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Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler's relationship clear to see with apology and wife joke
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have been the dominant forces in golf in recent years but the golf icons share a healthy mutual respect and admiration off the course Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler may have spent a chunk of the 2025 golf season fiercely competing, but their respect for one another goes far. The pair have enjoyed an impressive year. Scheffler, 29, recently secured his fourth major, and second of 2025, with victory in the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Meanwhile, McIlroy, 36, completed his career Grand Slam in April by claiming the Masters for the first time. Despite their rivalry, the pair share a history of good-natured banter and mutual respect, reports Belfast Live. McIlroy even predicted Scheffler's recent triumph at The Open. From cheeky remarks about prison sentences to quips about Scheffler's wife, and even a meeting between McIlroy and his rival's mum and dad, Mirror Sport takes a closer look at the friendship between Scheffler and McIlroy. McIlroy praises "different level" Scheffler McIlroy voiced his respect for Scheffler after the world No. 1's breathtaking display at Portrush, with the Holywood star trailing seven shots behind the victorious Scheffler. "I wish I had have been closer to Scottie going into today and been able to make a real push but he's been on a different level all week and he's been on a different level for the last two years to the rest of us," said McIlroy. "None of us could live with what he had this week. He is the bar that we're all trying to get to at this point, so hats off to him. "In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive. "He's been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years. He's an unbelievable player, an incredible champion and a great person too." Scheffler's US Open response The mutual admiration flows in both directions. Following McIlroy's heartbreaking defeat at the US Open last year, where he was pipped to the post by Bryson DeChambeau, the New Jersey-born Scheffler chose not to flood his mate with texts, instead allowing him space to come to terms with the crushing loss. "As far as reaching out to Rory, I didn't," Scheffler said in July 2024. "He took the next week off at The Travelers [championship] and it seemed to me like he wanted his space and so just felt like giving us his space was the best thing to do." McIlroy's words for Scheffler's parents Their respect runs so deep that McIlroy even made time for Scheffler's mum and dad. In August 2022, McIlroy claimed the FedEx Cup for a third time in his career to beat Scheffler to the prize. After departing the 18th, McIlroy bumped into Scheffler's parents, Scott and Diane. With typical class, the Northern Irish superstar told the couple that their son "deserved" the triumph following a campaign that also saw him claim three PGA Tour victories and his maiden major at the Masters. "I'm sorry," McIlroy said. "He deserves it. He's had an unbelievable year." Scheffler's father replied: "So did you. Good playing". Diane also commended McIlroy. Scheffler on McIlroy's Masters triumph Scheffler paid McIlroy the ultimate compliment by assisting him into the prestigious green jacket following his Masters victory this year. Speaking afterwards, Scheffler praised the 2025 champion. "In that moment, like it was such an emotional day for him, I kind of just tried to stay out of the way and basically get the jacket on without embarrassing him or myself," Scheffler told reporters. "It was brilliant to witness Rory finally get over the line. Certainly from the outside it appeared more like relief than anything else. Rory has achieved everything in the sport of golf, and that was truly the final piece of the puzzle for him." McIlroy's jail crack Scheffler may be the planet's top golfer, but his reputation took a temporary hit following an incident in which, during one morning in 2024, while trying to reach Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Championship, officers claim he unlawfully drove around a crash scene. He faced charges and had his police mugshot taken before ultimately being freed. Scheffler subsequently described the episode as a "big misunderstanding." Nevertheless, McIlroy completely understood the situation and couldn't help but tease Scheffler about the embarrassing episode. After Xander Schauffele's victory, McIlroy commented on Scheffler's T8 finish: "The fact that the only thing that took him from winning a golf tournament was going into a jail cell for an hour." Scheffler hit back after McIlroy's wife jibe Scheffler had a witty response to McIlroy's comments over a hand injury that kept Scheffler out of action at the turn of the year. The 29-year-old cut himself on a broken wine glass while cooking ravioli on Christmas Day and missed the opening two events of the PGA Tour. McIlroy queried: "Like, why are you cooking yourself? I was hoping it was going to be more of a fun story than that. It's good that he's tearing it up this week, but yeah, get a chef." Never to let McIlroy have the last word, Scheffler later hit back: "I got a chef. Her name is Meredith [Scheffler's wife]. She's pretty cute." However, word on whether Meredith found the jibe funny isn't clear.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Turkey holidaymakers could be fined £50 over flight rule
