Rory McIlroy beams with pride as he pays tribute to ‘one of the coolest moments I've ever had' after charge at The Open
The
Royal
Portrush.
2
Rory McIlroy scored a sensational eagle on day three of The Open
Credit: AFP or licensors
2
He called it one of his coolest moments on the golf course
Credit: Sky Sports
A
lightning
fast start saw him sink three birdies in his first four holes and, while he carded a
Another birdie on 15 saw him end the day on -8, but it was the roar of the crowd on 12 that stayed with him.
Reflecting on the eagle in his post-round interview, McIlroy put it up alongside his past achievements in the sport.
He told
Sky
Sports: "Absolutely incredible out here today. The atmosphere ha been electric all day.
Read More on Rory McIlroy
"Obviously the start was
nice
, birdying three of the first four but as this is going down the hill, probably one of the coolest moments I have ever had on a
golf
course.
"An absolute pleasure to play in front of my home crowd, my fans and I have really tried my best.
"I try my best every week but I am really just trying to hang in there and stay in it.
"The leaders are still a few shots in front but I played well enough to think I at least have a chance going into tomorrow."
Most read in Golf
Despite his impressive showing on Saturday, McIlroy acknowledged that he still has a lot of
work
to do to catch leader
The world No1 continued his imperious form with a four-under 67 to finish the day on -14 for the tournament.
Baffled Rory McIlroy hits TWO balls with ONE shot in incredible never-seen-before incident at The Open
He is four shots clear of second placed Li Haotong, five clear of
And
He added: "Scottie Scheffler is inevitable.
"Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he has become a complete player.
"He is so good around the greens, he's improved so much with his putter.
"It is going to be tough to catch him tomorrow if he keeps playing the way he does.
"If I can get out tomorrow and have a similar start to what I did today, get the crowd going, hopefully he feels that a couple of groups behind me and you never know.
"I just need to go out and play another really good round of golf tomorrow and see what happens."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Tyson Fury AND Anthony Joshua both in line for stunning Oleksandr Usyk rematch as world champ gives update on next fight
OLEKSANDR USYK put Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury on alert by calling them out to unwanted trilogy fights. 5 Oleksandr Usyk has called out Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua as he eyes a final fight Credit: Reuters 5 The ace is the undisputed heavyweight ace after winning his rematch against Daniel Dubois Credit: PA 5 Usyk saw off Fury twice in 2024 Credit: PA 5 He's also beaten Joshua twice in convincing wins Credit: AFP He then took Fury's WBC belt and undefeated record in May 2024 and did the double with a repeat win in December. That prompted Fury's fourth and latest retirement but he confirmed he WOULD return to face Usyk again - this time in England. And despite no real clamour for a trilogy with either the Gypsy King or Joshua, Usyk is ready to grant his Great British rival one last shot. The two-time undisputed heavyweight world champion has one last fight left in his career READ MORE IN BOXING And when probed on who his final fight could be, he grinned: "Maybe it's Tyson Fury. "Maybe we have three choices, Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua. Maybe Joseph Parker. Listen, I cannot now say because I want to go back home." Usyk - who beat Chisora behind-closed-doors in 2020 - is set to be mandated by the WBO to fight Parker. The all-time great spent agonising months away from his family to train out in Valencia. Most read in Boxing BEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERS And Usyk, 38, told those who stuck around to celebrate his excellence: "This is for the people, it's for our world's people. "This is enough. Next? I don't know. I want to rest. I want to go back home to my wife, my family." Jake Paul CONFIRMS Anthony Joshua fight and vows to 'shock the world' with huge boxing upset 5 Fury congratulated Usyk on his win on social wrote on Instagram: 'Congratulations. There's only one man who can beat you again and that's a Gypsy K Tyson Fury done it twice regardless of what the politics say!' In a video showing him running, Fury then said: 'Massive shout out to Oleksandr Usyk, he did a fantastic performance tonight. 'They came for a good tear up so congratulations to both men. 'Usyk knows there's only one man who can beat him. I've done it twice before and the world knows it. 'I've been f****d and took it like a man. And here's me not f*****g around at some boxing match. 'I'm out on the road running. I come home, I done the job and I am the man. I'm the f*****g spartan. 'No matter what anyone says, I f*****g won them fights guaranteed. 'There's only one man, G K all day every day.' Dubois, 27, bounced back from stoppage losses to Joe Joyce and Usyk to become IBF heavyweight world champion. But after being dropped twice and stopped in five rounds, he said: "I have to commend him, I gave everything I had. "There were some things I could have sharpened up on, but I'll be back. I was in a fight, I was trying to pick it round by round, but it is what it is, I'll be back." Usyk vs Dubois round by round as brutal knockout cements Ukrainian's place in history OLEKSANDR USYK cemented his name in the list of all-time boxing greats as he became a three-time undisputed champion with a fifth round knockout win over Daniel Dubois. Usyk dropped Dubois multiple times as he put any doubts about his first win over the Brit to bed by cementing the repeat and avoiding the revenge. Here, SunSport's ROUND ONE Usyk looks light on his toes, swaying side to side, Dubois plants his feet and walks forward. Stiff jab from Usyk appears to almost wake Dubois up and the Brit responds with a one-two. Usyk searches to the body with a left, blocks a right hand from Dubois and ends the round with a menacing combo. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 ROUND TWO Dubois lunges in with a right hand, Usyk expertly takes half a step back and responds with a counter left. Another right misses from Dubois and he takes a left cross which has him on shaky legs. Already Usyk is finding his rhythm, making Dubois miss and certainty making him pay. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 (Usyk 20 Dubois 18) ROUND THREE Usyk staggers back after a right hand from Dubois - maybe more off balance than hurt. Dubois charges forward with a left hook, right hand but Usyk covers up well. Huge left hook lands on the button from Usyk, sweat sprays off Dubois face. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 (Usyk 30 Dubois 27) ROUND FOUR Right uppercut lands on Usyk's belt-line in a genuine case of dejavu from low-blow gate in their first fight. Dubois traps Usyk in the corner, lands a right but the Ukrainian legend slips off before any troubling damage can be done. Left hand lands for Usyk but Dubois grabs on and closes the distance, smart defence to cap off his best round so far. Usyk 9 Dubois 10 (Usyk 39 Dubois 37) ROUND FIVE Right hook followed by a left hand lands for Usyk has Dubois teetering backwards. Dubois comes forward, charging at Usyk and the two trade off in the corner but DOWN GOES DUBOIS after a counter right hook. He makes it to his feet but is dropped with another left hook and the fight is over! Dubois fails to beat the count and Usyk is once again undisputed heavyweight world champion. Usyk wins by KO
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois punch stats revealed – and they show massive gulf in class
OLEKSANDR USYK secured his third undisputed world title with a fifth round knockout against Daniel Dubois - and the punch stats show exactly why the Ukrainian is one of the best around. Usyk, 38, needed nine rounds to beat Dubois when the pair first fought in 2023, but this second bout saw him 4 Oleksandr Usyk beat Daniel Dubois with a fifth round knockout Credit: Getty 4 Punch stats show that Usyk dominated Dubois Credit: Reuters 4 The Ukrainian landed some mega blows on Dubois at Wembley Credit: AFP Dubois certainly had his moments under the Wembley arch, but Usyk was always the dominant force against his Brit opponent. And the punch stats from the high-profile battle show exactly that, Across the five rounds of slugging, Dubois attempted 179 punches - some 26 more than Usyk. But despite throwing his hands far more than Usyk, Dubois failed to land anywhere near the number of blows as the champ. READ MORE IN BOXING Of his 179 attempted hit, While Usyk managed 57 landed punches from his 153 attempts. That puts The Cat's success rate at an impressive 37.3 per cent, dwarfing Dubois' return of 19.6 per cent. Usyk was so dominant that he landed more than 10 blows on Dubois for every round - barring his tally of nine in the third round. Most read in Boxing 4 CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Meanwhile Dubois only hit double figures in one of the five rounds. As Dubois tired and felt the effect of Usyk's thunderous hits, the 27-year-old managed just 11 per cent success in the fifth round - hitting Usyk only twice. Tense moment Jake Paul squares up to Oleksandr Usyk in ring after heavyweight champion's win over Daniel Dubois And Usyk was utterly dominant in that final round, hitting Dubois an astounding 12 times with a success rate of over 70 per cent from his 17 throws. Now Usyk will try and find a worthy competitor who can match his numbers for his next bout, having seemingly breezed his way through the best of Britain in the last few years. Although he's more than happy to bruise up Tyson Fury or Anthony Joshua again in a spectacular trilogy fight with either heavyweight. Speaking in the ring after earning his undisputed title, Usyk said: "Maybe it's Tyson Fury. "Maybe we have three choices, "Maybe Usyk vs Dubois round by round as brutal knockout cements Ukrainian's place in history OLEKSANDR USYK cemented his name in the list of all-time boxing greats as he became a three-time undisputed champion with a fifth round knockout win over Daniel Dubois. Usyk dropped Dubois multiple times as he put any doubts about his first win over the Brit to bed by cementing the repeat and avoiding the revenge. Here, SunSport's ROUND ONE Usyk looks light on his toes, swaying side to side, Dubois plants his feet and walks forward. Stiff jab from Usyk appears to almost wake Dubois up and the Brit responds with a one-two. Usyk searches to the body with a left, blocks a right hand from Dubois and ends the round with a menacing combo. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 ROUND TWO Dubois lunges in with a right hand, Usyk expertly takes half a step back and responds with a counter left. Another right misses from Dubois and he takes a left cross which has him on shaky legs. Already Usyk is finding his rhythm, making Dubois miss and certainty making him pay. