Golf Spelled Backwards

Rickie Fowler and Allison Stokke are a couple. Which means Rickie no longer has to go stag to Team USA functions. You know who Allison Stokke is, don't you? Back in 2007, when she was a 17-year-old high school track and field athlete, some photos of her at a track meet were posted online. That's when the sports-slash-laddie blogosphere jumped into action: Dudes started noticing that Allison was pretty hot! Those track photos - she was a top high school pole vaulter - started showing up everywhere, and Allison, against her will, became a poster girl for sexy athletes-on-the-web. She went on to a college career as a pole vaulter at the University of California and later turned pro. When her pro vaulting career ended, Stokke started doing YouTube videos on vaulting technique and became a fitness model for, among other brands, Nike, Athleta and Uniqlo. She also began working with GoPro on her videos. And Rickie? It seems like only yesterday (it was 2014, actually) that we...

Did Michelle Wie and former pro basketball player Adam Zahn just go public with their romance? This photo of the two cuddling makes it seem so: The caption that Michelle included with this photo on Instagram also points to Zahn being Wie's boyfriend: Sometimes, it hurts so much inside that you can't breathe let alone see all the good things in your life. So thankful for the people around me who pull me back up every time I fall and remind me of how blessed I really am. 💜 #nevergiveup #blessed #thankful A photo posted by Michelle Wie (@themichellewie) on Jul 10, 2016 at 6:06am PDT The only boyfriend we've known about in Wiesy's past was Robin Lopez, the 7-footer who was at Stanford with her and has gone on to a decent NBA career. Zahn, 32 years old, played his college ball at the University of Oregon. He measures in at 6-foot-8. And while he never achieved an NBA career, he did see the world playing pro basketball. Zahn, who now lives in California, had ...

Remember Nikki DiSanto? The beautiful cast member of two different seasons of the Golf Channel's Big Break series - Big Break V and Big Break VII - has been (or is still) a golf pro, an athletic trainer, a model and actress. You might remember that in one of those seasons there either was a flirtation between Nikki and fellow cast mate (and future PGA Tour caddie) Edoardo Gardino, or at least that Golf Channel tried to make it look that way. But if you followed Nikki on social media over the years, as we have, you would probably have realized that she is bi or gay. We occassionally write about couples around here - which golfer has a new girlfriend or boyfriend. But we don't believe in outing anybody who isn't already out (not that Nikki wasn't, we just weren't sure). But when photos (and captions) like this are being posted and shared by you and your squeeze, well, you are out ! #NikkiKK #LivingTheVidaAloha #PipeMasters #Oahu #Hawaii #SexyGayCouple...

Who is Rory McIlroy dating these days? A PGA of America employee named Erica Stoll. Rumors of a McIlroy-Stoll romance first cropped up in early 2015, but something that just happened is pretty much the confirmation that they are dating. And what was that? McIlroy ventured to Rochester, New York, for a date with Stoll, who is from the area. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle newspaper reported : The top-ranked golfer in the world was seen Saturday night having dinner at 2Vine in downtown Rochester and then stopped in at Magpie Pub in the trendy Park Avenue neighborhood. ... "As they were leaving, everybody in the restaurant was shouting, 'Oh my God, that's Rory McIlroy! That's Rory McIlroy!' " 2Vine hostess Jordan Cannan said. The dinner reservation for four was in Stoll's name, said another hostess, Dakotah Schickling. Stoll is 29 years old, three years older than McIlroy, and is the manager of championship volunteer operations for the...

