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Irish Examiner
8 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Inside Kerry's All-Ireland final prep: recovery vans, suit fittings, and hotel chess
Just as it was absent after their stunning All-Ireland quarter-final win over Armagh, the Kerry team bus wasn't near their dressing room following the semi-final victory against Tyrone. Instead, parked outside the door of it under the Hogan Stand beside trusty kit man Colm Whelan's van was a truck with C11 Recovery emblazoned along the side. Eagle-eyed viewers of The Open Championship in Portrush last week may also have noticed it in the players' area. On Instagram, would-be champion Scottie Scheffler and former Masters winner Jon Rahm were pictured outside it. For the past few seasons, Kerry have been using the Kildare-based mobile recovery unit, which features Avantopool ice baths and compression boots. Cork GAA, Munster Rugby, Basketball and Cricket Ireland are among its founder Ryan Casey's other clients. 'For the last number of years, any time we would have got to Croke Park, a recovery guy comes in,' Kerry selector of the previous three seasons Mike Quirke told the Irish Examiner football podcast last month. 'There would be ice baths in the shower area. As soon as that quarter-final is over, the boys goe straight in there for the next day. 'It's a great service and you know what it's a nice thing for players as well because you're saying, 'The recovery guy is booked because we're going to be here in two weeks' time.'' Psychologically, it is most certainly a boost and almost as self-fulfilling and prophetic was something that occurred across Jones Road last Saturday week. Outside of All-Ireland finals in GAA HQ, Kerry have their post-match meal in the Croke Park Hotel but there they were also fitted for their All-Ireland final suits. A couple of hours after qualifying for the final and they were already dealing with the frills and fuss that come with the day. This month three years ago, Jack O'Connor spoke of the distractions around All-Ireland final day. 'They have to understand that this is about performing on the big day and not getting carried away with any sideshows or tickets and looking after their partners the night before and all this. There are a lot of sideshows. 'Getting measured for suits, tickets and accommodation for their partners and all that, you have to absolutely park all of that stuff and concentrate on the performance because it will be well forgotten about if we can't get over the line now.' The logistics and other non-management backroom members pride themselves on their diligent levels of preparation. As they did for the last two games, Kerry will stay in Dunboyne the night before the game with Donegal also expected to spend Saturday in Meath in Enfield (Kerry's banquet is the Clayton Hotel Burlington on Leeson Street and Donegal's takes place in The Radisson Hotel in Golden Lane). Kerry's bookings had been arranged for months – Donegal stayed in the Burlington hotel when they won the 2012 final but Kerry were there when they beat them two years later. For last month's quarter-final, Kerry had heard Armagh attempted to book into the regular Dunboyne base. The result mightn't have gone the team's way but for the final group game against Meath in Tullamore last month, they had organised their accommodation in Mullingar weeks before Glenisk O'Connor Park was confirmed as the venue. In 2022, Kerry made an advance payment on their hotel for an All-Ireland quarter-final assuming they would beat Limerick in the Munster final. The pre-paid booking saved them around €7,000. Last year, accommodation costs for Kerry totalled €165,436 compared to €177,302 in 2023. When Kerry beat Dublin in the following semi-final that year, they hadn't a hotel booked for the night after the final. The team they had vanquished no longer needed their sleeping partners The Gibson Hotel and took their place. There may have been some confusion about April's training camp in Portugal. Last November, treasurer Paudie Healy told local media it would not be taking place only for that decision to be reversed. 'Sure we're going anyway,' smiled O'Connor about the board agreeing to the trip after Kerry claimed the Division 1 title. Like other counties realised, going abroad worked out cheaper than a camp at home but for Kerry who had played seven games in eight weeks it was also a chance to work on two-pointers. 'It's a skill getting the right kickers on it and creating the space, so we had a bit more time starting with the training camp to work on stuff like that,' he recalled earlier this month. 'That was the real practical reason.' A total of 25 in their eight SFC games compared to 11 in the same amount of league fixtures would suggest the work done on two-pointers on the break was money well spent.
