Latest news with #BelfastTwelfth
Belfast Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
The Open: Fan favourites on the course as golfing veterans making swift start at Royal Portrush
one minute ago Sideways swinging The perils of the tee shot on 15 are two-fold - firstly it is blind and secondly if you overshoot the landing area you are left with a treacherous downhill lie into a green that is hard to hold even from the fairway. Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Højgaard both find the latter to their detriment, McKibbin running his approach to the back of the green and Højgaard seeing his careen off to the left having judged the distance well. Both with outside looks at birdie at best. 5 minutes ago Gareth Hanna There's a miracle walking the course out there 'It's a miracle I'm here... I was told after the last Open at Royal Portrush that I was going to die' Armoy man and golf fan Marc Taylor says it is a 'miracle' that he has been able to attend The Open this week after being told by doctors he was going to die from cancer. 11 minutes ago Gareth Hanna A new solo leader Lee Westwood takes advantage of the par five seventh hole - one the green in two and a two-putt from 15 feet translates to a birdie, three under par and the solo lead. Aaaaand it's gone. Westwood now a shot behind Jacob Skov Olesen, whose eagle at the short 532-yard par five 12th catapults him to -4. A brilliant putt it was, too, about 30 feet right across the green. Right in the middle. 14 minutes ago Back in the first group Pars at 14 for McKibbin and Højgaard, the Dane holing impressively from ten feet after hitting short of the green, but that's a bogey for Harrington to fall back to +4 again. 20 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Irish League represented Annagh United manager Ciaran McGurgan is at Royal Portrush today looking forward to seeing Rory McIlroy... and he's back on Sunday hoping the Holywood hero lifts the Claret Jug. 20 minutes ago Feel good factor in the rain? I'll trust you Steven but I can guarantee one thing from here on the 15th tee, the rain is steadily getting heavier and heavier and it doesn't look like it's going to ease soon. One of the marshals struggles to get a poncho on, much to the humour of everyone around. "Stick that in your live blog," he fumes in my direction. No problem! 28 minutes ago Gareth Hanna There's a feel-good factor oozing all over Royal Portrush. You have voices from America, Australia, Canada, Japan, all over the UK and Ireland. But most are locals and they are LOVING it! Shane Lowry got a phenomenal welcome on the first. But the star of the show so far, for me? Phil Mickelson. He has by far the second biggest crowd following him out there, after the opening group. Chief Sports Reporter - Steven Beacom 30 minutes ago Adam McKendry Here comes the rain It's light but we have our first squall of rain on the 14th as our lead group tee off on the par-four. How will that affect things? 30 minutes ago Gareth Hanna More on the Saturday evening situation Band parade that clashes with The Open will rival Belfast Twelfth: 'We understand the changes don't suit everyone' An annual band parade taking place in Portrush on Saturday — coinciding with the third day of The Open Championship — will feature as many bands as Belfast did on the Twelfth. 33 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Cracker from the 2019 champ Shane Lowry bursts one down the first, over 300 yards past the bunker for the best opening shot of the day so far. Re-run of six years ago, anyone? Safely onto the green but the putt doesn't drop. Safe par and Shane's started. Pin seeker! Almost the most unlikely of birdies for Pádraig Harrington as he chips from the back of the green and it hits the flag but bounces away to a couple of feet for a guaranteed par! We have a new co-leader, though, and it's Nicolai Højgaard as he rolls in that birdie putt, but Tom McKibbin has gone the other way as he runs his chip well past the hole and can't make the comebacker. Bogey, back to level-par. 35 minutes ago Gareth Hanna The big names are coming Koepka has gone under the radar all week to as is straight in the red - caddied round, of course, by local Portrush man Rickie Elliott. And will Portstewart-man-at-heart Jon Rahm follow that up? He has every chance after a super second which tickles down the hill to inside 10 feet for birdie at the first. Edit: No such luck for Rahm and it's an opening par. 13 could be a pivotal hole Watch the scoring average on this par-three today. It's already a difficult hole as is, downhill with the green sloping away from you, but it's also downwind today which makes it even tougher to get the ball to stop, as Pádraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin have found to their detriment as they run the ball through the back of the green. There could be some big numbers on this hole today, even Nicolai Højgaard's approach was about ten feet away initially but has run out to 20. 43 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Wham, bam, Jon Rahm No holding back from the LIV golfer, who won the Irish Open at Portstewart, as he launches his drive straight down the middle on the first. Makes it look easy. He's heading out alongside Xander Schauffele and JJ Spaun as we enter the feature group section, with Brooks Koepka up ahead (and -1 after a birdie at the first) and the combo of Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler coming behind. 47 minutes ago Adam McKendry Perfect bounceback Tom McKibbin's eagle putt on 12 never scares the hole from around 30 feet but he will more than happily settle for the birdie that gets him back to -1 - the perfect response to the double on 11. Harrington follows him in, two-putting from 15 feet for his first birdie since the first hole (remember when he led this tournament?!) to get back to +3 and Nicolai Højgaard makes it a trio of birdies on the par-five by pitching up to seven feet and draining the putt to join McKibbin at -1! 49 minutes ago And it's three at the top Joining Westwood and Mickelson at -2 is world number 111 Haotong L, thanks to birdies at the fifth, where Westwood had driven the par four green by the way, and the par five seventh. Looks like he needs to acclimatise to the fresh, Portrush morning. 53 minutes ago Adam McKendry "What a shot Pádraig!" The fans are delighted as Harrington pulls a three-wood from the rough down the right hand side of the par-five 12th and bounces it along the fairway, up along the slope in front of the green... and nearly holes it! Is that the start of a resurgence? He's the closest of this group, that's for sure, with McKibbin also on the green in two but further away and Højgaard having to lay up after driving into a fairway bunker. Today 08:43 AM Gareth Hanna No substitute for experience Mickelson has now been joined at the top of the board by Lee Westwood after a tidy birdie at the downhill, par five fifth. The duo leading Then Open - combined age of 107.
