Latest news with #Flourtown
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Paige Spiranac's Exec Era Begins, Joins Grass League's Front Office
FLOURTOWN, PHILADELPHIA - MAY 07: Paige Spiranac plays the 17th green during the Creator Classic at ... More Philly Cricket Club, prior to the Truist Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course) on May 7, 2025 in Flourtown Philadelphia. (Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images) Paige Spiranac, golf's reigning content creator queen with over 11 million followers across platforms including 4 million on Instagram (2.6 million more than world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler) and 1.6 million on TikTok, has landed a front office gig with the Grass League, where she'll take on a strategic leadership role. 'I'll be touching a bunch of different aspects of the business: brand development, digital marketing, brand engagement, seeking out new team owners, talent and sponsors,' Spiranac said on what her day-to-day responsibilities will look like as she takes on a management role. 'It's really exciting for me because those are passions I've had within my own business, so now to be able to use my expertise with Grass League is something I'm really looking forward to,' she added. The upstart league, now in its sophomore season, stages evening competitions at LED-lit Par 3 venues. Teams representing regional franchises compete in a 2-person scramble format, where both players hit each shot and then choose the best resulting spot to play from until the hole is completed. In the inaugural season, all events were played at Grass Clippings in Tempe, Arizona but this year's schedule has added an event on Labor Day weekend played at Oceanside, California's Goat Hill Park, which is set to air live on Golf Channel. Prize money in the fledgling circuit is modest but around what you'd expect from a startup league in audience building mode. At the most recent event, the New York Blue Birds earned $40,000 of a six-figure purse, with $20,000 going to the runner-up San Diego Munis (a franchise owned by PGA Tour pro Wyndham Clark and lifestyle brand Municipal), and $8,000 apiece awarded to the three teams tied for third. The league's championship tees off December 5-6th back at Grass Clippings at Rolling Hills. 2025 Grass Clippings Open Spiranac, who shoots much of her content in Arizona, had already worked with the league in a hands-on capacity—serving as a correspondent and even running social media for an event. Her new role will help shape the league's future direction and content strategy while bolstering strategic growth initiatives both on and off the course. The trailblazer in the golf creator space, who has been at it now for over a decade, sees massive brand-building potential ahead for the Grass League. 'One thing that is really big for me is developing talent. There are so many talented players and also future personalities playing in Grass League,' Spiranac said, adding that as awareness grows, 'getting Grass League out there, people knowing exactly what it is as soon as they hear that name,' will make minting a household name doable. Beyond brand building, Paige envisions course building too. While there are no confirmed new sites yet, Spiranac is excited about the potential for Grass League to leave a lasting imprint on the game and communities by building Par 3 courses in new markets. While her title is fresh, Spiranac already has a vision for taking Grass League to the next level. She believes the recipe for stoking fan engagement starts with a shake of strong storytelling. That begins by spotlighting magnetic players who have the talent to match. Mix in some behind-the-scenes access, a healthy dash of humor, and you're halfway to cooking up the kind of content contemporary golf fans crave. 'When we have looked at the trends with content creators—what seems to work is that people love a great personality, but they also love to watch really good golf,' Spiranac explained. 'That's why we've seen channels like Bryson DeChambeau's be so successful—because we are finally able to get an inside look into who he is as a person but are also able to watch him play amazing golf which is really aspirational.' Giving players the space to be themselves is key. Balancing elite play and tending to an online presence can be a juggling act, so making it as easy as possible for them to show up digitally is essential. 'We've seen it with Joel Dahmen and Max Homa and a lot of the players on Full Swing, where we've been able to get little glimpses into their life,' Spiranac said. 'You just need to have that connection, because once you have that connection, you will always root for them and with individual sports that's the most important thing to having more fan engagement.' Asked which Grass League players have breakout potential, she replied: 'There are so many, and that's what's so exciting about it. That's why I can't wait to start really working on the digital marketing and development of the strategy of how to get these players out there.' 'There are guys like Austin Quick who I played junior golf with and is one of the funniest guys that I know. Now he has a normal job but he's still playing golf at a high level—and there's just so much to him,' she said. 'There are so many stories like that, and I can't wait for the storytelling that is about to happen.' Executive fashion The idea of 'Boardroom Spiranac' may raise eyebrows for those who have only cursorily followed her career trajectory, but the self-made star who effectively minted the golf influencer category has been forging brand partnerships and finding new and innovative ways to connect with next-gen fans for years. On a recent Vanity Index podcast, Spiranac voiced a desire to someday become the commissioner of a golf tour. Could that mean she's eyeing the top executive spot in Grass League? 'I would love to,' she said. 'It is something I really want to do and almost manifest for myself because I feel like I have a lot of great ideas, I've been around the game for such a long time and I feel like I can really help at that level.' While she acknowledges such a high-level role would entail major responsibilities—including being the public face of a league—she views it as a natural extension of how her career has evolved. Having helped pioneer the golf creator space, she sees this next chapter as a chance to show more dimensions of her business acumen and leadership potential. 'Now it's my responsibility to take on these new roles and tell my story and hopefully that will lead to a commissioner role or something like it one day.' Before she becomes a full-time suit, Paige's days in front of the camera are far from over. She's all set to make her major motion picture debut in Happy Gilmore 2, which premieres July 25 on Netflix. 'That was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life,' she said. 'Working alongside Adam Sandler—I'd only heard amazing things, but you don't really know until you meet someone. He's so humble, kind, and hardworking. I was just blown away by how 'normal' he is. We were talking about his dog and family in between takes. He even helped me with line delivery, and I'm like, 'this is so cool—he is so cool and I can't believe I have this opportunity.'' Paige Spiranac has quietly been playing some of the best golf of her life. She recently fired a 68 at Oakmont—host site of next month's U.S. Open—and credits her game's resurgence to her current headspace. 'In the last two years or so I've really started to love the game again,' she said. 'I've been working really hard on my swing and seen big changes. It's fun when you play well—and I've just been enjoying the ups and downs which before I would never even want to discuss or talk about. Letting go of that is the reason why I've been playing pretty good golf and been loving it so much.'