Photo via PGA of Australia Tour professionals Richard Green and Marianne Skarpnord got engaged only about 10 days ago. That was a pretty amazing week for them. But what happened this week is even more amazing - at least for the rest of us. First up was Green, playing in the Oates Victorian Open pro-am in his native Australia, where he made a hole-in-one. Not just any ace - an albatross. An ace on a par-4. Green hit driver and didn't even realize he'd aced it after seeing his ball go into a greenside bunker. But golf balls take funny bounces sometimes, and Green's definitely did: Perhaps one of the unlikeliest holes-in-one ever caught on camera! Is it possible that Green could top that hole-in-one in the tournament proper? Maybe the only way he could was to win the tournament - which he did, in a 2-hole playoff . But what about Skarpnord? Surely she was completely overshadowed by her boyfriend's exploits. Wellllll, not so fast. Marianne was playing in the Lad...

Is Martin Kaymer dating Kirsty Gallacher? That's the rumor du jour, and if it's true all I can say is: He sure knows how to pick 'em. Kirsty is the British television presenter and model who is the cousin of European Tour (and Ryder Cup) golfer Stephen Gallacher, and the daughter of British golf royalty Bernard Gallacher. Allegedly, it is Stephen Gallacher who set her up with Martin. You might remember that for several years Kaymer - now a 2-time major championship winner - was dating onetime Big Break cast member Allison Micheletti, who is now Allison Modano after marrying hockey legend Mike Modano. And Allison was quite the catch for Martin back then. The reports of a Kaymer-Gallacher romance all come from London media, which is notorious for trafficking in rumor and half-truths. (Kind of like golf blogs!) The cougarlicious Kirsty is 38 years old and recently divorced from rugby star Paul Sampson. Kaymer is 29. The Daily Mail , citing the The Sun tabloid, rec...

Is Rickie Fowler's new girlfriend the hot model Alexis Randock? Well, if they aren't a couple, they're doing a good job of convicing everyone otherwise. While they haven't officially "outed" themselves yet, they've made a spectacle of their, ahem, friendship on Instagram. Here are a couple pics posted by Alexis: The smoking gun? The one above was captioned by Alexis this way: "picked up some random at the bar last night @therealrickiefowler" Here's one posted by Rickie on Instagram: Randock is 24 years old. She attended Arizona State University. She is a model signed with the world-famous Wilhelmina Agency. Yep, it's good to be Rickie Fowler. #174132247 / gettyimages.com

Wedding bells are in the air for Rory McIlroy and Caroline Wozniacki. Well, they haven't set a date yet, but he did put a ring on it: Happy New Year everyone! I have a feeling it's going to be a great year!! My first victory of 2014 #shesaidyes !! pic.twitter.com/gxO7rDDyPY — Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) December 31, 2013 Congratulations to them both! Caroline followed with her own tweet: Happy New Year everyone! Rory and I started 2014 with a bang! ... I said YES!!!! pic.twitter.com/J7c2pXgsdC — Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) December 31, 2013 Started 2014 with a bang? I bet she did, I bet she did ....

Awwww, ain't that sweet: Two golfers who appeared together during a season of the Golf Channel's The Big Break are getting married. They found love in a reality TV show. Congratulations to Julien Trudeau and Mallory Blackwelder, castmates who got busy mating in real life after their time on Big Break Ireland . Trudeau outlasted Blackwelder on the show; in fact, Trudeau made it all the way to the championship match before losing to series victor Mark Murphy. Here are a few engagement photos that Mallory posted on Twitter (photos by Honey Heart Photography ):

Graeme McDowell has long been considered (ahem, I'm told by lady friends) one of the sexiest players in golf. But shed a tear, ladies, shed a tear: G-Mac is now a married man. McDowell and the lovely Kristin Stape were married over the weekend at a ceremony in the Bahamas. Two photos posted by Graeme on Instagram (photos by Collin Hughes ): According to Ireland's Herald newspaper, it was a small ceremony attended by only around 30 guests. Rory McIlroy was unable to attend, the paper said, due to previous commitments with Nike Golf. Perhaps Rors will be able to make the follow-up celebration that is planned by the couple in Portrush. Who is Kristin Stape? On her Twitter page ( @kristinstape ), she writes this about herself: "Fashionista for the home, eternal optimist, foodie, sports enthusiast, professional tourist, wannabe MacGyver, and most fun of all ... a mother." Stape has a child from a previous relationship, so G-Mac didn't just become a husband, he a...

