Latest news with #Holywood
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Rory McIlroy's roller-coaster Open continues into second round at Royal Portrush
Rory McIlroy mixed the majestic with the mediocre as his roller-coaster Open at Royal Portrush continued on the second day. The Northern Irishman, from an hour down the road in Holywood, began the day three off the lead on one under but had to work hard just to maintain that score through his front nine. Advertisement But by the time he turned in a level-par 36 – after two birdies and two bogeys – the gap to the top had stretched to five as 2023 champion Brian Harman had taken advantage of good scoring conditions to reach six under. The roar for Rory. He starts with a birdie. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 18, 2025 McIlroy, last in the field for driving accuracy on Thursday after hitting just two fairways, struggled to recalibrate his radar but that did not prevent him making birdie at the first from 18 feet from the semi-rough. However, he was a foot from driving out of bounds at the par-five next and had to take an unplayable lie and eventually chipped to seven feet to save par. The 176-yard third caused him problems as his tee shot caught the bank of a bunker, forcing him to stand in the sand and choke down halfway on the shaft of his wedge with his ball well above him and that resulted in a bogey. Advertisement A 348-yard drive and approach to six feet brought a birdie at the next but the driveable par-four fifth caused him problems after pulling his three-wood into a bunker, which produced the response 'Don't go in there. Idiot.' Another bogey followed and despite hammering a 372-yard drive down the par-five seventh he came up short with his approach, chipped to nine feet but missed the birdie attempt. He missed fairways at eight and nine, meaning he found only one over his outward half, and it cost him scoring opportunities. Rory McIlroy's waywardness cost him birdie opportunities on the second day at The Open (Peter Byrne/PA) That was not the case for Harman, beginning the day two under, who had three birdies in 10 holes, to hold a one-shot lead over Rasmus Hojgaard and England's Tyrrell Hatton, who could consider himself unfortunate to only be two under through 10 holes of his round. Advertisement His Ryder Cup team-mates Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose were in the pack on three under; the Scot bogey-free in carding three birdies on his front nine and Englishman Rose, runner up at the Masters and last year's Open, dropping his first shot of the tournament at the par-three sixth in an outward one-under 35.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Rory McIlroy's roller-coaster Open continues into second round at Royal Portrush
Rory McIlroy mixed the majestic with the mediocre as his roller-coaster Open at Royal Portrush continued on the second day. The Northern Irishman, from an hour down the road in Holywood, began the day three off the lead on one under but had to work hard just to maintain that score through his front nine. But by the time he turned in a level-par 36 – after two birdies and two bogeys – the gap to the top had stretched to five as 2023 champion Brian Harman had taken advantage of good scoring conditions to reach six under. McIlroy, last in the field for driving accuracy on Thursday after hitting just two fairways, struggled to recalibrate his radar but that did not prevent him making birdie at the first from 18 feet from the semi-rough. However, he was a foot from driving out of bounds at the par-five next and had to take an unplayable lie and eventually chipped to seven feet to save par. The 176-yard third caused him problems as his tee shot caught the bank of a bunker, forcing him to stand in the sand and choke down halfway on the shaft of his wedge with his ball well above him and that resulted in a bogey. A 348-yard drive and approach to six feet brought a birdie at the next but the driveable par-four fifth caused him problems after pulling his three-wood into a bunker, which produced the response 'Don't go in there. Idiot.' Another bogey followed and despite hammering a 372-yard drive down the par-five seventh he came up short with his approach, chipped to nine feet but missed the birdie attempt. He missed fairways at eight and nine, meaning he found only one over his outward half, and it cost him scoring opportunities. That was not the case for Harman, beginning the day two under, who had three birdies in 10 holes, to hold a one-shot lead over Rasmus Hojgaard and England's Tyrrell Hatton, who could consider himself unfortunate to only be two under through 10 holes of his round. His Ryder Cup team-mates Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose were in the pack on three under; the Scot bogey-free in carding three birdies on his front nine and Englishman Rose, runner up at the Masters and last year's Open, dropping his first shot of the tournament at the par-three sixth in an outward one-under 35.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Rory McIlroy's wild ride at home Open continues at Royal Portrush
