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British Open 2026 – Rory McIlroy: „Wenn ich morgen gut starte, bin ic…

British Open 2026 – Rory McIlroy: „Wenn ich morgen gut starte, bin ich mittendrin“

Rory McIlroy rettet seine British-Open-Chancen mit einer Driving-Masterclass nach dem Putt-Debakel von Tag 1. amunra.qpon

Es war nicht die spektakulärste Runde, aber es war eine, mit der Rory McIlroy leben konnte. „Es war ein bisschen besser", sagte der Nordire in der Mixed Zone, nachdem er am Freitag den Cut bei der 154. Open Championship in Royal Birkdale sicher überstanden hatte. „Das Hauptziel heute war, für das Wochenende hier zu sein – und das bin ich."

Den Schwung nahm McIlroy von zwei Birdies an den Löchern 8 und 9 mit auf die zweite Neun. „Ich hatte das Gefühl, auf den Back Nine ein bisschen was gestohlen zu haben", so der fünfmalige Major-Sieger. Ganz zufrieden war er dennoch nicht: Ein Blick auf das Leaderboard, wo bereits die ersten 62er-Runden standen, zeigte ihm, was möglich gewesen wäre. „Man lässt ein paar Schläge draußen liegen und denkt sich: Da wäre mehr drin gewesen."

„Vier oder fünf unter Par – dann bin ich dabei"

Für das Wochenende gibt sich McIlroy kämpferisch. „Wenn ich morgen anständig starte und bei vier oder fünf unter Par für das Turnier stehe, bin ich mittendrin." An der Spitze tummeln sich sowohl Routiniers als auch Debütanten: „Ein paar da oben erleben zum ersten Mal, wie es ist, an einem Major-Wochenende in Führung zu spielen. Andere sind darin sehr erfahren, wie Cam oder Sam."

Wie er das Wochenende angeht, macht der Nordire vom Wind abhängig. Sein größtes Pfund: das Drivingspiel. „Ich habe den Ball in den letzten zwei Tagen so gut geschlagen. Immer wenn ich den Driver in die Hand nehmen kann, werde ich es versuchen." Das Kalkül: mit Länge die Fairwaybunker aus dem Spiel nehmen. „So wie ich mich mit dem Driver fühle, ist das ein großer Vorteil."

Blind aggressiv will McIlroy aber nicht spielen. „Es gab Situationen, in denen ich aggressiver hätte sein können und ein Eisen vom Tee gespielt habe, weil das die bessere Option war. Ich suche mir meine Momente aus."

Zweimal das 9. Grün angefahren – ungeplant

Für Aufsehen sorgte McIlroy an beiden Tagen am 9. Loch, das er jeweils vom Tee direkt anspielte. Geplant war das nicht. „In den Proberunden hatte ich eine komplett andere Windrichtung, ich habe nicht mal daran gedacht", erklärte er. „Aber gestern habe ich auf dem Tee den Wind gesehen – die Ecke rechts zu überfliegen sind rund 335 Yards, und mit Rückenwind dachte ich mir: Solange ich ihn sauber treffe, sollte das passen."

Ursprünglich sah sein Plan anders aus: „Eigentlich wollte ich ihn auf die Kuppe legen, ein Wedge aufs Grün spielen und von dort weiter. Aber manchmal ergeben sich Gelegenheiten, und die muss man nutzen."

Ob seine Flightpartner überrascht waren? McIlroy traut zumindest Xander Schauffele denselben Schlag zu: „Xander ist fast so lang wie ich. Wenn er sich damit wohlfühlt, könnte er das wahrscheinlich auch." Für ihn selbst sei der Abschlag komfortabel, wenn auch blind: „Man schlägt über die Kuppe, aber man sieht, wohin man will. Die Mitte der Tribüne ist quasi die Mitte des Grüns."

Der Kampf mit den Grüns

Weniger komfortabel fühlt sich McIlroy noch auf den Grüns. „Ich versuche immer noch, diese Grüns ein bisschen zu durchschauen. Heute war es etwas besser, aber ich habe mich noch nicht hundertprozentig wohlgefühlt." Für das Wochenende erwartet er kein einfacheres Setup: „Wenn sie die Fahnenpositionen weiter dort hinstecken, wo sie sie hinstecken, werden die Grüns sehr schwierig." Die Löcher würden bewusst an den Kanten und hinter kleinen Hängen versteckt – wer zu viel riskiere, lande schnell in den Abhängen rund um die Grüns.

