Lifestyle
Hideki Matsuyama, Tom Kim fight into contention at U.S. Open
No Asian golfer has won the U.S. Open since its inception in 1895 but this weekend, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and Tom Kim of Korea will get a crack to set the record straight at Pinehurst No. 2
Matsuyama, Asia’s winningest golfer on the PGA TOUR with nine victories, already has a taste of major glory following a historic triumph at the 2021 Masters Tournament which made him the first Japanese male major champion.
A bogey-free, 4-under 66 in the second round on Friday, which was the day’s low score, put him right in the title mix for major No. 2 where his 2-under 138 total sees him in solo eighth and three behind 36-hole leader Ludvig Åberg.
A further stroke back is the effervescent Tom Kim, who battled to a gutsy 68 for a 139 total. While this week is his seventh straight tournament in a row, the 21-year-old is bouncing at the opportunity to become the second Korean male major winner after Y.E. Yang (2009 PGA Championship).
Kim, who has already won three times on the PGA TOUR, was described by countryman K.H. Lee during the 2022 Presidents Cup “like the Energizer bunny, just keeps going.”
Matsuyama, who is featuring in his 12th straight appearance at the U.S. Open, was joint runner-up at Erin Hills in 2017 where he finished four shots behind winner Brooks Koepka.
It matched the best finish by another legendary Japanese golfer, Isao Aoki, who came in solo second and two back of Jack Nicklaus at Baltusrol in 1980. It was probably in 1985 at Oakland Hills that Asia came closest to celebrating a rare win.
T.C. Chen of Chinese Taipei led by four strokes in the final round but finished an agonizing tied second and one stroke behind winner, Andy North after he ran up a quadruple-bogey on the fifth hole, which featured a chip-shot that he hit twice in one swing. It earned him the moniker “Two Chips” Chen.
Interestingly, Matsuyama credited his own short game for his rise up the leaderboard at Pinehurst No. 2, thanks to four birdies on hole Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 11, after starting his round from the 10th tee.
“I feel it’s a great test for all the players. I felt like I was playing really well today,” said Matsuyama, who won The Genesis Invitational in February. “It’s very difficult, obviously. I really had difficulty on this golf course, but I managed to save par a few times.
Hopefully, I can keep that momentum through the weekend. My short game was on point, and that really helped my overall performance. I still need to make some adjustments to my iron game, and hopefully, I can do that throughout the week.”
With conditions expected to be a grind over the weekend, Kim is prepared to take his medicine and remain patient on a course which will penalize errant shots or decision.
“You might hit good shots and not get rewarded as much. You just got to be in it. I feel like that’s what the mindset was. I feel like we’ve done a really good job. The next two days, that’s how we’re going to go about it,” he said.
LITERALLY living inside the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca, Spain for three years and counting, Filipina ace Alex Eala observed firsthand how tennis champions are made.
In fact, in some way, the 15-year-old sees herself treading the same ground and facing the same challenges as World No. 2 Rafael Nadal himself, who again bagged another Slam in his pocket today, after defeating World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets, in the French Open tournament.
It also helped, too, that she literally sees him on the court.
“Oftentimes, he plays beside me or on the court next to me. It’s so inspiring, even if you’re just watching him play from afar, you can learn a lot,” Eala said during a virtual press conference with the Philippine media on Sunday night.
Aside from being an oustanding athlete and tennis coach, she also considers the 34-year-old Nadal as an inspiring mentor.
“One of the biggest things I can take away from Rafa is his humility. [He’s] so grounded. He’s achieved more than I can dream of, and the fact that he’s achieved so much and he’s still very nice to everyone here, so down-to-earth, it’s very admirable for him,” she said.
It’s from him that Alex takes inspiration in celebrating her success in a very modest way. Just last Friday, she made the whole country proud after a gallant semifinals finish in her French Open stint.
Eala lost to Elsa Jacquemot, conceding the home ground to the French netter, 6-3, 6-2
Austin Butler just shared the details of his wild night at Paul McCartney’s house party.
The star-studded affair was not only the most “insane” time Butler’s had in a while, but it was the most glamorous, being surrounded by his childhood icons and legendary music artists like Meryl Streep and Bruce Springsteen.
Butler, 32, reflected on the experience while speaking with Jimmy Kimmel, who was also lucky enough to be at the party. During the June 17 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, the two gushed about having last seen each other at McCartney’s house.
