
Hawks drafted in to scare off seagulls at Royal Portrush
For now four hawks are on the course at the 153rd Open Championship to ensure spectators aren't bothered by seagulls stealing their food.
Cheyenne, Caine, Bella and Aurora have their Hawk-eyes on those other birdies flying through the sky and feeling peckish as thousands of fans flock to the Food Hall when taking a break from watching the golf.
Anyone who has ever been to Portrush will know that seagulls are regular visitors in large numbers so the Harris Hawks are welcome guests to the north coast invited by the R & A.
Falconer David Trenier from Clear Skies NI explained to the Belfast Telegraph: 'We are here with the hawks to make sure that the gulls stay away from people eating their food.'
The Open at Royal Portrush: What happened in 2019
As well as doing their job, the hawks are proving quite the attraction with adults and kids alike taking scores of selfies with them.
That will continue throughout the tournament and increase on Saturday and Sunday when an American Bald Eagle called Pilgrim arrives on the scene.
'Having Pilgrim along is a tip of the hat to our American visitors,' said David who runs Clear Skies NI with his wife Joanna.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Padraig Harrington achieves rare Claret Jug double with Sunningdale success
Irishman becomes just fifth player to win both The Open and Senior Open Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Padraig Harrington became just the fifth player to win both The Open and the ISPS Handa Open as the Irishman claimed the over-50s' Claret Jug at Sunningdale. The Irishman, a two-time Open champion in 2007 and 2008, signed off with a three-under-par 67 at the Berkshire venue to win by three shots as he finished on 16 under. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Harrington, who also won last month's US Open, joined Bob Charles, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Darren Clarke as the only players to do the double. Padraig Harrington shows off the trophy after winning the ISPS HANDA Senior Open at Sunningdale | Getty Images 'You know, right now I'm just thrilled to have won the tournament and gone out there and played well,' said Harrington. 'But there's only five players (to achieve this feat), so you want to be in that category. I'm thrilled, euphoric that I've gotten it done.' With Rory McIlroy, who recently moved to nearby Wentworth, taking in the last-day action, Harrington got off to the perfect start as he eagled the first. He then added birdies at the sixth, ninth and 14th while his card also included dropped shots at the eighth and 17th. Gleneag;es Hotel will host 2026 ISPS HANDA Senior Open Dane Thomas Bjorn (67) and American Justin Leonard (68) finished in tie for second, with Australian Scott Hend a further shot back after a joint-best-of-the-day 65. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Signing off with a bogey-free 67, Stephen Gallacher finished as the top Scot, tying for 12th on seven under, one ahead of Paul Lawrie after he also closed with a three-under effort. Meanwhile, Gleneagles Hotel will host the 2026 edition - the second time the over-50s' major will be held at the Perthshire venue.


Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Inside England captain Leah Williamson's romance with Miss USA winner Elle Smith
England captain Leah Williamson will be leading the Lionesses to hopeful victory in the Women's Euro 2025 finals tonight. Leah's England will take on former rivals Spain in St Jakob-Park in Basel, Switzerland, two years after losing out on their World Cup attempt. All eyes will be on the England team, including 29-year-old team captain Leah, who was permanently appointed to the post by England manager Sarina Wiegman in 2022. But what do we know about Leah's life away from the pitch? Does she have a girlfriend or partner? When not leading her team to victory, Leah has made headlines for her rumoured romance with former Miss USA Elle Smith. Here's all we know about Leah Williamson's relationship with the 27-year-old beauty pageant winner. American journalist and beauty pageant contestant Elle Smith was crowned Miss USA in 2021. In the run-up to the competition, she was named Miss Kentucky USA that same year, making her only the second woman from Kentucky to win Miss USA. She went on to represent the United States at Miss Universe, ultimately finishing in the Top 10, losing out to India's Harnaaz Sandhu. Although they became romantically linked in 2024, Leah and Elle have not officially confirmed whether they are in a relationship. Speculation that the pair were 'soft-launching' a relationship began in March, when Elle posted a video of her and Leah floating in the ocean together on a paddleboard. This came accompanied by the caption 'happy birthday my love x,' to which Leah responded with a series of emojis. Since then, they have continued to pop up all over each other's social media, including a picture of them celebrating England's 6-0 win against Portugal, back in May. In the black-and-white picture, Leah sits on Elle's lap, with the former Miss USA titleholder's arms around her. In response to the picture, Leah commented: 'We did it🥹🥹🥹' Last month, Elle shared a series of snapshots from their holiday to Majorca together – many of which saw the pair looking very loved-up indeed. These images included a snap of Elle and Leah on a paddleboard together, as well as shots of them all dressed up and headed out for dinner. Leah shared her own carousel of images on her Instagram page, too, which included a number of grabs of Elle smiling and contented. Leah also showed her appreciation when Elle shared a series of snaps posing in her Skims bikini while on holiday in Jamaica for her birthday last month. 