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The Open commentator forced to issue grovelling apology after X-rated live TV outburst when he thought his mic was off

The Open commentator forced to issue grovelling apology after X-rated live TV outburst when he thought his mic was off

Scottish Sun6 days ago
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AN NBC commentator was forced to issue a grovelling apology after an X-rated outburst live on TV during The Open.
On course reporter Smylie Kaufman dropped the F-bomb when he thought his mic was off on Friday.
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Smylie Kaufman was forced to issue a grovelling apology after an X-rated outburst live on TV during The Open
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The Open commentator forced to issue grovelling apology after X-rated live TV outburst when he thought his mic was off
It came as Jon Rahm was putting for a long birdie on hole 13.
On the mic, Kaufman said: "This is one of the more difficult holes today."
And as challenging as the hole may have been for Rahm and the other golfers, it was equally difficult for Kaufman.
After a few seconds pause, Kaufman could be heard ruffling around before blurting out: "What the f***?"
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About 15 minutes later, host Mike Tirico was tasked with issuing an apology for Kaufman and NBC.
Tirico appeared to blame the headsets at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
And now Kaufman himself posted his own apology on X.
He said: "I guess there's a first for everything. First off I want to apologise for the audio blunder that happened today.
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"I heard a pop in my ear and it went radio silent, which typically signals to me that my mic is down.
"But clearly it wasn't, so I want to apologise for what happened and to the team that was listening and of course I'm going to move past this one.
Shane Lowry's X-rated rant is caught on hot mic after poor shot at The Open
"It definitely won't happen again and I'm looking forward to a great weekend. Sorry guys. See ya."
As of Friday, Matt Fitzpatrick and Scottie Scheffler were tied at the top of the Open Championship leaderboard at nine-under-par.
H.T. Li and Brian Harman trail closely behind at eight under, with five other players at five under.
Masters winner Rory McIlroy is in contention at three under, with home crowd at Royal Portrush roaring him on.
Kaufman, who played collegiate golf at Louisiana State University, turned professional in 2014 and played until 2017.
The Alabama native boasts two professional wins, one on the PGA Tour and one on the Web.com Tour.
He burst onto the PGA scene with a win in the 2015 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.
Five months prior, he won the United Leasing Championship, joining NBC in 2023.
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Donald Trump is here for more than a friendly round of golf... he wants to see The Open back at Turnberry
Donald Trump is here for more than a friendly round of golf... he wants to see The Open back at Turnberry

Daily Mail​

time13 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Donald Trump is here for more than a friendly round of golf... he wants to see The Open back at Turnberry

