Tom McKibbin to make PGA Championship debut in LIVed-up field
The late invitations from the PGA of America to two 20-somethings,
Tom McKibbin
and David Puig, brought the number of
LIV Golf
players in the field at this week's
US PGA Championship
at Quail Hollow to 16, four more players from that Saudi PIF-funded circuit than competed at the
Masters
last month.
McKibbin, the 22-year-old Belfast man, will be making his debut appearance in the PGA Championship having dipped his toes into Majors at last year's US Open in Pinehurst (tied 41st) and The Open at Royal Troon (tied 66th).
The decision by McKibbin not to take up his new PGA Tour card and instead switch his main tour to LIV – where he joined Jon Rahm's Legion XIII team – earlier this season appeared to have damaged his chances of competing in the Majors (he is, however, qualified for The Open at Royal Portrush on the back of his finish on the DP World Tour rankings last season) but the PGA of America's invitation opened up a window of opportunity.
McKibbin was inside the world's top-100 following the Dubai Desert Classic in February, after which he confirmed his move to LIV, where there are no world ranking points. He has since dropped to 124th in the official world rankings.
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Incidentally, McKibbin had committed to playing in next week's DP World Tour stop, the Soudal Open in Belgium, before getting the late invitation to Charlotte.
OFX Irish Legends to have a home-grown winner at last?
Gary Murphy will hope that home support in his native Kilkenny will provide the magic ingredient in his quest to claim the OFX Irish Legends title, which takes place at Mount Juliet in Thomastown.
No home-grown Irish player has yet managed to claim the title – with Irish-American Joe McDermott's success at Woodbrook back in 1998 the sole Ireland win. Murphy is part of a trio of Irish players in the field, along with David Higgins and Peter Lawrie, for this year's event, which moves from Seapoint to the Jack Nicklaus-signature course.
Brazilian Adilson da Silva is the defending champion while Major champions Paul Lawrie and Michael Campbell are also competing.
A celebrity pro-am kick-starts the event on Wednesday, with footballers
Niall Quinn
,
Liam Brady
and Robbie Fowler and singers Keith Duffy and
Daniel O'Donnell
among the line-up. Tickets for the tournament – which finishes on Saturday – are available on www.tickets.legendstour.com (with free admittance for under-16s).
Word of Mouth
'Shane's an awesome guy. He's one of my favourite people to play with. He's a fiery competitor but a really good friend as well. It was really fun battling with him. Just grateful for him' –
Sepp Straka
(and Ryder Cup partner to Shane Lowry) on playing with the Irishman in the final round of the Truist. Straka's win moved him to ninth in the updated world rankings and to fifth on Europe's Ryder Cup qualifying list.
By the numbers: 10
Shane Lowry
didn't manage to add the Truist Championship to his list of career wins, but his tied-second placed finish behind Straka alongside Justin Thomas did move him up to a best ever world ranking of 10th.
Henrik Stenson lines up a putt on his way to winning the Benson & Hedges International open held at the Belfry, England in 2001. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/Allsport
On this day: May 13th, 2001
Henrik Stenson was a tour rookie, having graduated from the previous season's Challenge Tour rankings, when the 25-year-old Swede fended off experienced campaigners at The Belfry to lift his first European Tour win at the Benson & Hedges International.
Stenson's performance – narrowly getting the job done before unmerciful thunderstorms hit – provided a glimpse into his star appeal in what would be an honour-laden career.
Rounds of 66-68-71-70 for a total of 13-under-par 275 gave Stenson a two-strokes winning margin over Paul McGinley, who birdied the final hole to share the runners-up position with Angel Cabrera.
'I just feel relieved, it's been a tough day,' remarked Stenson of managing to stay clear of his pursuers. The win earned Stenson a cheque for €267,917 ... more than 10 times the size of his previous biggest pay-day as a professional.
Social Swing
'Victory looks good on #TeamSrixon. @seppstraka locks up his second win of the season and takes home the Truist Championship trophy!' –
Srixon
's social media post after their man Seppa Straka's win in the Truist . . . . . was then followed by:
'This Sunday belongs to #TeamSrixon @ryanfoxgolfer breaks through with his first PGA Tour win at Myrtle Beach' – after another Srixon man, Ryan Fox, won a playoff at the Myrtle Beach Classic, giving the New Zealander his first win on the US circuit and earning him him a place in the field at the US PGA at Quail Hollow this week.
'Health update. After consulting with doctors and my team, I have decided to have right hip surgery next week out in Colorado. It's an unfortunate situation with so many great events left on the calendar but this is a preventative measure. I'm already itching to start rehab, get back to practicing and I look forward to returning to the course sometime around late summer/early fall' –
Billy Horschel
on his decision to miss the PGA at Quail Hollow to undergo surgery.
Know the Rules
Q:
In stroke play, a player plays a left-handed stroke with the back of the head of a right-handed club. What is the ruling?
A:
There is no penalty as, under Rule 10.1a, which deals with fairly striking the ball, it states: 'In making a stroke: The player must fairly strike at the ball with any part of the head of the club such that there is only momentary contact between the club and the ball and must not push, scrape or scoop the ball.'
In the Bag: Sepp Straka (Truist Championship)
Driver:
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond Max (9 degrees)
3-wood:
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (15 degrees)
7-wood:
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond (20 degrees)
Irons:
Srixon ZXi5 (4, 5), Srixon ZXi7 (6-9)
Wedges:
Cleveland RTZ (46, 52, 56 and 60 degrees)
Putter:
Odyssey Tuttle Stroke Lab
Ball:
Srixon Z-Star XV
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Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
TJ Reid and Martin Keoghan star as Kilkenny dismiss toothless Galway
KILKENNY 3-22 GALWAY 1-20 SIix-in-a-row in Leinster for Kilkenny and it never looked in doubt at Croke Park yesterday. Derek Lyng's men are now firmly on a collision course with a Limerick side set to face Dublin or KIldare in the All-Ireland quarter-final in a fortnight's time. Whether they're properly tested or not, Kilkenny were very impressive in landing a 77th Leinster title, as Galway's wait for Leinster crown number four stretches into an eighth year. A late spurt from 13 points back on 58 minutes put some gloss on the scoreline, but Micheál Donoghue's side were badly beaten up here, particularly in the third quarter. Saying that, for a fleeting moment it looked like Derek Lyng might have started wheeling in the subs too soon as his 58th minute double change was followed by a Galway 1-6 burst without reply. The lead was down to four at one stage after Cathal Mannion went short with a free for Brian Concannon to stick it in the roof of the net on 63 minutes and spark a Galway revival. But with Kilkenny under pressure Eoin Murphy was only looking in one direction. TJ Reid duly plucked the ball from the skies and found Adrian Mullen for a relieving 67th minute score - his fourth from play. Kilkenny had more firepower in general with Martin Keoghan top scoring from play with 2-2, his goals both opportunistic efforts as he lurked in around the square. The Galway starting attack shot just 1-9 from play compared to Kilkenny's 3-12 from play so they can have little complaints and know what they have to go after in the next fortnight with Tipperary or Laois up next in the All-Ireland quarter-final. The game defining moment saw Martin Keogan race back 20 yards to turn the ball over with a hook, before feeding TJ Reid for a 57th minute goal that put Kilkenny 12 points clear and in total command. Galway only had 12 points after 58 minutes, before a late spurt of 1-8 in the final 12 minutes, but it was too little too late. While Conor Whelan had a big influence on the first half out the field, he finished scoreless and his presence and ball winning ability inside was probably missed, but then it is also needed at half forward. That's one of a number of conundrums the Galway management have to weigh up. Injuries didn't help Galway either with defender Fintan Burke going off in first half stoppage time. Goalkeeper Eanna Murphy was also forced out at half-time, and with Darach Fahy suspended, third choice goalie Darragh Walsh came in for his championship debut. Walsh spilled a ball at the end for Keoghan's second goal, but Galway were four behind with just over a minute remaining and the game was probably up anyway. Brief respite from a cagey first half came from a familiar source. You could almost see TJ Reid smelling goal with every step and sensing that there weren't going to be many big chances in the game, as the Galway defence opened up, It was the first long ball he won close to goal. Everyone in the stadium knew it was on as he turned and sped in on goal. Galway goalie Murphy dived low to push his shot away, Martin Keoghan was on hand to flick it over the line for a 1-9 to 0-8 lead on 33 minutes. Keoghan caught Murphy accidentally with his knee, and although he continued, seconds later John Donnelly caught him high and was yellow carded, with the goalie going off at half-time. Adrian Mullen, roving deep, ran the first 15 minutes of a tit for tat game that lacked any real excitement, impressive and all as the set piece plays and points from puck outs were. It was like night and day compared to the chaos of the Munster Final from the night before, although that was played in front of a packed house, while Croke Park wasn't half full here. Both sides played with a sweeper, Galway's tending to rotate, while Richie Reid was generally the one to slot in for Kilkenny. 'I think it was just a little bit cagey in the first half,' said Kilkenny boss Derek Lyng. 'Both teams had probably disappointing wides. 