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Pete Davidson in ‘trauma therapy’ following Kanye West’s attacks on social media

Pete Davidson has been in “trauma therapy” largely due to Kanye West’s attacks on social media, several according to reports.

Beginning in April, The King of Staten Island star, 28, has been seeking help following his feud with the rapper for dating his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, several sources told Page Six.

“The attention and negativity coming from Kanye and his antics is a trigger for [Pete]and he’s had to seek out help,” an insider told Peoplewho first reported the story, on Monday.

The source stressed that, despite calling it quits last week, Davidson “has no regrets for dating Kim and wants it to be made very clear that she’s been nothing but supportive of him throughout their relationship.”

Reps for Davidson and West did not reply for comment.

On Friday, an insider confirmed to Page Six that Davidson and Kardashian, 41, had called quits after nine months of dating.

“Kim and Pete have decided to just be friends,” the source shared. “They have a lot of love and respect for each other, but found that the long distance and their demanding schedules made it really difficult to maintain a relationship.”

Another source also told us that their age difference contributed to the decision.

the Gold Digger rapper, 45, has continuously criticized the SNL alum — who he dubbed Skete — ever since he was first linked to Kardashian in October 2021.

Earlier this year, West released a video for Eazy that had him literally kidnapping and burying a cartoon version of Davidson. He also rapped about “beating Pete Davidson’s ass.”

West also attacked Davidson in a second video for the same tune, this time while the actor wore a “Skete” hoodie.

In March, the two men got into a heated text exchange.

“I it’s Skete. Can you please take a second and calm down. It’s 8am and it don’t gotta be like this,” the comedian texted West, according to screenshots shared by SNL guest writer Dave Sirus.

“Kim is literally the best mother I’ve ever met. What she does for those kids is amazing and you are so f**king lucky that she’s your kids mum,” he continued. “I’ve decided im not gonna let you treat us this way anymore and I’m done being quiet. Grow the f**k up.”

Davidson went on to ask West if they wanted to meet up and talk.

“I’m in LA for the day if you wanna stop being a little internet b**ch boy and talk,” he wrote.

“You don’t scare me bro. Your actions are so p***y and embarrassing. It’s so sad to watch you ruin ur legacy on the daily.”

Despite Davidson’s attempts, the Yeezy designer didn’t stop his attacks.

On Monday, West shared a doctored New York Times front page on Instagram that declared, “SKETE DAVIDSON DEAD AT AGE 28.”

Hours later, he took it down after Kardashian was revealed to be “livid” about the post.

“Kim is livid and incredibly upset … Kanye is back to his old ways and Kim will not tolerate his bullying behavior towards the people she loves and cares about,” a source close to the Skims founder told Page Six.

A second source explained that the reality star will “always protect Pete,” no matter their dating status.

Kardashian and West officially divorced in June 2022 after a judge dubbed the makeup mogul legally single. The two were married since 2014 and share four children together.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission.

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Peter Bol in 800m final result, Aussie knew race was compromised

Peter Bol took one look at the start list and knew he wasn’t going to get the race he wanted.

But rather than fret about it he made a decision to overcome it — and he very nearly did in a thrilling men’s 800m final at the Commonwealth Games on Monday morning (AEST).

The 28-year-old was still smiling after he took the silver medal, but there will always be a part of him that looks back at his incredible achievement as “bitter sweet”.

Bol described the race as “strange” and was left lamenting the tactics at play that resulted in the first 500m being run ultra-slow.

It was playing out as he expected — not in his favour.

Bol told reporters after the race he knew it was going to be a slow race because there were no front-runners anywhere on the start list.

It meant he was unable to run the race he wanted as he took just a brief moment to respond when Kenyan Wyclife Kinyamal took off with more than 200m to go. That brief, micro, delay was all it took in the end as Kinyamal, the defending champion, won by just 0.14 seconds in a time of 1:47.52.

It will be particularly painful for Bol to see his time of 1:47.66 after he ran a 1:47.01 in the heats — and a 1:45.51 at the world championships in Oregon last month.

Silver medalist Peter Bol was so close.  Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images.
Silver medalist Peter Bol was so close. Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images.Source: Getty Images
Peter Bol did us proud. Picture: Michael Klein.Source: News Corp Australia

“Looking at the start list and there’s no front runners out there,” he said.

