‘Everything is in a really good spot' – Rory McIlroy feels ready for Royal Portrush tilt after going close at Scottish Open
The world No 2 went into the final four tied for the lead with Chris Gotterup, but while the American (25) won their duel, carding a four-under 66 to McIlroy's 68 to clinch one of three spots in the field this week, McIlroy could only see the positives.
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The Irish Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside the feud between golf rivals Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau as pair fight for The Open at Royal Portrush
THE simmering feud between golf rivals Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau is about to be turned up at this week's Open. The superstars from opposite sides of the Atlantic are set to collide on the course at Royal Portrush. Advertisement 5 Bryson DeChambeau is gunning for the Claret Jug Credit: Reuters 5 Rory McIlroy is one of the favourites for The Open Credit: Shutterstock Editorial And with the Ryder Cup in New York fast approaching this autumn , there will be more fireworks to come. The rivalry has yet to explode into all-out animosity. But there is a growing sense of tension between the two protagonists - USA v Europe; the PGA Tour v LIV Golf; the artist v the scientist. The friction first became apparent during the US Open last year, when McIlroy's dramatic collapse over the closing holes opened the door for DeChambeau to win. The man from Northern Ireland reportedly left the course without stopping to congratulate DeChambeau, only doing so on Instagram a day later. Advertisement read more in golf Things soured even further in December last year, when they met in Las Vegas for the Showdown, which saw McIlroy team up with PGA Tour , to take on DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka from LIV. The pair met on the range before the event and McIlroy told a TV crew: 'I'd like to go up against Bryson and try to get him back for what he did to me at the US Open.' And DeChambeau replied: 'Well, to be fair, you kinda did it to yourself.' McIlroy is thought to have been upset by the quip, which was considered cruel. Advertisement Most read in Golf BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The duo then played alongside together in the last pairing of the final round of the Masters in April this year. McIlroy famously won in a play-off over history . DeChambeau later gave a sparky response when asked how Rory had coped, saying: 'No idea, he didn't talk to me once all day.' Advertisement McIlroy later fired back: 'I don't know what he was expecting. We're trying to win the Masters. I'm not going to try to be his best mate out there.' Rory McIlroy explains haircut at Scottish Open Their rivalry is not yet up there with Ali v Frazier, but it is not going away. The two are both among the richest and most successful stars of their sport. McIlroy's Masters triumph completed the Grand Slam of all four majors and took him to 44 professional wins, including five major championships. Advertisement DeChambeau has managed 14 professional victories, which includes two major titles. 5 McIlroy filed for divorce after seven years with Erica Credit: Getty Images - Getty 5 McIlroy won the Masters after a whirlwind 12 months that saw him call off his divorce from wife Erica Stoll Credit: Getty As a result of their achievements on the course, McIlroy's net worth is estimated to £260m, while DeChambeau has around £145m. Advertisement McIlroy owns multiple luxurious properties the world, including a Florida mansion, a house in La Quinta, California mansion, an estate in Northern Ireland , and apartments in New York and Dubai . He also has a new mansion being custom made on the exclusive Wentworth estate in Surrey . Inside Rory McIlroy's whirlwind love life RORY MCILROY enjoyed a high-profile romance with former tennis world number one Caroline Wozniacki before their split in 2014. The following year, the golf ace began dating Erica Stoll, who he had first met on the PGA Tour in 2011. Erica often interacted with players through her role as the PGA's manager of championship volunteer operations. She even prevented McIlroy from missing his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup after some confusion over the time zone. The incident began a firm friendship between the pair, four years before their relationship turned romantic. McIlroy and Erica were spotted on a string of dates in Rochester, New York, in the early days of their relationship. Just eight months later, the couple got engaged in Paris and walked down the aisle at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017. The pair then welcomed daughter Poppy into the world three years later. Throughout their time together, McIlroy and Erica have kept their relationship to themselves, with the golfer