Vor der Runde arbeitete McIlroy eine Stunde lang mit Putt-Coach Brad Faxon. Im Fokus: Vertrauen und Commitment. „Ich habe gestern ein paar Putts geschlagen, die ich gut getroffen habe, die aber etwas völlig anderes gemacht haben, als ich in der Linie gesehen habe. Das verunsichert ein wenig." Die Poa-annua-Grüns verlangen ihm Überzeugung ab: „Es geht darum, dem zu vertrauen und sich auf das festzulegen, was man sieht. Gestern bin ich deshalb bei einigen Putts unsicher geworden – heute habe ich das besser hinbekommen."

Mit dem Cut im Rücken, einem Driver in Topform und einem Putter, der langsam warm wird, geht Rory McIlroy also als Jäger ins Wochenende der 154. Open. Sein Plan ist klar – jetzt muss nur der Start am Samstag sitzen.

The post British Open 2026 – Rory McIlroy: „Wenn ich morgen gut starte, bin ich mittendrin“ appeared first on Golf Post.

Tom Pidcock surges up standings while Mauro Schmid wins Tour de France stage 13

  • British rider moves into fourth in general classification

  • Schmid claims first Tour win after mass breakaway

Tom Pidcock leapt up the overall standings in the Tour de France, briefly climbing as high as second place, after a fulminating stage to Belfort ended in a first Tour win for Switzerland’s Mauro Schmid.

Pidcock was one of the key instigators of a mass breakaway that formed on the rolling roads of the Jura and Doubs, on the long approach to the 9km climb of the Ballon d’Alsace, overlooking Belfort.

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Overwatch stopping work on Stadium may be an even bigger fumble than PvE

When I heard the that Team 4 would be stopping work on Overwatch's Stadium, I didn't feel very surprised. Then when I learned that only 6% of the playerbase actually engaged with the game mode, and I was even less so. But that doesn't mean I'm not really sad to hear the news.

I didn't take to Stadium at first, I found its third person perspective to be a bit jarring, and its huge number of items were something of a hurdle to get over. But that quickly changed after some time spent in the mode, figuring out its intricacies.

D.Va in Stadium spawn

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

I spent 100 hours in Stadium—even with its ridiculously long support queues—it became something more than just a game mode I'd dip into when I was bored of the regular queue. I appreciated how it offered something else for players to enjoy, and how it showcased all the creative and innovative ideas that Team 4 has to offer, but didn't have a chance to add to the game.

See, much of Stadium was made from ideas Team 4 had been mulling over for years before it was announced. There were even elements included which were initially meant to be a part of Overwatch's now controversial PvE mode. I was just happy to have these fun and creative ideas recycled into something fans could appreciate and experience, but it seems like history is repeating itself.

I didn't mourn the loss of PvE as much as others. I always preferred the competitive side, so I didn't give much thought to the story modes—playing against bots just wasn't as fun. But I was sad to see it go, because I saw it as one less area of experimentation and opportunity the devs could use to better showcase the great attributes of Overwatch—in this case, its story and characters.

Sojourn in Stadium

(Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

But it's easier not to miss something we never really had, which is why I feel that this is an even bigger fumble—Stadium got much further than PvE ever did, and it had proven traction. It became Overwatch's most popular mode with 2.3 million matches played during launch week. Even with scaled back involvement, I think a different approach to balancing and more time would've been good for Stadium as extra heroes (aka reasons to play) would be added and players got a better feel for it.

More leeway may have also given the devs time to iron out some of its discrepancies, namely how bloody long a match takes. Team 4 did change the format a few seasons ago to be first to three, but switched it back to best of seven quite quickly after the change.

I'd love to see Team 4 build on what it's created over the last 10 years, and not just be tied to the same old modes. But that's a wish that isn't realistic, especially given that there's been so much pressure on Xbox-owned studios, especially over the last few weeks, to capitalise off the best areas on the game. I'd wager it'd be harder to justify hard work on such a small area of the game now more than ever.