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Shane Lowry slips in Philadelphia allowing Sepp Straka to take the title
Sepp Straka claimed the Truist Championship title as Shane Lowry suffered a late collapse in Philadelphia. The pair, Ryder Cup colleagues in 2023, had shared the lead at 14-under heading into the final round over the Wissahickon Course at Flourtown, and continued to fight it out for top spot. Irishman Lowry, though, saw his hopes fade over the closing holes, with a bogey at the par-three 16th followed by another after a three-putt from 20 feet on the last – where a birdie could have seen him into a play-off. Straka was then left to tap in from four feet for par, sealing a fourth PGA Tour title and his second this year, having also won the American Express Championship in January. The 32-year-old Austrian had an eagle, three birdies and three bogeys all in his final round of 68, finishing on 16-under. 'I hit a lot of really good shots and made a lot of mistakes (but) I hung in there,' Straka said afterwards to host broadcaster CBS. 'I had a two-shot lead and made two bogeys on the next two holes to lose it, but I kept the same attitude and mentality throughout the round.' Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, finished as he had started the day after a final-round 70 left him in a tie for second place with American Justin Thomas, who recovered ground with a three-under-par 67. England's Tommy Fleetwood was in a group at 12-under for a share of fourth place alongside Patrick Cantlay and Jacob Bridgeman after he hit a fine 65. Masters champion Rory McIlroy finished in tied-seventh after a final round of 68 to end two-under. McIlroy, who had won the Truist Championship last year, feels he can head to next week's US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow with the burden somewhat lifted following his long-awaited triumph at Augusta. 'It (expectation) does feel lighter,' McIlroy told broadcasters after his closing round. 'I am going there after winning my first major in a decade. 'With where that puts me in the argument of some of the best players ever, it is very, very cool. I'm not going there saying 'I don't care' but it is more relaxed. 'I am excited to get there. I feel my game is in good shape.'
National Post
12-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Straka wins Truist Championship; Thitikul takes Mizuho Americas Open
Article content FLOURTOWN, Pa. — Sepp Straka seized the lead with a par on the 16th hole and shot 2-under 68, outdueling Shane Lowry on Sunday in the final round of the Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club for his second victory of the season. Article content Article content Lowry missed the green on the par-3 16th and failed to convert a 6-foot par putt to fall one shot behind. He also missed a 22-foot birdie chance on the 17. Trailing by one shot, he gunned his 28-foot birdie putt some 8 feet by the hole and three-putted for bogey on the 18th for a 70. Article content Article content Straka rolled in his 3 1/2-foot par putt for a two-shot victory over Lowry and Justin Thomas (67). He finished at 16-under 264. Straka joined Rory McIlroy (three victories) as the only other multiple winner this year on the PGA Tour. He also won The American Express in January. Article content McIlroy shot 68 and tied for seventh in his tune-up event before the Masters champion goes to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, a course where he has won four times. Article content LPGA Tour Article content Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand turned back a pair of challenges and played bogey-free over the final 27 holes at Liberty National in Jersey City, N.J., closing with a 3-under 69 for a four-shot victory over Celine Boutier in the Mizuho Americas Open. Article content Thitikul, who captured the Race to CME Globe and its $4-million prize to end last season, won for the first time this year and the fifth time in her LPGA Tour career. Article content Nelly Korda is still trying to win for the first time this year. She was within one shot of Thitikul until driving into the hazard on the par-4 ninth hole and taking bogey. It was a downward spiral from there, as Korda played the back nine with two bogeys and no birdies and was never a factor the rest of the way, closing with a 73. Article content Article content The final challenge came from Boutier, who was posed to catch the Thai player on the 15th hole until she three-putted from 10 feet and Thitikul made a sensational par save from the bunker. Boutier shot 72 and finished second. Article content Article content Fox closed with a 5-under 66 that looked like it might not be enough when Hamilton's Mackenzie Hughes came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead. Article content Hughes pulled his drive into the trees, had to pitch out and missed a 10-foot par putt for a 67 that put him in a playoff at 15-under 269 with Fox and Harry Higgs, who missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th with a chance to win for the first time. Higgs shot 68. Article content Going back to the 18th for the playoff, Hughes and Higgs found the fairway and each had decent looks at birdie. Fox went from the rough to the collar right of the green. He raised both arms when the chip dropped for birdie. Higgs and Hughes missed their birdie putts.
