I've played snooker against Shaun Murphy and something he does at the table is an absolute joke
His dreams of Crucible glory might be over for another year, but Shaun Murphy still has the best cue action in snooker - according to a rival. The reigning Masters champion lost out 13-10 to top seed Judd Trump in Sheffield, but gained plenty of plaudits for his conduct throughout the match - which included applauding his opponent as he made his 100th century of the season. In a typically gracious post-match interview he paid tribute to world No.1 Trump, and confessed he exited with no regrets. Because he believes he's playing the best snooker of his career. And Murphy's classy display didn't come as a surprise to fellow pro Louis Heathcote - who admits he's still in awe of his cue action. Speaking on the Snooker Club podcast, world No.68 Heathcote, who played the Magician at the International Championship last year, said: "We all know what Shaun's like. He's got to be the best loser you've ever met. "He came off and said he couldn't be happier with how he played. Which is fair enough, it was a great game. "Knowing Shaun, he'll take it pretty well and be happy to get back winning on the big stage, getting a Triple Crown title back to his name again after a long time. "Overall I think he'll be delighted. And it might free him up to get a few more trophies under his belt next season. "When he's playing well he's unbelievable. I've never seen anyone hit the ball nicer than he does. "The first time I ever played Shaun I couldn't believe how well he hit it. I've never seen anyone time it as well as he does. You can't tell on television, but when you see it in person it's a joke." Fellow pro Matthew Selt, who was knocked out by Xiao Guodong in the first round, added: "Even Judd alluded to the fact that when Shaun starts potting balls and getting a bit of fluency then he becomes bigger and bigger. "He's an absolute animal and Shaun Murphy playing his best is a great sight for snooker" Murphy meanwhile believes that opponent Trump is going to take some stopping, as he goes in search of just a second world title. He told SportsBoom : "I don't think it's complicated. If he's able to sustain that level of performance, he'll win the tournament without question. 'If I were allowed to bet on snooker matches, I'd be having as much money as possible on Judd Trump.' 'No one in the tournament is playing that well, across all facets of the game. I think he's showing why he is the world number one. I think it's his time for a second world title.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
an hour ago
- NBC News
Sovereignty beats Journalism to win the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Sovereignty bested Journalism on Saturday in a Kentucky Derby rematch to win the 157th Belmont Stakes, and the second hosted at Saratoga. Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado traversed the field of eight on a fast Saratoga track after downpours throughout the morning and early afternoon dried up before post time. The 5-2 second favorite won in 2 minutes, 0.69 seconds, beating Preakness Stakes winner Journalism by three lengths. Journalism was second and Baeza was third — the same 1-2-3 as the Kentucky Derby. Journalism entered the gate at the Belmont as the 2-1 favorite, with Baeza the third favorite at 7-2. Sovereignty led off the first leg of the Triple Crown by winning the Derby in early May. The Bill Mott-trained colt also edged Journalism in that race. After the Derby win, the Godolphin-owned 3-year-old opted out of the Preakness Stakes to focus on the Belmont, forfeiting a shot at history to win the Triple Crown. The Triple Crown hasn't been won since 2018, when Bob Baffert's Justify won the 105th Belmont Stakes to secure the third jewel.