It's the loss of this creativity and innovation that I'm sad to see dialled down, more so than the game mode itself. I also don't think this kind of experimentation can be undervalued, not at a time when Overwatch has more competition to deal with and players to keep engaged. But I'm sure we'll still see it in other areas of the game, not least the Hacked Quickplays, the most recent of which carries the promise of a new kind of 6v6.

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Matt Damon says he still plans to star in a new Jason Bourne film that he hopes will be "like the first three"

Despite rumors to the contrary, Matt Damon plans to return as Jason Bourne after all.

Rumors swirled that Damon's co-star in The Odyssey, Zendaya, was in talks to replace him as Bourne. But, it looks like that's simply not true.

"Yeah, I'm talking to – there's a great director named Ed Berger. He did All Quiet on the Western Front," Damon shared on The Rich Eisen Show, when asked about Bourne. "He's a wonderful director, and we're talking about it. We're trying to nail the story down, because I'd love to do it. It's just that thing where, if we do it, we want it to be like the first three.

"And it's a tough [one], because it's not built like a James Bond, where every movie is its own mission," he continued. "People can even change the person playing Bond. It's a linear story. Makes it more challenging to do a sequel where you're giving people what they want, but also enough new stuff. It's a tricky one."

The last Jason Bourne movie was released in 2016 and was directed by Paul Greengrass. There have been five movies so far, with the first released back in 2002.

"I hope we can crack it. I think we have a line of sight on how to do it," Damon added.

In the meantime, Damon can currently be seen in The Odyssey, starring opposite Zendaya, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Benny Safdie, Jon Bernthal, and many more.

The Odyssey is in theaters now, while the new Jason Bourne movie doesn't yet have a release date. While you wait, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies to fill out your watchlist.

Guerilla bus stop ads are taking aim at Meta's AI glasses, and the latest stunt involves a horrifying They Live-style transforming image of Kylie Jenner

Acerbic activism group Everyone Hates Elon (EHE) don't just aim their ire at Mr. Musk. The group's latest guerilla effort involves two bus stop ads lampooning Meta's latest smart glasses offering, taking aim at the wearables' capacity for covert surveillance.

The first ad was unveiled last week, and describes Meta's AI glasses as "The biggest advance in pervert technology since the trenchcoat." The most head turning of these guerilla marketing stunts cropped up a few days ago: Co-opting an image from Kylie Jenner's recent collaboration with Meta AI, a lenticular design is leveraged to give Jenner a They Live makeover when viewed from certain angles, complete with the words 'Meta: We're always Watching' (via Hyperallergic).

The activism group has pulled similarly pointed stunts on both sides of the Atlantic, though these two ads were unveiled in the UK. Kylie Jenner's They Live transformation was specifically erected "down the road from Meta's London HQ".

I'll spare you a former print professional raving about lenticulars, and instead explain the reference for the young'uns. They Live was written, directed, and scored by John Carpenter back in 1988. It stars late pro-wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper as a drifter who, with the help of a pair of sunglasses, uncovers the subliminal messages hidden within advertising and that the world is being controlled by camouflaged aliens (hence Kylie Jenner's sci-fi makeover).

It is, as the kids say, 'a wild ride' that features one of the greatest fight scenes ever committed to film.

EHE's latest stunt was inspired by news that Meta is prototyping ‘super sensing’ AI glasses that record the wearer's every waking moment over video and audio. A little LED light usually denotes when Meta's already released smart glasses are recording, but sources say the prototyped 'super sensing' feature won't trigger this. Criticism centres on the fact that, not unlike a Ring doorbell, folks passing by won't necessarily know they're being recorded.

A report earlier this year revealed that footage captured by Meta's AI smart glasses is reviewed by human contractors who see far more than they bargained for. However, in one proposed system for the 'super sensing' feature, Meta wouldn't hold on to the footage captured and it wouldn't be available to the user either—instead, the metadata of recorded images and audio would be fed to Meta’s AI. It's argued this approach would sidestep a number of privacy concerns.

However, I still wouldn't be comfortable allowing an AI model to absorb even this personal data, especially since security researchers were able to leverage bad maths to get AI agents to cough up user personal data. Considering AI safety guard rails can also be bypassed with 'adversarial poetry,' I'm not eager to trust Meta's AI with even vaguely sensitive information.

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