#1

her side of the coin is, he beat Star Empire by just 3-1/2 lengths, the Star Empire who came into the

in Team 27.08.2018 00:59
von jcy123 | 7.049 Beiträge

TROON, Scotland -- Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson delivered what everyone expects out of a major championship.They matched birdies and improbable par saves. Momentum could change with any shot. The lead changed four times over four hours of golf at its highest level, played in the cold wind and occasional rain off the Irish Sea. All the British Open lacked Saturday was a winner.Turns out this was only the preview to a duel at Royal Troon.Stenson took the lead for the last time with another two-shot swing on an inward par 3, and he kept it with a nifty up-and-down on the 18th for par and a 3-under 68, the second straight day that no one had a better score.That gave the 40-year-old Swede his first lead in a major, even if it was just one shot over someone who already has five majors and his name on the claret jug.Theres only one thing that matters tomorrow, Stenson said. I know hes not going to back down, and Im certainly going to try to not back down, either. So it should be an exciting afternoon. ... Ive worked hard these first three days to put myself in this situation and Im going to try my hardest tomorrow to finish the job.Links golf can deliver some strange finishes, though this had all the trappings of a two-man race on Sunday.Stenson had his third straight round in the 60s -- no one has ever won at Royal Troon with all four rounds in the 60s -- and was at 12-under 201. He is trying to become only the eighth player dating to Old Tom Morris in 1861 to win his first major after turning 40.Mickelson, winless since he lifted golfs oldest trophy at Muirfield three years ago, had a 70. His game was nowhere near as sharp as his opening-round 63 that tied a major championship record. Even so, he came up with the rights shots at the right time until Stenson passed him late in the afternoon.Some days its easy and it looks pretty like the first couple, Mickelson said. Some days its hard and it looks terrible, like it did today. But either way, I shot three rounds under par.He made a 25-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole for a two-shot lead. Stenson answered with a 5-iron to 6 feet for birdie on the next hole to tie for the lead when Mickelson three-putted, only his third bogey of the week.Mickelson regained the lead with a pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 16th, only for the Swede to answer again, this time with an all-out 3-iron into the wind on the 220-yard 17th hole to 20 feet. Mickelson lost the lead by missing the green to the left and making bogey.Everyone else felt like mere spectators.Bill Haas, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour who is rarely heard from at majors, was solid with a 69 and alone in third. Its his highest position ever in a major, yet he was six shots off the lead. Another shot back was Andrew Johnston, the Englishman with a big belly and beard to match who goes by Beef. He broke par for the third straight day with a 70.It was unlikely to matter.This was all about Stenson and Mickelson, two powerful players with different styles and different credentials, mainly the number of majors -- five for Mickelson, none for Stenson. Mickelson spoke earlier in the week about not having as much pressure knowing he already has won them.Not since Davis Love III and Justin Leonard shared the lead and were seven shots clear of the field in the 1997 PGA Championship has the final round of a major took on the appearance of match play.I was happy enough to throw two good punches in there on the par 3s and pick up two shots on either one of them to come back out on top at the end of the third round, Stenson said. Ive always been of the thought that its better to be one ahead than one behind, because that means Phils got to play better than I do.Mickelson finished three shots ahead of Stenson three years ago at Muirfield when Lefty closed with a 66 in one of the best final rounds of a major. He hasnt won another tournament since, and at age 46, it appeared time was running out.A victory Sunday would give him six majors, same as Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino. He also would be the third-oldest major champion behind Julius Boros (48) and Morris, with whom Mickelson shares a birthday -- June 16, albeit 149 years apart. The 1861 Open was played in September.Stenson was on the verge of falling two shots behind until he holed a 40-foot par putt on the 10th. Two holes later, Mickelson was in danger of losing the lead when he pushed his 2-iron toward trouble and was fortunate the ball deflected off a piece of prickly gorse. He had just enough room to hammer it up the fairway, and then played a shot rarely seen in links golf -- instead of running it up along the ground, he spun it back down a ridge to 6 feet for a key par.I got lucky that that ball didnt go into the gorse, even though I didnt have a back swing, Mickelson said. I still had a chance to advance it a little bit. I still hit a good shot to advance it down the fairway like I did, and found a way to get up and down.Now, they have one more round, this time with a claret jug at stake. Wholesale Adidas NHL Jerseys . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). NHL Jerseys From China . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. http://www.cheapnhljerseysfromchina.com/ . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. Zvonareva made her comeback in January in Shenzhen and played in the Australian Open but lost her first matches at both tournaments. Adidas Hockey Jerseys China . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Cheap NHL Jerseys . -- New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis is retiring after a 16-year career to become the goalie coach for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Tepin is tremendous, and Lady Eli is sensational, but neither will remain on the racetrack forever. Tepin will be 6 next year, and Lady Eli is scheduled to be sold at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale (along with Stellar Wind, to mention another notable), so who knows what the future might hold?The good news is that lots of talent is coming up. That was evident in the group of 3-year-old fillies in Saturdays Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. Heck, if you want to take a long-term view, you could even find solace in the impressive score by the 2-year-old grass filly La Coronel last Wednesday in Keenelands Jessamine Stakes.Before the QE II was even run, Time and Motion had made a compelling case to be the ranking 3-year-old turf filly in the country with her victory over Catch a Glimpse in the Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga. Until the Lake Placid, Catch a Glimpse was the top turf female of her generation off her 8 for 8 record on grass, which included important wins in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, the Penn Mile over males, and the Belmont Oaks.But Time and Motion was just plain better than Catch a Glimpse in the Lake Placid, overcoming her rivals enormous tactical pace advantage to prevail officially by a neck, a margin that did not do her performance justice.Time and Motion didnt win the QE II by a lot, either -- she was but a head the best in a three-way photo -- but again, this was a margin that didnt entirely reflect her actual performance.You could see countless stretch duels over the course of decades and learn enough from them to know that when Time and Motion and Hawksmoor, the lone European invader in the QE II, hooked up in deep stretch, it never REALLY looked like Time and Motion was going to get there. You know what I mean: You see enough stretch battles, you get to know before the wire comes the look of the horse who will win.For me, Time and Motion never had THAT look through the stretch Saturday in her battle with Hawksmoor, and that doesnt even address the late threat she faced from Harmonizes last-seconds charge from the outside. So Time and Motion somehow finding a way to get her head down first speaks volumes about her sheer will to win, which is a most appealing characteristic when coupled with her obvious ability.But Harmonize and Hawksmoor deserve high marks, too. Harmonize, whom I always considered to be no worse than the third- or fourth-best 3-year-old turf filly in the country, came within inches of snaring a second straight Grade 1 victory in the QE II. In her last start, she got up just in time to win the Del Mar Oaks. Harmonnize is clearly better now than she was earlier in the season -- no surprise for a 3-year-old who is given a chance at such a career arc -- and there is no reason to think her best races arent still in front of her.ddddddddddddAnd as for Hawksmoor, she was somewhat overlooked in the QE II as being a legitimate Group 2- and near Group 1-level performer in Europe, but she was game as can be.The obvious disappointments in the QE II were On Leave, who finished fourth in her pursuit of a fifth straight win, and Catch a Glimpse, who tired after setting the pace under pressure from Hawksmoor to finish seventh of eight.On Leave did not run her best race Saturday, so it would be a mistake to conclude she cant win at this level. On Leave was the most inexperienced member of the QE II field; she was still a maiden when the calendar flipped to June. On Leave has made tremendous progress, and there is zero reason to think her progression wont continue once she gets a chance to catch her breath.Catch a Glimpse might have been displaced at the top of this group before Saturday, but she was and is still a force, so her effort wasnt even close to a representative performance. Everyone knows Catch a Glimpse can do much better. Still, this is a two-way street. Folks who are quick to say a horse can do much better after that horse turns in a clunker should also be willing to concede that a horse isnt always as good as he or she looks when they win or run well.The other stakes race of note Saturday was the Futurity at Belmont, won by Theory. Theory, you might remember, is the Gemologist colt who was immensely impressive winning his debut at Saratoga, was subsequently stopped on, and was then put back in training after being treated for a minor foot bruise.This context is important because, on the surface, Theorys Futurity win wasnt a wow performance. He did win by 3-1/2 lengths, which is ample. The other side of the coin is, he beat Star Empire by just 3-1/2 lengths, the Star Empire who came into the Futurity off a career-best Beyer Figure of only 70 earned in a distant third-place finish in the Arlington-Washington Futurity.Im thinking Theory was simply rusty Saturday. The Futurity was, after all, his first start in 2-1/2 months, and the rust factor would explain why he had to be nudged on to stay close to the pacesetter, and why he really didnt put the Futurity away until fairly late. I also think Theorys next start, as long as it is sensible, will tell us a lot about him. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jersyes Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '

nach oben springen

©2010 by Peleth
Besucher
0 Mitglieder und 7 Gäste sind Online

Wir begrüßen unser neuestes Mitglied: maradiliko
Forum Statistiken
Das Forum hat 15177 Themen und 15339 Beiträge.