Portmarnock the only show in town for R&A

Portmarnock Golf Club

Ballyliffin might want to be considered for The Open but the R&A insists Portmarnock is the only Irish candidate on its shortlist as it looks to stage the game's oldest major outside the UK for the first time.

An R&A spokesman said: "We responded to Portmarnock's proposal to say we are interested in exploring it further with them and with the Irish Government. These are the only discussions we are involved in."

Ballyliffin's general manager, John Farren, said this week that the Donegal links wants to be considered by the R&A for The Open.

But while he also conceded "it's a slow burner", the R&A is not looking to the Inishowen Peninsula beyond staging next summer's Amateur Championship there.

On the DP World Tour, Jon Rahm's bid for fourth Spanish Open win suffered a reverse when he struggled to a one-over 72 at the Club de Campo in Madrid.

“I can’t recall a putting day where I hit so many good putts and none went in,” said the world number three, who was tied for 45th on three-under at halfway, eight strokes behind overnight leader Matthieu Pavon.

The French star's 68 gave him a one-stroke lead on 11-under over India's Shubhankar Sharma and the Netherlands' Wil Besseling as Holywood's Tom McKibbin shot 75 to miss the two-under cut by six strokes.

In Las Vegas, Cameron Champ fired a four-under 67 and Lanto Griffin a 66 to share the halfway lead in the Shriners Children's Open on 12-under.

Lexi Thompson came up short in her bid to become the first women to make a PGA Tour cut since Babe Zaharias in 1945 when she added a 69 to her opening 73 to finish on level par.

In the SAS Championship on the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington (70) was tied 25th and Darren Clarke (71) tied 38th behind Rod Pampling (66) at Prestonwood Country Club in North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Portmarnock's Conor Purcell followed a 67 with a 72 at the Challenge Tour's Hainan Open in China to share 19th with Jonathan Caldwell (68) at halfway.

They are six shots behind China's Chuan-lin Jian, who shot 70 to lead by a shot from Switzerland’s Joel Girrbach on 11-under.

Meanwhile, Stephanie Meadow carded a bogey-free, six-under 66 to move up to 25th on five-under in the Buick LPGA Shanghai event.

She’s seven shots behind Sweden's Maja Stark (70) and American Angela Yin (65) who lead by a shot from Thailand’s Pavarisa Yoktuan (69) on 12-under.