🎧 'Bring the wrong person in and it can ruin things'
The latest episode of BBC Radio Leicester's When You're Smiling podcast has landed.Owynn Palmer-Atkin is joined by former Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough to discuss injuries, transfers and the increasing impact of Bilal El Khannouss.Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
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BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
McIlroy aims to get his 'stuff together' at US Open
Rory McIlroy says his recent loss of form has helped him realise he needs to "get my stuff together" at this week's US Open after struggling for motivation following his career-defining Masters win. The Northern Irishman became just the sixth man to complete the career Grand Slam with his Masters victory in April, but has since struggled, finishing tied 47th at last month's US PGA Championship before missing the cut by 12 shots at last week's Canadian Open. While the 36-year-old said it was important for him to savour his Augusta triumph, he added he wants to move on as he bids for a second US Open title at Oakmont Country Club. "I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago [at the Masters], then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working," said McIlroy. "I worked incredibly hard on my game from October last year all the way up until April this year."It was nice to sort of see the fruits of my labour come to fruition and have everything happen." McIlroy, who has reverted to his old driver after struggling off the tee in Canada, added: "You have to enjoy that. You have to enjoy what you've just accomplished. "I certainly feel like I'm still doing that and I will continue to do that. At some point you have to realise that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season. "Weeks like Quail Hollow [at the US PGA] or even weeks like last week, it makes it easier to reset in some way - to be like 'OK, I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process'."McIlroy also explained that he has "always been a player that struggles" to perform immediately after a big win."I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you've just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it, and you want to sort of relish the fact that you've achieved a goal," he said. McIlroy reminded of Oakmont's demands McIlroy added he "certainly can't relax" this week at Oakmont, where he missed the cut when the challenging Pittsburgh layout last staged the US Open in also failed to make the weekend in 2017 and 2018, but has since posted six consecutive top-10 finishes and has been runner-up the past two years. "I made the decision at that back end of 2018 into 2019, I wanted to try to build my game around the toughest tests that we have in the game," he said. "The US Open went from probably my least favourite major to probably my favourite because of what it asks from you, and I love that challenge."While McIlroy said he tried to wipe 2016 from his memory, he was handed a stark reminder of Oakmont's severe demands - five-inch rough and undulating greens - when he shot 81 during an early practice round last week. "Last Monday felt impossible - I birdied the last two holes for 81," said the five-time major winner, adding the course feels "softer" this week."It felt pretty good, it didn't feel like I played that bad! It's much more benign now. "They had the pins in dicey positions and the greens were running at 15 and a half. It was nearly impossible."
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
I need to get my stuff together – Rory McIlroy out to end Masters hangover
Rory McIlroy says he has to 'get his stuff together' as he looks to shake off his Masters hangover at the US Open this week. The world number two completed an 11-year quest to win all four majors when he triumphed at Augusta National in April but his form has suffered since. He tied for 47th at the PGA Championship last month, where he suffered drama when his driver was found to be non-conforming, while he missed the cut at the Canadian Open last week as his struggles off the tee continued. The Northern Irishman has cut himself some slack given his monumental achievement at the Masters. However, ahead of the US Open at unforgiving Oakmont this week, he knows he has to get his head back in the game. Asked if he knew how tough it would be to regain his motivation, he said: 'I didn't know. Look, you dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don't think about what comes next. 'I think I've always been a player who struggles to play after a big event, after I win whatever tournament. 'I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you've just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it and you want to sort of relish the fact that you've achieved a goal. 'I think chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit. 