6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on Full-time dentist set to compete with Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler at US Open weeks after losing dad to cancer
DENTIST Matt Vogt is determined to extract as much joy as possible from his emotional homecoming, as he makes his US Open debut just a couple of months after losing his father to cancer.
The fact that the tournament is being played at Oakmont in Pennsylvania – where Vogt caddied for six years as a youngster before earning a college scholarship – makes the event even more poignant.
INSTAGRAM @thedentistsatgcMatt Vogt is a full-time dentist[/caption]
APHe will tee it up at the US Open golf major for the first time[/caption]
GettyVogt will go up against giants of the sport like Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler[/caption]
Vogt, 34, was born and brought up a few miles from Oakmont.
So he is guaranteed plenty of support this week, especially as TV stations in the US have been portraying his story as a modern-day fairytale.
At 6ft 6in, the big-hitting amateur will not be hard to spot.
And he expects to experience an emotional roller-coaster over the next few days.
Back-to-back 68s at Wine Valley in Washington saw him finish ahead of plenty of seasoned PGA Tour players.
So he has plenty of game, despite the fact he has never even considered turning professional himself.
Vogt alternated between smiling broadly and fighting back tears, as he explained what it meant to be teeing off in a Major championship just a few yards away from where he used to hang out in the caddyshack.
He commented: “Oh, wow. Oh my goodness. I don’t know where to start.
“I just hope that what has happened to me will be an inspiration to anyone who is going through a tough time, wondering when the next good thing will happen.
“I think everyone knows about my dad’s passing, and it’s bound to be on my mind a lot this week, especially with it being Father’s Day on Sunday.
“Even walking up the ninth fairway today after signing some autographs for some little kids – which was pretty awesome, by the way – I kind of looked up and thought about it.
“Anyone who’s lost a parent, you feel these brief spurts of emotion, from time to time.
“He had colon cancer. I wear the blue ribbon for that, and I say a prayer every night for people who have been affected by cancer.
“It’s a horrible, horrible thing. He got that diagnosis last year, and it wasn’t good.
“Over the past few months before his passing, you could see it was starting to take a toll. So it’s emotional, but honestly, I know he’s in a better place.
“He was beginning to suffer, and that’s something no one ever wants to see.
“Although I wish he was still here with us, there’s a sense of peace among our family. And I hope he’s at peace as well, because it was hard.
“And for me, I have a 15-month-old daughter now, and the last few months, I feel like in a way I’ve gone from a boy to a man, and like matured as a person and as a dad.”
Vogt, who has played in the US Amateur and Mid-Amateur golf tournaments, has been inundated with good luck messages from his patients, fellow dentists, other players – and the local caddies, who are all rooting for him.
INSTAGRAM @thedentistsatgcVogt knows he will have plenty of colleagues rooting for him[/caption]
APHe admitted it will be an emotional week after losing his dad to cancer[/caption]
GettyNigel Farage has said Brits have ‘every right to be angry’ about the cost of hotels for migrants[/caption]
We told the case of Stuart Whittaker – a former factory worker from Hull who is now homeless – feeling he had been “shoved to the back of the queue”.
Downing Street yesterday admitted it was “absolutely not” fair that locals like him are sofa-surfing while taxpayers fork out for migrant hotels.
Also addressing the story in Port Talbot, Mr Farage said: “What I tell your man from Hull, is he has every right to be upset.
“Every right to be angry.
“Just don’t say anything on social media or Keir Starmer will put you in prison.”
He said that while legal migration has a bigger strain on public services, it is the “sheer unfairness of these young men” coming across the Channel illegally that rubs people up.
The cost of paying for asylum support has ballooned to around £4.7billion annually, and around 15,000 migrants have arrived from France this year already.
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman said: “It’s not fair that tens of thousands of people are stuck in an asylum backlog that’s wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers money, and that’s why we’re focused on taking the action needed to reduce the number of asylum seekers and hotels.”
Minister Chris Bryant yesterday insisted that the “best deterrent” against small boats was processing asylum claims quicker.
He was slammed by Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who said: “This is dangerous nonsense from a weak Labour Government.
“Giving illegal immigrants asylum faster is no deterrent – it will just attract even more to come here.
