It has been more than a year since Shane Lowry lifted the Claret Jug on July 21st 2019 - improbably, that British Open remains the last of the four Majors to have been played. However the wait for a Major is nearly over, as the US PGA Championship gets underway in San Francisco later today. The tournament is being held at Harding Park, behind closed doors, with Lowry one of three Irish golfers in the field alongside world number three Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell. Lowry tees off at 4.11pm Irish time alongside Brooks Koepka and Gary Woodland; McIlroy is off shortly after at 4.33pm with Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas while McDowell gets underway at 9.35pm. McIlroy is looking to end a six-year Major drought in California, while defending champion Koepka has been bullish about his chances this week.
Manchester United are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League after they came from behind to beat Austrian side LASK 2-1 at Old Trafford last night. Anthony Martial's late winner gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side a 7-1 victory on aggregate following their 5-0 first leg win on March 12th. United will now face FC Copenhagen in the last-eight, with Wolves looking to join them in the Europa finals as they take on Olympiakos in the second leg of their last-16 tie tonight (kick-off 8pm, 1-1).
In today's edition of the Sporting Cathedrals series Gerry Thornley longs for Le Stadium in Toulouse - the home of Toulouse FC which doubles up as the daunting fortress of Stade Toulousain for their Heineken Cup knockout fixtures. Many teams have tried and failed to sack the European aristocrats at Le Stadium - Munster included - with Leinster a rare exception following their famous win in the Pink City in 2006. But it is a match from the 2007 World Cup, when France thrashed Namibia, which stands out - he writes: "As kick-off neared, the ground reverberated to chants of "Allez les Bleus" and a rendition of La Marseillaise the like of which has rarely been heard in Stade de France. French rugby was coming home."
Elsewhere in her column this morning Joanne O'Riordan has asked why women's sport continues to be neglected, when more games are available to watch than ever before thanks to online streaming. She writes: "Of course, I was able to accumulate some information by checking social media, but being able to watch teams from all sides of the country, and not one of them being women, was a tad bit depressing."
The GAA have refused to comment following the Government's announcement phase four of the easing of lockdown restrictions would be delayed - something which keeps the overall attendance at fixtures, including players and staff, limited to 200. Seán Moran writes: "The Irish Times has been told that there is still no appetite for matches being played behind closed doors and that the whole season would have to be reassessed were the current limit to go unrevised into October."
And Paul Stirling, the hero of Ireland's ODI victory over England on Tuesday night, has reflected on how he nearly called time on his international career in order to play county cricket: "In the end, I went with my heart over my head. I could either stay in England and play in front of the crowds there or else come back and continue playing for Ireland." Yesterday tourists Pakistan reached 139-2 at the close of play on a rain-affected opening day of the opening Test against England at Old Trafford.