Allison Micheletti and Mike Modano are now married. They got hitched at a wedding ceremony Sunday night at The Joule, a luxury hotel in Dallas. Before the ceremony, Allison tweeted this: "...Once in awhile, Right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love gives us a fairy tale..." ~ @9modano pic.twitter.com/KVfdx3ipjr — Allison Micheletti (@AllisonmGOLF) September 1, 2013 According to the Dallas Morning News , attendees included former hockey greats and former Modano teammates, including Brenden Morrow, Darryl Sydor, Marty Turco and Brett Hull. Some of Micheletti's former Big Break cast mates were also in attendance, including Sara Brown. The couple's engagement was announced in early June . And we first told you about this cross-sports couple in January after they met and connected over mutual loves of golf and hockey.

Dustin Johnson spilled the beans on Twitter: He and hottie Paulina Gretzky (daughter of The Great One) are no longer boyfriend-girlfriend, they are fiance-fiancee. And the key question that everyone wants to know is: Did he go to Jared? @PaulinaGretzky she said yes!!! pic.twitter.com/thQsmiJf8E — Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) August 18, 2013 It was only back in January that Dustin and Paulina came out as a couple . But who needs a long engagement when you're dating Paulina Gretzky? Put a ring on it! And Dustin just did. Congratulations, and best wishes, to both.

Congratulations to Natalie Gulbis who, she revealed to Golf World , is getting married later this year. Natalie is engaged to Josh Rodarmel, who was once a quarterback on the Yale University football team. We already knew Natalie likes quarterbacks, since she had a high-profile romance with Ben Roethlisberger a few years back. (Gulbis had another high-profile something with Dustin Johnson, a bizarre, short-lived, well, something , whose nature neither of them could agree on .) But Gulbis managed to keep this relationship quiet, and now they are planning a wedding for later in the year. The two met because of a business relationship Rodarmel once had with Natalie's hometown Sacramento Kings. Rodarmel was once co-owner of Power Balance, which at one time was the title sponsor of the Kings' arena. You know what I think of Power Balance (hint: it was a scam). But let's not bring bad thoughts into this happy moment. Congratulations to both.

We told you early this year about the romance between hockey legend (and avid golfer) Mike Modano, and onetime Big Break contestant (and pro golf aspirant) Allison Micheletti. Now these two crazy kids in love have taken it up a notch: They're engaged. Modano made the announcement on his Facebook page in early June. Here's a screen grab:    If you can't read the text (and you probably can't), Modano wrote, "It's official- we're engaged! #couldn'tbehappier". Allison hasn't said anything directly on point yet on her social media outlets, but she did provide this career update on her own Facebook page: "Quick update! It's been a long road back to recovery after a torn shoulder and nerve issues in my left hand/wrist. Next week I leave for Montreal to start off my summer with a Canadian Tour event. Thank you for all of the support, its been a great year off the course and looking forward to adding to it on the course." Con...

There's an LPGA Tour player who is married to a Major League Baseball player, and on Saturday they both had triples! Alas, that's only a good thing in baseball. It was the LPGA player who pointed it out: Nate had a RBI triple yesterday!!! Unfortunately, so did I:( stupid wind. But today is another day! — Amanda Blumenherst (@Blumenherst) June 2, 2013 Amanda Blumenherst is married to Nate Freiman, who plays for the Oakland Athletics. Nate, who is a 6-foot-8 3B/1B/DH, tripled to deep centerfield in the fifth inning of Oakland's 4-3 win over the White Sox on Saturday, driving in one run. Meanwhile, at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, Blumenherst - who briefly had the second-round lead - was trying to play through very strong winds on a very tough golf course. And on the second hole, she scored a triple-bogey 7. Two triples in one sporting family on the same day, one of them good, one of them bad. Well, for better or for worse, you know?

