Rory McIlroy makes strong start on day three to climb The Open leaderboard
He was true to his word with a brilliant 36-foot curling putt at the first, made possible by hitting the opening fairway for the first time this week, and his longest putt of the week produced a determined but understated clenched fist celebration.
Rory's in red.
He's away with a birdie on the 1st. pic.twitter.com/CBtyjvZ2mx
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025
The Masters champion has the power to reach the 575-yard second into the wind in two and duly did so with an approach to 27ft from the right rough.
He could not hole his eagle attempt but settled for a birdie, with a brilliant approach to seven feet at the par-four fourth gaining him another shot to get within four of 10-under leader Scheffler, who had still to take to the course alongside England's Matt Fitzpatrick.
Up ahead of him, Russell Henley was putting together a decent round with five birdies and an eagle, with only one bogey, through 12 holes to also get to six under.
Magic on 13.
It's a hole-in-one for John Parry. pic.twitter.com/uNw5j9JMyP
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 19, 2025
Former US Open champion Wyndham Clark shot a five-under-par 66 to get himself to five under.
The highlight of Yorkshireman John Parry's day was holing a 199-yard eight iron for an ace at the 13th in a round of 67 which saw him finish three under.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
14 minutes ago
- BBC News
An Open to remember - 18 photos from Royal Portrush
Four days and 267 shots later, Scottie Scheffler completed the third part of his Grand Slam quest as he dominated The Open at Royal Scheffler's brilliance, the scenic views and, of course, Rory McIlroy mania, it was a week to honour of the famous links course, here are 18 of the best photos from a memorable week in Northern Ireland. Before the golfers' attentions turned to the course, signer and golf fanatic Niall Horan joined several players for a chip-in challenge down at Portrush by the reactions here I think he was pretty close. Scottie Scheffler made headlines before the Open had even started when he said professional golf was "not a fulfilling life" and questioned "the point" of pursuing victories when that euphoria lasts a couple of minutes.I'm sure he was questioning "what's the point?" when he was standing getting hammered by rain at the start of the week, when Northern Ireland was getting hit by four seasons in one well that ends well, however. Tunnel vision for Bryson American was one of the most popular players throughout the week and, after a horrendous opening round of seven over, he put on a clinic with rounds of 65, 68 and 64 to finish on nine under and tied for 10th an entertaining man to watch. Rory mania was in full flow at Royal Portrush as fans - both young and old - hunted McIlroy down for an autograph or a glimpse of the local hero. It was a 06:30 BST start on Thursday, but the crowds still came out in force to watch Padraig Harrington hit the opening tee shot at the two-time Open champion did not make the cut but his 'scientific' comments about Portrush having the best 99 ice creams on the Open rota were one of the most memorable moments of the week. Golfers, spectators and media all became weather experts throughout the week as the skies dominated Fleetwood was one of those to toil on a wet and wild opening day, but he would recover to seven under for the it would clear up for the final two days. Xander Schauffele had a strong week in Northern Ireland but didn't have enough to defend his Open title from Royal Troon 12 months ago. Here, he takes some Portrush turf with him as the wet and windy weather made things tricky in the opening two rounds. Is this the best view in golf? It must be a great feeling hitting a shot into the colosseum of the 18th hole at Royal Portrush. The sun certainly helps too. Here, Bob MacIntyre unloads a ball towards the green. The Scot was one of the most popular players on the course during the week. It quickly became a tradition that dozens of young fans would make that way to the players' exit from the 18th green to try and catch a you can see, it became quite competitive. After a two-stroke penalty on Friday that dropped him out of contention, Shane Lowry might have needed a guiding light to battle his way into the this the photo of the entire week? Quite possibly. Li Haotong - once dubbed the most handsome man in China - takes in what could be the most handsome view on the golf a clear day, you can see along the coast for several miles and take in the golden, sandy beach below. It went that way! On the picturesque sixth hole, with 'the most famous bench in golf' in the background, spectators look in the evening sun as Matthew Fitzpatrick hits his tee shot in the third round. Forget 'Where's Wally?'. The Open was a case of 'Where's Rory?' as the crowds followed him everywhere he went. His Saturday round, including his eagle put on the 12th, will live long in the memory of those watching. Now, this is Fitzpatrick's approach to lining up a put caught a lot of attention in that, or he's trying to get as close as possible to Scottie Scheffler. We wouldn't blame him. Do you ever feel like someone is watching? Thousands of fans followed Rory McIlroy through his final two rounds from first hole to last. It was an emotional farewell to Royal Portrush from McIlroy's home support as he received a standing ovation as he walked onto the 18th green. It wasn't to be for the Masters champion, but he banished the memories of 2019. In an adorable moment, and not without a couple of tumbles on the way, Scheffler's son, Bennett, made his way onto the green after his dad had been handed the Claret Jug.
