Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Add Reply
anted. He closed the game for them, and that was what they were missing -- a closer." Despite missin
Topic Started: Apr 23 2014, 10:56 AM (7 Views)
zake201
Administrator
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- Padraig Harrington found a way to take some of the attention away from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on Thursday. He made six birdies on the tough back nine of Bethpage Black and opened the FedEx Cup playoffs with a 7-under 64 for a one-shot lead at The Barclays. And that surely got the attention of Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal. Harrington has to rely on a captains pick to make his seventh straight European team, and that looks to be unlikely. Not only has the three-time major champion gone four years without winning against a strong field, he and Olazabal are not the best of friends after a dispute at the Seve Trophy from nine years ago. The Irishman had the toughest time Thursday after he got off the difficult Black course. There were so many questions about the Ryder Cup, his chances of making the team and what he has to do to impress Olazabal, that at one point Harrington adopted the American way. "The only answer I can give at this stage is Im pleading the Fifth Amendment on that one," Harrington said. "I honestly dont know what to say. I dont want to go in there and try too desperately to beg for a pick, or I dont want to go in there and give excuses for anything. Ill just leave it be what it is. Im just going to play golf." That part was superb on a calm day that became increasingly warm. It took Harrington a few holes to realize that he was back at Bethpage Black, but not at the U.S. Open. The greens were soft. The rough was deep, but not terribly dense. The pressure was not quite the same. And par wasnt going to cut it. He came to life on the back nine with four straight birdies to cap off his 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Nick Watney and Brian Harman among the early starters. The hotter it became, the crustier the greens were, and it was unlikely anyone would catch him. No one did. Sergio Garcia was part of the group at 66, while defending champion Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler, both trying to make their own impression as potential picks by U.S. captain Davis Love III, were in the group at 67. There were 73 players from the 123-man field at par or better, not the kind of scoring associated with Bethpage Black. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., carded a 1-under 71. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., had a 4-over 74. Thousands of fans chased after Woods and McIlroy, in the marquee group based on their standing in the FedEx Cup -- Woods at No. 1, McIlroy at No. 3. Both of them got off to a reasonable start. Woods scrambled nicely to recover from a few errant shots and scratched out a 68. McIlroy smashed one driver after another to set up short irons into the greens, and while he had three birdies through six holes, he let the good start get away from him and settled for a 69. If this is a rivalry, it figures to be a friendly one. Woods genuinely likes this 23-year-old from Northern Ireland, who already has two eight-shot wins in the majors. He chatted more than usual, even for a Thursday, and during one wait on the par-3 14th, McIlroy listened intently with a smile on his face as Woods told a story, then broke into a big laugh upon hearing the punch line. Worth repeating for a family newspaper? "No," McIlroy said with another laugh. "Hes a nice kid, he really is," Woods said. "As I said yesterday, I played with him in Abu Dhabi. We struck up a friendship back then, and its continued. And I think its only going to get better." Woods won the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in 2002, and he tied for sixth when the U.S. Open returned to this public course on Long Island in 2009. It looks the same, especially how the rough frames each fairway. And while there were differences in the softness of the greens and hole locations, the most obvious difference was scoring. "I shot 3-under par and Im not even in the top 10," Woods said. "So its a little different deal." Harrington was even par through four holes, typically not a bad score, except that he watched Troy Matteson open with a birdie on the second hole and chip in for eagle on the fourth to reach 3 under early in the round. "It definitely helped me cross that divide between thinking Im at a U.S. Open and level par is going to be the winning total this week," Harrington said. "This is much more of a sprint. Youre going to need to be 12-under par at the end of the week, or who knows, but it aint going to be level par." Harrington would figure to face a different kind of pressure -- getting on the Ryder Cup team -- but he found a certain peace after realizing he couldnt earn his way onto the team after the PGA Championship. Even though Europes team is not finalized until after this week, ranking points from The Barclays dont count. So hes out. Unless he wins. And even that might not matter. Olazabal said at the PGA Championship that Harrington would have to do something extraordinary to make the team. He was told of Harringtons 64 and was asked what would constitute extraordinary. "At least a win," Olazabal said. Olazabal and Harrington had a tense moment at the 2003 Seve Trophy when Harrington questioned the Spaniard repairing pitch marks. Olazabal felt his integrity had been questioned, conceded the hole and they had a face-to-face discussion behind the green. Does that still linger? Might it make a difference? "From the character that he is, I believe he would put winning way above anything thats personal," Harrington said. "The Ryder Cup means so much to Europe, particularly