'I think it's trying to have a little bit of amnesia and forget about what happened six weeks ago. Then just trying to find the motivation to go back out there and work as hard as I've been working. 'But at the same time, you have to enjoy what you've just accomplished. I certainly feel like I'm still doing that and I will continue to do that. 'At some point, you have to realise that there's a little bit more golf left to play this season: here, Portrush (the Open), Ryder Cup, so those are obviously the three big things that I'm sort of looking at for the rest of the year. 'I sort of need to get my stuff together here and get back to the process of what I'd been doing for that seven months from October last year until April this year.' After missing the cut in Toronto last week, McIlroy said he had 'concerns' about his driving coming into a tournament where hitting the fairways will be key to success. The 2011 US Open champion, who has finished second in the tournament in each of the last two years, spent the weekend practising with a new driver and says he is feeling more confident. 'I feel like, as the last few weeks go, I think I learnt a lot on Thursday and Friday last week and did a good bit of practice at home and feel like I'm in a better place with everything going into this week,' he said. Asked what information he had gleaned, he quipped: 'I learned that I wasn't using the right driver.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
US Open tee times: Thursday and Friday pairings as Rory McIlroy drawn with Ryder Cup teammates
Rory McIlroy will begin his US Open quest in a group with two Ryder Cup teammates and friends in Shane Lowry and Justin Rose at Oakmont Country Club. The Masters champion has been struggling for form in recent weeks after his monumental victory at Augusta in April to complete the career grand slam, but his pairing for the first and second rounds could provide a relaxed atmosphere for the 36-year-old. McIlroy's driver was flagged as non-conforming following a test before the PGA Championship and he has been searching for a spark ever since, which led to a missed cut at the Canadian Open last week. But the Northern Irishman will find comfort at Oakmont after finishing as runner-up in the last two US Opens. World No 1 Scottie Scheffler will hope to extend his dominant streak after wins at Quail Hollow, for his third major title, and the Memorial, and the Texan will be joined by Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa on Thursday and Friday. Bryson DeChambeau defends his title after victory at Pinehurst No 2 last June, and he'll be joined by Jose Luis Ballester and Xander Schauffele for the first two rounds. Here are the full tee times for the first and second rounds for what promises to be a fiendishly difficult test at Oakmont: (USA unless stated, all times BST) (a) denotes amateurs Starting at hole 1 11:45 Trent Phillips, Kevin Velo, (a) Matt Vogt 11:56 Chandler Blanchet, Alvaro Ortiz (Mex), Doug Ghim 12:07 (a) Evan Beck, J us tin B. Hicks, Maxwell Moldovan 12:18 Keegan Bradley, Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 12:29 Jose Luis Ballester (Spa), Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele 12:40 Wyndham Clark, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Gary Woodland 12:51 Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Matt McCarty 13:02 Cameron Davis (A us), Thomas Detry (Bel), Davis Thompson 13:13 Richard Bland (Eng), Lanto Griffin, (a) Trevor Gutschewski 13:24 Ryan Gerard, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Sam Stevens 13:35 (a) Noah Kent, Thriston Lawrence (Rsa), Thorbjoern Olesen (Den) 13:46 Jinichiro Kozuma (Jpn), (a) Cameron Tankersley, Chase Johnson 13:57 Philip Barbaree, Brady Calkins, Riley Lewis 17:30 Sam Bairstow (Eng), Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Frederic Lacroix (Fra) 17:41 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Joe Highsmith, Ryan Fox (Nzl) 17:52 Jacob Bridgeman, Victor Perez (Fra), Adam Schenk 18:03 Brooks Koepka, Min-Woo Lee (A us), J us tin Thomas 18:14 Sam Burns, Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Denny McCarthy 18:25 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler 18:36 Corey Conners (Can), Jason Day (A us), Patrick Reed 18:47 Daniel Berger, Bud Cauley, Joaquin Niemann (Chi) 18:58 Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Chris Kirk 19:09 Rasm us Hoejgaard (Den), Stephan Jaeger (Ger), (a) Benjamin James 19:20 Laurie Canter (Eng), (a) J us tin Hastings (Cay), Rasm us Neergaard-Petersen (Den) 19:31 Roberto Diaz (Mex), Emilio Gonzalez (Mex), (a) Frankie Harris 19:42 Joey Herrera, George Kneiser, Grant Haefner, Starting at hole 10 11:45 Zachary Blair, Alistair Docherty, Scott Vincent (Zim) 11:56 Jacques Kruyswijk (Rsa), Jordan Smith (Eng), Eric Cole 12:07 Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Taylor Pendrith (Can), J. J. Spaun 12:18 