'Pressure on Scheffler to turn lead into Open win'
"Scottie is going to have the expectation to go out and dominate," the 2022 US Open champion said. "He's an exceptional player, the world number one, and we're seeing Tiger-like stuff. "I think the pressure is for him. I wouldn't say I feel as much pressure."Scheffler started the week by saying professional golf was "not a fulfilling life" and questioned "the point" of zealously pursuing victories.And the 29-year-old did not watch any of the day's play before beginning his round in the middle of the afternoon.A violent spell of rain drenched his opening few holes, before the subsequent softening of the links and calmer conditions allowed him to target the flags and post a stiff target for the rest of the field to chase.
Fitzpatrick 'uncomfortable but excited'
Fitzpatrick, who edged out Scheffler to win his sole major at Brookline, is the closest challenger after willing in a 24-foot par putt on the 18th for a 66.The 30-year-old has been on an upturn in form since shooting 78 and 72 to miss the cut in The Players Championship in March - which he described as the lowest point of his career - following a run of just one top-10 finish in the previous year and a fall outside the top 80.As spring gave way to summer, coaching changes brought consistency, with a tie for fourth place at last week's Scottish Open showcasing his renewed confidence.Portrush is the scene of Fitzpatrick's best Open finish - although the word 'best' is doing some heavy lifting given he was tied for 20th place at the Antrim course in 2019.However in this, his 10th appearance at the event, he is right in the mix to become the first Englishman to lift the Claret Jug since Nick Faldo at Muirfield in 1992. "I've given myself an opportunity, but there's still a long way to go," Fitzpatrick said. "There's nothing better than being in contention. It feels a bit uncomfortable at the time, but you want to feel that. It means you're doing something right."It's an exciting position for me to be in given where I was earlier this year."Tucked one behind Fitzpatrick and two adrift of Scheffler are America's 2023 Open champion Brian Harman and Li Haotong of China.World number 111 Li has dropped just one shot in posting a pair of 67s, while Harman plotted his way round in a blemish-free 65.
Hatton, MacIntyre & McIlroy eye weekend run
Fitzpatrick is not the only Englishman with visions of emulating Faldo.Tyrrell Hatton is five back after adding a 69 to his opening 68 but its pints more than shots that were on his mind after finishing his round.The 33-year-old revealed his pre-Open preparations included a visit to a nearby pitch and putt course, followed by three pints of the well-known local stout. Asked if he would repeat that formula after Friday's round, the world number 23 replied: "Be rude not to. I think three's the magic number."Hatton and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland both contended in last month's US Open as they search for a debut major victory.And MacIntyre says his runner-up finish has inbued him with the belief he can soon take that next step in his career.
Is Sunday too soon? The 28-year-old thinks not after his splendid six-birdie 66 also left him within five of Scheffler."I'm not scared. I'm not going to back away," said the world number 14. "If I've got a chance, I'm going to roll the dice. I've got so much more confidence and so much more belief that I am good enough."Hatton and MacIntyre will be making their way round not long after Rory McIlroy and the swollen crowds that will inevitably follow the local favourite. The second best player in the world reckons he, too, can "make a run" over the weekend, having avoided a repeat of the ignominious early exit that befell him the last time The Open was in Portrush in 2019."I've been somewhat close to my best over the first two days in little bits here and there," said McIlroy, speaking before Scheffler put seven shots between the pair. "I'm going to need to have it all under control and have it all firing over the weekend to make a run."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
29 minutes ago
- The Sun
England vs Italy LIVE RESULT: Kelly's extra-time strike completes incredible comeback and fires Lionesses to Euros final
Fans cheering on Lionesses to comeback Whether it be in the stadium itself, or back home in the UK, nerves were shot to bits this evening. England tend to do things the dramatic way and tonight was no different. They were heading out of the tournament before Michelle Agyemang grabbed a late equaliser. From that point, you felt this was the Lionesses game to lose but Italy were no pushovers. Seeing Kelly's penalty saved, heads were in hands, until she slotted home the rebound and everyone erupted in delirium.
