Rahm and Rory give Adare Manor seal of approval

Jon Rahm © INPHO

Two-time Irish Open champion Jon Rahm gave 2026 Ryder Cup venue Adare Manor a resounding thumbs up after firing an eight-under 62 to lead the WGC FedEx St Jude Invitational in Memphis

"It's great," said Rahm, who led by three shots in the clubhouse from Americans Patrick Cantlay and Bubba Watson, Australian Cameron Smith and Japan's Hideki Matsuyama and Shugo Imahira as Rory McIlroy birdied four of his last five holes for a battling 69. Scores

"Adare Manor is the closest thing we are going to see to Augusta National. It's such a special place, and JP McManus has done such a good job with that hotel.

"It is probably one of the most relaxing environments I have ever seen in my life. It is going to really hard to top a venue like that and with Irish people loving golf as much as they do, it's definitely going to be a fun one."

McIlroy was three-over with five holes to play after following a birdie at the sixth with four dropped shots in four holes after a double-bogey at the ninth.

But he birdied the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th to move into the top 30 in his first start since his Open disappointment and echoed Rahm’s words of praise for Adare Manor.

“I am so happy for JP McManus and his wife Noreen and everyone involved at Adare Manor. It was been no secret since he redid the golf course and the hotel and all the facilities that he wanted a Ryder Cup.

“So it will be a great legacy to leave for JP, for Adare Manor. It is going to be the 20th anniversary of the Ryder Cup at The K Club in 2006 and hopefully I am part of the team and can try to get another win for Europe.

“I am excited to go back there and play but obviously we have got other things to worry about before that and try to retain that thing at Whistling Straits.”

As for round, he said: “It was as really nice finish. I sort of lost it a little bit in the middle round. I misjudged the lie on nine, I made a terrible swing on 10 and made a couple of other bad swings on 12.

“The club was getting behind me and I was flipping it over and missing a few left. I think that thing that turned everything around was the swing on 14. I just told myself to turn onto it , just trying to hit a nice little cut.

“Playing in the wind the last couple of weeks, leaning on your left side, I need to do a bit of work on the range and get the club back in front of me. So it was good to hit a shot and make a swing like that and that gave me some confidence on the last few holes.”

In Reno, David Lingmerth made nine birdies in a bogey-free 63 with 18 points and a five-point lead over Tyrone Van Aswegen and Robert Streb in the modified stableford Barracuda Championship.

Darren Clarke also bounced back from his disappointing missed cut at The Open, carding a two-under 68 that left him just a shot behind clubhouse leaders Paul Broadhurst, Wes Short Jnr and Scott Dunlap on his debut in the lightning delayed Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Lytham & St Annes.

"Last week was a huge week for me," said Clarke. "Triple on the last to miss the cut, that's probably as low as I've ever been in my career just because it was home in Portrush."

He’s trying to become just the fourth player after Gary Player, Bob Charles and Tom Watson to win both The Open and the Senior Open.

“Early to get carried away yet but I would love to get myself in there,” Clarke said. “I'm amazed there's only three people that have done it, but certainly, it's another Open Championship, and it's one that I would love to win at some stage in my career.”

Mark McNulty and Paul McGinley shot three over 73s as Des Smyth shot 75 on a day when play was interrupted twice due to the threat of lightning and play was suspended due to darkness with 24 players still on the course.

Meanwhile, American Paula Creamer made seven birdies in a bogey-free 64 to lead the Evian Championship by one stroke from compatriot Brittany Altomare and South Korean trio Mi Hyang Lee, Inbee Park and Jin Young Ko.

England's Mel Reid and American Jennifer Kupcho were a shot further back after 66s while Forrest Little amateur Julie McCarthy was near the back of the field after an 83.