Latest news with #Augusta
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Flawless Scottie Scheffler leads at The Open but Rory McIlroy threat remains
Relentless Scottie Scheffler kept his head as others around him were losing theirs, but while his main rivals fell away, the spectre of Rory McIlroy loomed in the distance. However, the Northern Irishman's six-shot deficit may be too far back even for someone who completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters earlier this year, considering the quality of his quarry. McIlroy's description of Scheffler as 'inevitable' summed up the situation perfectly, as while the American was not as spectacular as he was on Friday in assuming the lead, his progress to a 67 and a four-shot advantage was serene. Matt Fitzpatrick, who began the day one behind, briefly drew level after an eagle at the second but he was never able to edge himself in front, and every time he slipped up he was punished by his playing partner, either by moving another shot away or saving an unlikely par. McIlroy, six groups ahead, rode the wave of home support hyped by three birdies in his first four holes, and while his momentum stalled it was reignited by a monster 56-foot eagle putt – his longest of the week – at the 12th which produced the loudest roar of the tournament. It was important as he had bogeyed the previous hole in a bizarre incident when his shot from the rough dislodged a previously buried ball. But it was a stroke of good luck at the 15th which brought his final birdie of the day as, coming out hot from the rough, it bounced against the flagstick and dropped four feet from the hole. McIlroy mania reached its peak at the 17th. With his burnt orange shirt appearing red on television screens, the sight of him marching out of the packed gallery surrounded by thousands of fans was reminiscent of Tiger Woods. The crowd were so ramped they went wild as he pitched 33 feet past the hole, offering little chance of birdie, but they believed – as they will continue to do on Sunday. The Masters champion, however, is a little more realistic. 'Scottie Scheffler, he is inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff he has become a compete player,' said McIlroy. 'It's going to be tough to catch him tomorrow if he keeps playing the way he does, but if I can get out tomorrow with a similar start to today and get the crowd going, hopefully he feels that behind me – and you never know.' Scheffler looks unshakeable, though. Already with a three-shot lead, he birdied the difficult Calamity Corner 16th for the third successive day and the gap was looking as big as the chasm in front of the par three. China's ultra-consistent Haotong Li is his closest challenger, with Fitzpatrick dropping back to nine under – where he started the round – having reached 11 under. Scheffler reeled off six straight pars but still did not lose his overnight lead before a back-to-back eagle and birdie represented a gear shift. His back nine included eight pars, and the kind of nerveless saves which have made him one of the most successful and consistent golfers of the last three years – closing out victory the last 10 times he has held the outright 54-hole leads. 'A lot of it is staying patient. I know what I need to do tomorrow and it is a matter of going out and doing it,' said Scheffler, whose three majors wins have all come leading after the third round. 'I'm not thinking about winning The Open when I go to sleep tonight.' Englishman Tyrrell Hatton got himself to nine under but a bogey at the 16th halted his progress, while slightly further down the leaderboard 52-year-old compatriot Lee Westwood had a round of two halves, going out in 40 before an Open record-equalling 29 for the back nine. 'It was a good back nine, wasn't it? I'd have taken 29 on the back nine stood on the 10th tee,' he said. Defending champion Xander Schauffele, who started the day two under having been in danger of missing the cut until a birdie run on his Friday back nine, played the three par-fives in five under with two eagles on the back nine after a birdie at the second. His 66 moved him to seven under but the two-time major winner accepts he is too far back. 'It would have to be a perfect storm situation, it doesn't look like any of those boys up front are letting up,' he said.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Running man: Augusta's chief deputy tax commissioner wants to be elected city's next mayor
Augusta's chief deputy tax commissioner is taking another run at the mayor's office. Steven Kendrick confirmed on social media what he announced Thursday on a local podcast – that is, for those who didn't yet know. "It's not a secret," he said on the podcast. "I've told everybody." Kendrick stepped down as Richmond County's tax commissioner in 2022 to jump into a nine-candidate nonpartisan race for mayor. Outlasting the others to reach a runoff, Kendrick lost to current incumbent Garnett Johnson. Kendrick's desire "to help improve the city" might draw naysayers, he said on the More Than the Masters podcast. But that just means he has to do a "better job to convince them" that he's the right candidate for the job. "We need good leadership," Kendrick said Thursday. "I thnk we're still devoid of such, and I think I present an opportunity for people to get the right type of leadership at the right time." 'We Make, They Take': 50 protest billboards go up across the nation, including Georgia Kendrick also leads Augusta Blueprint, the print company he helped build and lead with his father, James, before his death earlier this year. Since 2015, Kendrick also has served on and has chaired the nine-member board of directors for the Augusta Economic Authority, which is tasked with attracting job-creating business and industry to Richmond County. This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta leader Steven Kendrick announces intention to run for mayor Solve the daily Crossword
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Golf-Cut made, now McIlroy excited for weekend charge at Open
