Basisphilosophie » Dustin Johnson, shot 4-over

MONTREAL -- Michael Putnam and Tim Petrovic mastered the afternoon winds to shoot six-under-par 64s and take a share of the first-round lead at the US$5.7 million RBC Canadian Open on Thursday. But the surprise of the day was big-hitting amateur Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., who shot five-under 65 for a share of third place with Kyle Stanley. Putnam and Petrovic played bogey-free golf at the 7,153-yard par-70 Blue Course at Royal Montreal on a near perfect day for scoring, with sunny weather and soft greens from heavy rains the previous day. A gust wind came in for the those with afternoon starts, but it didnt stop Putnam or Petrovic from shooting the low scores of the day, which set the course record for an opening round. "It was tough ball-striking, but somehow I was able to keep it in the fairway and take advantage of the soft greens to hit a couple of shots close and make a couple of five-to-ten-foot putts," said Putnam, who has been playing his best golf of the season of late with top-35 finishes in his last three outings. The 47-year-old Petrovic didnt know he would play until he got a call on Tuesday saying he was in as the seventh alternate. The former PGA Tour regular, playing only his eighth Tour event this season, didnt even have his name on the program. There was no rust in his game, however. "I didnt set my expectations high because I got in late, so this was kind of my practice round," said Petrovic. "I walked the back nine (Wednesday). "It wasnt that I played conservative. I was just trying to hit fairways and greens, trying to see the golf course and see if I could make a few putts. I drove the ball pretty good overall." There were 11 players tied at 4-under 66, including Nick Watney and Charl Schwartzel, and another 16 at 3-under 67, including David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., and two-time Canadian Open champion Jim Furyk. Another dozen were at 2-under 68 and there were 23 at 1-under 69, including top-ranked Canadian Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., and defending champion Brandt Snedeker. Another sunny day is forecast for the second round on Friday, with a possibility of wet weather on the weekend. The 23-year-old Pendrith, Canadas top amateur, had a dream day in his first round of his first Canadian Open. He recently graduated from Kent State University and hopes to play in the world amateur championships this summer before likely turning pro in the fall. Although its early, hes one stroke off the lead of a tournament no Canadian has won since Pat Fletcher in 1954. "I never expected that," said Pendrith. "I was playing good golf coming in here, so I just played golf. "Five-under is pretty nice. Everybody has some nerves. If you didnt have nerves on the first tee something would be wrong with you. But after I played the first hole, I felt calm and felt I should be here." He played in the last threesome to tee off in the afternoon, when the worst of the wind was up, but used his long drives to cut through the tree-lined fairways and get close to the greens. He had seven birdies, including one on a putt that trickled in on the 18th, and two bogeys. "The front nine suits my game a lot," he said. "I can shoot driver nearly every hole. "I had four birdies on the front nine, all with wedges." Pendrith is 18th in world amateur rankings, tops among Canadians. He and fellow national team members Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., who shot even-par 70, and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., who was at 4-over 74, were given entries into the Open. Stanleys 5-under was the best among the early tee times. "I love this golf course," the Gig Harbor, Wash., native said. "Its similar to the one I grew up with in Washington, so I felt pretty comfortable. "I hit the ball well on my first nine today. I was able to make a few of the long range putts that got the round going for me." The soft greens made for ideal scoring conditions, but Stanley said the course is still a challenge. "That front nine is pretty difficult," he said. "Theres a couple of mid-irons into the par-3s and a 500-yard par-4 (the fourth), so its a kind of sneaky-demanding course." Stanley is best known for posting his only PGA Tour win a week after a memorable collapse. In 2012, he blew a six-shot lead in the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open and lost in a playoff to Snedeker, then bounced back with a victory at the Phoenix Open. This season has been trying for the 26-year-old. He sits 164th in FedEx Cup standings with only one top-25 finish, which was in October. He said it was premature to think about turning the season around after one good round. "Theres a ton of golf left," he said. "Its nice to get a round like this because it shows Im working on the right things." Hearn had a great round going until he bogeyed the 14th and 15th on his back nine. He recovered with a birdie at the 16th. "Any day you come off the course and shoot 3-under and feel you left a few out there, you feel its a good day," said Hearn. "Im not overly disappointed with the way I played. "I hit the ball great from tee to green. If I can continue to do that for the rest of the week I know Im going to play well." It was a rough opening round for some. Both Stephen Ames of Calgary and one of the tournament favourites, Dustin Johnson, shot 4-over 74. John Daly had 6-over 76, Scott McCarron turned in a 78 and Erik Compton shot 79. Breeland Speaks Jersey . Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout. Demarcus Robinson Jersey . - Titans quarterback Jake Locker will miss the rest of the season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, leaving Tennessee trying to rally with Ryan Fitzpatrick. http://www.chiefsauthenticofficialstore.com/authentic-anthony-hitchens-jersey.html . Osasunas Alvaro Cejudo drove the ball onto the crossbar in the fifth minute and his team squandered several long-range strikes before he was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez in the 50th. Chad Henne Chiefs Jersey . Lynn was tied for 16th entering the fourth round, six shots behind leader Paul Waring. He started with two birdies and added three more on his last five holes at the Oceanico Victoria course for an 18-under total of 266. Sammy Watkins Jersey . - The Raiders have released guard Mike Brisiel after two disappointing seasons in Oakland.CLEVELAND -- They found the open man. They made the extra pass. They moved the ball with stunning efficiency. The Spurs put on a basketball clinic. The Cavaliers couldnt stop it. Danny Green scored 24 points and San Antonio turned to its 3-point shooting to shake off a sluggish start in a 122-101 victory over Cleveland on Tuesday night. Kawhi Leonard added 18 points, and Patty Mills and Boris Diaw had 16 apiece as the Spurs, running their offence to near perfection, won their fourth straight. They did it with stars Tim Duncan and Tony Parker combining for just 14 points. And, the Spurs did it by racking up a season-high 39 assists on 43 field goals. In the second half, San Antonio had 24 assists on 25 field goals. "That doesnt happen very often," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Weve been doing that really well all year long, but thats a ridiculous ratio right there." San Antonio, chasing Oklahoma City for the best record in the Western Conference, made 14 of 33 3-pointers. The Spurs scored just 13 points in the first quarter and trailed by 12 early in the second before making six straight 3s. Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters scored 24 each for the Cavs, who have lost nine straight to the Spurs. Spencer Hawes added 20 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland. This wasnt as easy for the Spurs as their 30-point blowout of the Cavs in November, but it was close. With the trademark proficiency that has made it a model franchise, San Antonio turned a competitive game for nearly three quarters into a laugher. The always demanding Popovich had little to gripe about afterward. "Were always trying to move the ball, good to great," he said. "Penetrate for a teammate, not necessarily for yourself. We did a really good job of it tonight. Sometimes you get an A-plus, sometimes you get an A-minus. Tonight was an A-plus in that regard." San Antonio started just 1 of 7 on 3-pointers, but the NBAs best 3-point shooting team made 12 of its next 18 to open a 17-point lead after three quarters. "In the first half, they missed a lot of shots and we caught a break," Waiters said. "With that team you cant make a lot of mistakes and we paid for it." Parker, playing his second game after sitting out six to heal up an assortment of injuries, scored seven points in 22 minutes.dddddddddddd Duncan also had only seven but both All-Stars were able to enjoy the final quarter on the bench. Whenever the Cavs got close, the Spurs simply ran their offence, and more times than not wound up making a 3-pointer to open some distance. "Thats a lot of fun," Manu Ginobili said. "That means everybody got involved and everybody enjoyed the game. Its great to be a part of that." Irvings three-point play late in the third pulled Cleveland to 76-65, but Mills made two 3-pointers and Diaw knocked down another 3 in the final 1:04 to put the Spurs ahead 85-68 entering the fourth. Greens 3-pointer made it 88-68, and his three-point play swelled the Spurs margin to 23 in the opening minute of the fourth. The Spurs started miserably, shooting just 5 of 21 and scoring only 13 points in a ragged first quarter. They seemed disinterested and the Cavs took advantage, opening a 12-point lead in the first minute of the second quarter. It didnt last long. San Antonio made those six straight 3s to open the second quarter, and the Spurs outscored the Cavs 37-17 in the period to take a 50-40 halftime lead. Mills triggered the turnaround by scoring 10 points in the quarter. "He got 10 points when we were struggling to make buckets," Ginobili said. The Cavaliers got Waiters back but still have some key parts missing. Cleveland centre Anderson Varejao was sidelined for the 11th straight game with a sore back, and swingman C.J. Miles sat out his seventh in a row with a sprained left ankle. NOTES: The Spurs improved the NBAs best road record to 23-8. ... Green played 20 games as a rookie with Cleveland in 2009-10, when Mike Brown was in the final season of his first stint as Cavs coach. Green was cut the following season, and released twice by San Antonio before landing a full-time gig with the Spurs. Brown has always pulled for Green. "Great guy," Brown said. "He worked his tail off to get where he is. I wouldnt wish anything besides luck for him, except when hes playing us. When he did start having some success -- because he didnt change as a person -- everybody that crossed paths with him has rooted for him." ... The Spurs have had a winning road record for 17 straight seasons, a league mark. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '