Latest news with #PORTRUSH
Washington Post
a day ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Xander Schauffele has eight big wins and no trophies to show for it
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Don't feel bad for Xander Schauffele having to return the claret jug when he arrived at Royal Portrush to defend his title in the British Open . It's not like he had anywhere to keep it. Schauffele has won eight times in his PGA Tour career. That includes two majors, the British Open and the PGA Championship. It includes the Tour Championship in his rookie season. And it includes the Olympic gold medal from Tokyo in 2021.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Golf in a hangar? DeChambeau's woes at the British Open get 'The Scientist' thinking
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — As a popular YouTuber and golfing enigma, Bryson DeChambeau is known for coming up with some wacky, radical ideas. 'The Scientist' might have another one in the pipeline. 'This is going to be wild,' DeChambeau proffered at the British Open on Tuesday, 'but imagine a scenario where you've got a 400-yard tent, and you can just hit any type of shot with any wind with all the fans. 'That's what I imagine, like in a hangar or something like that. A big stadium. That would be cool to test.' Don't put it past DeChambeau to go through with it. After all, he's open to anything if it means improving his patchy record at golf's oldest major championship. The 31-year-old American has played seven times at the Open Championship, where handling the fickle weather can be the key to success. He missed the cut on three occasions and only finished inside the top 30 once. It's a record that frustrates one of the sport's deeper thinkers. He remembers playing well at the Walker Cup at Royal Lytham St. Anne's — one of the courses on the British Open rotation — back in 2015, and was quick to point out he coped fine in windy conditions in LIV Golf events in Miami and Valderrama this year. Place him in the British Open, though, and he can get blown away — like last year at Royal Troon, when he shot 76-75 to miss the cut and said afterward: 'I can do it when it's warm and not windy.' 'The times I've been over here, for some reason, my golf swing hasn't been where it needs to be,' DeChambeau said Tuesday. 'Right now it feels as good as it's ever been. Hitting it far, hitting it straight as I can, and learning how to putt better on these greens in windy conditions and rain and all that. 'It's just figuring it out. It's just going to take time and something that I never really experienced growing up in California.' Lifting the claret jug — as unlikely as it would be, given his Open woes — would deliver the two-time U.S. Open champion a third major title and no doubt boost the already-swelling audience on his YouTube channel that has risen to more than 2 million subscribers. His popularity is clear over in Northern Ireland, too. Late Monday, dozens of people — mostly kids — were seen waiting outside Portrush to get a photo with, or the autograph of, DeChambeau. He obliged, happily. DeChambeau is using YouTube to have some fun and to show the world a different side to him. He even suggested it's just as important as the results he gets. 'I'm not going to be here forever,' he said. 'What footprint do I want to leave? I think it humbles me and almost makes me more passionate about what I'm doing off the professional golf course. 'Am I going to get frustrated playing bad golf?' he posed. 'Yeah. Am I going to want to still sign autographs? Yeah, because I care about the game.' That's not to say he doesn't still have a burning desire to win at Portrush this week — and secure a result that will impress Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley in the process, ahead of the match against Europe in September. 'I feel pressure every week to play good for not only Keegan, but myself, and the people that I love online and everybody that's watching me,' DeChambeau said. 'I'll walk through the fire,' he added, 'rather than run away from it.' ___ AP golf:
Associated Press
a day ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Scottie Scheffler is chasing the claret jug at the British Open and searching for what it all means
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has won more tournaments and majors than anyone over the last three years. He is No. 1 in the world and no one is close to him. Nothing would mean more to him than leaving Royal Portrush with the silver claret jug. And then? That's where golf gets a little complicated for Scheffler, who loves his job and all the work it entails, but who found himself searching Tuesday for what it all means. He delivered an amazing soliloquy ahead of the British Open about fulfillment. The short answer: It's not the two Masters green jackets, the Wanamaker Trophy he won at the PGA Championship, the three Jack Nicklaus Awards as PGA Tour player of the year or the FedEx Cup. 