Latest news with #Harrington
Irish Independent
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘It was very special and holing the putt was a serious buzz' — Padraig Harrington emotional over first tee honour
The Dubliner (53) was third to arrive on the tee at 6:31 am and after doffing his cap tying his laces and teeing up his ball three minutes early, he gave his three iron three rapid swishes and blasted it down the middle before hitting another bullet three iron from 216 yards to 15 feet. The first tee grandstand was packed and the fairway lined on both sides as the Dubliner set the ball rolling alongside Nicolai Hojgaard and local hero Tom McKibbin, and he made the perfect start to proceedings by brushing in his birdie putt to take the lead. 'I hyped up the tee shot as much as I could, so that when I got there today, it didn't feel so bad,' Harrington said of his 6:35am tee time. 'So I was decently comfortable when I got on the tee. 'Obviously, I didn't try for too much. Hit a nice three iron down there, held the finish, posed a bit. I got a little emotional when I was clapped on. Then I calmed down and was kind of fine when I was hitting.' Harrington three-putted the third, fourth and eighth to be slip to two over, then took six at the 10th after losing a ball from the tee. He birdied the par-five 12th but holed nothing on the greens and signed for a four-over 75 as Hojgaard carded a 69 to sit just two shots behind early leader Jacob Skov Olesen while McKibbin signed for a 72. 'Yeah, it was a tough day on the greens, and it just ate into my game,' he said. 'Might have been a little bit of the fact that I was hyped up for the first tee box. Who knows?' Whatever about the score, Harrington found the whole first tee experience a memorable one. ADVERTISEMENT 'I came off the range about 20 minutes before my tee time, and I could see the grandstand, and it was empty,' he said. 'I was like, I thought this was going to be full. 'Obviously we have to walk up and over, and as I came up and over, I could see people queueing for a long line to get into it. They hadn't let anybody in. 'By the time we got there, the grandstand was full, the first fairway was full, the first green was full. 'Hitting that second three-iron into 15 or 18 feet, holing the putt was a serious buzz. "It was very exciting, and those crowds were spectacular at that hour of the morning. It was really great.' Harrington teared up when giving his acceptance speech after winning the first of his two Open titles at Carnoustie in 2007 but while he confessed to occasionally fighting back tears watching movies on airplanes, he couldn't recall welling up on the course. 'I wouldn't say I get too emotional, not like that, no,' he confessed. 'It felt like they were there for me, giving me a clap. "I expected the nerves; I didn't expect that. So I did have to adjust myself for that.' Was it special? 'Yeah, it was very special, I've got to say,' he said. 'It's a great honour to do it, as I said. I really hate the idea of being ceremonial, but I was prepared to do it because it was here. I'm glad I did.' He rated the experience as one of his great Open memories. 'Absolutely,' he said. 'You certainly wouldn't start your career off expecting anything like that. It's not something you think, 'oh, this is something I'd like to do in my career'. 'It was out of the blue when I was asked this year, but it's not out of the blue if you were thinking about it. I'm glad I did it now, put it like this. Maybe I might get to do it again.' As for McKibbin, the Holywood star (22) bogeyed the first and third and made an eight-footer for par at the fourth to avoid going three-over before finding his feet. He hit a bunker shot close to birdie the fifth, drained an 18-footer for eagle at the seventh and birdied the ninth to share the early lead with Hojgaard. He even had a putt for the outright lead at the 10th but he missed it and then ran up a double-bogey six at the 11th after moving his ball just a few feet in the right rough. 'A little bit of everything in there, a little bit of a good, a little bit of bad,' said McKibbin, who got a shot back with a two-putt birdie at the 12th en route to his 72. 'Overall one-over. Not great, but not bad. Not too annoyed but not happy. It was overall a very sort of up-and-down day. 'Obviously I was two-over after three. I don't really feel like I hit too bad of a shot to be in that position. 'I just missed the fairway on one and didn't have a good lie at all. I hit a good shot into three and came up a little bit short. Then I hit it down the middle of the fairway on four and it was in a divot. It was just not going my way. 