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Extra.ie
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
Rory McIlroy's old back garden is still a putting green -- and it's as quick as lightning!
The man at the door is a kind and friendly sort. He's also not much of a golf fan, but there's an artificial putting green in his back garden, and occasionally it draws strangers to his house on the corner of Strathearn Court and Belfast Road. This is Hollywood, where a star was born 36 years ago, and an hour or so north is Royal Portrush, where that same guy will challenge for the Claret Jug this week. The noise and fuss will be off the scale for Rory McIlroy. However, the interest in this property will be warm rather than frenzied. If Aaron Williamson does check on the scores, his curiosity will be mainly driven by the quirks of one fact: he lives in the house where McIlroy grew up. Pic: Stuart Kerr/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) Hence the garden putting green, installed by McIlroy's dad, Gerry, after they moved in when his son was four, and why pilgrims turn up on Williamson's doorstep every now and then. 'I get the knock on the door from time to time,' he told me on Sunday afternoon, while McIlroy was working his way towards finishing second at the Scottish Open. 'It really isn't very often that someone comes by to see it, but whenever it was that he won the Masters, there was a flurry of interest.' Williamson has been here since 2021, living in the four-bedroom semi with his wife, two children and dog. He's the pastor at a Baptist church a couple of hundred yards up the street, and it bemuses him more than anything else that he lives on what might be deemed a heritage site. Pic: Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) 'I find it quite funny and surreal because none of us are big golfers,' he said. 'I suppose it's a nice story to tell. We did a charity event after the Masters because there was quite a bit of interest and more knocks than usual. We almost felt we wanted to release the tension by opening it up. 'A neighbour runs a charity called The Big House, so we said if people paid a fiver, they could come and play a few putts and have a coffee. That was a week after the Masters, and it was an awful day for weather, but maybe 50 people came. The putting green is part of our lives, I suppose! 'Rory has done so well for himself and everyone here is very fond of him. It is nice to sometimes think he was stood out there practising putts to win the Open.' Pic: Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images) Sport was invited to have a go, so we set up a putt at a similar range to the four-footer McIlroy drained on that fabulous night at Augusta three months ago. Misreading the line and length, two charged by the hole, and one dropped — It's lightning fast. 'That's because it's a bit worn out by now,' said Williamson. Gerry and his wife, Rosie, left for another part of the small town more than 20 years ago, when their prodigy son was in his mid-teens. Each time it has changed hands, no one has had the heart to turf over the artificial surface and its six cups. 'We were aware when we were buying it that it would almost be our responsibility to look after it,' Williamson said. To be honest, there have been times when we would love to put some grass out there but it doesn't feel quite right! It's a bit of a catch-22!' Pic: CJ Gunther/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Williamson has not met McIlroy, but like most in this spot east of Belfast, where the population barely touches 12,000, they all know Holywood is synonymous with their golfing son. The welcome sign off the A2 makes reference to the 'home of Rory McIlroy', and for McIlroy's parents, it is still home. 'When he comes back here, we try not to make a fuss of him, just so it can be a place where everything is comfortable, normal, and he can just be Rory,' said Ruth Watt, the ladies' captain at Holywood Golf Club. It's where Gerry, a scratch golfer, worked as a barman, and his son learned the game. McIlroy's parents stop in at the golf club most weeks, and their son visits when he can. His home has been in Florida for more than a decade, and his newest property is in Wentworth, but Hollywood, says Watt, will 'always be home'. The car park keeps a permanent parking space for him; members say he stumped up £750,000 for their gym and substantially more for other renovations. 'He came in and used the gym after the Masters,' said Watt. A trove of his memorabilia, from golf bags to signed flags and replica trophies, are so prominent in the clubhouse that they sell tours to American tourists. In the bar, there is also a framed scorecard from his course-record 61 at Portrush as a 16-year-old. 'I think it's nice for him to have a place where he knows he can escape,' said Trevor Heaven, the men's captain. 'Everyone here knows Rory and his family and we're all proud. It's good for him to have a spot to go where he doesn't have the pressure he might have out there.' There's a nook at the Dirty Duck pub, beneath a signed painting of McIlroy, where he used to meet his mates. The barman says he hasn't been in for a few years, but directed Sport to Neds, next to the maypole that has stood since the 1700s. An 'old man pub', I'm told. The locals confirm McIlroy is in semi-regularly when he's home, and same goes for Coffee Yard just up the street. 'He's a gent and when he's here, he's just Rory to us,' said Martin Gleason at the bar in Neds. 'No one makes a mad fuss about it.' The fuss at Portrush will be significant this week. McIlroy spoke about it yesterday, explaining how the 2019 Open was so overwhelming that he couldn't handle the expectations – he shot 79 in his first round and missed the cut. Returning as a Master's champion, and finally with a spring in his step after three months of poor form, he reckons he will process it better.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UF presidential candidate would bring political baggage to Gator Country
Santa J. Ono, the University of Michigan's besieged president of just three years, plans to trade in 'The Big House' in Ann Arbor for 'The Swamp' in Gainesville. Following a long and secretive search, Ono was selected Sunday as the sole finalist to take the helm as president of the University of Florida and end a nearly year-long vacancy, assuming he is approved by university trustees and the state board of governors, as is expected. He would start work at UF later this summer. UF announced Ono its choice to become its 14th president after an 'extensive and exhaustive process' that included reaching out to some 450 potential candidates, said Rahul Patel, the presidential search committee chair. Ultimately the committee narrowed the candidate field to nearly 10 sitting presidents of major research institutions, he said — sharply departing from the university's choice of its last president, former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse. Ono's 'proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice,' Patel said. 'We are confident he is the right person to build on UF's strong foundation and help realize our bold vision for the future.' Ono is a highly respected immunologist who has served as president at the University of British Columbia and University of Cincinnati. But Ono has something of a contentious track record at Michigan, particularly over the way he handled pro-Palestinian protests after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and Israeli counter-attacks. The UF job came open when Sasse suddenly stepped down last July after 17 months on the job. Former UF President Kent Fuchs has served as interim president in the meantime. Ono's salary has not yet been negotiated, but the search committee has set an upper limit of $3 million a year. Ono's decision to leave Ann Arbor comes six months after he renewed his contract with UM through 2032, which included raising his base salary from $975,000 a year to $1.3 million a year. 'Serving as your president over these past three academic years has been a distinct honor,' Ono said on the University of Michigan's website. 'Every day, I have been inspired beyond words by the vibrancy, brilliance, and dedication of our faculty, staff, students, and alumni.' Some observers called the move to Florida a step down. University of Michigan is 21st overall among national universities and 3rd among public universities, according to the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings for 2025. UF is ranked 30th nationally and 7th among public schools. The UF Board of Trustees requires a 21-day cooling off period before it can vote to confirm Ono's appointment. From there it goes to the State Board of Governors for final approval. Fuchs called Ono a 'dream candidate.' UF Board Chairman Mori Hosseini, a Daytona Beach developer with deep ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis, said he supports 'this unanimous recommendation and am confident in Dr. Ono's ability to guide UF to even greater success.' While UF's top officials praised Ono's administrative and academic attributes, others raised concerns about the closed-door nature of the search process. The University of Florida's faculty union was 'opposed to the presidential search secrecy bill, not least the 'sole finalist' phenomenon,' said Meera Sitharam, the faculty union's UF chapter president, referring to the 2022 law that made the names of all candidates and meetings of presidential searches confidential until a list of finalists was announced. 'Can a president who accepts secrecy in their own selection stand up for academic freedom in the face of political attacks?' Sitharam asked. 'Will he resist those holding the purse strings and uphold the institutional autonomy that the public of Florida has enshrined in the state constitution?' Ono is scheduled to visit UF on Tuesday, to meet faculty, students and administrators and answer their questions. The announcement to hire Ono came days after the Legislature failed to repeal the 2022 law. Supporters of the statute said at the time it would ensure that they got the best possible candidates, while opponents said it merely served to hide the machinations behind political appointments. The law has been blamed for political appointments like Sasse, a former U.S. Senator from Nebraska with minimal experience as president of a small midwestern university. Ono has faced his share of challenges and controversies. He was criticized for his handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his stance on student activism, according to several news accounts. His and several university officials had their homes vandalized. At least 12 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested for campus demonstrations. Ono faced protests for appearing to be insensitive to the suffering of Palestinians, and he canceled a student government vote related to the conflict in Gaza. Ono was also called out for speaking at an Anti-Defamation League conference on antisemitism and hate after the ADL was lambasted for defending Elon Musk's salute at Trump's inauguration that critics described as Nazi-like. He was pressured by the Trump administration to dismantle UM's progressive DEI, or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, and announced a move to scuttle it two months ago. UF dismantled its DEI program as required by state law. Sasse served from February 2023 to July of 2024, citing his wife's health as a reason for stepping down. The university continues to pay his $1 million salary through 2028. But the school's newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator, cited tensions between Sasse and board chair Hosseini. The Alligator reported massive spending irregularities by Sasse, who steered millions toward his inner circle, including $7.2 million to consultants for strategic planning. The article drew the attention of then-CFO Jimmy Patronis, who ordered an audit of Sasse's expenditures that found several instances of unauthorized spending. Sasse also gained national attention for the way he handled pro-Palestinian protests on campus following the Oct. 7 Hamas bombing of Gaza. Campus police arrested nine protesters last April, including six UF students who were banned from campus indefinitely and faced criminal charges.
CBS News
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Zach Bryan, John Mayer will headline first-ever concert at Michigan Stadium
(CBS DETROIT) — The Big House is about to get its first big show. Multi-platinum country music star Zach Bryan and seven-time Grammy-winning artist John Mayer will co-headline the first-ever concert at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor this fall. Bryan and Mayer will be joined by special guests Ryan Bingham and the Texas Gentlemen and Joshua Slone for the Sept. 27 show. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. through AXS. "We are excited to have award-winning artist Zach Bryan perform the very first concert at Michigan Stadium," said Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. "I would like to thank the Board of Regents, President Ono, the Executive Officers of the University, and many of our athletic department staff, as well as AEG Presents, for all the work that has brought us to this point in the process. We have been studying and evaluating what it takes to host a concert at Michigan Stadium for a couple of years, and today marks that next step in the venture with great partners." Michigan Stadium is the largest stadium in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest stadium in the world. It can hold more than 110,000 people for some sporting events. Nicknamed "The Big House," Michigan Stadium first opened in 1927 and has hosted several prominent sporting events in addition to Wolverines football, like the NHL Winter Classic and several International Champions Cup soccer matches. Michigan established an NCAA single-game attendance record of 115,109 fans in a 2013 night game against Notre Dame. Bryan recently capped off his "The Quittin' Time Tour," which saw him play 85 arenas and stadiums across North America. The Grammy winner and Oklahoma native will headline the Stagecoach Festival 2025 in Indio, California, and BST Hyde Park Festival 2025 in London, England.
