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St Jude Championship scores, Cameron Smith, LIV Golf, Aussies in action, latest, updates

JJ Spaun birdied two of the last three holes to shoot a two-under par 68 for a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the US PGA Tour’s St. Jude Championship.

Spaun tapped in to birdie the par-5 16th and holed a 17-foot birdie putt at the 17th then stood alone at the top after Austrian Sepp Straka missed a nine-foot par putt at the 18th at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

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The 31-year-old American stood on 13-under 197 through 54 holes with Straka on 198 after shooting 68.

British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia fired 67 to share third on 199 with Americans Will Zalatoris and Trey Mullinax. Americans Tyler Duncan and Troy Merritt were another stroke adrift.

However, Smith had to cop some stick from fans as he walked the course.

The tournament opens the FedEx Cup playoffs, three season-ending events with a winner’s prize of $18 million.

Only 125 players qualified on season points and only the top 70 advance to next week’s BMW Championship, where the 30 qualifiers for the Tour Championship in Atlanta are decided.

‘Ready to cop some heat’ Smith talks LIV | 00:49

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World No. 1 commits ultimate golfing sin on Smith … sparking storm about whether he meant it

‘Ready to cop some heat’: Cam Smith’s big admission over $140m PGA bombshell

Spaun won his first PGA title after 147 tour starts in April at the Texas Open while Straka, who missed six consecutive cuts coming into this week, won his first PGA title in February at the Honda Classic.

Spaun began with nine pars before a bogey at 10, but sank an 11-foot birdie putt at the par-3 11th and overtook Straka with his closing surge.

After a birdie-bogey start, Straka sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the fifth hole and another from just inside 12 feet at the sixth to seize the outright lead, but he fell back with a bogey at seven.

Straka took the lead alone with a 16-foot birdie putt at the 13th and grabbed a two-stroke lead by sinking a six-foot birdie putt at 15, setting the stage for Spaun’s run.

Zalatoris, still chasing his first PGA Tour victory, was a runner-up this year at the PGA Championship and US Open and last year in his Masters debut.

“I played on the biggest stages in three majors and I felt comfortable in those positions,” he said.

“I haven’t gotten a win out of it yet. Eventually we will and hopefully tomorrow is it.”

LIV golfers still welcome in Australia | 01:46

World number 14 Zalatoris, who turns 26 on Tuesday, has a PGA-high eight top-10 finishes without a victory this season.

“Today was awesome,” Zalatoris said of his 65.

“Tee to green was great and I rolled in a couple nice putts, so I just need to keep that going.”

Zalatoris split with caddy Ryan Goble last week and new caddy Joel Stock has read his putts the past 36 holes.

“It has been great,” Zalatoris said.

“He has been awesome. Obviously it has paid off. He’s doing a good job.”

Mullinax, who shot 66, won his first PGA title at last month’s Barbasol Championship.

He began the week 70th in points, the last spot to advance, but is in position to leap into the top 30.

“Been playing really well,” he said. “Just going out and sticking to the game plan.”

Duncan birdied four of the first six holes to shoot 67.

It has been 77 starts without a top-10 finish for Duncan since his lone PGA victory at the 2019 RSM Classic.

Rickie Fowler found water twice on the way to a quintuple-bogey nine on the 18th hole. He shot 72 to stand on 208, likely dooming his bid to advance in the playoffs.

LEADERBOARD (AFTER 3 ROUNDS)

1st: JJ Spaun -13

2nd: Sepp Staka -12

S3: Will Zalatoris -11

S3: Trey Mullinax – 11

S3: Cameron Smith -11

S6: Tyler Duncan -10

S6: Troy Merritt -10

AUSSIES IN ACTION

S3: Cameron Smith -11

S25: Adam Scott -7

T36: Cam Davis -5

69th: Marc Leishman +3

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Tommy Lee’s X-rated Instagram photo shocks fans

Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee has dropped jaws across the globe with an extremely revealing Instagram post.

The 59-year-old posted a photo of himself rocking out with his, ahem, private parts out on Thursday, shocking his 1.4 million followers and giving the social media censors something to do (though at the time of writing, the post was still up).

“Ooooopppsss,” Lee’s caption read.

Instagram has a strict anti-nudity policy.

Lee has never been too shy about letting it all hang out, previously appearing in a sex tape with Pamela Anderson while driving.

His latest post attracted immediate attention from the public and celebrities.

“Does the camera add 5 pounds?” comedian Ryan Sickler commented.

