Latest news with #McDowell
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Inside Graeme McDowell's life away from golf with wife & kids as he makes commentary debut at The Open
GRAEME McDowell has already impressed after making his commentary debut at his local course of Portrush on Thursday. The 6 McDowell joined Sky Sports' regular commentators such as Laura Davies and Wayne Riley Credit: Getty 6 He married partner Kristin Stape in 2013 6 They have two children together Credit: Getty Images - Getty 6 Nowadays he is a teammate of Brooks Koepka on the Smash GC team on the LIV Golf circuit Credit: AP He had hoped to play at the 153rd edition of the world's oldest golf tournament but Here, SunSport delves into the 2010 US Open winner's life away from the golf course: WIFE AND CHILDREN Around the time of that career highlight Major victory, Graeme met his spouse Kristin. He'd initially hired her as an interior designer while he was building his home in the ultra-wealthy Florida community of Lake Nona in Florida. Read More On Irish Sport They wound up dating and got engaged in October 2012. They tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in The Bahamas in September 2013. The couple have two children together. Their daughter Vale was born in 2014 whilst son Wills came into the world two years later. Graeme is a very private individual so there are no photos of them publicly available with his EARLY LIFE He's been based in the US for much of his life as he went to college at the University of Alabama in Georgia after transferring over from Belfast's Queen's University where he'd studied engineering. Most read in Golf The former When asked about his personal sense of identity he emphasizes that he doesn't like picking one nationality over another. Tense moment as furious Jon Rahm confronts golf fan at The Open When asked about potentially playing in the He explained: "I'm not bothered who I play for. I'll be honoured to represent Britain or Ireland or both. I'm proud to play golf for Europe." He added: "Yes, I sit on the fence but why not? There's no right or wrong answer. I'm always going to upset someone so why not sit on the fence?" The 45-year-old ultimately never represented either on the Olympic stage as he chose not to replace 6 The 'Golf, But Louder' circuit has seen him play in tournaments around the world compared to the more US-centric PGA Tour Credit: Reuters 6 Talor Gooch is another relatively famous teammate of his at Smash GC Credit: Reuters NET WORTH McDowell's become a somewhat peripheral figure in playing terms ever since Playing on Multiple sites such as and estimate his net worth to be around $40million. This leaves him trailing only McIlroy in COMMENTARY PRAISE Despite only being a quarter of the way into this year's final Major, he's proven a hit with viewers as a co-commentator. Among the online posts hailing his insight on Thursday, the GolfisLife account hailed: "Graeme McDowell is doing a great job on the Open broadcast as the in-booth player commentary. "It is amazing the booth crew are also being respectful on LIV and asking about LIV. This plus 19 LIV guys in the field it seems very appropriate." Similarly, Golf Monthly tweeted: "Very much enjoyed listening to Graeme McDowell in the booth today." To which Terry agreed: "Yes. Him and Faldo commentate without eulogising or speculating, the twin curses of most the others." Lastly, Luke reckoned: "One thing many missed in the division of golf is that great people & their ability to article the game went to LIV. "Players like Mickelson, McDowell & Casey would all make exceptional broadcasters & it was moronic to initially blackball them."
