He had hoped to bring his family to Kilkenny with him but strict travel restrictions made this tough and impractical with the golfer instead opting to go alone and play in the Scottish Open next week.

This will be followed by the Open Championship in two weeks time, giving the golfer a run of three tournaments in three weeks.

“I just felt like it wasn’t fair to put them through what they would have to go through to be here with me, so plans changed very quickly,” said McIlroy.

The 32-year-old has never played at Mount Juliet before but is enjoying his time there.

He did go to the course as a child to watch the WGC-American Express Championship in 2002 and 2004 and has fond memories of his time there.

He was on the 18th green for the prize ceremony when Tiger Woods won the tournament in 2002 and even managed to close to the American golfing icon.

“His glove was still in the back pocket and I could have reached and got it and ran – it would have been a great story to tell him.”

Working with coach Pete Cowen has got Rory back into his stride at times and he is eyeing up silverware for the second half of the 2021 season.

His win at Quail Hollow last month is a positive sign that their work is coming together nicely.

After getting himself into contention at the US Open, he wants to chase another major with the Open only two weeks away.

McIlroy also cited the FedEx Cup, the Race to Dubai and the Ryder Cup as challenges he wants to tackle.

The current number 10 in the world feels confident after his promising Torrey Pines performance.

“I went out at Torrey on Sunday at least with a plan….previously over the last couple of years it has been more of a wishful, hopeful sort of thing.”

However, he is still looking forward to the Irish Open and many are confident that he will get the win on Sunday.

McIlroy noted similarities between the course designed by Jack Nicklaus and the course at the K Club, where he won in 2016.

Parkland courses are something McIlroy plays often overseas on the PGA Tour.

Following in the footsteps of his hero Tiger Woods and join the list of Major winners with a victory at Mount Juliet is something that McIlroy wants to do.

“I hope to continue that trend for sure.”

Irish Open tee times for Irish players and TV details are available here.

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The Open is on the 49-year-old’s mind but so is the Ryder Cup, which gets closer and closer every week.

The Ryder Cup captain announced his third and fourth vice-captain choices last week with Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer earning the same honour as Robert Karlsson and Luke Donald.

“The first priority is the Ryder Cup,” said Harrington.

Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter have been two golfers that the three-time major champion has praised publicly.

Harrington feels that their Ryder Cup records mean that they should be held in high regard when it is time to select his team.

He also named Martin Kaymer as another example of a player with an impressive history as a Ryder Cup golfer.

However, the captain also understands that the future is coming fast with recent wins from Jon Rahm and Viktor Novland solidifying the need to take note of the younger golfers too.

What a special weekend – To win my first major, on my first Father’s Day, at a place that means so much to me like Torrey, is simply unbelievable. If this is a dream, I still haven’t woken up yet – so happy I can enjoy this with my entire family! pic.twitter.com/ttXQOzw4xB

— Jon Rahm Rodriguez (@JonRahmpga) June 22, 2021

But the best possible way of impressing Harrington, regardless of age, is with your performances.

“Wherever [players] play, I want to see them play well…the best possible way of impressing me is playing good golf.”

As for the more immediate events on his planner – the Irish Open and The Open Championship – the golfer is confident and working on his mental game, which he said is a good sign.

He credited Mount Juliet as a great golf course with great greens and hopes to be very stressed when he’s on the back nine on Sunday.

The 2007 Irish Open winner does expect a great weekend in Kilkenny with a limited amount of fans present to see the golfers play.

“I think all the players will appreciate the limited fans.”

The Open begins two weeks from now and is something Harrington has his eye on after his impressive performance at the PGA Championship, where he was tied for fourth with Shane Lowry.

He felt that the conditions in South Carolina helped him to perform well, likening it to a links course which is what the Royal St George course is.

Given the right scenario, Harrington feels he could impress at Sandwich as he is used to links courses.

“Given the right conditions and the right golf course, I can be very competitive with the game I have.”

The idea of winning a major again is what gets the World number 155 up in the morning, adding that it gives him a unique buzz compared to the thought of winning non-major tournaments.

However, that does not mean the veteran golfer can not get excited for the other tournaments.

Harrington noted that Jack Nicklaus noticed he was at the tail-end of his career when he lost that feeling of excitement before every tournament, and that he still has that feeling.

This week is exciting for him but feels different to many others as he prepares to begin the quest for the title, as others have agreed with him on.

“We do feel like it’s special this week.”

Irish Open tee times and TV details are available here.

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His recent form, which consists of numerous cuts and off-the-pace performances mostly, has been the story of the last 12 months for McDowell.

The Northern Irish felt that he was flying high before the season was brought to a halt due to the pandemic.

“The dream of playing a Ryder Cup was starting to be real…I got back on the golf course and things went sideways,” said McDowell.

Adjectives like scrambling, searching and looking were used to describe his mentality when the run of bad form kept going after his return.

Work with a new coach did not turn things around and the Portrush golfer has had some dark days thinking about his career in recent times.

But he is “not ready to walk away” and wants to improve before he does but he has been his own worst enemy at times.

“The mental side of the game is not there [personally] – my confidence is low; my expectations are high.”

McDowell understands that he should not ask himself to change the way he plays golf in order to find results but instead rely on the basics.

He noted that while his numbers have been disappointing, the 2010 US Open winner believes he is closer than it appears to put things right.

“It’s not how I want the next 2-5 years to end.”

The number 167 ranked golfer in the world thinks that the Ryder Cup vice-captaincy has come at a good time.

Being around a Ryder Cup could be something that helps the once World no.4 to get back on his feet.

McDowell said that it is the kind of stuff he needs right now to help him regain his confidence on the course.

“There’s obviously no reason why I can’t do it again.”

Click here to view tee-times, betting and broadcasting details for the Irish Open.

The post Graeme McDowell: “I’m Not Ready To Walk Away” appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Irishman will pair up with Rory McIlroy for the tournament as the duo will aim to win the first medal in golf for Ireland at the Olympics.

Lowry noted that it felt good seeing what the Olympics meant to those who chose him and hopes to do the country proud when he plays at the Kasumigaseki Country Club next month.

“I think it’s just pretty cool that I’m going,” said the one-time major winner.

The 2019 Open Champion is going over there searching for success and not for the experience alone, adding that he wants a medal.

Lowry ruled himself out of contention for the first-ever golfing tournament at the Rio Olympics in 2016 due to the outbreak of the Zika virus at the time.

At that time, he was recently newlywed to his wife Wendy and they were planning to have a family.

Statement on my Olympic Games participation pic.twitter.com/KY4YBzFa3g

— Shane Lowry (@ShaneLowryGolf) June 28, 2016

Based on that, he was advised not to travel to Rio to take part in the Olympic games and instead put his family’s welfare first.

Five years later, a year longer than expected, he will represent his country at the Olympics, something he described in his statement from June 2016 as an honour that would bring him “a huge source of pride.”

The Ryder Cup is another tournament that is also in the sights of the Irish golfer.

Lowry feels he is on course to be chosen by Pádraig Harrington to represent Europe in their defence of the trophy at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

His ability to stay in Ireland ahead of the upcoming Open Championship and subsequently his appearance at the Open will help his case as Whistling Straits is a links course, much like many courses in Ireland and Britain.

Lowry believes he only needs to replicate the form he has been in over the last year to be picked.

“I’ve put myself pretty close to the team. I think some good golf over the next couple of months will do that.”

Tee times and broadcast details for the 2021 Irish Open are available here.

The post Lowry Honoured To Go To Olympics appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.