Rory McIlroy returns to Augusta next month as defending Masters champion

Rory McIlroy anticipates feeling “free” upon his return to Augusta to defend his Masters crown, insisting he’s placing no expectations on himself to secure another green jacket.

The Holywood man’s play-off triumph over Ryder Cup team-mate Justin Rose last April ended an 11-year wait, making him just the sixth player in history to achieve the career Grand Slam.

Back-to-back Masters victories remain an exclusive feat, accomplished by only three individuals – Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods – whilst merely 18 golfers have claimed multiple titles across the tournament’s 91-year existence, with Scottie Scheffler the most recent addition to that elite group in 2024.

Following Phil Mickelson’s third green jacket triumph in 2010, only three multiple champions have emerged: Bubba Watson (2014), Woods (2019) and Scheffler, a statistic that underpins McIlroy’s relaxed approach to his title defence.

“This is going to be the first time I drive down Magnolia Lane and it’s all going to be about enjoying my week, enjoying the perks that come along with being a Masters champion,” the 36-year-old explained.

“The thing is I know I get to go back to the Masters tournament for the rest of my life and that’s quite a freeing feeling.

“I honestly think that I’ve done it once and it’s not as if I have to win it again to win the Grand Slam.

“I think it was sort of two things won; I obviously wanted to win the Masters so badly but then obviously at the same time knowing what the Masters would give me and the people that it would put me alongside.

“So I think now going to win the Masters just to win the Masters is a nice thing but I think that I’ve won it once and I feel like that will make it a bit easier for me to win again.”

McIlroy held a two-shot lead entering last year’s final round, though it vanished instantly after a double bogey on the opening hole. However, he rebuilt a three-stroke cushion by the time he reached the par-five 13th fairway.

Attempting to safeguard that advantage through conservative play, he instead sent a 90-yard pitch shot into Rae’s Creek for another double bogey, swiftly followed by a further dropped shot—which then sparked his memorable near-eagle approach on the par-five 15th during a turbulent conclusion.

Reflecting on the experience, McIlroy identified the importance of maintaining his attacking instincts throughout.

“When I look back at the round when I played aggressively I was rewarded and I played well and then the first time that my mindset or my tactics went a little bit defensive, like trying to protect the lead, that’s when I got into trouble,” he added.

“Obviously (that’s) what happened on 13 and on 14 and when I got to 15 again I needed to be aggressive. I needed to make a birdie again and I was able to do it.

“So there’s probably a lesson in there somewhere of not taking your foot off the gas. I thought I was sort of doing the smart thing by playing 13 as a three-shotter and trying to protect the lead that I built.

“But in hindsight, everything that went well for me that day and that week was when I played aggressively, when I went for my shots.”

As the reigning champion, McIlroy has the honour of selecting the menu for the champions dinner. Drawing inspiration from his mother Rosie, he’s chosen to include elk sliders and a date and goat’s cheese appetiser. For the main course, attendees can look forward to either Wagyu filet mignon or a fillet of seared salmon, accompanied by an Irish champ (mashed potatoes with spring onions).

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In this episode, host Tamara Kormornick is joined by business writer and branding specialist, John Arlidge, to discuss the changing landscape for legacy brands in a tougher environment. The two discuss the burgeoning second-hand market to the prevalence of high quality dupes, and ultimately, the downfall of the retail sector.

John Terry has branded Chelsea’s Champions League thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain as unacceptable.

The reigning European champions gained a measure of revenge for last summer’s World Club Cup final defeat by handing out an 8-2 thrashing on aggregate following Tuesday night’s 3-0 romp at Stamford Bridge.

Liam Rosenior had talked bullishly ahead of the second leg and had been confident that his young side were capable of overturning a three-goal deficit following their late capitulation in the French capital.

Instead, Chelsea rolled out the welcome mat for their visitors who gleefully accepted the early opportunities that allowed them to put the tie to bed within the first 16 minutes in west London.

The Blues were fortunate, in some ways, that Luis Enrique’s side eased off the gas thereafter and scored only once thereafter with Senny Myulu putting the gloss on a comprehensive demolition just after the hour mark.

