Jon Rahm shot an eight-under 63 to open up a two-stroke lead after day one in every of LIV Golf UK in Uttoxeter.
The previous world No 1 and two-time main winner is but to register a victory since swapping the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed circuit forward of the 2024 season.
Rahm completed tied for seventh ultimately week’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, ending the match on one beneath par after a three-under 68 in his closing spherical.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeau was requested by a journalist about his ‘try to interrupt 50’ with Donald Trump – and if he would ever run for presidency himself!
The Spaniard subsequently impressed in Staffordshire on Friday with eight birdies and no bogeys leaving him two photographs away from American Andy Ogletree and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer.
Former Open champion Cameron Smith and England’s Tyrrell Hatton are a shot additional again on 5 beneath, with Hatton firing seven birdies round a double bogey.
Get the very best costs and guide a spherical at one in every of 1,700 programs throughout the UK & Eire
5-time main winner Brooks Koepka is in a bunch of seven gamers at 4 beneath.
Advert content material | Stream Sky Sports activities on NOW
Stream Sky Sports activities stay with no contract on a Month or Day membership on NOW. Instantaneous entry to stay motion from soccer, darts, cricket, F1, tennis, golf, rugby league, rugby union and extra.
Dion took heart stage at a wet Olympic opening ceremony in Paris on July 26 with a strong efficiency to shut the occasion. It marked the primary time she has carried out in public in years following her stiff particular person syndrome prognosis.
She sang Edith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” after the cauldron was lit. Her rendition acquired quick reward on social media.
In a press release on social media, Dion wrote that she was “honored” to carry out on the opening ceremony and “so stuffed with pleasure to be again in one in all my very favourite cities!”
“Most of all, I’m so completely satisfied to be celebrating these superb athletes, with all their tales of sacrifice and dedication, ache and perseverance,” she mentioned in a slideshow submit of photographs from the occasion. “All of you’ve got been so centered in your dream, and whether or not or not you are taking dwelling a medal, I hope that being right here implies that it has come true for you! It is best to all be so proud, we all know how laborious you’ve got labored to be one of the best of one of the best. Keep centered, maintain going, my coronary heart is with you!”
Earlier, Olympic viewers noticed Girl Gaga carry out a trendy quantity on the opening ceremony.
She serenaded the assembled crowd with “Mon Truc En Plume” in a tribute to French dancer and actor Zizi Jeanmaire. She was joined by a number of dancers holding pink feather followers throughout the efficiency.
Afterward, Gaga wrote on her social media accounts she was “utterly grateful” for the chance.
“Though I’m not a French artist, I’ve at all times felt a really particular reference to French individuals and singing French music — I wished nothing greater than to create a efficiency that will heat the guts of France, have a good time French artwork and music, and on such a momentous event remind everybody of one of the vital magical cities on earth — Paris,” she added.
The ceremony adopted public sightings of each music icons earlier within the week.
Dion, 56, appeared to trace in latest months that she could also be making an look in Paris someday quickly.
She advised Vogue France in April that she had been coaching “like an athlete” to handle her bodily well being and her singing voice, and name-dropped a Parisian landmark.
“I’ve chosen to work with all my physique and soul, from head to toe, with a medical group,” she advised the publication. “I need to be one of the best I could be. My purpose is to see the Eiffel Tower once more!”
Two days earlier than the opening ceremony, Dion additionally revealed on Instagram that she was in Paris, sharing photographs of herself on the Louvre.
“Each time I return to Paris, I bear in mind there’s a lot magnificence and pleasure nonetheless to expertise on this planet,” she wrote within the caption. “I like Paris, and I’m so completely satisfied to be again! Thanks to our great buddies at The Louvre!”
Dion has been open about her well being struggles in recent times. In December 2022, she revealed she had been identified with stiff particular person syndrome, a uncommon neurological situation that may trigger muscle stiffness, sensitivity to noise and contact, emotional misery, and extreme muscle spasms, in line with the Nationwide Institute of Neurological Issues and Stroke.
In Might 2023, the singer canceled all remaining dates of her “Braveness World Tour” as a consequence of her sickness.
The “My Coronary heart Will Go On” singer opened up about her experiences with stiff particular person syndrome, and her efforts to return to the stage, in her latest documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion.”
The documentary, obtainable to stream on Prime Video, captured a number of uncooked, intimate moments, together with one scene by which Dion experiences a extreme, full-body spasm on digicam.
