Latest news with #LIVgolf
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Hojgaard take early lead at the Open
Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin and Ryder Cup winner Nicolai Hojgaard led from the front on the first day of The Open on a testing morning for scoring at Royal Portrush. The highlight for the 22-year-old McKibbin, who learned his craft at Rory McIlroy's Holywood Golf Club an hour down the road, was an eagle at the par-five seventh after teeing off in the first group at 6.35am. He had slipped to two over after four but two birdies and the eagle took him to the turn in a two-under 34. Dane Hojgaard, in the same group, birdied the two par fives at the second and seventh to also be two under with him and McKibbin two of only eight players under par of the 39 out on the course. Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington, who had been given the honour of getting the championship underway, birdied the first hole, but otherwise struggled on the greens and was two over at the turn. McKibbin was one of a number of LIV golfers performing well. Six-time major winner and 2013 Open champion Phil Mickelson was providing the early entertainment, holing a bunker shot for par at the short third having left his first attempt in the sand to sit one under after six holes. Lee Westwood, back at the Open for the first time since 2022 after coming through qualifying, birdied his second hole to join the left-hander in an early tie for third. Another of his LIV cohorts Dustin Johnson, the two-time major champion who has slipped to 969 in the world following his move to the Saudi breakaway, was level par through four holes. Canadian Taylor Pendrith was the first to find out of bounds down the left on the intimidating first hole. That was a fate which befell McIlroy six years ago when the tournament returned to the Dunluce Links but the Northern Irishman had to wait for his shot at redemption as he was not due to tee off until 3.10pm. Out with Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood and American rival Justin Thomas, he was facing a greater chance of rain, some of it heavy, with winds gusting up to 20mph.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Hojgaard take early lead at the Open
Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin and Ryder Cup winner Nicolai Hojgaard led from the front on the first day of The Open on a testing morning for scoring at Royal Portrush. The highlight for the 22-year-old McKibbin, who learned his craft at Rory McIlroy's Holywood Golf Club an hour down the road, was an eagle at the par-five seventh after teeing off in the first group at 6.35am. He had slipped to two over after four but two birdies and the eagle took him to the turn in a two-under 34. Dane Hojgaard, in the same group, birdied the two par fives at the second and seventh to also be two under with him and McKibbin two of only eight players under par of the 39 out on the course. Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington, who had been given the honour of getting the championship underway, birdied the first hole, but otherwise struggled on the greens and was two over at the turn. McKibbin was one of a number of LIV golfers performing well. Six-time major winner and 2013 Open champion Phil Mickelson was providing the early entertainment, holing a bunker shot for par at the short third having left his first attempt in the sand to sit one under after six holes. Lee Westwood, back at the Open for the first time since 2022 after coming through qualifying, birdied his second hole to join the left-hander in an early tie for third. Another of his LIV cohorts Dustin Johnson, the two-time major champion who has slipped to 969 in the world following his move to the Saudi breakaway, was level par through four holes. Canadian Taylor Pendrith was the first to find out of bounds down the left on the intimidating first hole. That was a fate which befell McIlroy six years ago when the tournament returned to the Dunluce Links but the Northern Irishman had to wait for his shot at redemption as he was not due to tee off until 3.10pm. Out with Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood and American rival Justin Thomas, he was facing a greater chance of rain, some of it heavy, with winds gusting up to 20mph.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Northern Ireland's Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Hojgaard take early lead at the Open
Northern Irishman Tom McKibbin and Ryder Cup winner Nicolai Hojgaard led from the front on the first day of The Open on a testing morning for scoring at Royal Portrush. The highlight for the 22-year-old McKibbin, who learned his craft at Rory McIlroy's Holywood Golf Club an hour down the road, was an eagle at the par-five seventh after teeing off in the first group at 6.35am. He had slipped to two over after four but two birdies and the eagle took him to the turn in a two-under 34. Dane Hojgaard, in the same group, birdied the two par fives at the second and seventh to also be two under with him and McKibbin two of only eight players under par of the 39 out on the course. Two-time Open champion Padraig Harrington, who had been given the honour of getting the championship underway, birdied the first hole, but otherwise struggled on the greens and was two over at the turn. McKibbin was one of a number of LIV golfers performing well. Six-time major winner and 2013 Open champion Phil Mickelson was providing the early entertainment, holing a bunker shot