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Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
The Open: Rory McIlroy looking to go low among early starters as player slates management of round one
3 minutes ago Four-way tie for the lead Overnight leader Christiaan Bezuidenhout nearly pushed his opening tee shot out of bounds on the first hole at Royal Portrush and that precedes an opening bogey for the South African, a thick lie in the rough off that tee shot meaning he can only hack it short of the green and then he fails to make up-and-down, leaving his putt both short and left. Bezuidenhout drops to -3. And then there were four. At four. Under, that is. 8 minutes ago Adam McKendry Rory is here He's just been spotted entering the premises with his manager Niall O'Connor, formerly of Ulster Rugby fame, and he greets coach Michael Bannon with a warm handshake before entering the Players' Clubhouse beside the main Royal Portrush clubhouse. 32 minutes ago Gareth Hanna The fifth green is on Rickie Fowler and amateur Ethan Fang, who's -2 for his opening four and +2 for the week - have both smashed their drives onto the middle of the green at the 382-yard, downhill par four. The breeze is behind again there today - making it an exciting place to watch. 42 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Who to watch early on Friday If you're just arriving at the course for Friday's play, there are plenty of big names out there. Rickie Fowler is out playing the picturesque fifth. He's one over par for the day - one under for the week - after bogey on the par three third. And Garcia is in the group behind on four, having returned to level par for the week with a bounce back birdie at the second. Following them is Matt Wallace, Matt Wallace, opening his day with two pars to stay +2. 56 minutes ago Sure Portrush is easy There's a whopping FIVE players under-par this morning in the nine groups on the course (for those struggling with the maths, that's 27 players). Amateur champion Ethan Fang is the best on the course right now as he's put together back-to-back birdies at the second and third to reach two-under for the day and back to two-over for the tournament. 59 minutes ago Player slates opening round time management Scottish player Daniel Young finished late last night in front of a handful of fans left in the grandstand, watching on in the dusk. There was even a Scottish flag draped over the edge of the stand for his arrival at the green. But it all coming almost six hours after he teed off at the first, left him ticked off as he signed for a four over 75. He said: "There was another group behind us as well. I think it's one of those where they just want your round. When it's taking six hours as well, it's pretty rough. I don't know, there was no refs talking to anybody I think about pace of play and stuff, which is probably disappointing, why it's taking six hours I guess. It's one of those things. I don't know what to say. None of us saw any of the tee shots on 18 there. Yeah, there was nobody. Yeah, pretty disappointed, a bit deflated at the minute, to be honest." Today 06:54 AM Friday weather forecast Bring your umbrellas folks, it's going to be another wet one. Fortunately the weather is due to improve on Saturday and Sunday. Gareth Hanna Tough start for Sergio The Spaniard had got in and one under par yesterday but it's a nightmare opening hole as he cards a double bogey six to plunge the wrong side of par for the tournament. Again the problem was missing the fairway to the left. Then he found the troublesome front pot bunker and with the flag back left, it's a long shot out of the sand. He couldn't find the green from there, or get up and down with his chip. Half a dozen. Today 06:45 AM Gareth Hanna The one for the nerds: Friday's pin positions Today 06:41 AM Some breaking news... How about this for exciting new golf course plans! Northern Ireland set for first new links golf course in a century as Galgorm reveals £30m development plans Northern Ireland is in line for the creation of its first new links golf course in over a century after the Galgorm Collection announced plans to develop a new site in Bellarena. Today 06:33 AM Adam McKendry First bogey of the day For Johnson, I mean. There have been bogeys elsewhere. The two-time Major winner drops a shot on the par-five second and returns to one-under-par. It's the hope that kills ye. Quoted message Today 06:17 AM Adam McKendry First birdie of the day It goes to former American Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who picks up a shot on the par-four first and moves to -2, two back of the lead. We always see someone go low in the first couple of groups in any golf tournament - could the 2015 Open champion be that guy today? Today 06:17 AM Adam McKendry First birdie of the day It goes to former American Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson, who picks up a shot on the par-four first and moves to -2, two back of the lead. We always see someone go low in the first couple of groups in any golf tournament - could the 2015 Open champion be that guy today? Today 05:55 AM Tom McKibbin pup-date It's not an on-course update for the Newtownabbey man, who opened with a one-over 72 in the first group on the course on Thursday and doesn't tee off until 11.26am today, but rather an off-the-course one as he did something rather special with Dogs Trust in Ballymena - check this out! NI golfer offers home to abandoned pup named after him Northern Ireland golfer and Open player Tom McKibbin has offered to take in an abandoned pup named after him. Today 05:44 AM Adam McKendry What does the cut line look like? It's only the top-70 and ties who make it into the weekend at Royal Portrush and at the end of play on Thursday the 70th-placed player in the field