Home Blog Page 317

WATCH: Relive Irish Wins At The Open

The Open Championship is one of the four majors of the professional golfing season and has seen numerous famous wins courtesy of Irish golfers in recent history.

The famous tournament has had five Irish winners in its lifespan (dating back to 1947) and there have been four Irish wins since the turn of the century.

Shane Lowry – 2019

Offaly’s Shane Lowry is the current defending champion, having won in 2019.

The Clara native had stiff competition in the first two rounds but a stellar third round put the Claret Jug beyond anyone else’s reach.

Lowry became the first Irish player to win The Open on Irish soil, achieving victory in Portrush, Antrim.

The Republic of Ireland golfer won his first major by six strokes and will defend his title this weekend.

Pádraig Harrington – 2007 & 2008

Pádraig Harrington is the only Irish golfer to win the tournament twice, doing so back-to-back in 2007 and 2008.

The Dubliner achieved his first win at Carnoustie in Scotland, shooting an impressive four-under-par on the final day to earn a play-off against Sergio Garcia, who led all weekend.

Harrington could have tied it up quicker had he not went into the Barry Burn twice on the 18th hole.

The Irishman became the first golfer from the Republic of Ireland to win The Open and the first Irish golfer since Fred Daly in 1947 after his one-shot play-off win.

Harrington repeated his feat the next year at the Royal Birkdale in Southport where everyone struggled throughout the weekend.

The golfer almost pulled out of the tournament because of a wrist injury and fought his way up the scoreboard throughout the weekend to become the second golfer to win the tournament back-to-back in three years, after Tiger Woods achieved the same feat in 2006.

His fantastic back nine on Sunday saw the two-time Champion Golfer of the Year separate himself from the rest of the pack.

Darren Clarke – 2011

Darren Clarke achieved his childhood dream by winning the 140th Open Championship three years later in 2011.

Clarke won at the venue where this year’s Open is being held, shooting five-under-par and leading since the second round.

At 42, the veteran came into the tournament as an outsider and left Sandwich as the champion.

It was a fairytale moment for the Northern Irish golfer whose best finish in a major previous to his win was third in the 2001 Open.

Rory McIlroy – 2014

In 2014, Rory McIlroy became Champion Golfer of the Year after shooting 17-under-par at the Royal Liverpool.

The current World number 11 achieved the first of two majors in the space of a month with a dominant weekend on Merseyside.

The Northern Irishman went bogey-free in the first round and achieved the same score of 66 in the second to take a commanding lead that he extended further on Saturday.

McIlroy bogeyed three times on the final day but his six-shot lead was too much for any chasers to close down.

The 149th Open Championship will take place from Thursday, July 15th – Sunday July 18th.

All Irish tee times are available here.

U20 Football Preview: Westmeath v Offaly – Watch Live, Team News, Betting

Here is all the information you will need to know for the Leinster u20 Football semifinal between Westmeath and Offaly

Throw in for this Gaelic football game will be at 19:30 on Thursday, 15th July in Cusack Park in Mullingar.

The Lake County made it to the semifinal after beating Longford last week in a thrilling penalty shoot-out.

Westmeath’s man to look out for is center-forward, Brandon Kelly, who scored an important 1-05 in their win last week.

Similar to their opponent’s this week, Offaly beat Wexford by a single point in a nerving game last week

Their goal scorer Jack Bryant will be looking to get a few more scores in this match to take his team to the final.

 

Predicted Starting 15

Westmeath

Martin (GK); J. Gahan, C. Drumm, C. Daly; E. Gaffney, D. Seery, M. Byrne; J. Murtagh, C. Daly; S. Fleming, B. Kelly, K. O’Sullivan; J. Torpey, B. McGauran, D. Hill

Offaly

O’Toole (GK); F. Dempsey, K. Dolan, L. Pearson; R. Egan, J. Furlong, A. Brazil; E. Cullen, M. Tynan; C. Egan, C. Flynn, C. Donoghue; C. Delaney, J. Bryant, A. Kellaghan.

 

Betting

Westmeath 11/8

Draw 15/2

Offaly 8/11

 

Score Prediction

Both teams showed their nerve to win tight matches last week and expect this match to be the same. This game will go down to the last minute.