“So I just knew it was going to be tactical and I knew I just had to come home strong and that’s what I did so I’m happy with that.

“After the first lap, and I’ve been saying it, it’s so tactical… I saw 55 (seconds) and I said to myself, ‘Stay relaxed, stay relaxed’.

“Maybe in 20 more meters I could have got him. But it’s the 800m not the 820m.”

Bol looked like he was about to go up alongside Kinyamal with 50m to run, but he just didn’t have the legs to keep his charge going.

Bol, who became a cult hero en route to his fourth-placed finish at last year’s Olympic final, was hoping to become the first Australian in 40 years to win 800m gold.

“What an environment and atmosphere, so close but will take second today,” Bol told Channel 7. “I’m pretty happy with that, to be honest. It was a strange race again, super slow but the 800m is super tactical.

“I thought, stay relaxed, stay relaxed but he (Kinyamal) is so strong and kept going and going. It’s just racing, I raced the best I could and came up short but … silver medal in the Commonwealth Games, we are second which is really good.

Australian Peter Bol chases down winner Wyclife Kinyamal to win silver. Picture: Michael Klein.Source: News Corp Australia

“We speak of this journey and we have different people from different years, I want to say a massive thanks to my family, especially my parents… I’m so grateful for them. This is for them, this is for my family, this is for the country.

“There’s a kid out there with a Peter Bol sign so definitely for him. I have to go find him.”

Seven commentator Bruce McAvaney said the race started on a “sluggish” note and Tamsyn Manou agreed, adding: “It is slower than we would have liked.”

At the conclusion of the race, Manou said: “Peter Bol did everything he possibly could there, he got into the right position, he covered… when Kinyamal made that move.

“Peter has still done us proud. People expected him to win that gold but we are talking about an athlete (Kinyamal) who is the defending champion and there is nothing more Peter Bol could have done.

“I hope everyone in Australia is very proud of Peter Bol, because we certainly are.”

England’s Ben Pattison was third in 1:48.25sec.

Bol embarrassed the rest of the field in the heats of the men’s 800m with an imperious run on Wednesday. He then had four agonizing days to wait for Monday’s final.

The Olympics finalist won his heat and was the fastest overall qualifier despite pulling up with 50m still to run.

Bol last month had a disappointing run in the world championships final after he became the first Australian man to ever contest an 800m final at the World Champs.

Earlier, Abbey Caldwell produced a huge shock when she collected the bronze in the women’s 1500m. The 21-year-old just nudged out fellow Aussie Linden Hall.

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Mike Tyson lost pet tiger when he tried to eat neighbor’s dog, boxing news

Mike Tyson lost his famous pet tiger after the white Bengal tried to eat his neighbours’ dog.

The boxing legend was convinced into buying the wild cat after coming out of prison in 1995 following a three-year stretch.

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Tyson is believed to have had three tigers in all, costing him over $US80,000 each at the time.

But, according to his former boxing manager Shelly Finkel, he was forced to give them up after one fateful walk.

Finkel, who SunSport spoke with in New York, recalled: “His house was between two houses in Vegas.

“And on the right side, facing the street was a famous Vegas performer. And on the left side was a businessman who had some dogs.

“Mike decided to walk one of his Bengal tigers, he’s walking the tiger, and the tiger saw the dog and scales the wall to go and eat the dog.

“The man is looking out his window and sees a tiger coming over the wall to try and eat his dog and Mike is pulling him down.

“He gets him off the fence and that night Mike calls me and says, ‘Shelly, the ASPCA is here, I’m not allowed to keep cats in captivity, how do you think they found out?’

“I said, ‘How do you think they found out? Your neighbor sees him coming over the wall to eat his dog. How do you think they found out.’

“That to me was my favorite story with Mike.”

Finkel managed Tyson right up until his retirement in 2005.

But their history dates back to when Iron Mike was a teenage amateur sensation.

And they first worked together in 1988 when Finkel brokered a closed-circuit pay-per-view deal for Tyson’s win over Michael Spinks.

But following the heavyweight’s infamous 1997 disqualification for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear, Finkel became his full-time manager.

He said: “It was one of the greatest trips of my life. The adventures with Mike Tyson were phenomenal.”

Finkel was in touch with Tyson as recently as two years ago, when the boxing icon made a shock comeback.

