ripped off four straight

LOUISVILLE, Ky. Wholesale Jerseys 2022 . -- For Rory McIlroy, the shockingly bad shot came out of nowhere. No worries. By the time he walked off the 18th green, there was little doubt he was still the man to beat at the PGA Championship. McIlroy ripped off four straight birdies on the back side and closed with another at the 18th hole, shooting a 5-under 66 at Valhalla that left him one shot off the lead Thursday. Fridays second round coverage begins with live streaming on TSN.ca at 8:30am et/5:30am pt while TSNs coverage begins at 1pm et/10am pt. Coming off wins at the British Open and Firestone, McIlroy came into the final major of the year as an overwhelming favourite. Even with a major blunder at the 10th, where he knocked his second shot over a fence and took double bogey, he was right on the heels of Lee Westwood, Ryan Palmer and Kevin Chappell. "Im really happy with everything," McIlroy said. "Ive got a good thing going right now. Im trying to ride that momentum as much as I can." Then theres Tiger Woods, who cant seem to get anything going. Playing just four days after his back flared up at Firestone, forcing him to withdraw, Woods proclaimed himself fit but sprayed shots all over the course on the way to a 74 that left him tied for 111th late in the day. "That wasnt very good," said Woods, who made only one birdie -- and had to hole out from the fairway to do that. "A lot of bad shots." One landed in a creek. Another sent the gallery scrambling. Yet another rolled into a fenced-off area where fans can use cellphones, a good 30 yards right of the fairway. Too bad Woods couldnt call for help. "I didnt play as well as I wanted to. I didnt get a putt to the hole," he said. "Thats not a good combo." McIlroy was cruising along when he got to the 10th, having made three birdies on the front side. After putting his tee shot right in the middle of the fairway at the par-5 hole, he yanked the next one out of bounds. A man talking on his cellphone along the fence, not concerned at all with getting in the way, was stunned with he looked up to see a ball sailing over his head. Especially when he learned whose ball it was. "I was really annoyed," McIlroy said. "That second shot at 10 is the worst shot Ive hit in weeks. It came out of the blue." He took a penalty and a drop and missed the fairway with his next attempt as well, resulting in a 7. Still shaken by that miscue, McIlroy made bogey at No. 11 to slip to even on the day. Just like that, he pulled himself together. Four straight birdies pushed McIlroy right back up the leaderboard, and it could have easily been five in a row. A 12-footer slid over the edge of the cup at the 16th. At the final hole, McIlroy reached the green in two for an eagle try to share the lead. If curled off at the end, leaving him with a tap-in -- his eighth birdie of the round. "It could have been better," he said. "But a 66 the first day, thats a solid start." Westwood matched his best round ever at a major, making nine birdies as he carried over the momentum from a closing 63 at Firestone. The 41-year-old Englishman also had a double bogey on his 10th hole of day -- at No. 1, after starting on the back -- but closed with four straight birdies. "The golf course was all there in front of me. I just play it as I see it," said Westwood, who has had numerous close calls but never won a major championship. "Last week, I felt like I turned a corner." Chappell, a 28-year-old Californian in his fourth year on the PGA Tour, turned in a bogey-free round. The final major of the year has produced some unlikely champions -- remember Shaun Micheel? -- and Chappell hopes to be the latest. "I cant complain about being in the lead of any golf tournament," said Chappell, whose only professional win came on the Web.com Tour in 2010. "I just look forward to keeping it rolling." Palmer birdied five of the nine holes on the back side, which is where he started his round. He said the greens were more inviting than he expected. "I was surprised how soft they were," he said. "It was a pretty easy, relaxing nine for me." McIlroy was joined at 65 by Jim Furyk, Henrik Stenson, Edoardo Molinari and Chris Wood. For Furyk, it was another strong start in a tournament he nearly won a year ago. He took a lead to the final day at Oak Hill, only to lose to Jason Dufner by two strokes. Dufners title defence lasted only 10 holes. Plagued by a sore neck, he withdrew after a triple-bogey left his score at 8 over, probably ending his Ryder Cup hopes as well. He came in ranked No. 8 in the standings and hoping to somehow play well enough to stay in one of the nine qualifying spots. "I tried to do what I could to be able to compete some and give it a go," Dufner said, "but it is just pointless." Wholesale Jerseys 2021 . The 20-year-old Barkley, whose impressive form this season could earn him a place in Englands World Cup squad, was hurt in Evertons 4-0 win over Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup on Jan. Wholesale Jerseys . Spencer Abbott and Trevor Smith scored third-period goals erasing a 2-1 deficit giving Toronto a late 3-2 lead.