And while a dejected Terry conceded that much of the damage had already been done at Parc des Princes, he argued that no Chelsea side should ever lose a European knockout game by such a wide margin.

He said: ‘Unfortunately that is the end. You know what does it for me? Being 3-2 down away to PSG and we actually played really well the whole game, or for 70 minutes of it.

‘I’m going 3-2 we’ll take that all day long going back to the Bridge, I fancy us against anyone to be able to turn that around and then we go and concede late goals to make it really difficult.

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‘And then last night we go and concede after six minutes so everything about last night, I can’t even talk about it. I can’t even actually go into the detail of it. I’m so frustrated.

‘But against any team you cannot lose 8-2 over two legs. I’m sorry you can’t. I don’t care who you are, what team you are you cannot lose 8-2 so really frustrating.’

Midfielder Moises Caicedo, meanwhile, accepted Chelsea’s best had not been good enough after their European campaign went out with a whimper.

‘It was disappointing for everyone,’ said Caicedo, who had given the ball away cheaply in midfield in the build-up to the second goal.

‘Of course we know PSG are a very tough opponent. We tried to show our best, but they are the current champions of the competition. We did our best but we didn’t get what we wanted.’

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Chelsea’s embarrassment was complete when 19-year-old midfielder Mayulu came off the bench to blast home PSG’s third, triggering a chorus of boos as supporters began to stream out of the ground.

Individual mistakes had been their undoing in the first leg in Paris and proved the case again here, though the manner in which the European champions punished them was particularly brutal.

‘We wanted to do better but they are one of the best teams in the world,’ Caicedo said. ‘We are disappointed and want to do better.

‘Everyone was ready to fight, but I think we have four competitions playing every two or three days. Sometimes in this scenario, it’s so difficult because they are doing well. We will keep going.’

Liam Rosenior’s team are in a fight to return to the competition next season. They are sixth in the Premier League after winning only one of their last four games and face a difficult assignment at Everton on Saturday.

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After a positive start, the former Strasbourg boss is at risk of seeing his tenure turn sour. Supporters sang the name of former owner Roman Abramovich – typically a sign that discontent is bubbling at Stamford Bridge – while there was a furious reaction to Rosenior’s decision to take off Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro with 30 minutes to go.

Chelsea’s night got worse afterwards when Enzo Fernandez said in a post-match interview with ESPN in Argentina that he does not know whether he will be at the club next season.

‘There are eight games, then the World Cup, then we’ll see,’ he said.

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The nurse pleaded guilty to nine charges

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A Portadown nurse who ran a home aestetics clinic has been fined £720 (plus offender levy) after admitting nine offences under medicines regulations.

Registered Nurse, Nafeyka Chavdarova, 44, appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court where she pleaded guilty to nine charges on Wednesday.

The Court heard that in March 2024 enforcement officers from the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG) visited the defendant’s home at Clendenning Avenue, Portadown. It was here where they discovered and seized a range of unlicensed prescription medicines intended for sale or supply from the address — which was operating as an aesthetics clinic.

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The charges related to the unlawful possession of prescription medicines intended for sale or supply, which included, injectable Botulinum toxin type A, Hydroxocobalamin, Hyaluronidase and Lidocaine.

In addition, MRG officials also established that the defendant had been unlawfully advertising prescription medicines.

Peter Moore, Senior Medicines Enforcement Officer with the Department of Health who directed the investigation, said: “This conviction sends a clear message that there are consequences if a person attempts to bypass the regulated system and controls which are in place to ensure public safety and integrity of the medicines supply chain.

“I would urge people to consider the implications of buying drugs online or from dubious sources – there is no way of knowing what you are buying is what you think it is, and this can have serious consequences for your health.”

Aaron McKendry, Interim Head of Medicines Regulatory Group, added: “It is extremely important that people take prescription only medicines after consultation with their GP, pharmacist or other healthcare professional who have access to patient health records and can consider the risks and benefits associated with every medicine.

“The Department is committed to taking all possible steps to stop the illegal promotion, supply or misuse of medicines and when appropriate, to alerting the public about the dangers of using medicines outside of the regulated supply chain.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

If it included six giant tankers, and warships at the front and back, a convoy could be 12 kilometres (7.5 miles) long given the distance apart which they would be required to keep, explained Prof Clarke, so it would be a very large, slow-moving target for Iranian drones, missiles and fast attack boats.