Daily Mirror
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Scottie Scheffler calls Tiger Woods debate 'a bit silly' after matching 1,197 day feat
Scottie Scheffler has laughed off comparisons with him and Tiger Woods despite winning the Open in dominant fashion at Royal Portrush, leading to an incredible statistic he shares with the golfing legend Scottie Scheffler claimed comparisons with him and Tiger Woods were "a bit silly" after he claimed his fourth Major by winning the Open in dominant fashion at Royal Portrush. A stellar round on Friday had put the American in pole position to win the Claret Jug and he made no mistake over the weekend, eventually winning by four shots. He finished on -17 with his eight under round 64 on the second day seeing him pull away from the field, who couldn't catch him. Scheffler's first Open title also compliments the two Masters he's won as well as the PGA Championship he landed earlier this year, further cementing his status as the world's best player. The American's triumph at Royal Portrush also prompted numerous comparisons with Woods. Incredibly the gap between their first and fourth majors is the exact same time period, to the day. Woods first major win at the Masters in 1997 and his fourth major at the Open in 2000 were 1,197 days apart. That is the same time separating Scheffler's Masters win in 2022 and his Open success just over three years later. Despite that though the Claret Jug winner was dismissing the notion that he could emulate the 15-time Major winner. He said: 'I still think they're (the comparisons) a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf. He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf.' Woods still competes in Majors but hasn't claimed one since he won the Masters in 2019 and few expect him to add to his haul. Not since he was at his peak has the golfing world seen such dominance before Scheffler's recent rise. Last year's Open winner Xander Schauffele, who finished seven shots off Scheffler, admits they thought the days of Woods-type domination were over but his fellow American is now replicating it. He said: 'I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger [Woods] come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance. You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now. He's a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard it sucks for us.' Scheffler had made headlines before the tournament began on Thursday where he opened up on a personal struggle when it came to motivation, claiming that golf was "not a fulfilling life." Despite being one tournament away from the Career Slam he asked: "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 because, if I win, it's going to be awesome for two minutes."
Telegraph
44 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Scottie Scheffler is a human cyborg but he is good for golf
Scottie Scheffler annihilated the opposition, and then turned his focus on the media. 'I think we live now in a day and age where clickbait is kind of what people look for,' the American observed in his press conference, shortly after winning the 153rd Open at Portrush by four strokes. 'You can shorten a five-minute clip into three words. I think it really underestimates what I was trying to communicate. Maybe I didn't do as effective of a job as I hoped to in communicating that.' The American was referring, of course, to the pre-tournament press conference he gave last Monday, which made headlines around the world. In it, the world No 1 confessed to feeling a certain amount of existential angst, saying golf was ' not a fulfilling life ' and that he was 'not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what's the point?' Scheffler was accused in some quarters of being disrespectful to the game which had made him a millionaire. So disrespectful, in fact, that in some eyes he was not good for the game of golf. Was it not enough that he bludgeoned his opponents into submission with remorselessly consistent golf from the gods, he had to then say that he did not really care about it? Well, on the first point, there is no denying it. Scheffler is playing golf from the gods. His fellow professionals can see it and they acknowledge it. As Rory McIlroy observed, following his third-round 66, when asked to assess his chances of overhauling Scheffler from six shots behind: 'Scottie Scheffler is… inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes.' So it proved on Sunday. McIlroy's only hope of victory was to get out of the traps quickly and put some scoreboard pressure on Scheffler. But in the end, it was the American who landed the first blow with a birdie on his opening hole. It sent Scheffler seven shots clear of the local hero and sucked the air right out of Portrush. Game over. Scheffler has now closed out 10 straight 54-hole leads. He is, as McIlroy said, inevitable. Like the T1000, the shape-shifting Terminator cyborg who cannot be killed off, the world No 1 just keeps on coming. It was no surprise to hear all the comparisons with Tiger Woods afterwards. 'I never thought in my lifetime I'd see a player as close to Tiger as this man currently is,' said veteran caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay, who worked with Phil Mickelson for 25 years and saw Woods' dominance up close. 'Honestly, I think if Scottie's feet stayed stable, and his swing looked like Adam Scott's, we'd be talking about him in the same breath as Tiger Woods,' Shane Lowry agreed. Scottie Scheffler darts in another approach shot 🔥 — Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) July 20, 2025 But there is no denying just how good Scheffler is. Whether he is good for the game golf is more difficult to answer, but there is no reason on earth he should be shot down for what he said on Monday. Scheffler was not being disrespectful to the game. He admitted in that same press conference that he was 'living out his dreams' playing professional golf and that it brought 'tears to his eyes' just thinking about the chance to deliver on the years of hard graft he had put in. Nor did he say he did not want to inspire the next generation. He said he was not doing it to inspire the next generation. There is a big difference. The point Scheffler was trying to make – and which he repeated on Sunday in the wake of his dominant win – was that there was more to life than golf. Scheffler is a devout Christian. He is a husband and a father. What he was saying was that his God and his family were more important to him than the game, and that he struggled to reconcile the contradiction of working so hard at something which only gave him such fleeting highs. There is nothing wrong with any of that. Scheffler cares deeply about the game. You could see the emotion in him when he went to celebrate with his wife and son Bennett on the 18th green on Sunday. Scheffler is great for the game. Ok, he is not the most exciting player on earth. He does not have a highlights reel like Tiger or Rory. He is not a sexy golfer in that sense – as much as he might look like a bearded Elvis Presley. That's fine. There is room for all types in the game. What he is is a decent human being. Jordan Spieth, who has known Scheffler since he broke through as a junior, reckons he might be unique in not courting publicity or attention. 'Scottie doesn't care to be a superstar,' he said. 'He's not transcending the game like Tiger 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, corporately, anything like that. I'm thinking about so many other sports, and Nikola Jokic is the only guy I can think of that's a superstar that's equally unassuming in any sport in the modern era.' 🚨🗣️⛳️ #NEW — Spieth on Scheffler: "He doesn't care to be a superstar. He's not transcending the game like Tiger did. He's not bringing it to a non-golf audience necessarily… doesn't want to go do the stuff that a lot of us go do…" (Via @GOLF_com) — NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 20, 2025 But don't take it from Spieth. McIlroy, Scheffler's vanquished opponent, agreed wholeheartedly. 'He is the bar that we're all trying to get to,' McIlroy admitted. 'And yeah, he's a very worthy winner. Also, he's a great person, and I think he's a wonderful ambassador for our game as well. I'm really happy for him and Meredith and his family.'