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Senator 'shocked' garda facing criminal charges after making protected disclosures of malpractice
Criminal and disciplinary proceedings have been taken against gardaí who have raised concerns about malpractice in the organisation, it has been claimed. Senator Michael McDowell told the Senate on Thursday a senior garda 'of the upmost integrity' had been sidelined because he made a number of protected disclosures. The former justice minister also said a junior member of the force 'is facing criminal charges on indictment which appear to be motivated by a desire to conceal abuses in the armoury section". The senior garda referenced by Senator McDowell is Detective Superintendent Brian O'Reilly, who oversaw the Garda Technical Bureau until 2023. Last month, at Dublin Circuit Court, counsel for Det Supt O'Reilly claimed he had been financially penalised because he made protected disclosures about concerns he had with Garda practices and how the force had responded to concerns over a controversial gun holster. Issues around the holster surfaced in 2020 when a garda was injured outside the Israeli ambassador's residence in Dublin when his firearm was discharged. Six days later, Detective Garda Colm Horkan was shot dead by Stephen Silver in Castlerea after Silver managed to get hold of the garda's weapon. Det Supt O'Reilly is understood to have made protected disclosures related to how these incidents were investigated and dealt with by management. The circuit court heard Dep Supt O'Reilly, who had been acting for a number of years as a chief superintendent, had gone on work-related sickness in April 2023 as a result of the concerns he raised. Later, his income was cut to half pay and he was applying to the court have his full salary restored, an application that is being opposed by An Garda Síochána. A decision on the case is expected in the autumn. The junior garda referenced is Luke Rochford, a former Garda firearms specialist accused of possessing nearly 4,000 rounds of ammunition and stealing military weapons parts from the Defence Forces. KRW Law issued a statement welcoming Mr McDowell's intervention and endorsing his calls 'for increased scrutiny on serious issues around gardaí irregularities'. 'We act on behalf of a former serving Garda officer who acted as a whistleblower on serious irregularities within the armoury section of gardaí on defective holsters and other linked matters. "As a result, he found himself the subject of a contrived prosecution taken in a bid to silence him. Our client will fully contest the charges levied against him and looks forward to a jury trial when he can give his account of serious internal wrongdoing,' the statement said. Senator Michael McDowell: 'Anyone who thinks that the culture in An Garda Síochána has been transformed by the outcome of the Disclosures Tribunal concerning Sergeant Maurice McCabe, is, I fear, gravely mistaken.' Senator McDowell and Labour party TD Alan Kelly have been raising in the Senate and Dáil, respectively, related issues around malpractice centred on the garda armoury. However, this is the first time there has been an allegation that criminal prosecutions have been taken against a member of the force because they effectively blew a whistle. Mr McDowell also told the Senate about what he called the 'falsification of documents submitted by An Garda Síochána to the Department of Justice designed to facilitate the importation of firearms for civilians who are not gardaí.' This was reference to a case published in the Irish Examiner earlier this month about a senior garda who organised for the repair and importation of firearm parts for a gun club under the guise the weapons were for Garda use. An application was made to the department to import the parts on that basis, yet when completed and repaired, the firearms were returned to the gun club, with the cost accruing to the Garda budget. In his address on Thursday, the senator claimed 'senior management in An Garda Síochána is aware of all these matters'. 'Anyone who thinks that the culture in An Garda Síochána has been transformed by the outcome of the Disclosures Tribunal concerning Sergeant Maurice McCabe, is, I fear, gravely mistaken. I am shocked by what I have learned,' he told the house. He called for a debate in the house on the whole matter with the attendance of the minister for justice. The Garda press office has been contacted for comment.
Belfast Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Féile representative tells council ‘no complaints' received over pro-IRA chants at festival
