Harrington leads Senior Open, Maguire in contention in Scotland
The 53-year-old is eight under par at the Sunningdale Old Course in Berkshire at the tournament's halfway point.
Harrington began the day four shots off the lead and tied for fifth after an opening 67.
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The Dubliner's second-round 65 ensured he finished the day as clubhouse leader, ahead of Denmark's Thomas Bjorn and KJ Choi of South Korea, who are tied for second.
Harrington managed a bogey-free round, with birdies on the first, ninth, 11th, 15th and 18th holes to complete an excellent day's work.
The Irish star won the US Senior Open for the second time last month and has had near misses at the Senior Open in the past, with back-to-back runners-up finishes in 2022 and 2023.
View the leaderboard here
Meanwhile, at the Women's Scottish Open, Maguire trails the clubhouse leader Lottie Woad by six shots.
The Cavan native is tied for eighth alongside Spain's Nuria Iturrioz on six-under-par.
The 30-year-old put herself in contention with a five-under-par opening round 67.
Friday's 71, in a round that included just one bogey on the opening hole and back-to-back birdies on the ninth and 10th, left Maguire with work to do to catch the English star and reigning Irish Open champion.
Denmark's Nanna Koerstz Madsen and American Nelly Korda share second on 10 under-par, while Maguire also trails the Korean trio Kim Sei-young (-9), Kim Hyo-joo (-8) and Ina Yoon (-7), as well as Japan's Minami Katsu (-7).
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Sunday World
8 minutes ago
- Sunday World
Irish athletics golden girl Kate O'Connor poses for selfie with loved up footballer Georgie
The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured together in the snap Ireland's gold-medal winning athlete Kate O'Connor has shared an adorable picture of her with loved-up boyfriend Irish striker Georgie Kelly together on holidays in Portugal. The pair who have each been celebrating significant wins in their respective fields are pictured in the snap that Kate captioned: 'A few days of R&R & celebrating the Harkins'. Kate poses for the selfie in yellow dress while Georgie grins in the background. She is on a well-deserved break after a series of stunning victories. Just last Thursday, the 24-year-old added a gold to her glittering CV at the World University Games in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany. Kate and Georgie on holidays News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, July 29 Dominating the heptathlon to smash her Irish record with 6487 points, she declared: 'I've been going for that (record) for a long time. 'I'm in the shape of my life at the moment and to go out and do that here, at a world stage, I'm really happy with that.' It had already been a massive year for O'Connor, a master's student in communication and PR at Ulster University, who twice smashed the Irish pentathlon record indoors. She won bronze at the European Indoors in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands before winning World Indoor silver in Nanjing, China – the first ever medals Ireland had won in the multi-events at that level. She had previously won heptathlon silver at the European U-20 Championships and at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Northern Ireland. 'Now I've finally got a gold,' she said. 'It's a great way to start my outdoor season. I'd quite a few highs there but also quite a few lows, so I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks, trying to improve some things and really have them right going into [the World Championships in] Tokyo.' For Carlisle United's Irish striker Georgie, he has come through what Mark Hughes described as a 'torrid' time with injury to deliver a recent win that gives the club some hope in their relegation battle. In March, after girlfriend Kate took home a bronze medal from the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in the Netherlands, he hailed her as a 'killer'. 'She's well versed in dealing with different pressures to me. We are different, Kate is ruthless, a real competitor, win at all costs,' Kelly told the Irish Independent at the time. 'Her ability to produce under pressure last weekend, that was unreal, the pressure she was under, seeing girls perform well just before her and knowing she has to hit a certain mark or she's gone, that's the bit of my sports psyche that I'd lack. 'She's a killer and I admire so much about what she does – I probably don't tell her enough.' He's spent his teenage and adult years focused on a football career in Ireland with UCD, Derry City, Dundalk, St Patrick's Athletic and Bohemians and then cross-channel with Rotherham United and current side Carlisle. But it's his time spent with Kate that has opened Kelly's eyes to the levels needed and achievements made. 'That was the first ever medal for an Irish athlete, male or female, in a multi-event. She was the first Irish Olympian in the heptathlon so it's all new, her and her coaches are figuring it out as they go along. So to get to that level is just incredible,' he says. 'Even the fact that the pentathlon is indoor and the heptathlon is outdoor, she's always been a much better heptathlete because of the javelin, she has a monster jav, that's where she gets her points. It's some leap she's made even in six months and it's so exciting to think what we can do, there is no ceiling for Kate.' However, as Kelly is in Carlisle and O'Connor is based in Ireland, he revealed how finding time together is not easy. 'Kate's off to China for the World Championships next week, then her indoor season finishes and she might get some time off. Hopefully she will get over to me in England for a bit, before she ramps up again for the outdoor season which peaks in August. 'She can't just up and move to a base elsewhere, that's the hardest thing about being away on your own. It's only for a few years, we'll get there, we'll make it work. 'It's not like I work in an accountancy firm that's nine-to-five and I know she has weekends off, if I had a day or two off, there's no guarantee she will be off so it's a tough balance. It's not easy.'
The 42
32 minutes ago
- The 42
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Boal hopes to get a deal over the line with a Championship club in England before their season starts in October, but Brisbane is a beautiful place for him to be kicking on with life after Ulster. He has been impressing Down Under in recent weeks, catching the eye with his dynamic performances in the front row. Sitting outside a nice neighbourhood café in the suburb of St Lucia, where he's based, Boal said it's the perfect spot to move on from the disappointment of leaving Ulster. 'It was tough,' said Boal. 'I think I struggled more after the fact. A few weeks had gone by and you're still in the building, we had Ulster A games to prep for, and I was still training with the seniors. 'I was trying to wrap my head around it and even thinking, 'If I go really well here, I might change their decision.' Even now, leaving group chats and whatever, that sort of aspect of it is tough.' Boal has started to look ahead with excitement, though. 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Boal joined Belfast Harlequins after school and had to prove himself during two seasons with the Ulster sub-academy before he got a full academy deal in 2023. The sub-academy was a real 'grind,' explained Boal, who can also play tighthead. Gym sessions early in the morning meant long days, but he loved proving himself. He credits 'class act' Doak with showing him a professional approach to things like analysis, while Boal says that the Ulster academy coach and current Ireland U20s boss' straight-to-the-point communication helped get the best out of him. The All-Ireland League was an ideal place for a young loosehead to learn, with ex-Ulster prop Paddy McAllister another positive influence on Boal in Belfast Harlequins. 'Even just the amount of reset challenges that you can have as a prop, because even at pro level, boys get turned over, they get flipped. 'Paddy would just be like, 'Next job, you know what to do and just believe in what you've been doing before.' 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The Irish Sun
38 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Mayo GAA hopes of ex-All Star, 25, coming back to Ireland extinguished as he extends Aussie Rules career
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