Rory McIlroy's wild ride at his home Open continued on day two at Royal Portrush. The Northern Irishman, from an hour down the road in Holywood, began the day three off the lead but quickly made inroads with a birdie at the first. He was last in the field for driving accuracy on Thursday – hitting just two fairways – and that trend continued as he found the left semi-rough only for a brilliant approach to 18 feet to bring an opening birdie. But unleashing his driver at the par-five second, McIlroy was barely a foot from going out of bounds after carving his tee shot wide right – the opposite side to Thursday's affliction. The lie was so bad in heavy rough he was forced to take a penalty drop but fired out of the long grass and chipped to seven feet to save par. His Ryder Cup team-mates were faring slightly better with Tyrrell Hatton joining a seven-way tie at the top on four under after a birdie at the short third and Justin Rose one shot back after he made a two at the same hole. Tommy Fleetwood birdied his first two to get back to level par while his fellow winner in Rome Ludvig Auberg had two birdies in his first three to join him. The Swede's partner two years ago Viktor Hovland, after a difficult first day, had a brilliant start as he reeled off three successive birdies to move to one under. Left-hander Brian Harman – the 2023 champion at Royal Liverpool – joined the logjam at the top with birdies at his first two holes.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Inside Royal Portrush: Pints cost £8 and staying nearby is £4,500
High above the stands that surround the 18th green at Royal Portrush, four skeletal metal towers stretch 82ft into the sky above County Antrim. Wires extend from the top of them, high above the putting surface, running into a giant black camera at the centre of them. Spidercam, as it's known, has long been used in football and cricket to give television spectators a fresh view on the sporting action below but is being used this week for the first time in Open history. The camera swoops down from its position at the back of the green as players approach and hovers just above them as they make their putts. 'It's pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings,' said Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin, from Rory McIlroy 's hometown of Holywood, who went out in the first group of the day. It cost about £300,000 and is just the latest way that golf's oldest major has taken another step into the modern world. More than 250,000 spectators will descend on Royal Portrush this week but millions more will be watching from the comfort of their living rooms. That's why more than 100 television cameras and 80 miles of cables — about as far as the crow flies from here to the previous Open venue at Royal Troon in Scotland — will provide footage for broadcasters around the world. Giant double-decker trucks belonging to golf's biggest club manufacturers are also dotted around the course, packed full of club heads, grips, driver heads and beyond for the players to go and get equipment tweaked and changed during the week. 'They are all in quite a bit,' Callaway's head technician Paul Monks tells Mail Sport. 'It's a bit of a sanctuary for them. If you're not playing well you will try anything to get the scoring down so generally it's the players that are struggling.' A superstitious world No 1 Scottie Scheffler likes to watch as the Taylormade technicians put grips on his clubs and spent much of last year's championship at Royal Troon standing over the guys in the truck on his way to another top-10 finish. Giant double-decker trucks belonging to golf's biggest club manufacturers are also dotted around the course, packed full of club heads, grips, driver heads and beyond for the players to go and get equipment tweaked and changed during the week. 'They are all in quite a bit,' Callaway's head technician Paul Monks tells Mail Sport. 'It's a bit of a sanctuary for them. If you're not playing well you will try anything to get the scoring down so generally it's the players that are struggling.' A superstitious world No 1 Scottie Scheffler likes to watch as the Taylormade technicians put grips on his clubs and spent much of last year's championship at Royal Troon standing over the guys in the truck on his way to another top-10 finish. It's not just the technology that's moving with the times but also the town itself. The Open is expected to add more than £213million to the local economy. At the current prices around Portrush, that's no surprise. The only remaining accommodation left on booking website when Mail Sport checked on Thursday was a self-catering apartment five miles away costing £4,500 for a three-night stay until Sunday. That's why the chap in the queue for the megastore who had flown in from Boston was staying in Ballycastle — some 18 miles from Portrush — or why Alex, the young lad from Indianapolis in dungarees in the colours of the American flag, is renting an AirBnB near Lough Neagh and driving an hour to the park and ride. It's also why nearly 5,000 spectators, from more than 30 countries, have opted to sleep in the great outdoors at the nearby Open camping village. An Australian called Ryan, who is staying there, describes it as like being at a 'civilised festival'. Those who booked are paying as little as £55 a night. Yes, having just a tent and a sleeping bag to guard you against the onslaught of rain that struck Portrush on Thursday may not be the most glamorous way to spend a week but at least you'll have a bit more cash to spend. If you could stretch to £80 a night, you could stay in the more high-brow 'glamping' tee-pees. Either