Dion has opened up about her dedication to carry out as soon as extra and join along with her followers.
“I’m going to return onstage, even when I’ve to crawl. Even when I’ve to speak with my fingers. I’ll. I’ll,” the singer advised Hoda Kotb in June in a prime-time particular, her first broadcast interview since her prognosis.
“I’m Céline Dion, as a result of at present my voice might be heard for the primary time, not simply because I’ve to, or as a result of I have to,” she continued. “It’s as a result of I need to. And I miss it.”
As for Gaga, she was noticed earlier this week in Paris, blowing kisses and waving to followers from exterior a automotive, per video shared to X. She wore a black hat, sun shades and a leather-based jacket as she shaped a coronary heart along with her fingers to the gang.
Earlier this 12 months, Gaga dropped a bombshell announcement on the finish of her HBO live performance particular, “Gaga Chromatica Ball,” teasing new music. As she struck a number of poses within the shadows, “LG7” and “Gaga Returns” flashed across the screen.
On the premiere of her live performance movie, Gaga confirmed her seventh studio album was within the works.
“I’ve written so many songs and I’ve produced so many songs,” Gaga mentioned earlier than hinting at a potential style change for her music. “It’s nothing like something that I’ve ever made earlier than. I like to interrupt style, and I like to discover music. There’s one thing actually stunning about realizing that you can be cherished it doesn’t matter what you do.”
Together with being within the studio, Gaga had additionally been on set filming “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the sequel to the 2019 “Joker” movie.
The film follows the story of the Joker, being reprised by Joaquin Phoenix, assembly his love curiosity, Harley Quinn, portrayed by Gaga. The sequel will reportedly characteristic musical parts and choreographed numbers.
ROCESTER, England – Jon Rahm holds a two-shot lead getting into the weekend at LIV Golf UK by JCB whereas Legion XIII tops the workforce leaderboard. Listed here are some information and notes from Spherical 1 at JCB Golf & Nation Membership.
RELATED: Rahm and his Legion XIII pink scorching at LIV Golf UK by JCB
HOME CROWD SUPPORT: Of the six English-born gamers on this week’s area, 4 are inside the highest 20 of the leaderboard after Friday’s opening spherical.
Legion XIII’s Tyrrell Hatton (66) is tied for fourth, Majesticks GC’s Sam Horsfield (67) and Crushers GC’s Paul Casey (67) are tied for sixth, and Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland (69) is tied for nineteenth.
The English gamers definitely obtained the most important cheers from the sellout crowd at JCB Golf and Nation Membership, which is internet hosting the primary LIV Golf occasion performed within the Midlands.
“Enjoying in entrance of English followers, they have been fairly vocal on the market in the present day, which was good,” Hatton mentioned. “It actually felt such as you’re taking part in a giant match, which is nice. I feel all of the gamers would have loved that in the present day.”
Horsfield, who practices at JCB and lives simply 5 minutes away, performed his first spherical with Majesticks Co-Captains Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood in an all-English threesome on Friday.
“The English crowds actually introduced the vitality in the present day,” Horsfield mentioned. “There have been so many individuals watching us all day. Even after we have been up there on 6 and seven, type of the again finish of the course there, there was a bunch of individuals on the market supporting us.”
RAHM AND THE PAR-5 HOLES: Jon Rahm shot an 8-under 63 regardless of failing to make a birdie on any of the three par 5s. It continues a current development through which he tied for seventh ultimately week’s Open Championship regardless of being unable to birdie any of the par 5s at Royal Troon.
“It is humorous,” Rahm mentioned. “I do not imply to be laughing. Not too long ago, I really feel like I am not doing something incorrect. I am not making unhealthy swings. I do not really feel like I am making horrible selections, but it surely’s simply I’ve acquired a little bit streak of unhealthy luck on the par 5s. Did not birdie any of them at The Open. Did not birdie any of them in the present day. I do not really feel like I did something terribly incorrect.”
OGLETREE’S SWING ADJUSTMENT: HyFlyers GC’s Andy Ogletree has battled bone spurs and tendinitis in his wrist and can probably want offseason surgical procedure. Compelled to regulate his swing, he mentioned solely not too long ago has he began to see some optimistic outcomes.
“With the brand new swing, it is taken a little bit time,” mentioned Ogletree, whose opening 6-under 65 has him tied for second. “Studying totally different shot shapes, studying totally different tendencies, studying tendencies beneath stress, studying totally different lies and the way far the ball goes to fly and all these various things with the totally different transfer I am making an attempt to placed on it to alleviate some ache.