It's tournament week at The Players Championship, but Tiger Woods spend Monday in New York attending a gala with girlfriend Lindsey Vonn. It must be love! Here's a selfie snapped by Lindsey: Along with the photo, she wrote this: "Looks a little different from the golf course and ski slopes ;) he looks good in a suit❤thx to Elie Saab @JimmyChooLtd and @armani #selfie #MET #ilovefashion" In another tweet, Vonn gushed: Had an amazing time at the MET. Thx to Anna Wintour and @ vouge for styling me, & of course thx to my amazing man for being my date. Night :) — lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) May 7, 2013

... g-o-l-f-i-n-g. Or is that s-k-i-i-n-g? Either way, they're definitely k-i-s-s-i-n-g. Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn came out of the closet today, both announcing through social media that they are, in fact, gettin' it on. They even posted a few photos, including this one that Vonn posted to Instagram: (Photo: instagram.com/lindseyvonn ) Tiger's website includes more pics . Both sports superstars posted notes to fans, too. First up, here is Tiger's message: "This season has been great so far and I'm happy with my wins at Torrey and Doral. Something nice that's happened off the course was meeting Lindsey Vonn. Lindsey and I have been friends for some time, but over the last few months we have become very close and are now dating. We thank you for your support and for respecting our privacy. We want to continue our relationship, privately, as an ordinary couple and continue to compete as athletes." And Lindsey added her own on Facebook: ...

I'm so old I can remember when all the rumors were about Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn hooking up! But to answer the question in the headline: No, Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren are not back together (probably). But they are together again, in a way! The gossip website TMZ.com acquired photos of Woods and Nordegren together at a recent event for their kids. It's the first time the two have been photographed in public together since those infamous incidents around Thanksgiving 2009. Tiger showed up first, Elin arrived about an hour later. They appeared friendly with one another while watching over the kids. Then, someone started snapping photos of them (later sold to TMZ, obviously), and Woods and Nordegren split - leaving together in Elin's vehicle. From this, some are concluding that there must have been some truth to those National Enquirer -fueled rumors a couple months ago about Tiger trying to woo Elin back. (Those rumors actually predated the Tiger-Lindsey Vonn...

( Update 3/18/2013 : Tiger and Lindsey confirm they are dating .) The latest evidence of a Tiger Woods-Lindsey Vonn romance? Tiger sent his private plane to Austria to give Lindsey a lift back to the United States. TMZ originally reported it. You might have heard that Vonn was involved in a serious ski accident that will keep her out of competition the rest of the year. Vonn's crash happened during the Alpine World Championships in Schladming, Austria. She is returning to the U.S. for the necessary surgery. And she's flying on Tiger Woods' plane. Woods' plane picked Vonn up in Austria on Friday. Related posts: • Woods, Vonn pass up chances to deny romance • Are Tiger Woods and Lindsey Vonn dating?

Ah, young love (or lust, anyway) in the age of social media. Enjoy engaging in public displays of affection? With Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, et.al., you can take your PDAs to a whole new level of "P." (Hmm, wonder what Vine will add to this dynamic ...) Dustin Johnson is into Paulina Gretzky. And if you were Dustin Johnson, you would be, too! Just a few weeks ago we learned that Wayne's not-so-innocent little girl was dating DJ when she showed up - in high heels and tight, low-cut dress - in Dustin's gallery at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Now Dustin is sharing makeout and snuggly-wuggly pics through his Instagram account ( @djohnsonpga ): Johnson is breaking new ground in golf here. Golf doesn't normally see these kinds of made-for-TMZ couplings. But Paulina Greztky - who has always used her Instagram ( @pmgypsy ) to show off - is sharing plenty of her own pics of DJ & Paulina. Such as: And yes, Paulina Gretzky plays golf: ...