Head of Northern Ireland’s only secure care facility has warned that the sector is failing vulnerable young people

Young people as young as nine are being locked up for their own protection and that of others, according to the head of Northern Ireland’s sole secure care education facility for those under 18.

Jon Bleakney, principal of Co Down’s Lakewood School, maintains the secure care sector is experiencing a crisis and letting down our most vulnerable youngsters.

His comments come ahead of his inauguration as President of the Ulster Teachers’ Union at its annual conference in Limavady this week.

“We work with children who have already faced extremely adverse circumstances in life and so require very specific support and intervention in order to progress as positive and productive citizens,” Mr Bleakney said.

“However, without a major restructure our secure care sector is struggling to cope, placing the safety of these young people and the wider community at risk.

“Most of them – whose ages range from 13 to 17 – come via care homes, but because of the level of their needs and behaviours, they can no longer be supported there. They need a more intensive and secure environment.

“In the 30-plus years I’ve worked in this sector those behaviours have become increasingly distressing and our students younger, as evidenced by the nine-year-old we had recently.”

Mr Bleakney said that while once it was those caught up in petty criminal activity who the school saw, now it’s young people with significant mental health problems, additional educational needs, neurodiversity issues and multiple addictions.

“Often victims of sexual or criminal exploitation, adverse childhood experiences and developmental trauma, they’re being referred for support which isn’t here,” he said.

“Some end up sent away to facilities in the Republic and GB, only compounding their problems by ripping them from family.

“The NI Review of Children’s Care Services in 2023 made a range of recommendations yet nothing’s changed. We must not allow this to be yet another report commissioned by Stormont which goes nowhere.

“These are our most vulnerable young people who, from even before birth, have faced unimaginable disadvantage, born to mothers with addictions or into violent homes.

“Even their brain development in the womb can be compromised, affecting how they’ll react to danger, their fight, flight or freeze responses.

“Aggression and violence is the only way they know how to and it’s kept them safe even though it’s not acceptable within our societal norms.

“So it’s about supporting them to change that.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran intensified its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors’ energy infrastructure Thursday, setting Qatari liquified natural gas facilities ablaze as it hit back following an Israeli attack on its main natural gas field, a major escalation in the Mideast war that has sent global fuel prices soaring.

A ship burned off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and another was damaged off of Qatar, underscoring the ever-present danger facing vessels due to Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar, a key source of natural gas for world markets, said firefighters had put out a blaze at a major LNG facility after it had been hit by Iranian missile attacks. Production had already been halted there after earlier attacks but it said the latest wave of missiles caused “sizeable fires and extensive further damage.”

Damage to the facility could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market even after the Iran war ends.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi said the country had been forced to shut down operations at its Habshan gas facility and Bab field, calling Iranian overnight attacks on the sites a “dangerous escalation” of the war.

Gulf states condemn Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure

Missile alert sirens sounded in multiple other areas around the Gulf, and Israel warned of incoming Iranian fire.

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all denounced the Iranian attacks, with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat saying assaults on the kingdom meant “what little trust there was before has completely been shattered.”

In morning trading, Brent crude oil, the international standard, was above $110 a barrel, up more than 50% since Israel and the United States started the war Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran.

Iran strikes back after Israel hits critical gas field

The wave of Iranian attacks came after Israel hit South Pars, the world’s largest gas field located offshore in the Persian Gulf and owned jointly by Iran and Qatar.

With some 80% of all power generated in Iran coming from natural gas, according to the Paris-based International Energy Agency, the attack directly threatens the country’s electricity supplies. Natural gas is also used to supply household heating and cooking across the Islamic Republic.

Hitting the gas field is a “clear expansion of the conflict,” the New York-based Soufan Center said in a research note.

“Israel’s target selection in this war has heavily focused on the institutions, leaders and infrastructure …” the think tank said. “It now seeks to inflict additional pressure on the regime by making the living conditions for civilians intolerable.”