“OH MY GOD,” fellow comedian Brittany Furlan said.

Machine Gun Kelly’s drummer, Rook, sounded the most impressed, commenting: “I’M F****N DYING🤣🤣🤣🤣.”

And TikTok content creator Daniel Mac provided the wittiest double understanding, wondering: “How long will this stay up?”

In a follow-up post, Lee shared an image of an elephant face-to-face with a naked man, with the elephant asking: “How do you breathe through that little thing?”

One of the more succinct comments on that post read simply: “Go to sleep bro.”

At his band’s height in the 1980s, the famed drummer was known for sleeping with groupies, drugging heroically and swallowing small light bulbs for kicks.

He made headlines in June after returning to the stage with broken ribs.

Even though the iconic drummer only lasted five songs into the band’s hotly anticipated reunion kick-off tour at Atlanta, Georgia, it was actually five more songs than his doctor ordered.

In true Lee fashion, the musician ignored the doctor’s advice and went ahead with his performance during the band’s opening night alongside Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

After soldiering on through five tracks on the drums, Lee’s pain was too much for him to handle.

“Man y’all ain’t gonna believe this s**t,” he wrote on social media ahead of the gig. “I broke four f***ing ribs!”

“But I’ve been resting and healing and even though the doctor tells me I shouldn’t play at all, you know I’m stubborn and I’ll beast through the pain every show for as many songs as I can.”

Lee revealed he had Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne’s drummer Tommy Clufetos save the show until he’s “back at 100 per cent.”

“We’ve all been waiting years for this moment and there’s no way I’m missing this! On with the show,” Lee added.

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Judge denies restraining order for Matt Jones, Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford, FedEx Cup Playoffs

A federal judge has denied a request by three LIV Golf Series players, including Australian Matt Jones, for a temporary restraining order allowing them to play in this week’s $US75m PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoffs.

US District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman made the ruling after a hearing at San Jose on the lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California. The news came on a dramatic day in which Aussie world No.2 Cameron Smith was reported to have signed on for the Greg Norman-led rebel tour.

Jones and Americans Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford had sought the chance to compete in the FedEx Cup playoff opener, the St. Jude’s Championship, that begins Thursday in Memphis.

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Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43

All three were among those suspended by the PGA Tour after they teed off in their first event of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series in June. The ruling upheld that ban.

“We’re disappointed that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones won’t be allowed to play golf,” LIV Golf said in a statement. “No one gains by banning golfers from playing.” Gooch was ranked 20th in FedEx Cup points with Jones 65th and Swafford 67th. The top 125 players in season points qualified for Memphis with 70 players advancing to next week’s BMW Championship and the top 30 reaching the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Had they been able to play and reached the Tour Championship, the trio would have earned berths in next year’s Masters and US and British Opens.

But LIV Golf players could not show irreparable harm since they will be allowed to play LIV Golf events when those resume next month in Boston.

While LIV Golf players claim they are independent contractors, the PGA Tour argued they were members and the tour can punish members who violate rules, such as playing in LIV events.

Smith tightlipped on rumored defection | 05:10

“With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks, the best players in the world competing in the FedEx Cup playoffs,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo obtained by The GolfChannel.

LIV Golf has lured away such top stars as Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson with guaranteed money and record purses of $25 million at events.

Jones, Gooch and Swafford were among 11 LIV Golf players who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who had been among the 11 players in the lawsuit, has dropped out of the case, his manager said.

Some players at Memphis warned of a frosty reception for LIV golfers had they been allowed to tee off after departing for richer prize money as well as trying to knock PGA players out of their own playoffs.

“Going to be a pretty icy Thursday morning if those guys play,” 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover told The Golf Channel. “They want their cake and eat it too.”

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US PGA Tour files motion in court to prevent players from playing FedEx Cup, Matt Jones, latest, updates

The US PGA Tour filed a motion in federal court on Monday asking three LIV Golf players not to be allowed to compete in this week’s FedEx Cup playoff opener, while delivering a blistering attack on the morality of the tournament.

Arguing LIV Golf players knew there would be consequences for leaving the PGA for the Saudi-backed upstart series, the PGA said in US District Court for Northern California that they can not “have their cake and eat it too.”

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Australian Matt Jones and Americans Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford will have a hearing on Tuesday afternoon in San Jose on their request for a temporary restraining order forcing them to be allowed to compete at this week’s St. Jude Championship at Memphis.

