Rory McIlroy speaks out about fans at Royal Portrush as Tommy Fleetwood issues complaint
As the rain fell and the wind blew at Royal Portrush on Thursday, the world's best golfers tried their best to grapple with the unpredictable conditions. The Open Championship leaderboard at the end of round one proved what a challenge that was as 44 players finished within four shots of the lead.
Only five men had the privilege of being four under par. Jacob Skov Olesen, Haotong Li, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Harris English all went around in 67 shots.
Rory McIlroy, one of several participants to have already lifted the Claret Jug, was ready to face his demons from six years ago but had a mixed first day. The Northern Irishman was, however, able to play the final four holes in one-under par to edge himself three shots off the summit by the close of the action, sending his fanbase home happy enough.
With Scottie Scheffler, Justin Rose, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele all well placed heading into Friday's action, we bring you a round-up of all of the latest major talking points.
Mickelson's true colours
Phil Mickelson showed his class by handing out a signed glove and ball to his playing partner Ryan Peake after the pair competed alongside each other in the opening round on Thursday. Peake, a former Australian biker gang member, played his way into The Open after winning the New Zealand Open earlier this year, which gave him the chance to play with one of golf's greatest in LIV Golf star Mickelson.
He had spent five years in prison for serious assault before being released in 2019 and rebuilding his golfing career. And while he admitted he was "beaten up" by the brutal Royal Portrush conditions, that didn't stop the 31-year-old from having a fanboy moment with the six-time major winner.
Peake said after spending the opening day of the event alongside Mickelson: "It was pretty good. I just asked for his golf ball and got him to sign a golf glove for me after.
"I grabbed his putter off him a few times and had a little feel of it. That's the OG; that's the one from the Masters. There were a couple of cool things.
"His caddie gave away golf balls as we were walking off the tee, and I yelled out, 'What about me?', and he had a laugh. He thought I was being sarcastic.
"He said, 'Are you serious?', and I said, 'I'm deadly serious'. I said, 'Can you sign a glove as well?' He's your hero growing up. My old boy is out here this week, and he loves him as well."
McIlroy on the crowd's support
McIlroy felt the love of an entire nation as he began his quest for a sixth major. Having been greeted affectionately by the fans gathered in the grandstand initially, he received roars of encouragement upon his return to Royal Portrush by his home fans.
When asked about the support he received around the course, McIlroy said: "Yeah, absolutely incredible. Look, I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don't want to let them down. So there's that little bit of added pressure.
"I felt like I dealt with it really well today. Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament.
"I was sort of surprised - there's a few guys at 4-under, but I'm surprised 4-under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot 6 or 7 today. Only three back with 54 holes to go, I'm really happy with where I am."
Rahm speaks after outburst
Jon Rahm was left furious with a person in The Open crowd after hearing a whistle during his backswing midway through the opening round. Having played some impressive golf on day one, the Spaniard lost his cool and confronted the fan as soon as the ball left the club face of his driver, while he was standing on the tee box.
The distraction in question was a crowd member whistling. "Really? Whistling? Right, great time [to do it]," the two-time major champion vented, before going on to add: "Right on my backswing. Very smart, whoever it was."
Following his round, Rahm was asked about the incident, to which he replied: "I mean, if I were to paint a picture, you have the hardest tee shot on the course, raining, into the wind off the left, it's enough.
"I know they're not doing it on purpose. It just seemed like somebody trying to get a hold of someone for whatever it is. It was bad timing. I think I just used the moment to let out any tension I had in me. Really, that's not - it is what it is.
"To be honest, it probably didn't affect as much as I made it sound like. It was a bad swing gas well. Just a difficult hole. I mean, it's frustrating, but it is what it is. It's an everyday thing in golf."
Despite testing conditions, Rahm was still pleased with his opening round showing, which left him in a strong spot heading into day two on Friday.
Fleetwood's complaint
Tommy Fleetwood complained about being the victim of a poorly raked bunker on day one, which led to a bogey on the 5th. The Englishman's tee shot landed in the sand down the right of the short par 4 5th, where he was unfortunate to find his ball in a difficult spot where the bunker had been raked.