“So, it is taken a short while, however I really feel like I have been trending in the best path for just a few weeks now.”
Ogletree, who earned his LIV Golf spot this 12 months after ending atop the 2023 Worldwide Sequence standings, entered this week ranked thirty eighth within the season-long factors standings. The highest 24 on the finish of the common season are assured spots subsequent 12 months.
ROUND 1 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Graeme McDowell, Kevin Na, 92.86% (13 of 14 fairways hit) Driving distance: Matthew Wolff, 320.2 yards avg. Longest drive: Matthew Wolff, 327.7 yards, tenth gap Greens in regulation: Richard Bland, 88.89% (16 of 18 greens) Scrambling: Kevin Na (8 of 8), Jon Rahm (3 of three), 100% Placing: Abraham Ancer, 1.28 putts per gap Bogey-free rounds: Jon Rahm (63), Kevin Na (70)
Dublin’s wax museum is withdrawing a determine of Sinéad O’Connor amid criticism from her household and members of the general public that it appeared “nothing like her”.
Many reacted with shock when the waxwork determine was unveiled on Thursday.
The museum’s crew met on Friday morning and determined to take away the waxwork of the Irish singer, admitting that it “can do higher” and pledging to create a “extra correct illustration”.
Her brother, John O’Connor, mentioned he was shocked when he first noticed it on-line and mentioned it didn’t appear like her “in any respect”.
Talking on RTÉ Radio’s Liveline programme on Friday, after it was introduced the determine can be withdrawn, he mentioned he had not been made conscious {that a} waxwork of his sister was to be unveiled this week.
“Once I noticed it on-line yesterday I used to be shocked. I believed it appeared one thing between a model and one thing out of the Thunderbirds.
“I believed Sinéad would have been very keen on wanting nicely, and she or he actually did, and if it was speculated to be a illustration of her in her early 20s when she did Nothing Compares 2 U, it simply appeared nothing like her. I believed it was hideous.”
He added: “A good friend of mine mentioned to me final evening that he’d seen higher in Shaws [department store], within the window.
“There’s additionally sufficient visible stuff on the market, by way of movies and pictures, that present what she did appear like.”
O’Connor advised that a greater option to honour his sister can be to place a statue of her in Dublin.
He mentioned it was significantly upsetting to talk about the difficulty on Friday, the primary anniversary of her demise on the age of 56.
“I misplaced my sister and to me that’s necessary,” he advised the radio station. “Since she’s not right here to defend herself or to talk for herself, I simply took it upon myself to contact you about it.”
Paddy Dunning, the wax museum director who mentioned he was a longtime good friend of Sinéad O’Connor, apologised to the household.
He mentioned that the wax museum sculptor, PJ Heraghty, delivered the determine the evening earlier than it was unveiled.
He mentioned the artist had finished “incredible work” in earlier years however has not been feeling nicely and had retired.
“Once I had a have a look at the statue, I walked in to launch it, and once I noticed it, I didn’t get that feeling that I usually get from PJ’s incredible work,” he advised Liveline.
“My coronary heart sunk a bit. We went forward with the launch and I didn’t sleep final evening.”
Requested by O’Connor on the radio programme if the Dublin Nationwide Wax Museum was“doing this to get publicity”, Dunning mentioned: “No, completely not.”
He added: “The wax museum runs itself with out publicity. We now have a launch and that’s it.
“I needed to take the choice to cancel the statue and we’ll go once more and we’ll transform and we have now to do higher on this event.”
Céline Dion’s efficiency from the Eiffel Tower throughout the 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony Friday is proof that the guts will go on.
Dion, who had not sang publicly since 2020 amid her battle with stiff-person’s syndrome, shocked the world together with her triumphant return to music.
What track did Céline Dion sing throughout the Paris Olympics?
The “Energy of Love” singer carried out “Hymne à l’amour” by the French singer Édith Piaf from the bottom of the Eiffel Tower in what was an immediately iconic second.
The Grammy-winning singer just lately detailed her battle with stiff-person syndrome within the Amazon Prime Video documentary, “I Am: Céline Dion,” the place it was revealed that the 56-year-old French-Canadian practically died from the illness.
In the course of the documentary, Dion particulars that she has improved considerably from her early days of her analysis, and that getting again to singing and performing is her most important motivator for overcoming her illness.
