Latest news with #CurtisStrange
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Did you solve it? Are you a match for the world's greatest TV quizzer?
Earlier today I set you five 'Kennections', a puzzle devised by legendary US quiz show contestant and host Ken Jennings. Each challenge consists of five trivia questions, whose answers share a common theme. Here they are again. Immediately below each Kennection I have put the answers to the trivia questions. To find the common theme, however, you need to scroll all the way down to the bottom. Hopefully, this gives you the fun of trying to find the theme if the questions left you scratching your heads. QUESTION 1 1. In 1988, Curtis Strange became the first person to win $1 million in a single season of what sport? 2. What month is celebrated every year with a moustache-growing movement for men's health as well as National Novel Writing Month? 3. What new Argentine dance was condemned by the Vatican in 1913 as 'offensive to the purity of every right-minded person'? 4. Shaka was the first king of what African empire that clashed with the British in 1879? 5. What was the name of Alan Harper's hard-living brother on TV's Two and a Half Men? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? Answers: 1. Golf 2. November 3. Tango 4. Zulu 5. Charlie QUESTION 2 1. Which Lewis Carroll character is drawn wearing a label reading 'In this Style 10/6'? 2. At the end of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, whom does Dorothy tell, 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all?' 3. 'Leaves of three, let it be' is a reminder about what plant that produces a natural irritant called urushiol? 4. What kind of bird is the mascot for the Linux computer operating system as well as for Sidney Crosby's NHL team? 5. What playing card was first introduced to decks in the 1860s as the top trump in the game of euchre? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? ANSWERS: 1. The Mad Hatter 2. Scarecrow 3. Poison Ivy 4. Penguin 5. Joker QUESTION 3 1. What kind of possession was King Arthur's Excalibur or Beowulf's Hrunting? 2. What precious element is the most ductile metal, since just one ounce of it can be drawn into a 50-mile-long wire? 3. In what 2007 film did Elliot Page play a spunky high school junior whom friends call 'the cautionary whale'? 4. What's the only US state whose capital has a three-word name? 5. Financier Warren Buffet is often called the 'Oracle of' what Midwestern city? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? ANSWERS 1. Sword 2. Gold 3. Juno 4. Utah 5. Omaha QUESTION 4 1. What kind of body of water off northeastern Canada is named for explorer Henry Hudson? 2. What's the name of Guy Woodhouse's pregnant wife, played by Mia Farrow, in Roman Polanski's classic 1968 horror film? 3. What seven-year-old character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a young Truman Capote? 4. The famous onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is named for what Russian Orthodox saint? 5. For collectors, what is the highest-quality grade of coins and comic books called? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? Answers: 1. Bay 2. Rosemary 3. Dill 4. Basil 5. Mint QUESTION 5 1. What Australian city is home to an iconic Harbour Bridge as well as Jørn Utzon's famous opera house? 2. What destructive Labrador retriever is the subject of John Grogan's 2005 memoir subtitled Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog? 3. What's the specific name for a dot on dominoes and dice? 4. Who had an unlikely hit in 1968 with his ukelele cover of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'? 5. What illusionist and Claudia Schiffer ex was the first living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? Answers 1. Sydney 2. Marley 3. Pip, 4. Tiny Tim 5. David Copperfield KENNECTIONS: D-Day beaches; Batman villains; Letters in the phonetic radio alphabet; Herbs; Dickens characters. Today's examples are taken from Jennings' new book, The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles, which is out on July 29 in the US. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ken you solve it? Are you a match for the world's greatest TV quizzer?
