Latest news with #PadraigHarrington
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Padraig Harrington hoping for rain as he hopes to add to his major haul
Padraig Harrington is praying for rain as he hopes to add the Senior Open Championship to his major haul this week. The Dubliner won three major championships during his regular career, and he has won two more majors on the over-50s circuit, including last month's US Senior Open. But the 53-year-old would love to add the Senior Open Championship to his glittering resume after coming very close over the past three years. This year, the tournament returns to Sunningdale in Berkshire, a heathland course that traditionally rewards accuracy over distance. But Harrington is hoping that the rain that has fallen on the course in recent days will play into the hands of his power game. He said: "I'm in a good place to compete for sure. Coming down here I wasn't too sure how well this course would suit me. I know it's a great course, but it can get very fiery. "It isn't too fiery at the moment, though, so right now I'm very happy. I'm happy with the lot we've got in front of us. I would like it to stay that way for the week. It's a little green around the greens, which is quite nice." Harrington had the honour of hitting the opening tee shot at last week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush. And although the ultra-competitive Dubliner was disappointed to miss the cut, he enjoyed the occasion. "It was a great week for me. Obviously hitting the opening tee shot was very special; great memory. "Being in Ireland is so exciting. The crowds were fantastic. I think the golf course was fantastic. The players really love it. "You know, a great winner too in Scottie Scheffler. Mightn't have been the most exciting finish in golf, but it was a great winner. So all in all, a great week." In 2022, Darren Clarke held off the challenge of Harrington to become only the fourth player to complete the Open Championship and Senior Open Championship double. And the Dungannon man is playing at a course this week that he knows very well, having lived in the area for a long time. Clarke said: "I used to play a lot of golf at Sunningdale. I lived just a couple minutes away. "I'm staying at the other course this week as I'm a member of Queenwood, which is very nice. "I've got the best of both worlds. But any chance you come and play Sunningdale is always wonderful." The 56-year-old finished third when the Senior Open was last held at Sunningdale, and is hoping for another big week. "The course is wonderful. Not quite as fiery as it was then. Fairways are a little bit softer. Greens are a little bit softer right now. "But if it dries out a little bit, I'm sure we'll get it that little bit more fiery that I'm more used to Sunningdale playing like."
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Future British Open locations include Royal Birkdale, Old Course at St. Andrews
It's billed as "golf's original championship" and in 2026, the Open Championship will be contested for the 154th time. Unlike the U.S. Open, which has future locations announced as far out as 2051, or the PGA Championship, which has sites set through 2034, the British Open has a much shorter announced list of future sites. There are just two future venues on the docket. In January, the 2027 Open site was announced, as the home of golf, St. Andrews, will take a 31st time hosting. Future British Open venues The 154th Open will be at this English golf course for the 11th time, the second most behind the Old Course. It last hosted in 2017. Jordan Spieth won the Claret Jug that year. Other recent winners there are Padraig Harrington (2008), Mark O'Meara (1998) and Ian Baker-Finch (1991). Just five years after its last time hosting, St. Andrews will do so for a 31st time. Cameron Smith won the 2022 Open at the Old Course. Other recent winners there are Zach Johnson (2015), Louis Oosthuizen (2010) and Tiger Woods (2005).