Westmeath looks like they have the stronger squad so expect them to score the winning point late on.

U20 Football Preview: Tipperary v Waterford – Live Scores, Team News, Betting

Here is all the information you will need to know for the Munster u20 Football semifinal between Tipperary and Waterford

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES ON TIPPERARY U20 v WATERFORD U20

Throw in for this match will be at 19:30 on Thursday, 15th July in …

Tipperary made it to the semifinals after banishing their curse of losing to Limerick. The South Tipp heavy side beat them by three-point with their fast inside forward line making the difference.

Clonmel’s Sean O’Connor is their star player along with Kehoe as the full forwards. Eleven of the team’s 16 points came from these two players.

Waterford showed their tenacity for goal scoring after beating Clare in the quarterfinal, scoring 4-05 in the game.

Full forward Tom O’Connell got a hattrick and a point that day dancing past the Clare defense. He should prove to be a handful for Tipperary on Thursday.

 

Predicted Starting 15

Tipperary

Scully (GK); S. Daly, T. Condon, B. McKeown; E. Butler, B. O’Connor, L. Kennedy; C. Deeley, K. Grogan; C. Cadell, R. Walsh, J. Holloway; M. O’Connor, B. Kehoe, S. O’Connor.

Waterford

Kirwan (GK); S. Boyce, K. Taylor, L. Fennell; A. Ryan, C. Foley, R. Elliffe; O. Geoghegan, C. Walsh; P. Fitzgerald, N. McSweeney, T. Dalton; S. Fitzgerald, T. O’Connell, DJ Kiely.

Betting

Tipperary 1/6

Draw 12/1

Waterford 9/2

 

Score Prediction

Tipperary are slight favorites for this tie, but Waterford will hope their shock win over Clare was not a flash in the pan. This game will be tense and close.

The Premier County will have the advantage here and Tipperary will win this game by around two points.

U20 Football Preview: Donegal v Monaghan – Watch LIVE, Team News, Betting

Here is all the information you will need to know for the Ulster u20 Football semifinal between Donegal and Monaghan

CLICK HERE TO WATCH DONEGAL U20 v MONAGHAN U20 LIVE STREAM

The match will throw-in at 20:00 on Friday, 16th July in Brewster Park in Fermanagh.

Donegal reached the semifinal after beating reigning Ulster Champions, Tyrone by three points in a strong performance.

The shining light of the team is the partnership between O’Donnell and McFadden in midfield. They form a strong spine for the entertaining team.

Monaghan beat out Derry last week by four points, though they did not score a lot, it was a considerably comfortable victory.

Jason Irwin made the difference on that day, scoring two goals in the first half. He will want to continue this form on Friday

Predicted Starting 15

Donegal

D Roberts (GK); C McColgan, J Grant, J Gallagher; K Tobin, D McBride, R O’Rourke; R O’Donnell, R McFadden; E Dowling, S O’Donnell, R McShane; C O’Reilly, P McGettigan, J McGroddy.

Monaghan

R Farrelly (GK); R Grimes, T McPhillips, R Boyle; D McElearney, S Hanratty, B Óg Duffy; G McPhillips, J Wilson; D Treanor, L McDonald, S Slevin; M Meehan, D Swinburne, J Irwin.

 

Betting

Donegal EVS

Draw 15/2

Monaghan EVS

Score Prediction

Donegal come into this game as the more exciting side, beating the reigning champions now makes them the favorites.

Although Monaghan was comfortable against Derry, Donegal will be a harder challenge.

Expect Donegal to reach the Ulster final, winning by around three points.

 

Stuart Hogg named captain against DHL Stormers

The British and Irish Lions Head Coach, Warren Gatland has named Scotland international Stuart Hogg as team captain ahead of his side’s game against DHL Stormers.

After being named on the bench for the second tour game, against the Sharks in Joburg, Hogg was forced to self-isolate from the rest of the squad after a Covid outbreak in the Lions camp.

Hogg (29) was the only player to miss out on their loss to South Africa A in Cape Town on Wednesday.

Spending seven days in isolation has made him miss three games, which in return has made it difficult for him to break into the Test squad.

The Scottish captain was one of the players from the Lions camp who was contact-traced when COVID-19 spread last week.