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Adam Scott (A us) 12:29 Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak 12:40 Shane Lowry (Irl), Rory McIlroy (NIrl), J us tin Rose (Eng) 12:51 Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Si-Woo Kim (Kor) 13:02 Brian Harman, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith (A us) 13:13 Brian Campbell, J us tin Lower, Niklas Noergaard (Den) 13:24 Johnny Keefer, (a) Jackson Koivun, Davis Riley 13:35 James Hahn, Mark Hubbard, (a) Michael La Sasso 13:46 Chris Gotterup, (a) Mason Howell, Joakim Lagergren (Swe) 13:57 Zachary Bauchou, Jackson Buchanan, (a) Lance Simpson 17:30 Will Chandler, Andrea Pavan (Ita), Takumi Kanaya (Jpn) 17:41 (a) Bryan Lee, Guido Migliozzi (Ita), Preston Summerhays 17:52 Max Greyserman, Erik van Rooyen (Rsa), Matt Wallace (Eng) 18:03 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), R us sell Henley, Nick Taylor (Can) 18:14 D us tin Johnson, Jon Rahm (Spa), Jordan Spieth 18:25 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Sepp Straka (Aut) 18:36 Tom Hoge, J. T. Poston, Cameron Young 18:47 Michael Kim, Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 18:58 Nick Dunlap, Marc Leishman (A us), Aaron Rai (Eng) 19:09 Matthew Jordan (Eng), Carlos Ortiz (Mex), Yuta Sugiura (Jpn) 19:20 Trevor Cone, Ryan McCormick, (a) Zachery Pollo 19:31 James Nicholas, (a) Tyler Weaver (Eng), Riki Kawamoto (Jpn) 19:42 George Duangmanee, Harrison Ott, A us ten Tr us low Second Round Starting at hole 1 11:45 Will Chandler, Andrea Pavan (Ita), Takumi Kanaya (Jpn) 11:56 (a) Bryan Lee, Guido Migliozzi (Ita), Preston Summerhays 12:07 Max Greyserman, Erik van Rooyen (Rsa), Matt Wallace (Eng) 12:18 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), R us sell Henley, Nick Taylor (Can) 12:29 D us tin Johnson, Jon Rahm (Spa), Jordan Spieth 12:40 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Sepp Straka (Aut) 12:51 Tom Hoge, J. T. Poston, Cameron Young 13:02 Michael Kim, Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven) 13:13 Nick Dunlap, Marc Leishman (A us), Aaron Rai (Eng) 13:24 Matthew Jordan (Eng), Carlos Ortiz (Mex), Yuta Sugiura (Jpn) 13:35 Trevor Cone, Ryan McCormick, (a) Zachery Pollo 13:46 James Nicholas, (a) Tyler Weaver (Eng), Riki Kawamoto (Jpn) 13:57 George Duangmanee, Harrison Ott, A us ten Tr us low 17:30 Zachary Blair, Alistair Docherty, Scott Vincent (Zim) 17:41 Jacques Kruyswijk (Rsa), Jordan Smith (Eng), Eric Cole 17:52 Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Taylor Pendrith (Can), J. J. Spaun 18:03 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn), Adam Scott (A us) 18:14 Ben Griffin, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak 18:25 Shane Lowry (Irl), Rory McIlroy (NIrl), J us tin Rose (Eng) 18:36 Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Si-Woo Kim (Kor) 18:47 Brian Harman, Phil Mickelson, Cameron Smith (A us) 18:58 Brian Campbell, J us tin Lower, Niklas Noergaard (Den) 19:09 Johnny Keefer, (a) Jackson Koivun, Davis Riley 19:20 James Hahn, Mark Hubbard, (a) Michael La Sasso 19:31 Chris Gotterup, (a) Mason Howell, Joakim Lagergren (Swe) 19:42 Zachary Bauchou, Jackson Buchanan, (a) Lance Simpson Starting at hole 10 11:45 Sam Bairstow (Eng), Emiliano Grillo (Arg), Frederic Lacroix (Fra) 11:56 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Joe Highsmith, Ryan Fox (Nzl) 12:07 Jacob Bridgeman, Victor Perez (Fra), Adam Schenk 12:18 Brooks Koepka, Min-Woo Lee (A us), J us tin Thomas 12:29 Sam Burns, Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Denny McCarthy 12:40 Viktor Hovland (Nor), Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler 12:51 Corey Conners (Can), Jason Day (A us), Patrick Reed 13:02 Daniel Berger, Bud Cauley, Joaquin Niemann (Chi) 13:13 Tony Finau, Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Chris Kirk 13:24 Rasm us Hoejgaard (Den), Stephan Jaeger (Ger), (a) Benjamin James 13:35 Laurie Canter (Eng), (a) J us tin Hastings (Cay), Rasm us Neergaard-Petersen (Den) 13:46 Roberto Diaz (Mex), Emilio Gonzalez (Mex), (a) Frankie Harris 13:57 Joey Herrera, George Kneiser, Grant Haefner 17:30 Trent Phillips, Kevin Velo, (a) Matt Vogt 17:41 Chandler Blanchet, Alvaro Ortiz (Mex), Doug Ghim 17:52 (a) Evan Beck, J us tin B. Hicks, Maxwell Moldovan 18:03 Keegan Bradley, Harris English, Tommy Fleetwood (Eng) 18:14 Jose Luis Ballester (Spa), Bryson DeChambeau, Xander Schauffele 18:25 Wyndham Clark, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Gary Woodland 18:36 Akshay Bhatia, Robert MacIntyre (Sco), Matt McCarty 18:47 Cameron Davis (A us), Thomas Detry (Bel), Davis Thompson 18:58 Richard Bland (Eng), Lanto Griffin, (a) Trevor Gutschewski 19:09 Ryan Gerard, Edoardo Molinari (Ita), Sam Stevens 19:20 (a) Noah Kent, Thriston Lawrence (Rsa), Thorbjoern Olesen (Den) 19:31 Jinichiro Kozuma (Jpn), (a) Cameron Tankersley, Chase Johnson 19:42 Philip Barbaree, Brady Calkins, Riley Lewis