way, you'll have more in your pocket to splash on food, drink and merchandise because, boy, you'll need it. That's after paying between £100 and £345 a day on an adult ticket. Organisers predict around 180,000 pints will be served this week. Meanwhile, a burger and chips on course starts at £14.50. Still, even that's cheaper than some places outside the grounds who have been trying to cash in more than others. As the rain beat down on Portrush on Thursday afternoon, many felt it was a good time to have a browse in the spectator village shop. Mail Sport joined them as patrons queued for half an hour to get inside the welcome shelter of the Open treasure trove — £45 for an umbrella (needs must), £20 for a towel, £15 for a pack of three ball markers and £12 for a pitch-mark repairer. If you really want to look the part, it's £160 for a fancy quilted zip-up golf top and £695 for an Open tour golf bag. For those on a budget, maybe just stick to a pack of tees for £7 — about the only thing still cheaper than a pint around here.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Home favourite Rory McIlroy falls short in bid for first-round Open lead
Rory McIlroy looked like delivering the show the thousands who had flocked to Royal Portrush to cheer their returning hero expected, only for his bid for the first-round Open lead to collapse in the space of four holes on the back nine. The Northern Irishman from an hour down the road in Holywood rarely comes to these parts due to commitments on the PGA Tour and on his last competitive visit in 2019 went home early after missing the cut. But, after teeing off at 3.10pm with a four-under-par target in his sights, he recovered from a bogey at the first – a three-shot improvement on six years ago when he went out of bounds – to have a crowd 10 deep in places buzzing in anticipation. The 61 he shot as a 16-year-old on this course was never on the cards, but three under through 10, having hit just two fairways, raised the prospect of a memorable first day. But over the course of the next four holes that waywardness off the tee took its toll with three bogeys, including one at the course's easiest hole, the par-five 11th, and only a 12-foot par save at the 15th prevented further damage. There was a much-needed birdie from similar distance at the penultimate hole, having again gone left off the tee, and even though his 44-footer for a 69 grazed the cup at the 18th, the fans went home happy, with their man just three off the pace. That was set by McIlroy's Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick, whose 67 was the lowest opening round of his major career, world number 354 Jacob Skov Olesen, China's Li Haotong, South African Chris Bezuidenhout and American Harris English. 'I had it going three under through 10 and let a few slip around the middle of the round. I steadied the ship well and played the last four in one under and it was just nice to finish under par,' McIlroy said. 'It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers.' Fitzpatrick, a former US Open champion, continued his upward trend following top-10 finishes in his last two events after an otherwise disappointing season, despite a joint-eighth place at May's US PGA. The Sheffield golfer got off to a flying start with a 22-foot eagle putt at the second hole, but the highlight was a slam-dunk chip for birdie from the steep bank on the treacherous Calamity Corner par-three 16th. 'I felt like The Players was the lowest I've felt in my career,' Fitzpatrick, bidding to become the first English winner of The Open since Nick Faldo in 1992, said of missing the cut at Sawgrass in March. 'Statistically it could be the worst run that I've played as well. I just didn't feel good or know where it was going. 'Today I just felt like I did drove it well, approach play was good and chipped and putted well. It was just an all-around good day.' Olesen, a Danish left-hander who won the Amateur Championship at Ballyliffin in Ireland last summer, only turned professional in November after earning his DP World Tour card. That meant the 26-year-old had to sacrifice his amateur exemptions for this year's Masters and US Open, so this was only his second appearance at one of golf's premier events after his debut at Troon 12 months ago. But he had no regrets about his decision, having come through qualifying a fortnight ago. 'I think it would have been a different decision if I was 19 at the time, but getting out on tour has always been a dream of mine,' he said. 'I had already made the decision before even going to second stage of Q-school that, if I got through, it would be a no-brainer to turn pro.' World number one Scottie Scheffler missed a birdie putt at the last which would have given him a share of the lead, but his 68 was the lowest score by a player who hit three or fewer fairways in The Open for last 25 years. 'When it's raining sideways it's actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway. Thank you guys all for pointing that out,' said the reigning US PGA champion. Asked whether there was a shot he was really pleased with, he replied: 'No.' English duo Tyrrell Hatton and Matthew Jordan, one of only two players in the field with top-10 Open finishes in the previous two years, were also three under, with 52-year-old compatriot Lee Westwood marking his 30th anniversary at the tournament with a two-under 69.