The Independent
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Sepp Straka takes advantage of Shane Lowry's slip in Philadelphia
Sepp Straka claimed the Truist Championship title as Shane Lowry suffered a late collapse in Philadelphia. The pair, Ryder Cup colleagues in 2023, had shared the lead at 14-under heading into the final round over the Wissahickon Course at Flourtown, and continued to fight it out for top spot. Irishman Lowry, though, saw his hopes fade over the closing holes, with a bogey at the par-three 16th followed by another after a three-putt from 20 feet on the last – where a birdie could have seen him into a play-off. Straka was then left to tap in from four feet for par, sealing a fourth PGA Tour title and his second this year, having also won the American Express Championship in January. The 32-year-old Austrian had an eagle, three birdies and three bogeys all in his final round of 68, finishing on 16-under. 'I hit a lot of really good shots and made a lot of mistakes (but) I hung in there,' Straka said afterwards to host broadcaster CBS. 'I had a two-shot lead and made two bogeys on the next two holes to lose it, but I kept the same attitude and mentality throughout the round.' Lowry, the 2019 Open champion, finished as he had started the day after a final-round 70 left him in a tie for second place with American Justin Thomas, who recovered ground with a three-under-par 67. England's Tommy Fleetwood was in a group at 12-under for a share of fourth place alongside Patrick Cantlay and Jacob Bridgeman after he hit a fine 65. Masters champion Rory McIlroy finished in tied-seventh after a final round of 68 to end two-under. McIlroy, who had won the Truist Championship last year, feels he can head to next week's US PGA Championship at Quail Hollow with the burden somewhat lifted following his long-awaited triumph at Augusta. 'It (expectation) does feel lighter,' McIlroy told broadcasters after his closing round. 'I am going there after winning my first major in a decade. 'With where that puts me in the argument of some of the best players ever, it is very, very cool. I'm not going there saying 'I don't care' but it is more relaxed. 'I am excited to get there. I feel my game is in good shape.'
Reuters
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Lip-outs galore at Truist as green speeds catch field by surprise
May 11 - FLOURTOWN, Pa. - The PGA Tour is visiting the Philadelphia Cricket Club for the first time, and after plenty of low scores Thursday, the course has bitten back. Minimal wind and soft greens at the club's Wissahickon Course made for a low-scoring first round of the Truist Championship, when Keith Mitchell fired a 9-under 61 to take the early lead. The field played through rain Friday that made the track feel longer than its 7,119 yards. On Saturday, a combination of bigger gusts and faster greens presented a twist for the field at the $20 million signature event -- and short missed putts were the theme of the day. "The greens today were a different speed than they were yesterday. They were a lot faster," said Mitchell, who now sits three shots behind leaders Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka. "The winds and the dry air made them a lot faster. So a couple holes were speed adjustments on 3 and 4." The third and fourth holes were three-putt bogeys for Mitchell, who had a day to forget en route to a 1-over 71. He lipped out a 3-foot par save at the par-3 eighth before the ultimate meltdown at another par-3, the 14th. Mitchell landed his tee shot to 5 feet of the pin, rolled his birdie try right past the cup and still couldn't get it right on the 3-footer for par. There are 70 players still in the field following two withdrawals Saturday, and Mitchell ranked 70th in putts per green in regulation (2.07). But others struggled as well. Rory McIlroy had a 4 1/2-foot putt take a 90-degree left turn on the lip en route to a double bogey at No. 7. Lowry watched a 7-foot birdie try at No. 8 lip out hard. And Straka's only bogey of the day came on a lip-out at the 12th hole. "It was very tough today in those winds, particularly tough to hole putts," Lowry said. "When you get inside 10 feet, to be really precise on these greens was tough." Lowry agreed with playing partner Mitchell's assessment of the green speeds. "They were a lot quicker today, especially towards the end. I felt like we had a few putts where you're hitting them at die pace, which was not the case the first few days," Lowry said. "The first few days, I felt like they were quite slow." That isn't to say the players were griping about the sudden difficulty. The Philadelphia Cricket Club has drawn positive to rave reviews throughout the week, as players voice their approval of an old-school Northeast track the likes of which they do not play regularly on tour anymore. "I played with Harry English today, and (Max) Homa yesterday," Tony Finau said. "We were talking about it, within 100- to 150-mile radius of this place, I think there's some of the best golf in the world. I'd love to see the tour make a lot more stops here. This is definitely a good one." --Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
