Lifestyle
Nelly Korda Worried as she must answer key question at Olympics golf to extend family dynasty
You wouldn’t want to face the Kordas on a family sports day.
With tennis and golf major titles decorating the mantlepiece, the Americans are one of the biggest sporting dynasties in the world right now – with all five family members boasting a rich CV.
Dad Petr is former Australian Open tennis champion; mum Regina cracked the top 30 in the same sport and son Sebastian is one of the emerging names from the US scene and on the fringes of the top 20.
Oldest daughter Jessica has nine top 10 major golf finishes and is one of the best players around. And then, there’s Nelly – the best player in the world.
When it comes to some light family competition, the stakes are incredibly high.
“We always make fun of the boys because we say that the girls in the Korda family are the only ones that are the Olympians and the boys are not,” Korda said.
“So, we have that above them in the family.”
Korda is in Paris for the defence of her Olympic title, and if the women’s event can even generate half as much drama as the men did last week, then we’re in for something special at Le Golf National.
Seventeen of the world’s top 19 players are here this week, including more than a dozen major winners, but all eyes will be firmly fixed on Korda.
The 26-year-old almost transcends her sport and this season, she has gone to spectacular heights.
Korda won a scarcely believable six tournaments from just eight starts, including her second major at April’s Chevron Championship.
But on the third hole of her first round of the ninth event at the US Open, she unravelled spectacularly – and has been unable to knit her game back together since.
Korda went into the water three times on the 12th hole, after starting on the 10th, shot a 10-over-par 80 and then missed the cut.
She followed that up with a 76 at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, and missed the cut again, and then an 81 at the KPMG PGA Championship for a third straight early exit.
From barely being able to miss, to barely being able to putt, Korda quickly announced a break ahead of the Olympics and arrives in Paris after four weeks’ rest.
“The game of golf of is a funny game,” Korda said.
“Sometimes you feel on top of the world and in a matter of a couple seconds, you just feel like you’re on the bottom of the sea.
“So, it definitely makes you appreciate the good golf that you play, but yeah, I mean, you have to have a mix of everything in there and everything can’t always go well.”
It’s lucky, therefore, that she has the support of a family who know a thing or two about dealing with the highs and lows of elite level sport.
“My parents have always said it’s very important to put your head down, grind, go to the gym – but it’s also important to recharge your battery,” she added.
“Because sometimes with all the obligations you maybe have off the golf course, and all the emotions you feel on the golf course, all the adrenaline, it tears at you a little bit.
“It’s good to kind of step away and recharge your batteries and come back a little bit fresher.”
Korda tees off at 9.55am, in the group just after Charley Hull, the world number eight who is spearheading Team GB’s charge alongside Georgia Hall.
After missing out in Tokyo, Hull – who finished seventh in Rio – is excited to be back in red, white, and blue, except for one minor snag.
“I do smoke on the course,” she said on Tuesday. “It’s a habit but I won’t do this week. Yes, it is just something I do.”
Smoking is banned from all Olympic venues and athletes are no exception, which is a problem for Hull – who went viral earlier this year when images of her puffing away on the course went viral.
Will it affect her? “I think it will,” she said. “Because it relaxes me a little bit. But it is what it is.
“Being able to play in the Olympics is a dream.
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…
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