It was reported that that out of the two positive tests in the camp, one of the results was a false-positive, and all remaining squad players were released from isolation par, Hogg.

He is set to return against the DHL Stormers on Saturday 17th of July, with kick-off at 5 pm BST (British Summer Time).

The game, which will be shown live and exclusively on Sky Sports. It is the final Tour match prior to the start of three tests against World Champions, South Africa.

Warren Gatland Interview

In a recent interview, Gatland expressed his reasoning for the changes in the squad;

”It’s an important game as it’s the final chance for the coaching group to see the players perform prior to the start of the Test Series.

“For the matchday 23 it’s their last opportunity to stake a claim for a Test place, so I expect to see a highly motivated group of players.

“It is particularly pleasing to be able to name Stuart Hogg in the squad. He’s not had much luck on Lions Tours to date, so it’ll be great to see him cross the whitewash again with the captain’s armband.

“I’m also delighted that Marcus will get his first start in a Lions jersey. I’ve been really impressed with his attitude since coming into camp this week; he’s been like a sponge for information.

“Obviously it’s a tight turnaround from Wednesday’s game but we’re in pretty good shape. The South Africa ‘A’ game was a physical encounter – we always knew it would be – but we’ve come out of it pretty much intact and ready to go again. Liam Williams will begin his return to play protocol following his HIA.

“We learnt a lot from Wednesday’s game and I hope the defeat will serve us well. There’re still some areas of the game we need to tighten up on, particularly reducing our turnover rate.

“Time and again on this Tour we’ve had to adapt in the face of the challenges created by COVID-19. I couldn’t be prouder of the staff and the players for the role each of them has played to get us to this point on the Tour.”

Team News

DHL Stormers v The British and Irish Lions

15. Stuart Hogg – captain (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland)
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby, Wales)
13. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England)
12. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) 
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland)
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, England)
9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) 
1. Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England) 
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) 
4. Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales) 
5. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, England) 
6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland) 
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland)
8. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) 

Replacements:

16. Jamie George (Saracens, England) 
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England)
18. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) 
19. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales) 
20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England) 
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales)
22. Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) 
23. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester Rugby, Wales)

Lions: Henshaw and Alun Wyn Jones In Squad v Stormers

The British and Irish Lions side to play the Stormers on Saturday evening has been announced.

Inside centre Robbie Henshaw will return to the starting lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Returning tour captain Alun Wyn Jones will have a place on the bench just three weeks after dislocating his shoulder against Japan.

Furthermore, Stuart Hogg will wear the captain’s armband on the day when he lines up in the back three alongside Josh Adams and Duhan Van Der Merwe.

Harlequins fly-half Marcus Smith, who was called up at the weekend, will start for the side, wearing the number 10 shirt.

Rory Sutherland and Tadhg Furlong will start for the Lions once more with Adam Beard and Jonny Hill at lock forward behind them.

Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan will give a strong Irish feel to the back row with Hamish Watson complimenting them at openside.

Many members of the bench were part of the side that narrowly lost out to South Africa ‘A’ 17-13 on Wednesday night, including Chris Harris and Louis Rees-Zammit.

Kick-off is at 5 pm on Wednesday and Sky Sports will cover the game.

Lions 23 v Stormers

Backs

15. Stuart Hogg

14. Josh Adams

13. Elliot Daly

12. Robbie Henshaw

11. Duhan van der Merwe

10. Marcus Smith

9. Ali Price

Forwards

1. Rory Sutherland

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie

3. Tadhg Furlong

4. Adam Beard

5. Jonny Hill

6. Tadhg Beirne

7. Hamish Watson

8. Jack Conan

Replacements

16. Jamie George

17. Mako Vunipola

18. Zander Fagerson

19. Alun Wyn Jones

20. Sam Simmonds

21. Gareth Davies

22. Chris Harris

23. Louis Rees-Zammit

Tokyo 2020: Athletes will put on their own medals

As we edge closer and closer to the Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony, more rules and restrictions are being put on the games. 

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, Thomas Bach announced yesterday that there would be new regulations around the medal ceremonies.

It had already been announced weeks ago that athletes would have to wear masks on the podiums. Now, they will also have to place their medals around their own necks.

President Bach announced this measure as another way to limit the spread of Covid19 in Tokyo.