Tyson, now 56, drew over eight exhibition rounds with Roy Jones, 53, and talk of a trilogy with Holyfield emerged.

But following Holyfield’s painful beating against former UFC champion Vitor Belfort, 45, the plug was rightfully pulled.

This story first appeared in The Sun and was republished with permission.

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AFL Players’ Association reveals 40 player squad

The brilliant contribution of Sydney and Fremantle’s young guns to their respective teams’ surges up the ladder this year have been recognised, with the two clubs making up a quarter of this year’s 22under22 squad.

The AFL Players’ Association on Tuesday night released the 40-man squad for the 10th edition of the 22under22 team, which recognized the best players aged 22 and under in a season.

Sydney, which sits fourth on the ladder, boasts a competition-high six nominations, while five players from the sixth-placed Dockers are in the mix for final selection.

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Nick Blakey, Tom McCartin, Chad Warner, James Rowbottom, Justin McInerney and Errol Gulden from the Swans have all been nominated, while Dockers young guns Hayden Young, Jordan Clark, Andy Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Michael Frederick are all in line to be named in the final 22under22 team.

Remarkably, Serong is in line to be selected in the final 22 for the first time, despite his impressive first two seasons that included the Rising Star award in 2020.

Surprise packets Collingwood has four nominees (Isaac Quaynor, Nathan Murphy, Nick Daicos and Jack Ginnivan) as does Melbourne (Harry Petty, James Jordon, Kysaiah Pickett and Luke Jackson).

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Daicos, the odds-on Rising Star favourite, has is one of only two first-year players in the squad of 40, with Essendon’s Nic Martin the other. Hawks midfielder Jai Newcombe was nominated just over 12 months after he was picked up in the mid-season draft.

Bulldogs forward Aaron Naughton and Carlton midfielder Sam Walsh are looking to be selected for a fourth time in their final year of eligibility. If selected, they’ll join Bulldogs skipper Marcus Bontempelli (five selections) and Bombers defender Andy McGrath as the only players to have completed the feat.

Brayshaw, Adam Cerra, Bailey Smith and Max King are looking to be selected for a third time.

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Overall, 17 of the 18 clubs are represented in the squad, with no West Coast player in the squad.

The final 22-man team, which will derive from the squad of 40, will be announced online on August 23.

Players must have played at least 11 games in a year and be aged 22 and under for the entirety of the season, including the finals series, to be eligible for 22under22 selection.

Fans can vote on the 22under22 side by tapping here, with voting closing on Wednesday August 17.

THE 22UNDER22 SQUAD OF 40 FOR 2022

Adelaide Crows – 2: Sam Berry (midfield/wing), Darcy Fogarty (forward)

Brisbane Lions – 2: Keidean Coleman (defender), Cameron Rayner (forward/midfield)

Carlton – 2: Adam Cerra (midfield/wing), Sam Walsh (midfield)

Collingwood – 4: Isaac Quaynor (defender), Nathan Murphy (defender), Nick Daicos (defender), Jack Ginnivan (forward)

Essendon – 1: Nic Martin (forward)

Fremantle – 5: Hayden Young (defender), Jordan Clark (defender), Andy Brayshaw (midfield), Caleb Serong (midfield), Michael Frederick (forward)

Geelong Cats – 1: Sam De Koning (defender)

Gold Coast Suns – 3: Noah Anderson (midfield), Matt Rowell (midfield), Izak Rankine (forward)

GWS Giants – 1: Tom Green (midfield)

Hawthorn – 1: Jai Newcombe (midfield)

Melbourne – 4: Harry Petty (defender), James Jordon (midfield/wing), Kysaiah Pickett (forward), Luke Jackson (ruck)

North Melbourne—1: Bailey Scott (defender)

Port Adelaide – 2: Connor Rozee (midfield/forward), Zak Butters (midfield/forward)

Richmond – 1: Noah Balta (ruck/forward)

St Kilda – 1: Max King (forward)

Sydney Swans – 6: Nick Blakey (defender), Tom McCartin (defender), Chad Warner (midfield), James Rowbottom (midfield), Justin McInerney (midfield/wing), Errol Gulden (forward/midfield)

West Coast Eagles-0

Western Bulldogs – 3: Bailey Smith (midfield), Aaron Naughton (forward), Cody Weightman (forward)

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Ben Simmons future at Brooklyn Nets, trade news, report claims Aussie left group chat

Ben Simmons’ rocky NBA career has taken another turn after the Brooklyn Nets guard reportedly left a players group chat before a decisive playoff game last season.