Irish Independent
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
The Open: Shane Lowry gets his challenge underway at Royal Portrush
Just now Gareth Hanna There's a feel-good factor oozing all over Royal Portrush. You have voices from America, Australia, Canada, Japan, all over the UK and Ireland. But most are locals and they are LOVING it! Shane Lowry got a phenomenal welcome on the first. But the star of the show so far, for me? Phil Mickelson. Chief Sports Reporter - Steven Beacom 3 minutes ago Gareth Hanna More on the Saturday evening situation Band parade that clashes with The Open will rival Belfast Twelfth: 'We understand the changes don't suit everyone' An annual band parade taking place in Portrush on Saturday — coinciding with the third day of The Open Championship — will feature as many bands as Belfast did on the Twelfth. 6 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Cracker from the 2019 champ Shane Lowry bursts one down the first, over 300 yards past the bunker for the best opening shot of the day so far. Re-run of six years ago, anyone? 7 minutes ago Adam McKendry Pin seeker! Almost the most unlikely of birdies for Pádraig Harrington as he chips from the back of the green and it hits the flag but bounces away to a couple of feet for a guaranteed par! We have a new co-leader, though, and it's Nicolai Højgaard as he rolls in that birdie putt, but Tom McKibbin has gone the other way as he runs his chip well past the hole and can't make the comebacker. Bogey, back to level-par. 8 minutes ago Gareth Hanna The big names are coming Koepka has gone under the radar all week to as is straight in the red - caddied round, of course, by local Portrush man Rickie Elliott. And will Portstewart-man-at-heart Jon Rahm follow that up? He has every chance after a super second which tickles down the hill to inside 10 feet for birdie at the first. Edit: No such luck for Rahm and it's an opening par. 12 minutes ago Adam McKendry 13 could be a pivotal hole Watch the scoring average on this par-three today. It's already a difficult hole as is, downhill with the green sloping away from you, but it's also downwind today which makes it even tougher to get the ball to stop, as Pádraig Harrington and Tom McKibbin have found to their detriment as they run the ball through the back of the green. There could be some big numbers on this hole today, even Nicolai Højgaard's approach was about ten feet away initially but has run out to 20. 16 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Wham, bam, Jon Rahm No holding back from the LIV golfer, who won the Irish Open at Portstewart, as he launches his drive straight down the middle on the first. Makes it look easy. He's heading out alongside Xander Schauffele and JJ Spaun as we enter the feature group section, with Brooks Koepka up ahead (and -1 after a birdie at the first) and the combo of Shane Lowry, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler coming behind. 20 minutes ago Adam McKendry Perfect bounceback Tom McKibbin's eagle putt on 12 never scares the hole from around 30 feet but he will more than happily settle for the birdie that gets him back to -1 - the perfect response to the double on 11. Harrington follows him in, two-putting from 15 feet for his first birdie since the first hole (remember when he led this tournament?!) to get back to +3 and Nicolai Højgaard makes it a trio of birdies on the par-five by pitching up to seven feet and draining the putt to join McKibbin at -1! 22 minutes ago Gareth Hanna And it's three at the top Joining Westwood and Mickelson at -2 is world number 111 Haotong L, thanks to birdies at the fifth, where Westwood had driven the par four green by the way, and the par five seventh. Looks like he needs to acclimatise to the fresh, Portrush morning. Gareth Hanna On the horizon The Open on Twitter / X Sun and rain on the is links golf. The Open (@TheOpen) July 17, 2025 26 minutes ago Adam McKendry "What a shot Pádraig!" The fans are delighted as Harrington pulls a three-wood from the rough down the right hand side of the par-five 12th and bounces it along the fairway, up along the slope in front of the green... and nearly holes it! Is that the start of a resurgence? He's the closest of this group, that's for sure, with McKibbin also on the green in two but further away and Højgaard having to lay up after driving into a fairway bunker. 35 minutes ago No substitute for experience Mickelson has now been joined at the top of the board by Lee Westwood after a tidy birdie at the downhill, par five fifth. The duo leading Then Open - combined age of 107. 36 minutes ago Adam McKendry Mickelson solo leader That's because Tom McKibbin and Nicolai Højgaard have both DOUBLE-BOGEYED the par-four 11th after their tee shots. Højgaard was closer to getting just a bogey with a brilliant approach from the fairway with his second ball, but he can't hole the eight footer for the second ball birdie, while McKibbin was disappointingly short with his pitch shot and leaves himself too much to do with the putt, so they're both back to level. Harrington secures his par with a lovely chip for the up-and-down, he stays +4. 