Rory McIlroy two shots off early clubhouse leader at Travelers Championship
Rory McIlroy made an impressive start to the Travelers Championship to sit two shots off the early clubhouse lead.
The Masters champion had finished tied for 19th at the US Open over a punishing Oakmont course – but ended the weekend on a positive following a three-under-par final round, which was the joint best of the day.
The Northern Irishman – who saw his driver ruled as 'non-conforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship before then missing the cut at the Canadian Open – had been looking to build some momentum at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell as focus turns towards the Open at Royal Portrush.
Rory McIlroy made an impressive start in Cromwell (Jessica Hill/AP)
World number two McIlroy landed a birdie at the second and then sank two more ahead of the turn at the final PGA Tour Signature Event of 2025.
After picking up another couple, a further birdie at the 17th saw him finish six-under with 64, to sit in a tie for second, two shots behind early clubhouse leader Austin Eckroat.
American Eckroat hit a fine eight-under round, which included an eagle at the par-three 15th and a sixth birdie at the 18th.
McIlroy's playing partner Keegan Bradley is also at six-under, having dropped a shot at the 12th, alongside Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion.
England's Tommy Fleetwood carded a first round of 66 to sit in a group tied for sixth.
Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, runner-up at Oakmont on Sunday, finished one over following a double-bogey six on the 17th.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, defending his Travelers Championship title, has been paired with newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun in the later starters.
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Rory McIlroy first to qualify for Team Europe Ryder Cup team
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Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy still in contention despite slipping down Travelers leaderboard
Rory McIlroy remains in contention at the Travelers Championship despite a one-over par 71 second round on Friday. The Holywood man began the day two shots off the lead after an opening round 64. But he dropped three shots in his opening four holes before a bogey on the seventh came after a birdie on the sixth. Birdies followed on the tenth, 13th, and 15th holes. However, he dropped another shot on the 18th. The world number two trails leaders Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood by four shots at the midway stage. Fleetwood said he is pleased with the way he bounced back from his US Open disappointment after firing himself into contention for his first PGA Tour win at the Travelers Championship. The English golfer lit up TPC River Highlands with a sizzling performance in the final four holes, which saw him notch two eagles and a birdie, narrowly missing another on the last hole. A stellar round of 65 elevated Fleetwood to the top of the leaderboard, with world number one and defending champions Scheffler and two-time major winner Thomas. Despite Fleetwood's golfing drought having stretched for nearly one and a half years, this season has seen him secure four top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, though he stumbled last week with his first missed cut at Oakmont. While reflecting on his recent challenges and his rebound, Fleetwood told Sky Sports: "You do quite a lot of sulking and then look at what you can do to improve. Very disappointed last week". "I've been having a good season and I felt like my game was in a really good place going into last week. "For whatever reason – I'll never understand the game – I played really poor but in golf there is always another week and this week is a big week. "I came out motivated to take whatever there is to learn to make you better for the coming weeks and so far this week I'm happy with how I bounced back." Fleetwood's round was going nowhere with one birdie and one bogey through 12 holes until he hit a superb 261-yard approach to the par-five 13th and holed his nine-footer for eagle. He then chipped in from the front of the drivable 299-yard 15th for eagle and picked up another shot after hitting his tee shot to 12ft at the next. At the last he managed only a 205-yard drive after his ball caught a tree but drilled a nine-wood to 11ft from 226 yards but could not close out with a birdie. "I would have loved to have holed the putt but I'd take four after that tee shot," added Fleetwood, for whom the £2.6million first prize would boost his Ryder Cup prospects as he currently sits a place out of the top-six automatic qualifiers.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
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Malachy Clerkin: Cannot wait for Lions tour, but why does rugby always feel this need for overblown nonsense?
It was well into the wee hours on Sunday night and the final round of the US Open had gone medieval. The best golfers in the world were falling into sinkholes all over Oakmont, drowning in grass, dissolving in rain. It was like watching live action Pac-Man, as one of the most difficult courses in the world chomped them all to crumbs. A snuff movie in soft spikes. But then, through the gloom, Sky came back from an ad break and from the opening seconds of the soundtrack you feared the worst. It was the light plinking guitar of The Mighty Rio Grande by This Will Destroy You, a portentously named instrumental band from Texas. You know it better as the music from the Moneyball movie. READ MORE The music played over footage of mysterious footsteps in the shadows. Smoke swirling around eight headless mannequins decked in red. A silhouetted figure stood before the camera, his head bowed, his face obscured. 'Finally, it's time,' growled Scottish actor Gerard Butler , laying the accent on thicker than a cranachan layer. 'It's Lions o'clock...' Ah, no. Please no. Not this stuff. Not again. Alas, yes, indeed, it is time for this stuff again. Regular as clockwork, like a naff Halley's Comet, the rugby industrial complex has started picking up speed. The Lions series is upon us, which means that rugby's comically overblown way of selling itself is cranking into gear. Even in the dead of night when we're watching the golf. Especially in the dead of night when we're watching golf. Gerard Butler is seen during the pre-2023 World Cup warm-up rugby union match between Scotland and Georgia at Murrayfield. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/Getty 'Gggggrraaaaggggghhhh,' Butler offered, scratching at the back of his head. 'Goosebumps,' he said, in case we thought he was selling dandruff shampoo. 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It's as though somebody somewhere decided that rugby can only be sold to lizard-brained Game of Thrones acolytes, waiting for the mist to clear the mountains so a ball can be thrown into a lineout. Of course, there was a more immediate – and far duller – answer on Sunday night. As soon as Butler finished caterwauling, the golf commentator Andrew Coltart dutifully informed viewers that How to Train Your Dragon, starring Butler, is in cinemas now. Just happened to have been released two days earlier, in fact. If it be a sin to covet bums on seats at your nearest Odeon...
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
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Rory McIlroy remains in contention despite over-par round
Rory McIlroy remains in contention at the midway point of the Travelers Championship despite posting an over-par round at TPC River Highlands on Friday. The five-time major winner posted a flawless six-under 64 on Thursday, however, he suffered a horror start to his second round, dropping three shots in his opening four holes. A birdie on the sixth was then cancelled out on the following hole as McIlroy turned on three over for the front nine The County Down man charged down the back nine, regaining the three shots with birdies on the tenth, 13th, and 15th holes, however, he came unstuck on the penultimate hole, dropping a shot following a poor approach from the fairway bunker. McIlroy had a look at birdie to close but was unable to drain his 20 footer and settled for a one-over 71 ahead of Saturday's third round. World number one, Scottie Scheffler shares the midway lead with Justin Thomas and Tommy Fleetwood, on nine under par, leaving McIlroy four shots off the pace and in a tie for ninth going into the weekend. Shane Lowry struggled to a three-over par round of 73 to sit on five-over-par heading into the weekend. Three bogeys in succession at the start of the back nine saw the Offaly man fall to six-over, with a solitary late birdie coming at the short par-four 15th. The 2019 Open champion lies tied-63rd in a 70-strong field - Justin Spieth and Si Woo Kim having withdrawn - though with no cut in operation, he will be around for the weekend.
