Month: September 2023

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Fun Uncategorized

Tom Holland: Spider-Man swings not only between buildings but also driver

Spider-Man star Tom Holland can also swing a driver. (Photo: Getty)
Spider-Man star Tom Holland can also swing a driver. (Photo: Getty)

Spider-Man can not only place nets unerringly, but also a golf ball in the hole – or at least Spider-Man actor Tom Holland can. The 27-year-old Briton is quite respectable with his 6 handicap and is a regular guest at celebrity tournaments. It is unforgettable how he almost played his way onto the European Ryder Cup team in 2021 with a single stroke. On the 18th hole at the Pro-Am before the BMW PGA Championship, then Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington promised, “If you hit the green, I’ll take you on the team.” And he almost had to keep his word – but only almost. “For a moment I thought maybe I could become a golfer,” Holland joked after the moment.

Yet golf is more than just a casual pastime for the actor. “I’m addicted to golf,” he told People magazine in an interview a few years ago. “It’s a nice way to disconnect from what’s going on around you. I turn my phone off and I just enjoy being outdoors with my friends, my brothers and my dad.” Along with his brothers, he again competed in the 2023 Pro-Am at Wentworth.

Tom Holland: “Golf is incredibly humbling”

Golf has another effect on him. “Golf is also incredibly humbling,” Holland said. “Over the last few years, I’ve been very lucky that my career has taken twists and turns, but all the kind of twists and turns that I could only have dreamed of. And very often, I’ll go out and play golf to celebrate, and it will very, very quickly humble me by destroying me.” “So,” he added, “that’s why golf is valuable.”

Whether athletes or actors, many public figures who can’t risk getting injured find a secure future in playing golf. That’s just as true for DFB soccer players as it is for Hollywood stars. For example, the first thing Holland wished for after the end of the Spider-Man trology with “No Way Home” was to go skiing. “That’s something I’ve not really been allowed to do because it’s obviously a dangerous sport. I’ve been very careful over the years, which is why I’ve become obsessed with golf because it’s the only sport I can play without getting injured.”

All the more reason for Holland to introduce the sport to his one friend and fellow actress Zendaya, The Hollywood Reporter knows. “I gave her a few lessons. She’s very talented by nature, a real athlete, so she picked it up very quickly.”

Superheroes on the golf course

But Holland may not be the best superhero on the golf course. Ant-Man Quantum Mania star Kathryn Newton also swings a club regularly and also plays with a 6 handicap. Both competed in the Pro-Am of the BMW PGA Championship 2023 in Wentworth, although not in a direct duel. That challenge is still open.

@imdb We’re going to need this match-up to happen STAT. #tomholland #kathrynnewton #TheCrowdedRoom #MCU #imdb ♬ original sound – IMDb

Instead, Holland played a round with Jon Rahm, whom he greatly admires. Face to face, he told the Masters winner how Holland, together with his family, had followed his great Major triumph.

And even when he met Padraig Harrington again two years later, it was clear that the former Ryder Cup captain had not yet forgotten the moment they shared on the 18th green.

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European Tour

DP World Tour: Harrington and Lowry delighted to be back on home soil

Padraig Harrinton and Shane Lowry tee up at the DP World Tour's irish Open. (Photo: Getty)
Padraig Harrinton and Shane Lowry tee up at the DP World Tour's irish Open. (Photo: Getty)

Former champions Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry can’t wait to tee it up in front of the home crowds as they return to The K Club for the Horizon Irish Open on the DP World Tour.

Irish Open at the K Club

Harrington ended a more than 30 year wait for an Irish winner when he claimed the coveted title at Adare Manor in 2007, while Lowry made history two years later when he became the first amateur to win the event at County Louth.

Lowry arrives at The K Club buoyed by his recent selection as part of Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team set to compete at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in three weeks’ time, with Harrington also in a rich vein of form after capturing his fifth title on PGA TOUR Champions three months ago.