for par at the short third having left his first attempt in the sand to sit one under after six holes. Lee Westwood, back at the Open for the first time since 2022 after coming through qualifying, birdied his second hole to join the left-hander in an early tie for third. Another of his LIV cohorts Dustin Johnson, the two-time major champion who has slipped to 969 in the world following his move to the Saudi breakaway, was level par through four holes. Canadian Taylor Pendrith was the first to find out of bounds down the left on the intimidating first hole. That was a fate which befell McIlroy six years ago when the tournament returned to the Dunluce Links but the Northern Irishman had to wait for his shot at redemption as he was not due to tee off until 3.10pm. Out with Ryder Cup team-mate Tommy Fleetwood and American rival Justin Thomas, he was facing a greater chance of rain, some of it heavy, with winds gusting up to 20mph.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Scottie Scheffler happy to support LIV push for world ranking points
As Scottie Scheffler pondered the real meaning of his extraordinary career, the world No.1 threw his support behind a push to give LIV golfers more purpose as they seek, for a second time, world rankings points for their efforts. Bryson DeChambeau, who has not suffered a slide like fellow LIV star Cameron Smith courtesy of a major triumph while playing in the breakaway league, also flagged potential changes that could help the second application hits its mark. Confirmation of a renewed request from new LIV chief executive Scott O'Neil, after the previous push was abandoned by his predecessor Greg Norman, has received wide-ranging support from most players, not just LIV golfers, keen to pit the best against the best more often, as is the case this week at The Open. Smith loses his exemption into the year's final major, courtesy of his victory in 2022, after the 2027 Open, and with a ranking that has slipped outside the top 200 and with missed cuts at four-straight majors, he needs all the help he can get. Qualification avenues to the majors have been opened for LIV stars, and Aussies Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert took advantage to earn their spot this year. But while rankings officials are open to hearing another application, the 54-hole, three-round, invitation-based LIV tour needs change and DeChambeau said that wasn't off the table. 'I would say that there are definitely grounds upon which we can change some things,' he said at Royal Portrush. 'Definitely relegation for sure, more pathways into LIV. I think a global tour, more association to a global tour would be great for a feeder system into LIV. Those things, I think, could help quite a bit. 'Going through the right process is important, and I think Scott and all of us are looking forward to going through that process and getting it done the right way. We're excited for that.' Smith was unaware of any progress, and long ago put ranking concerns behind him, although he conceded his was 'not where it needs to be at the moment'. 'I'm really not sure what's going on, to be honest. I didn't even know the meeting was taking place, but I knew that we applied a few weeks ago and I think it's a good thing to have people ranked,' he said. 'I think we need it. It's obviously been a long time coming, but hopefully we can just make progress into getting that back, that ranking back to where it needs to be because it's probably not where it needs to be at the moment.' Scheffler, who made the startling revelations that he didn't find golf a 'fulfilling life', but wrestles with his desire for competition and winning daily, said it was hard to know who was actually the world's best without rankings for LIV players. 'I think having the ability to rank all the golfers in the world is really important,' he said. 'When you have guys always playing a different schedule, it can be very hard to rank player versus player. That was always difficult for us, I would say, in amateur golf because you have so many different tournaments and guys aren't playing against each other every week. 'It can be very difficult to rank who is the best player when it's like that. 'In terms of the world ranking points, I think the more often we can get the best players in the world playing together would be better, and that would only be better for the rankings as well.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Claret Jug is most special one'
It has been 37 years since a Spaniard won The Open - back in 1988 when the late Seve Ballesteros claimed his third Rahm is well aware. He's had three top-10s in his past four Opens and warmed up for this week with a runner-up finish at last week's LIV golf event in Andalucia, in his home country."The Open Championship is the most prestigious event you can win in golf," stated the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters champion. "For my understanding of the game and the history, the Claret Jug is the most special one. "There's an order to it too because it changes venues, so if you can win it in St Andrews, I don't think anything in golf can come close to that. "It's the home of golf. Golf started in this part of the world. It's the oldest championship we have, and that's what makes it so special - the type of golf we play, the links courses where in theory it is meant to be played, the elements, the weather, it's quite unique. I don't think there's a word to describe it, but all together it's what makes it so special."
