Latest news with #TheR&A
The Irish Sun
4 days 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
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush set for record attendance outside St Andrews
History is set to be made at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, as The R&A announced a staggering 278,000 golf enthusiasts are expected to flock to the iconic Dunluce links from 13-20 July. This year's Championship promises to be the largest ever conducted outside of St Andrews. The event's return to Northern Ireland's Antrim coast has spurred unparalleled excitement in the wake of the 2019 tournament's triumph. Last year's ticket ballot saw demand soar, with over one million tickets requested. This year's attendance is poised to exceed the record previously set six years ago at the same venue when a crowd of 237,750 celebrated Shane Lowry's emphatic six-shot win over Tommy Fleetwood in The 148th Open. READ MORE: Rory McIlroy and Erica Stoll drama forced golfer to make key decision about new romance READ MORE: Rory McIlroy knows Keegan Bradley's opinion after Masters win – 'It's ridiculous' Mark Darbon, Chief Executive at The R&A, expressed his enthusiasm: "The Open is one of the world's great sporting events and we will do everything we can to make this year's Championship at Royal Portrush an outstanding and memorable occasion for everyone involved from fans to players and the millions watching on TV and digital platforms worldwide." He further highlighted the vibrant local passion for golf: "The passion and enthusiasm for golf throughout the island of Ireland is world-renowned and is clearly reflected in the extraordinary demand among fans to be part of this historic occasion. We look forward to welcoming a record crowd to these spectacular links for a true celebration of golf and seeing who emerges from the 156-strong field to become Champion Golfer of the Year." The 153rd Open, set to be the largest sporting event ever held in Northern Ireland, is projected to generate over £213 million in total economic benefit for the country. This forecast comes from an independent study by the Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University. The SIRC estimates that the direct economic impact of The 153rd Open will be around £63 million. Additionally, the destination marketing benefit for Northern Ireland, resulting from coverage on linear television and digital platforms, is expected to surpass £150m. "It's clear that staging a major event such as The Open can generate significant economic benefits for the locations in which they are held and this study demonstrates the huge benefit that the Championship brings," said Dabon. Darbon expressed gratitude towards the government and local agencies in Northern Ireland for their investment and support in bringing the Championship back to Royal Portrush after the successful 2019 event. He praised their enthusiasm and expertise as crucial to the planning process. Aine Kearney, Director of Events at Tourism Northern Ireland, shared her excitement with less than three months to go until The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. She said: "With less than three months to go until The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush, excitement is building and all the partners involved in the delivery of the Championship are working in collaboration to make it even bigger and more memorable than 2019. "The Open in 2019 brought huge economic benefits, not just to the North Coast, but to the whole of Northern Ireland and 2025 will be no different. "It is shaping up to be another world-class sporting event which presents us with an invaluable opportunity to further raise Northern Ireland's profile as a must-see travel and golf destination as well as a fantastic place to invest." The Open continues to be one of the most accessible major sporting events for young people thanks to The R&A's long-running Kids Go Free initiative. More than 27,000 tickets are available for those under the age of 16 and there are reduced price tickets for fans under the age of 25. Since Kids Go Free was launched in 1997, 434,000 children have attended The Open for free. A record 89,000 spectators will attend the four sold-out Practice Days of The 153rd Open, exceeding the total of 61,000 fans who attended the equivalent days at Royal Portrush in 2019. The Open Camping Village continues to prove a popular accommodation option among families and young people with 4,600 guests booking a place to stay on-site this year. Almost a third (32%) of those staying at the village are under the age of 25 meaning that 20,000 free bed nights have been provided to this group since the initiative was launched at Royal Troon in 2016. Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
Scotsman
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Age bracket lowered for new Scottish Mid-Amateur events
Change is purely down to trying to maintain consistency in mid-amateur ranks 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... Organisers of the two new Scottish Mid-Amateur Championships taking place this year have tweaked the eligibility criteria. The decision to drop the age bracket for The McAlpine and The Hutcheon from over 30 to 25 and over is purely down to trying to maintain consistency in the mid-amateur ranks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Events such the European Mid-Amateur Championships, the US Mid-Amateur and Irish Mid-Amateur are all 25 and over, leading Connor Neil and Allyn Dick to have a rethink about the exciting new Scottish tournaments. Kevin McAlpine pictured caddying for fellow Scot Martin Laird on the PGA Tour | Getty Images 'Alongside some valuable advice, Allyn and I have made the decision to align our events with the same minimum age requirement,' Neil told The Scotsman. 'To ensure consistency and to support potential future opportunities within the Scottish Mid-Amateur golf community, all entrants must now be 25 years of age or older on or before the first day of each event.' The Hutcheon, which has been named in honour of Ian Hutcheon, will be played at Monifieth Golf Links on 4-7 August, starting with stroke-play qualifying but then becoming what will effectively be the Scottish Mid-Amateur Match-Play Championship. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The McAlpine, meanwhile, will take place over 54 holes of stroke-play at Alyth on 23-24 June and that has been named in memory of Kevin McAlpine, the former Scottish Amateur champion who sadly passed away at the age of 39 in October 2023. The two events have been ratified by The R&A and will carry World Amateur Golf Ranking points. The winner of The McAlpine, which is being sponsored by Mizuno Golf Europe, will win vouchers worth £600 while backing from Shot Scope will see the runner up and third place pick up vouchers for £450 and £300 respectively. Scotland's best golf courses Read our guide to Scotland's best golf courses Martin Dempster has covered golf in Scotland for 30 years. Sign up to his new newsletter guide to Scotland's best courses for top tips on how to play and how to plan the ultimate Scottish golf trip 'Allyn and I are really passionate about creating chances for working amateur golfers - men and women - who still want to compete at a high level,' added Neil. 'Too many top tournaments have vanished from the Scottish amateur scene, and that's something we're trying to change. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We've already got venues lined up for 2026 and 2027, so we're in this for the long run. We'd love to hear from any businesses out there who'd be keen to get involved through sponsorship and to help grow and sustain these opportunities.'
