Latest news with #OpenA
Belfast Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
The Open: Saturday action ‘tweaked' due to loyalist parade while Rory McIlroy tees off for final practice
18 minutes ago Adam McKendry Best crowd so far For obvious reasons, McIlroy is absolutely surrounded this afternoon. The crowds following him look like they're for a competitive round, not a practice one. He made a mental misjudgement off the tee, too, thinking he could carry the bucket down the left of the fairway but instead plugging in the face. Better to do that today than tomorrow. 33 minutes ago Adam McKendry If you're not following Rory... ... I'd get out here quickly. The word on the ground is he's only playing the front nine, which is what most players are doing today. 38 minutes ago I take it back Oh look, it's Rory. Shocking that all these people might be here for him. 41 minutes ago Adam McKendry Gareth Hanna Rory McIlroy on the course He's just gone off the first tee for his final practice round, playing alongside South African duo Louis Oosthuizen and Christian Bezuidenhout. Interestingly, he's practicing off the first tee with an iron. Flash black to 2019, when Darren Clarke spoke to taking a driver due to the nerves... and Rory McIlroy hitting it OB on Thursday. Iron again tomorrow or will the nerves prompt a late switch to driver? 57 minutes ago Referees not messing around Hitting the ball into the grandstand is no longer as minor an issue as it used to be. Wayward shots will still be punished, as Golf Magazine's Dylan Dethier outlines. Dylan Dethier on Twitter / X the Open seems to be dialing up its nastiest set of drop zones yet. ohh you want a free drop from the grandstand? for sure man. toss one down in the bushes over there Dylan Dethier (@dylan_dethier) July 16, 2025 Today 10:17 AM Gareth Hanna Saturday tee-times tweaked due to Portrush parade The organisers of The Open have confirmed the tee times for Saturday's action at Royal Portrush will be amended due to a loyalist band parade. More than 60 bands and 2,000 people are expected to march through the town as part of a Portrush Sons of Ulster parade on July 19, which would coincide with the day's golfing action coming to a close. R&A CEO Mark Darbon said: "We realise we are a guest in the communities we visit and on many cases there are concurrent events around the action in the venue. We've worked collaboratively with multiple agency groups to ensure both events can run as seamlessly as possible. We're making a slight tweak to Saturday tee times - nothing major, 15 minutes or so earlier - but the weather can play a big role so it's hard to be specific about finishing times. We're contributing to costs to ensure the seamless running of both events." Major gulf of opinion in Portrush over clash between band parade and Open A band parade in Portrush on the penultimate evening of The Open Golf Championship has divided opinion in the town. Today 10:14 AM Gareth Hanna When you have 1.2M people who want to come here, can you expand the number of tickets? MD: "Our first question is not how do we monetise, it's how do we deliver a great experience. It's fantastic to be in a position with strong demand and we want to ensure The Open remains open and accessible to fans and we will try to continue to get that balance right. Growing from 240k to 280k fans this week is by strengthening early in the week. We had nearly 12k people here on Sunday." Today 10:12 AM Adam McKendry Fan favourite Just like he has all week, Shane Lowry is a favourite with the fans and he's gracious with his time as he finishes his back nine practice round, which he spent part of with Matt Wallace but most of it by himself. Will he be back out on the course before the day is out? It's likely he's going to the range first, but maybe back out with Rory later? Today 10:11 AM Gareth Hanna Are the R&A moving towards core venues like Portrush? MD: "I'm not sure there has ever been a direct cycle within the rota. We want a great links course that tests the best golfers, we need a venue that can hold a modern Open and we want them to tell the story of the world's oldest major. We're doing a lot of thinking on how that plays out in the future but I wouldn't expect a major change." Today 10:10 AM Gareth Hanna And Turnberry - for as long as Trump we assume you won't go back there, but what about after? MD: "We've been clear on our position. We love the course but we have logistical challenges - the road, rail infrastructure around Turnberry. We need to address those should we return. We've had good discussions with the venue and we'll continue to work collaboratively. I met with Eric Trump and they understand the challenges we have. We have a good dialogue with them." Today 10:08 AM Gareth Hanna What about returning to Muirfield? MD: "There's some work we need to do with the practice ground and the wider infrastructure but it's a great venue and we'd love to be back there in the future." Today 10:08 AM Gareth Hanna What about 2028 venue? MD: "We've got Royal Birkdale next year, St Andrew's in 2027 and we're constantly in discussion with the venues in our pool. I'd imagine we'll be making an announcement some time before the middle of next year. "We work really respectfully with the clubs. Changes that have facilitated the Open have been supported by the members. It's not just about being bigger, it's about being better." Today 10:05 AM Gareth Hanna Are you optimistic about bringing the Open to Portmarnock? MD: "I've got one venue on my mind this week and it's Portrush. But yes, we are thinking about Portmarnock and we've been encouraged about the support we've had in principal by the Irish government. We expect to have a clearer picture by the back end of this year." Today 10:04 AM Gareth Hanna How much will freezing the prize money here grow the game in other areas? MD: The golfers deserve to be rewarded so we were