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Thursday, August 11, 2016

Jack Nicklaus backs off criticism of Rory McIlroy, other top Olympic golf no-shows

Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler Talk Olympic Golf

David Cannon/Getty Images

Jack Nicklaus was once critical of the top four male golfers skipping the Olympics but he has since had a change of heart, admitting that as a player, he "wasnt into growing [the game of golf] either."

When Jack Nicklaus was rolling to 18 major championships during his PGA Tour career, any notion that he was playing to coax non-golfers to pick up the game would have been preposterous.

Thats what one of todays most vocal "grow the game" proponents acknowledged on Wednesday when he defended Rory McIlroy against critics who bash him and other top male players for skipping the Olympics.

"I didnt get into golf to try and grow the game,"McIlroy said before last months Open Championship. "I got into golf to win ... major championships, and all of a sudden you get to this point and there is a responsibility on you to grow the game. I get that but at the same time, thats not the reason that I got into golf. I got into golf to win. I didn"t get into golf to get other people into the game."

Sentiments to which Nicklaus now wholeheartedly subscribes.

"When I was playing the game, I wasnt into growing it either," Nicklaus told reporters ahead of this weeks U.S. Senior Open. "Did I play a lot of places? Sure. And by playing a lot of places that helped to grow the game.

"But I was there to win, not grow," Nicklaus added. "I think when Rory said he was not into growing the game, he was into playing the game."

The sport that had been absent from the summer games since 1904 got off to a rather slow start Thursday, with a smattering of spectators applauding Brazils Adilson da Silva after the first Olympic tee shot in 112 years.

A few hours later, the event was well underway, but with little of the pizzazz golf fans have come to expect of majors or even regular tour events involving the worlds best.

Sure, Bubba Watson, Henrik Stenson and Sergio Garcia are in the field, but it has been difficult not to notice whos not among the 60 golfers playing for individual glory within a semi-team environment.

Nicklaus initially wondered about the reasons the Big Four (Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and McIlroy) opted out of Rio, but has had a definite change of heart.

"I was a little critical of the guys to start with. I thought it might have been selfish of them not to go. Then I started looking at that, and it is not the pinnacle of their sport," Nicklaus said. "I think when Rory said he was not into growing the game, he was into playing the game.

"Well, I look back at it. I mean, I"m past playing the game. My game is gone," he added. "My focus on the game of golf now is to grow the game. So, yeah, they are into playing."

Just not in the Olympics, which is a shame for those hoping golf remains in the games beyond 2020, but Jack Nicklaus gets it.

Source: http://www.sbnation.com/golf/2016/8/11/12438780/rio-olympics-2016-golf-field-rory-mcilroy-jack-nicklaus-comments

Jadi Transgender, Gigi Gorgeous Ditahan Pihak Airport

What Happened to My Dogs | Gigi

Bintang.com, Jakarta Model cantik GigiGorgeousditahan petugas bandara Dubaikarena ia adalah seorang transgender. Ia pun mengunggahmomen saat bisa bebas dari tahanan petugas di Instagram.

Gigi mengunggahsebuah foto yang menunjukkan dirinya tengah bepelukandengan seorang kekasih yang menyelamatkannya. Ia pun mengatakan jika petugas bandara telah menahannya lebih dari lima jam.

"Setelah di tahan dan terus ditahan di bandara Dubaiselama lebih dari lima jam, ini adalah momen dimana kekasihku datang untuk menyelamatkan saya," tulis Gigi di keterangan fotonya.

Gigi pun mengatakan bahwa penahannya kemarin (10/8) adalah pengalaman yang menakutkan. "Kemarin adalah satu momen paling menakutkan di hidup saya dan aku tak berharap orang lain akan mengalaminya. Bagaimana rasanya ditolak memasuki wilayah karena Andadianggap menjijikandan menakutkan," katanya.

Kepada TMZ, Gigi Gorgeous pun menceritakan saat petugas imigrasi Dubai tak memperbolehkannya masuk karena ia adalah seorang transgender. "Saya sudah mengatakan bahwa Anda adalah transgender. Anda tak bisa datang ke negara ini," katanya.

Source: http://www.bintang.com/celeb/read/2574945/jadi-transgender-gigi-gorgeous-ditahan-pihak-airport

Why Gigi Gorgeous decided to go public with her transgender transition on YouTube

What Happened to My Dogs | Gigi

For Gigi Gorgeous, YouTube was life-changing.

Gigi began making videos as Gregory Lazzarato and came out to her followers as transgender on YouTube in December 2013, and when she came to Wonderwall.com"s studios for "The New Wave" photoshoot, the 24-year-old spoke about how she made the decision to put her transition on YouTube.

