Golf

4/6/2026 |  Rory McIlroy and the town in Northern Ireland that will always be part of his story (ESPN) HOLYWOOD, Northern Ireland -- Tucked away on a steep hillside high above County Down, overlooking Belfast Lough, sits the 6,100-yard parkland runway from which Rory McIlroy took flight.
And no matter how high he soars or how far his reach extends or how many days pass until he returns, Holywood Golf Club will always be home.

4/6/2026 |  Masters 2026: Ranking favorites, contenders, hopefuls and everyone else (ESPN) AUGUSTA, Ga. -- For the first time in his career, Rory McIlroy will drive down Magnolia Lane this week as a Masters champion.
And, for the first time, McIlroy won't be carrying the burden of having never won a green jacket as he prepares for the first major championship of the season at Augusta National Golf Club.
Nearly a year ago, McIlroy made a 4-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to defeat England's Justin Rose on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.

4/6/2026 |  Golf’s ‘Golden Age’ Drives Big Gains for Shoe Brands and Retailers (Footwear News)   The post-pandemic surge in the golfing sector appears to have staying power — and that’s good news for sales of golf shoes.
Data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association shows that golf shoe wholesale sales in 2025 reached $416.3 million, up 10.6 percent year-over-year. In fact, golf shoe sales — with the exception of 2022 — have grown consistently on an annual basis since 2020 when the total hit $283 million, according to data from SFIA. In 2021, total sales were $333.5 million, fell to $320.8 million, but then began an upswing to $346.5 million in 2023 and $376.5 million in 2024.   

4/6/2026 |  Additional details emerge regarding Tiger Woods' arrest (Yardbarker) More information about the Tiger Woods arrest in March continues to surface, and the last few tidbits of news may have started to take a bit of the attention away from the immediate context.

4/2/2026 |  MASTERS ’26: Rory McIlroy sheds burden of winning green jacket. Now it falls to others (Associated Press (AP)) AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy had the green jacket on his shoulders and an enormous weight off his back when he looked ahead to the 90th edition of the Masters with a question and a coy smile.
“What are we going to talk about next year?” he said.