Latest news with #The153rdOpen
Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
The Open 2025: Scottie Scheffler's revelation, the Scot being backed and Tom McKibbin
The latest from Royal Portrush ahead of The Open Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Our golf correspondent reports from the media centre and also digs out some stories behind the scenes at Royal Portrush. Family comes first for world No 1 Scottie Scheffler Scottie Scheffler is riding high at the top of the world rankings on the back of an incredible three-year spell, but he'll always put wife Meredith and son Bennett first. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'My responsibility is to my family and that's where my priorities lie,' declared the American. 'I love being able to come out here and compete, but does it fill the deepest wants and desires of my heart? Absolutely not.' World No 1 Scottie Scheffler speaks to the media during a press conference prior to The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush |Scheffler was responding to a question about playing more of an international schedule, having been limited so far to Genesis Scottish Open appearances. 'Yeah, I'd love to be able to travel the world and play golf. There's a time and a place for that, and right now, with the way my life is, it's not really the time or the place,' he said. Connor Graham has been heavily backed to finish as the leading amateur at Royal Portrush | The R&A Punters fancy Connor Graham to be top amateur Punters have been piling on Blairgowrie teenager Connor Graham to claim the Silver Medal for leading amateur. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Oddschecker, an odds comparison website, revealed on Tuesday that 51 per cent of all the bets for top amateur have been placed on the 18-year-old. Graham is 11/2 in the betting market for the coveted prize claimed last year at Royal Troon by Nairn's Calum Scott. Cameron Adam, the second Scottish amateur in the field, is a 7-1 shot. As for their hopes of pulling off a Claret Jug win, Graham is listed at 2000-1 while Adam is 2500-1. Northern Irish trio Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Tom McKibbin pictured during a practice round together at Royal Portrush on Tuesday | AFP via Getty Images Local hero Tom McKibbin has 'all the tools to succeed' Rory McIlroy may be the centre of attention for the home fans but Tom McKibbin, his Holywood clubmate, could give them something to shout about as well this week. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't know what it is about Northern Ireland, but they have two of the most beautiful golf swings ever produced in golf,' said Jon Rahm of McIlroy and McKibbin. McKibbin joined Rahm's Legion XIII team in the LIV Golf League this season and has now been part in three title triumphs, the latest coming on Sunday at Valderrama. 'He's a fantastic golfer in general,' added Rahm of the 25-year-old. 'He's got all the tools he needs to succeed in this game, and so far in his early career, he's done so.' The Open is the best value for fans among the four majors in terms of the cost of tickets, according to Betway | AFP via Getty Images It's official! The Open offers best ticket value The Open offers the best value for golf fans in terms of the cost of tickets out of the four men's majors. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bookmakers Betway - - compared the total four-day tickets prices for the game's biggest events in 2025 and it delivered some good news for the Claret Jug joust.
Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Dream draws for Bob MacIntyre and Scottish amateur in The 153rd Open
Scottish No 1 reunited with Ryder Cup mentor in opening two rounds at Royal Portrush Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bob MacIntyre will be reunited with his Ryder Cup mentor Justin Rose in the opening two rounds in The 153rd Open - and two-time US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau will be making up their group at Royal Portrush on Thursday and Friday. Rose, who finished runner-up to Xander Schauffele at Royal Troon 12 months ago after coming through a Final Qualifier, partnered rookie MacIntyre in his two fourball matches in the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Justin Rose and Bob MacIntyre celebrate during the Saturday afternoon fourball matches in the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome |By his own admission, MacIntyre was carried by the 2012 US Open champion as they finished all square against Max Homa and Wyndham Clark on the opening afternoon. But, after the pairing was retained for the second day, MacIntyre started to find his feet, helping the duo beat Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas 3&2. The Scot then went on to beat Clark, the US Open champion at the time, by 2&1 in the anchor match in the last-day singles as Europe regained the trophy with a 16.5-11.5 victory. With DeChambeau also in it, the group will have a huge crowd following it, teeing off at 2.48pm on Thursday then 9.47am on Friday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Connor Graham, the 18-year-old Blairgowrie amateur, will be the first of four Scots to step on to the first tee on Thursday. He's out with 2018 winner Francesco Molinari and Swede Jesper Svensson at 11.47am. Cameron Adam, the Royal Burgess player who won The Open Amateur Series to secure his spot in the field, and HotelPlanner Tour player Daniel Young both have later starts than MacIntyre on the first day. Adam tees off at 3.54pm with Jason Kokrak, the American who plays for LIV Golf, and Englishman Nathan Kimsey, with Young out straight behind him with Australian Curtis Luck and England's Curtis Knipes.