Simmons was drafted first overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016 NBA Draft but found himself locked in a standoff with the franchise after demanding a trade.

The Australian was eventually dealt to the Nets as part of a package for All-Star guard James Harden, and was expected to don his new colors for the first time in the playoffs.

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The Athletic reported in April that Simmons was set to debut for Brooklyn in Game Four, during the first round of the playoffs.

Brooklyn were already down 3-0 to the eventual Eastern Conference champions Boston Celtics when he pulled out with back soreness.

But renowned NBA analyst Ric Bucher has made a stunning revelation about Simmons, saying that he left a players group chat without saying a word before Game Four.

“They’re having a team chat before Game four, thinking he’s going to play against the Celtics, and from what I’m told, Ben just left the chat,” Bucher told Colin Cowherd on The Herd.

“They asked him, ‘Are you going to play?’ Ben left the chat. Like he didn’t even answer the question. He just left the chat.”

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The 26-year-old required surgery in March on his lower back after withdrawing from that crucial playoff clash with the Celtics.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Simmons needed back surgery after experiencing “pain soreness” the day before the Nets were eventually eliminated.

“Brooklyn Nets swingman Ben Simmons will require three to four months of rehabilitation after undergoing back surgery, but is expected to be fully recovered to return to the court well ahead of pre-season training camp in September, sources told ESPN on Wednesday,” Wojnarowski wrote.

“The decision to undergo the surgery was reached after ‘consultation with multiple back specialists,’ the team said Wednesday.”

Simmons said that mental health was the reason behind his ugly exit from Philadelphia, as he opened up on his “dark times.”

However, sports radio host Ben Maller believed that it was just an excuse for the Melbourne-born talent to leave the Sixers.

“Ben Simmons in Philadelphia was a charlatan, a fake, a phony and a fraud,” Maller said on Fox Sports Radio in February

“This guy has been hiding behind the mental health card playing it from the bottom of the deck, knowing that it makes you untouchable in a polite society.

“The establishment media are afraid of even slightly criticizing someone who makes this claim, like Ben Simmons.”

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UNO update gives controversial new meaning to ‘Skip’ cards

We’ve all been that person on the end of the UNO battering ram.

No matter what you do, the cards just won’t line up, leaving you as the poor sod forced to pick up half the deck in shame.

And there’s always someone at the table explaining how their rule “makes the game better”.

But now, the company behind the iconic card game has revealed a cheeky rule that is sure to spark debate.

UNO says players can avoid the dreaded “Draw 2” cards by plonking a “Skip” card on the pile, but only if they’re the same color.

“Skipping never felt so good,” wrote the official UNO Twitter account. “If someone plays a Draw 2 on you and you have a Skip card of the SAME COLOR in your hand, you can play it and ‘bounce’ the penalty to the next player!”

UNO also said if the next player has a Skip card of any colour, they can play it and kick the penalty down to the next player.

“The next player must draw the two cards, unless they have a Skip card (of any colour) they can play, in which case they pass the penalty to the next player and so on until no one has a Skip card and must draw two cards.”

UNO reminded players that they can’t stack cards on top of one another.

“You can only play one card per turn – stacking is not allowed!”

But some fans weren’t too pleased with the update.

“Absolutely not,” one person replied. “I’ve lost enough friendships over fighting this exact rule. I can’t find this in the rule book — surely this is fake!”

But others admitted it was in their personalized rule book all along.

“This is standard — why are so many people shocked?” one fan said. “The UNO video game uses this rule as well, it’s legit.”

In 2019, Mattel launched a new version of UNO to add some extra spice to the mix.

UNO Flip is a more competitive and rage-inducing version of the classic game.

The entire deck is double-sided, featuring a “light side” resembling the original game and a “dark side”, where penalties are far tougher.

If you score a “Flip” card the game is entirely in your hands and you gain the power of revealing a new set of numbers and colors on the other side.

And as always, never forget to shout “UNO” when you’re down to your last card.

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John Legend’s wife, Chrissy Teigen, hits back at judgmental fan

American model Chrissy Teigen called out a fan who didn’t “recognize” her in a new photo posted to Instagram.

