Rory McIlroy hoping Travelers Championship proves ‘perfect sort of chaser' after testing US Open

Rory McIlroy
hopes this week's Travelers Championship proves less of a grind as the Masters champion looks to get back into the groove ahead of
The Open
at
Royal Portrush
.
It has not been the smoothest of returns to action for the world number two following his Augusta triumph in April, which completed a long-awaited career Grand Slam.
The 36-year-old saw his driver ruled as 'nonconforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship before he missed the cut at the Canadian Open.
It was also tough going for McIlroy at the US Open over a punishing Oakmont course, where he battled to make it into the weekend before eventually tying for 19th.
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McIlroy, though, played his best golf of the week during Sunday's final round, where his three-under-par 67 was the joint best of the day.
After playing at the Travelers Championship in Hartford, Connecticut, McIlroy plans to move into his new house in Wentworth in Surrey before the Scottish Open and then mount his challenge for another Open crown on home soil.
With plenty of background noise having again followed him at Oakmont, McIlroy hopes to be able to stay focused on the job in hand at the final PGA Tour signature event of the season.
'I think the weeks after Major championships when you are in contention and you are trying to win them it can feel quite difficult to go play the next week,' McIlroy told a press conference at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
'After a week like I had at Oakmont, where you are not quite in the mix but you might feel you find something in your game, you are excited to come back and play again.
'This is the perfect sort of chaser for what Oakmont was last week, and nice to get out on a golf course where you feel you can make quite a few birdies.
'There's a lot of guys in the field this week where this is their fourth tournament in a row, so they have been put through the wringer the last few weeks.
'This is a welcome set-up where they feel like they can relax a little bit and not have to grind so much for your score.'
McIlroy will tee off alongside American Keegan Bradley on Thursday morning (3.35pm Irish time), while Shane Lowry will play alongside Denny McCarthy, teeing off at 6.05pm Irish time.
World number one Scottie Scheffler will defend his Travelers Championship title and has been paired with newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun for the opening two rounds.
'I didn't have my best stuff last week but was still able to get a decent finish,' said Scheffler, who tied for seventh at Oakmont.
'I have felt good about my prep work so far this week and I'm excited to get the tournament started.'

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Irish Examiner

3 hours ago

• Irish Examiner

Rory McIlroy trails by two as Scottie Scheffler holds share of lead

Rory McIlroy made an impressive start to the Travelers Championship to sit two shots off the lead, before world number one Scottie Scheffler later laid down a marker to defend his title in Connecticut. Masters champion McIlroy had finished tied for 19th at the US Open over a punishing Oakmont course – but ended the weekend on a positive following a three-under-par final round, which was the joint best of the day. The Northern Irishman – who saw his driver ruled as 'non-conforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship before then missing the cut at the Canadian Open – had been looking to build some momentum at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell as focus turns towards the Open at Royal Portrush. Rory McIlroy made an impressive start in Cromwell (Jessica Hill/AP) World number two McIlroy landed a birdie at the second and then sank two more ahead of the turn at the final PGA Tour Signature Event of 2025. After picking up another couple, a further birdie at the 17th – from the best part of 30 feet having hit a fine recovery shot out of the rough and over the water onto the green – saw him finish six under with 64 to sit in a tie for second, two shots behind early clubhouse leader Austin Eckroat. American Eckroat hit a fine eight-under round, which included an eagle at the par-three 13th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. Scottie joins Eckroat atop the leaderboard with a 62 (-8) of his own!👏 — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 19, 2025 Scheffler was one of the late starters paired alongside newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun – who unlike his playing partner endured a perhaps expected tough round to finish three-over following successive bogeys on the closing two holes. There was, though, no such trouble for Scheffler, who never looked back after three birdies from the opening four holes. The American – who landed a third major title with the PGA Championship crown at Quail Hollow during May – then picked up an eagle on the 13th and another birdie at 15, before a bogey at the 17th was the only blemish on his eight-under 62. McIlroy's playing partner Keegan Bradley is also at six-under, having dropped a shot at the 12th, alongside Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion. 'Overall it was a good start to the tournament, and I think when you're in a two-ball like that and we can sort of feed off one another a little bit too, that's nice as well,' McIlroy said after his opening round. 'I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots. I think if you concentrate on that and you are concentrating on your quality of golf and concentrating on just trying to play to the best of your ability, the result will take care of itself. 'There's no point in thinking about the result right now. I'm just trying to play as good as I can and make good swings, and if I do that enough, more than likely I'll find myself in a position to have a chance to win.' England's Tommy Fleetwood carded a first round of 66 to sit in a group tied for sixth. Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, runner-up at Oakmont on Sunday, finished one over following a double-bogey six on the 17th. Jordan Spieth WD during the first round of the Travelers Championship with a neck/upper back injury. — PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) June 19, 2025 Jordan Spieth withdrew during his first round because of a neck/upper back injury. 'I may have just slept wrong and then something came along. I don't know what caused it,' he said. 'I think it was just a random one-off that unfortunately got worse and bad enough on a Thursday that I didn't feel like I could continue.'