'I have no words,' Leah wrote in the comments to the post – to which Elle responded: 'all yours.' More Trending She then commented again soon afterwards, writing: 'Just come for a second viewing.' Elle has shared a message of support ahead of tonight's final, posting a snap of herself in a t-shirt to her Instagram Stories. This wasn't any old England t-shirt either. The message emblazoned on the white tee's front in red writing? 'Live, Laugh, Leah.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: How much do women footballers get paid? England player salaries revealed MORE: Why are Mary Earps and Millie Bright not playing for England at Euro 2025? MORE: Who is commentating on England's Euro 2025 final vs Spain? BBC and ITV line-ups

The National
5 hours ago
- The National
Lottie Woad wins the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open
With another performance of purpose and poise over a testing, gusty Dundonald Links, the unflappable Woad marked her first event as a professional with victory in the ISPS Handa Women's Scottish Open. Over 72-holes, Woad leaked just three shots and her closing four-under 68 gave her a 21-under aggregate and a three-shot win over Hyo Joo Kim of Korea. After her six-shot victory as an amateur at the Women's Irish Open at the start of July, as well as a third-place finish in a major at the Evian Championship the following week, this was another significant statement of intent from a truly special talent. As she marched off the final green, having put the tin lid on another thrilling conquest, she was greeted with a triumphant skirl of the pipes. Perhaps a rehashing of a tune from the Beethoven collection would've been more appropriate. Woad to Joy, anyone? No, I thought not. A week ago at The Open, we were all waxing lyrical about the calm, composed feats of a man called Scottie. On Sunday at Dundonald, it was a Lottie that everybody was talking about after her serene march to glory. Leading by two heading into the final round, Woad staved off the menacing advances of Kim with a terrific display of frontrunning golf. Even when Kim drew level at the top for a spell, Woad remained unflustered and upped the ante with a clinical burst of back-to-back birdies as she neared the closing stretch. 'It's very special to win in my first event as a professional and it's quite hard to do that,' said the former world amateur No 1. 'Everyone was chasing me today, but I managed to maintain the lead and played really nicely down the stretch. 'I'd played a lot of majors and pro events before this, so it wasn't all new. Those experiences helped.' The final day developed into a two-horse race as Woad and the experienced Kim separated themselves from the rest. Woad cemented her place at the top with a couple of birdies at the second and third while Kim, playing in the match ahead, made a telling thrust with four birdies in her opening seven holes to bolster her assault on the title. A major winner back in 2014, and a multiple champion on both the LPGA Tour and her native Korean circuit down the years, Kim tried her best to put the pressure on as she nibbled into Woad's advantage. Not that Woad paid much attention to her push, mind you. 'I didn't really know the score for most of the back nine,' admitted Woad. Having briefly manoeuvred her way into a share of the lead just after the turn, Kim's hopes suffered a damaging dunt as she stumbled to a brace of bogeys at 15 and 16. Woad's little flurry of birdies gave her a three-shot lead and despite spilling her only shot of the day on the 16th, the former Curtis Cup player didn't let that slip faze her. With a two-shot cushion playing the last, Woad plotted her way safely up the fairway then flicked a wedge into a couple of feet of the flag to set up a birdie which gilded the lily. 'I felt pretty good going down 18 because I knew I had a two-shot lead and just hit an 80-yard lay-up and an 80-yard shot,' she said of her stress-free meander up the closing par-5. 'I felt pretty confident coming down there.' During her shimmering summer, Woad has forfeited around £480,000 in prize money due to her amateur status. Now that she's a professional, she could finally shove a cheque into her pocket. 'I don't even know what the winner gets,' she said with a smile. How does £223,000 sound, Lottie? 'A lot of people have talked about me not winning any money,' she added. 'I knew going into all the events (as an amateur) that I wasn't going to win any money. It didn't make too much difference. 'I knew if I kept playing how I was, then it would all work out.' Kim's 68 gave her second place on 18-under, four shots ahead of Julia Lopez Ramirez and Sei Young Kim who shared third. Nelly Korda, the world No 1 who was making her first appearance in the Women's Scottish Open, signed off with a 71 for 13-under while Gemma Dryburgh, the only Scot to make the cut, finished down the field on seven-over. All roads now lead to Porthcawl for this week's AIG Women's Open, the final major of the season. Woad will hurtle into south Wales on the crest of a wave.