Canada News.Net
26 minutes ago
- Sport
- Canada News.Net
Golf Glance: Race for FedExCup points hits Twin Cities
(Photo credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images) Field Level Media's Golf Glance provides weekly news and storylines from each of the major North American golf tours. PGA TOUR LAST TOURNAMENT: The Open Championship (Scottie Scheffler); Barracuda Championship (Ryan Gerard) THIS WEEK: 3M Open, Blaine, Minn., July 24-27 Course: TPC Twin Cities (Par 71, 7,431 Yards) Purse: $8.4M (Winner: $1.512M) Defending Champion: Jhonattan Vegas FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler HOW TO FOLLOW TV: Thursday-Friday: 4-7 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 1-3 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS) Streaming (ESPN+): Thursday-Friday: 8:15 a.m.-7 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. X: @3MOpen NOTES: Only two events remain in the regular season, with the top 70 players in the FedExCup standings qualifying for the first leg. Notable names on the bubble in this week's field include Rickie Fowler (No. 63), Gary Woodland (No. 78) and Adam Scott (No. 85) ... TPC Twin Cities, which was designed by Arnold Palmer, will play host to the event for the seventh consecutive year. ... Thirty-seven players in the field also competed in The Open Championship last week, led by Chris Gotterup (3rd), Haotong Li (T4) and Wyndham Clark (T4). Li's finish earned him a spot in the 3M Open, where he will make his event debut. ... Vegas is seeking to become the first player to successfully defend at the event. ... Ole Miss senior Michael La Sasso, who won the 2025 NCAA Division I individual national championship, will make his first start on tour this season as a sponsor exemption. Meanwhile, former Oklahoma State star Preston Sout will make his PGA Tour debut. ... Lee Hodges holds the tournament scoring record of 260 set in 2023. BEST BETS: Chris Gotterup (+1800 at DraftKings) followed up his Scottish Open victory with a T3 at Royal Portrush to jump to No. 27 in the world rankings. ... Sam Burns (+1800) is among the most accomplished players in the field with five career tour victories. He nearly claimed a sixth, finishing second at the Canadian Open and holding the 54-hole lead at the U.S. Open ... Maverick McNealy (+2000) is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 18. While he has yet to win on tour, he does have six top-10s this season and tied for third here in 2024. ... Wyndham Clark (+2500) carded a final round 65 to tie for fourth at The Open. ... Taylor Pendrith (+3000) has one PGA Tour title under his belt and finished fifth here last year. NEXT TOURNAMENT: Wyndham Championship, Greensboro, N.C., July 31-Aug. 3 LPGA TOUR LAST TOURNAMENT: Evian Championship (Grace Kim) THIS WEEK: Women's Scottish Open, Gailes, Ayrshire, Scotland, July 24-27 Course: Dundonald Links (Par 72) Purse: $2M (Winner: $300,000) Defending Champion: Lauren Coughlin Race to the CME Globe leader: Jeeno Thitikul HOW TO FOLLOW TV: Thursday-Friday: 4:30-8:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday: 8 a.m.-Noon (NBC Digital); Sunday: 7-11 a.m. (NBC Digital) Streaming: NBC Sports App X: @Womens_Scottish NOTES: The event dates back to 1986 and has been co-sanctioned between the LPGA Tour and the LET starting in 2017. ... The 144-player field includes World No. 1 Nelly Korda, No. 5 Minjee Lee and England's Lottie Woad. Woad will be making her professional debut after securing the final point she needed through the LPGA Elite Amateur Pathway at the Evian Championship. ... Scotland's Hannah Darling will also make her professional debut as a sponsor exemption. ... Charley Hull is in the field after withdrawing from the Evian Championship due to an illness that saw her collapse on the tee box. NEXT TOURNAMENT: AIG Women's Open, Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan, Wales LIV GOLF LEAGUE LAST TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Andalucia (Individual: Talor Gooch; Team: Legion XIII) THIS WEEK: LIV Golf UK, United Kingdom, July 26-28 Course: JCB Golf & Country Club (Par 71, 7,276 Yards) Purse: Individual $20M (Winner: $4M); Team: $5M (Winners: $3M) Defending Champions: Individual: Jon Rahm; Team: Legion XIII Season Leaders: Individual: Joaquin Niemann; Team: Crushers GC HOW TO FOLLOW TV/Streaming: Friday-Sunday: 8:05 a.m. ET (FOX, LIV Golf Plus) X: @livgolf_league NOTES: This is the 11th of 13 events on the 2025 schedule, which will be followed by the Team Championship. ... LIV returns to the UK for the fourth consecutive year, with the JCB Golf and Country Club playing host to its second event. Six players in the field hail from England ... The field consists of 13 four-player teams competing in daily shotgun starts over 54 holes. Each team's top three scores are counted for each round. ... Niemann is the only player with multiple individual titles this season, having won four of the first 10 events, and leads the all-time LIV list with six. ... Legion XIII has won seven of its first 20 tournaments and has reached the podium five other times. NEXT TOURNAMENT: LIV Golf Chicago, Aug. 8-10 PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS LAST TOURNAMENT: Dick's Open (Steve Allen) THIS WEEK: ISPS Handa Senior Open, Berkshire, England, July 24-27 Course: Sunningdale GC (Par 70, 6,682 Yards) Purse: $TBD Defending Champion: K.J. Choi Charles Schwab Cup leader: Miguel Angel Jimenez HOW TO FOLLOW TV: Thursday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday: 8:30 a.m.-Noon (GC), Noon-2 p.m. (NBC) X: @euLegendsTour NOTES: This is the final major of the season, with the event returning to Sunningdale for the first time since 2021 when Wales' Stephen Dodd won. ... Jimenez leads the tour with four victories this year, including his second career major title. ... The 144-player field includes seven World Golf Hall of Fame members, including four-time champion Bernhard Langer and two-time Open champions Ernie Els and Padraig Harrington. NEXT TOURNAMENT: Boeing Classic, Snoqualmie, Wash., Aug. 8-10
