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el for us weve really improved in that area,
You couldnt actually see any steam coming from Graham DeLaets ears, but figuratively speaking, its likely he was blowing like a tea kettle as he walked back around the large pond stuck in the middle of the seventh hole. Norvel Pelle Jersey . DeLaet was making that trip after dunking his ball in the water and then getting a questionable ruling from an overzealous and possibly optically challenged rules official. He ended up making a double-bogey seven which seemed to derail his attempt to move up the leaderboard at the PGA Championship. But the Weyburn, Sask., native followed that up by making birdie on six of his next nine holes for a round of 68 to keep himself within striking distance of the lead. “It was a good day. I escaped the disaster that could have been,” he said. DeLaets round didnt get out to a great start. He made sloppy bogeys on the second and fifth holes before arriving at the seventh. After hitting a decent drive, he elected to go for the green with his second shot. The ball started left and sliced towards the green but came up short and in the water. Before it went for a plunge, it seemed to cross the hazard line on the far side of the water and DeLaet went to drop his ball about 60 yards from the green at the spot where he saw it cross.An official objected and a discussion ensued following which DeLaet started the long walk back around the pond to play his fourth shot. DeLaet took the high road and didnt say much about the situation but his tight expression indicated clearly he wasnt too happy. “Yeah, there was definitely a question about it,” he said, refusing to elaborate any further. However playing partner Steve Stricker offered up his view of the situation. “Graham was going to drop and the official came running over and said no, no, no. There was no way he was going to let him play from that spot,” said the former Canadian Tour player. “At the end of the day, only Graham knows whether it crossed the line, but he did the right thing. You dont want to be known as the guy who took a [questionable] drop.” The long walk back took so long that the twosome behind – Phil Mickelson and Bernd Wiesberger – played their shots to the green before DeLaet did. After he finally put the ball in the cup, he put a seven down on the card. That might have been the end of his tournament, but he suddenly caught fire, making birdies on his next four holes. He added a couple more coming in and only a stubbed wedge on the final hole prevented him from closing with another one. Now he finds himself in a large pack of golfers chasing Rory McIlroy knowing that he still has an outside chance. “I think its going to be exciting,” he stated. “Im going to definitely have to get off to a better start, but I think if I can get three or four under through the first six or seven holes, anything can happen. I think its going to take a low one tomorrow but I think its definitely a possibility.” DeLaet does have the ability to make birdies in bunches, as evidenced by yesterdays late flurry. So posting a 63 is not out of the question. When asked if he thought he could win the tournament, he replied positively. “It would be great to lift up that big trophy,” he said with a wide smile. Hal Greer Jersey . - This is just the warm-up act for 18-year-old William Nylander. Spencer Hawes Jersey . Toronto (11-12) gave up leads in 10-8 and 11-4 losses to the Baltimore Orioles this week. It was never close Friday as the Boston Red Sox got to Mark Buehrle early en route to an 8-1 win.TORONTO -- When Michael Bradley stepped off the plane in Toronto after the United States heartbreaking loss to Belgium at the World Cup, he made his intentions immediately clear. "He came up to me and said, I want to train," said Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen. The 26-year-old midfielder is expected to play Saturday night when Toronto hosts D.C. United, returning to his Major League Soccer squad with mixed feelings about the Americans World Cup run -- sad that it ended when it did but proud of his teams performance. "Theres disappointment for sure because we felt like things had come together in a good way for us, and we felt like there was more there for us," Bradley said after Fridays practice at BMO Field. "Thats sports ... you realize in those moments again how fine the margin is between going home and going on. "I think for every guy on our team there is a huge sense of pride for the way we went about it when the spotlight came on the brightest. For every guy who was there, the commitment, the determination, the willingness to leave everything on the field in every moment was incredible." He rejoins a Toronto team that has been climbing the Eastern Conference standings. TFC is fourth (6-4-3), but with four games in hand over leaders Sporting Kansas City and D.C. United. Striker Jermain Defoe, who was left off Englands roster for the World Cup, said Bradley could easily have requested a week or two off to rest and decompress. "He decided to come in and he wanted to play. Thats brilliant. He had a fantastic World Cup and hes just ready to go," Defoe said. "Great character to say to the manager, Im up for selection, I want to play, I dont need to go away and have a rest." The Americans finished second in Group G, then dropped a 2-1 decision to Belgium in extra time in their dramatic round-of-16 game. "Its always a draining experience in the World Cup, especially when you get eliminated," Nelsen said. "Theres this incredible sense of finality to it, and it can have repercussions. Id be worried if it was any other player other than Michael." Bradley said the feedback from the Belgium game has been unanimous in that it was a great game to watch. "The drama at the end, all the emotion that went into it ... when youre little, those are the games you dream of playing in," Bradley said. "Unfortunately at the end somebody has to be on the losing side but when you get a taste of playing in those kinds of games, you want more." Bradley was overwhelmed by the support the team received in Brazil. Before their opening game against Ghana in the coastal town of Natal, the local paper reported 30,000 Americans had arrived in town. "Youre thinking, maybe well have a chance to have a home crowd," Bradley said. "We walked onto the field and the national anthem starts and the entire stadium was singing. Thats a special feeling, to be playing in a World Cup representing your country, thousands of miles away from home but having the entire stadium full of Americans. Jonah Bolden Jersey. "The atmosphere, the people and the support pushed us on in such a big way." The success of the Americans, and the amount of attention paid to the team in North America, was seen as a big thumbs-up to MLS. Commissioner Don Garber posted on Twitter moments after the Americans elimination: "We proved to the world we are a soccer nation!" Six starters on the U.S. team, including star striker Clint Dempsey, play in the MLS, plus several other countries boast MLS players -- TFC keeper Julio Cesar is Brazils starting keeper, Australian international Tim Cahill plays for the New York Red Bulls, to name two. "Were all realistic, we all know the MLS is not THE best league in the world yet, but its on the right path, its growing, its continuing to improve, the quality gets better and better," Bradley said. "And when you get to the World Cup and see the number of players who come out of this league and have done well, and had a big impact on whats gone on there, you cant help but have respect for what goes on here on a weekly basis." The league recently attracted a couple more big stars. Spains all-time leading goalscorer David Villa is headed to New York City FC, while Kaka, a Brazilian and former star for Real Madrid and AC Milan, recently signed with Orlando. Theyre both expansion teams that will make their league debuts next season. Defoe called the recently Kaka news a "massive signing. Such a massive name." "Someone who has achieved so much in the game, great footballer, still has a lot to offer," he said. "The names just keep coming and coming and its only going to help the league. And obviously for me, I sit back and think Im so glad that Ive come over here, and just to be a part of it all is really good." Bradley, who tried to make time to watch Torontos games online when he was in Brazil, is excited to rejoin a team that looks poised for its first playoff appearance in franchise history. Toronto marked the end of the MLS break for the World Cup by tying the Red Bulls 2-2 on the road on Wednesday night, dictating much of the play before relinquishing the lead when the Red Bulls scored in the third minute of injury time. "Credit to all the players, and obviously the manager and staff ... were just improving each day, taking small steps but really improving as a team," Defoe said. Defoe scored the lone goal of the game when TFC beat D.C. United 1-0 in their second game of the season. "Weve played them already this season but we know theyve improved since then and we feel weve improved also," said captain Steven Caldwell. "So it should be a really good game, hopefully an attacking game. We feel for us weve really improved in that area, were looking very dangerous when we go forward, we just have to make sure weve got that nice balance and were tight at the back." Toronto plays its next three games at home. After Saturday, they host Houston on July 12, then the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 16. ' ' '
- Created: Dec 25 '19
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