'What you put that down to, I'm not sure. A little bit of nerves or whatever, and just settling into the game. 'We finished that half strong. I think the goal was an important score for us, and gave us a bit of breathing room. 'We started the second half very well and we were strong for large parts of the second half, but obviously there was a spell there that we'd be disappointed with. 'We were performing very well for large parts of it and Galway got a bit of momentum then. They're top-class forwards and they picked off some very good scores. 'I suppose the (Concannon) goal, it was very disappointing how that happened and how we conceded that. 'That gave Galway a great lift and the momentum was with them. I thought our response was very positive. We got back into it, picked off a few scorers, and just settled back into the game. 'We probably made a few changes at that time and it just looked like we lost our shape for a few minutes, but overall, just pleased how we finished the game then. 'Today was about getting the result. The performance overall was decent, I thought. We know there's a lot of room for improvement. 'We go into a knockout phase. Everything ramps up. We have a few weeks that we're going to have to really utilise, work very hard, and get our heads down for the next step.' Kilkenny have four weeks to prepare for an All-Ireland semi-final, that could well be against Limerick. That will focus minds. They were very good for long spells here, and ultimately able to maintain a ferocious work rate for longer than Galway. Their 15 misses - 11 of them wides - wasn't very Kilkenny like, compared to Galway's 10 misses - eight of them wides and three of those Mannion frees - while TJ Reid missed two dead balls. Reid though was the gamebreaker, creating the first goal and finishing the second with a laser like shot as Kilkenny stamped their authority on the province once again.
Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Kilkenny boss claims Munster final conclusion was unfair
Kilkenny's reward for a sixth Leinster hurling title in a row is a likely semi-final with Limerick – but Derek Lyng felt sympathy for the vanquished Munster giants after what he felt was an unfair end to the game. Lyng's team overcame Galway in Croke Park on Sunday, winning by eight points in front of 37,503 spectators. A largely subdued affair was in complete contrast to the drama that played out in Limerick the night before, when Cork won on penalties after extra time. Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng reacts during the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Kilkenny and Limerick at Croke Park in Dublin. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile The net result is a place in the quarter-finals for Limerick, and they will be unbackable favourites to win that, against one of Dublin and Kildare. That would set them against Lyng's men in the last four. And the victorious Kilkenny manager suggested that a fairer way of deciding the match would have been a replay. 'I think it's hard on players,' he said of the penalty shoot-out. 'I know we have a new system in place and we're kind of caught for time but I just think we're a bit too caught at the minute. 'It made for a great spectacle, but I think to be fair to players, the replay would have been more fair to them.' 7 June 2025; Cork captain Robert Downey lifts the Mick Mackey Cup after his side' victory in the Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship final match between Limerick and Cork at LIT Gaelic Grounds in Limerick. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile Limerick will be expected to put aside that disappointment and prevail not only against the winners of Dublin and Kildare, but also Kilkenny in a semi-final. And the tepid nature of much of yesterday's Leinster decider in contrast to the pyrotechnics in the Gaelic Grounds will do nothing to temper that belief. Lyng, though, was adamant that his players have been tested properly ahead of the expected challenge to come. 'I think it's probably taken for granted that we're going to go win these games, but a huge amount of work goes into it, particularly from the players,' he said. Walter Walsh in action for Kilkenny. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile 'We lost to Wexford, and against Dublin we would have been disappointed with a spell in that game as well, and likewise today, so, regardless of who we were playing, we know we're going to have to find another gear or two for the next day, and that's the reality of it.' Galway, meanwhile, look certain to face Tipperary in a last-eight tie with the Premier County facing Laois in a preliminary quarter-final before then. Micheál Donoghue denied that the job facing him on his return to Galway is bigger than anticipated after a desperately flat display in which his side went 36 minutes without a score from play. 19 August 2018; Galway manager Micheál Donoghue and Joe Canning of Galway following the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship Final match between Galway and Limerick at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Donoghue feels they are not as far behind the leading teams as many believe. 'No, I wouldn't say it's a bigger job,' he said. 'Obviously, the disappointment of today and I suppose the narrative will be that it's probably similar to previous years and previous teams. 'But look, we know what we have in the squad and we'll try and take the positives out of it as we move forward.'