also going to strike a balance with our overall responsibilities within the game. We think the choice we made was appropriate. We take the surplus from this Open and invest it back into the game around the world. Today 10:00 AM Gareth Hanna Coming up now: R&A press conference Mark Darbon, the R&A Chief Executive is giving us an update - and we expect to here more on if/when The Open could be brought to Dublin's Portmarnock as well as, perhaps, a steer on when it might return to Portrush again. Today 09:38 AM Adam McKendry Rory in action He's looking loose on the range. The big question is when will he be on the course? Today 09:36 AM Rory on the range The reigning Masters champion is hitting balls on the range now. Whether this will be all he does for practice today, or heads out onto the course afterwards, remains to be seen. Today 09:35 AM Gareth Hanna New hole names There's been an honour this week for Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell as holes here in Portrush are named after the pair. The par four ninth hole on the Dunluce Links (which is the Open course) is to be named Darren Clarke's while over the the Valley course, the par four seventh hole is to be called McDowell's. The Valley is also knows as 'the wee course' up here - although it's a brilliant track in its own right - and is the home course of the local Rathmore club, where McDowell grew up playing and with which his family have long been associated. Royal Portrush G.C. on Twitter / X Last night, members and guests gathered for a special ceremony celebrating Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell. In their honour, two holes were renamed: the 9th on the Dunluce now Darren Clarke's, and the 7th on the Valley now McDowell's — a fitting tribute on our historic links. Royal Portrush G.C. (@royalportrush) July 15, 2025 External contentWhen displaying external content, data is transferred to third parties. Today 09:05 AM Adam McKendry "Brilliant shot" Shane Lowry with a bullet of a drive on the 15th.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mark Zuckerberg's AI Dreams Hit WhatsApp Speed Bump As OpenAI, Perplexity Challenge Meta On Its Own Turf: Report
WhatsApp has emerged as a key arena for AI chatbot competition, reportedly posing a potential challenge to Meta Platforms Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) AI dominance. What Happened: WhatsApp, with over 3 billion global users, has become a prime platform for various AI chatbots, including those from OpenAI and Perplexity, alongside Meta's own assistant, reported Business Insider. This intense competition could potentially hinder Meta AI's goal of becoming the default choice for its billions of users. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Notably, in the April earnings call, Meta's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, revealed that WhatsApp is 'the largest surface that people use Meta AI on.' WhatsApp, a primary battleground for consumer AI, is witnessing a surge in rival chatbots vying for user attention. Despite Meta AI being integrated into WhatsApp, the app's strong usage continues. OpenAI, which brought ChatGPT to WhatsApp last year, is working to make AI more widely accessible. Meanwhile, Perplexity's chatbot, launched on WhatsApp this spring, experienced such overwhelming demand at launch that it briefly crashed. These competing chatbots utilize the WhatsApp Business Platform, allowing them to reach WhatsApp's vast global audience without requiring Meta's direct approval. This is particularly beneficial in emerging markets such as India and Brazil, where WhatsApp is a primary communication tool. Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for It Matters: The rise of AI chatbots on WhatsApp comes at a time when Meta is facing challenges. Just a day before this report, WhatsApp was banned on U.S. House devices over transparency and encryption concerns, further complicating Meta's position. However, Meta's WhatsApp is not without its potential. An analyst recently estimated that Meta could potentially generate over $10 billion in annual ad revenue from its WhatsApp messaging service by 2028, indicating that the platform still holds significant value for the company. Benzinga's Edge Rankings place Meta Platforms in the 85th percentile for momentum and the 28th percentile for value, reflecting its strong performance in both areas. Check the detailed report here. On a year-to-date basis, Meta stock surged 16.57%, according to data from Benzinga Pro. Read Next: Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends Image via ShutterstockUp Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Mark Zuckerberg's AI Dreams Hit WhatsApp Speed Bump As OpenAI, Perplexity Challenge Meta On Its Own Turf: Report originally appeared on Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Melden Sie sich an, um Ihr Portfolio aufzurufen. Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten Fehler beim Abrufen der Daten
BBC News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Riders suffered fractures in Cookstown 100 crashes
A number of riders are recovering after suffering fractures in incidents at Saturday's Cookstown 100 road races at the Orritor competitor Donald MacFadyen came off during the Open B race and was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital by air on Facebook, MacFadyen said: "Thanks for all the help, kind messages. Getting looked after great here."Latest is I have 2 stable spine fractures, broken wrist and 8 broken ribs."Noel Carroll from county Laois sustained fractures in the same race, a spokesperson for the Cookstown 100 club organisers air ambulance was also deployed to carry Republic of Ireland rider Damian Horan to hospital following a crash in the Open A race later in the organisers confirmed that the Athlone man had suffered races were halted by red flags after the incidents happened.