“A real deterrent would be removing every single illegal immigrant who arrives in the UK to somewhere like Rwanda.”
6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on Noel Edmonds, 76, opens up on TV return with series about his life in New Zealand – & how it compares to Clarkson’s Farm
A LARGER than life showbiz veteran documenting his new life on a farm is a hit TV formula for Jeremy Clarkson.
Now there is another famous face who is also getting in on the action, Noel Edmonds.
Noel Edmonds will be back on TV screens documenting his life in New Zealand – but don’t expect it to be like Clarkson’s FarmPAITVNoel’s Kiwi adventure includes running a pub – The Bugger Inn near Nelson, just like Clarkson back in the UK[/caption]
News Group Newspapers LtdNoel’s House Party inspired Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway – and made Mr Blobby a TV icon[/caption]
However the quirky host insists his new ITV1 show is nothing like Clarkson’s Farm — because he’s not as funny as the former Top Gear star.
Noel exclusively told The Sun: “When we were filming our show, some people who knew about Clarkson’s Farm said to me, ‘Oh, is it like Clarkson’s Farm?’
“And I said, ‘No, it couldn’t be more different.’
“First of all, I’m not like Jeremy in many ways, though I wish I were.
“He’s brilliant.
“He can articulate an argument beautifully and deliver a sharp, humorous line like no one else.”
Noel, 76, is perhaps doing himself a disservice, as he went on to crack a joke about his years in the showbiz wilderness.
Noel explains: “The key difference between our Kiwi Adventure, and Clarkson’s Farm is that ours is more of a lifestyle narrative.
“Liz and I allowed the cameras into our lives.
“The filming followed what we did in September, October, November of 2024, right up to Christmas.
“It documented our lifestyle – two people deciding to leave the UK and start over in New Zealand.
“And yes, everyone says it: ‘Oh, New Zealand, that’s a long way away.’ And we just say, ‘Exactly, that’s why we’re here.’
“In 2016 we decided to explore our options to move away from the UK and our first holiday was to New Zealand.
“We got a real feel for New Zealand and began to understand the Kiwi way of life.
PANoel on his new Kiwi Adventure show[/caption]
Making his name as a DJ on Radio 1 in the early Seventies, Noel went on to host kids show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, with the late Keith Chegwin
“At the same time, Deal Or No Deal was coming to an end — 3,000 shows over ten years.
“It was a punishing schedule.
“This show tells the story of the challenges we’ve faced, the joys we’ve discovered, and all the fun we’ve had.
“I really hope the fun element of our Kiwi Adventure comes through, and maybe it will make people curious about New Zealand.”
The series also shows them enjoy some of the country’s hot spots, including a helicopter flight above the South Island’s glacier and some fun on a boat in the balmy north.
But it is not all fun and games and the series will show the brutal side of farming.
He said: “We have a fair amount of land here and we practise what I call ethical farming.
“Some call it regenerative farming, that’s the buzzword.
“For me, ethical farming means treating livestock with respect.
“We know why we’re farming them and what the final outcome is.
“I don’t like that part.
“I really don’t.
“I’m a hypocrite.
“I’m a coward.
“I don’t want to be involved in that final journey.
“But we try to give them the finest feed, structured water, and as much dignity as possible.”
Making his name as a DJ on Radio 1 in the early Seventies, he went on to host kids show Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top Of The Pops, cult quiz show Telly Addicts and Noel’s House Party which inspired Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, and turned the lesser celebrated Mr Blobby into a TV juggernaut.
It’s so beautiful here that I’ll walk my land and just stop for an hour, admiring the view and not get any work done. The landscape is sensational.
Noel on his New Zealand home
Noel and Liz, his third wife, were initially based in Auckland but Noel decided the city was too busy so they moved to the remote Tasman region instead.
He laughed: “It was so busy it began to feel like the UK or Europe.
“I even called it Euro Zealand.
“It’s so beautiful here that I’ll walk my land and just stop for an hour, admiring the view and not get any work done.
“The landscape is sensational.”
However, it’s not all peace and tranquillity, and that’s mainly down to the extreme weather they experience.
He added: “The weather here has attitude.
“I lived in Devon for 20 years and there you’d get grey days with drizzle drifting in from the Atlantic. But here?
“When it blows, it really blows — trees come down.
