Rick Shiels partnering with LIV Golf as ambassador
Rick Shiels partnering with LIV Golf as ambassador With nearly 3 million subscribers, Shiels can bring LIV Golf a massive audience and exposure for its players.
YouTube star Rick Shiels, who has nearly three million subscribers on his main channel, announced on Friday that he has signed a partnership with LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed golf league, and will now serve as an ambassador for the league.
To be clear, Shiels, who was a teaching pro in England before his golf instruction and equipment review videos exploded on YouTube, will not be competing in LIV Golf events. Instead, he will be filming content at every LIV Golf venue ahead of the league's tournaments that will promote and show off the courses, players and atmosphere.
"I'm going to be making some unbelievable content at every single LIV Golf event," Sheils said. Included in that content will be his popular "Break 75" challenges and videos that feature players like Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson and others off the course and away from golf. There are also plans for 5-man scrambles that feature Sheils and a LIV team trying to go as low as possible, along with two-vs-two matches with Shiels acting as the host.
On December 6, the PGA Tour announced the creation of a Creator Council comprised of social media stars like Bob Does Sports, Bryan Bros Golf, Erik Anders Lang, Fore Play/Barstool Sports, No Laying Up, Paige Spiranac, Roger Steele and Tisha Alyn who would help the Tour, "develop shared strategies for content development and fan engagement." The announcement of Shiels, who was not named to that panel, becoming a LIV ambassador appears to be the upstart league's answer to growing engagement and fans on the biggest social media platform.
Several PGA Tour stars have appeared with content creators on YouTube, and a growing number of equipment manufacturers are turning to content creators who boast a large online audience to promote their services and gear. Rahm and Xander Schauffele have appeared recently on Bob Does Sports, Erik Anders Lang recently signed a deal with Ping Golf, and Fore Play/Barstool Sports created a video with Tiger Woods at a TaylorMade commercial shot in late 2023 that has now generated over 3.2 million views.
With Sheils' large subscriber base and LIV Golf's ability to get star players involved at exotic locations, it will be fascinating to see what the content creator produces and if the videos boost interest in LIV Golf events, which will soon be broadcast on Fox Sports.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
10 minutes ago
- USA Today
New Jersey duo hoping to make impact at U.S. Open in neighboring Pennsylvania
New Jersey duo hoping to make impact at U.S. Open in neighboring Pennsylvania There are 156 golfers in this week's U.S. Open, but only two of them understand the beauty of the Navesink River and the aggravation of Route 35 traffic. A pair of New Jersey lifers. Chris Gotterup hails from Little Silver and attended Christian Brothers Academy. Ryan McCormick was raised in Middletown and went to Mater Dei High School. They aren't the sole New Jerseyans in the field this week at Oakmont Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburbs, but they are the only ones who didn't split at the first opportunity. Gotterup earned All-America honors at Rutgers, while McCormick became the Big East individual champion at St. John's. 'I know he takes great pride in that, and I take great pride in it,' Gotterup said of their local bona fides. 'There are good players who grow up in Jersey and go away to college. We're two of the only guys who have toughed it out and climbed through the ranks in a place where you wouldn't think you could do it.' Gotterup, 25, is making his second appearance at the U.S. Open after also qualifying in 2022. This is the first U.S. Open for McCormick, 33. More: 'It better not be easier when you're done': 5 things I learned from Gil Hanse on Oakmont 'It speaks to how quality the golf is in New Jersey and especially in Monmouth County,' McCormick said. 'It's awesome that we're both out here playing still.' Oakmont is an iconic venue, one of the most demanding in the country. When they tee off Thursday, however, don't expect guys who have played through tough conditions for much of their lives to be intimidated. 'I like to describe myself as someone who is gritty, and I know Ryan would say the same thing,' Gotterup said. 'That's just part of our New Jersey roots.' More: What would an 18 handicap shoot at Oakmont? Pros weigh in, and their answers are hilarious Chris Gotterup: 'Still earning my place' Golf is a funny game. In 2024, Gotterup was in good position to qualify for the U.S. Open, but he three-putted the final hole and missed the cutoff by one stroke. This year, at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, he rallied with a six-under final round to punch a ticket. 'It was looking like for a long time that I wasn't going to be here,' he said. 'I turned on the jets at the end, and it ended up being enough.' He'll need those jets at Oakmont, where he's grouped with Joakim Langergren and Mason Howell. They tee off at 8:46 a.m. Thursday and 2:31 p.m. Friday. 