CBC
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
British Open has 5-way tie for the lead in fickle weather with Scheffler in mix after Round 1
Sunlight streaked through a few low-hanging clouds when Padraig Harrington opened the British Open with a piercing 3-iron into the wind. Darkness began covering Royal Portrush nearly 16 hours later Thursday night when the final group trudged off the 18th green. One of the longest days was also among the more fickle in the 165 years of this major. Five players from five countries tied for the lead at 4-under 67, the biggest logjam in this championship since 1938. There was sun and there was rain, a wee breeze and big gusts, and the Open wasn't even three hours old. The one predictable part Thursday: Scottie Scheffler right in the mix. And what make the massive throng at Royal Portrush tolerate rounds that approached six hours was seeing their favourite son, Rory McIlroy, birdie the 17th to recover from a bad patch on the back nine and join the 31 players who broke par. LEADERBOARD: British Open Former U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick of England handled the notorious "Calamity Corner" par-3 16th by chipping in for birdie. Harris English, the unflappable American whose longtime caddie couldn't get a travel visa for the UK because of prison time served 20 years ago, put his short-game coach on the bag and made seven birdies. They were joined by Li Haotong of China, Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa and Jacob Skov Olesen of Denmark. One shot behind was Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player who has not finished out of the top 10 in the last four months, a stretch that includes another major among three wins. McIlroy made bogey on the opening hole with an entire country behind him — that was still three shots better than his start in 2019 — and overcame three bogeys in a four-hole stretch with a key birdie on No. 17 that allowed him to break par at 70. "Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago," said McIlroy, who hit only two fairways. "I was just happy to get off to a good start and get myself into the tournament." Scheffler only hit three fairways in his round of 68. It's not that golf's best were necessary wild off the tee. There was that small matter of weather, often the greatest defence of links golf, which brought the occasional rain, the constant wind and rounds that nearly last six hours. That's why Scheffler seemed perplexed about so much attention on his accuracy off the tee. "You're the second guy that's mentioned that to me," Scheffler said. "I actually thought I drove it pretty good. I don't know what you guys are seeing. When it's raining sideways, believe it or not [it's] not that easy to get the ball in the fairway. "Really only had one swing I wasn't too happy with on the second hole," he said. "But outside that, I felt like I hit a lot of good tee shots, hit the ball really solid, so definitely a good bit of confidence for the next couple of rounds." There also was his 4-iron to 3 feet on the 16th for birdie, the start of birdie-birdie-par finish. But no one could go extremely low. Bloated group at the top Olesen, the British Amateur champion last year, was the first player to get to 5 under until a bogey at the last. Bezuidenhout was the only player from the afternoon wave to join the crowd at the top. Fitzpatrick reached a low point in his game at The Players Championship and appears to be back on track, particularly with what he called a well-rounded game in tough conditions on these links. He is coming off a tie for fourth last week in the Scottish Open. The chip-in was his highlight, from well below the green to the right, into the cup on the fly. "A bit of luck, obviously," Fitzpatrick said. "Sometimes you need that. It just came out a little bit harder than I anticipated and on the perfect line." Li might have had the most impressive round, keeping bogeys off his card, by holing a 10-foot par putt on the final hole. Another bogey-free round belonged to 44-year-old Justin Rose, in the group at 69 that included 52-year-old Lee Westwood, former Open champion Brian Harman and Lucas Glover, who was tied for the lead until a pair of bogeys early on the back nine. Harris walked along with Ramon Bescansa, a former player, occasional caddie and mostly known for teaching putt and chipping. Eric Larson, who has caddied for English the last eight years, was denied a new travel visa required for the UK. Among the red flags is anyone serving more than 12 months in prison. Larson served 10 years for conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a case of knowing friends in the Midwest who wanted it and people in south Florida who had it. Bescansa caddies for Abraham Ancer on LIV Golf, who didn't qualify for the Open. English is in a crucial stretch of the season as he tries to make the Ryder Cup team. The lanky Georgian isn't bothered by much, and he's handled the disruption with ease. The golf has been pretty steady, too. "Was looking forward to coming to this week, and immediately after playing the course, I really liked it," said English, who didn't qualify for the Open when it was at Portrush in 2019. "I loved how it frames the tee shots and you get to see a lot more trouble than you would on a normal links course." Sweaters, rain suits and T-shirts For everyone, the hardest part was staying dressed for the occasion. There were sweaters and then rain suits, and some finished their round in short-sleeved shirts. This is what is meant by "mixed" conditions in the forecast. Defending champion Xander Schauffele had a mixture of birdies and bogeys that added to an even-par 71. Shane Lowry, the last Open champion at Royal Portrush in 2019, had the nerves of someone hitting the opening tee shot. He handled that beautifully, along with most other shots in the worst of the weather in his round of 70. And this might just be the start. "We're going to get challenging conditions over the next few days," Lowry said. "Today, for example, the 11th hole was like the worst hole to get the weather we got in. ... I think there's going to be certain times in the tournament where that's going to happen, and you just need to kind of put your head down and battle through it and see where it leaves you." Padraig Harrington, a two-time Open champion, had the honour of the opening tee shot for the 153rd edition of this championship. He made birdie. And then he shot 74.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Harrington tees off The 153rd Open
Irishman and two-time Claret Jug winner Padraig Harrington tees off the Round 1 of The 153rd Open from Royal Portrush's Dunluce Links in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Spidercam technology brings golf's oldest major into the modern world
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] 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:
