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The crowd may want to look ahead. Billy Williams Cubs Jersey . And my friends in the media are already asking That Question. But Graham DeLaet isnt ready to look beyond his first tee shot on Saturday. After equaling the course record on Friday, you can forgive everyone for getting a little excited about the possibilities. You know, the chance that this damn 60-year drought can come to an end. It would be a great moment for Canadian golf, a great moment for DeLaet and, selfishly, a great moment for the keyboard tappers and microphone holders who would no longer have to ask That Question any longer. But lets back up just a bit here. Its not Sunday, yet. DeLaet ignited everyones imagination of just what the coronation might look like by posting a smooth 63. For the first time in a while, his putter behaved as he used his flat stick just 25 times when on the green. That, he said, was the result of some work he did earlier in the week with short game coach Gabriel Hjertstedt. The two of them came up with one small change that, as it often does with something as confounding as putting, made a big difference. "My putting coach was here Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday," said DeLaet. "We put in some good work and changed a little bit of how I was seeing lines. I was picking spots in front of the ball instead of picking spots at the hole. Just something a little bit different and it was nice to see some putts rolling in." To a certain extent, DeLaet will always live and die with his putting. Its his Achilles heel in an otherwise bulletproof golf game. Just look at the stats for this year – hes second in greens in regulation, 11th in driving distance, fifth in total driving and – wait for it – 137th in strokes gained, putting, the key indicator of how a player performs on the greens. But on this day, he was pure. He drained a 30-footer on 14 for a birdie, another one from 21 feet on the first hole and sunk a 20-footer to save a bogey on the 18th hole. That last one might be the most vital of the many that found the bottom of the cup. Playing his ninth hole of the day and already four under for the round, DeLaet drove his ball into the water, took a drop then hit his next shot up the fairway. From there he lofted a wedge onto the green. "I was kind of counting a double when I was walking up to the 18th green," he said, "so to hole that putt was a nice bonus." Its been a while since DeLaet has enjoyed such a good day with his putter, but he wasnt alone in getting the balls to drop. "It was definitely fun to see some putts roll in," he said. "All of us were kind of making putts all day." All of us would be his group of Matt Kuchar and Jim Furyk; the trio combined for 22 birdies. Furyk also tied the course record, held by Scott Verplank and David Morland IV. "There was just so much momentum," he stated. "The crowd was getting behind us. Even Matt and Jim, the crowd was starting to get behind them. They were just seeing such good golf all day. You definitely start feeding off each other and you almost expect to hole putts just to keep up." While DeLaet loved the emotion displayed by the fans at Royal Montreal – the vast majority on the property seemed to be following his group – and the way he played, he was careful not to start thinking about buying any silver polish just yet. The player who has yet to win a tournament on the PGA Tour is savvy enough to realize that it might take two more course records to get his name on the trophy. "I know theres going to be a little bit of added pressure because Im in good position heading into the weekend," said DeLaet. "But at the same time were only half way through this thing and if I can put something together like this [Saturday] then maybe we can start talking about that." Maybe for him. But in the brasseries and bistros and the dix-neuf holes, theyre already chatting. As they have been for oh, about 60 years. Mark Grace Jersey . Five first-round trades were made Tuesday night as well as another involving an early second-round selection. Anthony Rizzo Cubs Jersey . -- Canadian Kevin Pangos had 18 points, Drew Barham matched his career high with 17 points off the bench, and Gonzaga beat Pacific 70-53 on Thursday night to clinch the outright West Coast Conference regular season title.SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs opened a new season by using the same formula that has produced the highest winning percentage for a 16-year span in NBA history. Aggressive defence, Patty Mills draining 3s, selfless ball movement, Boris Diaw shooting without hesitation and coach Gregg Popovich being jovial with reporters. OK, maybe it wasnt quite the same old Spurs. Five months after last seasons disappointing loss in the NBA Finals, a