Latest news with #The153rdOpen
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Nelly Korda feeling 'cold' in Scotland as she hails Scottie Scheffler as 'one of a kind'
Nelly Korda speaks to the media prior to the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links |American excited to be making her ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It doesn't happen often, but Nelly Korda had 'underclubbed' on this occasion. 'I'm cold,' admitted the world No 1 as she spoke to a small group of reporters outside the Dundonald Links clubhouse, where a fresh west wind made it feel a tad chilly despite the sun hinting otherwise on the Ayrshire coast. 'As a Florida girl, I'm not used to it,' added the star attraction at this week's ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open, smiling. 'But I always pack warm for these couple of weeks. My suitcases are heavy, so, yeah, I'm definitely going to go for some more layers.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nelly Korda speaks to the media prior to the ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links |Korda is making her debut in the LET and LPGA co-sanctioned event, which is being staged at Dundonald Links for the fourth year in a row and also features Hannah Darling and Lottie Woad, two of the top UK amateurs in recent years, making their professional debuts on this occasion. 'I've never played links-style golf heading into The Open,' said Korda, referring, of course, to next week's AIG Women's Open, which is being held at Royal Porthcawl in South Wales for the first time. 'So we'll see how it goes.' Comparisons have been made between Korda, the dominant force in the women's game over the past couple of years, and Scottie Scheffler, who cemented his position at the top of the men's world rankings by landing his fourth major in total and second this season in The 153rd Open on Sunday. 'He's amazing,' said Korda of her compatriot. 'Obviously hats off to him. Not only is he a great golfer, but just also a great role model, as well, for kids to look up to. I think he's one-of-a-kind. He's just really succeeding at what he's doing. He's enjoying it. He has his values and it's just very exciting to see.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As was Korda going on a tear last year, winning six times before mid-May before adding a seventh title triumph later in the season. In comparison, this year is winless to this point. 'Yeah, obviously I would love to lift a couple trophies by now,' she admitted. 'But it's golf. You never know what's going to happen. As long as I'm sticking to my process and controlling what I can control, I'm just doing my best.' Korda has been paired with Woad, who signed off her amateur career in style by winning the KPMG Irish Women's Open then coming close to adding The Evian Championship, and Charley Hull in one of the marquee groups for the opening two rounds. 'Yeah, scheduling,' said Korda in reply to being asked if there had been a particular reason why she hadn't teed up in this event before. 'Honestly, it depends when Evian (one of the women's majors). In July, all the courses in my hometown in Florida are shut for the entire month. So there's really no point going home. So I really wanted to play this event this year, and it just kind of worked out perfectly. Everything for me is always kind of scheduling.' Some of her fellow players used the gap in between between France and here to do things away from golf. Lauren Coughlin, this week's defending champion, went to Sweden with Maja Stark, the US Women's Open winner this year. Former AIG Women's Open winner Georgia Hall, meanwhile, got engaged to former DP World Tour player Paul Dunne, the pair making the announcement in a post on social media from Gleneagles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I went to Prague,' said Korda of what she'd done on her week off. 'Yeah, obviously the longer you are on tour, I mean, the girls are getting to the age where they are getting married, they are getting engaged, having babies. So it's very exciting to see that and see people enter a new part of their life.' This is Korda's tenth year as a pro. 'I see some girls that were born in 2004, 2003 and I'm like, 'oh, my gosh',' she said, laughing. 'Definitely feel a bit of a veteran out here, but I'm still enjoying it as much as I was my rookie year.' It's no surprise to hear that pre-ticket sales for this week's $2 million event are up in comparison to previous editions here, even though fans had turned up in decent numbers to watch Lydia Ko, in particular, but also the likes of Hall and Charley Hull. Lottie Woad, who won the KPMG Women's Irish Open as an amateur earlier this month, is making her professional debut in this week's ISPS HANDA Women's Scottish Open at Dundonald Links | Mark Runnacles Korda's presence is a huge boost while knowledgeable Scottish golf fans will be keen to get a glimpse of Woad, who, before her recent exploits, won the Augusta National Women's Amateur last year, when she was also the leading amateur in the AIG Women's Open at St Andrews. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, obviously very excited,' said the 21-year-old English player. 'I've been thinking about making my professional debut for a long time and I'm excited to do it on home soil as well. It's going to be really fun. Being (at college) in America, I haven't played links golf that much this year, but I've played it a little bit since I've been back. I felt the transition to it is not too bad since I grew up playing amateur stuff on links golf and kind of know how to flight the ball down and stuff like that, which always really helps playing in the wind.' On her pairing with Korda and Hull, she admitted: 'It's going to be a fun couple of days. Growing up, I watched a lot of the English pros, so being paired with Charley is going to be really cool.'
