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SAN DIEGO -- The best score belonged to Stewart Cink. Nike Free 3.0 V5 Sale UK . The best round belonged to Pat Perez. Tiger Woods didnt come close to claiming either Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open, where the seven-time champion failed to break par in the opening round for first time in his career. Cink ran off three straight birdies late in his round on the easier North Course at Torrey Pines for an 8-under 64. That gave him a one-shot lead over Gary Woodland, who also was on the North, which is more than 600 yards shorter. Perez was on the South Course, host of the 2008 U.S. Open and with greens so firm this year that it felt like a major. Perez had a 67, the best score on the South by two shots, and even more astounding is that he played bogey-free. The South played nearly four shots harder than the North. Woods, making his 2014 debut, failed to birdie any of the par 5s and had to settle for a 72. "Even par is not too bad, but I didnt play the par 5s worth a darn today," Woods said. "Obviously, thats (tantamount) to try to get any kind of scoring on the South Course. Youve got to take care of the par 5s because theres not a lot of holes you can make birdie here. Subsequently, I didnt finish under par." Even at eight shots behind, he wasnt worried about a chance to win at Torrey for the ninth time -- including a U.S. Open. The courses are so different than its difficult to gauge where anyone stands until everyone has had a crack at both courses. The weekend rounds are on the South. "Im going to have to go out there and get it a little bit tomorrow to not be so far behind come Saturday or Sunday," Woods said. Cink did what he was supposed to do. The rough is up on the North, too, so it was important to get the ball in play. He did that, allowing him to take on some pins. "You want to really take advantage of the North Course because it will yield to you a little bit, and the South Course will not," Cink said. "I did a great job of going out there, just playing shot-by-shot, not really getting too caught up in, I have to birdie these holes. As a consequence, I actually made a few birdies and it felt great." Phil Mickelson, meanwhile, felt awful. He was coping with a back locked up on him, unusual for Mickelson because he doesnt have a history of back pain. It got so bad at one point that Mickelson thought about withdrawing from his hometown event, especially after his 4-iron on the par-5 18th at the North Course nearly went out-of-bounds. Mickelson used his short game to make birdie, and then made another birdie on the next hole and he scratched out a 69. "Never thought about not starting, but around the turn I thought about maybe taking this week off and seeing if I could get a little bit better," he said. "I kind of fought through the back nine and gave myself a chance." He described it as a muscular problem and was hopeful treatment would help. Mickelson swung easy on the North. Players have to swing for the fences on the 7,698-yard South Course, where the average score Thursday 74.45. Not many would have predicted a 67 on the South, though Woods wasnt surprised when he heard who did it. "Why? He grew up here," Woods said. "This was his home course. Hes playing it more times than any tour pro certainly." Perez has such a history at Torrey that his father, Tony, continues to announce the players on the first tee at the South Course. And heres even better history -- Perez won a Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines, by beating some Orange County kid named Tiger Woods. "Best day of my life," Perez said. "Ive known him forever. Hes always been great to me. He gives me advice here and there, but to beat him that year was fantastic. ... Ive got to hold onto that, so thats about all that I got over him. But it hurts him. Ill you tell, it hurts him." Perez was joking. He is full of bluster and always fun, a favourite among the players. Thats what made Thursday so enjoyable. The weather was close to perfect, with hang gliders filling the sky left of the fourth fairway on the South. Perez had no bogeys on his card, and he cant remember if that ever happened since the South was stretched out to prepare for the U.S. Open. It was only one round, but it was a great for Perez -- and for Cink, who hasnt won since his British Open title at Turnberry in 2009. The test for Cink is Friday on the South, especially considering that only three players broke 70 on the South -- Perez, Charley Hoffman (another San Diego native) and rookie Kevin Tway, whose father (former PGA champion Bob Tway) won this event in 1986. Ottawas Brad Fritsch opened with a 3-under 69. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., carded a 70. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., shot an even par 72. Riley Wheeldon of Comox, B.C, who qualified on Monday, signed for a 4-over 76. Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., was another shot back. DIVOTS: Jordan Spieth, who missed the cut at Torrey Pines last year as a 19-year-old making his pro debut, played with Woods and Jimmy Walker and shot 71. ... Fifty of the 62 rounds under par were on the North Course. ... The worst score on the North Course was a 77 by Brandt Snedeker and Derek Ernst. Nike Free 3.0 V4 Running Shoes . The Maple Leafs are three points behind Columbus for the last playoff spot in the East with only three games left on their schedule. You can listen to the game live on TSN 1050 starting at 7:30pm et/4:30 pm pt. Nike Free 3.0 Womens Sale . Left guard Clint Boling tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a 17-10 victory in San Diego on Sunday. The Bengals put him on injured reserve Tuesday.SOCHI, Russia -- Another golden opportunity awaits Team Canada. Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. This time, though, it was made possible by a few players who werent around in 2010, namely Jamie Benn and Carey Price. Benn scored for Canada on a pretty pass from fellow newcomer Jay Bouwmeester, and Price -- chosen by coach Mike Babcock to start over Vancouver golden goalie Roberto Luongo -- had 31 saves to make it stand up. Though it didnt show up on the scoresheet, Sidney Crosby was flying up and down the ice, creating chances seemingly at will. The captain still doesnt have a goal in this tournament, but along with the rest of his teammates he has raised his level of play just in time to play Sweden for the gold medal on Sunday. The United States will play for the bronze Saturday against Finland, which lost to the Swedes 2-1 in the other semifinal. Guaranteed either a gold or silver, this is the first time Canada has won a medal in an Olympics held outside North America since NHL players began participating in 1998. Canada and the U.S. traded chances throughout the first period. Just 90 seconds in, Crosby forced a turnover that led to a quality opportunity for Patrice Bergeron in front. More than five minutes in, Phil Kessel patiently waited for John Carlson to cross the blue-line and get a one-timer off that Price snagged with his glove. Not long after that, Crosby created a chance for Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Quick made a big save on Bergeron. Quick finished with 36 saves. It took until early in the second period for Canada to get on the board, thanks to a heads-up play from Bouwmeester. The smooth-skating defenceman waited it out with the puck above the left face-off circle, allowing Benn to find open space between Brooks Orpik and Carlson, playing together for the first time at these Olympics because of a hand injury to Paul Martin. A perfect sliding pass across the ice from Bouwmeester hit Benns stick right on the tape and deflected past Quick at the 1:41 mark of the second. At that point, Canada tilted the ice and spent much of the period hemming the Americans in their own end. The result was more brilliance from Quick, who had to slide post-to-post to rob Benn and oozed confidence. Nike Free 3.0 V5 Womens UK. The same came from Price on the other end, as he didnt flash his glove hand as much as calmly lift it to catch the puck with ease. Canadas victory came a day after the womens team staged an improbable late comeback to beat the United States for its fourth straight gold medal. Babcock and his players said that victory taught them that "you dont give in." Of course the way Team Canada got to the gold-medal game was very different. It hasnt trailed for even one second at these Olympics. That didnt stop the women from trying to use their experience as motivation. Alternate captain Hayley Wickenheiser, starting goalie Shannon Szabados and forward Brianne Jenner were responsible for a letter posted in the mens locker-room that read: "Tonight is yours. Own the moment. We are proof that every minute matters. The podium is reserved for the brave. Earn every inch, dictate the pace. Go get em! From the girls! :)" The men are one win away from giving Canada double gold in hockey for the third time in the past four Olympics. Friday nights game was skated almost at the blistering pace of the one played Feb. 28, 2010, that Canada won 3-2 on Crosbys unforgettable overtime goal. Some of Canadas best players in the Olympic rematch were watching from home four years ago. In addition to Bouwmeester, Benn and Price, Jeff Carter looked like he was playing in another gear and defenceman Alex Pietrangelo and Marc-Edouard Vlasic quietly controlled the game. NOTES -- Canada scratched defenceman P.K Subban on defence and the injured John Tavares at forward. Tavares, who suffered a tournament- and season-ending left knee injury against Latvia, will remain with the team until after the Olympics. Matt Duchene filled his spot in the lineup. ... Russian star Alex Ovechkin was in attendance, sitting at centre ice on the suite level of Bolshoy Ice Dome. Ovechkin did not take the first charter flight back to North America after his father underwent heart surgery. He tweeted Friday night: "Thanks to all for support. My dad going to be good and he see you all again." ... Even though Russia was eliminated in the quarters, 11,172 fans filled the arena for the all-North American semifinal. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