After touching down at Prestwick Airport last night, Donald Trump disembarked from Air Force One, took some questions and then headed south to his luxurious resort at Turnberry. Among some rather more serious issues, he was also asked about his golf course in Ayrshire hosting The Open. And he was unequivocal... he wants the Championship back there. After spending some time at Turnberry, he will head north to officially open a new golf course at his other resort near Aberdeen, before meeting Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to hold talks over trade deals. Trump arrives to a very mixed backdrop of protests, petitions and political unrest, as well as enjoying support in some quarters. His golf course at Turnberry has been back in the headlines after the idea of hosting the Open Championship was raised again. R&A chief executive Mark Darbon stated that talks remain ongoing with the Trump family, and said of Turnberry: 'We love the golf course but we have some big logistical issues there.' Here, Mail Sport's Calum Crowe puts Turnberry under the microscope and assesses the likelihood of it hosting The Open once again, as well as looking at some of the changes Trump has made. What is Turnberry's history with The Open and how did we get to this point? With its stunning scenery and spectacular layout, the Ailsa Course has hosted The Open on four occasions. Its first staging of the championship in 1977 saw the famous Duel in the Sun between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Greg Norman then won his first major at the venue in 1986, before Nick Price prevailed in 1994. In 2009, we nearly witnessed the greatest sports story ever told when Watson, aged 59, came agonisingly close to what would have been a sixth Claret Jug, losing in a play-off to Stewart Cink. Turnberry hasn't hosted the tournament since then, with Trump buying the resort for around £40million in 2014. Peter Dawson, who was the outgoing chief executive of the R&A at the time, had initially been positive about Trump's involvement and the plans to invest £200m in upgrading the golf course and wider facilities on the 800-acre site. But, by the time Trump had been elected as President for the first time in 2017, relations had soured. He was viewed as politically toxic and the R&A wanted nothing to do with him. Although Turnberry has never officially been taken off the rota, it was widely accepted that The Open would never return there while it was under Trump's ownership. Martin Slumbers, who replaced Dawson as R&A chief executive, said last year: 'The position at the moment, in respect of Turnberry, is that we will not be taking events there until we're comfortable that the whole dialogue will be about golf.' Slumbers has since moved on and been replaced by Darbon. How does Turnberry compare to other Open venues in terms of logistics and transport? It's often said that Turnberry lacks the infrastructure and travel network to host an event like The Open. There's certainly an element of truth in that. For instance, for anyone travelling south from Ayr or Glasgow, there are only really two roads. There is the A77, which is essentially the main road and would be the most popular route for anyone travelling by car. There is now a new bypass which means you no longer have to drive through the tight and twisty streets of Maybole. That is undoubtedly a huge help, with the other road being the coastal route which takes you past Maidens and Culzean Castle. But the closest train stations to Turnberry are Girvan and Maybole, both of which would then require a shuttle bus to reach the golf course. It's not ideal, but St Andrews suffers from similar problems. The road network around the wider area near St Andrews is awful and regularly gridlocked during The Open. The closest train station is Leuchars which, like Girvan and Maybole, is a few miles away from the main venue and requires shuttle buses. Royal St George's is another course on the current rota where the roads and travel network are far from ideal. So, while Turnberry certainly faces its challenges in terms of travel, it's really not any worse than certain other courses. What improvements has Trump made to the golf course and the property as a whole? When he bought the resort in 2014, Trump pledged to pump around £200m into the renovation of both the course and the hotel facilities to make it among the best of its kind anywhere in the world. On that front, it's been a resounding success. Already a top-class course even prior to his involvement, the Ailsa has been redeveloped to brilliant effect. The initial changes began in 2015, and all 18 holes were revamped to some degree or another. The biggest changes were from coastal holes 4 through to 11, with many of the greens and tees being redesigned. The famous lighthouse was also redesigned into a halfway house which now features catering and hospitality facilities. Further enhancements were completed earlier this year, led by renowned architect Martin Ebert. The biggest change saw the green at the par-five 7th moved more towards the cliff edge for more dramatic effect. The changes to the hotel and facilities have also been well received. All 204 guest rooms have been fully refurbished, as well as all bars and restaurant spaces. Nine new cottage suites have been built, at a cost of around £1.6m each. They are more geared towards family breaks and are dog-friendly. Turnberry is also now an increasingly popular wedding venue. What would all of this cost to the average member of the public? On the face of it, the current green fee for a round on the Ailsa Course is pretty eye-watering. If you are not staying at the hotel and want to book a tee time in peak season (May-September) before 1pm, it'll cost you £1,000. That makes it one of the most expensive in Europe. Teeing off after 1pm, it'll be £545. There is a huge difference, though, if you are staying at the hotel as a guest. If so, you will pay £425 during peak times, and £315 during off-peak season. For context, a round at Royal Troon just a little further up the road will cost you £365. If you're staying at Turnberry, a standard double room will cost £674 per night during peak season. The suites, named after the golfers who won The Open at Turnberry, start at just under £2,500 per night. The hotel sells bottles of whisky in excess of £60,000 a pop. There are 352 chandeliers in total, with the eight in the main ballroom costing £250,000 each. If you want to get married at Turnberry, the average wedding at the luxury five-star venue is believed to cost between £25,000-£30,000. If you were to go for the top-end package and hire the Donald J Trump Ballroom, you would be well in excess of £50,000. To have and to hold, to love and to cherish, but only if you happen to have a spare 50 grand lying around... What are the key reasons behind the R&A's reluctance to go back to Turnberry? Is it really all about Trump? It all boils down to two key reasons: Trump and money. The R&A viewed him as politically toxic when he was elected as President first time around. Above and beyond the logistical challenges of going back to Turnberry, it was that toxicity which became the main issue. In 2015, when Turnberry hosted the Women's Open during his election campaign, Trump arrived in a helicopter on the front lawn outside the hotel. Immediately holding a press conference, he declared: 'The world has asked me to be here.' The golf tournament was relegated to a footnote. At the recent FIFA Club World Cup in America, he was front and centre for Chelsea's trophy celebrations. The R&A shudder to think how he would behave if the Claret Jug was to be presented to the Champion Golfer of the Year at Turnberry. The financial implications of going back to Turnberry have also grown to a level where it is now money — rather than Trump — that is blocking a return. The Open Championship has grown exponentially from the last time Turnberry played host in 2009. Attendances over the week are now regularly in excess of 250,000. At Royal Portrush last week, the final figure was 278,000. At St Andrews in 2022, it was a record 290,000. In 2009, there were only around 120,000 fans in attendance at Turnberry. Given the financial hit that lower attendances would pose to their revenue streams, there's no way the R&A will take that kind of risk unless major improvements are made to Turnberry's logistics and infrastructure. While the golf course is among the best in the world, Turnberry is a fairly remote location, with limited travel and accommodation links, and no real town to speak of in the surrounding area. So, what does the future rota look like and when might we see Turnberry host The Open again? The next couple of years are already set in stone. In 2026, The Open will be held at Royal Birkdale, before going back to St Andrews in 2027. It's widely expected that Portmarnock in Ireland will be among the frontrunners to be added to the rota for 2028. That could push things as far back as 2029 before we might see The Open return to Turnberry. The R&A's stance has softened somewhat. They are not as vehemently opposed to Trump as they once were. They recognise that Turnberry is one of the most popular of all Open venues among the players. But, as Trump embarks on his tour of Scotland over these next few days, it still feels like there's a lot of boxes that need to be ticked before this sleeping beauty catches sight of the Claret Jug once more.

I created my own luxury wallpaper in one afternoon for just £3, you need virtually no equipment & it works in any room
I created my own luxury wallpaper in one afternoon for just £3, you need virtually no equipment & it works in any room

Scottish Sun

timean hour ago

  • Scottish Sun

I created my own luxury wallpaper in one afternoon for just £3, you need virtually no equipment & it works in any room

Plus, how one woman had a shocker with her stencilling attempt SAVVY STYLE I created my own luxury wallpaper in one afternoon for just £3, you need virtually no equipment & it works in any room Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FORGET having to splash out on expensive wallpaper to transform your home, one woman shared how she gave a room in her house a makeover for just £3. Baylee shared how she bought a floral rubber art stamp from a crafts shop and then added paint to make the pretty print. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 A woman shared how she transformed her laundry room walls with a rubber stamp Credit: TikTok / @bayleewhiteasheck 4 She picked up the stamp and paint and it took her two hours to do the whole room Credit: TikTok / @bayleewhiteasheck Although the US-based homeowner got her wooden stamp from Hobby Lobby, you can pick up similar style ones from The Range. On her @bayleewhiteasheck account, she showed how she used a piece of cardboard to ensure the prints were spaced apart evenly. Two hours of stamping later, and her laundry room had gone from plain white to being covered in the gorgeous floral print. Baylee said: 'You know what? It worked out for me.' And she wasn't done yet. She added that she then added a hanging basket to the wall, along with some artwork a friend had made her. Showing off the finished result, she added: 'And that's my perfect, precious, gorgeous, beautiful cottage laundry room makeover for three dollars and fifty cents. 'Feeling absolutely unstoppable after finishing this project in two hours after putting my baby down. 'Maybe I'll like doing laundry now.' Many people will be hugely impressed with the DIY tip, which has racked up over 50,000 likes. I live in a council house with no storage & made a dream dressing table for £21… it's great for those with limited space One person commented: 'A tutorial I could actually follow and afford?!' Another added: 'I fear I must go do this now.' And a third wrote: 'I'm flabbergasted by how smart and easy this is.' DIY FAIL 4 A woman shared how she attempted a DIY stencilling job in her bedroom Credit: Instagram/@lifeatthelma 4 However, when she peeled back the stencil, she was not impressed with what she had done Credit: Instagram/@lifeatthelma However, DIY doesn't always go according to plan, as one woman showed. TikTok user @lifeatthelma showed how she had picked out a gorgeous sage green paint and had then taped a decorative stencil to the wall. She thought everything had gone swimmingly, until she peeled back the stencil to reveal her hard work. To her horror, the paint had spread until the stencil and it looked messy and not like the design she had wanted. After she pulled off a larger section, she joked: 'But do we think it is giving cottage core (the goal) or chain link fence?'