“When it rains, it’s tropical stair-rodding rain.
“You get landslips. And the sun?
“It’ll burn you within ten minutes in peak season.
“During the first one, we were sitting outside with a glass of wine, and I noticed the surface of the wine rippling.
“That was a mild one.
“The biggest one really shook the house — the cutlery drawer rattled, and Liz and I each grabbed a dog and ran outside.
“No structural damage, thankfully.
“But yes, earthquakes – and a dormant volcano just up the way.
“At least, we hope it’s dormant.”
Another big factor as to why Noel has settled so well in New Zealand is the people.
He said: “They love a good time, a good laugh and they don’t take themselves, or their politicians, too seriously.
“I love that.
“Especially here, in this area, which became a kind of haven for the hippies in the Sixties and Seventies.
“There are still people living in yurts up the valley, and good on them.
“What we found was overwhelming kindness.
“We were living in Matakana during the flu outbreak and, suddenly, our mailbox was full of avocados, chocolates, home-cooked things – little gifts from locals who wanted to look after ‘the two Brits up the way’.
“It was heartwarming.
“If a Kiwi invites you to their home, you always say: ‘Thanks, what can I bring?’ In the UK, you might show up with a bottle or a bunch of flowers from the petrol station.
“Here, it’s expected that you contribute.”
But if anyone knows how to throw a good house party, it’s Noel.
Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure airs later this month on ITV1 and ITVX.
Adrian SherrattNoel has nothing but praise for Jeremy Clarkson’s TV work[/caption]
PANoel and his wife Liz have been based in New Zealand since 2016 after he quit the UK[/caption]
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme –Sun Club.
6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on Love Island fans brand Maya Jama ‘sexier than ever’ in sheer skirt as she delivers huge twist
LOVE Island host Maya Jama left viewers stunned when she emerged on the hit show this evening.
Making an entrance for the first episode of this summer‘s series, Maya, 30, looked amazing as she stomped her way into the Love Island villa for a second time.
Shutterstock EditorialMaya looked amazing for her second entrance[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialShe rocked the stunning garment which had a sheer skirt[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialFans were stunned[/caption]
Rocking a rather sheer ensemble, the former Glow Up host left little to the imagination as she put her sensational figure on display.
Maya could be seen rocking a corset-style dress with an all-black bodice.
The skirt of the garment was completely sheer and made from a mesh fabric.
At the top of where the sheer skirt started, there were embroidered yellow flowers and greenery.
Maya wore her raven locks down and in a sleek and straight style.
“Maya looks too good in that dress,” said one person on X.
Another added: “Maya back already she looks so hot.”
And a third said: “maya is actually stunning i cannot deal.”
While a fourth wrote: “Maya in that dress!!”
At the start of the programme, Maya delivered a shocking twist.
And in a huge twist – the girls were told they had to decide who they’d like to couple up with based on these key stats with the boys’ name, age, job and a headline.
After making an entrance, Maya made a shock return later in the evening.
Upon her return, Maya delivered a huge bombshell.
Her bombshell was that a bombshell was arriving.
American beauty Toni – who is the first ever bombshell from the United States – then arrived.
The couples are stunned as Toni says: “Good Evening UK! Surprise!” They quickly worked out she is American and on being the first American bombshell Toni says: “Lucky girl, aren’t I?”
Maya then explained that Toni was to immediately steal a boy.
Toni then stole Ben, meaning Shakira was left single and vulnerable.
6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on Arsenal and Liverpool have ‘HUGE advantage’ in title race says Thomas Tuchel as he tips Man City and Chelsea to struggle
ARSENAL and Liverpool have a “huge advantage” in next season’s Premier League title race — according to Thomas Tuchel.
The England boss reckons the upcoming Club World Cup could seriously affect the chances of Manchester City and Chelsea.
Thomas Tuchel feels Liverpool and Arsenal could benefit from not playing in the Club World CupGettyLiverpool stars will get a full pre-seasonGettyArsenal will be amongst the favourites to win the titleGetty
The Fifa tournament in the US begins this weekend and the final is on July 13, just five weeks before the start of the new Prem season.
Chelsea and City stars will go on holiday after the Club World Cup and have no pre-season before the domestic campaign kicks off.