'Hit a good bunker shot on five and made a birdie there so one-over after five wasn't too bad. "Then I started to play quite nicely after that. I only sort of struggled on the holes with the wind off the left. Besides that, it was okay.' Meanwhile, Darren Clarke wanted better than an opening 75 but he has no plans to walk off into the sunset just yet and plans to play on in The Open until his exemption runs out in 2029. The 2011 champion (56) hinted at Royal Troon last year that he might make his 33rd appearance at Royal Portrush this week his Open swan song having missed the cut six times in a row. But after making the weekend last year to finish tied 75 and winning on the PGA Tour Champions this season, he's decided he's likely to keep going until his exemption runs out when he's 60. 'It was me that said it last year that Troon may have been the last one,' he said. 'I made the cut and played nicely. All this week I've been playing nicely. I played nicely in the Champions Tour all year. 'It's one of those things where if I got to the stage I didn't have a chance of making the cut or have a half decent week, I wouldn't play. I wouldn't want to feel I was taking a spot away from a young, maybe more deserving kid. That's maybe me 35 years ago or whatever. 'If I think I can still compete, fortunately I've earned the right to still play for another four of them if I want to. If I don't think I could put on and play half decent, I wouldn't do it. We shall see.' Like Harrington, Clarke made nothing on the greens to match the Dubliner on four-over. But he was pleased to hear that the 2007 and 2008 champion felt emotional when hitting the first tee shot and matched his 2019 birdie. 'It's a huge honour to hit the opening tee shot, especially for somebody like Padraig in Ireland,' he said. 'As much as I told him he was going to feel nervous and feel a bit of pressure when he walked down the steps, he probably didn't believe me, knowing Padraig like I do. 'But I guess whenever he got there and got on the tee, oh, this is pretty big. So I'm glad to hear he was emotional about it.' As for his game, he said: 'I played really nicely and practised and everything was good. Then today just didn't quite have it. That was it. .. It was a tricky day, could have been worse. Just got to play better tomorrow.'
Fox Sports
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Spidercam technology brings golf's oldest major into the modern world
Associated Press PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The oldest major championship has taken a step into the modern world by using a technological feature that British Open organizers hope will bring to life one of the most storied walks in golf. Spidercam — that's a camera, not a superhero — was used in golf for the first time at Royal Portrush on Thursday. It's a camera suspended above the 18th green using four pylons about 25 meters high, giving TV viewers unique views of the closing hole and its undulations. Held in a resting position high to the back of the green for approach shots, Spidercam swoops down as the players make their walk to the green and hovers just above them as they make their putts. 'It's pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings,' said Northern Irish golfer Tom McKibbin, who went out at 6:35 a.m. local time in the first group of the day with Nicolai Hojgaard and Padraig Harrington. They were the first players to experience in competition the technology which reportedly cost the R&A 300,000 pounds ($400,000) to install. 'It was a little bit different,' McKibbin said. 'I'd never seen it before.' That's because the R&A is using the technology before any of the professional tours in golf. Spidercam has, though, operated widely in TV coverage of other major sports including soccer, rugby and cricket — and has occasionally gotten in the way. In 2017, India star MS Dhoni hit a shot in a cricket match against England that smashed into the hovering camera and broke it. In 2022, South Africa cricketer Anrich Nortje was knocked to the ground when he collided with a low-swinging Spidercam as he walked to his place in the field in a test against Australia. The camera operator responsible was stood down for the remainder of the match. 'I didn't know what hit me,' Nortje said at the time. 'I don't think it should be traveling at head height." At Royal Portrush, Spidercam will complement existing technology such as a plane camera, aerial drones and bunker cameras to enhance TV coverage. According to the Guardian newspaper, players were briefed last week about plans to use Spidercam at Royal Portrush and there were no complaints despite the potential for getting distracted while preparing to make a shot. As Hojgaard and Harrington walked alongside each other to the 18th green, Spidercam swung down and over them. As Harrington made his two putts, the camera almost circled him. Hojgaard said he didn't notice Spidercam. With Royal Portrush not having a clubhouse on the 18th green, there has been space to install the technology. Other venues on the Open rotation won't have that luxury, notably Royal Lytham St. Anne's, Royal Troon and Hoylake. Next year's Open is at Royal Birkdale, which has its clubhouse near the 18th green but should still have room for the Spidercam technology. 'We ... believe that Spidercam will bring millions of fans a new perspective of the action from Royal Portrush,' said Neil Armit, chief commercial officer at the R&A, "with incredible detail and accessibility wherever they are in the world.' ___ AP golf: recommended Item 1 of 3