The PGA Tour called the players’ motion “legally baseless” in its filing and added their decision to wait two months after leaving to file the motion was “fabricating an ’emergency’ they now maintain requires immediate action.”

The PGA said players knew their actions would bring suspensions and noted other LIV players who could have playoff spots based on top 125 point finishers in the PGA season have opted not to ask for such spots.

Buhai poised to take British Open | 01:01

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‘I found three brothers’: Golf legend reduced to blubbering mess in stirring live TV farewell

“The players’ purported harm is entirely self-induced,” the PGA filing said. The three players were among 11 who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour last week, the first legal blow in a fight over the future of elite-level golf that could take years to settle.

The court also heard that LIV Golf was “prepared to lose billions of dollars” for the sport by sportswashing for “deplorable” Saudi Arabia – the financial backers of the tournament.

“Liv is not a rational economic actor, competing fairly to start a golf tour,” the court heard.

“It’s prepared to lose billions of dollars to leverage plaintiffs and the sport of golf to ‘sportswash’ the Saudi government’s deplorable reputation for human rights abuses.”

A court has heard the PGA believes LIV Golf is sportswashing.  Photo: Getty Images
A court has heard the PGA believes LIV Golf is sportswashing. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

LIV Golf offered record $25 million purses and lured away several of the sport’s top names from the US PGA Tour, prompting the PGA to make major prize money boosts for many events next season.

Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer are among those who have cast their lot with LIV Golf.

The next LIV Golf event will not be contested until after the PGA playoffs, with this week’s top 70 in points advancing to next week’s BMW Championship and the top 30 making it to the Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Gooch was 20th in FedEx Cup points with Jones 65th and Swafford 67th but they have been suspended since teeing off in their first LIV Golf event.

There are currently only 122 players in the field at Memphis as three of those who made the lineup have dropped out.

England’s Tommy Fleetwood cited personal reasons while American Daniel Berger has not played since the US Open due to a back injury and American Lanto Griffin said in July he was likely done for the season after back surgery.

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Entertainment

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s ‘never-ending war’

Next month will mark the six-year anniversary of Angelina Jolie shocking the world by filing for divorce from Brad Pitt.

But despite being declared legally single in 2019, the exes are still no closer to reaching a custody agreement for their children – even as they reach college age.

“It appears that Angelina is determined that Brad should never get 50/50 custody,” one source familiar with the legal battle told Page Six. “And there are some who say that she won’t rest until the kids are legally adults, so Brad will never have shared custody.”

The couple have six children together: Maddox, 21, Pax, 18, Zahara, 17, Shiloh, 16, and twins Knox and Vivienne, both 14.

It’s just the latest except in a seemingly never-ending war.

French estate center of bitter war

“Angelina makes a constant stream of attacks on Brad. And she deliberately sold her disputed share of their vineyard to a buyer she knew he didn’t want,” a friend of Pitt claimed.

Pitt has been seen on red carpets around the world recently for the premiere of his latest movie Bullet Trainbut he apparently can’t escape the long reach of his ex-wife.

In legal papers in June, Pitt, 58, claimed that Jolie, 47, intentionally “sought to inflict harm on” him by selling her interests of the Chateau Miraval wine brand to Russian businessman Yuri Shefler, the founder of Stoli Vodka.

Pitt said they had agreed to never sell their respective shares without the other’s permission. He also asked for a trial by jury.

“It’s his baby. He’s very proud of it and he’s put all of the revenue from the business into the vineyard and Miraval studios,” said a Hollywood friend, noting that the Correns, France, vineyard estate also houses a recording studio.

“Unfortunately, Angelina sold her part, which was contrary to their agreement, to somebody they had both turned down before,” the friend added, as Pitt had previously said no to a deal with Stoli.

And then there was the recent news that lawyers for Jolie sent process servers to the SAG Awards in February, hoping to catch Pitt off-guard with a subpoena for Miraval matters at the event. (He did not attend.) Sources claim this was another example of Jolie trying to create a public scene to exacerbate the situation.

In April, Page Six reported that Jolie had allegedly unleashed “a desperate fishing expedition” by suing the FBI under the name “Jane Doe” to find more about its investigation into an alleged 2016 private-jet altercation incident involving Pitt and their son Maddox, and why FBI agents didn ‘t charge the actor.

An anonymous call was made to authorities, which triggered the FBI investigation, but the case was closed on November 22, 2016, with no charges of wrongdoing. Days later, Jolie filed for divorce.