'In a perfect world, you'd be out here for two straight weeks trying to learn every little nuance that you could,' Gotterup said after a couple of practice rounds on the course. 'There are some holes where it breaks your brain; if you're in the rough and you hit it 40 yards short of the green, it's going to get there. It's a mental challenge more than anything.' It doesn't hurt that he won a PGA Tour event last year, shooting 22 under par at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina. 'That honestly feels like a long time ago,' Gotterup said. 'I feel like I'm still earning my place out here.' He's done that since graduating CBA. At Rutgers, he developed from an average college golfer into a star, and as a postgraduate at the University of Oklahoma he won the Fred Haskins Award as the most outstanding Division I golfer in 2022. At a time when the professionalization of college football and basketball is casting a cloud over the future of other intercollegiate sports, Gotterup can attest to the virtues of his time on campus. 'There were so many stepping stones for me that, even if I was good enough at Rutgers to turn pro, I would not be in the same position I am now,' he said. 'I needed those years of getting the crap beat out of me and coach yelling at me and teachers telling me, that I wasn't trying hard enough in school. There are all these pieces that built up to get my feet underneath me to the point where I can finally kick some (butt).' His biggest piece of advice for the current crop of high school golf standouts? 'Go somewhere where you're going to be comfortable and you're going to play -- for me, that was Rutgers,' he said. 'And it's important to not get burnt out. Do other stuff, play basketball. You don't need to act like a tour pro at 17.' Ryan McCormick: 'You're in the right spot' It's been a roller-coaster couple of years for McCormick, who lives in Florida now but spends his summers in Jersey. He earned his PGA Tour card in 2023 but took his lumps. 'It was difficult and I learned a lot and I got my butt kicked – and I played well a few weeks out of the year,' he said of the PGA Tour. 'But in our business, there is really no long-term security unless you win.' He ended up on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. 'Every time you advance in anything, but especially in golf, you play against better competition and better courses, you find out about yourself and how good your game is really, and what you need to do to get better,' he said. 'As frustrating as last year was, I learned a lot, and I'm a lot better for it now. I'm probably the best version of myself with my golf game that I've been in my life.' It all came together June 2, when McCormick punched his ticket to Oakmont by winning his U.S. Open qualifier by a whopping five strokes. McCormick is a huge Seton Hall basketball fan – his family has owned season tickets since the 1990s – and he drew an analogy that hardwood aficionados will appreciate. 'It was like Darius Lane or Jeremy Hazell,' he said, referencing former Pirate sharpshooters. 'When they get hot, you just keep feeding them. I hit it really well.' In Oakmont, he's grouped with Trevor Cone and amateur Zachary Pollo. Their tee times are 2:20 Thursday and 8:35 a.m. Friday. 'I've been trying to qualify for the U.S. Open since I was 15,' McCormick said. 'I've always watched every day. It's my favorite golf event.' Part of his typical pre-event preparation is playing a video-game version of the course on PGA Tour 2K. Anything to gain a little extra insight. 'I always try to do my research on the golf course that I'm playing,' McCormick said. 'I've been spending time looking at the past US Opens there, watching the final rounds of the last three of them. You never know what you might pick up on that might help you out there. 'I know they've changed the course, But as far as venues go, this is probably one of the top U.S. Opens you'd want play – you think of Winged Foot, Pebble Beach and Oakmont. So to qualify in a year when it's at such a historic venue is exciting.' If he does something notable this week, you may see replays of a strange clip from April, when he played a round in Georgia with tape over his mouth to control frustrated outbursts. 'It really went all over the world through all different types of news outlets,' McCormick said. 'It was an unbelievable thing that I had no idea was going to get so much attention.' McCormick said the idea was to enhance his focus. 'I've never been afraid to try anything that will help me,' he said. 'It was an exercise that I had in an old book of mine – go play with earplugs in, go play without talking, go hit some shots with a blindfold. Eliminating the senses. I took that to the extreme obviously. The feedback was out of control. But the golfers really understood, and I'm glad for the most part people found it funny.' McCormick's U.S. Open debut marks a full-circle moment for his family. His father Mark McCormick, the longtime head pro at Suburban Golf Club in Union, qualified at age 49 in 2012. It's in the blood, for sure. 'When we moved to Middletown, my dad put this small green in the backyard,' Ryan said. 'My brother (also named Mark) would sometimes practice with me and make up leaderboards for all four majors. I remember us doing the 'U.S. Open' a lot. Now I'll be on the real leaderboard and he won't have to create a fake leaderboard for me to compete on.' Dream big. That's Ryan McCormick's advice anyone growing up in the Garden State who might have a future in golf. 'I always believed in myself, but there were plenty of times as a junior and even in high school when I got my butt kicked, and I just kept working,' he said. 'Just know that between Chris and I and Max Greyserman (a Short Hills native who also qualified), it shows that if your dreams are to play on the PGA Tour, you're in the right spot. Just keep working on it.' Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@