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 (Usyk 20 Dubois 18) ROUND THREE Usyk staggers back after a right hand from Dubois - maybe more off balance than hurt. Dubois charges forward with a left hook, right hand but Usyk covers up well. Huge left hook lands on the button from Usyk, sweat sprays off Dubois face. Usyk 10 Dubois 9 (Usyk 30 Dubois 27) ROUND FOUR Right uppercut lands on Usyk's belt-line in a genuine case of dejavu from low-blow gate in their first fight. Dubois traps Usyk in the corner, lands a right but the Ukrainian legend slips off before any troubling damage can be done. Left hand lands for Usyk but Dubois grabs on and closes the distance, smart defence to cap off his best round so far. Usyk 9 Dubois 10 (Usyk 39 Dubois 37) ROUND FIVE Right hook followed by a left hand lands for Usyk has Dubois teetering backwards. Dubois comes forward, charging at Usyk and the two trade off in the corner but DOWN GOES DUBOIS after a counter right hook. He makes it to his feet but is dropped with another left hook and the fight is over! Dubois fails to beat the count and Usyk is once again undisputed heavyweight world champion. Usyk wins by KO
Irish Independent
6 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Scottie Scheffler insists he was unaware of Rory McIlroy's charge as he took command of The Open at Portrush
The world number one was not at his very best but as roars rang out all over Royal Portrush as McIlroy shot 66 to go into the final round six shots behind, he relentlessly pushed forward to edge closer to the third leg of the career Grand Slam. "I feel good," said Scheffler, who eagled the seventh, birdied the eighth and followed stellar par saves at the 11th and 14th with his third birdie two of the week at the 16th. "I had another good day today. I made a couple of nice par saves. I had a really good par save on 11, really good par save on 14 and I did some good stuff. "Like you said, I was pretty patient most of the day but felt like I was hitting it really nice. Just sometimes major championships it can be tough to make birdies, and today was one of those days where I just had to give myself some looks and was able to hole a few. "I'm just trying to execute, not overthinking things. I feel like I've been doing the right thing so far, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of tomorrow." Asked if he was aware of McIlroy's charge, he was in no mood to give the Holywood star any encouragement, even if he was aware of the Holywood star's move up the leaderboard to joint fourth. "Ehhh, no," Scheffler said as he headed for home to recharge for a final round pairing with China's Haotong Li, who trails him by four shots on 10-under after a 69 Scheffler added a third major title to his two Masters victories by claiming the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow in May and admitted it would be satisfying to add a Claret Jug to his collection and leave himself needing only the US Open to join McIlroy in the career Grand Slam club. "Yeah, it would be nice, but I'm not going to be thinking about that tonight," said the American, who leads the putting statistics and lies second for strokes gained on approach. "I'm going to be going home, trying to get some rest and get some recovery and then get ready for tomorrow." ADVERTISEMENT Ominously for the chasing pack, Scheffler has converted his last nine 54-hole leads into wins. Why he's such a good front runner is a mystery to him. "Your guess is as good as mine," he said. "I like being out here competing. This is why we work so hard is to have opportunities like this, and I'm excited for the challenge of tomorrow. "Winning major championships is not an easy task, and I've put myself in a good position. "Going into tomorrow, I'm going to step up there on the first tee and I'm going to be trying to get the ball in the fairway, and when I get to the second shot I'm going to be trying to get that ball on the green. "There's not really too much else going on." As for the chasers, Haotong feels he has nothing to lose when he heads out with Scheffler in the final group at 2:30pm after almost quitting the game due to swing yips two years ago. "I'm actually quite looking forward to it," he said. "Four shots behind, kind of like play for second, especially play with world No. 1. "I just try to play my best out there and hopefully make something happen. "For sure, nothing to lose. Especially from two years ago, swing yips, couldn't even pull the trigger until now. It's a massive step for me." Fitzpatrick will play in the penultimate group with McIlroy and at five strokes adrift, he knows it won't be easy to catch a player of Scheffler's calibre. "Let's be realistic, he's five ahead," he said. "It's not easy. But if you get off to a good start, then obviously put a bit of pressure on early doors and hope for the best, really." McIlroy also knows it will be tough to catch Scheffler from six shots behind. "Yeah, he's playing like Scottie," McIlroy said. "I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played or plays over the last two or three years. "He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes. It looked like he could have made bogey on 14 there. "He's turned himself into a really consistent putter as well. So there doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. But he's incredibly impressive." The Down man planned to watch "Oppenheimer" to distract himself from his task. "I started 'Oppenheimer' last night," he said. "Try to get through another hour of it tonight and maybe finish it tomorrow morning. "Apart from that, just keep my mind off of things. I always do better with distraction. So if I can just distract myself and get my mind on something else, that's always a good plan for me.'