'Is it great to be able to win tournaments and to accomplish the things I have in the game of golf? Yeah, it brings tears to my eyes just to think about because I've literally worked my entire life to be good at this sport,' Scheffler said. 'But at the end of the day, I'm not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers,' he said. 'I'm not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.' His comments came in a year when Rory McIlroy fulfilled his life dream of winning the Masters, which gave him the career Grand Slam. McIlroy spoke last month about growing weary of being asked about his next set of goals, the next mountain he wants to climb. 'I probably just didn't give myself enough time to let it all sink in. But that's the nature of professional golf,' McIlroy said. 'They do a very good job of keeping you on the hamster wheel, and you feel like it's hard to get off at times.' This is where Scheffler might be different. He seems to enjoy the hamster wheel. There is no next mountain to find because he's busy scaling the one he is on. He loves the chase. He wants the prize. He finds satisfaction in putting in the work. The thrill comes from competition. Scheffler also hates losing, no matter what's at stake. 'Scottie don't play games when he's playing games,' said his caddie, Ted Scott. They played a match at Cypress Point this year. It was Scheffler's fourth day swinging a club since puncturing his right hand with a wine glass in a freak accident while making ravioli. Scheffler gave him 10 shots, and the countdown began. Scott his his approach into 5 feet and was feeling good about his chances, right up until Scheffler's shot spun back and hit his caddie's golf ball. They both made birdie. Scheffler won the next hole and said loud enough for Scott to hear, 'Nine.' He won the next hole with a par and said even louder, 'EIGHT.' 'He was 6 under through six,' Scott said. 'I gave him the $100 and said: 'Don't say anything else. I want to enjoy my day.'' This is what drives Scheffler — winning the Masters, winning a bet with his caddie, winning anything. He has won 19 times since his first title at the 2022 Phoenix Open. Strictly by his math, that would be 38 minutes worth of celebrating. 'Sometimes the feeling only lasts about two minutes,' he said. 'It's pretty exciting and fun, but it just doesn't last that long.' So where does fulfillment come from if it's not winning? Scheffler is grounded in his faith, in a simple family life with a wife he has been with since high school, a 15-month-old son, three sisters and friends that are not part of the tour community. 'I love the challenge. I love being able to play this game for a living. It's one of the greatest joys of my life,' he said. 'But does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not.' He often says golf doesn't define him as a person, and he said if it reached a point where the sport ever affected life at home, 'that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.' He's had moments of appreciation, for sure. There was one moment last summer when his wife, Meredith, was in the living room and he was in his office. He walked out with the Masters green jacket and the plaid jacket from winning Hilton Head. He had The Players Championship trophy in one hand and another trophy in his other hand. 'Wassup, Mere,' he said to his wife. Scheffler laughed telling the story. He's not sure why he did it, except it was fun. And then it was back to work. There's always the next tournament. 'There's a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfill them in life, and you get there — you get to No. 1 in the world — and they're like, 'What's the point?' I really do believe that because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. 'It's like showing up at the Masters every year. Why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win The Open Championship so badly? I don't know,' he said. 'Because, if I win, it's going to be awesome for two minutes. 'Then we're going to get to the next week.' Xander Schauffele spent time with him at the Olympics last summer. Schauffele won two majors last year, including the claret jug. What they have in common is not lingering on laurels. 'That's why he's been No. 1 and hasn't even sniffed looking backwards,' Schauffele said. 'If he was sitting there looking at all his trophies every day, I'm sure he'd still be playing great golf, but I don't think he's that guy.' ___ AP golf:
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
As LIV Golf reapplies for world ranking points, Bryson DeChambeau has ideas for how the league should change