Dispute over psychologist

Page Six is also told that things became tense earlier this year when Pitt’s legal team believed that Jolie’s lawyers attempted to have their court-approved child psychologist sanctioned by the California Attorney-General’s office based on her perception that the doctor had sided with Pitt, concluding that Pitt should have 50/50 custody of the children.

Psychologist Stan Katz, who spoke to the Jolie-Pitt minor children for the custody case, is currently under a non-criminal investigation by the California Attorney-General’s office, per a filing submitted to the Superior Court of California and seen by Page Six.

Dr Katz is not believed to have had any complaints made about him in his 30-year career.

However, another insider with knowledge of the issues had stressed that Jolie had nothing to do with the investigation.

Meanwhile, one highly placed legal insider told Page Six that only one or both of the parties involved in the case could make a complaint. A friend of Pitt’s confirmed it was not him.

The filing noted that: “The Court finds the Petitioner (Jolie) has filed a notice of non-opposition and Respondent (Pitt) has taken no position.”

Dr Katz declined to comment. Page Six also contacted the AG’s office. The scope of the investigation is not known, and it’s unclear whether the investigation is still ongoing.

‘It was a technicality’

After years of back and forth, Pitt was granted joint custody of his minor children in May 2021.

Judge John Ouderkirk however, was subsequently disqualified from the case for not sufficiently disclosing business relationships with Pitt’s lawyers – so it was back to square one for the custody case.

Another source familiar with the case said: “Everything is at a standstill. Last year was a real rollercoaster. Brad was given 50/50 custody in a lengthy, detailed judicial decision. Then the appellate court vacated the decision based on something having nothing to do with the substance of the case.

“It was an internal dispute between the judges and the private judges in California, nothing to do with the custody agreement. It was a technicality. It’s unclear where things stand right now.”

Meanwhile, Pitt is not believed to be close to his and Jolie’s oldest child, they are Maddox, who turned 21 on Friday.

Asked how often the actor gets to see the other children, the source familiar with the case said: “He gets to see them, but he still doesn’t have 50/50. But he’s trying to ride it out.

Both Jolie and Pitt’s reps were unavailable for comment.

Jolie-Pitt brood grows up

The former couple have six children. Maddox currently studies biochemistry at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. Pax, 18, is believed to be continuing with his schooling from him, and 17-year-old Zahara is about to begin college.

Jolie announced in an Instagram post that Zahara will be attending the historically black Spelman College in Atlanta this year.

“Zahara with her Spelman sisters!” the Eternals star captioned an image of her daughter surrounded by fellow students.

Daughter Shiloh, 16, showed off her hip-hop dance moves back in June in a now-viral clip set to Doja Cat’s Vegas.

Pitt joked about it at the Bullet Train premiere: “I don’t know where she got it from. I’m Mr Two-Left-Feet here.” He also said that Zahara’s acceptance of her to college “brings a tear to the eye”.

It’s a new side of the Oscar winner, who also shares 14-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox with Jolie, as he has previously been so protective about his kids he rarely talked about them.

Pitt has been on the promo trail for Bullet Traintraveling to Paris, Berlin and London over the past month.

In Germany, the actor hit the red carpet wearing a skirt that he co-designed with Haans Nicolas Mott.

When asked why he wore the skirt, Pitt told Variety: “I don’t know! We’re all going to die, so let’s mess it up.”

The Hollywood friend said the answer is simple: “Brad travels regularly, but this was his first major event for a few years and he had a lot of fun with it.”

But “fun” doesn’t mean romance right now. Pitt is “not currently dating anyone,” said the Hollywood friend. “He’s gone on dates over the past couple of years, but he’s not dating anyone currently.”

Instead, Pitt is spending time on his art, architecture and hanging out with friends. He will appear in the Damien Chazelle-directed drama Babylon with Margot Robbie and Olivia Wilde, which opens on Christmas Day.

“He’s in a good place,” said the Hollywood friend. “He had a good break in Europe. He seems refreshed and relaxed.”

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission

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‘Legal theft’: Balenciaga slammed for selling $2557 trash bags

Luxury fashion house Balenciaga has been blasted for its latest bag – a calfskin leather “Trash Pouch” that looks identical to a bin liner and retails for $A2577.

Dozens of people have taken to social media to accuse creative director Demna Gvasalia of “legal theft”, describing “high fashion [as] a joke at this point” after the aptly-named accessory was made available on the label’s website.