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Global Clipper race lives up to its name, with Britons in the minority
A Frenchman, an American and a Belarussian board a Clipper Round the World yacht and the skipper says 'where have all the Brits gone?' It may sound like the start of a joke, but the increasing popularity of Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's race has resulted in the proportion of British crew plummeting, with more than half of sailors taking part hailing from the rest of the world. 'Originally it was only the Brits and a few Europeans taking part, but the last race had 43 nationalities' Knox-Johnston, 86, said, before the start of this year's race at the end of next month. 'The international crew were at 53 per cent in the last race, with the Brits down to 47.' The biennial race, where about 700 amateur sailors pay to race around the world on a 70ft racing yacht, helped by a professional skipper, first launched in 1996. This year's event, which takes place across eight legs and involves a fleet of 10 Clipper 70 yachts, will have the highest number of international crew so far. 'We've got better known internationally,' Knox-Johnston said. 'We go to these ports around the world and when you get crew from other countries their newspapers send reports back, so that's bloody good advertising.' Forty-five per cent of the crew aged 40 and under are female this year, while across all ages about 25 per cent of the crew are women. The biggest group of participants, after the British, is now Americans. 'It used to be Australians, but that's dropped,' said Knox-Johnston, who became the first man to sail non-stop around the world solo in 1969. The first thing prospective crew have to do is complete four weeks of rigorous sail training on the Solent, where Clipper has its headquarters in Gosport, Hampshire. It costs about £10,000 to complete the training and take part in one of the race legs. For those wanting to do the full circumnavigation of the globe it costs more than £50,000. When The Times joined a crew of 12 amateurs completing their first week of training, only two were British. The rest came from Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, France, Belarus, Germany and the US. It is a steep learning curve as many sign up without any previous sailing experience, having seen an advert at a time when they want to radically change their lives. Kyle Vacca, 43, a former pilot in the US Air Force who is now an engineer and mission manager at SpaceX, managed to lose his iPhone overboard just before the crew's first man overboard drill, after someone knocked into him on deck. 'It's been a very intensive learning experience,' Vacca said. 'I am used to operating procedures in potentially hazardous environments while being safe and working with a team, so the details are new to me but there are a lot of similarities.' By the end of the first week they are beginning to get to grips with the vast array of different ropes onboard and bewildering terminology. 'You need to load the halyard on to the pit winch and open the jammer,' Nigel Parry, 60, the skipper of the training boat, shouts into the wind at Alice Morel, 35, a French travel agent living in Queensland, Australia, who has no previous sailing experience. Then he barks: 'Oliver, are you milkmaid? Then you should be on the other side of the mast.' Later in the day they attempt their second man overboard drill. Trish McLaughlin, 55, a retired Canadian police officer from Mount Currie, a small town of 5,000 people in British Columbia, is winched over the side to retrieve a floating dummy from the choppy Solent. 'I've always wanted to learn how to sail for my retirement and see the world,' she said, after successfully retrieving the dummy on the third attempt. 'I saw Clipper on my social media feeds and this made me realise I could learn to cross an ocean.' McLaughlin said the training had been 'a lot'. 'I didn't realise sailing was as technical as it has been,' she said. 'I used to have a water phobia but I conquered that so I could go sailing. 'I did have some people saying, 'Are you crazy?' and 'What are you wasting all your money for?' but it's my investment in my retirement, to be able to meet beautiful people in beautiful places, and see a little bit more of the world.' The 14th edition of the race sets sail from Portsmouth on August 31, but for those who prefer to keep their feet on dry land, a new five-part series called No Going Back, which follows the teams in the 13th edition, is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Rugby league-Walters confirmed as Kangaroos coach for Ashes tour
SYDNEY, July 23 (Reuters) - Former Brisbane Broncos and Queensland coach Kevin Walters will lead Australia's Kangaroos on this year's three-test tour of England, where rugby league's Ashes will be contested for the first time in 22 years. The post became vacant when Mal Meninga was recruited to head up the new National Rugby League (NRL) expansion team in Perth and 57-year-old Walters was favourite to get the job once Brad Fittler ruled himself out. "Kevin has played for the Kangaroos, had a successful coaching career with Brisbane Broncos and Queensland Maroons, and will bring that expertise into the national team for the Ashes," Australian rugby league supremo Peter V'landys said in a statement on Wednesday. "Kevin has toured with the Kangaroos as a player, was a leader as a player and as a coach. His coaching pedigree is a natural fit for the national team." Walters has been handed a contract only for the three matches in London, Liverpool and Leeds in late October and early November, but a good showing by Australia could earn him an extension until next year's much-delayed World Cup. Similar to the cricket rivalry of the same name, rugby league's Ashes were contested between Australia and Britain 39 times between 1908 and 2003. Australia won the last 13 editions.
