Latest news with #Portmarnock
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
A caddie at heart, Bones Mackay makes sure to get the 18th flag to Spaun's bagman
Associated Press OAKMONT, Pa. (AP) — Jim 'Bones' Mackay often has said he would always be a caddie, even now that he has left his longtime role to be a course reporter for NBC Sports. That much was evident in the final, chaotic hour of the U.S. Open. Mackay was with the final group of Sam Burns and Adam Scott. By the time they reached the final hole Sunday, the championship had been decided. J.J. Spaun made a 65-foot birdie putt to finish at 279. The last two players on the course were five shots or more behind. That's when Mackay identified a potential problem and solved it. When it was over, he removed the flag on the 18th hole, which traditionally is the 'trophy' for the winner's caddie. That was Mark Carens, who had to leave the 18th with another group coming through. 'We were 200 yards away when J.J. made his putt,' Mackay said Tuesday. 'That scene ... I realized J.J. won the tournament and I was super happy for both of those guys. But it just occurred to me, Mark might not have access to the flag.' Carens joined Spaun in the scoring area. Sam Burns and Adam Scott closed out their rough back nine with bogeys. Mackay waited for them to finish and grabbed the pin. 'There were so many people inside the ropes, I just wanted to make sure Mark got it, or to have the option,' Mackay said. 'As I got to scoring, he was coming out with J.J. I handed it to him, said, 'Congrats,' and left him alone.' Only a caddie would think to do that. Mackay is a caddie. Portmarnock in the mix The Royal & Ancient Golf Club talks about a feasibility study for the British Open to return to Turnberry. Far more serious is whether to take golf's oldest championship outside the United Kingdom for the first time. The topic was Portmarnock in Ireland. The response from Mark Darbon, the R&A's new CEO, was that 'we're serious.' 'We're having a proper look at it,' Darbon said in a recent interview 'It's clearly a great course.' Darbon said he went to Portmarnock, located on a peninsula about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Dublin, for the first time last month. 'Wonderful links golf course,' he said. 'And clearly a links course that provides a challenge to the best golfers in the world is right in the heart of our thinking about where we take our prized Open Championship.' Darbon pointed out the history with Portmarnock and the R&A, specifically the Walker Cup in 1991 and the British Amateur in 1949 and 2019, along with the Women's British Amateur last year and in 1931. 'We think if we're happy taking our Amateur Championships there, why not consider it for the Open, too?' he said. Work remains, particularly the logistics of a massive crowd — The Open is all about 'big' these days — on and off the peninsula. The PGA Championship a decade ago flirted with the idea of going around the world. For the British Open to leave the U.K. for the first time would not open more borders. 'I think the simple answer is 'no,' it wouldn't open up our thinking more broadly,' Darbon said. 'If you go back in history, the home territory of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews is the British Isles, basically. We think if we've got this great history with the Republic of Ireland and its great golf course, then why not look at it?' KPMG Women's PGA The KPMG Women's PGA is now on equal terms with the U.S. Women's Open when it comes to prize money. KPMG announced Tuesday its total purse is now $12 million, up from $10.4 million a year ago. KPMG took over as title sponsor in 2015 when the PGA of America became partners with the LPGA in the major championship that dates to 1955. More than money, the company has provided players with data to improve their games called 'KPMG Performance Insights,' which operates on a smaller scale of the ShotLink data on the PGA Tour. For the Women's PGA, which starts Thursday at the Fields Ranch East at PGA of America headquarters near Dallas, KPMG is adding AI-enhanced features like hole-by-hole analysis delivered to players after each round. Another feature is AI-generated scoring targets, particularly the cut, giving players an idea if they're safe or need to make a move. 'The high purse, top courses, comprehensive broadcast coverage, and technology are all ways we are setting the standard,' said Paul Knopp, the U.S. chairman and CEO of KPMG. Ryder Cup locks Another measure of how well Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have played this year — McIlroy until the Masters, Scheffler ever since then — is that both already have locked up a spot on their Ryder Cup teams with at least two months left in the qualifying period. Scheffler locked up his spot among the leading six players two weeks ago. Team Europe disclosed Tuesday that McIlroy already has clinched a spot. The Ryder Cup is at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, at the end of September. More interesting is who gets the other spots, or even is in position for a captain's pick. U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun moved all the way up to No. 3, followed by Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa. All have Ryder Cup experience. Of the next six in the U.S. standings, only Harris English and Brian Harman have played in a Ryder Cup. McIlroy is followed by Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Rasmus Hojgaard. MacIntyre moved up seven spots to No. 4 with as the U.S. Open runner-up. Keegan Bradley, the U.S. captain who has said he would play if he qualifies, is at No. 17 with three $20 million tournaments to play and the British Open. Divots The PGA Tour says 143 players have competed in a signature event since 2024. The Travelers Championship is the final one of 2025. ... The Korn Ferry Tour is adding a tournament in Amarillo, Texas, to its 2026 schedule. The OccuNet Classic will be played played June 11-14 at Tascosa Golf Club. ... The two players picking up medals on the 18th green at Oakmont for the U.S. Open were from San Diego State — J.J. Spaun, the U.S. Open champion, and Justin Hastings of the Cayman Islands, the low amateur. ... Corey Conners, who had to withdraw from the final round of the U.S. Open with a wrist injury, withdrew from the $20 million Travelers Championship. He was replaced in the field by Jhonattan Vegas. ... The field for the KPMG Women's PGA features all 100 players from the Race to CME Globe on the LPGA Tour. Stat of the week Philip Barbaree Jr. finished in last place at the U.S. Open and earned the largest paycheck of his career at $41,785. Final word 'I feel like I've earned the right to do whatever I want to do.' — Rory McIlroy. ___ AP golf: recommended
BreakingNews.ie
29-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Restaurant manager awarded €17k after being made redundant after becoming pregnant
A well-known hospitality group on Dublin's northside has been ordered to pay €17,000 to a former assistant manager of one of its restaurants who was made redundant shortly after notifying her manager she was pregnant. The Workplace Relations Commission ruled that McHugh's Restaurants had discriminated against Karen Condell on grounds of gender over her dismissal from her role as assistant manager at McHugh's restaurant in Portmarnock. Advertisement The WRC found that it had breached the Employment Equality acts 1998-2015 in its handling of the dismissal. The company, which also operates McHugh's restaurant in Raheny and Blackbanks bar and grill in Kilbarrack, is part of a group which also operates a number of off-licences and Centra stores. Ms Condell claimed the redundancy cited as the reason for her dismissal was not genuine. She told the WRC that she informed her employer in June 2024 that she was pregnant. Advertisement Ms Condell said she was subsequently informed by the group's hospitality manager, Paul Foley, at the end of July 2024 that the restaurant in Portmarnock would be closing but she was reassured that redeployment options would be explored. She gave evidence that no alternative role was found for her over the period she worked out her notice. The company said a decision was taken to close the Portmarnock restaurant on July 30th, 2024. Mr Foley gave evidence that attempts were made to find alternative employment for affected staff. Advertisement He stated employees with over a year of service were subsequently offered roles elsewhere within the group but only one staff member with less than 12 months' service – a chef – was redeployed due to a specific vacancy matching their role. Mr Foley said he had noted that 'all our hospitality businesses are worryingly slow' when asked by Mr Condell in August 2024 about another role. He told her on August 27th, 2024 that no alternative jobs had been found. Mr Foley said he mentioned that there might be a role in a deli although he had no authority over the group's grocery division, although he thought it might not be suitable given she was pregnant. Advertisement WRC adjudication officer, Breiffni O'Neill, said he was satisfied that there was prima facie evidence that Ms Condell was discriminated against as the restaurant's owner had failed to source an alternative role for her following the closure of the outlet in Portmarnock. Mr O'Neill contrasted her situation with many of her colleagues from the Portmarnock restaurant who were not pregnant and who were given jobs elsewhere within the group. He highlighted how the company had held no discussions with Ms Condell prior to notifying her she was being made redundant on July 30th, 2024. Mr O'Neill said she was also not provided with any opportunity to engage in what would have been a very belated consultation process about her redundancy in advance of her termination date. Advertisement He specifically pointed to how she had not been asked for any input or questioned about her transferable skills, qualifications or previous experience. Ireland Donegal farmer who broke man's eye socket avoids j... Read More The WRC official noted that Mr Foley was unable to say if any other roles had become available within the group during her notice period which had not been offered to other staff from the Portmarnock restaurant. 'The respondent did not take sufficient and effective measures to avoid dismissing the complainant on the grounds of redundancy,' said Mr O'Neill. Ordering McHugh's Restaurants to pay Ms Condell compensation of €17,000 – the equivalent of 26 weeks' pay – for the negative effects of her discriminatory dismissal, Mr O'Neill said the sanction should be 'effective, dissuasive and proportionate.' While a higher award might well be justified in the case, he said it took into account Ms Condell's relatively short period of employment and the relatively small nature of the respondent's business.