The shiny drawstring bag, made out of calfskin leather, is emblazoned with a subtle logo (to differentiate from … the ones us commoners buy off the shelves of Coles) and comes in black, white, blue, red and yellow.

Asked about the bags backstage in March, where they debuted, Demna joked to WWD that he “couldn’t miss an opportunity to make the most expensive trash bag in the world, because who doesn’t love a fashion scandal?”

Given the furore on Twitter, he certainly got his wish.

“A trash bag purse – @BALENCIAGA deliberately sells ultra expensive signals of low status,” one user wrote.

“The rich buy them to differentiate themselves from the middle class, who are afraid to wear them for fear of being mistaken for low class.”

“I’m convinced Balenciaga is a social experiment because there is no way they are charging 1.8K (US) for a trash bag???” said another.

“Idk how to feel about @BALENCIAGA and their new ‘Trash Pouch’,” tweeted a third.

“I’ve been wearing this exact look for YEARS taking out the trash Sunday nights. Winter ’22 my right eye!”

“What is Balenciaga gonna do next? Bottle up some air and sell it for $999. They’re doing too much with those trash bags,” said another.

“Whoever buys this needs to be thrown out of it.”

At Balenciaga’s March show, models trudged through a fake winter storm lugging the bags, with Demna writing in his show notes that the despair over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine informed the mood of it.

He wrote that he “became a forever refugee” when his family fled the war in his native Georgia, noting the war in Ukraine had “triggered the pain” from his past and highlighted the “absurdity” of fashion week.

“I realized that canceling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years,” he said.

“I decided that I can no longer sacrifice parts of me to that senseless, heartless war of ego.”

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Nick Kyrgios wins over American with classy act for fan in win over Tommy Paul at Washington Open

Nick Kyrgios has continued his preparation for the last grand slam of the year with a strong win over Tommy Paul at the Washington Open on Thursday (AEST).

The Australian was challenged in just his second singles match since Wimbledon and had to play his best tennis to defeat Paul 6-3 6-4.

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Kyrgios was locked in, firing off 15 aces including one rocket at 218km/h.

He was superb in the clutch moments — saving all four break points he faced and converting three out of four of his own break point opportunities.

Kyrgios was up to his usual antics when he got stuck into the umpire after he was given a code violation for ball abuse.

But the Washington crowd was in his corner and he showed his soft side in the first set, when an elderly fan was hit in the face by a ball that took a wayward bounce into the stands.

Kyrgios went over and handed the spectator one of his towels.

He is chasing his second title in Washington and will next face fourth0seed Reilly Opelka in the round of 16 on Friday.

After pulling out of the singles draw at the Atlanta Open last week with a knee injury, Kyrgios has shown impressive form in his two matches in Washington against Marcos Giron and Paul.

Nick Kyrgios was at his best against Tommy Paul. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

He needed just 59 minutes to beat Giron in straight sets and was his usual entertaining self, engaging with the crowd.

He won the doubles title in Atlanta playing alongside fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis and is a favorite to win the title in Washington ahead of the US Open, which begins later this month.

It wasn’t such good news elsewhere among the Australian contingent in Washington, with Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur losing to Taylor Fritz and Yoshihito Nishioka, respectively.

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Tennis 2022: Nick Kyrgios wins over American with classy act for fan in win over Tommy Paul at Washington Open

Nick Kyrgios has continued his preparation for the last grand slam of the year with a strong win over Tommy Paul at the Washington Open on Thursday (AEST).

The Australian was challenged in just his second singles match since Wimbledon and had to play his best tennis to defeat Paul 6-3 6-4.

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Kyrgios was locked in, firing off 15 aces including one rocket at 218km/h.

He was superb in the clutch moments — saving all four break points he faced and converting three out of four of his own break point opportunities.

Kyrgios was up to his usual antics when he got stuck into the umpire after he was given a code violation for ball abuse.

But the Washington crowd was in his corner and he showed his soft side in the first set, when an elderly fan was hit in the face by a ball that took a wayward bounce into the stands.

Kyrgios went over and handed the spectator one of his towels.

He is chasing his second title in Washington and will next face fourth seed Reilly Opelka in the round of 16 on Friday.

After pulling out of the singles draw at the Atlanta Open last week with a knee injury, Kyrgios has shown impressive form in his two matches in Washington against Marcos Giron and Paul.

He needed just 59 minutes to beat Giron in straight sets and was his usual entertaining self, engaging with the crowd.

