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Ten years old juggles school work and golf balls

A 10-year-old’s liking for planes and golf has seen him play the sport in three countries. Jake Slater was second in the New Zealand Junior Open last year and is hoping to go one better in the event, at Millbrook, in November. The placing encouraged the Southland schoolboy to try his luck in the Australian Junior Open (Sydney, finished seventh) in February and in two July tournaments in the United States – Future Champions International Open (San Diego) and World Future Stars (Las Vegas). “I’m really happy I’m playing golf … I really like it and I like planes,” Jake said. He and his parents, Neil and Valerie Slater, moved from Queenstown to Riverton in June for a quieter lifestyle. They accompany Jake on trips, including taking him to activities of the Wakatipu Junior Golf Club. Jake is one of 132 members with ages ranging from 5 to 19. When not receiving coaching at the club, Jake practises and plays rounds of golf with Neil and others at the Riverton Golf Club. “If he keeps at it, he’ll be a scratch golfer … I have no doubt about that,” Neil said. A scratch golfer can…

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100-Year-Old Amateur Upstages Pros On European Golf Tour

One-hundred-year-old Susan Hosang stole the spotlight Friday, teeing off on the 13th hole as a special guest of the tournament. She was competing in KLM’s ‘Beat the Pro’ challenge — a chance for amateur golfers to try their clubs against some of the biggest names in golf. But the pros were no match for Hosang, who delighted the crowd from the moment she “skipped” onto the green. Commentators called Hosang “a spritely 100-year-old lady” as she sauntered over to line up her shot. “She’s in better condition than you and I,” one announcer said to his colleague in the booth. Hosang, who took her first golf swing some 30 years ago, gave the ball a commanding crack as cheers and applause rang out from the crowd. After the shot, which sailed perhaps 30 meters, she was all smiles, jogging down to meet golf pros Matt Wallace, Thomas Pieters, and Patrick Reed. She then played the hole against the trio. After being posted to Twitter, the video of the centenarian’s stellar performance has since been liked and shared by hundreds of fans and viewed more than 30,000 times. “I want what she’s having,” one fan wrote.…

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U.S. OPEN 2019: A VISIT TO THE ‘POOR MAN’S PEBBLE BEACH’ REVEALS ONE OF THE BEST DEALS IN GOLF

PEBBLE BEACH—Golf’s best are at Pebble Beach. One of its best deals is down the road. Pebble Beach Golf Links, hosting this week’s U.S. Open, is said to be the finest convergence of land and sea known to man, a proclamation that brings little argument. Pebble Beach is also a public track, and on that front, let the debate rage. Unlike Cypress Point or Augusta National, the venerable Monterey course is technically open to everyone, but so are commercial space flights and courtside seats. If you want to play, your bank account better rival the GDP of Switzerland: at $550 (plus $95 caddie fee, plus tip) it is one of the most expensive greens fees in the world. Pebble is public in name only, like an “amicable divorce.” Residing five miles north of Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove—known as the “Poor man’s Pebble”—boasts a daily greens fee of $51, with juniors allowed on for $20. The club considers itself a community service rather than revenue generator, an ethos stemming from its ownership by the city. (Samuel Finley Brown Morse, who developed Pebble Beach, sold the land to the township for $10 under the premise it be…

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Tony Finau Talks About US Open, Tiger Woods’ Influence, Connecting With Golf Fans

Tony Finau tees off today just before 4 P.M. at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Links, in Pebble Beach, California. Finau will take on defending champion Brooks Koepka and a highly competitive field, in what will be his first major championship at the highly touted golf course. Currently ranked No. 14 in the world and sixteenth among money leaders as of the start of the U.S. Open, Finau will not only be competing but has also been making time to greet diehard golf fans at the American Express Card Members lounge. Finau says that talking golf swings, drivers and putters, as well as favorite golf memories are one of the things he enjoys most. Last week I was lucky enough to speak by phone to Finau, where he shared some perspective on golf, where he likes to play, and who first inspired him. Read More

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Tiger Woods’ comeback is great for the golf business

New York (CNN Business)When Tiger Woods won the Masters in April, it solidified a stunning comeback for the golf legend — and it made the sellers of clubs, balls and other equipment very happy as well. Now, the golf industry is hoping that Tiger’s resurgence will continue at the US Open championship in Pebble Beach this weekend. “Its been a terrific start to the year with Tiger winning at the Masters. Any time you see a transcendent athlete complete a comeback story the way he did, it lit up the world in a way only he could,” said David Abeles, CEO of golf equipment company TaylorMade, in an interview with CNN Business. TaylorMade, which was once part of Adidas (ADDDF), is now a private company. Adidas sold TaylorMade to private equity firm KPS Capital Partners in 2017 for $425 million. The company doesn’t disclose specific sales figures. But Abeles said that the company is seeing strong demand for its products in the United States, Canada, Japan and Korea so far this year. And he thinks that the continued success of Tiger Woods, as well as popular champion golfers such as Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and…

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