Iran condemned the strike on South Pars, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.”

In Washington, President Donald Trump said that Israel would not attack South Pars again, but warned on social media that if Iran continued striking Qatar’s energy infrastructure, the U.S. would retaliate and “massively blow up the entirety” of the field.

“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran,” Trump said on social media.

Energy infrastructure targeted around Gulf region

Qatar Energy said on X that it was a missile hit on its massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility that caused the blaze early Thursday.

A ship was also hit off the country’s coast, according to the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center. It was not clear whether it was deliberately targeted of was struck by falling debris as Qatar fired off missile interceptors at incoming Iranian barrages.

Saudi Arabia also reported downing Iranian drones targeting its natural gas facilities overnight, and authorities in Abu Dhabi said it had been forced to shut down its Habshan gas facility and Bab field after interceptions over the sites.

Another ship was set ablaze early Thursday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. It was also unclear whether it was targeted or hit with debris, the UKMTO said.

It said the vessel was just off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the UAE, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil is normally shipped.

More than 20 vessels have been attacked during the Iran war so far as Tehran has kept a tight grip on shipping traffic through the waterway, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean.

Iran insists the waterway is open, just not to the U.S. or its allies, and while some vessels have sailed through, it has only been a trickle.

Iran executes 3 men detained during January protests

Iran announced the execution of three men detained in January’s nationwide protests, the first such sentences known to have been carried out, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported.

The men were accused of stabbing two police officers to death in Qom, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) south of the capital, Tehran, during the protests.

Iran put down the demonstrations with intense violence that killed thousands of people and saw tens of thousands others detained, and activists have warned that authorities might carry out mass executions of those detained.

Iran long has been accused by rights campaigners of extracting coerced confessions from detainees and not allowing them to fully defend themselves in court.

Death toll climbs in third week of war

More than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed during the war. Israeli strikes have displaced more than 1 million Lebanese — roughly 20% of the population — according to the Lebanese government, which says 968 people have been killed.

In Israel, 15 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire, including a Thai agricultural worker who died overnight after getting hit with shrapnel. Three people were also killed in the occupied West Bank overnight by an Iranian missile strike, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.

At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed.

___

Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank, and Rising from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Julie Watson in San Diego and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed to this report.

From early next week, a change in wind direction will bring lower temperatures.

A north-westerly wind will drag in some colder air with temperatures on Monday actually falling below average in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It will also temporarily turn more unsettled with an area of low pressure tracking across Scotland into Tuesday.

This will bring some showers which could turn a little wintry over the higher ground of Scotland, northern England and Wales.

Feeling chilly early next week too with temperatures ranging from 6C in northern Scotland to 13C in south-east England.

Looking further ahead, there are signs that high pressure will return to bring the settled weather back for the start of the Easter school holidays.

You can stay up to date with the details of that on our monthly outlook.

Harwood residents spoke of their shock after the paths and grass in Longsight Park were covered in mud and bike tracks – with some calling for signs to be put up.

After the incident, Jane Wilcock, of friends of Harwood and Longsight Park, asked the public to be more considerate when using public parks.

Residents have appealed for signs to be put up after Longsight Park was destroyed by bikes (Image: Public)

She said: “I’m not sure how much is deliberate and how much is real ignorance.

“There’s nothing to tell people that they can’t take quad bikes in there, I really feel if there was a sign that would be a step up.”

Bolton Council has now said that they are “actively looking” at how to tackle the problems caused by quad bikes.

A spokesperson said: “Bolton’s parks are for everyone and they should be a place of calm for all to enjoy.

“Quad bikes have no place in our parks, especially when they are causing damage and danger.

“We always take these issues seriously and we are actively looking at ways to tackle the problems caused.”

Residents have appealed for signs to be put up after Longsight Park was destroyed by bikes (Image: GMP)

In 2024 a section 59 order was placed on Longsight Park, subjecting the park to a protection order of The Police Act from off road bikes. 

The Section 59 increases police powers to seize off-road and e-bikes where they are being driven off road or in public spaces.

The order also made it an offence for a person to fail to stop a vehicle when required to do so by a police officer punishable by a fine of up to £1000.