Latest news with #MastersChampion
Irish Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Rory McIlroy gets back on an upswing with opening 64 at Travelers Championship
Rory McIlroy was more like his old self, the club twirl, the club drop. The eyes squinting and, then, the power walk. The Masters champion – so out-of-sorts since scaling the heights with his green jacket win back in April to seal the career Grand Slam – walked the walk in the opening round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands with a bogey-free 64, to jump right into contention. American Austin Eckroat claimed the clubhouse lead with a superbly crafted 62, but McIlroy – the galleries drawn to him like a magnet to iron having missed the past two years of the tournament in Cromwell, Connecticut – lived up to his star appeal with an impressive round, which will finish his competitive outings stateside until after next month's 153rd Open at Royal Portrush. McIlroy is headed to Europe next week – getting the keys to his new mansion in Wentworth, taking in Wimbledon and then moving on to competing in the Scottish Open and, then, the big one at Portrush. And he continued the momentum of that final round of the US Open which had pushed him into a top-20 finish at Oakmont. On the more birdie-friendly course at TPC River Highlands, McIlroy – playing alongside US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley – claimed six birdies without dropping a shot. READ MORE 'This is a nice tonic compared to last week [at Oakmont] in terms of it's a slightly more benign golf course and the penalty for missing isn't quite as severe. You can give yourself plenty of chances for birdies, which Keegan and I did. 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,' said McIlroy. 'I just want to see some good golf and see some better shots. 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. '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.' Ireland's Leona Maguire of Ireland drives on the first hole during the first round of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, Texas. Photograph:In the KPMG Women's PGA Championship at Frisco in Texas, Leona Maguire made a very solid start to the third Major of the season with a level-par 72, a round which featured two birdies and two bogeys on the tough Gil Hanse-codesigned course. Thailand's Jeeno Thitikul claimed the early clubhouse lead with a 68, while world number one Nelly Korda opened with a 72. On the hotelplanner Tour (formerly the Challenge Tour), Royal Dublin's Max Kennedy shot a magnificent course record 60, 10 under par, to assume the first-round lead in the Blot Play9 tournament in Pleneuf, France, to take a four-shots lead over England's James Morrison. Kennedy, a 23-year-old Dubliner and alumni of the University of Louisville, featured two eagles in a blemish-free round. In the Amateur Championship at Royal St George's in Kent, Co Louth's Gavin Tiernan – the only Irish player remaining in the championship – impressively claimed a 3 and 2 win over Frenchman Gaspar Glaudas to move into the quarter-final of the matchplay, where he will face Estonia's Richard Teder.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
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. READ MORE 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.'
CNN
5 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Rory McIlroy is pretty much over this edition of the US Open
Rory McIlroy just wants to go home. After three rounds at Oakmont Country Club at this year's US Open, the Northern Irishman is over it. When asked what he wanted from Sunday's final round after a frustrating first three rounds at the 125th US Open, the Masters champion said: 'Hopefully a round in under four-and-a-half hours and get out of here.' McIlroy's triumph at Augusta earlier this year made him the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam. It was his first major championship win in more than a decade after multiple close calls, and the golf world collectively wondered whether McIlroy could go on to huge success in 2025 with the Masters monkey off his back. That's not been the case, not by a longshot. The five-time major winner has cut a frustrated figure throughout this week's US Open outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He's been seen throwing clubs, smashing tee box markers, tossing his putter into the air after missing putts and – as he did at the PGA Championship last month – blowing off reporters after his rounds. When he spoke on Saturday after his 4-over 74, McIlroy admitted that he hadn't felt the same after his Masters win. 'You don't know how you're going to react to such a – I wouldn't say a life-altering occasion, but at least something that I've dreamt about for a long time,' he said, adding 'I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards.' McIlroy is a crowd favorite here at Oakmont, attracting some of the largest galleries on the course. Spectators holler 'Let's go, Rory!' whenever he walks past, whether that's after one of the two birdies he carded on Saturday or the six bogeys that left him shaking his head. But it seems no amount of support is cutting through McIlroy's frustration at the moment. He managed to book himself a weekend tee time with a remarkable closing stretch on Friday, playing 2-under after starting his round with two double bogeys on the first three holes. The question on everyone's lips during his Friday afternoon struggle was simple: 'Is Rory going to miss the cut?' A brilliant birdie on 18, set up by one of the best approach shots hit by McIlroy since that Sunday playoff at Augusta, wasn't so much fueled by his competitive nature as it was his apathy toward playing another two days at the US Open. 