A Belfast Féile representative has told Belfast City Council it has received no complaints about 'pro-IRA chants' at the annual festival following a series of controversial concerts at Falls Park. TUV representative Ron McDowell quizzed the Féile an Phobail representative about what is being done to reduce expressions of support for terror during a Belfast City Licensing Committee meeting which was told there has been a reduction in the number of noise complaints. The councillor welcomed what he described as 'moves in the right direction' but said questions remain when it comes to 'inclusivity, and making everybody feel welcome' at the event. "Has there been any discussion or any movement towards the reduction of pro-IRA chants, which would make the event more hospitable to people from right across the city?' he asked. The Féile representative replied: 'Again, we engage very widely with elected reps right across the city, as well as with community organisations, and others concerned. "We had no complaints over the last couple of years directed to us, around anything that was taking place at the festival. Mr McDowell has welcomed enhanced cooperation with police as councillors approved a request to permit the planned entertainment to run beyond 11pm on up to six nights during the event which will run from Friday August 1 to Sunday August 10. It is expected the entertainment will run to 1am on two of the nights – Saturday August 2 and Friday August 8. During the committee meeting at City Hall, elected representatives were told by council officials that 76 noise complaints were received over the period of last year's festival which was a reduction from the 120 received in 2023. The Féile representative said: 'We have had a meeting with the PSNI, and furnished them with all the details of all the evenings concerned, as well as the full event plans, which also went to City Council. "We work very closely with various council teams, including Licensing and Parks, Building Control and Community Safety Teams, and operate hand in hand with the council in the festival period, along with the PSNI.' They added: 'We have a very substantial operation that kicks in from mid July, where we have a number of residential consultation events, including the resident's letter, which goes far and wide, particularly into the houses which are quite close to the event space. "All our committees, which work on a year-round basis to help programme the festival, all involve local people. "We are very well connected to the festival and the local community. 'There was a significant reduction in complaints received last year, and that probably was the result of having a noise consultant on site during those evenings when music was played in the Falls Park.' The representative confirmed the noise consultant would be on-site again this year as they said 'we are happy to take on board any advice or guidance towards this year's events' in relation to pro-IRA chants at previous events. 'Or anything the council would ask us to follow up on,' they said. 'But we have received no complaints, the PSNI are present at all these events, and they didn't record anything either or come to us with any issues. "Nor did any of the other statutory agencies involved.' Up the 'RA chanting at Feile Wolfe Tones finale Over three years ago, the DUP and Sinn Fein clashed at City Hall over The Wolfe Tones concerts in Falls Park. Belfast City Council agreed to subject events in public parks to an annual review. In March 2022, then DUP councillor Brian Kingston, who is now an MLA, condemned: 'the use of a council park where there is a concert, and from the stage there is singing and the leading of young people to the chanting of support for paramilitary organisations.' He said: 'I am referring to the Wolfe Tones concert in Falls Park, in our park. "There is nothing else on the same scale as this. "It remains a stain on the Féile, and a stain on this council.' The Wolfe Tones played a 'farewell to west Belfast' gig last summer as part of the Feile festival. In previous years, major funders of the festival have expressed concern after pro-IRA chanting during Wolfe Tones sets after video footage emerged showing many fans singing 'Ooh, ah, up the 'RA'.
The 42
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
McDowell's biggest LIV regret - he will be the forgotten man at the Open in his hometown
ON THE EVE of the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the media gathered around Graeme McDowell for a lengthy press conference and tapped him for insights to his hometown as if he were the local mayor. McDowell was asked about the town and its golf courses and the nearby sights to see; he was asked of how he helped bring the Open back to Royal Portrush and what that return said about post-Troubles Northern Ireland; he was even asked to explain George Best to Americans and give a view on the Orange parade planned by the local Sons of Ulster for the Saturday of the tournament. McDowell, in other words, was treated as both emblem of and spokesperson for a mega-event with a significance that transcended the merely sporting. Skip forward six years and the Open is back at Portrush but McDowell is not. And with Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Darren Clarke, and Pádraig Harrington sufficient to soak up the crowd's full spillage of adulation, McDowell's absence will hardly be noted. McDowell grew up in Portrush and was within the mandatory 30-mile radius to be eligible to join Rathmore, a cheaper, accessible club beside Royal Portrush which offered frequent access to next week's Open venue. Portrush introduced McDowell to golf and it uncovered inspiration too. McDowell, wowed by the amateur exploits of Ricky Elliott – now caddie to Brooks Koepka – followed him to an American college, from which McDowell emerged with a sharpened competitive edge and a twang to go with the lilt in his accent. But now golf's most historic championship is setting up in his home and McDowell is not invited. His absence is a fact so translucent he can hardly even be said to be a ghost at golf's great feast. Advertisement Crowds following McDowell during the 2019 Open. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The LIV Tour gifted McDowell an outlandish pension plan but every deal has its trade-offs, and he will stew upon them in his hometown exile next week. Now ranked at number 1,562 in the world, McDowell did try to play his way in to this year's Open, but finished three shots shy of a golden ticket in the incongruous surrounds of final qualifying at Royal Cinque Ports in Kent. Major champions are supposed to do their fretting and sweating and dreaming on a Sunday afternoon, not a Tuesday evening. McDowell's career was already listing six years ago – and it was only by major effort and resolve that he qualified for the 2019 Open at all, sealing his spot only a month in advance at the Canadian Open – so all trends and trajectories suggest that he wouldn't have qualified this time around even if he had ignored Saudi overtures and kept on battling for ranking points and his Tour card. But he might not have felt like such an irrelevance to next week all the same. For one thing, had McDowell not gone to LIV, he would almost certainly have been casting an eye over Portrush next week in some kind of Ryder Cup capacity, be it as outright captain or one of the phalanx of deputies. You'd also wonder how much more appealing he would have been to broadcasters like Sky or NBC had he not jumped ship. McDowell instead bartered away those opportunities for cash, and if ever these consequences will sting, it will be next week. He has been hurt by the hometown reaction to his defection in the past, asked during an interview at the JP McManus pro-am at Adare Manor three years to respond to a Belfast Telegraph front page in which Amnesty International rounded on his justifying Saudi foreign policy. 'I don't read The Belfast Telegraph,' replied McDowell without conviction. 'Don't even f***ing tell me what was on the front — is that a real paper? . . . No one reads it anyway, it's OK.' 'Listen, f**k, like some guy from Amnesty International, sent me the quotes, asked me to respond. How am I supposed to respond to Amnesty International? So yeah, not real happy with The Belfast Telegraph. For my family to read that shit. . . it's unfair.' This followed only a month after his car-crash press conference ahead of the very first LIV event, at which he got himself hopelessly tangled in trying to respond to questions about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, to the point he and his fellow players were memorably asked at which point would they draw the line. Would you play a tournament organised by Vladimir Putin? At the time, McDowell's public squirming felt the very least he deserved. With time, however, it's hard not to feel some pity for him. As one of the first defectors, McDowell was an early LIV mudguard, there to take the flak from the media's righteous early objections. But in professional sport, moral outrage has a very short half-life. Contrast McDowell's interrogation to the reaction with which Jon Rahm was met when he threw his lot in with the Saudis: McIlroy, for instance, quickly appeared on Sky Sports to argue the Ryder Cup eligibility rules had to be changed to allow for Rahm to play at Bethpage. Everywhere you look in pro golf at the moment, you see people retreating from the moral stance into which they tumbled three years ago. The PGA Tour, standing so staunchly against LIV with their 'legacy, not leverage' motto, met with the Saudis in secret not long after McDowell's move, in a bid to cook up a merger and an end to an expensive war. The R&A meanwhile obliquely said after 6 January in 2021 that they wouldn't be returning to Donald Trump's Turnberry as they feared the focus 'would not be on the championship', but are now receptive to talks to see the course host the 2028 Open, at least partly at the behest of a craven Downing Street. McDowell would be forgiven for feeling his error was not in joining LIV but in being among the first to do so, given his move came during a tiny blip in the history of professional golf in which everyone felt there were basic moral causes worth falling out over. That's not the case anymore, though McDowell continues to suffer the cold shoulder. McDowell's move to LIV has been undoubtedly lucrative, but it has been costly too; costs that will be visible next week only to Graeme McDowell.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
What to watch for in today's NASCAR Cup race in Mexico City
