Lifestyle
At the Masters, Tiger Woods’ defiance, optimism continue despite bleak prospects for the future
The red color of his shirt was the only reminder of many of his past Sundays at the Masters. It was around 1:30 p.m. ET at the Augusta National Golf Club and the eventual winner, Scottie Scheffler, was still an hour away from starting his final round.
But here was Tiger Woods, who was accustomed to playing late on Sunday afternoons, finishing his day with a 5-over par 77 to finish in last place among the 60 players who made the 36-hole cut.
On Saturday, the five-time Masters winner — saddled with back pain — shot an 82 for his worst round in 26 appearances in golf’s first major of the year. Yet he was determined to finish the tournament. Only Woods could draw such a massive gallery, where the patrons hadn’t come to see him compete for the green jacket, as much to celebrate what he had been when he was the best golfer on earth.
As he made his way up the 18th hole on Sunday, the patrons swelled around the green, forming an amphitheater for perhaps this great player’s last scene on this grand stage.
Tiger Woods waves his hat to the crowd while walking to the 18th green during the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14 in Augusta, Georgia.Andrew Redington/Getty Images
The 15-time major winner has never looked worse in a storied career mired with injuries. In Saturday’s third round, Woods hit just eight greens on his way to two double bogeys, eight bogeys and two birdies. It was more of the same on Sunday. After making a birdie at the par 5 second hole, he went six over for his next 16 holes and had just one birdie in the round.
Yet he declared the week a success, showing a defiance and optimism for a playing career with bleak prospects for the future.
“It was a good week all around,” he said. “I think that coming in here, not having played a full tournament in a very long time, it was a good fight on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, yesterday it didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted it to.”
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Woods is determined, if not perhaps a tad delusional, to believe that he still has what it takes over 72 holes to win a major championship or any tournament. But few athletes in any sport have shown as much dedication as he has to overcoming adversity to return to the winner’s circle.
On Sunday morning, Woods rose at 3:45 a.m. to go through the treatments to get his body prepared for his 9:35 a.m. tee time. Where once he set the standard for excellence on the course, causing players to tremble with fear in his presence, he’s now almost pitied by competitors, even as they revere him as a god in the sport.
“I don’t think anyone wants to catch Tiger at his best,” said Neal Shipley, a 23-year-old amateur who played with Woods on Sunday. “No one is going to win when he’s playing his best. Certainly rooting for him and rooting for good golf shots. I really appreciate all the work that he does to keep his body ready to come out here. He’s really grinding and making a big commitment to be out here for everyone.”
Woods will tell you how hard he’s working. It’s his nature both to do the work and talk about it. These days, he’s doing more training than playing competitive golf. On Sunday afternoon, he repeated his mantra: “keep the motor going, keep the body moving, keep getting stronger, keep progressing.”
Tiger Woods plays his shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 14 in Augusta, Georgia.Warren Little/Getty Images
But to what end will all this work serve for his future as a serious challenger in major championships?
Coming into the Masters, many in the golf world were hoping that Woods’ body could withstand Augusta National’s hills for four days. On Sunday afternoon, there was a sigh of relief on the faces of many in the gallery when he walked up the 18th hole. It was a relief that was also on his face. He couldn’t be satisfied by his play, but the vicissitudes of life have taught the 48-year-old to be grateful over more modest gains like a pain-free day and simply completing a tournament.
By the time he finished signing his scorecard, Woods was already looking toward the remainder of the year’s
major championship schedule. In May, the PGA Championship will be held at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. In 2000 at Valhalla, Woods beat Bob May in a three-hole playoff for his second straight PGA Championship. That was the Woods who was in the midst of winning four straight major championships.
He can’t be that player again and he knows it, but that doesn’t mean he’s not determined to get one more shot at greatness.
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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