Smallz + Raskind / Getty Images for Wonderwall.com / .

"I think it was just time," she says. "I feel like everything is so daunting when you think about it, but as time passes it"s like, "It"s not that crazy, it"s not that bad. I could do this." So it was a process, but once it happened, it happened and then I just kind of snowballed from there and started making other videos."

Gigi has over 2 million subscribers who follow her fashion and beauty channel, and it"s been seven years since she first started it.

Smallz + Raskind / Getty Images for Wonderwall.com / .

"I started my YouTube out of boredom in high school, and that"s the G*d-honest truth," she shared. "My high school turned into an art school halfway through, but it wasn"t an art school at the beginning, so I felt like it was just so boring. I was at a Catholic school wearing a uniform every day and I needed to express myself. So I started YouTube. I started doing makeup and experimenting with my mom"s makeup and I"m LGBT, so I would talk about all those things and everything that was going on because I would learn about it in school."

Smallz + Raskind / Getty Images for Wonderwall.com / .

Getting personal has not only helped her channel grow, but it has made her a celeb magnet! She"s starred on Kylie Jenner"s app, is one of the faces in Miley Cyrus" #InstaPride campaign and is in "American Idol" alum Adam Lambert"s music video for "Another Lonely Night."

Smallz + Raskind / Getty Images for Wonderwall.com / .

Coming soon, Gigi will be the subject of a feature-length documentary on YouTube Red from two-time Oscar-winner Barbara Kopple. The documentary will follow her transition from male to female and will also show intimate moments with her friends and family.

Gigi teased, "It"s super vulnerable and there"s a lot of footage that a lot of people haven"t seen that I"ve been holding on to, and that is very exciting, but nerve-wracking."

Source: http://www.wonderwall.com/celebrity/social-media/gigi-gorgeous-talks-transgender-transition-youtube-1925836.article

Debbie Meyer in awe as Katie Ledecky chases her records

Beach Volleyball Girls Van Iersel/Meppelink Action Highlights

One of the featsKatie Ledeckyis chasing this summer is sweeping the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyles at one Olympics a triple done by one other swimmer in history.

That swimmer isDebbie Meyer, who at Mexico City 1968 became the first man or womanto win three individual gold medals in the pool at one Olympics.

Meyer said she met Ledecky for the first time at the United States Aquatic Sports Convention in Jacksonville, Fla., in September 2014.

Meyer didnt knowifLedecky would recognize her, or even her name, since Ledecky was born 29 years aftertheMexico City Olympics. So,Meyer had a USA Swimming official make the introductions.

Katie, Id like you to meet Debbie Meyer, and her mom goes, oh my G*d, oh my G*d, Debbie Meyer, Meyer recalled in a recent phone interview. And then Katies eyes lit up. Obviously, she knew who I was, which kind of freaked me out, because that was so long ago.

Meyer said shes been in awe of Ledecky since the fellow Maryland native took surprise gold in her lone event at the London Olympics the 800m freestyle. Then, Ledecky was 15 years old and the youngest member of the entire U.S. Olympic team across all sports.

Meyer, who turned 16 years old two months before the Mexico City Games, was a precocious talent as well.

Four years prior to the Olympic Games, I had no clue what they [the Olympics] were, she said. My mom and dad gave me a stopwatch Christmas 1964. In quotations underneath, it said Mexico City 1968. I had to ask them what it meant.

Meyer brokethe first of her 15 world records at age 14. By 1968, she resetthe 200m, 400m and 800m free world records at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Her timing was excellent. Mexico City marked the debut ofthe womens 200m and 800m frees.

But she sprained an ankle the day she left for the Olympicsand was on crutches for her first five days in Mexico City. Fortunately, the swimming events back then took place mostly during the second weekof theGames.

So Meyer hobbled into the Opening Ceremony in 80-degree temperatures, sweating in a polyester dress and stockings, standing in the middle of astadium with no water or bathrooms available to her.

Meyer then suffered a stomach illness while in Mexico City.

Still, she won the 200m, 400m and 800m frees all in Olympic record times. Her margins of victory ranged from comfortable to incredible a half-second, 3.7 seconds and 11.7 seconds.

I didnt equal my world records because, obviously, we were at altitude [more than 7,000 feet above sea level], and it makes a big difference when you swim, Meyer said. But I probably would have broken the records, or very close to it, had I been swimming at sea level.

Meyer went to the next Olympics in Munich in 1972 as an Associated Press writer.