Jeopardy! is the long-running US quiz show where contestants are given an answer and must respond with a question for that answer. 'Ken Jennings', for example, is the correct answer to the following question: Who holds the record for most Jeopardy! wins in a row – 74 episodes in 2004 – and since 2023 has been its sole presenter? And it is also the answer to this question: Which US TV personality is the author of the Kennection, a pleasurable conundrum that mixes trivia and problem solving and which appears in this column today? Below are five Kennections. Each one consists of five questions, whose answers share a common theme. Can you find it? You don't need to answer all the questions correctly, but it helps. QUESTION 1 1. In 1988, Curtis Strange became the first person to win $1 million in a single season of what sport? 2. What month is celebrated every year with a moustache-growing movement for men's health as well as National Novel Writing Month? 3. What new Argentine dance was condemned by the Vatican in 1913 as 'offensive to the purity of every right-minded person'? 4. Shaka was the first king of what African empire that clashed with the British in 1879? 5. What was the name of Alan Harper's hard-living brother on TV's Two and a Half Men? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 2 1. Which Lewis Carroll character is drawn wearing a label reading 'In this Style 10/6'? 2. At the end of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, whom does Dorothy tell, 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all?' 3. 'Leaves of three, let it be' is a reminder about what plant that produces a natural irritant called urushiol? 4. What kind of bird is the mascot for the Linux computer operating system as well as for Sidney Crosby's NHL team? 5. What playing card was first introduced to decks in the 1860s as the top trump in the game of euchre? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 3 1. What kind of possession was King Arthur's Excalibur or Beowulf's Hrunting? 2. What precious element is the most ductile medal, since just one ounce of it can be drawn into a 50-mile-long wire? 3. In what 2007 film did Elliot Page play a spunky high school junior whom friends call 'the cautionary whale'? 4. What's the only US state whose capital has a three-word name? 5. Financier Warren Buffet is often called the 'Oracle of' what Midwestern city? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 4 1. What kind of body of water off northeastern Canada is named for explorer Henry Hudson? 2. What's the name of Guy Woodhouse's pregnant wife, played by Mia Farrow, in Roman Polanski's classic 1968 horror film? 3. What seven-year-old character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a young Truman Capote? 4. The famous onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is named for what Russian Orthodox saint? 5. For collectors, what is the highest-quality grade of coins and comic books called? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 5 1. What Australian city is home to an iconic Harbour Bridge as well as Jørn Utzon's famous opera house? 2. What destructive Labrador retriever is the subject of John Grogan's 2005 memoir subtitled Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog? 3. What's the specific name for a dot on dominoes and dice? 4. Who had an unlikely hit in 1968 with his ukelele cover of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'? 5. What illusionist and Claudia Schiffer ex was the first living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? I'll be back at 5pm UK with the answers. PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Instead kentribute your own similar kenundrums. Today's examples are taken from Jennings' new book, The Complete Kennections, which has one thousand of them. His knowledge of trivia is unparalleled, but what I loved more is his ingenuity and wit in choosing the themes. The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles is out on July 29 in the US. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ken you solve it? Are you a match for the world's greatest TV quizzer?
Jeopardy! is the long-running US quiz show where contestants are given an answer and must respond with a question for that answer. 'Ken Jennings', for example, is the correct answer to the following question: Who holds the record for most Jeopardy! wins in a row – 74 episodes in 2004 – and since 2023 has been its sole presenter? And it is also the answer to this question: Which US TV personality is the author of the Kennection, a pleasurable conundrum that mixes trivia and problem solving and which appears in this column today? Below are five Kennections. Each one consists of five questions, whose answers share a common theme. Can you find it? You don't need to answer all the questions correctly, but it helps. QUESTION 1 1. In 1988, Curtis Strange became the first person to win $1 million in a single season of what sport? 2. What month is celebrated every year with a moustache-growing movement for men's health as well as National Novel Writing Month? 3. What new Argentine dance was condemned by the Vatican in 1913 as 'offensive to the purity of every right-minded person'? 4. Shaka was the first king of what African empire that clashed with the British in 1879? 5. What was the name of Alan Harper's hard-living brother on TV's Two and a Half Men? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 2 1. Which Lewis Carroll character is drawn wearing a label reading 'In this Style 10/6'? 2. At the end of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, whom does Dorothy tell, 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all?' 3. 'Leaves of three, let it be' is a reminder about what plant that produces a natural irritant called urushiol? 4. What kind of bird is the mascot for the Linux computer operating system as well as for Sidney Crosby's NHL team? 5. What playing card was first introduced to decks in the 1860s as the top trump in the game of euchre? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 3 1. What kind of possession was King Arthur's Excalibur or Beowulf's Hrunting? 2. What precious element is the most ductile medal, since just one ounce of it can be drawn into a 50-mile-long wire? 3. In what 2007 film did Elliot Page play a spunky high school junior whom friends call 'the cautionary whale'? 4. What's the only US state whose capital has a three-word name? 5. Financier Warren Buffet is often called the 'Oracle of' what Midwestern city? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 4 1. What kind of body of water off northeastern Canada is named for explorer Henry Hudson? 2. What's the name of Guy Woodhouse's pregnant wife, played by Mia Farrow, in Roman Polanski's classic 1968 horror film? 3. What seven-year-old character in the book To Kill a Mockingbird was based on a young Truman Capote? 4. The famous onion-domed cathedral in Moscow's Red Square is named for what Russian Orthodox saint? 5. For collectors, what is the highest-quality grade of coins and comic books called? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? QUESTION 5 1. What Australian city is home to an iconic Harbour Bridge as well as Jørn Utzon's famous opera house? 2. What destructive Labrador retriever is the subject of John Grogan's 2005 memoir subtitled Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog? 3. What's the specific name for a dot on dominoes and dice? 4. Who had an unlikely hit in 1968 with his ukelele cover of 'Tiptoe Through the Tulips'? 5. What illusionist and Claudia Schiffer ex was the first living magician with a star on the Hollywood Walk of fame? WHAT'S THE KENNECTION? I'll be back at 5pm UK with the answers. PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Instead kentribute your own similar kenundrums. Today's examples are taken from Jennings' new book, The Complete Kennections, which has one thousand of them. His knowledge of trivia is unparalleled, but what I loved more is his ingenuity and wit in choosing the themes. The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles is out on July 29 in the US. I've been setting a puzzle here on alternate Mondays since 2015. I'm always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.
