He gives a nod and says 'I'll sign after the round.'
Fair enough really, or else he'd get nowhere.
6 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
Who else is with them?
Rory's coach Michael Bannon is there again, as is his putting coach Brad Faxon.
The mood feels lighthearted between the three. 'Hit a sprinkler,' says Darren after his tee shot at the par 3 third.
10 minutes ago
Gareth Hanna
NI trio out early
Rory McIlroy, Tom McKibbin and Darren Clarke have stolen a march on the galleries this morning, heading out before the gates open at 7am. They're currently on the second green getting used to the slopes around the putting surface, watched by only around 50-60 fans.
59 minutes ago
Adam McKendry
Family fun!
Thanks to Peter McKeown for sending in this picture of his children and their friends having a great time at The Open on Monday, spending some time in the Spectator Village!
Yesterday 05:29 PM
Gareth Hanna
Will Rory and Shane play on Tuesday?
You may notice neither of the Irish players are down to be on the course tomorrow - but bear in mind that late last night, Rory wasn't there either. Come 7am this morning and he was out there! They tend to keep it quiet, as Rory openly admitted at his press conference. So keep an eye out, and we'll be back here bright and early in the morning to keep you posted with what's going on.
Notable practice tee times on Tuesday
7:12am: Phil Mickelson, Sadom Kaewkanjana
7:24am: Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Aldrich Potgieter, Daniel van Tonder
7:36am: Bud Cauley, Justin Thomas, Harris English, Michael Kim
8:48am: Chris Kirk, JT Poston, Sepp Straka, Adrien Saddier
9:00am: Scottie Scheffler, Sampson Zheng, Ethan Fang (a), Richard Teder (a)
9:12am: Francesco Molinari, Xander Schauffele, Matt McCarty, Maverick McNealy
10:12am: Sungjae Im, Kevin Yu, Ben Griffin
10:24am*: Patrick Reed, Niklas Norgaard, Shaun Norris, Thomas Detry
11:12am: Tony Finau, Ryggs Johnston, JJ Spaun, OJ Farrell
11:12am*: Bryan Newman (a), Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Min Woo Lee, Padraig Harrington
11:36am: Harry Hall, Hideki Matsuyama
11:48am: Robert MacIntyre, Cameron Adam (a), Daniel Young, Connor Graham (a)
12:48pm: John Catlin, Collin Morikawa
1:24pm: Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Angel Hidalgo
1:36pm: Rikuya Hoshino, Mikiya Akutsu, Carlos Ortiz, Joaquin Niemann
1:36pm*: Justin Leonard, Russell Henley
2:00pm: Matt Fitzpatrick, Thriston Lawrence
2:12pm: Tommy Fleetwood, Aaron Rai, Chris Gotterup
2:24pm: Lee Westwood, Frazer Jones (a), Matt Wallace
3:00pm: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Ryan Peake
3:12pm*: Nathan Kimsey, Ludvig Aberg, Andrew Novak
* - denotes 10th tee start
All tee times and groupings subject to change
Yesterday 05:14 PM
Adam McKendry
Rory takes centre stage
He's always at the forefront of every tournament he plays in but at Royal Portrush more than any other, Rory McIlroy is the box office ticket this week - and Steven Beacom looks at how he turned heads during his press conference this afternoon.
Rory McIlroy is golf's golden goose… the sport needs him and, thankfully, he has more stories to tell
Rory McIlroy doesn't just fill golf courses. He has the same impact with press conference rooms.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Yesterday 05:00 PM
Gareth Hanna
Monday play finished
And that's your lot from Monday. We've just got confirmation that players will not be returning to the course this evening and the second stoppage for dangerous weather conditions - with storms in the area - has called a premature halt.
Yesterday 04:26 PM
Adam McKendry
Fair weather golfer!
Welshman Jim Everett (77) says he started playing golf seriously in 1976... and then gave it up in 1976!
He now lives in Coleraine and hopes that Rory McIlroy doesn't get as frustrated with the sport as he did.
Yesterday 04:16 PM
Play suspended again - will the players come back?
The hooter goes and the players are coming back in off the course for a second time as another weather warning hits. Apparently there's the threat of lightning in the area. We're trying to find out what's happening and if or when the players will be back on the course this evening.
Yesterday 04:13 PM
Gareth Hanna
Who's your best selfie with?