keen to protect his family from the cameras during filming of Netflix's Full Swing documentary series. However, after seven years of marriage, McIlroy filed for divorce from Erica. The reasons for the divorce were not disclosed, but the Northern Irishman submitted documents to a court in Florida. However, a few weeks later, performed a U-turn on their decision to divorce. McIlroy told the outlet: "Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.' DeChambeau recently sold his swanky mansion in Texas to move into another in the same area. He is rumoured to be dating Lilia Schneider, a college golfer from ndianapolis. They have been pictured sharing a buggy at a LIV event. Advertisement DeChambeau had previously dated another college golfer, Hunter Nugent, but she revealed that they had parted in 2022 and that Schneider was now with the American. He also used to date swimwear line with La Isla for a 'large cup' bikini wearer. 5 Sophia Phalen Bertolami launched a range of bikinis Credit: Instagram @sophiaandstella McIlroy's love life is equally complicated. Advertisement Last year his marriage to wife Erica Stoll looked to be over as they prepared to divorce , before a surprise change of heart and Before that, he spent three years with Danish tennis beauty In 2014, McIlroy was romantically linked with Meghan Markle, before she married Prince Harry. The pair flirted in a video shared on social media, as he helped her take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge, a viral trend adopted by many celebs to raise money for ALS. Advertisement Who are golf's most famous Wags? The world's top golfers enjoy an incredible lifestyle - and their Wags lead thrilling lives of their own. Here are some of the most high-profile beauties... This The A Master golfer raced home from his most recent triumph to be by his wife's side as she gave birth to their first child. An athlete who A Playing off a handicap of three, this This A
Irish Independent
28 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Open tee-off times: Two-time champion Pádraig Harrington starts first at Portrush on Thursday with rookie Tom McKibbin
After Darren Clarke got the honour in 2019, 2007 and 2008 champion Harrington will hit the first tee shot at 6:35am this week, insisting he will be 'posing no matter where the ball goes". Northern Ireland native McKibbin (22) will be third off the tee in just his second appearance in The Open. 'I'm relishing it big time,' McKibbin said of his fourth major start. 'I experienced it a little bit at the Irish Open. But I think this will be even bigger. 'It's just super cool to see people cheering you on and shouting your name. It takes you aback a little bit from where I wasn't even a pro and when I was last here. So to be here and playing and having the crowd supporting is awesome.' Clarke will tee off with American Davis Riley and Australia's Lucas Herbert at 7:52am, but there's also a stellar draw for 2019 champion Shane Lowry alongside world number one Scottie Scheffler and 2021 winner Collin Morikawa at 10:09am. Rory McIlroy is one of the big favourites to win this week will go off with Justin Thomas and 2019 runner-up Tommy Fleetwood at 3:10pm. Defending champion Xander Schauffele will go out just ahead of Lowry at 9:58am, with US Open champion JJ Spaun and fancied Spaniard Jon Rahm. Tee-times for first round of The Open 6.35: Pádraig Harrington (Ire), Nicolai Hojgaard (Den), Tom McKibbin (NI) 6.46: KJ Choi (Kor), Guido Migliozzi (Ita), Louis Oosthuizen (SA) 6.57: Justin Hastings (Cay)*, Marco Penge (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus) 7.08: Jason Day (Aus), Jacob Skov Olesen (Den), Taylor Pendrith (Can) ADVERTISEMENT 7.19: Phil Mickelson (US), Ryan Peake (Aus), Daniel van Tonder (SA) 7.30: Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Max Greyserman (US), Niklas Noergaard (Den) 7.41: Dustin Johnson (US), Haotong Li (Chn), Jordan Smith (Eng) 7.52: Darren Clarke (NI), Lucas Herbert (Aus), Davis Riley (US) 8.03: Mikiya Akutsu (Jpn), Julien Guerrier (Fra), Chun-An Yu (Tai) 8.14: Thomas Detry (Bel), Chris Gotterup (US), Lee Westwood (Eng) 8.25: Patrick Cantlay (US), Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Cameron Young (US) 8.36: Filip Jakubcik (Cze)*, Matthew Jordan (Eng), Thorbjorn Olesen (Den) 8.47: Stephan Jaeger (Ger), Sebastian Soederberg (Swe), Henrik Stenson (Swe) 9.03: Martin Couvra (Fra), Kristoffer Reitan (Nor), Adrien Saddier (Fra) 9.14: Takumi Kanaya (Jpn), Bryan Newman (SA)*, Justin Walters (SA) 9.25: Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Ryan Fox (NZ), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn) 9.36: Akshay Bhatia (US), Ben Griffin (US), Sepp Straka (Aut) 9.47: Sam Burns (US), Brooks Koepka (US), Aldrich Potgieter (SA) 9.58: Jon Rahm (Spa), Xander Schauffele (US), JJ Spaun (US) 10.09: Shane Lowry (Ire), Collin Morikawa (US), Scottie Scheffler (US) 10.20: Wyndham Clark (US), Corey Conners (Can), Tom Hoge (US) 10.31: Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Denny McCarthy (US), Patrick Reed (US) 10.42: Ryggs Johnston (US), Matthias Schmid (Ger), Richard Teder (Est)* 10.53: John Axelsen (Den), Darren Fichardt (SA), Dylan Naidoo (SA) 11.04: Oliver Lindell (Fin), Jesper Sandborg (Swe), Justin Suh (US) 11.15: Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha), Riki Kawamoto (Jpn), Sampson Zheng (Chn) 11.26: Stewart Cink (US), Marc Leishman (Aus), Matteo Manassero (Ita) 11.47: Connor Graham (Sco)*, Francesco Molinari (Ita), Jesper Svensson (Swe) 11.58: Daniel Brown (Eng), Daniel Hillier (NZ), Zach Johnson (US) 12.09: Ethan Fang (US)*, Rickie Fowler (US), Adam Scott (Aus) 12.20: Laurie Canter (Eng), Sergio Garcia (Spa), Elvis Smylie (Aus) 12.31: Andrew Novak (US), Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Matt Wallace (Eng) 12.42: Dean Burmester (SA), Rikuya Hoshino (Jpn), Davis Thompson (US) 12.53: Sebastian Cave (Eng)*, Shugo Imahira (Jpn), Si-Woo Kim (Kor) 13.04: Bud Cauley (US), Michael Kim (US), John Parry (Eng) 13.15: Angel Hidalgo (Spa), Matt McCarty (US), Shaun Norris (SA) 13.26: Daniel Berger (US), Keegan Bradley (US), Sung-Jae Im (Kor) 13.37: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (SA), Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Romain Langasque (Fra) 13.48: Harry Hall (Eng), Aaron Rai (Eng), Sahith Theegala (US) 14.04: Thriston Lawrence (SA), Justin Leonard (US), Antoine Rozner (Fra) 14.15: Chris Kirk (US), Carlos Ortiz (Mex), JT Poston (US) 14.26: Brian Harman (US), Maverick McNealy (US), Joaquin Niemann (Chi) 14.37: Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Russell Henley (US), Min-Woo Lee (Aus) 14.48: Bryson DeChambeau (US), Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Justin Rose (Eng) 14.59: Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Viktor Hovland (Nor), Jordan Spieth (US) 15.10: Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Rory McIlroy (NI), Justin Thomas (US) 15.21: Harris English (US), Tony Finau (US), Nick Taylor (Can) 15.32: Lucas Glover (US), Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 15.43: Brian Campbell (US), John Catlin (US), Frazer Jones (Eng)* 15.54: Cameron Adam (Sco)*, Nathan Kimsey (Eng), Jason Kokrak (US) 16.05: Curtis Knipes (Eng), Curtis Luck (Aus), Daniel Young (Sco) 16.16: George Bloor (Eng), OJ Farrell (Eng), Young-Han Song (Kor) * denotes amateur
The Irish Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
The Open make major broadcast change with never-seen-before live TV feature to delight golf fans at Royal Portrush
THE OPEN have made a never-seen-before major broadcasting change. The 153rd edition of the world's oldest golf tournament heads to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland this week. Advertisement 3 A Spidercam will be in operation above the 18th green at Royal Portrush Credit: PA 3 Fans watching The Open on TV will be treated to the new perspective Credit: PA And fans watching the action on TV will be treated to a brand-new feature. That is because, as reported by The camera will be attached to four 25m-tall pylons. And the introduction will give new viewing angles and perspectives of the 18th green - where the Claret Jug will be won on Sunday. Advertisement READ MORE ON GOLF The report adds the R&A informed the players about the plans last week. And while there were some concerns about possible distractions, it is said no official complaints about the Spidercam were submitted. The Spidercam's footage will be available for broadcast partners including Sky Sports in the UK and NBC in America. It will be supplemented by existing cameras such as aerial drones and bunker cams. Advertisement Most read in Golf CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The remote-controlled Spidercam has proven a major success in other sports such as football, rugby and cricket. And the R&A's head of broadcasting and media rights, Paul Sutcliffe, said: 'It's not often The Open is the first to do something, as usually innovations are made by the Tours before being introduced by the Majors, so this is really exciting. Xander Schauffele jokes he was 'trending towards an alcoholic,' but he's happy to be back in Scotland 'Portrush is one of the few venues without a clubhouse on the 18th green so that gave us a unique opportunity. Advertisement 'With more space around the green we have been able to install technology. "There will be some wires around the green, but the camera will retract to the grandstand before each player's second shot so we're confident there will be no interference. '2019 was one of the iconic Opens with the "It's the greatest walk in golf and should be very special.' Advertisement 3 The lack of clubhouse beside the 18th green made the innovation possible Credit: PA
