Hard-hitting Rory McIlroy was always destined to become a professional golfer from the moment he recorded a 40-yard drive aged just two. His first hole in one came when he was nine and he played in his first professional European tour event as a 16-year-old in 2005. Despite high expectations, Rory keeps a cool head on his young shoulders and lets his golf do the talking. His maiden victory came in the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic, where he endured a nail-biting final hole, and he has since gone on to win multiple events around the world. After falling apart at the 2011 Masters, his final breakthrough came in June 2011 when he won his first major, the US Open. An incredible 2012 followed, in which he became the number one ranked golfer in the world. But in 2013, despite high aspirations, Rory did not fare well in major tournaments - not, that is, until the end of the year, when he won the Australian Open by one stroke. Now, with Rory having won three tournaments in a row - including his first Open win in 2014 - Frank Worrall presents the fascinating story of one of golf's greatest ever talents.

Actors' Yearbook is an established and respected directory that enables actors to find work in stage, screen and radio. It is the only directory to provide detailed information for each listing and specific advice on how to approach companies and individuals, saving hours of further research. From agents and casting directors to producing theatres, showreel companies and photographers, Actors' Yearbook editorially selects only the most relevant and reputable contacts for the actor. Articles and commentaries provide valuable insight into the profession: auditions, interviews and securing work alongside a casting calendar and advice on contracts and finance. This is an incredibly useful professional tool in an industry where contacts and networking are key to career survival. The listings detailed in this edition have been thoroughly updated alongside fresh advice from industry experts.

When Pádraig Harrington won the Open Championship in 2007, he became only the second Irish golfer ever to win a Major, ending a drought which dated back to Fred Daly's victory of 1947. But Harrington's great achievement was more than the breaking of a hoodoo: it was the start of the most glorious period in the history of Irish golf. Harrington retained the coveted Claret Jug in 2008 and added the US PGA championship that same year. In 2010, Graeme McDowell had a breakthrough Major win in the US Open and was succeeded as champion in 2011 by the phenomenally talented Rory McIlroy. The remarkable run of Major champions from Ireland was continued that season when Darren Clarke claimed an emotional victory in the British Open to add his name to the list of great champions on the Claret Jug, and most recently by Rory McIlroy who in 2012 also struck gold in the US PGA. From Carnoustie to Royal Birkdale, Oakland Hills to Pebble Beach, and Congressional to Sandwich and Kiawah Island, The Irish Majors is the story of these great victories and of the background to Ireland's golden generation of golfers. Philip Reid has the inside track on these wonderful Irish triumphs and he brings it all home in this celebratory book.

Profiles the life and career of Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy, who played his first professional European tour event as a sixteen year-old.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In Slaying the Tiger, one of today’s boldest young sportswriters spends a season inside the ropes alongside the rising stars who are transforming the game of golf. For more than a decade, golf was dominated by one galvanizing figure: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods. But as his star has fallen, a new, ambitious generation has stepped up to claim the crown. Once the domain of veterans, golf saw a youth revolution in 2014. In Slaying the Tiger, Shane Ryan introduces us to the volatile, colorful crop of heirs apparent who are storming the barricades of this traditionally old-fashioned sport. As the golf writer for Bill Simmons’s Grantland, Shane Ryan is the perfect herald for the sport’s new age. In Slaying the Tiger, he embeds himself for a season on the PGA Tour, where he finds the game far removed from the genteel rhythms of yesteryear. Instead, he discovers a group of mercurial talents driven to greatness by their fear of failure and their relentless perfectionism. From Augusta to Scotland, with an irreverent and energetic voice, Ryan documents every transcendent moment, every press tent tirade, and every controversy that made the 2014 Tour one of the most exciting and unpredictable in recent memory. Here are indelibly drawn profiles of the game’s young guns: Rory McIlroy, the Northern Irish ace who stepped forward as the game’s next superstar; Patrick Reed, a brash, boastful competitor with a warrior’s mentality; Dustin Johnson, the brilliant natural talent whose private habits sabotage his potential; and Jason Day, a resilient Aussie whose hardscrabble beginnings make him the Tour’s ultimate longshot. Here also is the bumptious Bubba Watson, a devout Christian known for his unsportsmanlike outbursts on the golf course; Keegan Bradley, a flinty New Englander who plays with a colossal chip on his shoulder; twenty-one-year-old Jordan Spieth, a preternaturally mature Texan carrying the hopes of the golf establishment; and Rickie Fowler, the humble California kid striving to make his golf speak louder than his bright orange clothes. Bound by their talent, each one hungrier than the last, these players will vie over the coming decade for the right to be called the next king of the game. Golf may be slow to change, but in 2014, the wheels were turning at a feverish pace. Slaying the Tiger offers a dynamic snapshot of a rapidly evolving sport. Praise for Slaying the Tiger “This book is going to be controversial. There is no question about it. . . . It is the most unvarnished view of the tour—the biggest tour in the world—that I’ve ever read. And it’s not close.”—Gary Williams, Golf Channel “A must-read for PGA Tour fans from the casual to the most dedicated . . . This book is certain to be as important to this era as [John] Feinstein’s [A Good Walk Spoiled] was two decades ago. . . . A well-researched, in-depth look at the men who inhabit the highest levels of the game.”—Examiner.com “A masterfully written account of an important time in golf history.”—Adam Fonseca, Golf Unfiltered “Absolutely marvelous . . . Ryan’s writing flows and his reporting turns pages for you.”—Kyle Porter, CBS Sports “A riveting read.”—Library Journal “Ryan’s fresh look is just what we golfer/readers want.”—Curt Sampson, New York Times bestselling author of Hogan “Ryan does a fantastic job painting a thoughtful and accurate portrait of the new crop of heirs apparent.”—Stephanie Wei, Wei Under Par

What do you do when stress takes over your life, and nothing you do to feel better seems to work? When you... Melt down over the smallest things Get angry at the people you love Choke under pressure Feel tense and worried all the time Procrastinate or give up in the face of a crucial deadline Use food, alcohol, gambling, or other addictions to cope Dwell on the past when you just want to move on Hijacked by Your Brain is the first book to explain how stress changes your brain and what you can do about it. Stress is not the enemy. In order to reduce stress, you have to understand why your brain causes you to feel stress and how you can take advantage of it to handle the high-stress people and situations in your life. This groundbreaking book reveals the step missing in most stress reduction guides. We can't stop stress, but we can control the effect stress has on us. Hijacked by Your Brain is the user's manual for your brain that shows you how to free yourself when stress takes over.