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Changes could be coming to LIV Golf as the league again attempts to gain world ranking points, reapplying for Official World Golf Ranking recognition on Friday. LIV's biggest superstar, Bryson DeChambeau, thinks he knows what changes the start-up tour must make to be ranked against the world's best — a process that is integral for LIV players' ability to play in the four majors. Advertisement 'Definitely relegation for sure, more pathways into LIV,' DeChambeau said on Tuesday ahead of The Open. '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.' Currently, LIV players only receive world ranking points when they compete in the four major championships, as well as on the Asian Tour and DP World Tour. But if the latest OWGR application is accepted, the skill of LIV players would be much more accurately reflected in the world standings — for example, Jon Rahm is currently ranked No. 2 in DataGolf's rankings. He's No. 72 on the OWGR. 'I don't know, do you guys think we should get points? I would say that we've got some pretty good players over there,' DeChambeau continued. The 54-hole team-format league formerly applied for OWGR recognition under CEO Greg Norman, but their application was rejected in 2023. The conflicting interests of a team and individual competition happening simultaneously and the lack of a merit-based system to gain access to the tour were cited as shortcomings. Now, it appears that under newly instated CEO Scott O'Neil, those sticking points might have been reevaluated internally. It has long been rumored that LIV would need to connect with a feeder tour of sorts, so their model cannot be deemed a closed shop by the OWGR board. Phil Mickelson, a LIV member, recently shared a hypothetical question on X fueling that theory. Mickelson proposed that LIV's 14-event schedule become an elevated events series in participation with a full-field 35-event tour that operates year-round. 'Where would those additional players come from, and what would happen to the PGA Tour then?' Mickelson wrote. LIV's application will be evaluated by the OWGR board, which is led by newly appointed chairman, CBS analyst and former Masters champion Trevor Immelman. O'Neill's decision to resubmit undoubtedly implies that the league is considering significant changes that it was not previously open to. Advertisement The league's relegation system has also been murky since its inception. Players finishing outside the top 48 in the league's standings are in danger of losing their spot on LIV. Previously, team captains were exempt from this process, but that rule was done away with in 2024. Ian Poulter, a captain, and Mito Pereira are in danger of being relegated if they don't improve their status this season.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
BRITISH OPEN '25: A trivia quiz covering more than a century of golf
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — How well do you know British Open history? Try this quiz: 1. What was the first trophy given to the British Open champion? a.) A championship belt b.) A claret jug c.) A silver sword 2. Who holds the British Open record for largest margin of victory? a.) Old Tom Morris b.) Louis Oosthuizen c.) Tiger Woods 3. Who was the first Irish golfer to win the British Open? a.) Shane Lowry b.) Padraig Harrington c.) Fred Daly 4. Who has won the British Open on the most links courses? a.) J.H. Taylor b.) Peter Thomson c.) Tom Watson 5. Who is the oldest player to win the British Open? a.) Stewart Cink b.) Old Tom Morris c.) Roberto De Vincenzo 6. Who has the lowest round in British Open history? a.) Rory McIlroy b.) Xander Schauffele c.) Branden Grace 7. Where was the first British Open that was not in Scotland or England? a.) Royal Porthcawl b.) Royal Portrush c.) Portmarnock 8. Seve Ballesteros is the only British Open champion to accomplish which feat? a.) He won the claret jug on a Saturday, Sunday and Monday b.) He was penalized two shots in the final round for being late to the first tee c.) He broke par in the final round without hitting a single fairway 9. Who is the player with the most runner-up finishes in the British Open? a.) Harry Vardon b.) Jack Nicklaus c.) Greg Norman 10. Who was the first British Open champion to win outside of Britain? a.) Shane Lowry b.) Max Faulkner c.) Richard Burton 11. Which links course has held the British Open the most times? a.) St. Andrews b.) Prestwick c.) Musselburgh 12. At which British Open links did Sam Snead arrive by rail and think it was an abandoned course? a.) Prestwick b.) Royal Cinque Ports c.) St. Andrews 13. Who was the last player ranked outside the top 50 in the world to win the British Open? a.) Brian Harman b.) Ben Curtis c.) Darren Clarke 14. Denny Shute achieved what feat in 1933 that has never been matched by another British Open champion? a.) He played the final round as a single b.) He shot the same score all four rounds c.) He won after making the cut on the number 15. In the famous 'Duel in the Sun' at Turnberry in 1977 between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, which player had the 36-hole lead? a.) Raymond Floyd b.) Ben Crenshaw c.) Roger Maltbie 16. Who holds the 72-hole scoring record at the British Open? a.) Tiger Woods b.) Henrik Stenson c.) Collin Morikawa 17. Who is the first player to win the claret jug in his British Open debut? a.) Ben Hogan b.) Tom Watson c.) Old Tom Morris 18. Who was the first player from Dublin to win the British Open? a.) Padraig Harrington b.) Christy O'Connor Jr. c.) Ben Hogan Answers 1. a 2. a 3. c 4. c 5. b 6. c 7. b 8. a 9. b 10. b 11. a 12. c 13. c 14. b 15. c 16. b 17. a 18. c (Dublin, Texas) ___ AP golf:
