Latest news with #practice
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Estonia has 7 golf courses, a 5-month season and a 20-year-old amateur at the British Open
Richard Teder of Estonia putts on the 1st green during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia walks along the 1st fairway during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia tees off the 1st during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia plays a shot rom the 1st fairway during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia plays a shot rom the 1st fairway during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia putts on the 1st green during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia walks along the 1st fairway during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia tees off the 1st during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) Richard Teder of Estonia plays a shot rom the 1st fairway during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison) PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — No one could call Estonia an ideal breeding ground for golfers. The Baltic nation of 1.3 million people has just seven courses and as few as 3,500 registered golfers. Because of its climate, the golf season can last barely five months. Advertisement Rising above these obstacles is Richard Teder. That this thin-as-a-rake, 20-year-old amateur with a mullet, spectacles and self-taught English from YouTube is playing at the British Open as the first Estonian to ever compete at a major golf championship is one of the most uplifting stories of this week at Royal Portrush. And he is experiencing pinch-me moments wherever he turns. 'Just being in the clubhouse and stuff, seeing Brooks Koepka and all these big, big names,' Teder says. 'It's so cool.' Teder's improbable path to the Open Championship began at the age of 6 when his aunt won a tennis tournament, earning a somewhat random prize: 10 golf passes. Advertisement No one in the Teder family was into golf so young Richard, who was just getting into sports at that point, was invited along. Golf soon overtook soccer as his chosen pursuit and his mother decided to go all-in on Richard, taking him to Spain for months-long stretches during winters after he turned 12. 'For us in Estonia, the golf season starts in May,' he explained at the back of the ninth green during a practice round at Portrush. 'Obviously there are some people who just play golf once the snow has disappeared. But that's not me.' It has required more than pure talent for Teder to make it to the Open Championship, though. Advertisement He needed resilience, too, during 36-hole final qualifying at West Lancashire in early July after making a double-bogey at the last hole to drop into a four-man sudden-death playoff. At the third playoff hole, Teder holed out for eagle from 50 yards to secure a spot at Portrush. He clasped his face with his hands and was soon being carried horizontally on the shoulders of his jubilant caddie. 'It's the biggest tournament in the world — there's nothing bigger than this — so it's absolutely insane,' said Teder, who lives in Estonia's capital city, Tallinn. 'Everyone who plays golf back home knows what I've done and is very proud.' Estonia, which neighbors Russia and regained independence in 1991 after nearly 50 years of Soviet rule, has few well-known sports stars. Advertisement Erki Nool won the decathlon gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Anett Kontaveit got to No. 2 in the world ranking in women's tennis before being forced to retire in 2023. Ragnar Klavan, a soccer player, was at English giant Liverpool from 2016-18. Indeed, coming first at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001 might be the country's most widely recognized victory. Now it's Teder's turn to take the stage and it's a big moment for Estonia. 'He is the first one to ever play in a major, so it's hard to compare to anything else,' said Kristo Raudam, general secretary of the Estonian Golf Association. Advertisement 'I think a lot of people who are interested in sports but haven't been interested in golf before will catch up with the news and maybe try to watch it.' If you do catch coverage of Teder, check out his drive. He says he'll be 'hitting it far,' boasting of a carry of up to 300 meters (328 yards) — a distance which would put him up there with the longest on the PGA Tour. Otherwise, he'll just be having the time of his young life. 'I don't really watch golf, never really been to a golf tournament. So it's pretty cool to be here,' Teder said. 'It doesn't really feel real. But I know I belong here.' ___ AP golf:
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paige Spiranac's 'perfect' golf outfit turns heads as influencer posts raunchy new video
Golf influencer Paige Spiranac turned heads with a raunchy practice video on Friday ahead of the Internet Innovational. Spiranac will compete at the Barstool Sports-sponsored tournament on August 12 against the likes of Grant Horvat, J.R. Smith and Jon Gruden. And Spiranac offered a glimpse into her preparations as she treated her fans to a video of her practicing in a pink halter dress. Spiranac posed and smiled for the camera in slow motion, while a song with the lyrics 'baby how you f*** with my head' played in the background. The social media star captioned the post 'Practice makes perfect,' and the video was certainly a hit with fans. 'Killing it,' one wrote. Practice makes perfect⛳️ — Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) July 11, 2025 'It would be a dream come true to play a round of golf with you,' another said. And a third said: 'I'm betting on you winning!' Spiranac, who previously pursued a career as a pro golfer before gaining online fame, shared a theory last month about how to perform better on the course. She dressed in more conservative attire during a recent trip to the course as she wore a buttoned-up polo shirt and shorts. And after she performed below her best, she shared a theory with her fans. 'If you've been following me for awhile you know I have this working theory that I play better when I wear less clothes,' she wrote on X above a photo of her in the polo. 'Can confirm that science is right once again. I played like [poop emoji] today.' Spiranac announced some big news in May as she announced she'd be joining the Grass League - the first high-stakes par 3 golf league. While she didn't confirm the exact nature of her position, the Grass League announced that 'golf's most influential female voice' would be joining in a 'strategic leadership role.' 'A trailblazer in both professional golf and modern sports media, Spiranac will work closely with league leadership to shape the long-term vision and growth strategy for The Grass League,' a press release read. 'Her role will encompass brand development, storytelling, creative, business development and overall content and audience strategy, positioning the league to scale it's reach across digital, broadcast, and live experiences.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Escaping 'rat race' to warm up Wimbledon's stars
Over the Wimbledon fortnight, Adam Jones turns into a tennis impersonator. Each day the 27-year-old Briton is asked by the world's leading players to mimic the style of their next opponent on the All England Club practice is ranked 1,513th in the world in the singles, a bit higher in the doubles at 619th, but has one of the most important jobs at the a Wimbledon hitting partner, he has been the go-to guy for semi-finalists Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Amanda Anisimova and Belinda Bencic this year, as well as British number one Emma Raducanu."It's a great gig and a fun way to earn some money," Jones told BBC Sport at the Aorangi Park practice courts."Whoever they're playing you try to copy their style. "With Carlos, before he played Jan-Lennard Struff, who has a massive serve, I was standing a metre inside the baseline nuking serves."Standing across the net from the stars is quite the change from what Jones is used Birkenhead-born player, who trained in Wrexham and Bath before moving to the United States, travels the world to play on the ITF Futures Tour - the lowest rung of the professional is hard to make ends meet on what he calls the "grind" of trying to climb up the describes having to sleep in a tight tent pitched on a golf course, and a sweaty 15-man dormitory, because he cannot afford a for six hours in a train toilet between London to Glasgow was another way to save cash."The Futures tour is a rat race - the finances are absolutely brutal," Jones said."If you lose in qualifying you get no money. A couple of weeks ago I won $37 after losing in singles quallies and then lost first round doubles - the minimum for a hotel was $150 a night."You're losing money every single week. When people see you're a tennis player and see you're at Wimbledon, they think you have loads of money and live a luxurious life. "You don't - it's the complete opposite."With the constant necessity to make ends meet, Jones returned to Wimbledon this year as one of their in-house hitting are employed during the championships, with players believed to be paid a daily rate of about £120 - whether they are asked to hit for one hour or several are also provided with a food allowance at the club, while also able to use the racquet stringers and first took up the role in 2022 and enjoyed the experience so much that he returned the following year, he was employed by Croatia's Donna Vekic - who reached the SW19 semi-finals - as her full-time travelled on tour with the world number 25 and her team for six months before leaving to continue his own playing career."It's funny because when I was travelling the world with a top star, staying in the nicest hotels and using the best facilities, I actually missed the Futures."I wanted to go back to the jungle and the hellholes. You've got to remember where you came from. Remember the grind."The hustle will restart after who lives in California with his girlfriend, is going back to the US for a three-week stint at Futures events in his doubles ranking in order to gain entry to the ATP Challenger Tour, and eventually the ATP Tour, is his ambition in the coming months."Next year I want to be back at Wimbledon - playing doubles. That's the goal."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Jameer Nelson Jr. rises up and throws it down
Chase Elliott hits Turn 4 outside wall in practice, will not qualify Chase Elliott tags the outside wall in Turn 4 at Chicago during practice, resulting in damage that will stop the No. 9 car from qualifying. 0:55 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Fox News
05-07-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
Will Power Confronts Alex Palou after Mid-Ohio Practice
"You just [expletive] my whole session." Will Power yelled at Alex Palou after practice Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio, but it appears to be over the frustration that has mounted throughout the weekend while drivers tried to get a good, clean lap in practice. As drivers manage their tires on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, backing off and going slower on a lap is not rare. Power and Colton Herta talked about it yesterday when asked about what was the most difficult part of the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. Will Power spoke with FOX Sports on the broadcast prior to qualifying about the issue. "[He] spent four laps just going slow, so I had to keep backing up, backing up, backing up, which was frustrating," Power said. "And then I came in and made a change, went out on a money lap [and they] sent him out of the pit again right in front of me and he didn't move." "He just kept going, and I had to back up again. He didn't have anyone in front of him and I had clear behind me. He could have just backed off, which I always do for him and anyone else." Power said Palou told him sorry because he knew what the issue was and Power acknowledged that Palou might have been just doing what he was instructed. "It's frustrating for everyone to get a lap because these tracks are small and so many cars," Power said. Palou said he knew why Power was coming towards him and joked that Power "gave me some compliments" and added that he understood the frustration. "Everybody is complaining about traffic, and we're all angry that we don't get clear laps," Palou said. "Maybe he thought we did something personal to him. For sure, that was not the intention. … I was always a second or two seconds in front of him. "He was just having to back off," Palou added. "I never tried to defend or anything. He was a little bit upset, and that's OK." Power's irritation was reiterated earlier in the weekend. "[The biggest challenge] is probably people backing off, simply," Power said Friday afternoon after the first practice. "It's incredible." Colton Herta, sitting next to him, added that if it happens early in the lap, then it ruins the entire lap. "You just don't really get laps," Herta said. "So you're kind of guessing the last half of the track, where to put it and how much speed to roll when you get the [softer tire] reds on." "It definitely disrupts the flow of your work progress for sure," Herta added. That's what it appeared Power was mad about when he confronted Palou after practice. Power is known as one of the more emotional drivers, often laying it out there but also getting over things relatively quickly. It has been a vexing season for Power. The Team Penske driver is seventh in the standings and only has one podium finish (the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May). Palou is having an incredible season, as the Ganassi driver has six wins and a 93-point lead in the standings.