MEXICO CITY — With a forecast that could include rain during Sunday's race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the challenge for drivers will increase. 'I absolutely hate racing in the rain, but I'm good at it,' said Shane van Gisbergen, who starts on the pole for the first Cup race held outside the continental United States since 1958. 'I'd rather it didn't rain, but if it happens, we put the wets on and go.' Advertisement How can van Gisbergen dislike something he's so good at? 'I just don't enjoy it,' he said. 'It's just never fun. You're always sliding around, and it just turns stuff into chaos. It's fun to watch, but I don't really enjoy driving.' NASCAR: NASCAR All-Star Race Sore after Michigan crash, Alex Bowman seeks to turn around his fortunes in Mexico Alex Bowman has finished 27th or worse in seven of the last nine races. Michael McDowell, who starts fifth can relate. 'I like what SVG said because I feel the same way,' McDowell told NBC Sports. 'I'm good in the rain. I have a lot of experience in the rain, but I'm never super pumped for the rain because it's hard. It creates variables that are tough to overcome.' Advertisement One of the challenges in wet conditions is the water spray that cars in front create. The Weather Underground forecast calls for a 38% chance of scattered thunderstorms near the start of the race, increasing to about 60% by the end of the event. Should the track be wet at the beginning of the race (3 p.m. ET on Prime), it will make a front starting spot even more important. That makes his third starting spot even more valuable to Ross Chastain. 'You'll just get gapped out just from the spray being part throttle on the straightway, not being able to have any vision if you're back in the field,' Chastain told NBC Sports. 'I've been there and it's terrifying when you can't see. It's like driving blindfolded.' Wet conditions at the start also present opportunities. Advertisement 'You want to be aggressive, honestly, in the beginning if it is raining to get up front, be the first one or two cars so that you have the best vision you can,' McDowell said. The right (pit) decision? Trent Owens, crew chief for AJ Allmendinger had an interesting choice to make when it was time for him to pick his pit stall Saturday. Pit stalls are selected in order of how a team qualifies, so the pole-sitter gets the first pick and on down. Allmendinger qualified eighth, giving him the eighth pick of stalls. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez's pit road is limited to 40 stalls. There will be 37 cars in the race. That leaves only three openings (and a small opening across the start/finish line). NASCAR: Clash at Bowman Gray - Practice RFK Racing seeks to build on Michigan finish in Mexico Advertisement RFK Racing placed three cars in the top 10 last week at Michigan for the first time since 2016, but Brad Keselowski is looking for win. Teams prefer to have an opening either in front of their stall (for easy access out) or an opening before their stall (for easy access into their box). When it came time for Owens to pick his pits, he had two viable options. He could pick the second pit stall — near pit exit. That would put Allmendinger in the box behind Shane van Gisbergen and in front of Kyle Larson. Or Owens could have picked pit stall 13, which was further away from pit exit but had an opening before it for easy access into the box. NASCAR Cup Series 2025: NASCAR Cup Series Coca Cola 600 May 24 Trackhouse Racing engineer excited for return home with NASCAR race in Mexico Advertisement Jose Blasco-Figueroa grew up in Mexico City and his mother's home is 25 kilometers from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Owens chose pit stall 2, meaning the first three pit stalls — van Gisbergen, Allmendinger and Larson — could have three of the top cars in the race. That could mean they could be pitting together. Add to it that the pit boxes are 26.5 feet long — the shortest in the series — and it could get tight. 'Our biggest reason is (van Gisbergen) is in stall 1 and we feel like he's the dominant car,' Owens told NBC Sports for his reasoning in picking stall 2. 'So we feel like when we pit we're not going to get blocked in. 'We could have chose (stall) 13, which has a small opening in, but it's also a narrow pit road, short pit boxes. We just feel like pit stall 2 can potentially limit our errors because (Larson), which is behind us, has a full pit stall opening behind him, so if (Larson's crew chief Cliff Daniels) plays nice, he'll stop back at his stall and give us enough room.' Advertisement That is likely to happen because that would allow Larson to exit his stall without being blocked in by Allmendinger. Much goes into winning a race, but could Owens' decision to pick pit stall 2 help Allmendinger get to victory lane? Too fast on pit road? Another key area to watch with pit road is toward pit exit. There are 11 timing loops on pit road used to determine pit road speeding. Pit road speed is 40 mph and with the 5 mph allowance, drivers can go 45 mph before they are penalized. Seven of the zones are either 147-feet-7 inches long or 157-6. But the last two are significantly shorter. The next-to-last timing zone — encompassing pit stalls 1-3 near pit exit — is 73-feet-2 inches. The last timing line, which goes to pit exit — is 46-feet-7 inches. Advertisement NASCAR's pit road speeding is determined based on time over distance. So if a driver enters a zone too fast, he can slow before the end of it and still make speed. With two shorter zones at the end of pit road, drivers won't have as much a a chance to do so. Get caught speeding on pit road in those two sections — or any for that matter — and the pass-through penalty will cost a driver positions on the track. 'You just can't afford to speed,' Ryan Preece, who starts second today, told NBC Sports. 'Track position is obviously a huge thing no matter where it is. For me, you want to push those lights, you don't want to give up one position, but if you overdo it, you're going to give up 36, so it's kind of a risk vs. reward type of situation.'