At past Olympic Games, medals were normally presented by an IOC member or a representative of the given sport.

At a press conference in Tokyo, the president said:

“The medals will not be given around the neck. They will be presented to the athlete on a tray and then the athlete will take the medal him or herself.”

This is one of the first restrictions to be put on athletes while in the stadium or taking part in an event.

It was already announced that the limited crowd, that all live in Japan, will be told not to shout or look for autographs. Some events will have no spectators at all or only VIP members that include sponsors and sports representatives.

“There will be no shake hands and there will be no hugs there during the ceremony,” added president Bach.

How will this affect the Irish athletes in Tokyo?

Although these restrictions will make an odd spectacle of the Olympics, Team Ireland psychologist Jessie Barr believes that many of these restrictions will not affect the athletes.

“Most athletes are used to competing in pretty quiet stadiums until they get to major championships anyway so it won’t be that big of a step.

“From a mindset point of view, it is a big area of preparation. I don’t think it will have the negative impact on everyone that we think it might,” Barr said in an interview last month.

Olympic Games Schedule and Information

When do the Olympics start in 2021

  • Start date: Friday, July 23
  • Opening ceremony time: 12pm Irish Time

How to watch the opening ceremony in Ireland

  • TV Channel: RTÉ

The Tokyo Olympic Games will be airing on Irish screens throughout the summer, kicking off ifs live coverage with the opening ceremony on July 23rd beginning at 12pm Irish time. The coverage will begin on Friday, July 23rd 2021 and will end on Sunday, 8th August 2021.

Where are the 2021 Olympics?

The 2021 Olympic Games are being in Tokyo, Japan. After being awarded the bid for the opportunity to host the games. Originally intended to occur in 2020 starting the 24th of July to the 9th August, the games were cancelled from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The official cost to host the games is reported to be an estimated $15.4 billion. Although, the Japanese government has stated it may cost twice as much depending on costs.

Venue’s and Events

They are over 42 venue’s spread across Japan that will be used by numerous different sports. Here is the complete list for each venue and what sport will take place there.

Venue Events
Olympic Stadium Opening/Closing Ceremonies, Track & Field, Soccer
Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium Table Tennis
Yoyogi National Stadium Handball
Nippon Budokan Judo, Karate
Tokyo International Forum Weightlifting
Kokugikan Arena Boxing
Equestrian Park Equestrian
Musashino Forest Sport Plaza Badminton, Pentathlon
Tokyo Stadium Soccer, Pentathlon, Rugby
Ariake Arena Indoor Volleyball
Ariake Gymnastics Centre Gymnastics
Ariake Urban Sports Park Cycling, BMX Racing/Freestyle, Skateboarding
Ariake Tennis Park Tennis
Odaiba Marine Park Marathon Swimming, Triathlon
Shiokaze Park Beach Volleyball
Aomi Urban Sports Park 3-on-3 Basketball, Sport Climbing
Oi Hockey Stadium Field Hockey
Sea Forest Cross-Country Course Equestrian — Eventing, Cross Country
Sea Forest Waterway Canoe Sprint, Rowing
Kasai Canoe Slalom Centre Canoe Slalom
Yumenoshima Park Archery Field Archery
Tokyo Aquatics Centre Swimming, Artistic Swimming, Diving
Tatsumi Water Polo Centre Water Polo
Asaka Shooting Range Shooting
Musashinonomori Park Cycling Road
Sapporo Odori Park Marathon, Race Walking
Makuhari Messe Hall Fencing, Taekwondo, Wrestling
Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach Surfing
Saitama Super Arena Basketball
Kasumigaseki Country Club Golf
Enoshima Yacht Harbour Sailing
Izu Velodrome and MTB Course Cyling Track, Mountain Bike
Fuji International Speedway Cycling Road
Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium Baseball, Softball
Yokohama Baseball Stadium Baseball, Softball
Sapporo Dome Soccer
Miyagi Stadium Soccer
Ibaraki Kashima Stadium Soccer
Saitama Stadium Soccer
International Stadium Yokohama Soccer

 

Tokyo Olympics Schedule 2021

Here is a list of the full schedule of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games and Events taking place.

Each sport will have its own separate time frame, and will carry on throughout the Games.