The pair are part of a world class field teeing it up as the Horizon Irish Open returns to The K Club for the first time since 2016. The tournament will also be played at the County Kildare venue in 2025 and 2027, with 2027 marking the 100th anniversary of the first staging of the event.

Both players are committed to raising money for the tournament’s Official Charity Make-A-Wish Ireland, with each pledging to donate €500 for every birdie and €1,000 for every eagle they card during the week as part of the fundraising efforts.

DP World Tour Player Quotes

Pádraig Harrington: “This is very close to my home. I spent most of my summer practice down here, so very familiar.  This is very close to my home. This is where I do my practice when I’m at home. Love the fact that we’ll have the Irish fans out as I expect – not because of the weather, but because we haven’t had a got in this area for a while. The crowds are going to be big, enormous. The support is going to be brilliant. The weather is going to be great. All we really have to do as the Irish golfers is play a bit of good golf.

“For a tournament, there’s so many exciting shots on the course. You can remember Rory’s second into what we call the 16th of the championship course and the 18th, but the 16th is that one that was an incredible golf shot. There’s so many risk-reward, do-or-die shots out here. It’s a fabulous golf course to come and play, and I’ve got to say, the Smurfits were very good to me, and Michael Fetherston has carried that on. It’s unbelievable how welcome he makes the pros and the young players when they come down here and lets us have the run of the place.”

Shane Lowry: “I think it’s going to be an amazing week. Forecast is very good. Golf course is great.  We’ve got a great field here. It’s very exciting to be here. It’s always one of my favourite events to play, obviously, and with it being so close to home this year, as well, it’s extra special, so it’s nice.

“Obviously there are certain years where you get bad weather where people maybe don’t show up as much as you’d like, even though you get great crowds all the time, but I fully expect the crowds to be huge this week, and I think it’s going to be a great event.

“As I said to somebody earlier, it’s an amazing month to have ahead of you, to be honest. Obviously this week is our fifth major, and it really is – I do treat it like that, and then we have obviously I’m defending at Wentworth, which is one of my favourite events, next week, and then buildup for the Ryder Cup the week after that. Yeah, it’s kind of dream stuff and something that I’m looking forward to the challenge the next few weeks, and very excited for what it could bring.”

(Text by DP World Tour)

Categories
Live

World Golf Ranking Update: Alex Fitzpatrick making exciting leap

Alex Fitzpatrick rises in the official world golf ranking. (Photo: Getty)
Alex Fitzpatrick rises in the official world golf ranking. (Photo: Getty)

Analyzing the 2023 World Golf Ranking, we find a total of seven English players in or close the top 100 of the world. In eighth position of the World Golf Ranking, Matt Fitzpatrick holds the highest rank. Tyrrell Hatton follows closely behind, sitting at 13th position. Contrary to his fellow countryman, Tommy Fleetwood moved one ranking up, now ranked 14th globally.

Spotlight on the Top of the British Golfers in the World Golf Ranking

Next on the list, we have Justin Rose in 34th slot, who maintained his rank compared to the previous week. Just over fifty steps behind Rose – and losing one ranking – sits Jordan Smith in the 85th spot. Situated between positions 92 and 105, we find Aaron Rai and Matt Wallace, with Wallace climbing one rank up this week.

Rising Stars and Tough Competition

Furthermore, the World Golf Ranking reveals that Callum Shinkwin looses five spots, landing at 128, Benjamin Taylor has moved down four positions to 131. Harry Hall slips down two spots to 138th. Alex Fitzpatrick, who showed a remarkable leap by gaining 27 places within a week, now holds the 139th position. Completing the Top 150 is Danny Willett.

Meanwhile, in the overall top ten segment of the World Golf Ranking, there’s no change going on. American player Scottie Scheffler continues to reign in the first position, while Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland holds the second spot, while Jon Rahm stays at 3rd position.

The bottom two of the top 10, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark, maintain their positions at 9th and 10th, respectively, concluding the top ten players in the 2023 World Golf Ranking.