Irish Independent
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘There's a lot of people in play' – Pádraig Harrington hopeful as he chases Senior PGA glory at Congressional
Pádraig Harrington hopes to regain his driving mojo as he heads into the final round of the Senior PGA Championship just two shots off the lead. The Dubliner (53) followed a double bogey at the 17th with a birdie at the last to card a one-over 73 in Saturday's third round at Congressional Country Club. It left him tied for seventh, but he's hopeful about his chances as he trails leaders Retief Goosen, Angel Cabrera, Jason Caron and Philip Archer by just two strokes on three-under. "Obviously, it's tough enough conditions," Harrington said after a rollercoaster round featuring five birdies, four bogeys and that double-bogey at the 17th. "I'm happy to be two shots back. I felt it could be worse. I made a few nice birdies at times out there. "Wasn't great off the tee, wasn't great with my putting. It kind of left me on edge most of the day. "I certainly could have finished a little stronger. But being only two shots back, there's a lot of people in play, but at least I'm within two of the lead. "Hopefully tomorrow I drive it like I drove it the first day, which was great, and hole a few putts. Goosen shot 68, Cabrera 70 and Caron and Archer a brace of 70s to lead by a shot on five-under from Lee Westwood and Stewart Cink as Darren Clarke's 76 left him joint 23rd on one-over. Meanwhile, Portmarnock's Conor Purcell is chasing his first top 10 on the DP World Tour after a one-under 70 left him tied for 22nd heading into the final round of the Soudal Open in Belgium. The Dubliner (27) is just two shots outside the top 10 on four-under, nine shots behind Scotland's Ewen Ferguson, who shot 69 to lead by two strokes from England's John Parry at Rinkven International in Antwerp. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more On the PGA Tour, world number one Scottie Scheffler is lurking just six shots behind Ben Griffin and Germany's Matti Schmid heading into the final round of the Charles Schwab Challenge in Texas. Chasing his third win in as many starts, the Texan was left to rue three back-nine bogeys as he made an eagle and seven birdies in a six-under 64 to move to tied seventh on seven-under. "You are always going to hope to go play a perfect round; it basically never happens," said Scheffler, who was seven under after 11 holes before he bogeyed the 12th and 13th and followed birdies at the 16th and 17th with a bogey at the last. "Three bogeys definitely hurts, especially when you are trying to chase, but overall, I did some good things today. I'm definitely going to need to do more of the same tomorrow." Griffin and Schmidt shot 68s to lead by four shots from Rickie Fowler (67) on 13-under with Robert MacIntyre, Nick Hardy and Akshay Bhatia a shot further back. On the HotelPlanner Tour's Danish Golf Challenge, Galway's Liam Nolan roared to nine-under for his round through 16 holes before two closing bogeys forced him to settle for a seven-under 65 at Bogense Golf Club. The Bearna golfer goes into the final round tied for third on 12-under par, just five shots behind Scotland's Calum Fyfe. The top 20 in the Road to Mallorca rankings earn promotion to the main tour and Nolan (25) lies 15th with the meat of the season to come. Meanwhile, Elm Park's Anna Foster (23) continued her excellent rookie season when she tied for 17th behind Sára Kousková in the LET's Jabra Ladies Open. The Dubliner closed with a two-under 69 at Evian Resort to finish eight shots behind the Czech star on two-under. Annabel Wilson tied for 54th on seven-over after a closing 74.
