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The first tee box at the hilly Olympic Club is a tabletop plateau perched 25 feet above a winding sidewalk. The customary way to reach the tee is a 15-step staircase.
That is how Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson found their way to the hole Thursday. They had begun their round on the ninth hole, and by the time they came to the first tee, Mickelson and Watson had already played 10 difficult holes in a combined nine over par. They tramped up the stairs, their legs heavy and their expressions weary.
Their playing partner, Tiger Woods, apparently never considered the stairs. He took a treacherous shortcut, galloping up the long, steep, grassy sides of the tee box as if attacking a rampart. When Woods got to the top, he surveyed the high ground — momentarily unaccompanied — then turned to Mickelson and Watson as they finally ascended to the teeing ground.
Woods shot them a look that seemed to say: “Would you guys mind keeping up?”
It was a virtual and figurative demonstration of who was in charge in the featured pairing of the first round of the 112th United States Open. A minute later, Woods split the fairway with a titanic 3-wood, a shot that led to a par on what may be the golf course’s hardest hole.
No wonder he was in a hurry to get there.
“That was the old Tiger today” – Watson said minutes after Woods finished with a one-under par 69. “That was beautiful to watch. That’s what we all want to watch and that was awesome to see him strike the ball like that.”

U.S. Open 2012.

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Henry Hill, the infamous mob informant whose life of crime was chronicled in the film classic “GoodFellas,” was the first to admit that he did “a lot of bad things back then.”
“I shot at people. I busted a lot of heads, and I buried a lot of bodies” – he told the London-based Daily Telegraph in 2010. “You can try to justify it by saying they deserved it, that they had it coming, but some just got whacked for absolutely no reason at all.”
Hill, 69, who was in the federal witness protection program in the 1980′s and later made various attempts to cash in on his notoriety as an ex-mobster, died Tuesday at West Hills Hospital in West Hills, Calif., said Nate Caserta, the son of Hill’s girlfriend, Lisa Caserta.
Hill, who had open-heart surgery last year, died of complications of heart problems related to smoking – Nate Caserta said.
A onetime member of the Lucchese crime family in New York, Hill’s criminal endeavors included participating in the 1978 heist of 5,8 million dollars from the Lufthansa air cargo terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the largest single cash robbery in U.S. history; and helping fix Boston College basketball games in the 1978-79 season.
In 1980, after narcotics agents busted the cocaine operation Hill was running, he chose to become a prosecution witness against his former mob associates and entered the witness protection program.

Henry Hill.

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Kevin Durant keeps insisting these NBA Finals are Thunder against Heat, not him against LeBron James.
So far, his side is winning both matchups.
Durant delivered the fourth quarter his counterpart never could last year, scoring 17 of his 36 points and leading a Thunder storm that overwhelmed Miami and gave Oklahoma City a 105-94 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
James and the Heat started well against the young Thunder – who acknowledged some first finals nerves.
They’ve already figured out finishing, Durant showing James how a superstar is supposed to play in the fourth quarter.
“Well, those guys, they came out on fire. They were passing the ball well, knocking down shots. We just wanted to continue to keep playing” – Durant said. “It’s a long game, and every time our coach was just saying play harder, play harder, and that’s what we did.”
Teaming with Russell Westbrook to outscore the Heat in the second half by themselves, Durant struck first in his head-to-head matchup with James, who had seven points in the final quarter and was helpless to stop the league’s three-time scoring champion.
Westbrook turned around a poor shooting start to finish with 27 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds for the Thunder, keying a strong finish to the third period that gave the Thunder the lead for good.

Kevin Durant.

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Good Morning America’s anchor beat breast cancer. But doctors knew that the treatments they used could increase her risk of other cancers down the road.
“As many of you know, five years ago, I beat breast cancer” – said a shaky Robin Roberts on Good Morning America Monday morning. “Sometimes treatment for cancer can lead to other serious medical issues and that’s what I’m facing right now.”
Clutching George Stephanopolos’s hand on the sofa next to her, Roberts announced that she has myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a relatively rare blood disease that Roberts herself said she’d never heard of until she was diagnosed with it. Likely even more unfamiliar for many viewers than the name of her condition was Robert’s startling remark that cancer treatment can result in other serious health problems, including different forms of cancer, several years after the initial cancer is in remission.
But in the medical world, it has been known for decades that cancer treatment carries with it the risk of causing another kind of cancer to develop. “We always think of the drug as a double-edged sword, where there is a benefit from the drug and there is a harm from the drug” – says Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. “It’s actually one of the reasons why I’m one of the folks who’s been very outspoken about being conservative and only using chemotherapy when we absolutely need chemotherapy.”

Robin Roberts.

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The musical “Once” (which tells the story of the love between a musician and an immigrant singer and pianist) was the big winner at this year’s Tony awards ceremony, scooping eight prizes.
“Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris won the Tony for best play, and Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” won the awards for best revival play and best director of a play for Mike Nichols.
Tony awards are given for excellence in theater and are considered to be the Broadway equivalent of the Oscars, which recognize the best performances in the movie industry. The ceremony Sunday night was held for the second consecutive year at the Beacon Theatre in New York.
“Once”, which went into the contest with eleven nominations, gained some of the most important awards – best musical, best director of a musical for John Tiffany, and best actor for Steve Kazee.
In addition, it gained the prizes for best screenplay, sound, instrumentation, lighting and scenery.
“Once” is based on an Irish musical film, which in 2007 won the Oscar for best original song for “Falling Slowly”.
The controversial musical “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess,” which features a shorter version of the legendary opera by George Gershwin, won the awards for best musical revival and best performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical. The leading role of Bess in this production was played by Audra McDonald.
Other winners included “Peter and the Starcatcher,” which took home five awards. The play (which recounts the early adventures of Peter Pan) is based on a children’s novel by the same name published in 2006 by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.
It won the Tonys for best supporting actor for Christian Borle, best costume, best sound, best scenery and best lighting.

