Lifestyle
Brooks Koepka has a big game. He doesn’t need a lot of words
Brooks Koepka leaves the bluster to everyone else at LIV Golf. He cares about only his golf, especially when it’s not going the way he wants.
He was burning inside a year ago when he played not to lose in the final round of the Masters and watched his two-shot lead turn into a four-shot loss. He vowed not to let that happen again, and he delivered a month later by claiming his fifth major title at the PGA Championship.
Koepka found more motivation in failure already this year. That he was an afterthought in five LIV Golf events wasn’t nearly as irritating as being a no-show at Augusta National. He failed to break par in any round and beat only 10 players who made the cut.
Individual champion Captain Brooks Koepka, right, of Smash GC, celebrates after his win with his wife Jena Sims, center, and son Crew, left, on the 18th green after the final round of LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Sentosa, Singapore. (Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf via AP)
Individual champion Captain Brooks Koepka, right, of Smash GC, celebrates after his win with his wife Jena Sims, center, and son Crew, left, on the 18th green after the final round of LIV Golf Singapore at Sentosa Golf Club, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Sentosa, Singapore. (Jon Ferrey/LIV Golf via AP)
He was asked in Singapore how is game was trending.
“Clearly not very good, with Augusta the way that went,” Koepka said, living up to his reputation of cutting to the chase. “I kind of felt like I wasted all the time from December until then. Just keep grinding away, keep doing the work, and hopefully something will turn around.”
And it did.
He made 17 birdies over three rounds in Singapore, was never seriously challenged on the final day and won by two shots. He referred to the Masters as a wake-up call.
It might be that way for others, too, especially with the PGA Championship at Valhalla next on the docket.
Koepka is the first player to win four LIV Golf titles.
That doesn’t make him the betting favorite at the PGA Championship. Scottie Scheffler has won four times in the last two months against far stronger fields (and over 72 holes) — in two signature events, The Players Championship and the Masters.
The search is for who can stop him, and a couple of candidates have emerged in recent weeks as Scheffler waits at home in Dallas for the birth of his first child.
Rory McIlroy won in New Orleans, albeit a team event with Shane Lowry, and restored some of the fun in golf that had been sorely missing. He won the last time the PGA Championship was at Valhalla, a wild finish in the dark with McIlroy joining the group ahead — Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, both still with hopes of winning — in an effort to finish.
Ludvig Aberg is the best futures bet on challenging Scheffler. He’s a month away from completing one year as a pro and already is No. 6 in the world ranking with two wins and a Ryder Cup celebration. In his first major, he was runner-up to Scheffler at the Masters.
But there’s something fascinating about Koepka, particularly in the majors, and whenever he seems to have a chip on his shoulder that he puts there himself.
He once said majors were the easiest to win because they effectively had the smallest fields by process of elimination. Koepka figured he was flat-out better than half of the 156-man field and half of those guys would be off their game. Then he began to factor in how can the
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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