USA Today
10 minutes ago
- USA Today
Check out what Jordan Spieth, others will be wearing in the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont
Check out what Jordan Spieth, others will be wearing in the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Oakmont Country Club welcomes the world's best players this week for the 2025 U.S. Open. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is seeking his first U.S. Open title, looking to continue his dominance after three wins in his past four tournament starts this season. Meanwhile, LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau (2020 and 2024 champion) and Jon Rahm (2021 champion) are looking to win yet another U.S. Open, and some of the PGA Tour's young stars, like Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland, will try to break into the major championship winners' circle for the first time. It's the 125th playing of America's national championship, and a lot has changed in the game of golf in the last 125 years. Of course, when hearing that sentence, you're probably thinking about the technological improvements in things like clubs and golf balls, but there's another facet of golf that looks a lot different than it did more than a century ago: Style. While players focus on their performance on the golf course, we're going to focus on their fashion. Here's what some of your favorite golfers will be wearing at Oakmont this week. MORE U.S. OPEN FASHION: FootJoy Premiere Series Packard 'Legends Series' Drop III Akshay Bhatia U.S. Open apparel - TravisMathew Akshay Bhatia is going with a mix of traditional and unique this week with his TravisMathew fits. He'll wear the rambunctious white Passport Polo that features prints of flowers and a cityscape on Thursday, but if he makes the cut, it's straight black and all business on moving day. Shop Akshay Bhatia's U.S. Open look Cameron Young U.S. Open apparel - Peter Millar Cameron Young will be donning a classic look with a touch of modern influence in his Peter Millar apparel at Oakmont this week. The weather might be a tad too warm to keep the outerwear on, but he'll stand out with a U.S. Open limited-edition print polo in rounds one and three. Shop Cameron Young's Peter Millar look Jordan Spieth U.S. Open apparel - Under Armour Jordan Spieth's Under Armour style has been consistent for years, and that doesn't change much this week, but there is one special piece. On Friday, he'll wear a UA Playoff Printed Polo with depictions of the Oakmont squirrel and church pew bunkers, paying homage to this year's venue. That said, he did debut a new UA StealForm High high-crown fit hat that features a cooling Iso-Chill interior during the practice round on Wednesday. Shop Jordan Spieth's Under Armour look Maverick McNealy U.S. Open apparel - Under Armour Another one of Under Armour's competitors this week, Maverick McNealy, will bring a sleek look to Oakmont. The piece that stands out the most is Saturday's colorfully designed pink and midnight gray UA Playoff Printed Polo. Shop Maverick McNealy's Under Armour look Min Woo Lee U.S. Open apparel - Lululemon About as classic as classic gets for "Dr. Chipinski." Min Woo Lee is going solid colors on three of the four days, highlighted by Lululemon's starch blue Mockneck Lightweight Golf Shirt on Thursday. Traditional-style polos for the rest of the weekend, though. Shop Min Woo Lee's Lululemon look Sam Burns U.S. Open apparel - TravisMathew Sam Burns is all over the place this week, in a good way. Thursday and Saturday are traditional looks, but the TravisMathew Featherweight Day Cruise Polo on Friday adds some flair to the lineup. Shop Sam Burns' TravisMathew look
Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Eddie Murphy didn't testify at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, honestly