'It's funny. It's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not,' he told reporters with a laugh. 'I was sort of thinking, 'Do I really want two more days here or not?' So, it makes it easier to play better when you're in that mindset.' Unlike his friend and early-rounds playing partner Shane Lowry – whose rage at the course was clear from the start, including a moment when he dropped a four-letter expletive caught by a hot mic after missing a putt on Friday – McIlroy is still here. It seems that it's much to his chagrin – especially at the prospect of answering questions from the media. McIlroy said earlier this month that he didn't speak to the media at the PGA Championship in May because he was angry after it was reported that his driver was nonconforming ahead of the tournament, expressing that information was supposed to be confidential and someone leaked it. Ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy stressed to reporters that speaking to the media wasn't something required of players. When asked about those comments on Saturday, he said he wasn't trying to force PGA Tour officials to require players to speak to the media. Instead, his desire to skip post-round interviews is purely frustration with the media and he'd continue to skip talking after rounds if he didn't feel like it. 'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah,' he said. The 125th US Open is being played for a record tenth time at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania where CNN's Patrick Snell is in the rough to show you just why the famed country club has long been considered one of the toughest courses in the country. #cnn #news #sports #golf #usga #usopen #oakmont #golfing #oakmontcountryclub The beast that is Oakmont's setup for this tournament is punishing players who make the tiniest mistake. McIlroy is no different and, while he feels like he's played 'OK' this week, the mental game is weighing on him. 'That's the name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there, but it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly,' he said. He added, 'It's very difficult. You got to be on every single shot. You know if you miss a fairway you're going to be scrambling for par. You know if you miss your landing spot even coming from the fairways by a couple yards, these greens repel the ball into rough and you're up against collars and it just makes things very, very tricky. So, yeah, you got to be totally on your game.' It's clear that McIlroy is not on his game, a disappointing fact that has led to viral moments of anger that will be the lasting memories of his 2025 US Open. With next month's Open Championship being held in his home nation's Royal Portrush, McIlroy will be hoping to get himself out of this funk and back toward the top of the leaderboard. He tees off for his final round of the US Open on Sunday morning, hours before the leaders arrive on the Oakmont grounds as they push for the trophy that McIlroy won in 2011. If his demeanor on Saturday is any indication, he'll be long gone by the time the 18-inch, sterling silver cup is raised.
CNN
5 days ago
- Sport
- CNN
Rory McIlroy is pretty much over this edition of the US Open
Rory McIlroy just wants to go home. After three rounds at Oakmont Country Club at this year's US Open, the Northern Irishman is over it. When asked what he wanted from Sunday's final round after a frustrating first three rounds at the 125th US Open, the Masters champion said: 'Hopefully a round in under four-and-a-half hours and get out of here.' McIlroy's triumph at Augusta earlier this year made him the sixth golfer in history to complete the career grand slam. It was his first major championship win in more than a decade after multiple close calls, and the golf world collectively wondered whether McIlroy could go on to huge success in 2025 with the Masters monkey off his back. That's not been the case, not by a longshot. The five-time major winner has cut a frustrated figure throughout this week's US Open outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He's been seen throwing clubs, smashing tee box markers, tossing his putter into the air after missing putts and – as he did at the PGA Championship last month – blowing off reporters after his rounds. When he spoke on Saturday after his 4-over 74, McIlroy admitted that he hadn't felt the same after his Masters win. 'You don't know how you're going to react to such a – I wouldn't say a life-altering occasion, but at least something that I've dreamt about for a long time,' he said, adding 'I have felt a little flat on the golf course afterwards.' McIlroy is a crowd favorite here at Oakmont, attracting some of the largest galleries on the course. Spectators holler 'Let's go, Rory!' whenever he walks past, whether that's after one of the two birdies he carded on Saturday or the six bogeys that left him shaking his head. But it seems no amount of support is cutting through McIlroy's frustration at the moment. He managed to book himself a weekend tee time with a remarkable closing stretch on Friday, playing 2-under after starting his round with two double bogeys on the first three holes. The question on everyone's lips during his Friday afternoon struggle was simple: 'Is Rory going to miss the cut?' A brilliant birdie on 18, set up by one of the best approach shots hit by McIlroy since that Sunday playoff at Augusta, wasn't so much fueled by his competitive nature as it was his apathy toward playing another two days at the US Open. 