Golf, Theopen in Portrush with Mcilroy and three Italians

The difference this year is that Rory Mcilroy has arrived with her new green jacket. Green like his Ireland. It is finally the week of the Open Championship, the oldest golf tournament in the world, which today is played at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, an hour’s car from Holywood, the suburb of Belfast where Mcilroy, the house hero, the Masters 2025 champion, the man who winning in Georgia, closed the great Slam of his career. At least two hundred thousand people are expected and all dream that Rory will do the encore of the year after the Masters and the encore of the Claret Juug after the one he had won in 2014 at Royal Liverpool. The last time the Open Championship was held in Portrush was 2019, Rory ruined everything with the first Drive at the first hole, closed in 8 shots instead of 4. The cut and the appointment with the glory was missing. He then won another Irish, but of the South, Shane Lowry, his great friend, and Rory was happy the same, but this time he hopes that he ends up differently: “At the beginning of the season, when I looked at the calendar, this was the tournament I put in the lens, probably even more than the Masters. And the reasons are obvious: it’s my home”. After the victory of the Masters, Mcilroy had been a little lost, as if “having climbed the Everest” – his words – had taken away motivations and emotional charge. Two ugly majors, 47th at the PGA and 19th at the US Open, had raised the concerns, but in the last week the sensations have returned positive: “I am enthusiastic about the level of my game”. And the second place at the Scottish Open seems to give him reason. On the Portrush field, at just 16 years old, he had closed a tour of 61 shots and there are those who swear to remember that little boy and curls to play perfectly as he would have done many other times in the following years of his career.

rivals

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To contend for the Claret Juug there are many, inevitable to start the list of possible winners of Scottie Scheffler, n.1 in the world, that this year its major has already taken, that is, the PGA Championship, but which has never given its best on the European fields: its best result is a seventh place a year ago at the Royal Troon. It would be a lot of thing for a normal player, but he is so great that a seventh place seems to be a disappointment. Then there is the reigning champion, Xander Schauffele: this year he does not have great results, but the qualities do not discuss and a week ago has given signs of awakening in Scotland. His hope is that a tradition is not confirmed that “prevents” to do an encore to those who had already won a Claret Juug in the past. The last was Ernie Els in 2012, since then the 11 champions have all been First Time Winner. Among them also Francesco Molinari who won Theopen in 2018 in Carnoustie. He has just been confirmed deputy captain for the European team who at the end of September will defend the Ryder Cup in Bethpage, New York, and is one of the three Italians on the field in Portrush. With him Matteo Manassero, in the ninth participation in Theopen in which he boasts what better result a 13th place in 2009, and Guido Migliozzi. For him fifth time with a 31st place – in 2024 – as best placement. One last curiosity: at the Open also a former galeotto. His name is Ryan Peake, he was part of a gang of motorcyclists in New Zealand and golf literally saved his life. And brought it to Ireland …