News18
7 hours ago
- Sport
- News18
Spidercam brings golfs oldest major into the modern world
Portrush (N Ireland), Jul 17 (AP) The oldest major championship has taken a step into the modern world by using a technological feature that British Open organizers hope will bring to life one of the most storied walks in golf. Spidercam — that's a camera, not a super hero — was used in golf for the first time at Royal Portrush on Thursday. It's a camera suspended above the 18th green using four pylons about 25 meters high, giving TV viewers unique views of the closing hole and its undulations. Held in a resting position high to the back of the green for approach shots, Spidercam swoops down as the players make their walk to the green and hovers just above them as they make their putts. 'It's pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings," said Northern Irish golfer Tom McKibbin, who went out at 6:35 a.m. local time in the first group of the day with Nicolai Hojgaard and Padraig Harrington. They were the first players to experience in competition the technology which reportedly cost the R&A 300,000 pounds ($400,000) to install. 'It was a little bit different," McKibbin said. 'I'd never seen it before." That's because the R&A is using the technology before any of the professional tours in golf. Spidercam has, though, operated widely in TV coverage of other major sports including soccer, rugby and cricket — and has occasionally gotten in the way. In 2017, India star MS Dhoni hit a shot in a cricket match against England that smashed into the hovering camera and broke it. In 2022, South Africa cricketer Anrich Nortje was knocked to the ground when he collided with a low-swinging Spidercam as he walked to his place in the field in a test against Australia. The camera operator responsible was stood down for the remainder of the match. 'I didn't know what hit me," Nortje said at the time. 'I don't think it should be travelling at head height." At Royal Portrush, Spidercam will complement existing technology such as a plane camera, aerial drones and bunker cameras to enhance TV coverage. According to the Guardian newspaper, players were briefed last week about plans to use Spidercam at Royal Portrush and there were no complaints despite the potential for getting distracted while preparing to make a shot. As Hojgaard and Harrington walked alongside each other to the 18th green, Spidercam swung down and over them. As Harrington made his two putts, the camera almost circled him. Hojgaard said he didn't notice Spidercam. With Royal Portrush not having a clubhouse on the 18th green, there has been space to install the technology. Other venues on the Open rotation won't have that luxury, notably Royal Lytham St. Anne's, Royal Troon and Hoylake. Next year's Open is at Royal Birkdale, which has its clubhouse near the 18th green but should still have room for the Spidercam technology. 'We … believe that Spidercam will bring millions of fans a new perspective of the action from Royal Portrush," said Neil Armit, chief commercial officer at the R&A, 'with incredible detail and accessibility wherever they are in the world." (AP) AM AM AM view comments First Published: July 17, 2025, 19:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
9 hours ago
- Sport
Spidercam brings golf's oldest major into the modern world
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- The oldest major championship has taken a step into the modern world by using a technological feature that British Open organizers hope will bring to life one of the most storied walks in golf. Spidercam — that's a camera, not a super hero — was used in golf for the first time at Royal Portrush on Thursday. It's a camera suspended above the 18th green using four pylons about 25 meters high, giving TV viewers unique views of the closing hole and its undulations. Held in a resting position high to the back of the green for approach shots, Spidercam swoops down as the players make their walk to the green and hovers just above them as they make their putts. 'It's pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings,' said Northern Irish golfer Tom McKibbin, who went out at 6:35 a.m. local time in the first group of the day with Nicolai Hojgaard and Padraig Harrington. They were the first players to experience in competition the technology which reportedly cost the R&A 300,000 pounds ($400,000) to install. 'It was a little bit different,' McKibbin said. 