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many chances for going low. The greens were just too slick, t
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18.10.2018 13:55
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GULLANE -- The stretching routine that Miguel Angel Jimenez goes through before each round may look a bit ridiculous. Its sure working out, though. The fun-loving Spaniard, again showing how much experience matters at golfs oldest major championship, scrambled for an even-par 71 on Friday that was good enough to lead midway through the British Open at baked-out Muirfield. He can hardly relax. Tiger Woods was among four players just one stroke behind, a group that also included English favourite Lee Westwood, long-hitting American Dustin Johnson, and Swedens Henrik Stenson. Two-time major champion Angel Cabrera and first-round leader Zach Johnson were another stroke back, still in the game despite tough finishes. The course was the real winner on this day -- dry as a bone and firm as a snooker table, giving up only four scores in the 60s. Another warm, sunny day along the Forth of Firth had nearby beachgoers frolicking in the surf, like this was Southern California instead of Scotland, but it made things miserable out on a course that is more brown than green. There were balls scooting all over the place. They wound up behind grandstands, in knee-high grass, up against the face of pot bunkers. Dustin Johnson had to intentionally hit a sideways shot into the rough just to escape a bunker. Phil Mickelson four-putted a hole. Darren Clarke made a quadruple-bogey. And get this -- they were all still in contention for the claret jug. Leading the way was Jimenez, a cigar-smoking, wine-loving golfer nicknamed "The Mechanic" who is perhaps best known outside Europe for the unique way he gets ready for a round. Upon arriving at the range, hell put his knees together and gyrate his hips both clockwise and counterclockwise -- silly looking enough as it is, but especially for a guy with a hefty belly and even heftier ponytail. Then hell pull out a couple of clubs to help stretch his legs and loosen up his arms, though none of it looks very strenuous. "Im amused by his warm-up routine," Mickelson said. "I would hurry to the course to watch it." But this golfer is all business out on the course. Jimenez has bounced back from missing four months recovering from a broken right leg sustained in a skiing accident last winter. If he can keep it going through the weekend, he might take a run at Julius Boros, the oldest major champion in golf history when he won the PGA Championship at age 48. Heck, Tom Watson nearly won this tournament a few years ago at age 59. "Why not?" asked Jimenez, whose was at 3-under 139 through two days. "Theres two more rounds to go. You never know whats going to happen. Im just going to have fun on the golf course. When I finish here, Ill have a glass of red wine later on. Im just going to keep doing the same thing." Hes not exactly leading the conventional way, far down in the rankings for fairways hit and greens in regulation. But no one has done a better job scrambling for pars. Jimenez ranked first in the putting, seeming to always find a way to get the ball up close to the hole even during the frequent times he ran into trouble. "Im playing very solid," Jimenez said. "In these conditions, its not easy. With these pin positions, its very, very tough to get in close." Woods plodded along most of the day, lipping out a putt from 2 1/2 feet, missing another short putt and settling for a bunch of pars -- 12 in a row until his final stroke of the round. Then, he looked like the Tiger of old, rolling in a 15-footer for birdie on Muirfields tough closing hole. He raised his putter toward the blue sky with a flourish, fully aware he was positioned again to break the longest major drought of his career. "It will be a fun weekend," said Woods, who also shot 71. "I was kind of fighting it." Everyone was. Westwood was among that minuscule group putting up a score in the 60s, but even he was staggering a bit by the end. After a brilliant front nine -- he carded five birdies -- the 40-year-old bogeyed three of the last six holes to finish with a 68. The last English golfer to win the British Open was Nick Faldo in 1992. Westwood wants to end that streak with his first major title. "Why not enjoy it out there?" he said. "Its tough for everybody. So smile your way through." Woods is trying to break a drought of his own. Hes 0-for-16 at majors since the 2008 U.S. Open, and missed four others during that stretch recovering from injuries. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., the lone Canadian in the field, will be around on the weekend. DeLaet, playing in his first major, shot 1-over 72 Friday to sit at 6 over after two rounds. Whoever wins this one will have to earn it. While the conditions look perfect for scoring, nothing like the miserable weather that struck the Open the last time it was at Muirfield in 2002, there werent many chances for going low. The greens were just too slick, the pin placements just too tough. It was too much for old-timers such as Mark OMeara, the 1998 Open champion who started with a surprising 67 that left him one stroke behind Zach Johnson after Day 1. The 56-year-old lost his ball at No. 6, leading to a double-bogey, and stumbled to the finish with a 78. "Its pretty simple: If you dont hit it good in an Open championship with the rough the way it is out there, youre going to make some bogeys," OMeara said. "The short game is key. You have to putt well. I did none of those well." Tom Lehman soared to 77 after opening with a 68. Todd Hamilton followed up a 69 with an 81. The young werent spared, either. Jordan Spieth, the 19-year-old who last weekend became the PGA Tours youngest winner since 1931, made only two bogeys through his first 32 holes and was 3 under. Then came a double-bogey at the 15th, back-to-back bogeys at the next two holes, and a missed chance at No. 18 when a 4-footer for birdie slid by the cup. Just like that, the youngster found himself at 1-over 143. He bent over in frustration alongside the green. Rory McIlroy wont even be around for the weekend. He finished at 12-over 154 after two miserable rounds, missing the cut. So did Luke Donald and U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, two British favourites who never got anything going. Maybe they should try Jimenezs routine. Custom New York Islanders Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Anders Lee Jersey . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. http://www.islandersauthority.com/authentic-nikolay-kulemin-islanders-jersey/ . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mathew Barzal Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Jason Chimera Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. Australia 244 and 4 for 169 (Khawaja 58*, Rabada 3-49) need another 370 runs to beat South Africa 242 and 8 for 540 dec (Duminy 141, Elgar 127, Philander 73, de Kock 64)Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 0%. Zero. No chance. None at all. That, according to Australias Bureau of Meteorology, is the likelihood of rain in Perth on Monday. Coincidentally, it is also the chance of Australia winning the WACA Test and, thanks to that forecast, their hopes of escaping with a draw are not much higher. By stumps on day four, a South Africa victory was all but assured. It was a day of great South African entertainment, most notably fielding magic from Temba Bavuma and bowling brilliance from Kagiso Rabada.Perhaps the least surprising element of the day was the decision of Faf du Plessis to delay his declaration, allow his lower order to provide some entertainment with late lusty blows, and grind Australia down further and further. For more than nine years - until the tour of India last November - South Africa had not lost a Test series away from home. At the heart of this remarkable feat was a certain conservatism, a determination first not to lose, and only then to consider winning.So when du Plessis had his lower order bat on and on, their lead passing 400, then 450, then 500, and nearing 550, it was not a great shock. He also had to factor in the absence of his best and most experienced bowler Dale Steyn, who suffered a serious shoulder injury earlier in the match. With that in mind, you could understand why he would set Australia 539, requiring them not only to break the record for the highest successful Test chase, but to break it by more than 100 runs.By stumps, they were 4 for 169, still 370 runs adrift of their target, with only the wicketkeeper and bowlers still to come. Usman Khawaja was well set on 58, but will need to re-establish his innings on the fifth morning. Mitchell Marsh, under pressure to justify his ongoing position in a Test top six, was on 15. The ball was jagging off cracks, jumping, staying low, spinning - doing all the things that make batting most difficult. Australias task was monumental.South Africa have dominated the past three days at the WACA, a most impressive accomplishment given the injury to their spearhead before that ascendancy really began. But the rest have displayed true Steyn-less steel, which has only added to the gloss of their performance. In Australias second innings it was Rabada who stepped up, dismissing Shaun Marsh, Steven Smith and