was at +2. The pin positions don't look to be as tricky today, so if I was to hazard a guess I would say the cut line will be around that mark or might creep up to +3. But we'll get a much better sense once we see how the course is playing. Today 05:36 AM We are under way! Our first group are out on the course already, 2009 champion Stewart Cink hitting the first tee shot of the second round to officially begin day two at The Open Championship! Good drive it was, too. Right down the middle. Today 05:31 AM Good morning! Ready for some more? We are back at Royal Portrush for the second round of The Open Championship with plenty of action to bring you over the course of the next 15 hours, with plenty of storylines to follow on the Dunluce Links in this morning wave! Can Rory McIlroy (10.09am) go low and move up the leaderboard? Can Bryson DeChambeau (9.47am) rebound from yesterday's 78 and potentially stick around for the weekend? Will either Christiaan Bezuidenhout (8.36am) or Harris English (10.20am), the only two overnight leaders out early, set a low target for the later starters to reach? Strap in, we're about to find out! Yesterday 08:32 PM Gareth Hanna Pick your fighter: Jason Day vs Barra Best Australian golfer competing at The Open brands NI climate 'craziest' he's seen, prompting response from Barra Best An Australian golfer competing at The Open in Portrush has expressed his surprise at the unpredictable climate in Northern Ireland, calling it the 'craziest' he's 'ever experienced.' Yesterday 08:25 PM Gareth Hanna Steven Beacom on day one: Rory's an emotional rollercoaster Rory McIlroy delivers an emotional rollercoaster on day one at The Open… and he's given himself a chance Rory McIlroy is on that emotional rollercoaster again. Yesterday 08:20 PM What Rory said after an opening one-under 70 On his round: "It was good. I had it going at three-under thru 10 and let a few slip there around the middle of the round. Steadied the ship and it was nice to shoot under par. Once we turned for home the wind picked up and it became more difficult. Tough enough day, so to shoot under par was great." The support:"Absolutely incredible. I feel the support of the entire country out there which is an incredible position to be in but you also don't want to let them down. It feels better than six years ago. I'm surprised four under is leading, I thought someone would go out and shoot five or six under." Difference on 1 tee this time:"I knew what to expect, it wasn't new to me but knowing what it was like was helpful. I didn't feel like I was walking into the unknown like last time, this time I had a better idea of what was coming to me." Importance of the putt on 15:"It was a big putt, especially having bogeyed three of the last four at that point. It was a huge putt to keep the momentum I had and then playing the last three holes under par was great." Load more Live Blog Software
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ulster's home ground to be renamed Affidea Stadium
Ulster Rugby's home ground has been renamed the Affidea Stadium after a "long-term" sponsorship agreement with the healthcare Belfast ground, originally known as Ravenhill, had been called Kingspan Stadium since Ulster statement said the new deal will provide "a strong platform to invest in the development of players, facilities and fan experience"."Together, we will continue to invest in elite and grassroots rugby, and we look forward to seeing the Affidea Stadium become a beacon for sport and community pride in Ulster," said the province's chief executive officer Hugh 11-year naming rights deal with construction firm Kingspan concluded at the end of last month, while the association went back to commercial relationship with the Cavan-based company had been questioned in the wake of the firm's links to the Grenfell Tower people died in the fire in London in 2017 and Kingspan's business practices were criticised during an company, however, said its products made up only 5% of the insulation at Grenfell and that they were used without its recommendation.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ulster Rugby: Kingspan Stadium in Belfast will have a new name soon
The home of Ulster Rugby in Belfast will no longer be called the Kingspan 11-year deal with the Irish firm ran out at the end of June and a new sponsor has been Rugby say they will reveal the new name of the stadium "over the coming weeks".Ulster's commercial relationship with Cavan-based Kingspan was criticised by the government. They previously called for Ulster Rugby to reconsider its association with the firm over its link to the Grenfell Tower was announced last year that the long-running commercial relationship would end in June Rugby confirmed on Tuesday on its website that it had "started a removal process of the Kingspan branding within and around the stadium, having now concluded the sponsorship".It added: "In conjunction with our new partner, we will be making an announcement over the coming weeks."There is extensive Kingspan branding at the stadium, previously known as Tuesday evening, the name was still above the turnstiles and at the side of the main stand. Road signs showing directions to 'Kingspan Stadium' were also in place. Grenfell fire Seventy-two people died in the Grenfell Tower fire in west London in an inquiry, Kingspan's business practices were the company said its products made up only 5% of the insulation at Grenfell and were used without its has been a sponsor of Ulster for more than 20 years. The naming rights deal dates back to 2014. The firm has also had its name on the team a disappointing 2024-2025 season, Ulster are preparing for next season with their first league match at the newly-named stadium due to take place on 26 September against the Welsh side Dragons RFC.