A new law has been introduced in Turkey People jetting off to Turkey for their holidays could be hit with a £50 fine before they even get off the plane, due to a new law. The penalty is linked to legislation that fines passengers for undoing their seatbelts before they should. The law came into effect at the beginning of May, following complaints made to the Turkish Directorate General of Civil Aviation. It's expected to be enforced through on-site inspections, as confirmed by the authority, with the aim to prevent people from unbuckling and trying to get their luggage before the captain has switched off the seatbelt sign. This practice is already prohibited in many countries, but a surge in complaints reportedly led to the new law. Airlines will now have to remind passengers to keep their seat belts fastened during and after landing until the aircraft reaches its parking position. They must also explicitly warn that any violation will be reported to the aviation authority and a fine will be imposed, reports Belfast Live. While the exact amount of the fine hasn't been officially confirmed, Turkish broadcaster Halk TV suggests it's likely to be around 2,603 liras - almost £50. Reports also indicate that similar fines could be issued to those caught rushing towards the exits when disembarking the plane. Turkey continues to be a popular holiday spot for Brits, with over 4.4 million UK visitors in 2024, as per the most recent statistics. This marked a 16.6 per cent rise from 2023. International tourists typically spent around 10.7 days there, and the average spend per visitor was £784.84.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy makes U-turn for Erica Stoll after being forced to sell dream home
Rory McIlroy has made a surprising U-turn, heading back to the UK for his wife Erica Stoll after selling his dream home over ten years ago to relocate to Florida. Before clinching his first two major titles, McIlroy had his perfect home constructed in 2006 in Holywood, his birthplace in Northern Ireland. The estate, sprawling across 14 acres, featured a gym, tennis court, driving range, and notably, a practice area in his garden's rear. However, due to the extensive time spent away on the PGA Tour, McIlroy listed the property in 2012 and eventually handed over the keys to ex-TV host Gary McCausland in 2013 for a sum below the £2million he initially sought. The recent Masters winner upgraded by moving into a luxurious home in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2017, which was worth three times more than his previous home onthe Northern Irish coast. The plush mansion formerly belonged to Ernie Els and was located within the exclusive confines of the Bear's Club golf community, Belfast Live. Regarding his move, McIlroy commented: "My life is here. I have an American wife. I live in America. Honestly, I enjoy it here more. The way of life is easier. The weather. The convenience." Yet, the 36-year-old, along with Erica and their four-year-old daughter, have recently relocated to the UK, taking up residence in a grand Wentworth estate in Surrey, England, following last month's US Open. McIlroy had earlier mentioned his wife's preference for a UK move to avoid the intense heat of Florida. McIlroy reportedly splashed out a cool £9m on a swanky new pad situated conveniently near London and Heathrow Airport, not to mention its proximity to one of the tees at the prestigious Wentworth golf course, the birthplace of the Ryder Cup nearly 100 years ago. Now that the building work is complete, McIlroy and his wife Stoll have settled into their grand estate. The couple faced some hiccups before moving in, including widely reported strains in their marriage, but after putting divorce talks on hold and patching things up last year, they're now enjoying their new digs. For the time being, McIlroy plans to split his time between his Florida abode and his new Surrey residence, and it seems that living in the new home has been a breath of fresh air for both him and Stoll, reigniting McIlroy's passion for the game. At the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, just before the Genesis Scottish Open, McIlroy shared: "We came back a few weeks ago and moved into our new home in Wentworth and have been trying to settle in. It's amazing what two weeks of a bit of detachment can do for you." He continued, reflecting on the benefits of some downtime: "Sitting there being with your own thoughts for a while. Yeah, it's been nice to have this time to reflect and also to rekindle my excitement and enthusiasm for the rest of the year. Obviously, we have this week in Scotland and then a massive week next week [for the Open] in Portrush." McIlroy's performance saw a significant drop after he ended an 11-year major dry spell by securing the career Grand Slam with a win at the Masters in April, which significantly eased the pressure on him. However, he only managed to tie for 47th place at the PGA Championship and secured a mere 19th-place finish at the US Open.