She had retiredless than a year before the Games, coming into practice one Monday after a weekend meet and saying, I really dont want to do this anymore. Im not happy.

I kind of just waved my hand and left, Meyer said. By the time I had got home, [my coach] had already called my mom and said Debbie quit swimming. And I really dont regret it at all.

Meyer coached swimmers until retiring from that pursuit last August. She lives in California and still skis on weekends, slaloms and giant slaloms.

And she admires Ledecky, who swept the 200m, 400m and 800m frees at the 2015 World Championships. Meyer didnt think it would take 48 years for another woman to match her Olympic feat.

She thought AustralianShane Gouldwould do it in 1972, but Gould took silver in the 800m free.She thoughtJanet Evanshad a shot in 1988, but Evansdidnt swim the 200m freestyle at trials.

Meyer cited a relative lull in distance swimming before Ledecky came out of nowhere in 2012.

And the perception that distance swimmers couldnt do a 200 as well, that they stuck to just distance or just sprinted, Meyer said. And we had so many phenomenal sprinters for a long time that they beat out the distance swimmers [in the 200].

Theres another Meyer feat that Ledecky chases her U.S. female record for individual world records in Olympic-size pools. Meyer broke 15 in her career. Ledecky is at 11.

I think shell surpass me, Meyer said, and I think thats fabulous.

More differences separating Ledecky from Meyer:

*Ledecky has the benefit of college swimming to look forward to after the Rio Olympics. She is committed to Stanford, keeping her amateur eligibility likeMissy Franklinfour years ago.

Meyer had no such luxury in 1968, four years before Title IX came into play. She mostly trained withearly teens, even leading up to her retirement at age 19.

It was very hard to keep that drive going when youre almost 20, and youre swimming with young kids, Meyer said.

*Ledecky could also make the U.S. Olympic Team in the 100m freestyle, as she has the nations fastest time in the event so far this year.

Meyer swam the 100m free at the 1968 Olympic Trials because she thought she had a shot to qualify for the 4x100m freestyle relay, but she didnt make the final.

*Ledecky is known for winning titles at the longer distances, then adding the 200m free and then the 100m free to her repertoire in recent years.

In reverse, Meyer started swimming as a sprinter.

Everything was 50s for me, she said. I really didnt do any 100s of anything.

She eventually moved to the 200 individual medley and the 200 freestyle. Then, one day in practice in 1965, she swam 1,650 yards.

From that point on, I was a distance swimmer because I could do 64 flip turns instead of open turns, she said. Then I started training for the mile. And I started doing the mile and worked down [in distance from there].

In her schools fitness testing, Meyer said she was last in the 50-yard dash but first in the 800.

MORE: Shane Gould sees a bit of herself in Katie Ledecky

Follow @nzaccardi

Source: http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/04/25/katie-ledecky-debbie-meyer-swimming-olympics/

Eric Church announces Tulsa tour stop

Eric Church - Record Year (Audio)

Eric Church is set to return to the BOK Center early next year, the artist announced Tuesday.

The country music star announced his 2017 Holdin My Own Tour at the first night of his run at Red Rocks Amphitheater outside Denver. The tour launches Jan. 13 and stops in Tulsa on Feb. 2. Ticket information has not been released. Nearby stops also include Kansas City on Jan. 31, Dallas on Feb. 3 and Wichita on April 7.

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Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/music/eric-church-announces-tulsa-tour-stop/article_74a0003a-83e6-5810-9f51-982c5eb8bd4c.html

After years of controversy, Olympic golf is on the tee

Olympic Golf Sleeper Picks

Peter Dawson and companybuilt a golf course.Now its time to see if theyve built a legacy.

RIO DE JANEIRO They built it and some have come. Whether Gil Hanses handiwork becomes a field of dreams is now up to the clarity of competition.

After seven long years of hype and handwringing, controversy and curiosity, the time for speculation ends early Thursday morning when Brazils Adilson da Silva returns golf to the Olympics after more than a century hiatus with a single tee shot.

On the eve of the mens competition in Rio all those concerns from the Zika virus to construction delays have largely slipped away under the glow of the Olympic flame.

On Tuesday, the team from the United States fielded what will likely be the last of the questions about the players who arent at the Games. From here, the narrative shifts to those who did make the trip.

Ten years down the line youre going to look at who won the gold medal, not who wasnt here, said Henrik Stenson, the highest-ranked player in this weeks field.

Although the relative success or failure of this years Games will always be tied to those who decided to pass on the Olympic opportunity a list that includes four out of the top fivein the world ranking the real litmus test depends on the next 72 holes.