If practice days are great for one thing, it's getting up close to the players. They're chilled out and keen to ineract with fans - as Lurgan golfer Robert Emerson has discovered. Here's his collection of selfies so far.
Yesterday 04:05 PM
Adam McKendry
Major grouping
Two Major champions playing a practice round alongside each other this afternoon as 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa is joined on the links by reigning US Open champion J.J. Spaun. The star power is out in force at Royal Portrush.
Yesterday 03:59 PM
Adam McKendry
All you need to know
Never been to Royal Portrush before? Can't remember what the course is like? Looking for a golfer's insight into where to hit your shots? Top amateur Matt McClean gives us his insights into how to play the Dunluce Links!
Top NI amateur Matthew McClean walks us through punishing Royal Portrush challenge
As the world's best golfers descend on Royal Portrush to try and lift the Claret Jug, the fearsome Dunluce Links awaits them, offering one of the greatest tests on the 2025 schedule.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Yesterday 03:58 PM
Gareth Hanna
A home Open if ever there was one!
The Owen family had to walk just nine minutes from their house in Portrush to get to today's practice rounds - dad Eddie is hoping to sneak through a hole in the hedge on Sunday when the tournament's winner is announced.*
*Do not try this at home - or in Portrush - or anywhere. We trust Eddie was joking!
Yesterday 03:55 PM
Gareth Hanna
Serving the punters with special spirits
Caitlin and Amy from Loch Lomond Spirits have served hundreds of people - from as far as South America and the USA - the Scottish company's 'Open Special Edition Royal Portrush' whiskey, made especially just for this week.
Yesterday 03:34 PM
Gareth Hanna
Shane Lowry on his Portrush mural, 2019 and McIlroy's disastrous tee-shot
Shane Lowry reacts to being 'immortalised' by Portrush mural on return to scene of Open win
He's a bit bashful when asked about it during his press conference at Royal Portrush.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Yesterday 03:18 PM
Adam McKendry
Challenge accepted
Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are among the favourites, while Tom McKibbin, Padraig Harrington and Darren Clarke will look to upset the odds, but who else are among the favourites for this week? We take a look at the biggest contenders at Royal Portrush...
The Open: 10 global stars best placed to challenge the local heroes at Royal Portrush
While most of the attention this week will be on the likes of Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Tom McKibbin as they bid to become Major champions again — or, in the latter case, for the first time — there will be around 150 others trying to do the same.
www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Yesterday 03:06 PM
Adam McKendry
Field change
We have had a withdrawal from the field for this week's tournament as England's Paul Waring has pulled out due to a shoulder injury and has been replaced by the USA's Davis Riley.
The 28-year-old is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour having won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Nick Hardy in 2023 and then the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge, while he has already impressed in the Majors this year having finished in the top-20 at the PGA Championship after starting the final round in a share of third.
Yesterday 02:56 PM
Gareth Hanna
Out on the course? Head towards hole 5
So we're just getting our bearings after the rain delay dn the pressers and finding out which players are where. If you're out on the course, you could do worse than heading to the fifth. It's a great hole sloping down towards White Rocks beach, with Tommy Fleetwood heading up the fourth now, Rickie Fowler coming behind, following by Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia with Brooks Koepka a group further back.
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Belfast Telegraph
16 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
The Open: Tee times revealed as McIlroy and Lowry in blockbuster groups after fun-filled Tuesday practice
Today 02:32 PM Gareth Hanna Robert MacIntyre on why Royal Portrush is his favourite links course When a golfing superstar from Scotland tells you his favourite links course, it's worth taking his opinion seriously. And for Robert MacIntyre, it's here in Portrush, as he told reporters after the Scottish Open final round on Sunday. He's been expanding on that today. On why Portrush is his number one "It's how the golf course flows. It's not so much the holes. It's not nine holes one way, nine holes the other way. There is everything on this golf course visually. It's obviously enclosed by the dunes either side. So you've got visuals off the tee. I played it when it was in the Home Internationals. Obviously 17 and 18 have changed since that. "As newly designed golf holes in the modern game, I think these (the new 7th and 8th holes) are as good as it gets when they've been redesigned. So many golf courses try to trick it up. It's a par-5 and a par-4. Par-5, from tee shot hitting down, bunker on the right, heading back up the hill with a wind that's normally off the right. Then you got onto a little shelf, then you hit across the top of the hill. I just think the whole golf course is absolutely beautiful to the eye but it also plays absolutely brilliantly. You've got holes that you've got a chance, and then you've got holes that you just try to hang on." On his Open debut here in 2019 (when he finished in a tie for sixth) "It was tough, standing on that first tee, the nerves. You've always dreamed to play in these. You've watched it on TV since you were a young kid. I got to just live another dream. "I got a little bit lucky when I managed to finish in just the proper time when the storm came in in 2019 (during the final round when he shot -3). I remember sitting in player dining, and it just kept blowing. I thought the roof was coming off the place. "I was just like keep coming, keep coming. I was just watching it, watching me get further up the leaderboard. It's a different week this week, but just looking forward to it." On his on-course flare-ups "I'm fiery on the golf course when I'm in tournament rounds. I'll drop, I was going to say the odd, but a few bad words in there. I'll hit the bag. I'll say some harsh things, but that's what gets me going. If I walk around and I'm all happy I just made a double bogey or people are clapping, thanks very much, that's not me. I'm needing to smash something up. I want to rip a glove. I do something to get that anger out. It's better out than in for me. Some people it's better holding it, but for me it's get it out and then just do not let it affect the next shot. Simple."