Daily Record
30-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
R&A chief provides fresh hope that The Open could one day return to Trump Turnberry
Top brass at the R&A have softened their stance with regards to Trump Turnberry hosting a future Open Championship. Chief executive Mark Darbon confirmed they would 'love to return at some stage' to the famous Ailsa course. However, Darbon measured his comments by highlighting the 'challenges' that would need to be overcome in terms of staging the Open at Turnberry, given its size, the area of the site and access to and from the venue. His comments are, however, in stark contrast to the ones made by his predecessor, Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, back in 2021. He previously stated: 'We have no plans to stage any of our championships at Turnberry and will not do so in the foreseeable future. 'We will not return until we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course itself and we do not believe that is achievable in the current circumstances.' At the time the statement was viewed as criticism of billionaire owner Donald Trump, who has owned Turnberry since 2014. However, speaking at the promotional launch of this year's Open, to be staged at Royal Portrush in July, Mr Darbon, appointed to the chief executive role of the R&A last year, his response was much more favourable. When asked if the US President's involvement with Turnberry was an obstacle to The Open returning, he said: 'I think the key issue for us at the moment is these logistical and commercial challenges. We're trying to explore ways to get around those and to mitigate for the future. 'Of course, when it comes to a championship like this, we also want the focus to be on the golf. So that's a factor, too.' Darbon also pointed out that history will be made at The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush - after it was revealed that 278,000 fans will gather at the Dunluce links from 13-20 July for the largest Championship held outside of St Andrews. And with those numbers in mind, Darbon believes that infrastructure will be a key consideration if the Open ever did return to the Ayrshire venue. He said: 'Turnberry's a wonderful golf course and I think some of the recent improvements there have made it even better. 'It's a course that we'd love to return to at some point and I think when we look at our portfolio of venues, of which we're very proud, there are three or four things that inform our choices and where we go. 'We need brilliant courses that challenge the world's best golfers. 'Given the scale of a modern Open, we have to be really thoughtful about some of the logistical and commercial challenges and opportunities that come with staging an event like this. 'And we want to continue to tell wonderful stories about our championship and we have no doubt when it comes to Turnberry about the first and third of those factors, a brilliant golf course and a wonderful place to tell stories about our game. 'Where we have some challenges is around the logistical and commercial challenges. I think the last time we were there in 2009, we had just over 120,000 people. We just said we're going to have close to 280,000 here (at Portrush) this summer. 'That's really important for us because not only do we want to showcase this wonderful championship to as many people as possible, but it's important for us in terms of our commercial model because everything that we generate from the Open, we then reinvest back into the game all around the world. 'So we've got a few challenges at Turnberry. The road, rail and accommodation infrastructure presents some challenges if we wish to scale our operation there. 'But we've got a good dialogue with the ownership group and we'll continue to look at feasibility as we move forward. We'd love to return at some stage.'
Scotsman
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scottish duo selected for Arnold Palmer Cup in South Carolina
Connor Graham and Ross Laird set to represent Internationals in Congaree contest 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... Two Scots - Connor Graham from Blairgowrie and Ross Laird of Glenbervie - will be playing in this summer's Arnold Palmer Cup. The teams for the college/university match between the US and the Internationals were announced live on Golf Channel on Tuesday night and both Graham and Laird will be in action at Congaree in South Carolina on 5-7 June. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Connor Graham secured one of just two coach's picks for Team International for this year's Arnold Palmer Cup at Congaree | Texas Tech Graham, who has had a standout freshman year at Texas Tech, secured a coach's pick from Stew Burke and Aaron O'Callaghan for the Internationals while Laird, a scholar at University of Stirling, earned his spot in the same team through The R&A Student Tour Series. The duo will be joining forces in the mixed event with the likes of Carla Bernat Escuder, the Spaniard who won the Augusta National Women's Amateur earlier this month, and England's Lottie Woad, the Women's Amateur Golf Ranking No 1 and leading amateur in last year's AIG Women's Open at St Andrews. Woad's compatriot and fellow Florida State player Tyler Weaver has also been selected, as has Charlie Forster, another English player, and Elia Galitsky and Louise Rydqvist, two of Hannah Darling's team-mates at the University of South Carolina. The International line up includes Justin Hastings, the Cayman Islands player who teed up in The Masters this year after winning the Latin America Amateur Championship in January, as well. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Stirling scholar Ross Laird earned his spot through The R&A's Student Tour Series | Contributed Also teeing up through The R&A's Student Tour Series will be Swede Elice Fredriksson of Halmstad University. In addition to Graham, Burke and O'Callaghan selected South African Caitlyn Macnab, who is at Ole Miss, as a coach's pick.