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Coronation Street's Samia Longchambon wows co-stars as she unveils new 'gorgeous' hairdo
Coronation Street's Maria Connor star Samia Longchambon has been on the soap for 25 years and is known for her brunette locks Coronation Street's Maria Connor, played by Samia Longchambon, has left her co-stars and fans in awe with her stunning new hairstyle. The 43-year-old actress, who has been a fixture on the ITV soap since 2000, took to Instagram to flaunt her fresh look. She shared a snap with celebrity hairstylist Calum Tierney, joking about her character's profession as a hairdresser on the show, reports Belfast Live. The caption read: "Warning: May cause toffee cravings.' 'We're mixing things up — I'm now off to work with Maria at Audrey's on Corrie.' Toffee Bronde on the gorgeous @samia_longchambon." Samia's new look saw her with lighter locks as well as a heavier fringe and voluminous layers with the star's co-stars and followers going wild for the hairdo. Jane Danson, who plays Leanne Battersby, wrote: "Please can I have your hair - just for one day ?", Sally Carman, who plays Abi Webster, penned: "Soooooo gorgeous" with heart eye emojis while Georgia Taylor, who plays Toyah Battersby, added: "Gorgeous, darling!!" with heart eye emojis. Meanwhile, one soap fan penned: "You have beautiful hair , love the colour you never age x x x", a different account put: "I love your new hairdo samia it really suit you it looks fantastic love", another penned: "Wow love the color ur hair always looks amazing" while a different follower added: "Absolutely gorgeous." This comes after Samia recently expressed her admiration for the soap's long-standing stars, whilst also admitting she has contemplated leaving the iconic series in the past. The beloved actress, who has brought Maria to life for 25 years on the ITV soap, has expressed her admiration for her seasoned co-stars. Speaking to Inside Soap magazine, Samia gushed: "I admire the older generation like Barbara Knox and Sue Nicholls. They still really care about what they do and are so professional." She said the actresses, who portray the characters of Rita Tanner and Audrey Roberts respectively, give their all in their performances after decades on the show, commenting: "To get to their age and still have so much passion and care for your job is inspiring." Samia, mother to 15-year-old Freya from her previous marriage to Matt Smith, and nine-year-old Yves with current husband Sylvain Longchambon, confessed that the idea of departing from the television show has crossed her mind. When asked if she had ever thought about leaving, she responded: "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't. There were moments before I had kids where I thought I should go off and either try different things or go travelling or something." However, she added: "But ultimately, I love being on Corrie. I feel like it's a real privilege to stay with a character for this long and grow with her."
Irish Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Climate
- Irish Daily Mirror
New weather warning issued for six counties amid six-hour thunderstorm blitz
All six counties in Northern Ireland have been issued with a weather warning ahead of the expected arrival of thunderstorms on Tuesday. The UK Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm alert for Antrim, Armagh, Derry, Down, Fermanagh and Tyrone, which came into effect at 11am on Tuesday and will remain in place until 5pm. The forecaster said: "Heavy rain and a few thunderstorms may cause disruption in a few places, especially to travel, with isolated surface water flooding," reports Belfast Live. "Heavy rain will affect parts of Northern Ireland followed by some heavy showers and a few thunderstorms breaking out later this morning and into the afternoon, before clearing eastwards by evening. (Image: Met Office) "In some places these could produce 15-20 mm of rain in less than an hour, with a few spots seeing 30-40 mm in a few hours. Isolated hail and lightning strikes will be additional hazards." With golf fans descending upon Portrush for the return of The Open Championship, which gets underway on Thursday, the Met Office has warned there is a chance driving conditions will be affected by spray, standing water and/or hail, leading to longer journey times by car and bus. Other potential impacts from thunderstorms include some flooding of homes and businesses, short-term loss of power and other services, delays to train services and damage to buildings and structures from lightning strikes. In better news, Met Éireann has indicated that a spell of high pressure looks likely to improve conditions in Ireland next week as drier weather returns and temperatures remain above average. While there is a fair amount of uncertainty regarding next week, Met Eireann has suggested that "high pressure looks set to build in across Ireland at times which will bring a more mixed weather outlook with good dry periods forecast". "Air temperatures are forecast to stay above normal across the country and much of northwest Europe also. Rainfall amounts will be down on the preceding week with forecast rainfall totals of around or slightly below the climatological average for late July." It will be generally cloudy and wet on Tuesday as the national forecaster warns of the possibility of rain and a few thundery downpours. Thankfully, it will become drier and brighter into the afternoon as more pleasant conditions spread eastwards but there will be a few showers mixed in. It will be a cooler day, however, with temperatures struggling to get above 20C in moderate to fresh westerly breezes. Tonight will be drier with plenty of clear spells but mist and fog is set to develop, particularly in Connacht and western parts of Ulster. Outbreaks of rain will spread across the southwest in the morning as temperatures range between 9C and 12C overnight. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