Boston Globe
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Rory McIlroy returns home for the British Open ready to embrace the love
On Monday, he walked over to dozens of spectators wanting his autograph, including on one large flag of his native Northern Ireland with emblems of all four majors in each corner. The pressure to perform has not left. But that flag was an example that he returns home to Northern Ireland to be celebrated as much as the fans want to see him end a more special year on a spectacular note. Advertisement This was different from 2019, when 'I think in '19 I probably tried to isolate, and I think it's better for everyone if I embrace it,' he said. 'It's nice to be able to accept adulation, even though I struggle with it at times. I think it's more embrace everything that's going to come my way this week and not try to shy away from it or hide away from it. And I think that'll make for a better experience for everyone involved.' Advertisement He is rarely home these days, living in Florida, preparing to move to London, traveling the world for golf. There was never a reason to be at Royal Portrush — caddie Harry Diamond came over a few weeks ago on a scouting trip — but it felt good to be home. 'When I was looking at the calendar for 2025, this was the tournament that was probably circled, even more so than the Masters for different reasons,' he said. 'It's lovely to be coming in here already with a major and everything else that's happened this year.' That 'everything else' was the Masters, the major that teased him for so many years and then brought him so much joy when Rory McIlroy gave everything. — The Masters (@TheMasters) The next two months were a struggle, from listless play to so much fatigue from questions of 'What now?' and how to reset goals. He went six straight rounds at majors without talking to the media. He didn't seriously contend in any of his six tournaments. 'I think everyone could see over the last couple of months how I struggled with that. I've done something that I've told everyone that I wanted to do, but then it's like I still feel like I have a lot more to give,' McIlroy said. 'I probably just didn't give myself enough time to let it all sink in. But that's the nature of professional golf. 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.' Advertisement But coming back to these parts has recharged him. He nearly won the Scottish Open last week, 'By the time I got to the back nine today, there was a nice crowd out there,' McIlroy said. 'After the 18th and seeing all the kids and signing autographs, it's really, really nice, and I'm sure that'll just build as the week goes on.' Hosting for the third time, the magical Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush is the venue for The 153rd Open. Explore our hole-by-hole guide to this spectacular County Antrim course. (1/19) — The Open (@TheOpen) It was a smart move. Play was suspended a couple of times because of severe weather, the occasional pounding rain and possibly lightning. Turns out not all of the electricity in the air was about McIlroy. 'I don't know if that rain will have a massive effect on the course, depending on how heavy it is. I don't really plan to approach the course any differently,' said 'I forgot how well-bunkered it is. There's a lot of options off tees. You just have to go with what you feel. You're going to see a lot of people hitting different clubs off different tees, playing the golf course differently,' Lowry said. Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player, was in his rookie year on the PGA Tour in 2019 and now is making his first trip to Royal Portrush. Jordan Spieth was a Monday arrival, home in Dallas last week as his wife gave birth to a boy, Sully, their third child. Advertisement The town already is hopping, with throaty singing at the Harbour Bar late Sunday night, Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley engaging with spectators, everyone buzzing about how the 153rd Open will unfold, most interest on McIlroy. 'I still feel like there's a lot left in there,' McIlroy said. 'The story certainly isn't over.'
Boston Globe
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Shane Lowry back in his happy place at Royal Portrush where mural depicts ‘special' 2019 win
Six years later, Lowry is back on the Antrim coast looking to do it all over again. 'I didn't know what to make of it at the start,' Lowry said of the mural that immortalized the best golfing day of his life, 'and then when they did it, people kept sending me pictures. Advertisement 'Everyone that comes up here sends me pictures standing beside it. Some of them I can't say what they were doing in it,' he added, laughing, 'but it is very special. I've done something special in my life.' And, boy, did he celebrate it. There's video of Lowry, a beer in one hand and the silver claret jug in the other, singing Irish folk song 'The Fields of Athenry' in a bar in Dublin hours after his six-shot victory. It sure wasn't the only drinking hole he visited in the Irish capital that night, which — to some — fueled the narrative of him being something of a party animal. 'Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy it from time to time,' he said, 'but I know when I need to put my head down and work. Advertisement 'You can't be at the top level of any sport if you're not applying yourself well, and I feel like I do it.' Hosting for the third time, the magical Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush is the venue for The 153rd Open. Explore our hole-by-hole guide to this spectacular County Antrim course. (1/19) — The Open (@TheOpen) Indeed, the No. 18-ranked Lowry feels in a good place after being back home in Ireland for the past three weeks, skipping the opportunity to play at the Scottish Open — regarded as a warmup to the British Open. Instead, he has played a slew of the best courses in Ireland — among them Portmarnock, Waterville, and Adare Manor, which is hosting the Ryder Cup in 2027 — in perfect weather. Lowry, whose only solo victory since Portrush in 2019 was the European tour's flagship BMW PGA Championship in 2022, feels 'rejuvenated' and as prepared as he could be in his bid to become the first player to win consecutive British Opens at the same course since 'Sometimes when everything is going really well, I get complacent,' he said. 'I feel like when things are not going well is when I'm at my best. 'Go back to 2019 here, I had a meltdown on the Wednesday because I thought I wasn't going to go out and play well, but then that focused me in a little bit more.' Shane Lowry. The Claret Jug. Back in Clara. A hero's return in 2019 and a town that will never forget it. Watch the full video on YouTube now: — The Open (@TheOpen) Roared on by a raucous crowd, Lowry went on to play the best golf of his life in what at times was rough and wet weather. Few will forget the scene of Lowry — dressed all in black — marching to the 18th green on Sunday with a broad smile and his arms out wide, to the backdrop of green-white-and-orange Irish flags and jubilant umbrella-holding spectators. Advertisement 'I came to a place that I knew and I loved,' he said, 'and it just all clicked.' There's now a mural of him to show for it, even if being lionized in such a way makes him feel uncomfortable. 'I'm happy,' Lowry said, 'I don't have to drive past it every day.'
Belfast Telegraph
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Rory McIlroy reflects on record 61 at Royal Portrush: ‘I had that cockiness and thought this was what I was supposed to do'
If anybody is able to shoot a round of 61 at Royal Portrush at The 153rd Open, you would expect them to be walking away with the Claret Jug at the end of it. The course record at the Dunluce Links has stood strong since 2005 when a young Rory McIlroy forced the golfing world to stop and pay attention with one eagle and nine birdies in a remarkable 11-under-par round in the North of Ireland Amateur Championship.