Belfast Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Pupils to step into Lions' den as rugby heroes invite Antrim primary school to join training
The Lions will be in Ireland for a warm-up game against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night, and the rugby playing boys and girls from Moorfields Primary outside Kells will be among four schools — once from each Irish province — to be given unique access to the players at their UCD training camp. Their journey to Dublin began back in May when the players from Moorfields PS took part in a local schools tournament at Coleraine RFC, though principal Mark Beattie never imagined that was to start them on the road to a session alongside some of the biggest star names in the sport. 'The children played really well, won all their games and were lucky enough to be invited along to play in a schools tournament on the hallowed turf of the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast,' he explained. 'We thought that was exciting enough!' So impressed with the attitude shown and skills on display from the pupils on their trip to the Kingspan, the team was then invited to represent Ulster at the special training session being hosted by the British and Irish Lions. 'We were particularly delighted that the staff at Ulster Rugby selected our school for the excellent attitude of the pupils on the pitch, their sportsmanship, conduct and the manner in which they were coached positively and encouragingly,' said Mr Beattie. 'The children are extremely excited to have been given this incredible opportunity. One or two of them were actually in tears when we told them the news. It's a wonderful reward for their sporting success, but more importantly for their competitive and sportsmanlike attitude as they have met other schools in the tournaments. News Catch Up - Tuesday 17th June Mr Beattie believes the trip to Dublin can further inspire his pupils. 'How can invitations to take part in events like this not? There's the chance to meet and greet elite athletes at the top of their profession, engage with them, see the routines and dedication they have in their sport to reach the top level, and you can't get any higher in the sport than the Lions. 'The chance to join in with these elite athletes at the pinnacle of their careers has the excitement in school hitting record levels. We have to say a big thank you to Ulster Rugby and The Lions for making this possible.' The school's contact rugby team will be joined by their tag rugby players, with 17 pupils making the trip to Dublin. 'It'll be an early start,' said Mr Beattie. 'We'll be on the road from 6.15am, but it will be an experience none of us, staff included, will ever forget. And it's the perfect way for some of our P7 pupils who will be heading off to new schools from September to round off their time with us.' Among the staff heading to Dublin will be the school's PE teacher Sandra Clements, though she did admit the visit almost didn't happen. 'I missed the phone-call,' she said. 'We spent all weekend wondering what we'd done for Ulster Rugby to be contacting us! When we finally did get in touch there was a mix of shock, excitement, disbelief and a few nerves as well. 'When our boys and girls step onto the pitch with the British and Irish Lions that experience will never leave them and their memories of the day Moorfields Primary school trained with the Lions will be unforgettable.' Parent Jonny Smyth has been one of the willing volunteers helping out with the rugby players during the year. 'I was asked to help coach the Moorfields PS rugby team back in April as Mrs Clements was keen to give the children who played club rugby an opportunity to be involved in school rugby,' he said. 'It has been a total privilege to coach these children, my own daughter included! The children have been really easy to coach, we have a few real natural athletes and a few who are so keen to learn but the common factor is that they all have such a good attitude to sport. 'The way the children played, showed respect, listened to the referee and said thank you to everyone at the Ulster Rugby festival really captured all that is good about rugby and I couldn't be prouder of this group.' One of the rugby playing pupils at Moorfields, Saul, knows exactly who he's looking forward to meeting. 'My favourite Ireland rugby players are Bundee Aki and James Lowe. I am really excited about meeting players like this and getting some advice from them about my rugby,' he revealed.
The 42
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Niall Annett leaving Bath to take up coaching job with Ulster
NIALL ANNETT IS leaving Bath to take up a coaching role with Ulster, his home province. The 34-year-old hooker began his career with Ulster in 2011 before moving to Worcester Warriors in 2014. Annett, a former captain of the Ireland U20 team, joined Bath from Worcester in 2022 and has made 23 appearances this season. He came off the bench in the final quarter this month when Bath beat Lyon in the Champions Cup final. Advertisement Annett, as well as provincial pathway coach Jonathon Graham, have been appointed as Ulster's new elite player development officers. Both Annett and Graham will focus on developing forwards, with Annett specialising in set piece work and scrummaging, according to Ulster. In 2021 Annett completed the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award, the highest qualification achievable while playing professionally. Bath's head of rugby Johann van Graan said: 'I first met Niall on his podcast, and he made an immediate impression on me. 'Niall joined our journey on day one, July 11, 2022, and has made a massive contribution across the last three years on and off the field. 'He is tough to beat, and he will make a fantastic coach. Niall is a family man, and I wish them the very best.' Annett said: 'The Rec will always hold a special place in our hearts. Claire and I came here with a little baby girl, and now we're leaving with a little woman (with a lovely English accent) and as a family will have memories that will last a lifetime. 'To all the players, staff, and everyone behind the scenes – thanks so much. It's been a pleasure being part of the club. I've loved every minute. 'We as a family are very excited to be coming back home to Belfast and starting a new chapter with Ulster Rugby. 'I've had some brilliant playing experiences and been part of some great clubs in my playing career and I'm now eager to apply that knowledge into coaching and challenge myself. 'I'm excited to work alongside all the quality existing coaches and players and help develop talent throughout Ulster Rugby.'