'It's funny. It's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not,' he told reporters with a laugh. 'I was sort of thinking, 'Do I really want two more days here or not?' So, it makes it easier to play better when you're in that mindset.' Unlike his friend and early-rounds playing partner Shane Lowry – whose rage at the course was clear from the start, including a moment when he dropped a four-letter expletive caught by a hot mic after missing a putt on Friday – McIlroy is still here. It seems that it's much to his chagrin – especially at the prospect of answering questions from the media. McIlroy said earlier this month that he didn't speak to the media at the PGA Championship in May because he was angry after it was reported that his driver was nonconforming ahead of the tournament, expressing that information was supposed to be confidential and someone leaked it. Ahead of the RBC Canadian Open, McIlroy stressed to reporters that speaking to the media wasn't something required of players. When asked about those comments on Saturday, he said he wasn't trying to force PGA Tour officials to require players to speak to the media. Instead, his desire to skip post-round interviews is purely frustration with the media and he'd continue to skip talking after rounds if he didn't feel like it. 'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do, yeah,' he said. The 125th US Open is being played for a record tenth time at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania where CNN's Patrick Snell is in the rough to show you just why the famed country club has long been considered one of the toughest courses in the country. #cnn #news #sports #golf #usga #usopen #oakmont #golfing #oakmontcountryclub The beast that is Oakmont's setup for this tournament is punishing players who make the tiniest mistake. McIlroy is no different and, while he feels like he's played 'OK' this week, the mental game is weighing on him. 'That's the name of the game this week is staying patient, and try to do a good job of it out there, but it's one of those golf courses that you can lose patience on pretty quickly,' he said. He added, 'It's very difficult. You got to be on every single shot. You know if you miss a fairway you're going to be scrambling for par. You know if you miss your landing spot even coming from the fairways by a couple yards, these greens repel the ball into rough and you're up against collars and it just makes things very, very tricky. So, yeah, you got to be totally on your game.' It's clear that McIlroy is not on his game, a disappointing fact that has led to viral moments of anger that will be the lasting memories of his 2025 US Open. With next month's Open Championship being held in his home nation's Royal Portrush, McIlroy will be hoping to get himself out of this funk and back toward the top of the leaderboard. He tees off for his final round of the US Open on Sunday morning, hours before the leaders arrive on the Oakmont grounds as they push for the trophy that McIlroy won in 2011. If his demeanor on Saturday is any indication, he'll be long gone by the time the 18-inch, sterling silver cup is raised.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Admits He Didn't Care About Making Cut at U.S. Open
Rory McIlroy Admits He Didn't Care About Making Cut at U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Going into the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, Masters Champion Rory McIlroy was considered among the favorites to win his second major championship of the year. Advertisement After watching him play his first and second rounds, though, it became quickly clear that McIlroy was never going to be in contention to win thanks to his laissezfaire attitude on the course. McIlroy ended up making the cut by a slim margin on Friday afternoon and qualifying for the weekend, but when speaking to the media after his third round on Saturday, it appears that he may not have been too happy about that result. Rory McIlroy at Quail HollowAaron Doster-Imagn Images 'It's much easier being on the cut line when you don't really care if you're here for the weekend or not," McIlroy said on Saturday, according to ESPN's Paolo Uggetti. "I was sort of thinking 'Do I really want two more days here or not?'' Advertisement After an opening four-over 74 was followed by a two-over 72 on Friday, McIlroy fired another four-over 74 on Saturday to sit at 10-over for the week, which is currently in a tie for 53rd place. After is first two rounds of the tournament, McIlroy drew some backlash from the golf community after deciding not to talk to the media post-round. While he is not obligated to give an interview, as one of the faces of the game and the biggest voice in the sport, it is expected that he make himself available at least one of the days, no matter how poorly he played. We will see how McIlroy comes out on Sunday in his final round, and whether or not he is able to find some inspiration and finish strong for the weekend. But based on his words and actions so far, it doesn't appear that he has much of a care when it comes to this tournament result. Related: Rory McIlroy Faces Backlash After Controversial Decision Following Poor U.S. Open Start This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
