Try GOLD - Free
McIlroy's touch on the greens brings the smiles back
The Guardian
|July 11, 2025
World No 2 only four shots off the lead while Scheffler happy with 'decent' score
The latest glimpse of a return of Rory McIlroy's mojo arrived over the closing stretch of the Scottish Open's first round. He has spoken of an understandable need to find new mountains to scale after Masters glory completed a career grand slam.
On the 15th hole at the Renaissance Club, the Northern Irishman was in trouble; his fairway bunker shot had rolled back towards his feet. McIlroy's ball sat in the mark created by his first attempt. "It served me right for trying to hit a nine-iron with the lip two feet in front of me," he said later.
The response was notable. The world No 2 pitched out sideways, holed from 21ft - and the fringe of the green - for a bogey and rattled off three birdies in a row over the closing holes.
A 68 to start at the tournament which precedes McIlroy's Open Championship tilt at Portrush was hugely impressive in context. He sits only four shots from the lead.
This story is from the July 11, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Rock me Amadeus, all over again: can TV series inspire a new generation to love Mozart?
Forty years ago, Amadeus won eight Oscars, four Baftas and four Golden Globes - and introduced a new generation to 18th-century music.
3 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Doctors' strike during flu crisis 'beyond belief' - PM
Keir Starmer has said it is \"frankly beyond belief\" that resident doctors would strike during the NHS's worst moment since the pandemic, in remarks that risk inflaming tensions with medics.
4 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
'We've made progress' But 10 years on from the Paris agreement, is it enough?
Ten years on from the Paris climate summit, which ended with the world's first and only global agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions, it is easy to dwell on its failures. But the successes go less remarked.
6 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Paint it orange! The charity turning anger into hope - and quick action
Dashing through the snow with Father Chris... It doesn't get any more seasonal, even if it feels as if there might be a final syllable missing.
4 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
President takes star role in battle for Warner Bros businesses
Over the first 10 months of his second presidency, Donald Trump has not hidden his desire to control the US media industry - from encouraging TV networks to fire journalists, comedians and critics he dislikes to pushing regulators to revoke broadcast licences. Now he seems determined to set the terms for one of the biggest media deals in history.
6 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Swift's pain over Southport knife attack is palpable
Swifties had long guessed that there would be a documentary going on behind the scenes of the blockbuster Eras tour.
1 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Recognition for writer and pioneer
'The thing all women hate is to be thought dull,\" says the title character of Sylvia Townsend Warner's Lolly Willowes, an early feminist classic about a middle-aged woman who moves to the countryside, sells her soul to the devil and becomes a witch.
2 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Machado feared US strike on escape boat as she fled
The most dangerous moments came when salvation seemed finally assured. Many miles from land, the small fishing skiff carrying the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado had been lost at sea, tossed by strong winds and 10ft waves. A further hazard was the ever-present risk of an inadvertent airstrike by US warplanes hunting alleged cocaine smugglers.
2 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Police warn drivers of risks when handing over keys
Terence Baxter* had booked a meet-and-greet service to park his Volkswagen at Heathrow airport while he and his wife went on holiday.
2 mins
December 13, 2025
The Guardian
Card Factory delivers surprise pre-Christmas profit warning
Card Factory has delivered an unwelcome early Christmas surprise for investors by issuing a shock profit warning during its peak trading period, which sent shares plunging by more than a fifth.
1 min
December 13, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size