“I’ve had these teeth for like 10 years,” the cookbook author responded on Sunday, referencing her veneers.

In a follow-up comment, Teigen added, “You guys are somethin” when a separate fan asked why she is always “changing” her face, Page Six reports.

The comments came alongside an adorable photo of Teigen, 36, enjoying a boat ride with her son Miles lying on top of her.

“Keeping up with this one somehow,” she captioned the snap.

Despite the critical commentary from her followers, the Cravings founder glowed in the image, likely because she is pregnant again after suffering a tragic loss nearly two years ago.

“The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again,” Teigen began the lengthy caption that announced the news last week.

“1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as you can see!) we have another on the way. Every appointment I’ve said to myself, ‘Ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce’, but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still.”

Teigen shared how nervous she was to announce the news publicly after her and her husband, John Legend’s, third child, Jack, was stillborn in October 2020, but she explained how she is pushing through those emotions.

“I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing,” she wrote. “Ok phew it’s been very hard keeping this in for so long!”

This article originally appeared on Page Six and was reproduced with permission

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4-year-old US kid announces transition to male gender

A four-year-old child has captured hearts – and sparked a heated online debate – after announcing he was a boy via a rainbow-fueled gender reveal at the Vancouver Pride Parade in Canada.

Charlie Danger Lloyd was assigned female at birth – but from a young age expressed he was a boy, his mum said, as reported by the new york post.

Now-viral footage and photos captured the moment young Charlie – with his grandmother by his side – released a confetti cannon that filled the area with blue smoke.

“Once they closed the road, Charlie strutted out with Grammy and they faced the sidelines and after a short struggle, the cannon exploded with blue smoke and biodegradable confetti,” his mum, 27-year-old Alaina Bourrel, told South West News Service after her little boy ran into her arms.

“Charlie jumped with joy as the crowd cheered him on. He couldn’t believe the love and support he was shown from the bystanders.”

Despite Charlie’s happiness, his mum said she has come under attack by vicious trolls online, calling her a “paedophile, groomer and rapist” for her son’s transition.

However, Ms Bourrel said that her child started expressing different gender needs at the age of two, telling her family he was “growing to look just like daddy” and “I’m a boy” all day, every day.

The proud mum said the parade moment was dreamt up after they told Charlie the family held a previous gender reveal before he was born – where the smoke didn’t work properly.

“When we told him the story, he asked for a re-do with his granny at the Vancouver Pride Parade – so we bought him a smoke cannon and tucked it away for this day,” she said.

“He wasn’t your typical little girl. He would play with other boys and the parents would say he was more of a boy than their own children,” Ms Bourrel recalled, saying the family didn’t think anything of it until the end of 2021, when he didn’t want to shop in the girl’s section and wanted his hair cut short.

“He refused to shop in the girl’s section, but was too nervous to shop in the boy’s. After lots of expressing his feelings and emotions with me, he decided that he wanted a new wardrobe so we set out to find our new style.”

About a month after buying his new wardrobe, Charlie was ready to get his hair cut.

“We made an appointment with Lia at Big Bros Barbershop, a trans-owned and operated salon in East Vancouver,” his mum said.

“After leaving the salon that afternoon, Charlie was a completely new child.”

After changes to his wardrobe and his appearance, his confidence went through the roof.

“We are four months since he began his social transition now,” Ms Bourrel said.

“He is still a normal kid that does completely normal little kid things like play with Lego, uses his creativity and learns to ride his bike.”

Despite online haters who criticize her parenting choices, she said Charlie’s family and friends have been nothing but supportive of the preschooler.

“His choices were not questioned and he was congratulated and everyone began using new pronouns,” she said, adding it is no different to raising any other child and she appreciates the support from those in their inner circle.

“We are so lucky to have the circle that we do.”

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

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Anne Heche slips into coma, in ‘critical condition’ after car crash

Anne Heche is fighting for life after her horror car crash.

The US actress’ representative told foxnewsthat she is “in an extreme critical condition” following the fiery collision on Friday, local time.

“She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” the rep said.

“She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident.”

thenew york postreported that the Los Angeles Police Department had received a warrant to test the vanished actress’ blood to determine whether she was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at the time of the accident.

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Officers believe Heche, 53, may have been intoxicated when she ploughed her blue Mini Cooper into an LA home, igniting a massive fire that torched her and her car.

