Latest news with #McIlroy
Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Bryson DeChambeau sends clear message to Rory McIlroy before Ryder Cup – 'Get in his ear'
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy have had many battles, but the American has made it clear that there will be many more at the Ryder Cup when it comes round Bryson DeChambeau has warned Rory McIlroy that he will be "chirping in his ear" when the Ryder Cup comes round. Both players endured a frustrating weekend at the Open Championship, finishing eight shots and seven shots behind eventual winner Scottie Scheffler, respectively. The action at Royal Portrush brought an end to the majors for 2025. All eyes will soon be on the Ryder Cup, which begins at Bethpage Black on September 26. Earlier in the season, McIlroy clinched his career Grand Slam at Augusta. During the final round, golf fans may remember DeChambeau accusing the world No. 2 of blanking him while they were playing together. DeChambeau has now revealed a cunning and chatty plan he has for McIlroy in the event they are paired together again in New York this Autumn. Speaking to PEOPLE at the Happy Gilmore 2 New York premier, DeChambeau said: "I'll be chirping in his ear this time. "Now, if we go up against each other, I mean, you can be sure of it. I'll get into his ear a little bit.' The Californian sounded unhappy when he was interviewed after McIlroy's moment of glory in April. Beginning the final round just two shots behind the five-time Major winner, DeChambeau played alongside the Holywood native. However, he fell away throughout the round, finishing T5, four shots behind McIlroy, who ousted Justin Rose in a play-off to win his fifth major. When asked how McIlroy was feeling throughout the round, he bluntly replied: "He didn't talk to me once all day. He was just like - just being focused, I guess. It's not me, though." McIlroy was rather bemused when his rival's comments were put back to him a month later. Before the PGA Championship, McIlroy said: "I don't know what he was expecting. We're trying to win the Masters. I'm not going to try to be his best mate out there. "Look, everyone approaches the game different ways. Yeah, like I was focused on myself and what I needed to do. That's really all that it was. It wasn't anything against him - it's just I felt that's what I needed to do to try to get the best out of myself that day." DeChambeau's display at Royal Portrush was enough to convince Team USA Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley that he warranted a place in their squad. He endured the worst possible start, hitting an opening 78 that left him tied for 144th and ruing his worst round in a major ever. He followed it up with a six-under-par 65 on the Friday, a Saturday 68 and, most impressively, a bogey-free 64 in the final round. While he was pleased with his fight back, he did think about what might have been, were it not for that shocking start. DeChambeau said: "If I would've played well the first round, I would've had a chance to go up against Scottie [Scheffler] and go head to head. "That was the whole goal and didn't happen. But the last three rounds, I played some stellar golf. I didn't give up, gave it all I had, and showed the fans that you never give up."
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy argument sparks 'not buying it' Scottie Scheffler claim after Open win
Rory McIlroy was supported by the home fans at Royal Portrush, but he was unable to challenge Scottie Scheffler as the American clinched The Open title Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler find themselves at the centre of a new debate following The Open Championship. Golf pundits are still dissecting Scheffler winning the Claret Jug and the reasons why McIlroy fell short at Royal Portrush. McIlroy, who was warmly welcomed by the home fans, ended the tournament tied for seventh place with a score of 10-under-par. Despite the strong support, McIlroy couldn't reach the top of the leaderboard, as an unflappable Scheffler secured the trophy on 17-under. The Open marked Scheffler's fourth major win, a day after McIlroy had described his rival as "inevitable". Scheffler's victory and McIlroy's comments have fuelled a fresh debate about a potential gap between the two players, but pundits have been left divided. In a post-round interview with Sky Sports, McIlroy praised Scheffler: "Scottie Scheffler is... he's inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's become a complete player. He's so good around the greens. He's improved so much with his putter. " The 29-year-old's triumph at The Open led to speculation about whether McIlroy feels there's a growing divide between him and Scheffler. However, not all pundits agreed. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Rob Lee said: "I think he's very conscious of it. Rory, for a lot of us, most of us, on his day, the best player in the world. "If they're all on their day, Jon Rahm, everybody else, [Scheffler] is the best player in the world. So I'm now saying, on their day, Scottie Scheffler's the best player in the world." However, Mark Roe disagreed with his colleague regarding the difference between McIlroy and Scheffler. "I'm not buying this gulf. I'm not buying it, no," Roe responded. Elaborating on Lee's claim about Scheffler being the world's best, Roe countered: "Do you think if Rory came this week – we've talked about his driving not being great – and played his absolute A-game and drove it the best he could.. "He shot 61 around there when he was 16. I don't buy that. I think if Rory had come and played as good as he can play, I think he wins. I think he wins." Attempting to resolve the discussion, fellow pundit Richard Boxall weighed in on who would triumph if Scheffler and McIlroy faced each other 100 times. Boxall delivered his conclusion: "I'd say, if they played them in matchplay, I think Rory would win. If they played them in stroke play, I'd play Scheffler would win." McIlroy claimed his fifth major championship and completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters triumph in April. The 36-year-old had also secured victories at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship before travelling to Augusta, though McIlroy has since failed to match the commanding form he displayed in the opening months of the year. Scheffler, who has held the world No. 1 ranking since May 2023, has shown remarkable consistency, securing 13 top-10 finishes across 16 tournament appearances this year. He has captured both the PGA Championship and Open titles while also triumphing at the Byron Nelson and Memorial Tournament. McIlroy spoke openly about Scheffler's performance following his third round at Portrush: "He's playing like Scottie. I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played over the last two to three years. "He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes... he's turned himself into a really consistent player, as well. "There doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. But he's incredibly impressive."