39 minutes ago Gareth Hanna 'Just tell them Darren sent you' Anybody else remember those old TV ads he did? It's still the first thing pops into my head when I see him. Anyway, Clarke's currently two over par after six, having made back-to-back bogeys on three and four. New Your Golf Travel Sky TV advert featuring Darren Clarke & Frankie Dettori 44 minutes ago Adam McKendry Uh oh Tom McKibbin takes a swipe at his ball and leaves it in the fescue. This is going to be a costly hole for him and Højgaard, whose drive was never found. McKibbin recovers to get his third shot back onto the fairway but he's scrambling just to make bogey here. 47 minutes ago Adam McKendry Ball spotting This is the scene on 11 as players, caddies, marshals and fans alike search for Nicolai Højgaard's drive. They're certain it went in there but nobody has found it yet. Tom McKibbin's has been found but he will be playing out sideways from an ugly, ugly lie. If he can advance this forward at all, he's doing really well. 51 minutes ago Gareth Hanna First sign of trouble? It's a wayward drive for McKibbin on 11 as it balloons out to the right towards some gorse bushes. Marshals immediately scamper to where it plunged into the thick stuff and stamp around in an effort to locate the ball. Sub-optimal. 54 minutes ago Adam McKendry "It's knocking my confidence" Pádraig Harrington remonstrates with his caddy Ronan Flood as we walk from the 10th green to the 11th tee. "I can't get anything going on the greens and it's really knocking my confidence," he sighs. "These are really, really difficult greens." Harrington has had three three-putts in his round already and just missed a short one on 10 that, if he cut all of those out, he'd still be level-par. On a lighter note, I've just received a notification on my watch that I've hit my daily step count for the day at 9.23am. Not bad. 58 minutes ago Gareth Hanna Eagle chance for Phil Two super shots get him beyond the pin on the 607-yard par five seventh, where Jacob Skov Olesen has just walked off with birdie to make it three players tied for the lead at two under par. Should Phil get his two-putt birdie, that'll soon be four tied at the top. Edit: Birdie it is and Phil's joint for the lead! 58 minutes ago Adam McKendry For the lead... Højgaard nestles his long putt up close at 10, so he's in for par to stay at -2. That gives McKibbin a putt to go top on his own. It's on the line he wants it to be, it's tracking... it's missed. Dived to the left at the last second and missed low. Still a par and still at -2. Pádraig, meanwhile, pars his second ball and nearly managed to birdie it thanks to a brilliant approach, but that's a double-bogey on the card and he's down to +4 now. 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BBC News
12-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
DUP leader calls for unionist parties to co-operate
The leader of the Democratic Unionist Party called for more political co-operation among unionist parties in his address following the Belfast Twelfth of July parade."When unionism splits, unionism loses," said Gavin Robinson, who was the main speaker at the Belfast cited the loss of the Lagan Valley Westminster seat to Alliance in the 2024 general election as an example and called for talks between unionists on more political views were echoed by the Orange Order's deputy grand master Harold Henning, who called for "closer collaboration between the leadership" of unionist parties to "maximise unionist representation at all levels of government". Thousands of people took part in Orange Order parades across Northern Ireland on annual marches commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne in event is also a celebration of Protestant traditions and Ulster-Scots heritage. Robinson said the Twelfth was about "faith and freedom", but told the assembled crowd some people dismissed the event and "would rather we keep our heads down"."It crosses class, it bridges geography and it cuts across party political lines," he was also critical of the Labour government and the Windsor Framework, calling the Northern Ireland Protocol "a once in a generation act of self-harm to the union".He said unionists had received "broken promises" from the Labour government, adding that it was not prioritising Northern framework is Northern Ireland's post-Brexit deal which covers trade and human at the Twelfth event in Maghera, County Londonderry, Mr Henning said he wanted to send a message of collaboration to unionist politicians."Cooperation between our political representatives must be encouraged - more than that, it should be demanded and country should always come before party or individual self-interest," he said. Robinson's party colleague, Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little -Pengelly said people wanted to see a "united front" within the Orange Order and political unionism."Within every hall, within every lodge, there are people from all different shades of unionism, all different types of political views within the unionist family, and yet they walk together, they are friends, they are brethren, regardless of those particular shades of unionism," she said."That's a big message for political unionism."