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Letters to the Editor: Shane Lowry displayed true dignity and honesty at The Open
In a world too often clouded by conflict, ugliness, division, and noise, there are rare moments that break through like sunlight, reminding us of who we are and who we still can be. One of those moments came not from a political podium or a viral speech, but from a simple, genuine gesture on the windswept fairways of Portrush at The Open Championship and from the heart of a man many of us know not just as a golfer, but as one of our own, Shane Lowry. With pressure mounting and dreams on the line, Shane made a decision that won't earn him a trophy but will stay with many of us far longer. He called a two-stroke penalty on himself. The footage was inconclusive. He could have argued. He could have walked away. But Shane chose honour. He chose truth and the strength of choosing what is right, even when no one would blame him for doing otherwise. In doing so, he reminded the world of something far greater than sport, he reminded us of dignity. He reminded us that the soul of sport and of life lies not in winning, but in how we carry ourselves through it all. To those of us from Clara and Co Offaly, where Shane was born and raised, this act did not come as a surprise. Because Shane is Clara and Offaly through and through. He's the child of good people, the grandson of kind hearts, raised in a town where your name matters, where people care, and where values like humility, respect, compassion, and quiet strength are woven into the fabric of every family and every street. Clara is a small but deeply proud town, a place where people know your story, where values like decency, kindness, humility, and integrity are lived daily, not just spoken about. Shane carries that spirit in every swing, in every quiet moment when no one is watching, though this weekend, the world was. For those of us from Clara and Offaly, it didn't surprise us in the least. Shane didn't just show us the kind of golfer he is. He showed us the kind of man he is. And perhaps even more importantly, the kind of world we still hope for, one where character matters, where truth matters, where grace under pressure is still possible, and where doing the right thing, even when it hurts, still counts for something. And like he birdied the 15th hole moments after learning of the penalty, he carried on with grace, resilience, and courage, the weight of his values steadier than any club in his bag. Clara is a place of warmth, of hard work, of community. And Shane carries it all with him in every round, every decision, every step he takes on the world stage. He brings us with him. And in that moment of profound honesty, we saw not just a sportsman, but a reflection of everything good we still believe in. We in Clara and Offaly are proud beyond words, not only of Shane's sporting achievements, but of the countless ways he gives back: supporting families, supporting young people all over the county, lifting people in need, and remembering always where he comes from. He makes us proud not just when he's holding a trophy, but when he shows the world that character still matters. That the smallest, unseen choices often define us the most. In a time when hope can feel fragile, Shane Lowry reminded us of something enduring, that integrity still shines, that honesty and quiet courage still counts. That love for your roots, for your people, and for doing the right thing, no matter the cost is what truly defines greatness and that when everything is on the line, the most courageous swing is the one guided by truth. From all of us in Clara and Offaly, Shane, we're not just behind you cheering you on, we're beside you, always. With heartfelt love, endless pride, deep gratitude, and a few candles lit for you and your family always — keep her lit. Ronan Scully, Knocknacarra, Galway Connolly's talent is needed in the Dáil Now that Catherine Connolly TD has launched her bid for the presidency, political commentators are beside themselves with excitement. But given that it has been often said that 'a government is as good as its opposition', we must ask ourselves if it is politically wise to consign this stand-out parliamentarian to Áras an Uachtaráin. The presidency is largely a ceremonial role with minimal impact upon public policy, where the most important function is to sign whatever act of parliament is presented to them, and where they cannot address the nation or leave the country without government approval. In the Dáil, as an Independent TD free from constraints of party strategies and agendas, Ms Connolly has held the Government to account on many issues, from the provision of local health centres to the outrages currently perpetrated upon Palestinians. Almost alone she called out the national antipathy generated by our government towards those who, having assessed the available evidence together with their GP, concluded that taking the covid jab was not for them. Perhaps most memorably before the two failed referendums last year, she was one of very few public figures to call out the absence of legislative scrutiny, disingenuous claims, and the ambiguous language associated with them. We badly need Catherine Connolly's talent and skill set in the Dáil. She is too important to be confined in the Áras enclosure. Gearoid Duffy, Lee Road, Cork What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here CAP fund changes There is no doubt but that the EU's proposal to amalgamate the CAP budget with other funding, with the hint of 'benefits for all', belies a devilish plan to downgrade funding for