Latest news with #TheU.S.Open
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rory McIlroy Makes Life-Changing Decision After Winning Masters
Rory McIlroy is having a spring to remember. The 36-year-old from Northern Ireland finally captured his first Masters title, completing the career grand slam. He now turns his attention to the PGA Championship, a tournament he's already won twice. McIlroy's last PGA Championship win came in 2014, capping off a dominant three-year stretch that saw him claim PGA Tour Player of the Year honors from 2012 to 2014. Advertisement While McIlroy remains focused on adding more victories to his resume, he's also making a major personal move. Reports indicate he is preparing to relocate to London, where his new family home is nearly complete. Though he'll maintain his residence in Florida, London will become his primary home base in the coming years. "#RORY's NEW HOME — The McIlroy's new family home in London is nearly complete and will reportedly be ready for move-in following The U.S. Open. " "According to @TelegraphSport, McIlroy will keep his home in Florida but permanently move across the pond in a few years time. @TrackingRory" McIlroy has experienced some ups and downs in his personal life as well. He and his wife Erica Stoll, who share a daughter born in 2020, faced a public challenge in May 2024 when McIlroy filed for divorce. Just a month later, the filing was withdrawn. Advertisement 'We have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning,' McIlroy stated in June. PGA golfers Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler© Kyle Terada-Imagn Images On the course, McIlroy has been one of the most consistent players of his generation. Since joining the PGA Tour, he has racked up 29 wins. He's also tallied 19 victories on the European Tour, along with single wins on both the Asian Tour and the PGA Tour of Australasia. Following his win at the Masters, McIlroy teed it up at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He is currently competing in the Truist Championship in Philadelphia. Up next is the PGA Championship, which begins May 15 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. It will mark the 107th edition of the tournament. Advertisement Related: Charles Barkley Predicts Winner of NBA Finals Without Hesitation Related: No. 1 College Basketball Recruit AJ Dybantsa Announces New NIL Deal
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Andre Agassi Had A Mixed Pickleball Debut At the U.S. Open in Naples
NAPLES, FLORIDA - APRIL 30: Andre Agassi hits a backhand drive shot against Tristan Dussault and ... More Stevie Petropouleas during the 2025 US Open Pickleball Championships Pro Mixed Doubles round of 16 game at East Naples Community Park on April 30, 2025 in Naples, Florida. (Photo by) There's nothing a tennis crowd loves more than watching legends make a comeback. Roger Federer recently announced that he's eyeing exhibitions when ready to roll. Meanwhile, Andre Agassi has taken a left turning at 55 years of age to make a pro debut at the U.S. Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida. Agassi teamed up with Anna Leigh Waters to win against two teenagers with a combined age of 29 in a tight match that went to three sets before losing in the evening session. They pack the matches in at pickleball. "Tennis was relief, pickleball is joy, this is absolute joy,' said Agassi after overcoming 13-year-old Stevie Petropouleas and 16-year-old Tristan Dussault. While The U.S. Open is the breaking news after Agassi's participation, it is not an established event on the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) tour. Waters is the best player in the world for singles, doubles and mixed doubles with a gargantuan 174 PPA titles to her name. Agassi, who won eight tennis slams, joked to CNBC on signing to the partnership: "She's probably sick of winning so much, and that's why she called me and asked me to play.' The pair were among 3,500 participants from all 50 states and 40 countries competing in junior, amateur and pro divisions. The real 'Super Bowl' of pickleball is held in Dallas at the World Championships this November. The tournament greeted over 57,000 fans in the 2024 event and 2025 has seen ticket sales rise by almost a third in the first seven established events of the year on the PPA tour. Pickleball is currently enjoying its status as the fastest-growing sport in the United States for the fourth successive year. Agassi is one of several former tennis players who have taken up the game. Former ATP stars Jack Sock, Donald Young, John Isner and Sam Querrey are among those who have transitioned to the proper professional ranks of the sport. Former world No. 4 James Blake and five-time Slam champion Kim Clijsters are also co-owners of Major League Pickleball teams. Clijsters joined up with NFL Legend Tom Brady to invest in the Las Vegas Night Owls in 2022. When former legends appear with a pickleball paddle in their hands, does the dopamine hit go public? The answer is yes and no according to sports memorabilia veteran Brandon Steiner. 'If they want to create truly exciting exhibition games that capture public attention, they need high-profile contemporary celebrities that resonate with younger demographics,' said Steiner, who bought the Old Yankees Stadium to expand his collectibles empire. There have been three iterations of the Pickleball Slam which Agassi and his wife, 22-time singles slam winner Steffi Graf, have won. The Pickleball Slam 2 featured Agassi and Graf against John McEnroe and Maria Sharapova in front of a sold-out crowd of over 4,500 for a $1 million purse with a global ESPN audience. In February, a near sellout crowd of almost 12,000 saw the husband and wife team beat Eugenie Bouchard and Andy Roddick at the Michelob ULTRA Arena. Michelob even featured the sport in its 2025 Super Bowl commercial. The PPA signed up former 2014 Wimbledon ladies' finalist Bouchard in 2023. The Canadian has a huge Instagram following of over two million and it's this kind of public coverage that connects to the younger audience. 'While Agassi's involvement is a positive step, he remains largely unknown to Millennials and Gen Z who represent the future of sports viewership and participation,' said Steiner. Celebrity pickleball events are growing and the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney, Bill Gates and even the Kardashians are playing the game. During last year's Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic even warned that tennis is endangered by its growth. 