'I'd never seen it before.' That's because the R&A is using the technology before any of the professional tours in golf. Spidercam has, though, operated widely in TV coverage of other major sports including soccer, rugby and cricket — and has occasionally gotten in the way. In 2017, India star MS Dhoni hit a shot in a cricket match against England that smashed into the hovering camera and broke it. In 2022, South Africa cricketer Anrich Nortje was knocked to the ground when he collided with a low-swinging Spidercam as he walked to his place in the field in a test against Australia. The camera operator responsible was stood down for the remainder of the match. 'I didn't know what hit me,' Nortje said at the time. 'I don't think it should be travelling at head height." At Royal Portrush, Spidercam will complement existing technology such as a plane camera, aerial drones and bunker cameras to enhance TV coverage. According to the Guardian newspaper, players were briefed last week about plans to use Spidercam at Royal Portrush and there were no complaints despite the potential for getting distracted while preparing to make a shot. As Hojgaard and Harrington walked alongside each other to the 18th green, Spidercam swung down and over them. As Harrington made his two putts, the camera almost circled him. Hojgaard said he didn't notice Spidercam. With Royal Portrush not having a clubhouse on the 18th green, there has been space to install the technology. Other venues on the Open rotation won't have that luxury, notably Royal Lytham St. Anne's, Royal Troon and Hoylake. Next year's Open is at Royal Birkdale, which has its clubhouse near the 18th green but should still have room for the Spidercam technology. 'We ... believe that Spidercam will bring millions of fans a new perspective of the action from Royal Portrush,' said Neil Armit, chief commercial officer at the R&A, "with incredible detail and accessibility wherever they are in the world.'
San Francisco Chronicle
10 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Spidercam brings golf's oldest major into the modern world
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The oldest major championship has taken a step into the modern world by using a technological feature that British Open organizers hope will bring to life one of the most storied walks in golf. Spidercam — that's a camera, not a super hero — was used in golf for the first time at Royal Portrush on Thursday. It's a camera suspended above the 18th green using four pylons about 25 meters high, giving TV viewers unique views of the closing hole and its undulations. Held in a resting position high to the back of the green for approach shots, Spidercam swoops down as the players make their walk to the green and hovers just above them as they make their putts. 'It's pretty cool the way it can move and do all those swings,' said Northern Irish golfer Tom McKibbin, who went out at 6:35 a.m. local time in the first group of the day with Nicolai Hojgaard and Padraig Harrington. They were the first players to experience in competition the technology which reportedly cost the R&A 300,000 pounds ($400,000) to install. 'It was a little bit different,' McKibbin said. 'I'd never seen it before.' That's because the R&A is using the technology before any of the professional tours in golf. Spidercam has, though, operated widely in TV coverage of other major sports including soccer, rugby and cricket — and has occasionally gotten in the way. In 2017, India star MS Dhoni hit a shot in a cricket match against England that smashed into the hovering camera and broke it. In 2022, South Africa cricketer Anrich Nortje was knocked to the ground when he collided with a low-swinging Spidercam as he walked to his place in the field in a test against Australia. The camera operator responsible was stood down for the remainder of the match. 'I didn't know what hit me,' Nortje said at the time. 'I don't think it should be travelling at head height." At Royal Portrush, Spidercam will complement existing technology such as a plane camera, aerial drones and bunker cameras to enhance TV coverage. According to the Guardian newspaper, players were briefed last week about plans to use Spidercam at Royal Portrush and there were no complaints despite the potential for getting distracted while preparing to make a shot. As Hojgaard and Harrington walked alongside each other to the 18th green, Spidercam swung down and over them. As Harrington made his two putts, the camera almost circled him. Hojgaard said he didn't notice Spidercam. With Royal Portrush not having a clubhouse on the 18th green, there has been space to install the technology. Other venues on the Open rotation won't have that luxury, notably Royal Lytham St. Anne's, Royal Troon and Hoylake. Next year's Open is at Royal Birkdale, which has its clubhouse near the 18th green but should still have room for the Spidercam technology. 'We ... believe that Spidercam will bring millions of fans a new perspective of the action from Royal Portrush,' said Neil Armit, chief commercial officer at the R&A, "with incredible detail and accessibility wherever they are in the world.'
