Latest news with #SaudiArabian-backed
Daily Mirror
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Lee Westwood speaks out about decision to have his wife caddie for him at The Open
Lee Westwood has opened up on why his wife Helen operates as his caddie, with the 52-year-old LIV Golf star looking to make a big impact at The Open in Royal Portrush over the weekend LIV Golf star Lee Westood has opened up on his call to have his wife, Helen, caddie for him. Westwood, 52, looks to be rolling back the years at The Open, currently being held at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. After a solid start on Thursday, he is currently finding himself tied for 21st on one under as day two gets underway. Westwood, who came under fire for joining the Saudi Arabian-backed league in 2022, will be hoping to go one better than he did at St Andrews in 2010 when he came runner-up. That result is his joint best ever in a major, with Westwood also finishing in T2 at the Masters in 2010 and 2016, as the game's most prized trophies continue to escape him. Yet there's one aspect of his golf game that's generated almost as many headlines as his near misses, and that is his choice of caddie. Westwood and Helen Storey are believed to have started dating in 2015, and in 2017, Helen stepped in to help her partner on the fairway. Speaking of the union, Westood said to the BBC recently: "She wanted to do it. She loves the weather over here, the fact that she needs two pairs of hands and sometimes three." He added: "No, she caddied for me in the qualifying, and I prefer to have her caddieing for me whenever she can. We have a good record round here from finishing fourth six years ago. "Yeah, it was an easy decision for me to make. Probably harder for her. She'd probably rather be at home riding a horse." Speaking on The Therapy Crouch podcast, Helen explained what drew her to the task of carrying the bags for her husband, despite not being all that familiar with the technical side of the sport, saying: "I knew I could handle the weight of the bag and what have you, but I didn't have a bloody clue what I was doing." It was a professional marriage that drew instant success, with Westwood claiming his 24th European Tour victory in their third tournament as a partnership. Westwood has also described how his wife's guidance helps to calm him down when things aren't going his way on the links. "Sometimes, when I'm kicking off and having a bit of a moan and a whinge, she looks at me and goes, 'Are you finished?'" Westwood said. It's a pair that clearly works, as observed by US star Bryson DeChambeau. The two-time US Open winner, 31, described Helen as Westwood's "secret weapon" back at the Players Championship in 2021. "I think Helen is a big part of his (recent) success," he said. "She's keeping him steady and level-headed and she's a rock. Keeps his mind focused on the right things, and she's been awesome for him, and that's one of his secret weapons, I think." Westwood's 28th Open marks his first since 2022, the same year he left the PGA Tour to defect to LIV Golf. Targeting his maiden major, Westwood recently touched upon his love for Royal Portrush. "I love The Open Championship and I love Portrush," Westwood said Thursday. "It's one of the golf courses where if it wasn't The Open and somebody said, 'Do you want to go and play Portrush this weekend?' I'd probably go. And there's not many courses like that."
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
The Open star unleashed furious rant in qualifying before making use of LIV Golf loophole
LIV Golf's Sergio Garcia has qualified for this year's Open championship at Royal Portrush, however he comes into 2025's event off the back of a tense qualifer last year LIV Golf star Sergio Garcia has qualified for this year's Open via a loophole, after his attempt at making last year's tournament ended in a furious tirade at officials. Garcia secured his place at the 2025 Open through the LIV Golf points list. This came after missing out initially. However, with members of the breakaway league gaining an invite via their individual season-long leaderboard for the first time, he made the cut. The R&A had announced earlier in the year that following the LIV Dallas event at the end of June, players who were not already exempt would be granted entry to Royal Portrush. As a consequence, a determined Garcia, who is fifth in the LIV standings, elected not to take part in the 36-hole Open Championship qualifier. He also decided against competing in any of the four qualifying events and instead chose to use his performances on the LIV Golf tour to lock him into The Open. Yet it was a far cry from 2024 where Garcia launched into a rant at R&A officials after losing his cool during qualifying. The Spanish star was forced to take part in the qualifying tournament after relinquishing his Open exemption due to his links with the Saudi Arabian-backed league. Garcia was the one to watch on the fairway and was trailed by a sizable crowd. However, events took a sour turn when he was made to wait to tee off while course marshals were busy waving the crowd on by. The 45-year-old ended up steering his drive into trouble and was clearly frustrated. Snapping at course officials he demanded: "It needs to be organised better." Garcia was then slapped with a warning for slow play which agitated him further, as he believed the sheer volume of fans in attendance were responsible for his lethargic pace. The warning pushed Garcia over the edge as he said: "You're right, we're always wrong." This year's development means that 2017 Masters Champion Garcia, who did not play at the US Open, will be participating in his first Open Championship since 2022, where he finished T68. The Open will go ahead on July 17 at Royal Portrush, with several big names failing to make the cut in qualifying. Northern Irish star Graeme McDowell, Sam Horsfield and LIV Golf's Adrian Meronk and Ian Poulter will all miss out. Speaking on the right of those playing in the LIV Golf league to feature in The Open, Mark Darbon, chief executive of the R&A, back in February said: "The Open is a global championship for the best men's golfers and each year we review our exemptions to ensure that we offer pathways into the Championship based on results achieved on the leading professional tours. "We acknowledge that players competing in LIV Golf should also have the opportunity to secure places in The Open through its individual season standings as well as existing pathways. "We are proud to offer a wide range of opportunities to qualify globally and look forward to seeing which golfers will emerge to take their place at Royal Portrush in July." Meanwhile Garcia, speaking at the LIV Dallas event at the end of June, said: "It's going to be my second time playing at Royal Portrush, and it's obviously nice. It's one of the goals that you have at the beginning of the year, to try to play as many majors as you can with the limitations that we get. "I didn't help myself very much the last three months, but I'm glad that I got enough work done in the first third of the year, I guess, in the first part of the season. I'm excited about it, and hopefully I'll play well."