mix of "corporate knowledge" and new infusion of talent propelled San Antonio to a strong start in a 101-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. "We won," said Popovich, who later complimented a reporter for a good question. "We have 81 more games." Kawhi Leonard had 14 points and Tony Parker added 13 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who improved to 16-1 in season openers under Popovich. Tim Duncan left the game with a chest contusion after taking an inadvertent elbow with 10:50 left in the third quarter. Duncan did not return after retreating to the locker room. He had three points and six rebounds in 17 minutes. His status for Fridays game at the Los Angeles Lakers was unknown. "Hell get checked out tomorrow," Popovich said. "He had spasms in his shoulder and his neck. It looks like his chest is bruised. He caught an elbow, so it kind of affected (him) from his chest up through his neck at some time or another." With Duncan missing much of the second half, San Antonios revamped second unit dominated, outscoring Memphis reserves 53-38. Diaw had 14 points and Mills and Manu Ginobili had 12 points apiece. After frustrating Popovich by being a pass-first player last season, Diaw was aggressively seeking his shot while going 6 for 9 against the Grizzlies. "He went and talked to a guru in India or something," Popovich said. "I dont know what he did, but he catches and shoots now. I got nothing to do with it. Ive been begging him since he got here. His previous coaches have begged him. All of a sudden hes a catch-and-shoot guy. Its continued and were happy about it." Newly named as the Spurs backup point guard, Mills gave the team an immediate boost. He had a reverse layup and three straight 3-pointers upon entering the game. He was fouled on his third 3-pointer, draining the free throw to give San Antonio a 37-22 lead with 6:48 left in the first half. "He was a great boost," Parker said. "He has been playing well the whole preseason. He knocked down 3s all preseason and that is what he did tonight." Tony Allen had 15 points and Marc Gasol and Mike Conley had 14 each ffor Memphis. Starlin Castro Jersey. Quincy Pondexter had 13 points and Mike Miller 11 in his return to the Grizzlies after playing last season for the Heat. The Spurs set a franchise record while outscoring the Grizzlies 30-7 in the second quarter. "We let so many points come behind our back," Allen said. "Whether its made baskets or missed baskets. Off the rebound they just kept pushing, they had the momentum and they did a good job of executing as a team." San Antonio held Memphis to seven points in the second quarter, a franchise low by an opponent for the period and the third lowest for a quarter in team history. The Spurs continually ran a second defender at the Grizzlies, forcing them to pass or take a contested shot. Memphis failed to score in the opening 8 minutes of the second quarter, missing their first 10 field goal attempts. Before Allens 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining in the first half, the Grizzlies only points came on a pair of free throws by Pondexter in the opening minute of the second. Memphis finished the second quarter shooting 11.1 per cent from the field: 2 for 18. "We stopped moving the basketball and we tried to create our own shots," first-year Memphis coach David Joerger said. "When the ball moves, the energy on our team goes up. We move, we cut hard, we screen harder, we rim run harder, but our defence wasnt great. Give them credit. They ended up shooting a lot of layups." Continuing his struggles from last seasons playoff sweep to the Spurs, Zach Randolph was held two 2 points on 1-for-6 shooting. "They had a good playoff series against us last season, they swept us and did a good job," Randolph said. "But tonight was one of those nights; just one of those nights." Memphis started the game shooting 29 per cent from the field, going 4 for 14. NOTES: Memphis has lost all 13 of its season openers since moving from Vancouver and is 2-17 in openers overall in franchise history. ... The lowest point total for a quarter by a San Antonio opponent is 3 by Denver in the first quarter on Nov. 27, 2002. The second lowest is six by Toronto in the fourth quarter on Nov. 1, 2002. ... Tiago Splitter, one of the least talkative Spurs, gave the welcoming address to the fans before the game. The centre from Brazil promised the team would work hard on the court and in the community and punctuated it with "muchos gracias." ... Memphis had to call a timeout 47 seconds into the game when no one remained in the backcourt to receive Conleys inbound pass. ... Memphis has lost 15 of 16 regular-season games in San Antonio, with its last victory coming April 9, 2010. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
