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USA Today
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Who is Paige Spiranac? Everything to know about the Happy Gilmore 2 character
Happy Gilmore 2 sees Adam Sandler back on the links, with the new Netflix movie seeing the actor appear alongside celebrity golfer Paige Spiranac (along with many of the biggest names in the sport). Spiranac, a former NCAA and pro golfer, has pivoted toward being an on-air personality, spokesperson and model in recent years. The Colorado native appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2018, and has since become a content creator focusing on various golf issues, providing golf advice and pushing back over LGPA dress code changes among other things. Sharp-eyed fans spotted Spiranac in the trailer for the movie, where she appears as a sporting-goods store employee reacting as Sandler's notoriously clumsy Happy Gilmore tees off in a store, to predictable results. Here's what to know about celebrity golfer Paige Spiranac and her cameo in Happy Gilmore 2, which will be available to stream on Netflix on Friday, July 25: Happy Gilmore 2: From Scheffler to McIlroy, here's the list of golfers in new Netflix movie Who is Paige Spiranac? Happy Gilmore 2 celebrity golfer explained Paige Spiranac is well-known in golf circles, where she has become a social media sensation over the years. The 32-year-old has more than 4 million followers on Instagram, and a popular YouTube channel providing golf advice and vlogs on her experiences playing various courses. Spiranac isn't just a golf personality. She played collegiate golf at the University of Arizona and at San Diego State, captaining the Aztecs as they won their first-ever Mountain West Conference championship in 2015. She moved on to play on the Cactus Tour in 2016, winning one event before a failed attempt to earn her LPGA Tour card. Since then, Spiranac has stayed involved in golf, albeit not as a professional player. She has acted as a spokesperson for a long list of golf brands while creating content on her own platforms (including OnlyPaige, which Forbes described as a "PG-13 site serves up golf instruction videos along with Q&A's, vlogs and exclusive live streams and photoshoot content." Spiranac — whose appearance alongside Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2 is her first in a movie — has recently played in two editions of the Creator Classic, an event organized by the PGA Tour for golf influencers from YouTube and other social media platforms. Happy Gilmore 2 Netflix trailer The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
Hindustan Times
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Paige Spiranac hits back at critics, says she ‘embraces' her ‘sexy' fashion choice
Model and golf influencer Paige Spiranac has never shied away from slamming her critics, who expect her to dress a certain way while playing the sport. In an interview with People magazine, the 32-year-old clapped back at those questioning her dressing choices and urged fans to take pride in the way they look. Paige Spiranac recently attended the premiere of Happy Gilmore 2 in New York City(REUTERS) Paige Spiranac on dressing 'sexy' Spiranac said that she tries to 'embrace who I am when I talk about that.' She has suggested people do whatever they want to do and 'wear what you want to wear.' 'And for me, that's wearing things that are a little bit more sexy, more form-fitting, but also just finding your own individual style,' People quoted Spiranac as saying. Earlier, Spiranac stated that she started her athletic career as a gymnast, and most of the outfits she wore were form-fitting. However, when she turned pro, Spiranac was 'always forced to wear something that didn't feel comfortable,' she told People. As a result, she started wearing tank tops and leggings, but that caused an uproar about 'just people upset about no collar, and what I was wearing, and disrespecting the game, and also just exposing my body.' Spiranac does not want young girls to 'grow up feeling insecure about their body.' She added, 'They should be proud of their body, especially with how much hard work they put into it when they're eating right and working out.' Spiranac said being an athlete, she likes whatever she wears and feels 'very comfortable' with it. Paige Spiranac cameo in Happy Gilmore 2 Spiranac attended the Happy Gilmore 2 premiere on July 21. She has made a special cameo along with other professional golfers in the Kyle Newacheck-directed sports comedy film, which releases on Friday, July 25. The film stars Adam Sandler in the lead, alongside Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny and Ben Stiller. Also Read: Happy Gilmore 2: Release date, time, cast, where and how to watch Spiranac was counted among the top golfers from San Diego State University when she took part in the Mountain West Conference. However, she later decided to take a different route and emerged among the most-followed sports personalities on social media, according to Fox News. FAQs: Is Paige Spiranac single or married? She was earlier married to athletic trainer Steven Tinoco. The former couple parted ways in 2022. What is the net worth of Paige Spiranac? As per Celebrity Net Worth, her total earnings are worth $2 million. How many followers does she have? Spiranac has four million followers on Instagram.