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
'I now know that I can win a major'
Bob MacIntyre was sick with nerves on his way to finishing runner-up at the US Open but says the way he handled the occasion gives him the belief he can win a major."I now know that I can win one of these," the 28-year-old Scot told BBC Sport as he prepares for this week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush."Before, I thought I could, but I'd never shown anything that had shown that I can. Yes, I've had a few top 10s in majors, but I was never there over the final few holes."Oakmont was the first time I'd had that feeling. On the 16th, I was thinking 'I can do this, it's here for the taking'."MacIntyre started his final round in Pennsylvania in a share of ninth place but was tied for the lead after 14 holes - only for JJ Spaun to conjure up a glorious closing stretch to prevail by two shots."I thought I played beautifully and it's just knowing that it's there," MacIntyre explained. "Okay, it didn't happen, but it's knowing we've got that in the locker when I need it. "Things were happening that were completely new to me. It was different, but I was expecting it. Yes, there were nerves, but it was exciting. You're shaking, feeling sick. I played the last three holes in one under par feeling like that."If the cards had fallen my way, I'd have won the US Open, but JJ was better than me over 72 holes."It was close and we pitch up here with the same thought of trying to win The Open. It makes me really think I can win a major. It's a reality, not just a dream." The left-hander from Oban already had two top-10 Open finishes, including joint-sixth on his debut when the tournament was last at Portrush in 2019. Last year's Scottish Open victory showed he can win on a links course against elite may have cut a frustrated figure at the weekend as the defence of that title proved disappointing, but the "old school feel" of Portrush has his juices flowing again."Yes, it's been lengthened in time, but it's just the dunes enclosing the holes," he explained. "You've got the visuals off the tees and then you've got the weather. That can be absolutely brutal, as we saw in 2019. As a championship golf course, I think it's spectacular."MacIntyre, who will play the first two rounds with Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau, is one of four Scots in the field, with Daniel Young and amateurs Cameron Adam and Connor Graham all making their Open debuts."I'm sure they'll pick my brains out there and, if they want to ask me questions, not a problem, I'm there for them," he said of his compatriots."They've all got my number, but if they don't want to ask me questions, I'm not going to force things down them, try and make them change."