“It isn’t onerous to do a present now, it is onerous to cancel a present,” Dion mentioned. “I am working onerous on daily basis, however I’ve to confess — it has been a wrestle. I miss it a lot. The individuals. I miss them. If I am unable to run, I will stroll. If I am unable to stroll. I will crawl. I will not cease.”
Different performers at Friday’s Opening Ceremony included Girl Gaga and French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura.
Dion’s efficiency marked the top of the Opening Ceremony and the start of the Olympic Video games, and it appears the beginning of a musical comeback as effectively.
USC Dornsife professor Lydia Moudileno explains what’s the significance of a number of the French cultural components included on the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony.
Generally nothing compares to the actual factor – as Dublin’s wax museum found after it unveiled a determine of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor.
Many reacted with shock when the waxwork was revealed on Thursday, main the museum’s workforce to resolve to withdraw the duplicate.
The workforce admitted on Friday it “can do higher” and stated it could create a “extra correct illustration”.
After the choice was introduced, O’Connor’s brother Joseph O’Connor informed RTE Radio he was “shocked” when he first noticed the effigy on-line and stated it didn’t appear to be her “in any respect”.
“It seemed nothing like her and I believed it was hideous,” he added.
O’Connor had stated if individuals wished to honour her reminiscence then they need to put up a statue of her in Dublin.
Learn extra: O’Connor and the story of her second Prince cowl The singer and her uncomfortable relationship with fame
‘We’re dedicated to creating a brand new wax determine’
In a press release, Dublin’s Nationwide Wax Museum Plus stated in response to the general public’s suggestions: “We acknowledge that the present illustration didn’t meet our excessive requirements or the expectations of Sinead’s devoted followers.
“We’ve got listened intently to the reactions and agree that the determine doesn’t totally seize Sinead’s distinctive presence and essence as we meant.”
The museum added: “Sinead O’Connor’s affect on Eire and the worldwide music group is immeasurable, and our purpose has all the time been to honour her in essentially the most becoming and respectful method.
“We deeply admire the general public’s love for Sinead and share of their admiration for her exceptional profession and contributions.
“With this in thoughts, we’re dedicated to creating a brand new wax determine that higher displays Sinead O’Connor’s true spirit and iconic picture.
“Our workforce of expert artists will start this venture instantly, making certain that each element is meticulously crafted to have a good time her legacy appropriately.
“We prolong our gratitude to everybody who offered their suggestions and guarantee you that your voices are heard.
“We look ahead to unveiling a brand new determine that actually honours Sinead O’Connor and her extraordinary affect.”
O’Connor died of pure causes at her residence in southeast London final yr, aged 56.
Ted Baker, as soon as famend for its distinctive British model and meticulous consideration to element, now faces a crucial juncture that threatens its presence on the excessive avenue. Directors from Teneo have introduced plans to shut the entire model’s UK shops throughout the subsequent three weeks. Staff have been given the identical timeframe to arrange for the shop closures and subsequent job losses. This choice follows a collection of monetary difficulties, together with the submitting for chapter safety in each the U.S. and Canada.
The decline of Ted Baker, nevertheless, didn’t happen in a single day. The troubles started to floor when the model struggled to maintain tempo with the quickly evolving retail panorama. The exit of founder Ray Kelvin in 2019, amidst allegations of inappropriate behaviour, left a management void that the corporate struggled to fill. Kelvin’s departure coincided with a interval of market turbulence, which noticed many conventional retailers scrambling to adapt to new shopper behaviours pushed by digital transformation and the rise of quick trend.
In a bid to stabilise, Ted Baker was acquired by Genuine Manufacturers Group (ABG) in 2022. Nevertheless, the transition did little to halt the model’s slide. A failed partnership with Dutch agency AARC, which managed the model’s European operations, solely added to the challenges. This partnership was supposed to rejuvenate the model’s presence in Europe however as an alternative led to additional monetary pressure and operational disarray
The retail sector’s shift in the direction of digital and omnichannel experiences left Ted Baker lagging. Whereas rivals embraced on-line platforms and agile provide chain methods, Ted Baker remained closely invested in its bodily retail footprint. This strategic misalignment grew to become manifestly evident in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which accelerated the decline of brick-and-mortar shops and pushed shoppers in the direction of on-line purchasing.
Ted Baker’s makes an attempt to modernise, together with efforts to revamp its product strains and branding, have been too little, too late. The model’s picture as a unusual but upscale retailer didn’t resonate with a brand new era of shoppers who prioritise worth, comfort and moral concerns significantly with the wealth of elevated competitors within the trend market together with quick trend gamers and the expansion of recommerce.