Sport Date Venue
Opening Ceremony July 23, 2021 Tokyo Stadium
Archery July 23-31, 2021 Yumenoshima Park Archery Field
Artistic Gymnastics July 24 – August 3, 2021 Arlake Gymnastics Centre
Artistic Swimming August 2-7, 2021 Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Athletics July 30 – August 8, 2021 Tokyo Stadium & Sapporo Odori Park
Badminton July 24 – August 2, 2021 Musashino Forest Sport Plaza
Baseball/Softball July 21 – August 7, 2021 Fukushima & Yokohama
Basketball July 25 – August 8, 2021 Aomi Urban Sports Park & Saitama Super Arena
Beach Volleyball July 24 – August 7, 2021 Shiokaze Park
Boxing July 24 – August 8, 2021 Kokugikan Arena
Canoe Slalom July 25-30, 2021 Kasai Caneo Slalom Centre
Canoe Sprint August 2-7, 2021 Sea Forest Waterway
Cycling BMX July 29 – August 1, 2021 Arlake Urban Sports Park
Cycling Road July 24-28, 2021 Musashinonomori Park & Fuji International Speedway
Cycling Track August 2-8, 2021 Izu Velodrome, Shizuoka
Diving July 25 – August 7, 2021 Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Equestrian July 24 – August 7, 2021 Equestrian Park & Sea Forest Cross-Country Course
Fencing July 24 – August 1, 2021 Makuhari Messe Hall
Football July 21 – August 7, 2021 Tokyo Stadium, Sapporo Dome, Miyagi Stadium, Ibaraki Kashima Stadium, Saitama Stadium & International Stadium Yokohama
Golf July 29 – August 7, 2021 Kasumigaseki Country Club
Handball July 24 – August 8, 2021 Yoyogi National Stadium
Hockey July 24 – August 6, 2021 Oi Hockey Stadium
Judo July 24-31, 2021 Nippon Budokan
Karate August 5-7, 2021 Nippon Budokan
Marathon Swimming August 4-5, 2021 Odaiba Marine Park
Modern Pentathlon August 5-7, 2021 Musashino Forest Sport Plaza & Tokyo Stadium
Rhythmic Gymnastics August 6-8, 2021 Arlake Gymnastics Centre
Rowing July 23-30, 2021 Sea Forest Waterway
Rugby Sevens July 26-31, 2021 Tokyo Stadium
Sailing July 25 – August 4, 2021 Enoshima Yacht Harbour
Shooting July 24 – August 2, 2021 Asaka Shooting Range
Skateboarding July 24 – August 5, 2021 Arlake Urban Sports Park
Sport Climbing August 3-6, 2021 Aomi Urban Sports Park
Surfing July 25 – August 1, 2021 Tsurigasaki Surfing Beach, Chiba
Swimming July 24 – August 1, 2021 Tokyo Aquatics Centre
Table Tennis July 24 – August 6, 2021 Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium
Taekwondo July 24-27, 2021 Makuhari Messe Hall
Tennis July 24 – August 1, 2021 Arlake Tennis Park
Trampoline Gymnastics July 30-31, 2021 Arlake Gymnastics Centre
Triathlon July 26-31, 2021 Odaiba Marine Park
Volleyball July 24 – August 8, 2021 Arlake Arena
Water Polo July 24 – August 8, 2021 Tatsumi Water Polo Centre
Weightlifitng July 24 – August 4, 2021 Tokyo International Forum
Wrestling August 1-7, 2021 Makuhari Messe Hall
Closing Ceremony August 8, 2021 Tokyo Olympic Stadium

AIL 2021/22 Fixtures Confirmed

Fixtures have been confirmed for the upcoming 2021/22 Energia All-Ireland League (AIL) season.

The action will get underway with a full round of the Women’s All-Ireland League on Saturday, September 25th.

The men’s league will return a week later on October 2nd, with all 50 men’s sides starting their season that weekend.

The default kick-off times for men’s games will be 2:30 pm on Saturdays and 5 pm on Saturdays for women’s games but can be adjusted based on the agreed preference of participating teams.

Speaking about the release of fixtures, IRFU Competitions Manager Kevin Beggs said: “We are delighted to announce firm fixtures for all 60 participating teams in the Energia All-Ireland League for the 2021/22 season.

