Bowling's 'Ginger Assassin' in stunning 30-year live TV first
A teenage ten-pin bowling sensation has managed to achieve a feat no competitor has mustered on live television for 30 years.
Anthony Neuer, also known in bowling circles as the 'Ginger Assassin', became the first bowler in three decades to successfully clear a 7-10 split on live TV.
CLASSIC: Adam Sandler shouts out Happy Gilmore lookalike at Masters
'GETTING FIRED': WWE caller slammed over awkward on-air gaffe
Well known as the most difficult shot to hit in bowling, the 7-10 split has the left and right-most pins left standing, requiring the bowler to hit one pin hard enough that it bounces back across the lane to knock the other over.
Neuer was competing in the Professional Bowling Association's U.S. Open in Reno, Nevada, when he made the historic shot - just the fourth time it has been captured on film in the PBA's history, which dates back to the 1950s.
Nicknamed the 'Ginger Assassin' by Fox Sports commentator Rob Stone, Neuer completed the feat during the seventh frame of his match against Jakob Butturff.
Though Neuer – whose father, Andy Neuer, won a PBA Tour title in 1994 – made history with the event's top highlight, the 26-year-old Butturff would defeat him, 257-203.
Nonetheless, Neuer's stunning feat captured the hearts of sporting fans on social media.
7-10 spare on TV 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
So sick! Add the name Anthony Neuer to the record books!— Jason Belmonte (@JBelmo) April 11, 2021
Mark Roth-Jan. 5, 1980-ARC Alameda Open(ABC)
John Mazza-Feb. 16, 1991-Bud Light Classic(ABC)
Jess Stayrook-July 13, 1991-Tucson Open(ESPN)
Anthony Neuer-April 11, 2021-U.S. Open(FS1)
That's all who've converted the 7-10 split on a live TV broadcast. =)— Ronald Mears (@RaginRonic) April 11, 2021
This is why I love bowling, Anthony Neuer makes the 7-10 on tv for the first time in 30 years https://t.co/xpsmf6oRxx
— HuMer (@HuMerYT1) April 11, 2021
Anthony Neuer my goodness 🤯🤯🤯@PBATour #sparegamestrong
— Gavin Allen (@Gavinallen24) April 11, 2021
ANTHONY NEUER JUST MADE THE 7-10 SPLIT LIVE ON TV!!!! THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1991!!!!! @PBATour
— Nate Craven (@Nate_Craven318) April 11, 2021
Adam Sandler shouts out Happy Gilmore lookalike at Masters
US Masters runner-up Will Zalatoris has put on an absolute clinic when it comes to owning a joke.
Zalatoris finished second in the famed Augusta tournament to Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama, who became the first Asian player to win the event in its 87-year history.
That was despite vocal support for Zalatoris from actor and comedian Adam Sandler, who, along with thousands of golf fans on social media, compared Zalatoris to Happy Gilmore's teenage caddie in the 1996 film.
“Have fun today young man,” Gilmore wrote prior Zalatoris' final round.
“Mr. Gilmore is watching you and very proud.”
Zalatoris' blond hair bears a resemblance to Happy Gilmore's caddy in the film, who was played by child actor Jared van Snellenberg, who notably went on to become an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Stony Brook Neuroscience Institute.
Zalatoris has also been compared to other celebrities, notably Owen Wilson, but it's the comparison to Gilmore's unnamed teenage caddy that has stuck the most.
The 24-year-old has leaned into the comparison, even going so far as to engrave the iconic quote 'Mr Gilmore, I'm your caddy' on his sand wedge.
"I've been starting to get it a little bit, a lot of doppelganger, like Mr Gilmore's caddy or Owen Wilson," Zalatoris said during the Masters.
"I've been getting a lot of that lately."
Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.
