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Daily Record
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
James Wade opens up on health battles after ending three year darts title drought
The Machine opens up on struggles following first triumph since 2022 as he beat Scott Williams 8-3 to return to PDC winners circle Proud James Wade blew his rivals away with a milestone return to the PDC winners circle. The Machine made all the right noises to win his first darts ranking title since 2022 at the 19th Players Championship event of the campaign. Wade had been all over social media in build-up to Thursday's tournament after an incident of breaking wind earlier in the week during a match against Peter Wrigh t was caught on TV camera. But the headlines around the 42-year-old are all about the arrows after his brilliant win which was sealed by a 8-3 success over Scott Williams in the Final. Wade has battled against health struggles during his victory drought and revealed how it has impacted his career. He said: "Everyone forgets I had pancreatitis. It's a serious health condition and I went from World No.3 to plummeting down and out of the rankings. "I just think everyone takes it for granted their health. The public and probably the organisation didn't realise I was really ill. 'I went from world number three to 27. It wasn't because my darting ability disappeared it was because my health disappeared. So give me a little bit of a break! "Today I felt really proud of myself because I've never been a press favourite or an organisation favourite, but you now, when I've gone against what I've gone against, not knowing if I I'm going to play darts again, today is a milestone. 'I've put myself under quite a bit of pressure over the last 12 months so today it has been really nice. I'm really pleased and happy. It's been a bloody long time, that is for sure.' The 42-year-old smashed in two ton-plus checkouts to overcome Gian van Veen 6-4 in the quarter-final, hammered Andrew Gilding in the last four before seeing-off Williams. Wade's success made him the third different winner of the lengthy week in Leicester after Stephen Bunting produced a string of outstanding performances to clinch his fourth title of 2025. The Bullet backed-up World Series titles in Bahrain and Copenhagen this year and a maiden European Tour crown in April's International Darts Open with a win on Wednesday. Bunting said: 'I'm so happy that my consistency is there. I'm playing with a smile on my face and, when I've got a smile on my face, I'm dangerous.' The previous day, it was Bunting's Premier League colleague Chris Dobey who took the spoils when he claimed Event 17 in dramatic fashion at the Mattioli Arena. The Geordie was able to ride a wave of momentum during his day with crucial victories over Wade and van Veen which earned him a spot in the final against Dirk van Duijvenbode. Dobey kept cool to beat the Dutchman in a deciding leg and said: 'This is my second win of the year, but just to win one tournament is an achievement. "I want to be competing with the top boys to give myself more chances of getting to the top.'
Newsweek
a day ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Rory McIlroy Reveals His New Motivation after Masters Win
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After winning the Masters Tournament, Rory McIlroy stated that he was struggling to find the right motivation for his professional career. This was reflected in his results, but everything indicates that he is overcoming it. The Northern Irishman said he has identified new challenges in the near future that have motivated him to continue achieving good results. He addressed the issue during his press conference prior to the Travelers Championship. "I've always wanted to go to India, and the European Tour and DP World created a new event there," he said. "I was asked at the start of the year would I be interested in going, and I said yeah, that sounds amazing." "I'm excited to -- there's never been a green jacket in India before. So to bring the green jacket to India is something that's going to be really cool." Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland attends a press conference prior to the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 18, 2025 in Cromwell, Connecticut. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland attends a press conference prior to the Travelers Championship 2025 at TPC River Highlands on June 18, 2025 in Cromwell, five-time major winner also said that he is eager to return to one of the national opens that he has won throughout his career. "I've always loved the Australian Open. I've won there before," he said. "I won that in 2013. Adam [Scott] and I had a great battle down the stretch on the last day, he was the Masters champion at that point." McIlroy is well known for his very busy international schedule, and he explained it in the simplest way. "I don't know, I like to travel. I like to play in different parts of the world. I've never been to India. I haven't been to Australia in 10 years. So it's nice to go back to these places." Before last week's U.S. Open, McIlroy said he was searching for the right motivation to keep performing at his best. As you may recall, he won the Masters Tournament last April, completing the career Grand Slam and becoming only the sixth player to achieve this feat. This seems to have affected his game; for example, he finished tied for 47th at the PGA Championship on a course he has largely dominated, Quail Hollow. Two weeks later, he missed the cut at the Canadian Open, his first missed cut since last July. During this period, he also faced the declaration of his competition driver as non-conforming by the USGA, which may have also affected his mood and results. However, the 29-time PGA Tour winner seemed to find his bearings at the US Open. After nearly missing the cut at Oakmont, McIlroy improved throughout the tournament and finished in the top 20. The Open Championship, which will be played on his home soil at Royal Portrush, is another moment of the season that is sure to bring out the Northern Irishman's best game. More Golf: Adam Scott Shows Ultimate Class after U.S. Open Collapse
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Rory McIlroy explain his desire to be world traveler and chase national opens
Rory McIlroy explain his desire to be world traveler and chase national opens Rory McIlroy has won six different national opens eight times, and he'll shoot for a seventh country later this year in India. 'I haven't hidden my sort of aspirations for national Opens and where I would like them to be, what their standing is in the professional game of golf,' McIlroy said. Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference ahead of the 2025 Travelers Championship, McIlroy said he always wanted to go to India and he will make his first appearance there at the Indian Championship, held Oct. 16 -19 at Delhi Golf Club. 'The European Tour and DP World created a new event there. I was asked at the start of the year would I be interested in going, and I said yeah, that sounds amazing,' McIlroy recounted. 'The Hero Indian Open is always when we're – it's like March-April time. I'd love to play DLF and figure out my way around that place, but this one in Delhi in October made more sense.' Bryson DeChambeau played in India for the first time this spring and attracted record crowds, so expect McIlroy to have quite the following, too. That isn't the only national Open that McIlroy has committed to. He also agreed to play the Australian Open for the next two years. McIlroy won the title in 2013, defeating Aussie Adam Scott by one stroke. He also survived qualifying for the Oz Open in 2005. 'Got through like a nine-man playoff to get in,' he recalled. 'I've always had a huge affinity for that part of the world. So to go back to -- especially Royal Melbourne this year, Kingston Heath next year – two of the best golf courses in the world on the Sandbelt, that's awesome, too.' He added: 'I like to travel. I like to play in different parts of the world. I've never been to India. I haven't been to Australia in 10 years. So it's nice to go back to these places." It's also nice to be paid handsomely to play in such events. DP World Tour and the Australasian Tour permit players to be paid appearance fees, and the reigning Masters champion should be able to cash in for being his star power. 'It's that part of the year where we have the ability to travel and to do these things, and if it makes sense for the schedule – especially, look, I'm excited to – there's never been a Green Jacket in India before," he said. "So to bring the green jacket to India is something that's going to be really cool.' Here's a list of the national opens McIlroy has won to date: 2011 U.S. Open 2013 Australian Open 2014 British Open 2016 Irish Open 2019, 2022 RBC Canadian Open 2023 Genesis Scottish Open *He's also won in Dubai, Hong Kong and China
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lynch: Rory McIlroy had three goals in 2025. He's achieved the first, now on to the second
