Rory McIlroy and the “body language expert”

The big story in sports yesterday was that Rory McIlroy finally completed the grand slam when he won the Masters – and it was a nail-biting finish as he and Justin Rose went into golf’s equivalent of overtime; they played an extra hole because they were tied after 18. 

I golf pretty obsessively in the summer, and I’m often conflicted about it because as a friend of mine likes to say, “not all golfers are douchebags but all douchebags play golf”. As much as I enjoy the game, I can’t deny this because I’ve seen it, both at the amateur level and also professionally. Rory McIlroy, however, is not Phil Mickelson. 

But it made me laugh today to see a headline at Page Six and the Daily Mail that read like an attempt to taint Rory’s title. There was gossip about Rory’s personal life last year because he and his wife, Erica Stoll, separated and then got back together – and all kinds of rumours were flying around about what went down in their marriage. 

Erica was there to support Rory, along with their daughter, yesterday. And they embraced when he came up from the 18th green. Rory was super emotional, as he’s come close so many times and couldn’t quite get it done. So the moment they shared wasn’t euphoric, nobody was screaming and jumping up and down because it was more about relief and the deep understanding of where that was coming from. The pressure, for over a decade, must have been exhausting. 

Page Six, however, is calling Erica’s reaction to her husband’s win “subdued” and they’re talking about some body language expert whose read on their interaction as being Erica wanting to pull away and Rory clinging to her. This is why I always preface Photo and Video Assumption as our favourite game of “baseless” conclusions – because this interpretation was the most obvious excuse to bring up whatever it was that troubled their marriage. And, perhaps, reflects the tabloid media’s dissatisfaction with the fact that it did not get as dirty as they were hoping it would be. 

---

What else happened today…

I need to find to find out where Bryce Dallas Howard got her sweater because it’s green with dogs of different breeds and oh… look… found it. Pretty affordable too. It also comes in sheep! Note to Jacek, if you’re planning on getting this for me for whatever reason, size medium please…not that there will be any left by the time anyone reads this.  (Go Fug Yourself)

People are sharing some of the most unhinged sh-t they’ve seen in public places and… the ones about libraries are shocking me. I have never seen anyone clip their nails and cut their hair at the library, WTFFFF? (Pajiba)

Aimee Lou Wood was disappointed, and rightly so, about how she was portrayed in that otherwise solid “The White Potus” sketch on SNL this weekend. They were mean, it was punching down when the joke was supposed to be punching up. And I love that she called them out for it. She says they have since apologised. But Walton Goggins has entered the chat – and then removed himself. Because he apparently praised the sketch on IG and then deleted it. Which of course is only extending last week’s conversation about what’s really going on between them. (The Daily Beast)

Hilary Swank is right. It’s never been a good time to get sick but getting sick right now is especially terrifying. (Celebitchy)

I LOVE this profile of Brian Tyree Henry by Julian Kimble. (The Ringer)