to Jose as a European player. Nobody -- bar Seve -- would understand in his mind what it means to Europe. Winning is whats important to him. I cant see personal coming into it to get a winning team." Harrington then caught himself for talking about the very subject he wants to avoid. He would rather talk about his 64 at Bethpage Black, a strong effort even in soft conditions, or his chances to move up in the FedEx Cup standings and give himself a chance at the $10 million bonus prize. "Were talking about the wrong stuff," he said. "But Im Irish, and being brought up in Ireland, we pay a lot of attention to bookmakers and their odds. And Im sure if I went and had a look at the odds, I would be a long shot to make the team." wholesale nfl jerseys .J. Green. Cincinnatis Pro Bowl receiver pulled it close and covered it up, a modest finish to a game full of wild plays. cheap jerseys from china . And if he keeps throwing as he did against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, the Detroit Tigers rotation will be even more formidable in the closing days of a playoff race. http://www.chinanfljerseyswholesale.com/ . In fact, he couldnt have set the bar any higher. "Its championship or nothing," Malawsky said. cheap nfl jerseys . The 19-year-old goaltender made 24 saves for his first QMJHL shutout as the Moncton Wildcats blanked the visiting Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-0 on Saturday. wholesale jerseys . -- Mark Matthews had four goals and five assists Sunday as the Edmonton Rush defeated the Washington Stealth 18-10 in the National Lacrosse League. NEW ORLEANS -- Hornets fans grew restless as guard Eric Gordon sat out much of the early season rehabilitating his injured knee. A New Years Day appearance at New Orleans Arena was met with a mixture of cheers as well as jeers. But Gordon may be turning those dissenters into fans, proving he may just be worth the Hornets nearly $60 million investment. Gordon scored 24 points, including six consecutive in a critical fourth quarter run, to lead the Hornets to a 95-88 victory over San Antonio on Monday night. "Thats one of the key things I do best when it comes to late-game situations or if anything gets tough," Gordon said. "I like to take guys one on one and Im able to get a shot off and get a good shot. I look forward to that. "I love those situations," he said. Anthony Davis added 17 points, Greivis Vasquez 14 and Ryan Anderson 13 for the Hornets, who have won two consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 2-3, the second and third games of the season. New Orleans, which snapped a six-game losing streak against San Antonio, has also won three of the four games in which Davis has played since his return in a 98-95 victory at Charlotte on Dec. 29. He sat out a 104-92 loss at Houston on Jan. 2. The Hornets have held their opponents to less than 100 points in each of their nine wins. "To hold this team to 88 points is a great sign for our defence," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "Confidence, to me, comes when you defend the right way, and I thought we did that tonight." Manu Ginobili scored 21 points to lead the Spurs, who had won eight of their previous nine, dating to a 99-94 victory over the Hornets in San Antonio on Dec. 21. Tony Parker added 16 points, Tim Duncan 13 and Kawhi Leonard 10 for San Antonio. Duncan was 5 of 14, at one point missing five consecutive shots in the third quarter. The Spurs committed 19 turnovers, leading to 23 points for New Orleans. "We played a well-coached aggressive, well-executing team," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "They did a ggreat job at both ends of the court.dddddddddddd They just whipped us." The Hornets, who grabbed a lead they would not relinquish midway through the first quarter, entered the fourth period up 70-65. Gordon played spectator for the first four minutes. He re-entered the game with 7:41 remaining and immediately made three jumpers, sparking a 6-2 run that gave the Hornets an 84-77 lead with 5:06 left. He later added another jumper to give the Hornets an 88-79 lead with 3:26 remaining. "Tonight we collectively played hard for 48 minutes," Williams said. "Even when (the Spurs) made a run, it was one of those runs that scared you a bit, but you knew that with Eric and Greivis playing that way, you had a chance to kind of pull out of it." Vasquezs steal and subsequent layup gave the Hornets a 90-79 lead with 2:35 left. "Theyve got a closer now," San Antonio forward Stephen Jackson said. "(Gordon) took the game over and was going to work at the end of the game, doing what he wanted. He closed the game for them, and that was what they were missing -- a closer." Despite missing eight of his first 11 shots, Gordon scored 12 points in leading New Orleans to a 49-41 halftime lead. Davis, on 5-of-8 shooting, had 10 points in the half. Both team started slowly with the score tied at 6 with 7:30 remaining in the first quarter. But the Hornets, buoyed by four consecutive free throws by Gordon went on a 10-2 run to take an 18-10 lead with 3:16 left in the period. Duncan committed three turnovers and two personal fouls in the first 8 minutes. NOTES: The Hornets signed guard Donald Sloan to a 10-day contract Monday. Sloan, who played in 3 games for the Hornets during the 2011-12 season, has most recently played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. Sloan also appeared in 20 games earlier this season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. . . NBA Hall of Famer Bob Pettit, an LSU standout, was at courtside, sitting next to Hornets and New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson. Shortly before tipoff Duncan and Parker greeted Pettit. ' ' '
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Announcements & News · Next Topic »
Add Reply