CBS News
18-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
NIU Huskies hope for championship in last year in MAC
The Northern Illinois University football team was at Harry Caray's downtown Thursday on their annual media tour before camp. The Huskies are returning just four starters from last season, which was highlighted by a huge upset of Notre Dame in South Bend. This will also be NIU's last year in the MAC before moving to the Mountain West Conference. Head coach Thomas Hammock said the hard way is the only way forward for Northern. "One thing about players, they can care less if somebody leaves. They can care less if somebody graduates," Hammock said. "As a matter of fact, they hope you leave and they hope you graduate, because that gives them an opportunity to play. What you're going to see is we've got guys in our program that's going to be better than guys that played last year." The players are looking forward to working with their new teammates. "I wouldn't say like a young group, but I mean, definitely some guys that haven't got the, like, on-field, like in-game experience," said offensive lineman Abiathar Curry. "So it's nice to what they'll be able to do, because I feel like we had a great spring." "You know, people don't really know, you know, what we're going to be like because it's just so much change — new coaches, new players — but yeah, we're flying low on the radar for all these other teams, so I think we could use it to our advantage for sure," said receiver Dane Pardridge. Hammock said winning another MAC championship would be the perfect way to go out. "It would mean everything," he said. "I think we wanted a program to have, you know, some of the most MAC championships, and we definitely want to win one this season." Linebacker Quinn Urwiler would like to win a MAC championship too, like his older brother Trey did. "I never got to experience something like it, so I hear, you know, my brother got to experience it when he was here, and he said it was amazing. And honestly, I would be do anything to be able to get there, honestly, and I know a lot of these guys would too — so we all just got to come together, and we'll get there."
Broadcast Pro
17-07-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Magnifi unveils GenAI upgrade to transform live and archival video storytelling
The enhanced platform simplifies complex workflows with advanced GenAI features, enabling real-time editing, automated highlight creation, vertical-first video publishing, multilingual subtitles, AI-generated metadata and platform-native content delivery. Magnifi by VideoVerse, a global leader in AI-driven video automation, has unveiled a major platform upgrade designed to streamline and accelerate live and archival video editing for sports, media and entertainment industries. The enhanced platform introduces cutting-edge generative AI tools that enable content teams to produce, localise, and publish multi-format video content in real time, eliminating traditional post-production delays. At the heart of the upgrade is a unified dashboard that allows teams to edit more efficiently, automate publishing across platforms, and enhance audience engagement. The new features include real-time editing, AI-powered multilingual subtitles, automated vertical video creation, metadata enrichment and AI-generated thumbnails. This suite of tools addresses longstanding challenges in the industry, including labor-intensive workflows, metadata inconsistencies, and the growing demand for platform-native content across OTT, broadcast and social media. Among the standout upgrades is the enhanced Live Editor, which enables instant highlight generation during events, complete with culturally localised subtitles. The platform's vertical-first video creation tool, Storyteller, caters to mobile and short-form content needs and is already being utilised by FIFA+ to boost engagement. A dynamic rule engine allows content teams to set key event triggers, such as goals, wickets, or touchdowns, for automated publishing, ensuring timely and consistent content delivery. Magnifi's GenAI capabilities also produce platform-ready thumbnails and captions within seconds, significantly reducing manual effort and increasing content accessibility. These advancements have already led to measurable success: the Mountain West Conference in the US saw a 150% rise in viewership through real-time highlight publishing; an Asian OTT platform generated 45,000 clips monthly from 1,500 hours of content; the Indian Premier League (IPL) created 3,500 web stories from 14,000 minutes of footage, driving a 25% increase in web traffic; and a major rodeo partner reported a 15% boost in output, gaining 1.3m new viewers in just two months. Meghna Krishna, Chief Revenue Officer at VideoVerse, said: 'It has been a tremendous journey watching the product evolve from a simple highlight creation solution at inception, into a comprehensive editorial workspace. With this new update, we are empowering content teams to enhance creativity, maximize efficiency, and allocate resources more strategically. We have become a meaningful extension of our clients' editorial ecosystems, supporting both the system and the storytellers with the ease and efficiency of GenAI and automation.' Operating 24/7 across more than 50 global sports, Magnifi processed over 250,000 hours of footage last year alone, generating millions of clips for broadcasters, leagues and federations. With this latest upgrade, the company is now expanding its AI tools to newsrooms and broader media production environments. Early pilots with broadcasters are already delivering promising results in teaser production, newsroom editing, and multilingual content workflows, positioning Magnifi as a game-changer across the content ecosystem.
NBC Sports
16-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Mountain West Conference pauses expansion amid legal dispute with Pac-12
LAS VEGAS — The Mountain West Conference, in the process of going through a major membership transition, will 'pause' adding new schools, Commissioner Gloria Nevarez said Wednesday at the conference's football media days. The conference will add Grand Canyon in all sports except football beginning this year. Hawaii, which plays football in the Mountain West, will join as a full member in 2026, as will Texas-El Paso. Northern Illinois will play only football in the Mountain West and UC Davis will be a non-football member. Five schools will leave the Mountain West for the Pac-12 Conference next year — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State. Both conferences are in a legal dispute about poaching fees and are headed back to court after failing to reach an agreement. 'We're going to pause right now as far as additional membership,' Nevarez said at her annual football news conference. 'Never say never, but we really want to get through our media rights negotiation, take a deep breath and then we'll readdress the issue.' Nevarez said she hoped to announce a new media deal soon. She also touched on several other topics: — The Mountain West is paying for any costs associated with adding Grand Canyon a year early. — Conference headquarters will relocate from Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Las Vegas in July 2026. The Mountain West has been in Colorado Springs since its inception in 1999. — Nevarez said the Mountain West did not support conferences receiving more than one automatic berth to the College Football Playoff. The Big Ten Conference prefers such a format but has lost support from the Southeastern Conference for that type of model.