Sydney Morning Herald
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Tuivasa-Sheck's manager confirms R360 discussions, issues NRL with Ponga warning
The manager of Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has confirmed his client is considering a lucrative defection to breakaway rugby competition R360, and is also backing Knights star Kalyn Ponga to make the switch. The Herald has this week reported that both Tuivasa-Sheck and Ponga are considering switching to the 15-man code. The latest threat to the NRL comes in the form of a reported Saudi Arabian-backed rebel rugby union competition that aims to have 200 players signed by the end of September to begin a global circuit tournament from next year. Tuivasa-Sheck's agent Bruce Sharrock has close ties to the R360 competition and confirmed that his client is giving strong consideration to signing a deal that would see him earn more than $1 million per season after his Warriors contract expires at the end of 2026. The 32-year-old, who is on around $550,000 at the Warriors next year, still has one more year to run on his current deal but is set to almost double his salary in the twilight of his career if the breakaway competition gets off the ground. 'We've explored what is a developing competition called R360,' Sharrock said. 'It's been in the making for 12-18 months. Roger comes off his current NRL contract in 2026, and as part of that planning, I threw this in front of him and asked if he had any interest in this option. He said 'why wouldn't I'. I've always encouraged all my players to look at all options, and that where we are at right now. '[With] the relationship that I hold with every club, and the Warriors in particular, transparency is key. They are aware that it's an option that we're genuinely looking at. That's not to discount that we could look at an extension with the Warriors or another rugby league side, for that matter. It's part of our process.'
The Age
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Tuivasa-Sheck's manager confirms R360 discussions, issues NRL with Ponga warning
The manager of Warriors star Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has confirmed his client is considering a lucrative defection to breakaway rugby competition R360, and is also backing Knights star Kalyn Ponga to make the switch. The Herald has this week reported that both Tuivasa-Sheck and Ponga are considering switching to the 15-man code. The latest threat to the NRL comes in the form of a reported Saudi Arabian-backed rebel rugby union competition that aims to have 200 players signed by the end of September to begin a global circuit tournament from next year. Tuivasa-Sheck's agent Bruce Sharrock has close ties to the R360 competition and confirmed that his client is giving strong consideration to signing a deal that would see him earn more than $1 million per season after his Warriors contract expires at the end of 2026. The 32-year-old, who is on around $550,000 at the Warriors next year, still has one more year to run on his current deal but is set to almost double his salary in the twilight of his career if the breakaway competition gets off the ground. 'We've explored what is a developing competition called R360,' Sharrock said. 'It's been in the making for 12-18 months. Roger comes off his current NRL contract in 2026, and as part of that planning, I threw this in front of him and asked if he had any interest in this option. He said 'why wouldn't I'. I've always encouraged all my players to look at all options, and that where we are at right now. '[With] the relationship that I hold with every club, and the Warriors in particular, transparency is key. They are aware that it's an option that we're genuinely looking at. That's not to discount that we could look at an extension with the Warriors or another rugby league side, for that matter. It's part of our process.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Brian Rolapp, a potential successor to Roger Goodell, leaving NFL to become PGA Tour CEO
Brian Rolapp is jumping over to the PGA Tour. Rolapp is leaving his position as an NFL executive vice president to become the next PGA Tour CEO, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham. Rolapp is expected to lead the Tour. Advertisement Rolapp has been with the NFL for 22 years, and was widely believed to be a potential successor to commissioner Roger Goodell whenever he leaves his post. Goodell sent a memo to all team executives and presidents to notify them of Rolapp's departure on Thursday. The Tour has not confirmed the news, which came in the middle of the opening round of the U.S. Open. That major championship is run by the United States Golf Association and is separate from the PGA Tour. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has held his post as the Tour's commissioner since 2017, when he replaced longtime commissioner Tim Finchem. Monahan is just the fourth commissioner in the Tour's history. He stepped away briefly from his post in 2023 due to an undisclosed health issue, which came just a week after his announcement that the Tour was entering negotiations to join forces with LIV Golf — something that drew an immense amount of criticism from both inside the Tour and out. Advertisement Monahan and the Tour are still in negotiations with LIV Golf, which came after years of turmoil in the sport and Monahan's strong condemnation of the Saudi Arabian-backed league. It's unclear if such a deal will get done, however, as the two sides are well past their self-imposed deadline. The Tour announced last year that it would begin looking for a new CEO to work alongside Monahan, and that the job would be tasked with growing the commercial side of the business. The CEO role will report directly to both the PGA Tour's Policy Board and the Board of Directors for PGA Tour Enterprises, which is the new for-profit arm the Tour has launched in an effort to compete with LIV Golf. PGA Tour Enterprises received an initial investment of $1.5 billion from the Strategic Sports Group to get off the ground. 'This is a signal that we're on the right track,' Tour chief marketing and communications officer Andy Weitz said in December of the new CEO position, via the Golf Channel. 'This is another example of making sure we have the right people in the right roles. To come together and really create some exciting experiences for fans in 2025 and beyond.' While Rolapp's role will include the PGA Tour Enterprises side of things, it is not expected to be limited to the for-profit entity.