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
‘Was it illegal? Yes' – Open star's half-blind coach dad let him drink and try drugs as kid and now lives in the jungle
GOLF SHOTS 'Was it illegal? Yes' – Open star's half-blind coach dad let him drink and try drugs as kid and now lives in the jungle Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) XANDER SCHAUFFELE was illegally allowed to try drugs, drink alcohol and smoke cigars as a child - by his own dad. Fast forward 16 years and the pair drank booze out of the Claret Jug after his Open glory. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Xander Schauffele won The Open last year at Royal Troon Credit: Reuters 5 He was congratulated after the 18th hole by his father Stefan Credit: Getty Schauffele, 31, won The Open at Royal Troon 12 months ago - nine weeks after his maiden Major win at the PGA Championship - and arrives at Portrush as the defending champion. And as well as necking red wine and 'clear liquors' from golf's famous trophy a year ago, he admitted in his champion's press conference: 'I hate to say it, but I've had wine, of course, and then I've had tequila out of it, as well.' Schauffele, though, has been consuming alcohol with his old man Stefan since his early teens. His old man would even give French cognac and Cuban cigars to Xander and his childhood friends when they visited their San Diego home in the mid-noughties. Speaking to The Times, Stefan, 61, said: 'In America, the drinking age is 21 but you're allowed to be killed for your country at 18. This is bulls***. 'I told my boys [Xander and his older brother Nico]: I will teach you everything I know and cram in as many life experiences as I can until you're 16, then you're an adult in my mind. 'That included sexual experiences, even drugs. Someone was selling marijuana and cocaine at the middle school when Xander was 14, so you need to confront this. 'I said, 'I don't mind if you try, you just need to be aware it can f*** you up.' 'There were a lot of green faces with the cigars, some accidents with the alcohol, but they all learnt very quickly. 'Was it illegal? Yes. Can they put me in jail for it now? I don't think so.' Xander Schauffele jokes he was 'trending towards an alcoholic,' but he's happy to be back in Scotland Reflecting back on that upbringing, American Schauffele Jr added: 'He wanted to show me what's on the other side if you are successful. 'But maybe he just wanted a buddy to drink and smoke with.' Around the same age, Stefan challenged Xander to a full-on wrestling fight in the bathroom which ended up with a broken towel rail and the youngster in the bath. Xander added: 'Let's just say I didn't win the fight.' Stefan's parenting techniques have certainly raised question marks. But his determination for his son to succeed as a sporting professional is undeniable. And it is personal for Stefan, too. His own grandfather, Xander's great-grandfather, Richard was a 6ft 8ins 'monster' who played as a striker for Stuttgart before turning to athletics. He qualified for the Olympics discus event and was tipped for gold but injured his shoulder and would never reach the same heights again. HORROR CRASH Stuttgart-born Stefan inherited the sporting genes, initially in the long jump and javelin throw before joining the German national decathlon team. However, like his grandad, his career was cruelly ripped away from him when his car was hit head-on by a drink-driver in 1986. After six eye surgeries and two years in and out of hospital, he used the compensation payment to buy a one-way ticket to California, where he met Ping-Yi Chen, Xander's mother. The couple's first child tragically died of sudden infant death syndrome and they spent two years living in Tokyo, where Stefan discovered golf, a sport he found 'boring' but one he could play with his limited eyesight. So when Xander showed an interest in wanting to make a life out of the sport, Stefan was fully on board, regularly handing in sick notes at Xander's school to take him to the driving range. Now Schauffele has had three crowning moments in his illustrious career - and each one has a significant link to dad Stefan. The first was winning Olympic gold at the delayed Tokyo 2020 games four years ago. Xander gave Stefan - still coaching and representing him at the time - his precious medal. Xander said: 'That was a seriously emotional moment.' Stefan added: 'You're going to make me cry just thinking about it. 'He understood how huge the Olympics was for me. We got in the car and he gave me the medal and said, 'This is for you.'' I got some heckles for it but it's all good fun... it's a trophy that car Xander Schauffele Then came the PGA Championship win at Valhalla in May 2024 as Schauffele ditched his nearly-man tag by pipping Bryson DeChambeau by one shot. However, Stefan was not there to see his son become a Major champion. That is because he lives in a 20ft shipping container in the remote Hawaiian island of Kauai where he clears areas of jungle with a chainsaw. The mobile home - Stefan had been a 'complete hermit' before being forced to buy the semi-permanent pad - has no electricity or hot water. But he managed to find some electricity to watch the final seven holes of Xander's fourth round at the PGA. Then two months later, Stefan watched his son crowned Champion Golfer of the Year with his victory at Royal Troon. But despite career earnings about to reach £45million - he is 15th in the all-time PGA list - Xander has not lost touch with his humble roots, by still driving his 2015 Toyota Camry, a nod to his rental motor he would drive to qualifying rounds of tournaments ranked way down at No1,734 in the world. Schauffele - who turned down an offer worth a reported £150m from LIV Golf in 2022 - revealed: 'I drove it to Torrey Pines this year. 'I got some heckles for it but it's all good fun. 'It's a trophy that car. Those moments of despair are very important.' Come Sunday, Xander and Stefan will be hoping to keep hold of the other trophy for another year, too. 5 Stefan certainly had some unusual parenting choices Credit: Getty 5 Xander gave his father his Olympic medal and the Claret Jug for a year Credit: Getty