CAP and allow Ursula von der Leyen to divert funds for other purposes, chiefly unfettered arms and military spending, without the democratic input of the good people of the EU. That's not to say increased military resources are not necessary. It's the underhand misrepresentation of the true intention and unfettered accountability that is the devil in the detail. Each of the proposed reforms of the administration of the CAP can be successfully done with the CAP budget rightly separated as it is now. Kevin T Finn, Mitchelstown, Co Cork Abortion figures The latest figures released by the Department of Health regarding the number of abortions carried out in Ireland in 2024 indicate there were 957 abortions in Co Cork alone, and a total of 10,852 abortions nationally — an average of approximately 30 each day. When the law was changed, the prevailing belief and promise in public discourse was that abortion would be a rare occurrence. However, the current trend shows a steady rise in numbers, signalling a need for deeper reflection and action. It is clear that many individuals and families are facing complex, often heart-wrenching situations. Rather than meeting these challenges solely with the availability of abortion, I believe our society must do more to provide robust social, emotional, and financial supports that empower people to choose life for their unborn babies. This means greater access to counselling, practical assistance for parents, affordable childcare, secure housing, and meaningful community networks. When women and families are equipped with real choices and comprehensive supports, they are better positioned to continue pregnancies and raise children in stability and dignity. Let us strive to be a society that not only responds to crisis pregnancies with compassion, but also with creative solutions and solidarity — ensuring that no one feels abortion is their only option. Liz O'Sullivan, Clonakilty, Co Cork What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Triple lock removal When discussing the possible re-introduction of town councils, it is noteworthy that Taoiseach Micheál Martin tells us 'democracy matters'. Would that the same logic apply when he is addressing the bill, currently before the Dáil, on the removal of the triple lock. Successive opinion polls have demonstrated the wish of the Irish people to be peacemakers, and not to be a member of a military alliance. If Mr Martin succeeds in his mission to remove the triple lock, it would remove the need for UN authorisation of overseas missions, and unlock the possibility of Irish troops going abroad on military missions at the behest of the EU. To remove the triple lock would be to further the militarisation of the EU and fly in the face of political reassurances given to voters in the Nice and Lisbon referendums, who changed their vote after the initial 'no' vote. The breach of trust is shocking and very undemocratic. Elizabeth Cullen, Kilcullen, Co Kilkenny
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bryson birdies 18, caps Open with low-tying 64
Bryson DeChambeau's remarkable turnaround at The Open Championship ended in fitting fashion, with a birdie on the 72nd hole to post a final-round 64 -- and go 16 under in his final 54 holes.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jordan Spieth Turns Heads With Strong Message on Scottie Scheffler at The Open Championship
Jordan Spieth Turns Heads With Strong Message on Scottie Scheffler at The Open Championship originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It's become increasingly clear in the golf world that the best player on the planet right now—without much debate—is 29-year-old Scottie Scheffler. For the first time in his career, Scheffler powered his way to an Open Championship victory on Sunday. With the win, he now only needs a U.S. Open title to complete the career Grand Slam. Scheffler already owns two Masters titles and captured the PGA Championship earlier this year. Following the final round, fellow PGA Tour star Jordan Spieth—who has struggled in recent years to find consistent form—shared a candid assessment of Scheffler that quickly drew attention. 'He doesn't care to be a superstar,' Spieth said. 'He's not transcending the game like Tiger [Woods] did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience, necessarily. He doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us do—corporate appearances, media, all of that. 'He just wants to get away from the game and separate the two, because I know at one time he felt it was too much, that he was taking it with him. Whenever he made that switch—don't know when it was—I think it's just a different personality from any other superstar in the modern era. I don't think anybody's like him.' Fans had mixed emotions on Spieth's comments: 'Is it just me or is there some jealousy coming through here? I might be wrong but even if asked it's not really his place to comment is it?" A fan said. Another person wrote, "So Jordan I have a great idea. Maybe, just maybe, if you want to win like Scottie does…stop doing 'corporate things?' Just an idea." Someone else added, "Interesting take on Scottie's success." "Can see how it can be seen as sour but I don't think spieth is critical of Scottie here. He's just saying how he's different," one more fan commented. Jordan Spieth found himself hovering just above the cut line after Friday's round. Entering Sunday at one-over par, he closed out the tournament on a high note with a three-under final round to finish tied for 40th at two-under overall. As for Scottie Scheffler, he entered Sunday at 14-under par with a four-shot lead—and never looked back. No competitor truly put any pressure on him throughout the day, and he ultimately finished at 17-under to secure the story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