'If we don't do something about it, as I said, globally or collectively, padel, pickleball in [the] States, they're going to convert all the tennis clubs because……it's just more economical.' Last August, the United States Tennis Association declared that 10 per cent of tennis courts have been repurposed for pickleball. A standard tennis court could realistically accommodate up to four regulation-size pickleball courts. There are now around 70,000 courts in the United States with an increasing amount of leagues and media coverage. "The PPA has a partnership with the Tennis Channel on a 24/7 pickleball channel called "Pickleballtv" - which enjoyed more than 1 one billion minutes watched in 2024. We also have national broadcast windows on FOX, CBS, ESPN2 and more," said Jeff Watson, the VP of Communications for the United Pickleball Association, created after Major League Pickleball and the PPA merged last year. The average salary of a professional is approximately $260,000. FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - APRIL 24: Anna Leigh Waters of the United States poses for a portrait on ... More April 24, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 16-year-old Waters is currently the No. 1 player in world in women's professional pickleball and competes in all three divisions: Women's Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Singles. Waters, who started playing pickleball in 2017, became the youngest professional player and tournament champion at the age of 12. (Photo by) The power of pickleball has even got to Adidas which has increased its presence in the market with an aggressive re-entry into the market by signing number one seed in singles and doubles, Federico Staksrud at the beginning of 2025, releasing his signature range of paddles this April. As for future views, there are still hurdles to clear. Pickleball is so easy to access for young and old that it might be a barrier to watching sporting elitism in some ways. 'They have to make pickleball far more compelling for television viewership,' Steiner told me. "Right now, it's not exciting enough to watch - the small court dimensions and slower pace of play create a visual experience that lacks the dynamic athleticism viewers expect from premium sports entertainment.' Even so, some of the courtcraft and reflex volleys are astounding and can hypnotize more than a back of the court tennis rally. There are almost 20 million players out there in the States according to recent figures. "To me, tennis is always the king. But it's easy to play this. That's why my friends play with me all the time,' John McEnroe said of the phenomenon. Pro pickleball isn't such a cakewalk as Agassi just found out.
Associated Press
05-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
LIV Golf players now have their own path to US Open exemption
The U.S. Open became the first major to publish a direct pathway for LIV Golf players, on Wednesday announcing a new exemption category that awards one spot to the leading player from among the top three at LIV's halfway point this year. The next exemption category will include one spot this year from the May 19 standings in LIV. Starting with the 2026 U.S. Open, the USGA will take the leading player in the final 2025 individual standings, along with the leading player from the May 18, 2026, list. In each case, the exemption goes to the leading player not already exempt, and the player must be among the top three in the standings. The other majors have not turned away players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League. The Masters has invited Joaquin Niemann each of the last two years, though Augusta National based that on his international play. The PGA Championship has invited LIV players based on their world ranking, and for 2024 at Valhalla it invited Talor Gooch, who had won three times on LIV the previous year. But the PGA of America does not have specific criteria, lumping LIV players and others into 'special invitations.' Niemann and Sergio Garcia already have received PGA invitations this year. For this year's U.S. Open, an exemption from qualifying will be given 'the top player who is not otherwise exempt and in the top three' of the LIV individual standings as of May 19. That could mean no one gets that exemption if the leading three are already eligible. Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Richard Bland, Phil Mickelson and Cameron Smith are LIV players currently exempt. 'We're pleased that the USGA has formally created a new exemption for LIV Golf players to compete in the U.S. Open and appreciate Mike Whan's leadership and commitment to growing the game of golf,' said Scott O'Neil, the new CEO of LIV Golf. 'Every golf fan in the world longs to see the greatest players in the world competing on golf's biggest stages at the majors,' O'Neil said. 'LIV Golf is committed to working hand in hand with golf's governing bodies to elevate the sport in all corners of the world.' The U.S. Open is June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburbs. 'The USGA continues to evaluate the pathways that exist to ensure those playing their best have the opportunity to compete in our national championship,' said John Bodenhamer, the USGA chief championships officer. 'Consistent with our historical approach, we continuously evaluate talent levels on professional tours and in amateur events, which has led us to add a new exemption category.' In addition to the new category, the USGA will offer exemptions from the first stage of 18-hole qualifying starting next year to the top 10 players on the LIV points list on April 7, 2026. Five LIV events will have been played by then. LIV begins its fourth season on Thursday under the lights at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia, equipped with its first network deal with Fox Sports. It also has events scheduled for Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Miami and South Korea before the U.S. Open exemption deadline. Players from the breakaway league always have been able to go through qualifying — four LIV players made it through U.S. Open qualifying last year. But having a set target could be seen as a boost, particularly to young players who have no status on established tours. Among the young players who joined LIV Golf this year are Tom McKibbin of Northern Ireland, Frederik Kjettrup of Denmark, Luis Masaveu of Spain and Yubin Jang of South Korea. ___
