Rory McIlroy looks to go beyond the end of the rainbow

After reaching paradise by completing the career Grand Slam with his Masters win, stating on Wednesday that he had achieved everything he had ever wanted in golf, what now for Rory McIlroy? Is that sense of “fulfilment” dangerous, asks Denis Walsh. How long can it last “before it becomes corrosive?” “What do you do when you reach the end of the rainbow?”

Well, we’re about to find out just how hungry McIlroy is for another major, the US PGA Championship getting under way today at Quail Hollow - a course, Denis reminds us, where McIlroy’s record is staggering. He has been drawn in a stellar group with world number one Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Xander Schauffele, but who else is in contention? “Is there a lurker in the field this week,” Denis wonders.

Paradise for the Irish football team would be qualifying for the next World Cup - and manager Heimir Hallgrímsson is certain the mission can be accomplished. “This is how we should all think: we are going to the World Cup,” he said when he unveiled his squad for next month’s friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg. Gavin Cummiskey brings you the details.

Gordon Manning, meanwhile, sets the scene for camogie’s “hastily arranged” special congress next Thursday when another vote will be taken on the skorts issue, while Ciarán Murphy reflects on the success of this season’s provincial football finals. “If you were looking for evidence that these are trophies that exist as their own entity, and are deemed worth winning in their own right, look no further than the last two weeks.”

PGA Championship 2025: Tee times, what TV channel is it on, weather, players to watch

Tom McKibbin to make PGA Championship debut in LIVed-up field

Ken Early: Trent Alexander-Arnold could improve shambolic Real Madrid, but can Xabi Alonso?

If the provincial finals don’t always receive a whole lotta love, the split season has had its doubters too. But Muireann Duffy heard Gaelic Players Association chief executive Tom Parsons reiterate his stance that it should be maintained.

In rugby, while Munster, still battling to make the last eight, have a key URC game against Benetton tomorrow night, “the fates of the other three Irish provinces are already determined,” writes John O’Sullivan. Leinster will start the knock-out stage as top seeds, but Ulster and Connacht are out. There is, though, still plenty at stake for players with ambitions of making the Irish squad for July’s games against Georgia and Portugal.

And in his America at Large column, Dave Hannigan tells us about the key question Americans wanted answered after Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope - were his baseball allegiance with the White Sox or the Cubs? The Cubs tried to claim him, but Prevost’s brother John confirmed that he grew up supporting the White Sox. That, a fellow fan ruefully noted, means “he can identify with suffering”.

TV Watch: It’s round one of the US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow today, Sky Sports Golf bringing you just the 11 hours of coverage (from 1pm). And this evening Barcelona need just a point from their game against their beloved neighbours Espanyol to wrap up their 28th La Liga title (ITV4 and Premier Sports 1, 8.30).