Latest news with #Offaly
The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rory McIlroy coach adds fuel to Royal Portrush Open Championship rumours ahead of 2025 return
WITH the 2025 Open Championship heading back to Royal Portrush this July fans on both sides of the Atlantic are bracing for another links major. Irish eyes will be firmly on Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry after the Offaly star's maiden major win at the same venue in 2019. 2 The Open returns to the Northern Irish venue for the first time since 2019 2 Brad Faxon revealed there maybe some possibly changes to Royal Portrush GC's opening hole McIlroy famously shot a course-record 61 as a teenager, while Lowry rewrote the record books with a Saturday 63 on his way to lifting the Claret Jug. But there looks to be a major change to the Dundonald Links Golf Course ahead of this summer's tournament. Rory's putting coach Brad Faxon has revealed that a key change has reportedly been made to the opening hole at Portrush. The famous hole saw Down native McIlroy pull a long iron out of bounds to derail his 2019 Claret Jug bid, before his missed the midway cut at the venue. READ MORE ON GOLF "Now that was an in-course out-of-bounds they had set up for gallery control and some sponsor suites.' 'I don't think that is going to be out of bounds this year. I think there is a new tee, too. "I think it's back further. So that hole is not going to just be a lay-up necessarily, depending on the wind conditions.' Most read in Golf The R&A has yet to confirm the change, but the adjustment could play a crucial role in how players approach the front nine. Faxon added that Lowry, who won by six shots in 2019, is quietly confident heading back to Portrush this summer. Jack Nicklaus stunned as Rory McIlroy ghosts Memorial Tournament host and golf legend ahead of PGA Tour Signature event He added: 'Shane Lowry said the last time I saw him at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, he said, 'Rory has taken the pressure off me going back there.'' Meanwhile, The This year will mark the 10th time the course has hosted the USGA premier tournament. And Lowry knows the course all too well, the 2019 Open champion finished T2 after a heartbreaking +6 final round in 2016 after blowing a four-stroke overnight lead. But leading up to that week, Lowry reflected on how difficult the course was before admitting that he actually walked off the course due to its difficulty. The Offaly native was asked about the upcoming championship after his opening round at the
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Shane Lowry in great position after day one thanks to brilliant eagle at the Memorial in Dublin……Ohio
SHANE Lowry has positioned himself nicely at the Memorial, with the Offaly man among those to start early in Dublin, Ohio. The 2019 Open champ signed for a three-under-par first-round 69. Ben Griffin's 65 saw the American into the clubhouse lead, followed by Collin Morikawa, who was two shots back, and Max Homa, another stroke behind. Lowry birdied the second hole and followed that up with an eagle at the par-five seventh to reach the turn on three under par. However, bogies on the 11th and 15th cancelled out birdie gains on the 13th and 16th. Meanwhile, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan defended Masters champion Rory McIlroy, whose tournament scheduling plan sees him sitting out the Memorial — the third signature event he has missed this season. Read more on Golf Monahan said: 'The beauty of our model is our players select their schedule. 'He's played in this tournament every year since 2017. "Over time, his support of our tournaments and partners is extraordinary.' 1 Lowry sits four shots off the lead and is tied in fourth Jack Nicklaus stunned as Rory McIlroy ghosts Memorial Tournament host and golf legend ahead of PGA Tour Signature event
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘There are no gimmes out there' – Shane Lowry upbeat as he shows US Open form at Memorial
Today at 16:59 Shane Lowry cruised along in the slipstream of a red-hot Ben Griffin and moved into US Open mode by carding an impressive opening 69 in the $20 million Memorial Tournament in Ohio. As Griffin followed his first individual PGA Tour win in last week's Charles Schwab Challenge with a seven-under 65 to set the early target at Muirfield Village, the Offaly man produced the kind of ball-striking brilliance he will need at fearsome Oakmont in Pittsburgh in two weeks.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Shane Lowry sitting in fourth after first day of the Memorial Tournament
Shane Lowry is off to a good start at the Memorial Tournament at Muifield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio after shooting a three-under par 69 to leave him lying in fourth just four shots behind the leader Ben Griffin. Griffin set the early pace shooting seven-under 65 to st the target for the rest of the field. The Offaly man picked up three birdies in his first round with the highlight coming on the par-five seventh when he hit an eagle. Colin Morikawa is five-under just one shot ahead of Max Homa. Rory McIlroy is skipping the annual event for the first time since 2017.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Fiona Pender murder investigation: Second search operation for her remains ends
Gardaí investigating the 1996 disappearance and suspected murder of Fiona Pender have finished a search operation in Co Laois. The search, the second this week, began on Wednesday close to Clonaslee, Co Laois, in the Slieve Bloom mountains, and continued overnight into Thursday. It follows an earlier search operation, at a location at Graigue, Killeigh, near Tullamore, Co Offaly , which finished on Tuesday evening. The results of the searches are not being released for operational reasons. The Garda said the family have been updated. READ MORE Ms Pender was last seen at her apartment on Church Street, Tullamore, in the early morning of August 23rd, 1996. At that time, she was 25 years old and was seven months pregnant. Detectives have always believed she was murdered, and the case was upgraded from a missing person's inquiry to a murder investigation on Monday following a review of investigation files and the uncovering of new information. A search had previously been conducted in the Slieve Bloom mountains in 2008, but produced nothing of evidential value. Though gardaí investigating the suspected murder believe Ms Pender's remains were buried in the Laois-Offaly area, they have not ruled out the possibility that the body was moved at a later date and that evidence could be found at several sites. In the years since her disappearance, gardaí have arrested and detained five people, spoken to more than 300 witnesses and compiled thousands of documents. Several search operations have also taken place, but not yet yielded concrete results. Ms Pender was one of a number of women to disappear in the province of Leinster in the 1990s, but it is believed her case was not connected. A single suspect, who lived near Ms Pender and was known to her, has long been at the centre of gardaí's suspicion. Josephine Pender, Fiona's mother, campaigned for years seeking the public's help to find her daughter. She died in 2017 following a long illness. Fiona's father Sean died by suicide in 2000, and her brother Mark died in a motorcycle collision in 1995. Gardaí have updated the family on any developments and say investigations are continuing. In their statement, they appealed again for anyone with further information to get in contact.