Tony Awards 2012.

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Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines was stunned by American Timothy Bradley on Saturday, surrendering his WBO welterweight title on a controversial split decision at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
It was Pacquiao’s first defeat since he lost to Erik Morales in Las Vegas in March 2005, ending a run of 15 consecutive wins by the Filipino who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions.
“Desert Storm” Bradley, a 5-1 underdog against Pacquiao, improved his record to 29-0 with 12 knockouts, while Pacquiao slipped to 54-4-2 with 38 knockouts.
Judge Jerry Roth (115:113) awarded the fight to Pacquiao while CJ Ross (115:113) and Duane Ford (115:113) gave it to the American, but the crowd responded with boos after 12 rounds which the Filipino had appeared to dominate.
“I accept what the result is” – Pacquiao said ringside. “I respect the judges, I cannot blame them. It is a part of the game. I give thanks to the Lord. I do my best but my best wasn’t good enough.”
Asked if he thought he had won the fight, Pacquiao replied – “Absolutely, yes,” and the crowd erupted with cheers.
“It was a good, competitive fight” – said Bradley. “Every round was pretty close. Pacquiao won some of the early rounds. I controlled the later rounds with my jab. I need to go home and review the tape.
“He is a strong puncher. He rocked me a couple of times in the fight but I held my ground and fought to the end. This is boxing.”

Timothy Bradley ws. Manny Pacquiao.

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Megachurch pastor and televangelist Creflo Dollar – who has drawn scrutiny for his flashy lifestyle and preaching that prosperity is good – was arrested early Friday after authorities say he slightly hurt his 15-year-old daughter in a fight at his metro Atlanta home.
Fayette County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of domestic violence at the home in unincorporated Fayette County around 1 a.m., said investigator Brent Rowan. The pastor and his daughter were arguing over whether she could go to a party when Dollar “got physical” with her, leaving her with “superficial injuries” – Rowan said.
The 15-year-old was the one who called authorities, and her 19-year-old sister corroborated the story, Rowan said.
Dollar faces misdemeanor charges of simple battery and cruelty to children. He bonded out of Fayette County jail Friday morning.
“As a father I love my children and I always have their best interest at heart at all times, and I would never use my hand to ever cause bodily harm to my children” – Dollar said in a statement released by his lawyer Nikki Bonner. “The facts in this case will be handled privately to further protect my children. My family thanks you for your prayers and continued support.”
Dollar will make no further comments since he’s involved in the ongoing criminal matter, but he is expected to preach Sunday, Bonner said.

Creflo Dollar.

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Bob Welch (a former member of Fleetwood Mac) was found dead in his home in Nashville on Thursday (7th June) from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 66-years old.
According to the Nashville police, Welch shot himself in the chest, and his body was discovered by his wife around noon.
The police told WKRN-TV, Nashville’s local ABC station, that Welch had been suffering from health issues recently and that he left a suicide note.
The Los Angeles-born guitarist joined Fleetwood Mac in 1971, when the band was beginning to evolve from its initial setup as a hard-edged British blues combo into a polished pop/rock act.
Welch played guitar and contributed vocals on five Fleetwood Mac albums – “Future Games”, “Bare Trees”, “Penguin”, “Mystery to Me” and “Heroes Are Hard to Find” – the band’s first to crack the U.S. top 40. He was also responsible for penning two of the band’s early hits: “Sentimental Lady” and “Hypnotized”.

Bob Welch.

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Miley Cyrus has lived an accelerated life. She landed the starring role in “Hannah Montana” at 13, was at the center of a risque photo scandal at 15, made headlines when she was caught on camera smoking out of a bong at 18, and, now, she’s engaged at just 19 years old.
That’s right — the one-time Disney star has accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend of three years, 22-year-old Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. “I’m so happy to be engaged and look forward to a life of happiness with Liam” – Cyrus tells People magazine.
Although there were rumors that Hemsworth and Cyrus, who met on the set of the Nicholas Sparks movie “The Last Song” in 2009, became engaged in March, she quickly shot them down on Twitter, noting – “I’m not engaged. It’s a topaz, people.”
The ring on her finger following Hemsworth’s May 31 proposal is a similar cut, but it’s most definitely a diamond. “He wanted something beautiful and unusual” – jeweler Neil Lane tells People of the 3.5-carat cushion-cut gem, which is set in a gold band with smaller diamonds around the outside.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth.

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Scout Willis, the middle sibling of the Demi Moore and Bruce Willis clan has gotten herself into a bit of bother with the law. Clearly not satisfied with mum Demi and big sister Rumer Willis hogging the tabloid limelight, Scout has been caught underage drinking and tried to get out of trouble by presenting the cops with a fake ID. The story was broken by the New York Daily News.
According to the report, Scout was found drinking a beer but at 20 years old, she’s under the legal drinking age in the States. Willis (who is a student at Brown University) was arrested at 6:30pm on Monday – June 4, 2012 – in Union Square, New York City, for criminal impersonation, after presenting the fake ID, which apparently belonged to a |Katherine Kelly.” When she eventually unveiled her real ID, she told the officer “My name is Scout Willis. The first ID isn’t mine. My friend gave it to me. I don’t know Katherine Kelly.” She had also violated the “open container” law, a spokesperson for NYPD told People. Scout was eventually released without bail, on Tuesday.
In March this year, it was also discovered that Scout was one of the people behind a Twitter feed that was filled with ruminations on “sex, drugs, cigarettes and partying.” Willis’ rep defended the young celebrity offspring by saying that it was a means of illustrating “how social media is utilised” – for a college project.

Scout Willis.

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