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The way things have gone for the San Francisco 49ers recently with issues off the field, general manager Trent Baalke finds himself being questioned about the importance of drafting for character. The Niners top three selections from the 2011 draft have been involved in off-the-field situations in recent weeks, resulting in a negative hit for the teams image. Most notably, star linebacker Aldon Smith was arrested at an airport last month and authorities say he used the word "bomb." Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was linked to a Miami police report involving a woman who passed out in a hotel and later woke up in a hospital not knowing how she got there. Kaepernick has strongly denied any wrongdoing. Cornerback Chris Culliver -- who made anti-gay remarks before the 2013 Super Bowl -- has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanour hit-and-run charges and felony possession of brass knuckles from a March 28 arrest. "Its a risk-reward business," Baalke said. "And we try to take chances -- calculated chances -- and it has worked in a lot of cases. There are other times when the character of an individual coming into the NFL was sterling. But they end up being guys who get in trouble. "Its not always the guys that come into the league with a checkered past that leave the league with a checkered past. It can be the opposite. And if anybody in here has the answer about who is going to end up doing what, give it to me. I could use it." Here are five things to watch for in the draft for the 49ers, who pick 30th: FRONT-OFFICE TEAMMWORK: For anybody wondering whether Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh will be duking it out in the draft room about which player to take, the GM says enough already. He insists the issue has been "misrepresented" since news broke that the Browns tried to trade for Harbaugh after San Franciscos loss in the NFC championship game. "To say that its always two rams butting heads is so false and misleading. To say theres no tension would also be false and misleading. Its good tension, its creative tension. It couldnt be better," Baalke said. "I feel good about where were at. If you want us to hug and mug for the cameras and do all that, youre looking at the wrong two guys." TRADING UP: Dont put itt past this team to move up the board. Wholesale Jerseys China. And Baalke just might look to make a splash with a player who could have an immediate impact for the Niners as they begin a new era at Levis Stadium next to team headquarters. He has done so before. "A lot of its spontaneous, happening as the drafts unfolding," Baalke said. DEPTH AT LINEBACKER: San Francisco will be without All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman for a while as he recovers from torn ligaments in his left knee sustained in the post-season loss to the Seahawks. Baalke knows Smith could face a suspension from the NFL, too. The 49ers went 5-0 during Smiths five-week stint in rehab for substance abuse last season following his DUI arrest. While Dan Skuta and rookie Corey Lemonier emerged as solid replacements for Smiths pass-rushing presence on the edge, San Francisco is expected to search for depth at linebacker. Michael Wilhoite also became a reliable reinforcement, and Baalke says the team is "very confident in being able to replace guys when they go down." "We saw it in play last year," Baalke said. "Sometimes when you lose a player, you cant replace him with just one. Sometimes it takes multiple people, it takes other people stepping up to the challenge." THE CORNERBACK NEED: Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown joined the Raiders on the other side of the bay. With Culliver working to come back from a serious knee injury, drafting a cornerback will be a top priority to complement Tramaine Brock. FINDING GOOD GUYS: All eyes will be on Baalke, who has a successful run of draft picks who have produced right away, including first-rounders Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati and Eric Reid. But now, at least some fans will be counting more than ever on the 49ers finding just the right player. Baalke points to the locker room and roster as a whole, because only a few are affecting the franchises reputation. "We just have to do a better job. And thats the mentality of this group and thats the mentality of this ownership. To think that we dont care? I take offence to classless or lawless, because thats far from the truth," Baalke said. "Respect the masses because the masses are doing it right, and well get the other things fixed." ' ' '