“For clubs and their supporters, it means a lot to have dates to put in the diary and the chance to get back pitchside and enjoy the very best that club rugby has to offer.”

The full list of fixtures is available to view on https://www.irishrugby.ie/energiaail.

Briggs said that the fixture list is balanced to meet the needs of clubs across the upcoming season.

The IRFU Competitions Manager also stated that clubs will play localised games in preparation for the league’s openers.

“It will be preceded by localised matches in September to whet the appetite for the All-Ireland action to come.”

Women’s All-Ireland League

Two new sides will join the women’s ranks for the 2021/22 season – Ballincollig and Wicklow – and both will have home advantage in Round One.

Ballincollig will welcome Suttonians to Tanner Park while Wicklow will play host to Old Belvedere.

Defending Champions Railway Union will meet 2019 runners up UL Bohemian on October 23rd, two and a half years after they met in the last Women’s AIL final.

A nine-game regular women’s season will conclude on December 11th with a one-off modified format beginning on January 15th 2022.

A Top 4 Round-Robin will lead into semi-finals and a final to determine the 2021/22 Energia Women’s All-Ireland League Champions.

The bottom six sides will also be put into a round-robin system separate from the top four and will compete for a one-off trophy following play-offs.

Dates for the Energia Women’s All-Ireland League playoffs are subject to confirmation to avoid any clashes with the as-yet-to-be announced fixtures for the 2022 Women’s Six Nations Championship Fixtures.

The ring-fencing of all 10 participating teams will be retained as planned for the next two seasons as the IRFU continue to support the development and long-term sustainability of participating teams.

The Energia Women’s All-Ireland Cup will also return this season with details to be announced in due course.

Men’s AIL

In the Men’s AIL, there will be an 18-game regular season that will run up until April 9th 2022 and a final set for Sunday, May 1st 2022.

This move was made after a majority of clubs voted to return to the previous format of the Men’s AIL.

Cork Constitution are the last winners of the Men’s Energia AIL and kick off the defence of their 2018/19 title away to Garryowen.

By the time we get to our Energia All-Ireland League finals in May 2022, it will have been three years since those prestigious trophies were last lifted. It’s building up to be a very special season indeed.”

The Open: Darren Clarke Excited To Be Back At Sandwich

2011 Champion Golfer of the Year Darren Clarke has said that he is excited to be back at the Royal St. George’s Golf Course in Sandwich, where he won The Open 10 years ago.

It is the first time that The Open has been held at the venue since the Antrim golfer’s win and the second time it will be the final men’s major of the season in recent history.

Speaking at a press conference for The Open on Wednesday, he feels that it is special to return to the place where he won.

“It’s great to come back to any golf course where you’ve played well on and won but to come back to an Open venue where you’ve played well on and won is even more special,” said Clarke.

The 52-year-old sees it as a privilege to be able to return to the Royal St. George as the last person to win the tournament there.

He won the Claret Jug in 2011 at his 20th attempt, having come close before when he came third in the 2001 Open.

The win was a childhood dream of Clarke’s, who sees the win as the best moment of his career.

He was an outsider in 2011 and praised the history of the course, which has seen shock wins in the Open throughout its existence as a tournament venue.

Clarke talked of his approach to the weekend 10 years ago, a weekend which he felt changed his mindset.

“I was ready to step across the line and win the biggest and best tournament in the world and the one I had always wanted to win.”

He noted that there are differences this week when compared to the Open Championship week in 2011.

The wind direction is different and the 18-hole course is a lot softer than it was during the last Open weekend at Sandwich.

Clarke said that these factors change the way the links course will be played this weekend.

“There won’t be so much chasing the greens, more flying them in there.”

The Open takes place from Thursday, July 15th to Sunday, July 18th with coverage of the tournament exclusively on Sky Sports The Open.

All Irish tee times for the first two rounds of the tournament are available here.

1...316317318...573Page 317 of 573

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

SportsNewsIreland is an Irish website launched in 2009 to offer sports fans in Ireland an alternative and independent source to keep them up to date with all the news from around the country. Every week we bring you live score updates from all levels of GAA, rugby, soccer, racing and athletics. Contact

Contact us: Email: info@sportsnewsireland.com

FOLLOW US

Design by SportsMediaIreland.ie