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jenny123
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May 9 2013, 02:37 AM
Post #1
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SAUCIER, Miss. Will Montgomery Jersey . -- Fred Couples looks like a man who is ready for another run at the Masters. The 52-year-old made a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole Sunday to win the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, capping an impressive showing at the Champions Tour event just two weeks before his annual trip to Augusta. "I want to go into (the Masters) after winning a tournament like this feeling some confidence and I did get a lot today," Couples said. "I hit a lot of good shots. I would say Ive got a lot to work on, but if I can drive it like that, the course will be easier." Couples made the tournaments outcome more interesting than he would have liked. He easily navigated through the first 14 holes on Sunday with four birdies, no bogeys and no major trouble. But he surprisingly bogeyed the par-5 15th after a poor approach and chip shot, and carded another bogey on the par-3 17th before a flawless final hole salvaged the victory. The 18th at Fallen Oak is the toughest-rated on the course, but Couples crushed his drive right down the middle of the fairway and used his sand wedge to clear a water hazard and stick the approach close to the hole. His final putt was slightly downhill and he hit it perfectly. Couples admitted to getting "a little jumpy" down the stretch, but said he played well enough earlier in the round to give him a cushion. "The bottom line is you get a lot of chances to win if you play well," Couples said. Couples started the day tied for the lead with Jeff Sluman, but moved ahead with a birdie on the first hole. He led the rest of the day until the 17th, when his bogey dropped him into a tie with Michael Allen. Allen admitted he was surprised to find himself that close to a playoff. He shot a 6 under 66 on Sunday. "I dont get too caught up in it," Allen said. "Thats one of the reasons I dont watch scoreboards -- I dont need any extra anxiety. Just do what I do. Then all of a sudden (on 18) Im like, do I have to think of a speech?" That wasnt necessary, thanks to Couples clutch putt. He shot a 3 under 69 in the final round to win $240,000. It is his seventh career victory on the Champions Tour and first this season. Couples finished at 14 under for the tournament. Allen finished one stroke behind, and Sluman and Tom Pernice Jr. finished tied for third at 10 under. Couples now prepares for a few weeks on the PGA Tour. Hes scheduled to play in the Houston Open next week and will then head to the Masters, where hes had plenty of recent success, with top-15 finishes the past two years. He won in 1992 and has 10 career top 10s. Fallen Oak has some similarities to Augusta because of the southern location and lush landscape, and it became a much tougher golf course as the weekend progressed. The Gulf Coast was soaked by more than nine inches of rain earlier in the week, which led to very soft conditions during Fridays opening round. It left the course vulnerable to low scores, including Couples course-record 9-under 63. But sunny skies and temperatures in the low 80s dried the course quickly by Sunday, making for faster greens. Factor in a swirling wind and more difficult pin positions and birdies were harder to find. Cedric Griffin Jersey .Y. - Edmonton Oilers centre Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the NHLs leading rookie scorer, is out of the lineup for the next 3-4 weeks with a left shoulder injury. Pierre Garcon Jersey . -- Carson Palmer walked off the field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, where the Raiders had just won for the sixth straight time, and looked just like he did at the start. http://www.shopredskinsgear.us/leonard-hankerson-redskins-jersey/ . Storm, leading since the first round, began the day with a three-stroke advantage, which he extended to five when he birdied the 12th hole on the Hilversumsche course. But consecutive bogeys at 13 and 14 and a string of pars left him at 1-under 69 and tied with Pablo Larrazabal (64), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (66) and Scott Jamieson (66) at 12 under. Kory Lichtensteiger Jersey . -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are committed to keeping place-kicker Josh Scobee. Russ Grimm Jersey . Iniesta was injured just before the half-hour mark in Wednesdays Copa del Rey quarterfinal match against Real Madrid. The 2010 FIFA Ballon dOr finalist was injured in a challenge with Reals Alvaro Arbeloa and had to leave the match. WASHINGTON -- As he was walking off the court at halftime, Philadelphia 76ers coach Doug Collins asked a favour of one of his captains. "He was saying talk to the guys, try to keep their spirits up and stuff like that," Thaddeus Young said. "And I told him, You have nothing to worry about. Everybody here in this locker room is trying to win this game." With their coachs future in question, the 76ers awoke from pack-it-in mode Friday night, recovering from a 13-point, second-quarter deficit and pulling away in the second half for a 97-86 win, putting to rest the Washington Wizards goal of becoming the best non-playoff team in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers had lost three straight, including two by an average of 22 points since being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Collins spent much of his pregame talk with reporters trying to not answer questions about whether hell be back as coach next season. Motivation was becoming an issue. "It would be very easy -- we didnt practice yesterday -- to come in here, throw your sneakers out there, you get down 13 and get beat by 20," Collins said. Instead, Jrue Holiday scored 22 points to lead five 76ers in double figures, stopping a Wizards team that had generated motivation -- and momentum -- by declaring their goal to catch Philadelphia to help make up for a 4-28 start. "I think whether its a conscious thing or a subconscious thing, when you officially get eliminated, it kind of hits you, it takes some of the wind out of your sails," said Spencer Hawes, who had 15 points and eight rebounds. "But then you regroup and refocus and try to take out of it whatever you can from the last however-many games." Young added 18 points and 13 points for the 76ers, while John Wall scored 24 points to lead the Wizards, who have lost four straight and trail the 76ers by 3 1/2 games with two left to end their chase -- if it can really be called that -- for No. 9. "Its very disappointing," said Garrett Temple, who scored eight points. "We set that as a goal aboout a month ago, month-and-a-half ago and we were striving for that. Charles Mann Jersey. But at the same time we have two more games left and we definitely want to get to 30 wins." The 76ers had been a disinterested competitor for the Wizards, and they still could be caught by the 10th-place Toronto Raptors. Asked before the game if the tussle for ninth was on his radar, Collins shrugged and said: "You know, ninth, 10th -- I mean, thats out of the playoffs." Nevertheless, Holiday bounced back after a pair of bad games and made 8 of 17 shots and added seven assists. Evan Turner also had seven assists, helping compensate for his 0-for-11 night from the field. The Wizards had been strong at home since Wall returned from a knee injury. They finished 22-19 at the Verizon Center, including 18-6 with Wall. But ninth place will go to someone else. "Any time you dont reach a goal youre a little disappointed," Washington coach Randy Wittman said. "But we gave it a shot." Notes: Philadelphia G Nick Young, a first-round draft pick by the Wizards in 2007, was booed when he entered the game for the first time as a visiting player at the Verizon Center. The reception amused Young so much that he covered his mouth with his hand to control his laughter. ... The Wizards played without Martell Webster (abdominal strain) and Trevor Ariza (sore left knee). ... Collins on his status with the 76ers: "Ive told you all along, Im not the topic of conversation. Were going to focus on the games, and were going to play those. Well sit down at the end of the season (as) Ive always done. Ive got a wonderful relationship with (owner) Josh Harris, and we will discuss what we need to do next year." ... Philadelphias Dorell Wright had the comic lowlight with a 3-point attempt late in the first quarter. The ball slipped out of his hands and went backward with no one touching it, landing in the front row of seats some 30 feet from the basket. "It just flew out of my hands," Wright said. "I dont know what the heck that was." ' ' '
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