Al Arabiya
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
US Open champion JJ Spaun tries to clear his head and get back to work at Travelers
This isn't the first time J.J. Spaun has come to the Travelers Championship after a life-changing moment. Two years ago, his daughter Violet was born on a Monday, and he didn't show up to the TPC River Highlands until the night before the opening round. He might be even more wiped out now. That's what winning a US Open can do. 'Violet's birthday is Thursday,' Spaun said while reminiscing. But then he stopped, and his eyes widened slightly. 'Tomorrow. I don't even know what day it is. It's been quite the whirlwind,' and the US Open champion wouldn't trade it. The Los Angeles Dodgers – the team script is on his yardage book – are trying to arrange for him to throw out the first pitch. Shortstop Mookie Betts, who played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with Spaun a few years back, congratulated him. Text messages came in from US Open champions Curtis Strange and Hale Irwin. Spaun slept three hours early Monday before it was off to New York, where he had a full day of media on Tuesday and then was driven to the TPC River Highlands. He slept eight hours, about as much as the previous two nights combined. 'It's been pretty hectic, but also very fun,' Spaun said Wednesday. 'It's been nice to be given the opportunity to express my feelings, my emotions. A lot of people want to hear from me. I was really grateful to have the opportunity to tell everyone about it. So I enjoyed it. And now it's back to work,' which should be a fun time for the 72-man field, at least those who had to slog through five-and-a-half-inch rough soaked by rain at Oakmont for a grueling week. The Travelers Championship, the last of the $20 million signature events, is a happier occasion, where the scoring is easier, even though the TPC River Highlands can still punish bad shots. The rough is still plenty thick, just not quite as dense as it was at Oakmont. And players are not hitting into putting surfaces where the golf ball never seems to stop rolling. Still, it's a welcome relief. 'It's more just kind of getting back into the swing of things of 'All right, actually I have a 7-iron in my hand, but I don't have to be quite as careful,' I guess,' Jordan Spieth said. 'It's no gimme golf course, especially if we're going to see windy conditions.' 'The short answer is yeah, it's kind of nice,' he said. 'It would be hard to play something like that (Oakmont) every single week. But at the same time you get a lot of risk-reward on the back nine here, which can yield three-, four-, five-under rounds, but you can also get in big-time trouble.' For Spaun, it's moving forward just four days after his dynamic finish. He was in a five-way tie for the lead on the back nine and pulled ahead with a driver onto the 17th green for a two-putt birdie and a 65-foot birdie putt for a magical finish in his two-shot victory. 'I definitely need to keep the hunger there,' Spaun said. 'I think I will have the hunger just because I want to continue to prove myself, but not prove myself to anybody other than myself. I feel like my biggest barrier throughout my entire career is just trying not to be so hard on myself and not ruining any sort of confidence that I've built from all these experiences on my journey as a golfer.' 'As long as I keep that up, I think I'll continue to play well,' he said. 'And obviously winning the US Open is going to be a huge boost to that inner ego, I guess you could say, to keep that self-belief alive and burning.' Scottie Scheffler had no trouble last year when he went from winning the Masters to winning the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. Rory McIlroy won the British Open in 2014, had two weeks off, and then won a World Golf Championship at Firestone and a PGA Championship in consecutive weeks. 'I think after winning a major championship, like the first time you come back out to the course is a bit of a circus sometimes, just with all the people,' Scheffler said. 'J.J. just achieved a lifetime goal and dream of his. It's definitely different coming to the golf course, for sure. There's a lot more people, a lot more stuff to sign, a lot of stuff that goes on. It's all good things. It's all stuff that's fun.' Keegan Bradley won his first major in 2011 as a PGA Tour rookie, had a week off, and then missed the cut in his next two tournaments. 'I remember coming home and going out to dinner with my friends and walking into the restaurant. I could feel that people knew who I was. I had never felt that,' Bradley said. 'The thing I told J.J. was I hope he really enjoys this.'