Tuchel, preparing for the friendly with Senegal at the City Ground in Nottingham, said: “It will have a huge impact and it will give Liverpool and Arsenal a huge advantage next season to not be there.
“It will be a very nice experience for the players who are there to play this tournament for the first time so there are mixed feelings about it.
“I have decided not to worry too much because why should I? No one knows the outcome of it.
“We will deal with the effect when the effect comes.”
Bayern MunichstrikerHarry Kane is set to start for the Three Lions tonight despite being involved in the Club World Cup.
Tuchel added: “If you go and ask the players, you would get 25 who say ‘I want to start’.
6 days agoNew York StateComments Off on Bukayo Saka feared he wouldn’t be the same player after Arsenal injury hell as kind gesture to hospital staff revealed
BUKAYO SAKA lay in his hospital bed on Christmas Eve, doubting whether he would be as good a player in the future as he had been in the past.
But thanks to a self-help book and the mindful joy of a new puppy, the England and Arsenal star has returned from hamstring surgery focused only on the present.
Buyako Saka was ‘worried’ about his future after having surgery just before ChristmasSaka tore his hamstring against Crystal Palace in December
And it is that perspective that can help put a frustrating campaign — that began with a Euros final loss for England and ended trophyless for his club — behind him.
Saka, 23, said: “I was not happy with last season — how it went and how it ended.
“But the only thing I can do now is look forward and try to be the best version of myself and help my team-mates be the same.”
In typical, kind fashion, he opted to do the procedure 24 hours before Christmas so the surgeons could be with their nearest and dearest the following day.
He made it home to spend Christmas with his loved ones but what followed was nearly four months out which he used for self-reflection.
The Gunners talisman said: “I had gone from five years straight playing football, either involved with the team every single day training or playing games. Everything stops.
“You are on crutches, in hospital and need help around the house for the first few weeks.
“I got to spend more time with my family and got to do little things around the house that I wouldn’t have even paid attention to when I was playing.
“On that note it was nice and I’ve come back with a bit more of a balanced head about football and life, and I’m trying to balance them better. It definitely helped me mentally.
Saka returned in March and played a starring role in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Real Madrid
“The first two days were the toughest, that realisation that I’ve got what I’ve got and I need an operation.
“You start to think, ‘Am I going to be the same?’ as players came back from this injury and weren’t the same.
“After two days my surgery was done, and successful, and you just look forward. I was really positive and put in all the work I needed with my diet, in the gym, on the pitch and the physios would say the same. I feel I’ve come back in a good place.”
Saka is a keen reader of non-fiction and was inspired by a recommendation from Arsenal assistant coach Carlos Cuesta during his time sidelined.
It is called The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and its message struck a chord with the talented winger.
He added: “It’s a really good book. It’s about not thinking about the past, not thinking about the future, just being in the moment.
You start to think, ‘Am I going to be the same?’
Saka
“Sometimes I can think, ‘Oh, am I going to come back in the best shape?’ Or, in the past, ‘What could I have done to prevent injury?’
“But all that is not necessary. It’s only going to bring bad energy, negativity to your body.
“One of the best things I took from the book is always ask yourself, what’s necessary in this moment right now and try to live that way.”
Saka spent Christmas Day in a brace and on crutches at his cousin’s, having had surgery at 5am the previous day.
He claimed it took him “ten minutes” to get to the dining room for dinner.
So when his lively new Cockapoo called Tucker turned up soon after, it was not easy “to get after him”, as Saka put it, even if having the pooch has been a “good and funny experience”.
On Tuesday against Senegal at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, Saka hopes to feature for the first time under Thomas Tuchel, who he describes as “demanding and intense” on the grass but “relaxed and nice” off it.
Former Chelsea and Bayern Munich chief Tuchel has been brought in with the sole remit of winning the World Cup next year after a series of near-misses under predecessor Gareth Southgate.
The German has won all three of his games, without conceding a goal, but underwhelmed with performances, especially in Saturday’s drab 1-0 victory over Andorra in Barcelona.
And Saka admits England sometimes have a motivation issue against the smaller nations.
Saka is eyeing his first England game under Thomas TuchelArsenal team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly has been called up to England again
But the bottom line — and Saka knows this best after a tough 12 months — is that winning is what matters most.