Els launches new Portuguese golf club alongside Montgomerie and Duval
Els launches new Portuguese golf club alongside Montgomerie and Duval

South Wales Argus

timean hour ago

  • South Wales Argus

Els launches new Portuguese golf club alongside Montgomerie and Duval

The four-time major champion played a nine-hole exhibition to open the Els Club Vilamoura with Scottish legend Colin Montgomerie and 2001 Open Champion David Duval. Els Club Vilamoura, is a championship-standard 18-hole golf course, designed by Els, that features a luxury clubhouse and signature amenities such as the 261 Bar, and was built on the previous Victoria course, which hosted the Portugal Masters from 2007 to 2022. Els, who won the US Open in 1994 and 1997 and two Open crowns in 2002 and 2012, invited Montgomerie and Duval to play the course, as well as Portuguese Champions League winner Luis Figo and former England striker Peter Crouch. Els Club, Vilamoura has been built in partnership with English investment fund Arrow Global and management company DETAILS and is the first private-members club in the Algarve (Image: Portugal Invitational) Els said of his new club: 'I've been coming to Vilamoura for many years, I've spent many summers with my family here and we just love Portugal. 'Golf is in a pretty sweet spot at the moment and [creating this course] has been a really nice venture. 'We want the conditions to be absolutely perfect and for people to have a great experience and good food.' Els Club, Vilamoura has been built in partnership with English investment fund Arrow Global and management company DETAILS and is the first private-members club in the Algarve. Membership is extended only to those proposed by founder members or those invited by the club. During a press conference on the morning of the Els Club launch, it was also announced the course would host the new PGA Champions Tour event, the Portugal Invitational after signing a five-year deal. The first edition of the event is set to be held between 31 July to 2 August 2026 and has been brought about through the work of The PGA Tour Champions, Arrow Global Group and Turismo de Portugal and Turismo de Algarve. A field of 78 players will be welcomed to the new track with the likes of Bernhard Langer and Miguel Ángel Jimenez set to compete at the event that boasts a whopping prize purse of £2.23million ($3m). PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady said: 'This Tour is a global showcase of the game's legendary players, and we know the great golf fans in Portugal and throughout Europe will welcome the opportunity to watch them compete in person at The Els Club Vilamoura.' Els added: 'It's wonderful to see those plans now coming to fruition and we're grateful to PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady, the team at Arrow Global Group and Turismo de Portugal and Turismo de Algarve, for sharing in our vision and bringing this exciting new tournament here.' Vilamoura is just a 25-minute drive from Faro airport, which boasts connections to 90 airports worldwide, and is also just a two-hour drive from Lisbon. The resort is rich in culture, gastronomy and outdoor activities and is home to its famous marina which is a multiple winner of the Yacht Harbour Association's Best International Marina award. Montgomerie said: 'The golf course is superb, and the clubhouse is fantastic. It's not just a course for the present; it's a course for the future as well,' while Duval added: 'It'll be much anticipated for everybody on the Champions Tour, and I struggle to see how it won't be a huge success a year from now.' PGA TOUR Champions announces the Portugal Invitational to be held at The Els Club Vilamoura on course designed by Ernie Els. PGA TOUR Champions, Arrow Global Group, Turismo de Portugal, and Turismo de Algarve will deliver a five-year partnership and will debut the week of July 27, 2026, and will feature a field of 78 players. For more information visit

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