Associated Press
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
US Open champion JJ Spaun tries to clear his head and get back to work at Travelers
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — This isn't the first time J.J. Spaun has come to the Travelers Championship after a life-changing moment. Two years ago, his daughter Violet was born on a Monday and he didn't show up to the TPC River Highlands until the night before the opening round. He might be even more wiped now. That's what winning a U.S. Open can do. 'Violet's birthday is Thursday,' Spaun said while reminiscing. But then he stopped and his eyes widened slightly. 'Tomorrow. I don't even know what day it is.' It's been quite the whirlwind, and the U.S. Open champion wouldn't trade it. The Los Angeles Dodgers — the team script is on his yardage book — are trying to arrange for him to throw out the first pitch. Shortstop Mookie Betts, who played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with Spaun a few years back, congratulated him. Text messages came in from U.S. Open champions Curtis Strange and Hale Irwin. Spaun slept three hours early Monday before it was off to New York, where he had a full day of media on Tuesday and then was driven to the TPC River Highlands. He slept eight hours, about as much as the previous two nights combined. 'It's been pretty hectic but also very fun,' Spaun said Wednesday. 'It's been nice to be given the opportunity to express my feelings, my emotions. A lot of people want to hear from me. I was really grateful to have the opportunity to tell everyone about it. So I enjoyed it.' And now it's back to work, which should be a fun time for the 72-man field, at least those who had to slog through 5 1/2-inch rough soaked by rain at Oakmont for a grueling week. The Travelers Championship, the last of the $20 million signature events, is a happier occasion where the scoring is easier, even though the TPC River Highlands can still punish bad shots. The rough is still plenty thick, just not quite as dense as it was at Oakmont. And players are not hitting into putting surfaces where the golf ball never seems to stop rolling. Still, it's a welcome relief. 'It's more just kind of getting back into the swing of things of, 'All right, actually I have a 7-iron in my hand, but I don't have to be quite as careful,' I guess,' Jordan Spieth said. 'It's no gimme golf course, especially if we're going to see windy conditions. 'The short answer is, yeah, it's kind of nice,' he said. 'It would be hard to play something like that (Oakmont) every single week. But at the same time, you get a lot of risk-reward on the back nine here, which can yield 3-, 4-, 5 under rounds, but you can also get in big-time trouble.' For Spaun, it's moving forward just four days after his dynamic finish. He was in a five-way tie for the lead on the back nine and pulled ahead with a driver onto the 17th green for a two-putt birdie and a 65-foot birdie putt for a magical finish in his two-shot victory. 'I definitely need to keep the hunger there,' Spaun said. 'I think I will have the hunger just because I want to continue to prove myself, but not prove myself to anybody other than myself. I feel like my biggest barrier throughout my entire career is just trying not to be so hard on myself and not ruining any sort of confidence that I've built from all these experiences on my journey as a golfer. 'As long as I keep that up, I think I'll continue to play well,' he said. 'And obviously winning the U.S. Open is going to be a huge boost to that inner ego, I guess you could say, to keep that self-belief alive and burning.' Scottie Scheffler had no trouble last year when he went from winning the Masters to winning the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town. Rory McIlroy won the British Open in 2014, had two weeks off and then won a World Golf Championship at Firestone and a PGA Championship in consecutive weeks. 'I think after winning a major championship, like the first time you come back out to the course is a bit of a circus sometimes just with all the people,' Scheffler said. 'J.J. just achieved a lifetime goal and dream of his. It's definitely different coming to the golf course, for sure. There's a lot more people, a lot more stuff to sign, a lot of stuff that goes on. 'It's all good things. It's all stuff that's fun.' Keegan Bradley won his first major in 2011 as a PGA Tour rookie, had a week off and then missed the cut in his next two tournaments. 'I remember coming home and going out to dinner with my friends and walking into the restaurant. I could feel that people knew who I was. I had never felt that,' Bradley said. 'The thing I told J.J. was I hope he really enjoys this.' ___ AP golf:
