NEED TO CATCH up? TheScore.ie brings you a round-up of today’s sports news…

Martin Kaymer watches his tee shot on the third hole during a practice round for the U.S. Open. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

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• Cork senior hurling manager Jimmy Barry Murphy reacts to the GAA’s new penalty rule
• Ireland were disappointing beaten 5-1 by Portugal in their final summer friendly in New York. Here are five talking points from the game 
• Leinster pair Quinn Roux and John Cooney will join Connacht on loan next season
• Dublin have been dealt a setback with news that Danny Sutcliffe will miss Saturday’s Leinster SHC semi-final against Wexford through injury
• Ireland’s Olympic boxers Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan have been named on Northern Ireland’s team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games  

Away

• We’re just one day away from the start of the 2014 World Cup. Our man Mikey Stafford previews the mood in Brazil ahead of tomorrow’s big kick-off. And here’s our writers’ predictions
• Tomorrow sees the start of the US Open in North Carolina. Rory McIlroy is paired with Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry lines out alongside Brendon de Jonge and Kevin Stadler while Darren Clarke will have the South African pair of Ernie Els and Louis Ooshuizen
• Nathan Charles, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, is set to make his debut for Australia in Saturday’s Test against France
• FIFA boss Sepp Blatter will declare his candidacy for a new term. The under-fire president also bizarrely suggested today that football could be played on other planets

The best thing we shared

The Spanish squad train ahead of their opening World Cup game on Friday. Intense.

Where we were today

Paul Fennessy was on the RTÉ Six One News discussing the phenomenon that is collecting World Cup stickers.

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On the record

We wonder one day if our game is played on other planets. Why not? Then we will have not only a World Cup, we will have inter-planetary competitions.”

- Is Sepp Blatter winding us up?

Showbiz, baby

Miguel Angel Jimenez does his best Robin Thicke impression.

The fixture list

• The opening game of the World Cup sees hosts Brazil face Croatia in Sao Paolo. Kick-off is 9pm Irish time.
• The first round of the  114th US Open starts tomorrow at Pinehurst.

Niall Kelly has a beautiful head of hair…”