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Rory McIlroy’s Texas challenge fades, Ken Early on sport jettisoning racist fans

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with ‘The Irish Times’ sports team

Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy bump fists after their final round in Texas. Photograph: Tom Pennington/Getty
Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy bump fists after their final round in Texas. Photograph: Tom Pennington/Getty

The return of the PGA Tour received a thrilling finale last night, as Daniel Berger edged Collin Morikawa in a play-off to take the Charles Schwab Challenge. A number of big names headed into Sunday's final round with live chances, and Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau were among a chasing pack who finished a shot behind the young American duo. A final hole birdie saw Berger sign for a 66 and he needed one extra hole to secure victory ahead of 23-year-old Morikawa. Meanwhile Rory McIlroy was left to rue a poor start on Sunday as his challenge quickly faded in Texas - the world number one started the day three strokes off the lead but quickly unravelled with six dropped shots in his opening nine holes. After a disappointing end to his return to action, McIlroy said: "You know, sort of played all the way to the end, shot a decent back nine. I was a couple under on the back. But front nine I just got into a rut and played a bad run of holes, and obviously that put me out of the tournament."

In his column this morning Ken Early has drawn parallels between the BLM counter-protests in London over the weekend and the typical behaviour of sections of England's away support on the continent. He writes: "There were arguments over some details of doctrine, such as whether All Lives Matter or White Lives Matter was the correct slogan to rally behind, but on the essential points there was general agreement: No Surrender; We Want Our Country Back; Winston Churchill, He's One of Our Own." And he has pointed to the example of Nascar, which has stopped pandering to its traditional, right-wing support in a bid to modernise and diversify: "For Nascar, as for many other sports, the commercial and the moral logics are for once in agreement: there's no future in being on the wrong side of history."

Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford has urged the UK Government to backtrack on the decision to stop providing vulnerable children with free school meals during the summer holidays. Working with charity FareShare Rashford has helped raised £20 million for the cause, and in a letter to MPs he writes: "This is England in 2020, and this is an issue that needs urgent assistance. Please, while the eyes of the nation are on you, make the U-turn and make protecting the lives of some of our most vulnerable a top priority."

Elsewhere this morning Dublin All-Ireland winner Jason Sherlock has suggested the GAA still have work to do when it comes to tackling racism within Gaelic Games. And speaking on RTE's Sunday Game, he recalled some of his own experiences either on the pitch or on the sidelines: "There is a lot of rhetoric out there in terms of racism, and I remember every kind of situation where I was slagged, be it by a player, a crowd, a manager, and that doesn't leave you. You still remember, and you still harness all the self-doubt, all the anger, all the frustration, and all the emotion that goes with a situation like that."

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And Irish-born prop Oli Jager, who left for New Zealand in 2013 aged 17, has spoken to Gavin Cummiskey about his desire to represent the All Blacks: "But seeing them in the World Cup lit a fire in me to get better. For sure I have thought about putting on a black jersey. It would be cool. Can't say many people from Ireland have done it." Meanwhile Super Rugby returned in New Zealand over the weekend, with 43,000 supporters there to see the Auckland Blues beat the Wellington Hurricanes at Eden Park.

Patrick Madden

Patrick Madden

Patrick Madden is a former sports journalist with The Irish Times