Adam Voges, to finish the day with 3 for 49. He also had Khawaja dropped at slip.But first came Bavumas breathtaking run-out of David Warner, the one man who, because of his recent form and his incredible record at the WACA, might have made Australia believe in a possible win had he stayed at the crease for a few hours. Warner had 35 at better than a run a ball when he pushed a Rabada delivery to cover and Bavuma, fielding at point, raced to the ball and then in one fluid action picked up, dived and threw down the stumps at the bowlers end.Perhaps Bavuma is secretly a Rhodes scholar - a Jonty Rhodes scholar, that is - for there was more than a hint of that illustrious predecessor in this effort. Such was the surprise of the feat that Warner appeared not to be stretching to his full capacity to make his ground, perhaps believing nobody could possibly do what Bavuma did. Bavuma was even too quick for the umpire Aleem Dar, who had not had time to take an optimal side-on position.It was a key moment, though to call it match-turning would be unfair to South Africas outstanding work of the previous two-and-a-half days. Match-tuurning would have been if Warner had batted on until stumps and reached 150 at a run a ball.dddddddddddd Bavumas effort, brilliant though it was, simply ensured the match was not carried off in some unforeseen direction by Warner. South Africa had been on top, and Bavuma kept them there.Then came the reward for Rabada, who, later in the same over had Shaun Marsh caught at second slip for 15. Australia had tumbled from 0 for 52 to 2 for 52 within one over, and briefly the score was 3 for 52 in the next over when Khawaja was given out caught behind off Keshav Maharaj first ball, only to be reprieved on review when the third umpire found the ball had brushed the flap of his pad rather than his bat as he played back to cut.Still, the momentum was all with South Africa, and a 92-run stand between Khawaja and Smith did little to change that. Rabada was the man who broke that partnership, his persistent fourth-stump line and ability to nibble the ball around finally accounting for Smith, who drove outside off and tickled a catch behind for 34. Adam Voges followed in similar fashion in Rabadas next over.Rabada should also have had Khawaja caught behind on 41, a thick edge flying between the wicketkeeper and first slip. Hashim Amla moved low to his right and grassed the chance, but Quinton de Kock could have made it comfortably had he chosen to move to his left. Instead, Khawaja was given a life and went on to bring up his half-century, off precisely 100 deliveries.But then, a solitary fifty wasnt much good to Australia. South Africa had four batsmen who passed that milestone in their second innings, and two of those went on to post hundreds. The fourth day began with South Africa on 6 for 390 and Australia knew that with quick wickets, they might give themselves the slim chance of a gettable target. As it happened, South Africa batted on to add 150 to their total for the loss of only two wickets.Vernon Philander was the last man out, bowled by Smith, who had not introduced himself into the attack until the 159th over of the innings, for 73. Keshav Maharaj had struck three sixes and provided some late entertainment with 41 not out from 34 balls. And earlier, de Kock had struck 64 before he was caught at cover off Mitchell Marsh. His partnership of 116 with Philander had been the crowning frustration for Australia.Not that they helped themselves. Philander had been put down on 29 when he top-edged a hook off Mitchell Starc and at fine leg Josh Hazlewood ran around but parried the ball over for six, seemingly worried about stepping over the boundary. With just a little more awareness of his surroundings, he could have turned it into a moderately straightforward take. But it was symptomatic of Australias fielding in the second innings, during which several chances went down.There were also a couple of reprieves on review for de Kock, but Australia could not complain about those. In the end, du Plessis declared soon after lunch with South Africa on 8 for 540. Australia needed 539 to win. Only once in Test history has any team scored more than 500 in the fourth innings, and even that did not result in a win, for Englands 654 for 5 in the infamous timeless Test of 1939 came in pursuit of 696.The highest successful chase in Test history was the 418 scored by West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2003, and Austraias highest was 404 back in 1948. The statisticians can close their books for now, because by stumps on day four, all of those records remained very safe indeed. 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