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kilkenny dominate Leinster but questions remain about readiness for All-Ireland semi-final
Kilkenny would have you believe this championship is more three-legged stool than two-pony field. We know the sturdiness of the Cork and Limerick legs. Their robustness was reexamined and reaffirmed on Saturday night. The third leg, though, remains without weight pressed down upon it. Kilkenny bookended another Cup-on-the-bus Leinster campaign with another comfortable victory over Galway. An aggregate 20-point winning margin against their supposed closest challenger. Cork and Limerick players watched Saturday's penalty shootout sitting on their backsides such was the collective exhaustion from 90 minutes of on-the-edge and over-the-edge combat. Kilkenny, a day later, skipped out of Leinster with an average winning margin of eight points. Aside from 20 second-half minutes against Dublin in Round 4 and 11 minutes from Galway yesterday, Kilkenny had no honours level Leaving Cert paper put in front of them. They've not been extended or exhausted by anyone. Limerick, barring an upset, will be their All-Ireland semi-final opponents in four weeks' time. Right now, Kilkenny, through no fault of their own, are thoroughly unprepared for that exam. Derek Lyng, as you'd expect, took a different view. 'I think we have,' he replied when asked if Kilkenny have been sufficiently road tested in reaching the second last weekend of the championship. 'From the start of the Leinster campaign, we're always spoken about as being favourites. But we put a huge amount of work into each game, and we prepare for each game like any other. It doesn't matter who you're playing. 'It's probably taken for granted that we're going to go out and win these games, but a huge amount of work goes into it, particularly from the players. We've been tested in different games, at different stages. 'We lost to Wexford, and Dublin we would have been disappointed with a spell in that game as well, and likewise today, so, regardless of who we are playing, we know we're going to have to find another gear or two for the next day. We go into a knockout phase. Everything ramps up. 'We're Leinster champions, and that was the objective, but at the same time, we know we've a lot of work to do.' Lyng is excited to roll up the sleeves and commence that work. Kilkenny's League concluded on March 9. They had six weeks to themselves before the championship threw in. They threw in with a 12-point hammering of Galway. Lyng will hope this second block of training will have at the end a performance to surpass that of Nowlan Park on the championship's opening weekend. It will need to if they are to be involved in the championship's closing weekend. 'This year we've had a very competitive squad and training has been really good, so we just need to probably pick it up again. During the campaign, you don't really get a chance for lots of games [in-house]. You're going week to week, it's nearly about recovery more than anything else. 'But in the run-up to the Leinster campaign, we had a good run at it, and coming into the first game against Galway, we had a lot of work done. We hit the ground running, and we need to get back to that now, use the next couple of weeks to build that momentum again and raise the standard. 'It's a great place to be. The alternative was you'd be out in two weeks and it would be do-or-die.' They were never in danger of being back out in two weeks. Fintan Burke batted away the first three balls that rained down on top of him and TJ Reid. But Reid's 33rd minute catch drew a game-ending save from Éanna Murphy and rebound finish from Martin Keoghan. After Galway's 1-6 burst to bring the margin to four, it was TJ who caught Eoin Murphy's puckout and offloaded to Adrian Mullen for the score to break Galway's streak. It was Martin Keoghan who again followed in for his second and the game's decisive goal. At the far end, there was a fielding exhibition from Huw Lawlor. Brian Concannon, in the process, was reduced to anonymity. 'They were massive catches. It's a brilliant skill to have, somebody that can attack the ball and just pluck it from the sky like that. 'I do remember one in particular, he came up the field and Billy Ryan finished off a super score. For any full-back coming out, it's important that he gets it to a teammate because if you're turned over, you have to be careful of that, but it was a great score. 'It's about the team all the time, defending together and attacking together, so Huw was well able to travel up when he needs to. 'I thought the bit of resilience there to take back the game under our control near the end was very positive as well.'