“Last time I saw you was at maybe the craziest party I’ve ever been to in my whole life,” Kimmel, 56, admitted before Butler agreed: “That was insane.”
Kimmel noted: “It was like a party where Tom Hanks is going: ‘Oh my God, can you believe who’s here?!’”
Emblem rockers like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ringo Starr graced McCartney’s home, leaving Hollywood’s elite to mingle with music royalty, the pair said. Even Taylor Swift was there, according to Butler and Kimmel.
The Elvisstar said the “Anti-Hero” singer wasn’t a normal guest, she was the DJ. “Yeah, she was DJing at one point,” Butler told Kimmel, who then quipped about how Swift isn’t booked and busy enough, she must oversee the music for McCartney’s party, too.
While Swift’s appearance may have been cause for celebration among some of the other guests, Butler confessed a different idol sent him into complete awe. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Meryl Streep in the same room as him.
“She’s just the greatest. I felt like, you know in high school when you have a crush on somebody and they’re across the room and you don’t really know how to say hello to them?” he said. “That’s how it was. I saw her there and I couldn’t believe I was in the same room.”
Too star-struck to approach the It’s Complicatedlead himself, Butler headed into McCartney’s kitchen to bide his time and eat some vegan pizza. Thankfully, his friend offered to introduce him and Streep.
“I couldn’t believe I was meeting Meryl Streep with Paul McCartney’s vegan pizza in my mouth,” Butler confessed.
He was then pulled into a circle of people he couldn’t pass the opportunity to spend time with. Butler was invited to “have tacos with Snoop Dogg and Robert De Niro.”
“I dropped everything I was doing and I was there in a heartbeat,” he told Kimmel.
Another crazy conversation Butler had was with Bruce Springsteen. The 74-year-old recounted a time when he was fearless, hopping the fence at Graceland to sing Elvis Presley a song.
Butler had heard rumors that Springsteen had done that but wasn’t sure it was true until he confirmed. Of course, Presley wasn’t there when Springsteen approached his front door.
Entertainment
Paige Spiranac gives hack for golfers with big boobs as she shares video of her swing in slow motion
PAIGE SPIRANAC gave fans a hack for golfers with big boobs and shared slow motion video. The American has become a popular sports influencer since she stopped competing in 2017.
She has since carved out a successful career on social media with over 4million Instagram followers.
In a recent post on X, Paige gave tips for players on the course who have bigger busts.
She wrote: “I’ve been doing these slow mo videos and in all seriousness it’s wild seeing what my chest has to do through the swing so my arms can clear lol I can totally understand why women with larger chests who pick up the game feel stuck and uncomfortable.
“My tip is under on the right arm and over the chest on the left at set up. Also stand a little farther away from the ball!”
Paige had just a brief year playing career but is now making huge amounts through social media.
Research from Vegas Insider suggests the 31-year-old earns as much as FOUR TIMES more per post than Scottie Scheffler.
The study estimates that Paige earns between $8,477 (£6,692) to $12,716 (£10,000) per post.
Scheffler, on the other hand, earns $2,000 (£1,578) to $3,000 (£2,368) per post.
Paige is also now inviting followers to join her on Passes, where her memberships run from £4 to £80 a month.
She announced the news on Instagram alongside some trademark racy photos.
A glimpse inside Paige Spiranac’s glamorous life…
-
Entertainment2 weeks agoSimon Cowell was ‘actually quite nervous’ after being honored to walk X-factor contestant down the aisle
-
Entertainment2 weeks agoVictoria Beckham gushes over son Cruz Beckham for new achievement
-
Lifestyle3 weeks agoSimon Cowell returns to Britain’s Got Talent following illness
-
Lifestyle2 weeks agoPaige Spiranac opens up and reveals the things that drive her crazy in golf
-
Entertainment3 weeks agoSimon Cowell Hijacks Howie’s Golden Buzzer for Airfootworks on ‘AGT’: Watch Airfootworks Performance
-
Lifestyle2 weeks agoSammy Spieth and Maya Fowler Steal the Show at the Masters Par-3 Contest
-
Entertainment1 month agoAmerica’s Got Talent’ Returns With 44 Acts for Season 19
-
Lifestyle3 weeks agoVictoria Beckham gets Netflix show charting her career from Spice Girl to fashion designer