OAKMONT, Pa. — Twenty-odd years ago, I sat with Ian Woosnam on a golf cart at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Woosie is the practically-minded son of a Welsh farmer and not given to deep reflection, but on one question he was. He told me he could pinpoint exactly — to the day — when his career decline began. It was April 14, 1991, the day he won the Masters. Advertisement Woosnam had two goals in his golfing life, other than making a living (his autobiography, Woosie, ends every chapter with a summary of his earnings per season). One dream was to win a major championship. The other was to be the best in the world. On April 8, six days before winning at Augusta National, he reached No. 1 in the official world golf ranking. Two dreams checked off in one week. 'Other people go looking for another mountain to climb,' he told me that day at Kiawah Island. 'I just slid down the other side.' There were 11 more wins on the European Tour, but only one real shot at another major, a decade later in the Open at Royal Lytham, when two drivers in the bag doomed him to a penalty and a tie for 3rd. But the fire that took a diminutive blue-collar guy from hitting balls during winter in his dad's barn to the pinnacle of a white collar sport was extinguished. I thought back to that conversation these past two weeks, listening to Rory McIlroy. Thirty-four years after Woosnam, McIlroy achieved his lifetime dream and completed the career grand slam. The emotion that drained from him on the 18th green and on the walk to the clubhouse — so poignant as to keep the CBS announce team respectfully silent — spoke volumes about what it meant. Advertisement Shortly afterward, an elated McIlroy opened his press conference with a question that poked fun at the previous decade of inquiries about whether he would win a green jacket: 'What are we all going to talk about next year?' The answer, it turns out, was this: What else ya got? And when ya got it? Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks off the seventh tee during the third round of the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club on June 14, 2025 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. McIlroy never took time to fully process that seismic accomplishment. Ten days later, he was at the Zurich Classic playing with Shane Lowry, having made a trip to London and Northern Ireland in between. Then it was on to the Truist Championship and straight into another major at the PGA Championship. By comparison, when Tiger Woods won the Masters in '97, and also in '19, he did not make a competitive appearance for five weeks. Advertisement McIlroy has been asked what comes next several times since the Masters,. Even earlier this week at Oakmont, he was asked what his plan is for the coming years. 'I don't have one. I have no idea,' he said. 'I'm sort of just taking it tournament by tournament at this point. Yeah, I have no idea.' It was disarmingly honest, but alarming for those who fetishize the mentality epitomized by Tiger Woods, a single-mindedness that moves shark-like between feasts without enjoyment or even digestion. It's a sentiment that celebrates racking up accomplishments, but not of taking actual pleasure in those victories. Earlier this year, McIlroy said one of his goals for '25 was to have more fun. It's why he went to a soccer game in Bilbao with friends, why he wants to play in India and Australia later this year. Yet somewhere along the way, he denied himself the time to have fun celebrating the greatest achievement of his career. Now, a minor hangover of sorts has kicked in. "You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don't think about what comes next,' he said a few days ago. 'I think I've always been a player that struggles to play after a big event, after I win whatever tournament. I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you've just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it and you want to sort of relish the fact that you've achieved a goal. Chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit.' The schedule doesn't allow much time for relaxation or reflection, even if he had been minded to pursue it. Two majors have passed with not much of an impact, a tie for 47th at Quail Hollow and lingering around the top 25 at Oakmont as the final round wound down. Advertisement In a casual conversation a few months back, he summarized his objectives for the year: win the Masters, win the Open at Royal Portrush, win an away Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. As he prepared to leave Pittsburgh, McIlroy acknowledged fresh motivation is on the horizon for the second item on that list. 'If I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me,' he said. 'I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks. But as I said, getting home and having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again.' Just 63 days have passed since that victorious evening at Augusta National. Only 32 remain until balls are in the air at the 153rd Open. Maybe that hasn't been enough time to celebrate realizing a dream 30 years in the making, but it's probably enough to narrow the focus to knocking off the second item on his target list for '25. This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Lynch: Rory McIlroy won the Masters, his first goal. What's next?