“The info we received this morning was a warrant that was obtained the same day as the traffic collision, which was August 5. The warrant was to draw blood, and an investigation is ongoing pending the blood test results,” a rep for the LAPD said.

“If found intoxicated, [Heche] could be charged with misdemeanor DUI hit and run. No arrests have been made so far.”

A red-capped bottle could be seen in Heche’s car’s cupholder in a photo TMZ reports was taken before the accident.

According to eyewitnesses, the actress first crashed into the garage of a nearby apartment complex but backed up and sped off before residents could help her.

Officials with the LAPD West Traffic Division have confirmed she hit another vehicle before slamming into the house that went up in flames.

Photos from the scene captured Heche being put on a stretcher and showed serious injuries to her back, while aerial shots documented smoke billowing out of the house into which she drove as well as numerous fire trucks surrounding the area.

Heche, also known for a high-profile romance with Ellen DeGeneres in the 1990s, has been open about her struggles with substance abuse.

“I drink. I smoked. I did drugs. I had sex with people. I did anything I could to get the shame out of my life, ”she told ABC News in 2020, explaining that she spent much of her childhood getting sexually abused by her father.

“I’m not crazy,” the Six Days Seven Nights star said at the time.

“But it’s a crazy life. I was raised in a crazy family. And it took 31 years to get the crazy out of me.”

This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission

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Golf news: Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman join LIV Golf Series, report, Cameron Percy, video, PGA Tour

Cameron Percy has lifted the lid on Cameron Smith’s intentions, revealing the Open champion is “gone” and will join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.

Smith, 28, was irate when he was asked about his future in the moments following his extraordinary one-shot victory at St Andrew’s last month.

“I just won the British Open and you’re asking about that? I think that’s pretty- not that good,” Smith said.

Pressed on the matter, the Australian was coy.

“I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff, I’m here to win golf tournaments,” he said.

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But Percy, a top-10 finisher at the Wyndham Championship, said his Australian compatriots Smith and Marc Leishman were “gone” and had signed with the financially lucrative LIV Golf Series.

“Unfortunately, yeah, they’re gone,” Percy told RSN radio.

The extraordinary revelation comes ahead of this week’s FedEx Cup playoff opener, which is expected to see Smith take to the tee amid a court’s hearing into whether three LIV golfers should be permitted to play after defecting to the rebel league.

Percy said the PGA Tour had known for years that a rebel tour was being formed.

“I had a long conversation with (2013 Masters champion) Adam Scott and he was very interesting talking to about it, just where it is,” he said.

“He said he met with these guys (LIV) in 2017 (and) they were ready (to) do all this. So, the tour has known for a long time that this stuff’s in the works.”

Scott has previously been on the record speaking about LIV Golf, saying in April “the schedule that they’re proposing is very appealing to probably most golfers” and he would “consider” making a move too.

Percy, meanwhile, delivered a not-so-subtle dig at those taking the money and defecting, raising the ethical questions around where the money is coming from.

“The more and more you look into it, some people don’t care, some people have got a conscience and do care,’ he said.

“It really comes down to, you know, ‘they just executed 80 people this week, just chopped their heads off’. They’re not the nicest people in the world.

“Do you just look past that and go, ‘Oh well, I’m rich I don’t really care’. It’s a tough one, it really is.”

Smith, the world No.2, was reportedly offered more than $100 million to join the LIV Golf Series.

Should he indeed accept the offer, he will be the highest ranked player to defect.

Former major winner Ian Baker-Finch last month to ignore the offers and create a legacy in the game by staying in the PGA Tour – something currently he would struggle to achieve in LIV Golf, where tournaments are 54 holes and don’t contain the player strength nor history.

“I know that they are talking to him and many others,” Baker-Finch, who won the Claret Jug in 1991, told SEN radio.

“I hope he doesn’t because I think he can leave a great legacy by winning major championships and becoming the best player in the world.

“I don’t think I need the money. I don’t think it is going to be something that he should do.

“He will be a $100m guy or more now. Does he want to win more majors or does he want the money? I am hoping he stays and leaves a great legacy like a Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy … which he could do. I think Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy and a lot of those guys that still compete and play well in majors, and want to leave a legacy, they’re the guys I would be following.”

Originally published as ‘They’re gone’: Bombshell revelation as Aussie golfer says Smith, Leishman have joined LIV

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