He added: “Every player is different and I can’t answer for every player but naturally in the bigger games everyone is going to give a bit more.
“In these other games we need to find a level where we can maintain that same quality and drive and hunger for the whole game.
“It’s not easy at times but we need to find that and get these games over the line.
“The Andorra game, we still won, got another three points on the board and kept a clean sheet. It’s job done.
“The expectation is to win, rather than entertain. If you can have both, then perfect. But we feel more the expectation is to win than to entertain.”
GettyA judge has dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit[/caption]
ReutersJustin Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman inside the United States District Court earlier this year[/caption]
SplashLively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment in December last year[/caption]
Wayfarer Studios produced the romantic drama that Baldoni wrote and directed.
The film’s behind-the-scenes tension sparked months of speculation about drama between the two leading stars until Lively filed her lawsuit in December last year.
Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively
Lively's lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson
Lively also accused Baldoni and his team of orchestrating a smear campaign to ruin her reputation – but Baldoni flipped the tables in a new federal lawsuit.
Baldoni then accused Lively and Sloane of creating negative publicity to drag his name, according to court documents obtained by The U.S. Sun.
He went on to counter-sue for $400m the following month alleging he had been defamed and that the damage to his reputation had cost him lucrative working opportunities.
The docs claimed Lively set out to make Baldoni the “real-life villain in her story.”
Baldoni accused Lively and Sloane of scheming against him to deflect from the actress being seen as “tone-deaf” during the press tour for the movie.
The actor said his co-star promoted her hair care and alcohol lines while doing press for the movie, which is about domestic violence.
In the suit, Baldoni said he and Lively started battling for creative control over the movie once they started shooting in May 2023. He included emails from the time to prove his point.
He also called out Lively’s husbandRyan Reynoldsand close friendTaylor Swiftfor getting involved in the project.
Meanwhile, Lively claimed in a lawsuit that Baldoni fat-shamed her, showed her nude videos and pictures, and spoke about a previous alleged porn addiction while on set.
She also claimed to have asked for “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex or on camera climaxing outside the scope of the script approved when signing onto the project.”
The actress said Baldoni’s actions caused her and her family “severe emotional distress.”
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman today dismissed Baldoni’s multi-million dollar lawsuit.
He said Lively’s harassment allegations were kept privileged after being made to a California state agency.
This meant they were shielded from the defamation claim by Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios, ruled the judge.
In a 132-page document, Liman also rejected Baldoni’s related $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times.
Liman said how Baldoni alleged Lively shared the privileged CRD complaint to the Times, while her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist made sexual harassment claims they believed to be true.
He wrote: “The Wayfarer Parties’ conclusory allegations that the Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane engaged in a conspiracy to defame the Wayfarer Parties by disseminating knowingly false statements cannot substitute for factual allegations supporting a plausible inference that this occurred.”
Liman added that the Times would never have been aware if the Wayfarer parties had planned a negative publicity campaign, even if it was never carried out.
“Freedoms of expression require breathing space, and a publisher must be permitted to publish the story that it believes in good faith to be before it,” Liman wrote.
The judge concluded the director could file a more detailed and concise lawsuit against the mum-of-four, if it was focused on contractual issues.
Lively’s lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said in a joint statement: “Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively.
“As we have said from day one, this $400 million lawsuit was a sham.”
Lively is still seeking unspecified triple and punitive damages.
A trial has been set for March 2026.
This comes after Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, earlier this year launched a website releasing 168 pages of emails, text messages and WhatsApps between Baldoni and Lively.
Freedman defended his actions in court, saying: “Not to sound like a four-year-old fighting a four-year-old with ‘but they started it’ but once someone says something it becomes fact, there’s no way to fight against it.
“You start to lose things without the ability to have the court’s adjudication. This was not started by us.”
Meanwhile, in May, Taylor Swift was also dragged into the legal clash.
The furious pop superstar’s team issued a statement after being ordered to provide evidence, which Baldoni’s team believes is relevant to the case.
A statement from an official Taylor Swift Spokesperson denied any involvement in the pair’s issues on the set of the movie It Ends With Us.
Her team claimed her loose link to the film – the use of her 2020 track My Tears Ricochet – was a way of dragging her name into proceedings to boost publicity surrounding the trial.