Paul McBride takes step closer to The Open with win in regional qualifying at The Island
There were ten spots up for grabs at The Island for the right to tee it up at Final Qualifying for Royal Portrush at one of four UK venues on July 1.
Hermitage's Rowan Lester, Royal Belfast amateur Finlay Eager, Galwayman Ronan Mullarney and Foyle's Brendan McCarroll tied for third with one-under 71s.
Rúaidhrí McGee and Finn Alex Hietala qualified with level par 72s but there was an eight-man playoff for the final two places on two-over.
In the end, Laytown and Bettystown's Alex Maguire and Royal Dublin's Niall Kearney progressed at the second tie hole.
At Frilford Heath, Kinsale's John Murphy birdied six of his last seven holes to shoot a one-under 71 before losing out in a five-man playoff for the last of nine spots.
Local Qualifying was played at 15 venues across Great Britain and Ireland for 131 spots alongside already exempt players in Final Qualifying at Burnham & Berrow, Dundonald Links, Royal Cinque Ports and West Lancashire next week.
Irish golf will have at least five players in the field at Royal Portrush in former champions Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Pádraig Harrington and LIV Golf's Tom McKibbin.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
35 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Ireland's Stacey Flood aims to hit the ground running at World Cup
Stacey Flood insists that Ireland intend to start off as they mean to go on when they get their World Cup campaign underway against Japan this Sunday. Scott Bemand's team has taken its time to get into gear through the warm-up stage with Scotland shooting into a 14-0 lead in Cork and Canada amassing a 40-7 lead a week later before their hosts in Belfast found their feet. Avoiding a repeat against a Japanese team that is targeting a repeat of their men's side's famous defeat of the Springboks in England ten years ago will be first on the agenda as the Pool C story starts to be told. "From warm-up games, you don't want to go out the blocks too early and be performing 10 out of 10 because that's what the warm-up games are for: they are to learn what you need to do, right and wrong,' said Flood. 'I feel we got what we wanted out of those games. 'We found areas that we need to improve on, and we have been improving on them in the last few days. We started slow in those games, so that's going to be a big focus of ours going into the weekend, that we put our game out there first and we start fast. "We didn't get into the Irish way enough, starting our game as soon as we get onto the field. We kind of took 20 minutes to get into the games. 'That put us on the back foot in both games and waiting for something to happen, whereas we actually have to go out and put our front foot first and make things happen for ourselves.' Japan are ranked eleventh in the world, six places below Ireland, but they have benefited as much as anyone by the increased Test schedule of recent years thanks to the advent of the three-tier WXV series. Italy, Scotland and Wales have all been pushed to the pin of their collars and a first win over the USA, an historically strong presence in the women's game that has weakened in recent years, was another boon as they look to make an imprint of RWC25. "Japan are so diligent,' said Flood, the Irish full-back. 'They might not be the biggest team, but they're so skilful and their kicks are on a T, their passes are on a T, they're really good jackal threats. 'We know what they're good at, but it's also just about bringing back to our squad and what our strengths are and not playing too much to the opposition. When you start changing for other people, you go away from your own game. We're happy with where our game is and we know what we're good at.'
Irish Daily Mirror
35 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
What time and channel is Santa Clara v Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League?