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Scottie Scheffler looked other way when Rory McIlroy made huge Tiger Woods claim
Scottie Scheffler disagreed with Rory McIlroy when the golf star compared him to Tiger Woods after an outstanding 2024, and both men will compete at the US Open Scottie Scheffler previously dismissed Rory McIlroy's comparison of him to golfing legend Tiger Woods. Both players are expected to be among the leading contenders at the upcoming US Open. McIlroy's form has been notably inconsistent since his Masters victory in April, which marked his career Grand Slam. In contrast, his competitor Scheffler has been upping his game this season, clinching the PGA Championship in May. Following a disappointing performance at the US PGA, McIlroy continued to struggle at the RBC Canadian Open this week, where he missed his first cut of the season. The Northern Irish golfer had difficulty with a new driver and scored 78 in Friday's second round. After finishing the tournament nine-over par to tie for 149th place - the worst finish in his PGA Tour career - McIlroy confessed his concerns about his driving ahead of the year's third major at Oakmont. "Yeah, of course it concerns me," McIlroy admitted. "You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today. Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. "Obviously, going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still searching for the missing piece off the tee. "For me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week." However, Scheffler is in red-hot form going into the event and will be the favourite to win the US Open. He took some time to find his groove this season, but he has won three of his last four tournaments, including the Byron Nelson and the Memorial. Since March, Scheffler, 28, has consistently placed in the top 10 and is anticipated to challenge for the top spot once more. In recent years, he has placed T7, T2, and third at the US Open, and he will be eager to go all the way this time. McIlroy is well aware of Scheffler's threat, having previously referred to him as a golfer in the same mould as Woods who "just doesn't make mistakes" in light of his remarkable accomplishments in 2024. "I've never – this is anyone, this is Tiger, this is in the history of golf – I don't think I've ever seen a golfer play as many bogey-free rounds as Scottie," McIlroy admitted. "He just doesn't make mistakes. He plays the right shot at the right time over and over and over again." Despite this, Scheffler downplayed the comparisons to Woods, who has won 15 majors, last year after he successfully defended his title at the Hero World Challenge. After an incredible season, Scheffler confessed that he hadn't given himself time to reflect on his success. "Yeah, I mean, I'm never really good at that kind of stuff," Scheffler said. "I really do my best when I stay in the present. It's been a fantastic year, I'm very grateful for the season and grateful for the wins and it's been a ton of fun. "But at the end of the day when we go home I'm looking forward to doing stuff that's not golf. I like to go home and live my life and enjoy my time at home. I've had a little bit of time to reflect, but I'm not really sure how to assess it. It's just been pretty surreal, it's been a lot of fun. I'm just really grateful." Echoing the days of Woods' supremacy, Scheffler bagged an impressive nine victories last year, including the coveted Masters, an Olympic gold medal, and the FedEx Cup. McIlroy, on the other hand, faces a tough challenge if he hopes to outplay Scheffler, especially after having to adjust to a new driver when his previous one failed a conformity test last month. McIlroy's return to the US Open is set to revive painful memories of last year's dramatic final-round collapse, where he squandered a lead with just five holes remaining, ultimately conceding the title to Bryson DeChambeau. This disappointment was hot on the heels of another near miss in 2023, where Wyndham Clark pipped him to the post by a single stroke.
Powys County Times
14 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Rory McIlroy knows his form is a problem heading into US Open
Rory McIlroy admitted he is concerned about his form ahead of next week's US Open after missing the cut at the RBC Canadian Open. The Masters champion shot a dismal second-round 78 on Friday, carding a quadruple bogey, a double and four other bogeys in an eight-over-par round that left him languishing 21 shots behind halfway leader Cameron Champ, who finished on 12 under. It is the first time the world number two has missed the cut since the Open at Royal Troon last July. McIlroy's round continued his troubled build-up to next week's US Open at Oakmont having been forced to switch to a different driver after his previous model was deemed non-conforming in a random test on the eve of last month's US PGA Championship, in which he finished joint-47th. 'Of course it concerns me. You don't want to shoot high scores like the one I did today,' McIlroy said on the PGA Tour website. 'Still I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver thinking that sort of was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn't. 'Obviously going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still sort of searching for the sort of missing piece off the tee. 'Obviously for me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn't. Yeah, that's a concern going into next week.' McIlroy was already facing an uphill battle after shooting one over par on Thursday and his day began to unravel after taking an eight on the par-four fifth. That occurred after he fired his second shot out of bounds from the rough and was forced to take a further penalty after playing a provisional. He then missed the green with his fifth shot and needed three more to find the hole. Things got worse from there with further bogeys at the eighth and 10th before he double-bogeyed the 11th and then dropped more shots at the 13th and 17th. There was at least some relief with birdies on the 15th and at the last, but McIlroy is preparing for a 'lot of practice' over the weekend. He added: 'I think there's still learnings that you have to take from a day like today. "I think there's still learnings that you have to take from a day like today." Rory reflects on missing his first cut since @TheOpen in 2024. — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 6, 2025 'Even though the last two days didn't go the way I wanted them to, there's still things I can take from it and still things I can learn. 'I'm going to have to do a lot of practice, a lot of work over the weekend at home and try to at least have a better idea of where my game is going into next week.' Elsewhere, Irishman Shane Lowry's two-under-par 68 took him to eight under and a share of seventh place along with six other players. Andrew Putnam climbed to second on 10 under, while Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen was tied third on nine under with Canadians Richard Lee and Nick Taylor. Justin Rose, beaten by McIlroy in a play-off at the Masters in April, also missed the cut after finishing one under following a round of 74.