The Irish Sun

16 hours ago

• The Irish Sun

Jordan Spieth groans in agony and forced to pull out of Travelers Championship with injury

JORDAN SPIETH let out an ear-piercing groan as his Travelers Championship hopes ended with agonising injury at the 13th hole. The three-time 3 Jordan Spieth revealed he was in real pain as he withdrew 3 The Texan could be excused for taking a ride off the course The ex-World No.1 revealed his back had earlier locked up. The 31-year-old did all he could to battle on, having never pulled out of a tournament before. But after struggling to five-over after 12 holes, he accompanied his 13th tee shot with a cry of pain that meant enough was enough. So the Ryder Cup star had to exit early from the final Signature Event of the season at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. READ MORE IN GOLF Earlier in the round he was spotted using a muscle massager on his upper back. But he explained his body had started to lock up even before that - during a warm-up on the ranges. Spieth was still keen to give the tournament a go as it's a no-cut event with extra FedExCup points at stake. Most read in Golf 3 Spieth was uncomfortable playing a 12th-hole bunker shot Credit: Reuters BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK And he said after his unfortunate early ending: "Everything was great in my gym session, and I've been very, very excited to go out and play. "Things have been getting better and better, and then my right scap [scapula on the upper back] just kind of locked — like tightened midway through the warm-up." Watch Bob MacIntyre's classy reaction after JJ Spaun holes winning putt at US Open Spieth said the problem moved up "all of a sudden" - then was all across his back. He ended his practice 30 minute early for treatment from a physio before starting the opening round. Spieth explained his loud near-grunt of anguish by saying his 13th tee shot "legitimately really hurt". It meant he was "not going to be able to make a backswing that's even useful, and that's what happened on the [earlier] bunker shot." The Texan has just returned from wrist surgery but insisted his new injury was a surprise. Spieth began the event at 37th in the season's rankings - knowing that the top 70 in early August go into the FedExCup Playoffs and the top 50 make next year's Signature Events. He said his new setback was "incredibly frustrating" as he went into the Travelers Championship "very confident". Spieth added:" Everything I had done in practice and the pro-am showed me it's going to be a really good event. "It's just a very weird circumstance. It's disappointing ... we're having a baby here in a couple weeks, so I'll have some time off now, obviously, to get healthy. "But hopefully, after a few days, I go through the right process to just get right back to where I was."

RTÉ News​

17 hours ago

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Wyndham Clark apologises after Oakmont lockers sustain damage

Wyndham Clark delivered an apology for damaging Oakmont Country Club lockers in anger last week at the US Open. Clark missed the cut at the third major championship of the season, going 74-74 (eight over par) through two rounds. On Saturday, social media posts from golf podcaster Todd "Tron Carter" Schuster of "No Laying Up" showed photos he obtained from the Oakmont locker room. Two of the lockers' doors were seriously damaged, with Schuster connecting it to Clark. Oakmont officials later confirmed Clark's locker had received damage. Clark was asked about the incident Thursday at the Travelers Championship after he opened with a six-under 64. "Yeah, I mean, I've had a lot of highs and lows in my career, especially this year some lows," Clark said. "I made a mistake that I deeply regret. I'm very sorry for what happened." "But I'd also like to move on, not only for myself but for Oakmont, for the USGA, and kind of focus on the rest of this year and things that come up. I still want to try to make the Ryder Cup team. I still am on the outside looking in for the FedEx Cup. So I'm starting to move on and focus on those things." Clark did not comment further on the matter. It was not known whether he had apologized directly to Oakmont. It was the second straight major where Clark, the 2023 US Open champion, had to apologize for aggressive behavior. At the PGA Championship in May, following a poor drive, Clark threw his driver toward the back of the tee box. It crashed into signage with a volunteer standing mere feet away, and the head of the club snapped off.