Shamrock Rovers are 180 minutes away from a return to league phase football, a year after their historic run in the Europa Conference League. Stephen Bradley's men made it all the way to the post-Christmas play-off round - and they came agonisingly close to securing an automatic spot in the last-16. The Hoops finished 10th in the 36-team league phase, and missed out on a top-eight finish on goal-difference, and they banked over €7million in UEFA prize money. Can they do that all over again? After seeing off St Joseph's of Gibraltar 4-0 on aggregate and then Kosovan side Ballkani 4-1 over two legs, they now face the team that finished fifth in the Portuguese Primeira Liga. The only teams that finished ahead of Santa Clara were Braga, Porto, Benfica and champions Sporting. But that doesn't tell the full story about the club that is based in the Azores, halfway across the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, it's been an emotional week for Rovers boss Stephen Bradley, whose son Josh's three-year battle with leukaemia came to a triumphant end when he rang the bell in Crumlin Children's Hospital on Tuesday. Here's all you need to know about Rovers' game on Sao Miguel, the biggest of the Azores islands: Where is the game being played? The 12,500 Estadio de Sao Miguel, a bowl-shaped ground high up in the hills outside Ponta Delgada, is the stage for Thursday's clash. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . What time is kick-off? The travelling Shamrock Rovers fans - around 150 are expected, including the 125 that made the club charter - should be in their seats for 7pm. For those watching from home, an hour ahead of the Azores, kick-off is 8pm Irish time. Is the game on TV? No, RTE are busy showing live coverage of Shelbourne's bid for league phase football, when they host Linfield. Can I stream the game live? Yes, Shamrock Rovers announced this week that the club secured streaming rights, with LOITV hosting the game as a PPV event for €10. Betting odds Santa Clara are favourites to win the first-leg, at odds of around 8/15, while some bookies are offering as much as 13/2 for a Shamrock Rovers win. A draw is 13/5. Team news Shamrock Rovers' new midfielder Connor Malley hurt his knee late in last week's 4-0 second-leg win over Ballkani, so he misses out. Jack Byrne once again has not been included in the squad, as the fallout from a row with manager Stephen Bradley shows no sign of letting up. Other than that, the Hoops are at full strength. Rovers boss Stephen Bradley is focused on his side's bid for progress in Europe, but he would love to see two Irish clubs competing in the league phase, with Shelbourne also in play-off action. 'Obviously I am (in a Rovers mindset), but the bigger picture is, I'd love to see two Irish teams in the group stages,' he said on the eve of the Santa Clara game. 'We were saying that the aim is to keep pushing and make the league better on and off the pitch. I think we've made great strides in that, I think we all agree. 'Everyone's played their part in that, on and off the pitch. 'But you think, where's the next step? For us on the pitch as teams, can we go and get two teams in group stages?' As for wing-back Danny Grant, he expects a tough shift on a pitch that he says is 15 yards longer than Rovers' Tallaght Stadium surface. 'It's probably one of the toughest games that I'll have, I'd say, especially looking at the pitch. It looks massive,' he said ahead of Wednesday night's training. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Ireland ace set for intriguing MLS loan move where he'll be teammates with Premier League legend
His impending move has stirred up a debate among Republic of Ireland fans MORAN TO COME Ireland ace set for intriguing MLS loan move where he'll be teammates with Premier League legend ANDREW Moran is set to join MLS outfit Los Angeles FC on loan until December. Word of the creative midfielder's imminent short-term move stateside was first reported by Football Insider. 2 He's earned three senior caps for the Boys in Green 2 Son Heung-Min swapped Spurs for LAFC over the summer Credit: Getty Still only 21, Moran doesn't appear to be making inroads at parent club Brighton. He had played in three of their four pre-season friendlies this month but has only garnered 56 minutes of competitive action since joining the Seagulls in 2021. The Dubliner spent the last two seasons out on loan with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City respectively. He clocked up 35 appearances in each of those campaigns with reports largely positive about how he's proven himself at Championship level. However, this is a left-field move if it comes to pass as the MLS is seen as a step down from the English second-flight despite it boasting plenty of ageing superstars among its playing pool. Irish fans appear to be split on whether or not it'd be the right move for him at such a critical point in his development. Kenneth groaned: "Ah that is disappointing from an Irish view, not a strong league, surely a European move would have been better." Similarly, Daragh added: "He'll get game time, but it's a pity that he isn't testing himself at a higher level." Lastly, Dean pondered: "Why would he waste a year out in the MLS at this age with the talent he has? If he hasn't had much interest I'd get it but surely he had some options on the table?" Against that sentiment though, others offered a more glass half-full perspective on Moran seeming bound for California. Arsenal set to hijack Tottenham's move for Crystal Palace forward Eberechi Eze Sean replied: "That's a mad, mad take. MLS is a better standard than Scotland/Championship and some of our starters play in those leagues." And someone else chimed in with: "This is a national team that regularly calls up Will Smallbone and had Killian Phillips and John Patrick in the last squad. "If this is killing his chances of getting into the squad then we have a serious problem with how we view the level these players play at."