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Streets ahead' - Buoyant Bob MacIntyre on where his game is compared to 2024
Scot targets another win and breaking into world's top ten for the first time by the end of the year Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bob MacIntyre has spoken about how he feels his game is 'streets ahead' this year compared to his fairytale 2024 campaign as he targets a sixth career win and breaking into the top ten in the world for the first time. The 28-year-old made it back-to-back top-ten finishes in majors after following his runner-up effort in last month's US Open at Oakmont with a tie for sixth behind Scottie Scheffler in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush on Sunday. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bob MacIntyre acknowledges the crowd as he walks to the 18th green with caddie Mike Burrow during the final round of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush |On the back of those efforts, MacIntyre is now second in Europe's Ryder Cup qualifying points list, having virtually secured an automatic spot along with Rory McIlroy for the biennial contest against the US at Bethpage Black in September. The world No 14, who won both the RBC Canadian Open and Genesis Scottish Open last year, has recorded five top-ten finishes on the PGA Tour this season and has a victory in his sights in the FedEx Cup Play-Offs, which start with the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis in a fortnight's time. 'I want to win,' said MacIntyre, speaking to a small group of Scottish golf reporters at Royal Portrush, in reply to being asked about his goals apart from the Ryder Cup between now and the end of the year. 'Top ten in the world as well and I am very close to it. So there's a lot of massive things. I just want to improve every year on what I've done. 'It might not be visual on the FedEx points list or on the Race to Dubai, but, statistically, and me and Mike [Burrow, his caddie] were talking about it on the golf course, it's not even night and day how much better I am at this game or how much more complete of a player compared to last year. It's just streets ahead. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'It's just allowing it to happen in little pieces. I'm finishing top ten in a major this week and being frustrated with certain parts of my game. Things are good, and I've just got to wait my turn.' Time and time again over the past couple of years or so, MacIntyre has shown how's developed a knack of squeezing everything he can out of a tournament, as evidenced on Sunday as he finished with a flourish, covering the last six holes in four under, to end up tied for seventh alongside McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele. 'The start of that was at Valhalla last year, when I eagled the last and finished in the top ten,' he said of the PGA Championship at the Louisville venue. 'So that was my big learning. I remember somewhere before that I was in with a chance, threw the kitchen sink at it, disaster, and then the next week it was staying patient. Bob MacIntyre made his Ryder Cup debut in Rome in 2023 and is now virtually secured to be an automatic qualifier again for September's match in New York | Getty Images 'Nothing was happening, stay patient, stay patient, eagle the last, top ten. I'm human and I lose the plot every now and again. It is so difficult for me to stay patient, stay calm.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Referring to his final round in Northern Ireland, the left-hander added: 'I was getting annoyed out there early on through five, six holes. But it was just wait on your run. It will come. Might not come this week, but then go into next week and just let it happen. It's easy enough to force it, and when you force it, errors come.' Though admitting that his schedule had been 'absolutely hectic' in the opening half of the season, MacIntyre is hoping to keep the foot down when the FedEx Cup Play-Offs get underway while he will also be playing in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in the run up to the Ryder Cup.
Scotsman
3 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Huge Ryder Cup boost for Bob MacIntyre on back of top-ten finish in The Open
Scot now sits second behind Rory McIlroy on points list for Bethpage Black encounter Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Bob MacIntyre is up to second behind Rory McIlroy on Europe's points list for the Ryder Cup after his top-ten finish in The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. The Oban man, who'd started the week in third spot, jumped above Tommy Fleetwood on the back of his strong performance in Northern Ireland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Bob MacIntyre reacts after a missed putt on the 18th green during day four of The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush |Career grand slam winner McIlroy has already secured his automatic spot, with MacIntyre, who made his debut in the biennial event in Rome in 2023, getting close to doing likewise. Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka are the other players in automatic spots after the season's final major. Rasmus Hojgaard, Justin Rose, Ludvig Aberg, Viktor Hovland, Thomas Detry and Matt Wallace are next on the points list, with Matt Fitzpatrick up to 13th after his top-five finish in Northern Ireland. The qualifying race ends after the Betfred British Masters and Tour Championship in the US on 24 August. Luke Donald, the European captain, will then announce his six picks on 1 September. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Meanwhile, MacIntyre picked up close to $452,000 for his week's work in The Open, taking his season's earnings on the PGA Tour to around $5.7 million. Having now recorded five top-ten finishes this year, he's jumped five spots to 15th on the FedEx Cup points list. He'd already secured his spot in the FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis, the opening FedEx Cup Play-Off event, next month. His spot has also now been guaranteed in the BMW Championship in Maryland while it is looking good as well now for the Tour Championship in Atlanta, where the top 30 players will battle it out in the season finale.