He duffed his ball barely out of the trap and went on to make a costly bogey in his opening round of 73 (+2). Bunker raking has become a hot topic this week as the R&A announced it was not using bunker rakers for the 153rd Open, as was the case in previous years, with players and caddies having to do the job themselves.
Fleetwood admitted: "Yeah, it wasn't a great rake job. I probably could have managed it better. The first thing is I was not very happy to be in there so that's my fault.
"It was like in somebody's hitting mark that hadn't really been raked great. I tried to hit what I thought was the right shot, like kind of duff something because I knew I couldn't get any sort of strike perched on the ball so I tried to duff it, but then you've got to get the height as well. So that was a bit harsh."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Scottie Scheffler claims Open Championship with majestic four-shot win
Never in doubt. Never remotely in doubt. It was Scottie Scheffler: why on earth would it be? Anybody hoping for a keenly contested Open Sunday was to be sorely disappointed. Make that 10 times Scheffler has held a 54-hole lead and 10 times he has converted. Scheffler tugged his opening tee shot into the rough, triggering some sharp intakes of breath. The new champion's next act was to fire an iron to within a foot of the cup. Scheffler enjoyed a sun‑kissed procession on the Dunluce Links. Had the R&A been so minded, it could have broken with tradition and handed over the Claret Jug on the 5th tee. By that point, he was seven strokes clear. Scheffler does not bother with major jousting. Direct combat? No thanks. He four-putted the 72nd green at Augusta National in 2022 and still won by three. The 2024 Masters was claimed by four, the 2025 US PGA Championship by five. This triumph was by a quartet of shots when in reality it felt like so much more. Late on Sunday afternoon, the Old Tom Morris record from 1862 – he saw off a distraught Willie Park by 13 shots at Prestwick – appeared to be under threat. Scheffler missed back-nine chance after back-nine chance when it barely mattered. A 68, Scheffler's joint-highest score of the competition, meant 17 under par as an aggregate. His family surrounded him on the 18th green, in the latest reminder that the world No 1 does not particularly prioritise golf. His understated brilliance and shunning of the spotlight is intriguing. Scheffler recognises he is excellent at golf but he is unwilling to be defined by that. The record books will show Harris English finished second and he is due high praise. It is just that Scheffler's imperious frontrunning distorted the tournament. English never had any prospect of winning. Chris Gotterup was not in the Open when arriving in North Berwick for its Scottish equivalent. Gotterup duly won there last Sunday and reached 12 under par to secure third in Northern Ireland. What a wonderful sporting fairytale. Scheffler does not need help. He received some courtesy of the fact this was another benign Portrush occasion. With that, the capacity for huge errors was limited. Scoring was noticeably low across the field. Scheffler played his first five in three under. He whacked a bunker shot at the 8th into the face of the sand trap; a double bogey there was partly repaired with a straightforward birdie at the 9th. Those beneath him were scaling an ice wall in slippers. The R&A's engraver could get to work long before Scheffler reached his 72nd hole. There was an inevitability about the outcome which could only raise parallels with peak Tiger Woods. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion What a weird week for Wyndham Clark. It began with Oakmont Country Club informing members that Clark had been banned from the premises after he inflicted grievous bodily harm on some lockers at the US Open last month. Presumably others were ducking for cover as Clark shot a 76 on Thursday. His response, however, was admirable; Clark signed off with a 65 for 11 under and a fourth‑placed finish. He had Matt Fitzpatrick and Li Haotong for scoreboard company. Li made a fourth‑round 70 as Scheffler's partner. 'I asked if there is any time I can practise with him on the PGA Tour,' Li said. 'He said yes. I said: 'When I text you, you better reply to me.' He goes: 'Haotong who?'' Clark does sound genuinely remorseful about events at Oakmont. If he has a lingering gripe, it relates to his sanction from the club entering the public domain. 'We were hoping it was going to be private,' Clark said. 'I did something awful and I'm really sorry for it. Hopefully they have it in their heart to forgive me and maybe in the future I'll be able to play there.' Rory McIlroy had reached 10 under before a double bogey at the 10th. It seems incredible to think that his next round in a major will be the start of his Masters defence in April. The esteem he was held in by vast galleries over four competitive days in Portrush really was quite the sight and sound. McIlroy's focus will now turn towards the Ryder Cup and hopes of a rare European win on American soil. He shared seventh in Northern Ireland with Xander Schauffele and Bob MacIntyre. 'None of us could live with what Scottie had this week,' McIlroy said. 'But for me to be in front of everyone here at home and to get that reception up the last, absolutely incredible. I'll remember that for a long time.' Bryson DeChambeau blasted through the field to post a 64 and a nine-under aggregate. DeChambeau opened this major with a 78 and ended up finishing tied 10th. Insert joke about LIV golfers and 54-hole tournaments. Sergio García broke his driver on the 2nd hole in a fit of pique, rendering a 68 somewhat decent. He was asked post-round for his thoughts on the Ryder Cup in September, an event in which he is at present about as likely to feature as the aforementioned Old Tom. Scheffler will be there, having swept up half the year's major crowns. Next year's US Open – which concludes on Scheffler's 30th birthday – will feature him attempting to complete a career grand slam. We are firmly in the midst of one of the greatest golfing careers of all time.