Daily Mirror
21 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.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy sends message to fans after "experience I will never forget"
Rory McIlroy has described this year's Open at Royal Portrush as "an experience I will never forget". The Holywood man finished tied for seventh place as world number one Scottie Scheffler cruised to victory to win his fourth major. "Thank you to all the fans for your incredible support at Portrush this past week," McIlroy wrote on Instagram. "Playing in front of the home crowd was an experience I will never forget. A special thank you to the staff at @dunlucelodge for their world class hospitality." McIlroy will now reset his focus and his schedule in order to be on top form for Europe's defence of the Ryder Cup in September. 'I feel like being back in Europe for a bit was a nice reset,' said McIlroy after The Open. 'I feel like I'm getting back to where I want to be and we've still got a lot of golf left this year with obviously Ryder Cup being the big one in there in September. 'I don't want to play too much leading up to that because I want to be fresh so I'm looking forward to a few weeks off here. 'I'll reflect on what's been already a good year and start to get myself ready for that run up to the Ryder Cup.' He added: 'All I can do is focus on myself and try to play the best golf that I can. I know that, when I do that, I'll have my weeks where I'll contend and hopefully win. 'I've gotten everything I wanted out of this week apart from a Claret Jug and that's just because one person was just a little bit better than the rest of us.'
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Scheffler cruises to British Open title
Scottie Scheffler romped to a magnificent four-shot victory to seal his first British Open title at Royal Portrush on Sunday, notching his fourth major success. The world number one eased to a three-under par final round of 68, finishing on 17-under for the tournament after shooting in the 60s on all four days. "It's a pretty special feeling. It was a tough week," said Scheffler, after becoming the first player in over 100 years to win his first four major titles by three strokes or more. "I battled hard all weekend. It was a battle, but I played some really good golf and I'm fortunate to be standing here holding the trophy." It was the 10th successive time Scheffler has converted a 54-hole lead into a win. His dominance over the past two years has been such that once he birdied the first hole, it seemed as though the chasing pack had already lost any belief of challenging. Scheffler, who took a lead he would never relinquish with a seven-under 64 on Friday, extended his run of successive top-10 finishes to 11 events. That streak now features four wins, including the PGA Championship and British Open titles. The American, who led by four shots overnight, became only the second world number one to lift the Claret Jug after Tiger Woods, completing the third leg of a possible career Grand Slam. Harris English finished in a distant second place, ending the tournament on 13-under courtesy of a closing round of 66. Chris Gotterup completed a dream fortnight after last weekend's Scottish Open triumph, carding a 67 to end a shot further behind in third. Home favourite Rory McIlroy could not launch a serious charge, with his challenge finally snuffed out by a double-bogey on the 10th hole. He had to settle for a tie for seventh place on 10-under and a standing ovation from his thousands of fans surrounding the 18th green. "None of us could live with what he (Scheffler) had this week, but for me to be in front of everyone here at home and to get that reception up the last, absolutely incredible," said Masters champion McIlroy. Scheffler's slip-up Scheffler made three birdies in his first five holes to serenely reach 17-under for the tournament, opening up an eight-shot chasm. Gotterup climbed into second on minus 11, with a group of four players, including McIlroy, one shot further back. Scheffler holed long par putts on the sixth and seventh holes to stay in total control, but slipped up with a double-bogey on the eighth after it took him four shots to reach the green. It was the first time he had dropped shots since the 11th hole of his second round on Friday. But he showed why he rarely lets 54-hole leads slip on the ninth, with a trademark precise iron shot setting up another birdie. From then on, it was a procession for the 29-year-old as he parred every hole on the back nine except for a routine birdie on the par-five 12th. Scheffler had raised eyebrows before the tournament when he suggested his pursuit of dominance on the course was an "unfulfilling life" that only provides fleeting moments of satisfaction. He tapped in on the 18th green to tick off another achievement on his seemingly unstoppable path to golfing greatness, raising his arms in celebration before embracing his wife and young son. "I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance," said Xander Schauffele, whose title defence ended in a tie for seventh. Mcilroy comes undone McIlroy hung on the fringes of contention with three birdies on the front nine, against a lone bogey on the par-four fourth. But he fired his approach shot from the rough on 10 through the back of the green and eventually made a six which effectively ended any hopes of lifting a second British Open title this weekend. English and Gotterup, playing together in the third-last group, battled it out for second place over the closing holes. English, who also came second to Scheffler at this year's PGA Championship, grabbed the runner-up honours again thanks to birdies on the 16th and 17th holes. Matthew Fitzpatrick finished tied-fourth as England's wait for a first British Open winner since Nick Faldo in 1992 went on, alongside Wyndham Clark and Li Haotong of China.