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
‘It's just about staying patient' – Conor Purcell sees good things ahead after solid rounds at Soudal Open
While he had back-to-back top-20 finishes in China in April, the Portmarnock rookie (27) has missed seven of 11 cuts and needs to see more positive results. He took a big step in that direction at the tree-lined Rinkven International in Antwerp, adding a 69 to his first-round 70 to share 21st on three-under at the halfway mark. 'My game actually feels a lot better than the results, and I think it's just about staying patient, knowing it's a long year and results will come if you just keep putting in the work,' said Purcell, who was eight shots behind Scotland's Ewen Ferguson. 'I feel like I'm starting to score relatively close to how I'm playing, and hopefully I can just push on. 'If I didn't have those two top 20s in China, I definitely would be more frustrated than I am. Knowing that the results are there, I know that the work I'm doing is good.' Ferguson shot a course record-equalling 64 to lead by three shots from England's Marco Penge, who shot 68, on 11-under. But if Purcell was guaranteed weekend work in Antwerp, Séamus Power was in danger of missing the cut in the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth. The West Waterford man shot an excellent, bogey-free, three-under 67, but after opening with a 73, he was one shot outside the projected one-under cut line. World number one Scottie Scheffler had 34 putts in a 71 that left him 10 shots behind early leader Ben Griffin, who shot 63, but he was safely through on one-under. On the Ladies European Tour, rookies Anna Foster and Annabel Wilson made the final day at the Jabra Ladies Open at Evian Resort. Foster was 26th on level par after a two-over 73, seven shots behind Swiss Chiara Tamburlini with Wilson 55th on four-over after a 76. Meanwhile, Meath's Daniel Mulligan (20) birdied four of his last eight holes and shot a three-under 69 to share 15th with Galway's Liam Nolan in the Danish Golf Challenge at Bogense. Nolan shot 70 to leave them eight shots behind Scotland's Calum Fyfe on five-under as the rest of the Irish missed the level par cut. In the Senior PGA at Congressional, Darren Clarke's two-under 70 left him just three shots behind early leader Cameron Percy on three-under.
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Dublin edges closer to hosting The Open Championship as Portmarnock Golf Club members pass major vote
THE prospect of Dublin hosting The Open Championship received a major boost on Wednesday evening. Advertisement 2 Members voted on Wednesday night in favour of huge changes to the course in order to meet R&A standards if the course is to host a future Open Championship 2 The 2019 R&A Amateur Championship was hosted at Portmarnock Golf Club The North Dublin course hosted the 2019 R&A Amateur Open Championship. And the possibility of hosting a men's major moved a step closer last night after members overwhelmingly approved key course changes necessary to meet R&A standards required to host an Open Championship. The The Open has only been staged outside England and Scotland on two occasions, both at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. Advertisement read more on golf First in 1951, and more recently in 2019 when The historic Dunluce Links is also The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush is set to become the second best attended in history, with almost 280,000 fans having snapped up tickets for the final major of the year. According to a report in the Irish Independent, 90% of Portmarnock members voted in favour of altering the course layout. Advertisement Most read in Uncategorized The vote clearly points towards members being in favour of any potential move. Among the proposed modifications are converting the second hole from a par-four to a par-three. The will also adjust the tee and green locations at the fifth, and reordering the finishing stretch by turning the current 17th into the 18th, and the existing 18th into the opening hole. Wild man of golf John Daly hits a drive off a glamorous woman's bum The Advertisement Attention will now turn to both the Dáil and tournament organisers, the R&A.