Golf - The 153rd Open Championship - Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, Northern Ireland, Britain - July 18, 2025 Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during the second round REUTERS/Russell Cheyne PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (Reuters) -Home favourite Rory McIlroy achieved the first part of his mission at Royal Portrush on Friday -- making the cut. Now the 36-year-old cannot wait for the weekend's battle as he seeks a second British Open title. "I'm excited for that opportunity. I didn't have this opportunity six years ago, so to play an extra two days in this atmosphere in front of these crowds, I'm very excited, the five-time major champion said after a two-under 69 second round kept him firmly in the mix fore the Claret Jug. McIlroy arrived at Portrush this week desperate to banish the demons of 2019 when, on the course he used to play as a child and where he broke the course record aged 16, he endured a nightmare, missing the weekend after a first-round 79. His opening round 70 was a roller-coaster ride of birdies and bogeys in which he found only two fairways. Blessed with calmer conditions for his second round, McIlroy again mixed good with bad in front of the huge galleries who flocked to cheer on the local hero. Having holed a birdie on the first, he scrambled for par on the second after nearly driving out of bounds, bogeyed the par-three third following a misjudged tee shot, birdied the fourth and bogeyed the fifth before settling down. He tapped in a birdie at the 12th and triggered a huge roar as a 17-foot putt for birdie disappeared at the 14th. It was not exactly a Rory charge but at three-under the Masters champion is only a handful of shots off the lead. "Another solid day. A couple under, improved a little bit on yesterday, hit it in play a little bit more off the tee, which was nice to have some looks out of the fairway," said McIlroy, whose Augusta win this year finally completed his career slam. "It was a good day. I feel like I maybe could be a couple closer to the lead, but overall I'm in a decent position heading into the weekend." After showing flashes of his best so far, McIlroy said he will have to find another gear if he is to be challenging down the stretch on Sunday, especially off the tee where his accuracy ranks 148th out of the 156 starters. "I know what I need to do to get the best out of myself in an environment like that," he said. "I've been somewhat close to my best over the first two days in little bits here and there. "I'm going to need to have it all under control and have it sort of all firing over the weekend to make a run." (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
'You don't want to let them down' – Rory McIlroy on pressure of being home hope
Rory McIlroy admitted to feeling the pressure of a whole country's expectations as he returned to his native Northern Ireland for The Open at Portrush. After going home early six years ago when the championship returned to the Causeway Coast, an hour's drive from where he grew up in Holywood, the Masters champion knew he could not afford to get it wrong this time around. Advertisement There was even greater support off the back of his completion of the career Grand Slam at Augusta and galleries 10 deep followed him throughout a round which threatened to be a memorable one for those privileged enough to witness it, but ended up being just satisfactory. The crowd liked that. A birdie for Rory on 5. — The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025 At three under par through 10 and one shot off the lead, he had three bogeys in four holes and needed a birdie at the 17th to get back to one under and only three behind. 'I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don't want to let them down so there's that little bit of added pressure,' McIlroy said. 'I felt like I dealt with it really well today. I certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. Advertisement 'I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament. 'I'm surprised four under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot six or seven (under) today. 'Only three back with 54 holes to go, I'm really happy with where I am.' McIlroy's round of 70 had promised so much more, despite his driving, one of his strengths, being unusually wayward. Advertisement He was ranked 154th out of 156 players in the field, having hit just two fairways all day. 'I had it going three under through 10 and let a few slip there around the middle of the round,' he said. 'I steadied the ship well, played the last four at one under and it was nice to shoot under par. 'I felt like, once we turned for home, played 10 and turned back and played 11, the wind picked up a little bit and it just became that little bit more difficult. Advertisement 'It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time so to shoot under par was a good effort.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
You don't want to let them down – Rory McIlroy on pressure of being home hope
Rory McIlroy admitted to feeling the pressure of a whole country's expectations as he returned to his native Northern Ireland for The Open at Portrush. After going home early six years ago when the championship returned to the Causeway Coast, an hour's drive from where he grew up in Holywood, the Masters champion knew he could not afford to get it wrong this time around. There was even greater support off the back of his completion of the career Grand Slam at Augusta and galleries 10 deep followed him throughout a round which threatened to be a memorable one for those privileged enough to witness it, but ended up being just satisfactory. At three under par through 10 and one shot off the lead, he had three bogeys in four holes and needed a birdie at the 17th to get back to one under and only three behind. 'I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don't want to let them down so there's that little bit of added pressure,' McIlroy said. 'I felt like I dealt with it really well today. I certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago. 'I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament. 'I'm surprised four under is leading. I thought someone might have gone out there and shot six or seven (under) today. 'Only three back with 54 holes to go, I'm really happy with where I am.' McIlroy's round of 70 had promised so much more, despite his driving, one of his strengths, being unusually wayward. He was ranked 154th out of 156 players in the field, having hit just two fairways all day. 'I had it going three under through 10 and let a few slip there around the middle of the round,' he added. 'I steadied the ship well, played the last four at one under and it was nice to shoot under par. 'I felt like, once we turned for home, played 10 and turned back and played 11, the wind picked up a little bit and it just became that little bit more difficult. 'It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time so to shoot under par was a good effort.'
