Latest news with #Masters

Rhyl Journal
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Rory McIlroy two shots off early clubhouse leader at Travelers Championship
The Masters champion 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. 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 15th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. 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. ANOTHER 🐦 at the 18th gets him in the clubhouse with a 62 (-8)!! He's our early round one leader. 🫡 — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 19, 2025 '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.' Out of position? Not for Rory McIlroy. He is 6-under @TravelersChamp 👀 📺 @PGATOURLIVE on ESPN+ — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 19, 2025 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. World number one Scottie Scheffler, defending his Travelers Championship title, has been paired with newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun in the later starters.


Powys County Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Rory McIlroy two shots off early clubhouse leader at Travelers Championship
Rory McIlroy made an impressive start to the Travelers Championship to sit two shots off the early clubhouse lead. The Masters champion 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. 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 15th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. 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. ANOTHER 🐦 at the 18th gets him in the clubhouse with a 62 (-8)!! He's our early round one leader. 🫡 — TravelersChamp (@TravelersChamp) June 19, 2025 '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.' Out of position? Not for Rory McIlroy. He is 6-under @TravelersChamp 👀 📺 @PGATOURLIVE on ESPN+ — PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 19, 2025 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. World number one Scottie Scheffler, defending his Travelers Championship title, has been paired with newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun in the later starters.


France 24
7 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
World No. 1 Scheffler shares lead at PGA Travelers Championship
After six birdies in the first 12 holes, Scheffler tied Eckroat on eight-under with a 10-foot eagle putt at the par-five 13th. He landed his second shot from the left rough within five feet at the par-four 15th and made that for birdie and the solo lead, and even after a bogey at the 17th the US star was pleased with a round played in tougher afternoon conditions. "I did a lot of good stuff," Scheffler said. "I felt like the conditions were pretty challenging out there, especially late in the day. I was able to hole some nice putts as well." Scheffler set up his eagle at 13 with a "really nice" three-iron. "Very rarely throughout a tournament do you hit one exactly how I intend to, and that was one of the few," Scheffler said. The leading pair were two shots clear of a trio headlined by world number two Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, coming off a disappointing US Open run last week, had six birdies without a bogey and was joined on six-under by major winners Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark on 64. McIlroy said the more forgiving TPC River Highlands layout was "a nice tonic" after the brutal US Open setup at Oakmont, but said his focus was not so much on winning but on his game. "I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots," said McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam with a victory at the Masters in April. "I think if you concentrate on that and you're 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." Eckroat had set an early target with his career-low score on the PGA Tour, crediting an adjustment to his grip with sorting out a tendency to miss left that has contributed to eight missed cuts this season. Spieth withdraws "It's funny," Eckroat said, "a lot of Wednesdays I've felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn't been there. "I don't know if it's just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour event, but this one, it was nice to feel good on Wednesday and then actually take it into Thursday." Eckroat, a two-time winner on the tour, got off to a solid start with three birdies on the front nine then stormed home. He drilled a 35-foot eagle putt at the 13th, then birdied 14, 15 and 18. Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth was forced to withdraw from the elite signature event after 13 holes as pain in his upper back and neck affected his swing. Spieth said the injury came on suddenly on Thursday morning and he hoped to play through it, but he was five-over for his round when he decided to call it quits -- the first time he has withdrawn from a PGA Tour event in 297 career starts. "It just became too much," Spieth said. US Open champion J.J. Spaun got off to a rocky start in the wake of his first major title, carding a three-over-par 73. © 2025 AFP


Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
World No. 1 Scheffler shares lead at PGA Travelers Championship
World number one Scottie Scheffler fired an eagle and seven birdies in an eight-under-par 62 to seize a share of the first-round lead alongside Austin Eckroat in the US PGA Tour Travelers Championship in Connecticut on Thursday. After six birdies in the first 12 holes, Scheffler tied Eckroat on eight-under with a 10-foot eagle putt at the par-five 13th. He landed his second shot from the left rough within five feet at the par-four 15th and made that for birdie and the solo lead, and even after a bogey at the 17th the US star was pleased with a round played in tougher afternoon conditions. "I did a lot of good stuff," Scheffler said. "I felt like the conditions were pretty challenging out there, especially late in the day. I was able to hole some nice putts as well." Scheffler set up his eagle at 13 with a "really nice" three-iron. "Very rarely throughout a tournament do you hit one exactly how I intend to, and that was one of the few," Scheffler said. The leading pair were two shots clear of a trio headlined by world number two Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, coming off a disappointing US Open run last week, had six birdies without a bogey and was joined on six-under by major winners Keegan Bradley and Wyndham Clark on 64. McIlroy said the more forgiving TPC River Highlands layout was "a nice tonic" after the brutal US Open setup at Oakmont, but said his focus was not so much on winning but on his game. "I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots," said McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam with a victory at the Masters in April. "I think if you concentrate on that and you're 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." Eckroat had set an early target with his career-low score on the PGA Tour, crediting an adjustment to his grip with sorting out a tendency to miss left that has contributed to eight missed cuts this season. "It's funny," Eckroat said, "a lot of Wednesdays I've felt really good going into the tournament and then Thursday comes around and it hasn't been there. "I don't know if it's just the stress of playing in a PGA Tour event, but this one, it was nice to feel good on Wednesday and then actually take it into Thursday." Eckroat, a two-time winner on the tour, got off to a solid start with three birdies on the front nine then stormed home. He drilled a 35-foot eagle putt at the 13th, then birdied 14, 15 and 18. Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth was forced to withdraw from the elite signature event after 13 holes as pain in his upper back and neck affected his swing. Spieth said the injury came on suddenly on Thursday morning and he hoped to play through it, but he was five-over for his round when he decided to call it quits the first time he has withdrawn from a PGA Tour event in 297 career starts. "It just became too much," Spieth said. US Open champion J.J. Spaun got off to a rocky start in the wake of his first major title, carding a three-over-par 73. bb/rcw


Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy off to fast start at Travelers ahead of Royal Portrush Open
Rory McIlroy kicked off the Travelers Championship with a strong start, finishing just two shots behind the early clubhouse leader. The Masters champion had previously tied for 19th place at the punishing Oakmont course during the US Open – but he ended the weekend on a high note with a three-under-par final round, tying for the best score of the day. The Northern Irish golfer, who had his driver deemed 'non-conforming' ahead of last month's PGA Championship and subsequently missed the cut at the Canadian Open, was aiming to gain some momentum at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell as attention shifts towards the Open at Royal Portrush. 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 15th and a sixth birdie at the 18th. 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. World number one Scottie Scheffler, defending his Travelers Championship title, has been paired with newly-crowned US Open champion JJ Spaun in the later starters.