Asked what elements needed to fall into place this week to make golfs return to the Games a success, Sergio Garcia waded through all of the distractions that have become the calling card for this competition.

If its a great show, playing good golf, and hopefully it comes down to the last few holes where things are tight where someone has a nice finish to win it, Garcia said.

The essence of genuine Olympic spectacle rides the line between dominance and unparalleled drama.Michael Phelps winning his 20th gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly is the pinnacle of the former, whileBrazilian Rafaela Silvas gold medal performance in judo is a testament to the latter.

The relevant comparisons, in golf terms, would be a Stenson victory, with the Swede pegged as this weeks favorite following his victory at last months Open,and a medal performance by the likes of da Silva, the 288th ranked player in the world who left Brazil when he was 16 years old to pressure his dream of being a professional golfer.

A victory by Stenson or the likes of Bubba Watson or Rickie Fowler would satisfy the need for competitive continuity and the perceived notion that the games best need to deliver on the biggest stage.Likewise, asilver or bronze for someone like da Silva, a playerfrom a nation where the game is struggling to establish a foothold, would add substance to the belief that golf in the Olympics is the most promising grow the game initiative since metal replaced wood as the desired material for golf clubs.

From the outset, when golf made its pitch to the International Olympic Committee, the goalwas to use the Games as a way to extend golfs reach into non-traditional areas, like Brazil, a country of over 200 million that counts just 10,000 golfers with registered handicaps.

Da Silva, who now lives in South Africa, is a familiar tale of perseverance, having grown up in a small town south of Rio andbeginning his career as a caddie at a nine-hole course because he needed a job, not a hobby.

The 44-year-old journeyman sees the Games as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to introduce golf to thousands of potential players.

This is exactly what we need, things like this. Bring awareness to people and create a bit more interest, da Silva said. They will see the game and I think it will create so much curiosity. Especially for the kids.

The competitive success of the event, however its defined, will be married directly to the long-term ability of the Games as a catalyst for growth. In many ways, a compelling finish to this weeks competition will be the conversation starter, not the conclusion, to a seven-year debate.

The Olympic golf effort will leave behind a golf course that is, by most accounts, a testament to Hanses design brilliance, if not the dogged efforts of those who carved a layout out of a caiman-infested swamp. But the real test will be in the coming years.

Success will be measured on a number of levels, said Peter Dawson, the president of the International Golf Federation. First that we have a compelling and exciting event, that the spectators, many of whom have never been exposed to golf, learn a little about golf, and well never know if someone who watches will be inspired to play golf, but statistically some of that must happen.

Dawson & Co. built a golf course.Now its time to see if theyve built a legacy.

Source: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/after-years-controversy-olympic-golf-tee

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Divorce: Couple Battling Strange Addiction?

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Family | Beautiful Moments (Brangelina"s Family Album)

Actress Angelina Jolie hugs Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt (L) and Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt (R) after winning award for Favorite Villain in "Maleficent" during Nickelodeon"s 28th Annual Kids" Choice Awards held at The Forum on March 28, 2015 in Inglewood, California.(Photo : Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce rumors continue to persist despite a lack of proof about the A-list couple"s alleged problematic relationship. Rumors are rife online that the former "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" stars are headed for splitsville soon.

Now, new reports are claiming that apart from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce rumors, the couple is allegedly battling an addiction. As Gossip Cop recently pointed out, rumors have surfaced that the couple is addicted to botox and wrinkle fillers.

As the site mentioned, National Enquirer was the first to report on the rumor, claiming that both Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt look totally "plastic" right now after having several procedures done on them. The tabloid even claimed that the couple is reportedly afraid of aging.

Good thing Gossip Cop debunked these rumors and claimed that all the talk are pure rumors. Apart from claiming that the botox and wrinkle fillers addiction are completely fabricated, the site also mentioned that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce rumors concerning Brad"s ex-wife Jennifer Aniston are completely false.

It was previously reported by Celeb Dirty Laundrythat Jen has been constantly communicating with Brad. This has allegedly sent Angie to the edge sparking rumors of an impending divorce.

According to an In Touch source, "She accused Brad of sneaking behind her back with Jen and yelled that he"d ruined all their new plans for the future. They"ve run into another land mine, and it all has to do with Brad reconnecting with Jen again."

Do you think the couple"s relationship could possibly end in divorce?

Stay tuned for more updates about the rumored Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt divorce!

Source: http://www.parentherald.com/articles/60395/20160811/angelina-jolie-and-brad-pitt-divorce-couple-battling-strange-addiction.htm