Times
4 hours ago
- Times
Open win is child's play for Scottie Scheffler in his era of greatness
If golf does not fill the 'deepest wants and desires' of Scottie Scheffler's heart, it at least enabled him to fill his boots and then the Claret Jug with a celebratory tipple. This was a parade bereft of drama or uncertainty, but as an appreciation of a master of his art, and science, it was breathtakingly good. An Open and shut case, we are edging into an era of all-time greatness. Tiger Woods's modern record victory margin at the Open is eight at St Andrews in 2000. Scheffler briefly threatened that but a round of 68, a score of 17 under par and a four-shot gap to Harris English were more than enough. The only real stumble from Scheffler's camp came when young son Bennett fell while exploring the green during the presentation. It says much about Scheffler's priorities that the emotion only morphed into a victory salute and tossed cap when he saw his wife and son. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. Bennett's dad has become a golfing phenomenon. Since the start of last year, Scheffler has now won 13 times, including triumphs at three different majors and an Olympic Games. It took Rory McIlroy 11 attempts to complete the career grand slam after getting to the three-quarter stage. Nobody expects it to take Scheffler as long to add the US Open and become the seventh man of that celebrated club. Of only 25 majors played, he has won four, been runner-up twice and had 16 top-ten finishes. These are dizzying numbers. He started the day four shots clear of Haotong Li, with Matt Fitzpatrick another shot behind and McIlroy trying to cross a six-stroke divide. In truth, Evel Knievel had a more realistic chance of crossing Snake River Canyon in his old home-made space rocket, but at least McIlroy's parachute opened after a troubled post-Augusta period. The uneven nature of golf's calendar means he must retain his major mojo for almost ten months until his Masters defence. Credit English for chipping away, again finishing runner-up to Scheffler, as he did at the US PGA, but the world No1 was never in the remotest danger. The Scottish Open champion Chris Gotterup was five adrift, followed by a resurgent Fitzpatrick, Li and Wyndham Clark. McIlroy was feted by febrile crowds, but in a land of mythical giants, fated to finish in this one's wake. Bob MacIntyre also made the top ten to underline his impressive progress this summer, but it was a solo show by the seaside. Two years ago, Golf Digest harshly declared the Open 'a dud' when Brian Harman romped home at Hoylake. It was undoubtedly a day drained of excitement, but if that was again the case here, the crowd knew they were witnessing a generational talent at the peak of his powers. Being brilliant can never be convincingly boring. And this week Scheffler has been far from dull, causing a stir with a media address in which he said golf was not fulfilling and wondered why he cared so much. 'Sometimes, I just don't understand the point,' he said. That honesty was elevated by the fact Scheffler rarely says much beyond the practical, but the remarks were a reflection of his deep faith and belief in a greater purpose. He cares and suffers, but he knows this is only the important fluff of life. A rounded player with a consistent game and level mind, his bad days are average and the good ones are stellar. Ten consecutive wins from 54-hole leads shows front-running is another arrow in his quiver. And for greater historical perspective, it is worth noting that nobody has won their four first majors by at least three shots since 1909. It was not flawless. In a fairway bunker on the 8th he needed two attempts to get out. That double bogey, allied to Gotterup's charge, reduced the lead to four. The intimations of mortality welcomed down the field. Scheffler's response? A 335-yard drive, wedge and easy birdie. In the group up ahead, McIlroy was over a hill and, after failing to mount a grassy bank with his chip, far away. That double bogey left the local hero eight shots adrift. He has likened winning the Masters to climbing Everest, but when it comes to scaling mountains you would really want Scheffler as your guide. Others left with a raft of what-ifs. Bryson DeChambeau was down and almost out after an opening 78, but was 16 under for the remaining holes. It is too easy to suggest he had figured out the vagaries of links golf, though. 