He won the doubles title in Atlanta playing alongside fellow Aussie Thanasi Kokkinakis and is a favorite to win the title in Washington ahead of the US Open, which begins later this month.

It wasn’t such good news elsewhere among the Australian contingent in Washington, with Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur losing to Taylor Fritz and Yoshihito Nishioka, respectively.

Read related topics:Nick Kyrgios

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Nick Kyrgios wins at Washington Citi Open, pulls out of Laver Cup: Tennis news 2022

Nick Kyrgios was up to his usual tricks in Washington as he scored a first-round win over Marcos Giron at the Citi Open.

The Australian cruised to victory in his first singles match since losing last month’s Wimbledon final to Novak Djokovic, taking just 59 minutes to seal a 6-3 6-2 result.

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Serving on match point, Kyrgios walked back to the crowd and engaged in a chat with a spectator. Known for asking fans where he should serve, it looked like the Canberran was doing just that.

The advice clearly didn’t hurt as he wrapped up proceedings.

Kyrgios blasted 12 aces and only lost 12 points off his own racquet in the straight sets demolition at the tournament he won in 2019.

Next up for the 27-year-old is Tommy Paul.

“I was in such a dark place last year when I played DC. Just very happy to be back here, a place where I won in 2019,” Kyrgios said.

The match came after Kyrgios confirmed on social media he would not be taking part in this year’s Laver Cup — a teams event that pits Team Europe against Team World, where Kyrgios has delivered plenty of entertainment in the past.

“No Laver Cup for me this year!!!” Kyrgios wrote on Instagram. “Just letting you all know.

“Gotta have that home time with my family and beautiful girlfriend.”

In the Washington women’s draw, Australian Ajla Tomljanovic advanced to the second round by beating 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens 6-1 6-4.

Like Kyrgios, Tomljanovic was also playing for the first time since her impressive run into the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Read related topics:Nick Kyrgios

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Greg Norman’s LIV Tour forces PGA Tour’s $590m prizemoney first

Faced with a growing challenge from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, the US PGA Tour announced a 2022-23 season schedule on Monday offering a record $AUD590 million in prize money.

The PGA increased the prize money at eight invitational tournaments, with The Players Championship set to pay out $35m, and will offer $206m in bonus money, including $107m for the FedEx Cup playoffs, which will be trimmed to 70 players from the current 125.

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The move comes as the LIV Golf Series — spearheaded by Aussie legend Greg Norman — has offered the highest purses in history to lure big-name talent from the PGA to its upstart tour, which is set to rise from eight events in 2022 to 14 in 2023.

LIV Golf has drawn protests and claims of “sportwashing” from critics citing Saudi human rights issues but such stars as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Henrik Stenson, Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey and Patrick Reed have jumped to the rebel series that debuted in June.

The US PGA, which will return to a season that coincides with the calendar year starting in 2024, tightened its playoffs and boosted select purses after comments from fans, PGA commissioner Jay Monahan said.

“The overwhelming sentiment was they wanted more consequences for both the regular season and the playoffs and to further strengthen events that traditionally feature top players competing head-to-head,” Monahan said. “We feel strongly we’ve accomplished all of these objectives.”

The 2022-23 PGA season will have 47 tournaments, including three playoff events next August with a field of 70 at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis, 50 at the BMW Championship in Chicago and the top 30 in points advancing to the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta.

After the season ends, late 2023 will feature events for those outside the top 70 to earn status for the 2024 PGA campaign plus a series of “international events” featuring the PGA top 50 in a limited field, no-cut format. No other details were revealed about those events.

The St. Jude and BMW will see a jump in prize money from $21 million to $28 million.

The January Tournament of Champions will see its purse rise from $12 million to $21 million next year. It will become the lead-off event of the PGA season when the schedule changes in 2024.

Four events will see prize money jump from $17 million to $28 million — the Genesis Invitational in February hosted by Tiger Woods, the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March, the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial in June and the WGC Match Play in March.

Prize money will jump from $28 million to $35 million for The Players Championship in March.

The Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship will remain co-sanctioned with the DP World Tour.

The 2022-23 campaign will begin on September 15-18 with the Fortinet Championship at Napa, California, with the Presidents Cup the following week at Quail Hollow.

The CJ Cup has been moved from South Korea to South Carolina and will be played in October with the Bermuda Championship the following week.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic, won Sunday by Tony Finau, will start June 29 next year while the 3M Open moves to the end of July.

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