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Lynch: Rory McIlroy had three goals in 2025. He's achieved the first, now on to the second
Lynch: Rory McIlroy had three goals in 2025. He's achieved the first, now on to the second OAKMONT, Pa. — Twenty-odd years ago, I sat with Ian Woosnam on a golf cart at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Woosie is the practically-minded son of a Welsh farmer and not given to deep reflection, but on one question he was. He told me he could pinpoint exactly — to the day — when his career decline began. It was April 14, 1991, the day he won the Masters. Woosnam had two goals in his golfing life, other than making a living (his autobiography, Woosie, ends every chapter with a summary of his earnings per season). One dream was to win a major championship. The other was to be the best in the world. On April 8, six days before winning at Augusta National, he reached No. 1 in the official world golf ranking. Two dreams checked off in one week. 'Other people go looking for another mountain to climb,' he told me that day at Kiawah Island. 'I just slid down the other side.' There were 11 more wins on the European Tour, but only one real shot at another major, a decade later in the Open at Royal Lytham, when two drivers in the bag doomed him to a penalty and a tie for 3rd. But the fire that took a diminutive blue-collar guy from hitting balls during winter in his dad's barn to the pinnacle of a white collar sport was extinguished. I thought back to that conversation these past two weeks, listening to Rory McIlroy. Thirty-four years after Woosnam, McIlroy achieved his lifetime dream and completed the career grand slam. The emotion that drained from him on the 18th green and on the walk to the clubhouse — so poignant as to keep the CBS announce team respectfully silent — spoke volumes about what it meant. Shortly afterward, an elated McIlroy opened his press conference with a question that poked fun at the previous decade of inquiries about whether he would win a green jacket: 'What are we all going to talk about next year?' The answer, it turns out, was this: What else ya got? And when ya got it? McIlroy never took time to fully process that seismic accomplishment. Ten days later, he was at the Zurich Classic playing with Shane Lowry, having made a trip to London and Northern Ireland in between. Then it was on to the Truist Championship and straight into another major at the PGA Championship. By comparison, when Tiger Woods won the Masters in '97, and also in '19, he did not make a competitive appearance for five weeks. McIlroy has been asked what comes next several times since the Masters,. Even earlier this week at Oakmont, he was asked what his plan is for the coming years. 'I don't have one. I have no idea,' he said. 'I'm sort of just taking it tournament by tournament at this point. Yeah, I have no idea.' It was disarmingly honest, but alarming for those who fetishize the mentality epitomized by Tiger Woods, a single-mindedness that moves shark-like between feasts without enjoyment or even digestion. It's a sentiment that celebrates racking up accomplishments, but not of taking actual pleasure in those victories. Earlier this year, McIlroy said one of his goals for '25 was to have more fun. It's why he went to a soccer game in Bilbao with friends, why he wants to play in India and Australia later this year. Yet somewhere along the way, he denied himself the time to have fun celebrating the greatest achievement of his career. Now, a minor hangover of sorts has kicked in. "You dream about the final putt going in at the Masters, but you don't think about what comes next,' he said a few days ago. 'I think I've always been a player that struggles to play after a big event, after I win whatever tournament. I always struggle to show up with motivation the next week because you've just accomplished something and you want to enjoy it and you want to sort of relish the fact that you've achieved a goal. Chasing a certain goal for the better part of a decade and a half, I think I'm allowed a little bit of time to relax a little bit.' The schedule doesn't allow much time for relaxation or reflection, even if he had been minded to pursue it. Two majors have passed with not much of an impact, a tie for 47th at Quail Hollow and lingering around the top 25 at Oakmont as the final round wound down. In a casual conversation a few months back, he summarized his objectives for the year: win the Masters, win the Open at Royal Portrush, win an away Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. As he prepared to leave Pittsburgh, McIlroy acknowledged fresh motivation is on the horizon for the second item on that list. 'If I can't get motivated to get up for an Open Championship at home, then I don't know what can motivate me,' he said. 'I just need to get myself in the right frame of mind. I probably haven't been there the last few weeks. But as I said, getting home and having a couple weeks off before that, hopefully feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, will get me in the right place again.' Just 63 days have passed since that victorious evening at Augusta National. Only 32 remain until balls are in the air at the 153rd Open. Maybe that hasn't been enough time to celebrate realizing a dream 30 years in the making, but it's probably enough to narrow the focus to knocking off the second item on his target list for '25.