Claim: Actor Eddie Murphy testified at rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial in May or early June 2025. Rating: A rumor that circulated online beginning in late May 2025 claimed actor and comedian Eddie Murphy testified at rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial. Users primarily spread this matter through the sharing of videos. Those videos claimed Murphy told the court at Combs' New York trial that Combs forced Murphy into engaging in sexual activity with him, and that Murphy said, "I left Hollywood because of 'Diddy.'" However, Murphy didn't testify at Combs' trial. Searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo found no news media outlets credibly reporting that Murphy testified at the trial or made any such statements regarding sexual activity or leaving Hollywood. The rumor amounted to nothing more than attempts by online creators to earn advertising revenue. Those creators executed their plans by asking artificial-intelligence (AI) tools to create videos and inauthentic thumbnail images promoting the false rumor. Snopes contacted by email representatives for Murphy to request comment regarding the fabricated rumor, included about Murphy's alleged statements, and will update this story if we receive more information. For example, on June 8, 2025, a manager of the Undisclosed Realms YouTube channel posted a video (archived) displaying the title, "Eddie Murphy SHOCKS Court 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy!'" The creator of the clip labeled its content in the description as "comedic satire." As of this writing, the video received over 236,000 views. The video's thumbnail image featured an AI-generated, split-screen view, showing Combs in an orange jumpsuit alongside Murphy, both seated in front of microphones. The chyron read, "Diddy ruined my career." The video showed authentic visuals. At the same time, the clip also featured AI-generated editing, scripting and voice narration, meaning all its creator needed to do to make the entire clip was enter a brief text prompt into one of many different AI tools. The AI-detection website Sightengine found a 99.9 percent likelihood of someone generating the thumbnail image with AI. The narrator's voice matched that of the AI-generated "Bill" on the ElevenLabs AI company's website. Snopes added the red line due to the thumbnail image's inauthenticity. (Undisclosed Realms/YouTube) Days earlier, on June 1, a manager of the Red Carpet Rumors Facebook page posted a video with the title, "1 MINUTE AGO: Eddie Murphy Testifies, 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy." That video, also generated with AI, received over 4 million views, and featured the description, "In a stunning courtroom revelation, comedy legend Eddie Murphy has reportedly taken the stand and confessed the real reason he vanished from Hollywood for years — and it all leads back to Sean 'Diddy' Combs. With the world watching, Eddie declared, 'I left Hollywood because of Diddy,' sending shockwaves through the courtroom and beyond." The video's AI-generated thumbnail image showed a split-screen view of a tearful Murphy crying in court next to Combs, again wearing an orange jumpsuit. A fake photo displayed between the pair showed Murphy and Combs shirtless in a bed. The chyron referenced "breaking news" and a purported Murphy quote saying that Combs forced him into engaging in oral sex. The text read, "He made me suck it." Snopes also added the red line in this thumbnail image. (Red Carpet Rumors/Facebook) Other users shared this same false rumor far and wide on Facebook (archived), Threads (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived), as well as on many different YouTube channels. A Google search result also displayed a popular TikTok video with at least 162,000 views from user @ displaying the title, "P2. 1 MINUTE AGO: Eddie Murphy Testifies, 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy.'" As of this writing, an attempt to access the video showed the message, "Video currently unavailable." Additionally, at least one X post (archived) from May 31 linked to a removed YouTube video displaying the title, "1 MINUTE AGO: Eddie Murphy Testifies, 'I Left Hollywood Because of Diddy.'" Upon attempting to access the video (archived), YouTube showed the message, "This video has been removed for violating YouTube's Terms of Service." In other words, this false rumor about Murphy and Combs originated in May, most likely with a label about fictional content, as opposed to satire. While Murphy did not testify at Combs' trial, his name did receive a brief, albeit minor, mention. Referencing Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, NewsNation reported of Murphy and actor Bruce Willis: While reviewing text messages Ventura sent Combs in court, the defense team noted she asked the hip-hop mogul if they could have more than a sexual relationship, pointing to both Willis and Murphy as examples where they successfully co-parented with the mothers of their children. Ventura had expressed a desire to be in Combs' children's lives after he split with Kim Porter, and Combs' defense team was attempting to show that Ventura was jealous of the time Combs spent with the mother of three of his kids. For further reading, previous fact checks examined similar rumors about other celebrities allegedly testifying against Combs, including musician Usher and actor Jim Carrey. Another claim said the prosecution in Combs' case presented as evidence a secret recording of Prince exposing the music mogul. "AI Image Detector. Detect AI-Generated Media at Scale." Sightengine, "DuckDuckGo - Protection. Privacy. Peace of Mind." DuckDuckGo, Falzone, Diana. "Here Are the A-Listers Mentioned in the Diddy Trial so Far." NewsNation, 7 May 2025, "Free Text To Speech Online with Lifelike AI Voices." ElevenLabs, Google. Google Lens - Search What You See. Microsoft Bing. Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos.
