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Fox News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
WWE star The Miz vows to beat NBA great Charles Barkley at this year's American Century
WWE star The Miz will be among golfers in the field for the 36th installment of the prestigious American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. Golfers will begin practice at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe on the border of California and Nevada July 9-13. The Miz, whose real name is Mike Mizanin, told Fox News Digital in a recent interview he's looking to bounce back at this year's event after finishing toward the bottom of the field last year. "I'm so dedicated to doing well in the ACC that I started my own golf YouTube channel called 'Miz Golf' and, literally, I am training with the best of the best — George Gankas, James Leadbetter. Like, you name it, I am training for it. I feel very good. I feel like my swing is better than it's ever been," he said. "My understanding of the game has gotten way better. … I know what to do. It's just more applying those rules and getting reps and reps and reps. "So, I feel very confident, very good. I'm gonna go out there, I'm going to beat Charles Barkley this year, and I am not going to be in the tail end like I usually am on Sunday. I feel like I'm going to be at least in the middle of the pack." The ACC field is packed with famous athletes and actors, from Stephen Curry and Tony Romo to Colin Jost and Ray Romano. Any average Joe could easily be starstruck playing with and against those they see on the basketball court. For The Miz, most of the pressure he feels comes from the crowd and TV cameras. "I feel the pressure from the audience," he said, explaining that when he goes to golf on the weekends at a regular course there's usually nobody watching him. "Here (at Edgewood), there's thousands of people. So, you get an adrenaline rush when they announce your name like your Tiger Woods. "And you get up there, and you can't even feel your club in your hands because your adrenaline is going, your nerves are going so much. And you just pray to God that literally your swing hits the ball, and it goes straight." Charles Barkley is usually one of the former athletes who participates in the field. He finished 58th last year between Gary Sheffield and celebrity chef Bobby Flay. The Miz recalled the first time he played at the ACC and was paired with Barkley. "Everyone told me, 'Hey, at least you'll beat Charles, right? At least you'll beat Charles, right?'" The Miz recalled to Fox News Digital. "Charles doesn't golf like you see on YouTube. That was a long time ago. He has gotten training. His swing is incredible. I watched Charles Barkley hit the ball and I went, 'Oh, no. He's gonna beat me, and everyone's gonna make fun of me because everyone knows Charles for that hitch he has. But he doesn't have that hitch anymore. He actually plays very, very well. "So, I mean, just walking up and down the course, getting intimidated by Charles Barkley, who everyone said I was going to beat, is a moment in my mind." Overall, The Miz said Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course ranks in his top five of golf courses he's played, and he looks forward to the tournament. The tournament will also raise money for local and national charities. The event is a 54-hole Stableford format in which golfers earn points for each hole based on the score to par. The golfer who achieves the most points wins. Former tennis star Mardy Fish won the tournament last year. Stephen Curry was the winner in 2023. The Golden State Warriors star will be back in the field in July. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paige Spiranac names A-list celebrity as the 'slowest golfer' she's ever played with
Paige Spiranac has name-dropped A-list actor Chris Pratt as the 'slowest golfer' the social-media influencer has ever played with. Spiranac has rubbed elbows with some huge names over the years including Justin Timberlake, Gary Player, and Mark Wahlberg. The golfer also has a constant presence at big golf events, including at last week's PGA Championship in North Carolina. Pratt is most famous for playing Star-Lord in the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' film series, as well as roles in 'Parks & Recreation' and in the 'Jurassic World' franchise. 'At Genesis, they did a celebrity Ryder Cup. My partner was Nick Jonas and we played against … Chris Pratt. He was very slow," Spiranac said on 'Vanity Index'. 'Might be the slowest golfer I've ever played with. Super nice guy, unbelievably slow.' 'We were like four holes behind on a nine-hole little thing. And they were like, "You need to speed it up." He had all these people around him, and he'd tell like these amazing stories. And we were like, "Hit the golf ball."' Last year, Pratt played in a pro-am event alongside Peyton Manning and Rory McIlroy. It is unclear what speed he played at then, or if it was a slow pace, whether it bothered the current Masters champion and one of the best quarterbacks of all-time. Pratt is currently under a microscope as the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in production, in a massive team-up movie called 'Avengers: Doomsday', with his involvement not confirmed, but speculated. Spiranac is one of golf's leading influencers, with more than 4million followers on Instagram alone. Spiranac also recently revealed her childhood friendship with Wyndham Clark on the latest season of Netflix 's 'Full Swing'. She interviewed Clark during the series and spoke on their time growing up, chasing their golf dreams, with both now famous faces on the links. 'So I remember Wyndham when he was this tall,' Spiranac said, referencing a child's height. 'Full of braces. Most people don't know this, we're both from Colorado. We grew up playing junior golf together, and now we're here.' 'He was always going to be one of the best. Now he has to deal with all the pressure of people looking at him and having to compete week in, week out and being one of the top guys.'