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
‘We'll definitely be back': Golf fans vow return to Northern Ireland as Scheffler claims Claret Jug at The Open
The total attendance for the championship week was projected at 278,000, according to the competition's organisers R&A. Tourism NI indicated that just under half of ticket holders (roughly 140,000 people) were residents of Northern Ireland. Players from 31 different countries competed at Royal Portrush, and among the remaining international visitors, approximately 20% came from the United States, while others hailed from the UK, Republic of Ireland, continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Thanakron Tandavas, from Bangkok, is an avid golfer himself. He actually won first place in a competition in Thailand, after playing a golf course simulator that exactly matched Royal Portrush, with the prize being a free ticket to attend The 153rd Open. He said he 'definitely' hopes to come back to Northern Ireland and play on the real Royal Portrush course in a couple of years. 'We don't have links courses in Thailand, and the weather here is much nicer and more brutal as well,' he said. 'It's really windy. There's a lot of slope and the grass is much harder than what we have. We actually played in London once at the London Golf Club. That itself is already hard. This is much, much, much harder for sure. It's going to be challenging for sure. This is our first time in the UK and first time in Northern Ireland. 'We spent our last night in Newry and it was amazing.' Rick and DeLynn Villareal, from Dallas, also praised the quality and ferocity of this island's golf courses — but another highlight for them was the local cuisine, particularly fish and chips. 'It's a beautiful country. We've been able to experience a lot of it, and we have played golf three times since we've been here,' Rick explained. 'The courses are incredible… It's completely different from any place you will play. 'American courses are a lot more manicured. You don't hardly see a tree on the courses here, right? We see tons of trees on the American courses, but the rough is really tough [here]. 'I mean, when you get off the fairway, it's an experience like you've never had before. 'You hit a ball in American courses, you'll hit a tree, it'll fall down, you can find it most of the time. 'If you hit your ball right or left of the fairway into the gorse [here], you'll have a hard time finding it. 'I think it's very affordable, as far as the other countries we go to. We were in Italy for 17 days last year and it was kind of expensive. But here, not only did you feel like you got your money's worth for what you did, but the food was outstanding. And the people — the people have been just unbelievable.' Norwegian fan Linn Anitam agreed, and especially praised Char+Mash, the Odyssey's newest restaurant in Belfast, for its beef. She and her party have been staying at The Flint hotel, which has cost around £800 for four nights. 'It's my first time in Northern Ireland. We would absolutely love to come back,' she said. 'We love the atmosphere and the people and everything. It's a really nice place. 'We went to Royal Liverpool a couple of years ago, but [Royal Portrush] is so compact. I think the distance isn't so big, so it's easy to go around and watch the players.' Craig Hodgson and Kent MacInnis, who are from Winnipeg in Canada, are friends with former Belfast Giants captain Shane Johnson, who continued to live in Northern Ireland with his family after he retired from professional ice hockey. Craig and Kent have been staying with Shane this week, just outside of Belfast, and they hope to make future golf trips here a tradition for their 'guys' trips'. Kent said: 'We did Dublin and the Guinness factory. 'In Northern Ireland we went to Donaghadee and did a nice little historical tour of downtown Belfast, about the history of the Troubles. 'And then, of course, on a guys' trip, we did a nice night out and hit the hotspots of the [Cathedral Quarter], which, in my opinion, is the best place I've ever partied in my life. 'It's unbelievable. For anyone who has never done it before, it is the best. I haven't partied that hard in a town in my life before.' He added that Portrush is 'a beautiful seaside town, truly breathtaking, especially when we're getting fine weather'. 'This golf course is truly one of a kind. It's the scenic views absolutely everywhere, the difficulty of the course, mixed with the Northern Irish people, who are just so friendly. It's been such a great time,' Kent, who has been to NI just once before, continued. For Craig, this is his first trip to the region. He said that, '100%, we'll definitely be back in five or six years when Portrush hosts The Open again'. 'We are excited to see Rory' - Shannon Aitken from Canada Chief executive Mark Darbon affirmed on Wednesday that R&A 'love' Royal Portrush. 'And one of the reasons we love this venue is that we've got sites to construct the infrastructure that we require, but we've also got so many natural vantage points to showcase the wonderful Dunluce links and its Causeway coastline,' he said. 'We look forward to coming here for many years to come.'