'I still have to crack the code when it's raining and windy,' he said. Indeed, the weekend has been positively balmy, but Scheffler showed that he is a man for all seasons by surviving Thursday. DeChambeau's take on Scheffler? 'Scottie's in a league of his own right now,' he said. 'I played with him a lot in college and he was not that good so he's figured out a lot of stuff since then.' He certainly has. One of the remarkable things about Scheffler is that he was pushing 26 before he won his first professional tournament. By that age, McIlroy had four majors while Jordan Spieth's purple patch came at 22. Scheffler, though, has entered into a period of superiority that we have not seen since Woods. Part of the credit for this should go to Phil Kenyon, the quiet putting guru of Southport, who has helped Scheffler in his one area of vague weakness. 'Phil has been tremendous for me,' he said. 'He is a great guy to be able to bounce stuff off and I feel like we've made some great progress.' In turn, Kenyon says teaching Scheffler is easier than dealing with 20-handicappers who think they know it all. After doing the same major double in 2014, McIlroy said he did not need another year like the one he had enjoyed. 'I need another ten,' he explained before talking of 'Messi, Federer and LeBron' and how star power drove sport. He had an 11-year wait for another. All the other Open champions since 2014 have not won another major since, but we should expect that curse to be lifted soon. As for Royal Portrush, McIlroy was right when saying it has quickly established itself as one of the top two or three Open stages, with a stunning vista and terrific sequencing of holes, and so it was fitting that this championship produced such a fine winner. 'Phenomenal player,' Tommy Fleetwood said. 'If he keeps going the way he is then we're going to look back and talk about him in the same breath as some of the all-time greats — and he's played in our generation.' Scheffler just said he thought comparisons with Woods were 'a bit silly' and that he did his best 'by living in the present'. It is a good policy and sensible perspective. He is the man of the dazzling moment. Rory McIlroy described Scottie Scheffler's run of success as 'historical', conceding that the rest of the field were unable to come close to Scheffler in such sparkling form (John Westerby writes). 'There's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on the run that Scottie's been on for the past 24 to 36 months,' McIlroy said. 'I wish I had been closer to Scottie going into today but he's been on a different level all week and he's been on a different level for the past two years. What he's doing is historical. None of us could live with what he had this week.' Scheffler now needs only a US Open victory to complete the career grand slam, which McIlroy finally achieved with his victory at the Masters in April. Scheffler had spoken before the tournament of how golf was not ultimately fulfilling, that he was a 'sicko' for working so hard at his game and that the pleasure of victory was 'awesome for two minutes'. Scheffler was asked whether he would enjoy his Open triumph for longer than two minutes. 'It's one of the greatest joys of my life to compete out here,' he said. 'But at the end of the day, having success in life, whether it be in golf, work, whatever, that's not what fulfils the deepest desires of your heart. My greatest priorities are my faith and my family. Golf is third. 'I try to live as normal of a life as possible because I feel like a normal guy. I have the same friends I had growing up. I don't think that I'm anything special just because some weeks I'm better at shooting a lower score than other guys are.'
The Independent
7 hours ago
- The Independent
Bennett Scheffler draws applause after stumble while joining father following Open win
This was the moment Bennett Scheffler drew applause from the crowd after a gentle stumble while trying to reach his father, Scottie Scheffler, following his Open Championship win on Sunday, 20 July. The incident took place on the 18th green at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, where Scottie had secured his fourth major title. As the golfer celebrated, his 14-month-old son toddled forward but lost his balance momentarily. The crowd responded with cheers, encouraging the child. Scottie waited for Bennett to steady himself before lifting him into his arms. The toddler then looked curiously at the Claret Jug his father had just won.