In summary, the Week’s World Golf Ranking brings some apparent shifts among British players, with Alex Fitzpatrick making the most exciting leap. As for the top ten, the competition remains tight, with  no new entries this week.

Categories
Highlights Tours

Ryder Cup 2023: Luke Donalds Captain’s Picks for Team Europe

Luke Donalds makes his captain's picks for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Photo: Getty)
Luke Donalds makes his captain's picks for Team Europe at the Ryder Cup 2023. (Photo: Getty)

Luke Donald has announced his wildcards for Team Europe at the 2023 Ryder Cup. With six players he completes his team with which he will compete against Zach Johnson’s team in Italy to bring the Ryder Cup back into European hands. These are Luke Donald’s captain’s picks:

Tommy Fleetwood, Sepp Straka, Justin Rose, Shane Lowry, Nicolai Hojgaard and Ludvig Aberg.

Luke Donald’s picks for the Ryder Cup 2023

For Sepp Straka it will be the first Ryder Cup. He impressed with a win at the John Deere Classic and second place at the Open Championship. “It was a goal to make the team, but it always looks so far away. It’s an honor to be on it.” Donald especially praised Straka’s involvement in Hero Cup earlier this year, for which he flew to Abu Dhabi. “He loves the team environment and is in great form.”

Tommy Fleetwood will be making his third Ryder Cup appearance. He was on the verge of qualifying directly until near the end of the qualifying stage, but was then overtaken by Matt Fitzpatrick. “He’s a ball-striking machine,” Donald explained his choice. Fleetwood was there for the magnificent 2018 victory at Le Golf National, but also for the crushing defeat at Whistling Straits. “I’m one of those players who stood on the 18th green last time out and couldn’t wait to be back next time and bring the trophy back,” Fleetwood said after his appointment.

With Justin Rose, Luke Donald brings a lot of experience to the team. Rose has been part of the team five times, three of them victorious. “A wealth of experience,” Justin Rose offers according to the captain. “He’s been in these situations before, holed putts under pressure.” The Englishman is excited about being in the team for the sixth time after failing to make the team in the previous edition at Whistling Straits. “There’s nothing better than winning as a team,” Rose said.

“He’s made for the big moments, he showed that with his win at the 2019 Open Championship,” Donald announced Shane Lowry as his next pick. Lowry showed his enthusiasm for the Ryder Cup in 2021 at Whistling Straits, even if it wasn’t enough to win. “I’m incredibly proud, grateful and looking forward to Rome,” Lowry said. “The last one hurt and I’m looking forward to a home Ryder Cup.” Despite the loss, Lowry said the 2021 experience was one he will never forget.

Luke Donald brings another rookie to the team in Nicolai Hojgaard. “It was one of my goals and to be on a team with players I’ve admired my whole life is fantastic.” Donald emphasizes the form Hojgaard is currently in and how he proved himself at the Hero Cup earlier this year.

The last pick also goes to a rookie who is starting his pro career with a bang: Ludvig Aberg. The Swede has only been on the pro circuit for two and a half months. “He has the potential to be a superstar in golf,” is how Donald introduces his latest pick. He had his eye on him in his college days, he says, and played with him at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. “I was impressed with his game, so I challenged him to play in Europe for a few weeks after all. And as you know, how that went.” After a shared fourth-place finish at the Czech Masters, Aberg won in Switzerland over the weekend. “If you would have told me a few months ago that I would be in this position, I probably wouldn’t have believed it,” said Aberg, who will be the first player to compete in the Ryder Cup without ever having played a major before.

The Ryder Cup will be played from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club in Rome.

These players have already qualified for Team Europe

Six players had already qualified via the two points lists, the European Points List and the World Points List. Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre secured their places via the European Points List. While Rahm and McIlroy had already been determined for a while, MacIntyre prevailed in the last qualifying valid DP World Tour tournaments. Viktor Hovland and Tyrrell Hatton were impossible to catch in the world points standings after the FedExCup playoffs. Matt Fitzpatrick secured the final qualifying spot at the Omega European Masters.