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Scottie Scheffler on cusp of joining elite group of golf greats if he can hold off Fitzpatrick & McIlroy to win The Open
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER stands on the brink of sporting immortality - and will join an elite group of golf's greats by winning The 153rd Open. Scheffler, 29, takes a four-shot lead into the final round at Portrush. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 10 Scottie Scheffler is already one of the golfing greats Credit: Getty 10 Tiger Woods won three Opens - all as the world No1 Credit: PA 10 Jack Nicklaus is in the elite group to win the Masters, PGA and The Open before turning 30 Credit: Getty Images - Getty Should he hold on, the American will become just the fourth player in history to win a Masters, PGA Championship and The Open before the age of 30. And it is not bad company. The others to achieve the feat? Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. READ MORE ON GOLF SEEING DOUBLE Baffled McIlroy hits TWO balls with ONE shot in never-seen-before incident And yet Scheffler fully deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as the all-time legends. He has spent 149 weeks as the world No1 and already picked up three Majors before his Portrush quest - aiming to join Woods as the only other golfer to collect the Claret Jug while at the top of the rankings. Two of those came at Augusta, winning the 2022 and 2024 Masters. But for all his dominance - he picked up nine victories in 2024 - there were a few questions. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Could he pick up Majors elsewhere? And after conquering the PGA Tour in America, could he master links golf on the other side of the pond? Amanda Balionis accused by Scottie Scheffler of 'trying to get him emotional' during live TV interview For links golf - for many the purist form of the game - is a very different challenge with its layout, landscape and, of course, the weather. He answered the first of those questions at the USPGA Championship in May, breezing to a five-stroke victory at Quail Hollow. Scheffler sandwiched his PGA victory in between successes at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and the Memorial, quashing Phil Mickelson's ludicrous claim in March that his compatriot would not taste victory before the Ryder Cup in September. Now he is answering the second. Rounds of 68, 64 and 67 - the 64 his best Major round of his career - put him in total control on the Northern Irish coast and left the rest of the field seemingly scrapping it out for second place. Scheffler had the worst of the stormy weather on both Thursday and Friday, caught out in the torrential downpours and powerful gusts. But as he so often does, the Texas titan - a giant bear of a man mountain - refused to lose his head. Part of that is because he is so darn good. Scheffler knows he is by far the best golfer on the planet. Part of that is his strong mentality. Scheffler's first three Majors were wrapped up by three strokes or more - he rocked up at Portrush on Sunday morning knowing he could well become the first man in the modern era to secure their first four by that margin. And he very rarely squanders leads - claiming victory in his last nine PGA Tour events when starting the final round at the top of the leaderboard. The one big blip was in 2022 at the Tour Championship when he was six clear but chased down by… McIlroy. But the biggest part of Scheffler's ability to glide serenely and consistently through shot after shot, hole after hole, round after round and tournament after tournament is because of his perspective on golf. For most of the greats of golf - and any sport for that matter - they are lauded for their sheer unrelenting dedication, devotion and determination to do absolutely anything and everything to win, win, win. Winning, for them, is the be all and end all. Not so for Scheffler. His perspective has been questioned by some but his honesty is refreshing. 10 Scheffler's priority is his faith and family over his profession Credit: Getty 10 He mastered the challenge of links golf Credit: Getty 10 Scheffler managed to still play expert golf despite horrendous weather Credit: PA And few could argue against its success rate. Yes, of course he wants to win every tournament he plays in - and much of the time, he does. But ultimately, golf is part of his life but not his whole life. His Christian faith, his wife Meredith and now his son Bennett are far higher on his list of priorities than getting a little white ball in a cup hundreds of yards away in giant fields around the world. Scheffler admitted before this week's Open that the winning feeling is 'fleeting' and 'unfulfilling' - and that he would happily quit golf and walk away for good the day it gets in the way of his family. Should a Claret Jug be added to his ever-growing trophy cabinet, which also features an Olympic gold medal, all eyes will be on Shinnecock Hills next June when Scheffler heads to the US Open looking to add his name into golf's ultimate history book. Will it be Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler? Winners of the career Grand Slam. Only six men have done it so far. Few would bet against Scheffler being the seventh. 10 Scheffler has two green jackets already Credit: Reuters 10 His dominance in recent years echoes that of Woods Credit: Getty 10 Gary Player won all four Majors to secure the career Grand Slam Credit: Getty - Contributor