The corporate’s incapability to pivot rapidly sufficient in response to those tendencies resulted in declining gross sales and market share.
Wanting on the broader context, Ted Baker’s struggles are emblematic of challenges confronted by many legacy manufacturers. The style retail business has been beneath stress from a number of fronts: the dominance of e-commerce giants like Amazon and ASOS, the quick trend mannequin epitomized by manufacturers like Zara and H&M, shifting shopper expectations round sustainability and transparency. For Ted Baker, a model that constructed its status on distinctive designs and high-quality merchandise, the transition to a extra digital and sustainability-conscious market has been significantly difficult.
The query now could be what the longer term holds for Ted Baker. ABG, identified for reviving distressed manufacturers, stays hopeful. The corporate is exploring new partnerships to handle Ted Baker’s concessions, wholesale distribution and e-commerce operations. Nevertheless, the success of those efforts will rely largely on how nicely the model can reconnect with shoppers and differentiate itself in an overcrowded market.
The teachings from Ted Baker’s decline are clear: agility and innovation are crucial in right this moment’s retail atmosphere and razor sharp concentrate on what your buyer desires. Manufacturers should not solely be capable to adapt to altering shopper preferences but in addition anticipate future tendencies. The emphasis on digital channels, moral manufacturing, and personalised buyer experiences is not elective however important for survival.
As Ted Baker navigates its restructuring, different retailers ought to take heed. The autumn of this iconic model underscores the necessity for fixed evolution in technique and operations. Whereas the journey forward for Ted Baker stays unsure, its story serves as a cautionary story for the style business, highlighting the perils of complacency and the crucial for continuous innovation. The street to restoration shall be difficult, however with the suitable strategic focus, there stays a glimmer of hope for this once-beloved model.
Ted Baker may disappear from British excessive streets because the struggling vogue chain plans to close all its shops inside weeks.
The enterprise behind the style model’s UK outlets, No Odd Designer Label Restricted (NODL), entered administration in March.
It has since shut 15 outlets within the UK, leading to about 245 employees being made redundant. Workers working on the remaining outlets have been informed they’ll lose their jobs when the outlets are shut inside three weeks, as first reported within the Solar newspaper.
It’s understood that the plans haven’t been finalised, regardless of the message to staff.
Ted Baker had 46 UK shops and employed about 975 folks earlier than the insolvency.
Genuine Manufacturers, the US-based agency behind Juicy Couture and Reebok, nonetheless owns Ted Baker’s mental property. It hoped to discover a new associate to run the Ted Baker retail and on-line enterprise within the UK and Europe.
The collapse of the UK shops may mark the tip of Ted Baker’s place on excessive streets, after being based in 1988 by Ray Kelvin and recognised for its patterned and floral clothes. Nonetheless, the model remains to be bought by way of malls and retailers equivalent to John Lewis and Home of Fraser.
Tom Daley: ‘My gold medal is seeing my household by my aspect’
Daley had stepped away from diving in 2021 after the final Olympics to deal with household, however ultimately, household is strictly what satisfied him to make a exceptional comeback simply two years later.
“It took me going to the Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs really, the place on the finish, there’s this video of what it means to be an Olympian. And it took me utterly off guard,” Daley stated.
“I had fairly an emotional response as my son … stated to me that he wished to see me dive within the Olympics. And, in fact, when your youngsters say that they need you to do one thing, whether or not it is getting again into the pool and coaching for the Olympics, you do it.”
Daley formally returned in December, profitable gold with Williams on the British Nationwide Diving Cup, with the pair then outlining their credentials on the worldwide stage when clinching the sliver on the World Championships in February – qualifying for Paris 2024 because of this.
It means Daley might be competing in entrance of an Olympic crowd for the primary time since Rio 2016, having gained gold and bronze behind closed doorways in Tokyo.
And with that gold medal already safely again residence, he isn’t placing any stress on himself this time round, and relishing the prospect of diving in entrance of his household – significantly his two sons.
“(At Tokyo 2020) there was none of that pleasure outdoors of the pool, which made it very focussed, but additionally made it very intense, whereas this time I feel numerous athletes want to actually take in the expertise. However for me, going into this by way of expectations, I simply need to have the ability to exit, present my finest,” Daley stated.
“My largest achievement is to have the ability to dive in entrance of my husband and my two little children.”