As Philip Reid puts it, “the punches keep coming Rory McIlroy’s way”. For the second Sunday running he was pipped at the post, this time by Billy Horschel in a play-off at the BMW Championship. “The heartbreak doesn’t get any easier,” says Philip, but McIlroy was upbeat enough after Horschel’s eagle at the second hole of sudden-death meant he had once again to settle for the runners-up spot. “That’s two weeks in a row I’ve played well, just not quite well enough. But you know, I’m happy with where my game is and happy where it’s trending,” he said. And not that he’s short of a few bob, but there was the slight consolation of a cheque for €697,260 – which would cheer most of us up.
Gerry Thornley, meanwhile, rounds up a rugby weekend that saw Ireland return to the top of the world rankings thanks to Argentina’s thrilling 29-28 win over South Africa. And on the home front it was a positive few days for the provinces, “a flurry of tries and bonus points heralding the start of the URC campaign”.
Gerry was at Thomond Park to see Munster just about hold off Connacht in a rollercoaster of a game, the sides “exchanging five tries apiece in a breathtaking contest”. Pete Wilkins wasn’t too downhearted, though, the Connacht coach excited by his team’s display, not least by the performance of new halfbacks Ben Murphy and Josh Ioane who, writes Gerry, “looked like they’d been playing together for years”.
And John O’Sullivan was in Belfast to see Ulster “pickpocket” defending champions Glasgow Warriors with a try four minutes in to injury time from Dave Shanahan. Add in Leinster’s win over Edinburgh on Friday, and that’s a very healthy start to the season for the home crew.
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In Gaelic games, Denis Walsh looks at the challenges facing the latest iteration of the Hurling Development Committee as it tries to promote the growth of the game around the country. That challenge, he writes, “will be to identity places and people who want hurling to be part of their communities and shower them with support and resources. There is no future in trying to impose hurling on anybody. People must want it.”
In cycling, Katie-George Dunlevy and Linda Kelly were at it again at the road World Championships in Zurich, Shane Stokes reporting on the pair winning yet more gold in the individual time-trial. And Brian O’Connor wraps up the weekend’s horse racing news, while also looking forward to the action at the Curragh next weekend when Willie Mullins’s Belloccio will be favourite to land Europe’s richest flat handicap.
TV Watch: Eurosport has continuing coverage of cycling’s Road World Championships today (1.45pm-5pm), but if your preference is for racing of the horsie kind, then off to TG4 you’ll go – they’re looking after the action in Listowel this week (2.25pm-6pm). And this evening, Virgin Media Two brings you the Premier Division meeting of Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians (7.45pm).
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