OffTopic » ngs, five days after pitching the first no-hitter in t

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Doug Garwood sent his approach on the 18th hole into the sand and sighed. He was able to joke about it after nearly holing his bunker shot and saving par for a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead Saturday in the Champions Tours Principal Charity Classic. "I hit the classic fat shot that the unknown leader hits on 18," Garwood said. "And then after that it was a pretty simple sand shot and I hit it close." The 51-year-old Garwood, making his fourth start of the year and ninth in two years on the 50-and-over tour, had an 11-under 133 total at Wakonda Club. Garwood is a conditionally exempt after blowing a chance to earn a full card when he bogeyed three of his final four holes in the qualifying tournament. If he wins, hell earn full status for the next year. "Ive never been in this position before," Garwood said. "I think what I usually do is I just try to play golf. I set a score, a goal for my round, and I just try to focus on one shot at a time and achieving that. The rest of the time, I cant control what the other guys do. Im sure Ill be nervous. But thats part of the deal." Last year, he tied for second in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. His best finish this year is a tie for 25th in the Allianz Championship in February. Michael Allen, the Allianz winner, was second after a 66. Mark Calcavecchia and Tom Pernice Jr. were 9 under. Calcavecchia had a 69, and Pernice shot 67. Allen has six career Champions Tour wins, and he pushed himself into a tie for the lead with a birdie putt from the fringe on the par-3 14th hole. Allens shot delighted the fans in the grandstand because it meant that beers would be half-price for half an hour -- and Allen joined in the fun by pretending to chug one after sinking his putt. Allen made three straight birdies on the back nine -- and missed three other birdie putts that were within inches of going in. "Win, win, win," Allen said when asked about his mindset for the final round. "Ive got to keep putting well." The second round was delayed for 1 hour, 19 minutes because of lightning in the area, though the conditions remained calm throughout the stoppage in play. The delay didnt bother Chien Soon Lu, who stuck a 60-foot approach to 15 feet on No. 18 once play resumed. Lu then made a right-to-left putt to move into a temporary tie for the lead. Lu was 8 under along with Joe Durant (67), John Riegger (68) and Wes Short Jr. (70). DeAndre Jordan Jersey . 22. Wade averaged 26.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals while leading the Heat to a 3-0 record. The 31-year-old shot 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range en route to his 17th weekly honor. Steve Nash Jersey . The San Antonio Spurs handled the conditions, and the team, and it sure helped when a suffering LeBron James couldnt make it to the finish. http://www.officialmavericksfanstore.com/kids-kostas-antetokounmpo-mavericks-jersey/ . The Raptors second-year forward has been one of the primary beneficiaries of the early-season trade, breaking out and becoming a vital part of his teams success on both ends of the floor. Around the league, teams are starting to take notice and feature Ross more predominately in their pre-game scouting reports but its not just the opposition that hes impressing. Dallas Mavericks Jersey . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. Harrison Barnes Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona.LOS ANGELES -- Francisco Liriano finally got that long-awaited first victory of the season. Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. Liriano (1-5) scattered five hits over 5 2-3 scoreless innings. After entering with a 5.06 ERA, he struck out eight and walked two in his 12th start of the year. "It was a great feeling to get that first win out of the way," said Liriano, a 16-game winner for Pittsburgh last season. "It was a long time, and I felt like I wasnt doing my job. I just want to try to go deeper into the game my next time out." Beckett (3-2) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings, five days after pitching the first no-hitter in the majors this season during a 6-0 win at Philadelphia. Yasiel Puig reached base for the 31st straight game, getting an infield single in the fourth and continuing to second on Lirianos throwing error. He came up with the bases loaded in the fifth and popped up on a changeup for the third out, making him 0 for 5 in those situations. "Francisco pitched out of the stretch most of the night, and the leadoff hitter reached base in five of those six innings," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle pointed out. "To get Puig, thats just a classic matchup on a Friday night in front of 47,000 -- thats good stuff. There were so many important pitches in that sequence, but he stayed focused and was aggressive. He had eight strikeouts, and a lot of them were with guys on second." Despite Lirianos record, hes been able to keep his team in games more often than not. The Pirates have won all six of his no-decisions. "Thats what we continue to tell Frank," Hurdle said. "Fortunately, hes been around. Hes had to battle through so many things, and this is just the next thing hes going to get challenged by at the major league level. Hes kept his composure and his confidence, so well see where he can take it. I just believe its going to get better and better for him." Beckett was removed for a pinch-hitter after 88 pitches -- the 34-year-old righty threw a career-high 128 in the first no-hitter by a Dodgers pitcher since 1996. "Physically, I felt fine. I took care of myself in between starts, and I was ready to go out there," Beckett said. "I didnt feel any different between this start and my last one. I mean, if you look aat those 128 pitches in nine innings, its only 13, 14 pitches per inning.dddddddddddd" Pirates second baseman Neil Walker robbed Matt Kemp of an RBI single in the sixth with a diving stop toward the middle and threw him out, after Hanley Ramirez led off with a double. Liriano faced one more batter, striking out Scott Van Slyke with his 100th pitch. Justin Wilson then fanned Andre Ethier. Mark Melancon gave up an RBI single to Ramirez in the eighth, but retired pinch-hitter Adrian Gonzalez on a grounder with the potential tying run at second. Jason Grilli pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save. Beckett retired the side in order only once. He hit Starling Marte with a 2-2 pitch to open the third and Clint Barmes followed with a walk. Marte was picked off second, but the Pirates overcame that miscue with singles by Josh Harrison and Walker, whose hit to right field drove in Barmes with the games first run. Davis led off the fourth with a drive to centre that travelled an estimated 453 feet. It was his fourth home run of the season, including two grand slams against Cincinnati. "Beckett was on the corners all night and his stuff was good, but that fastball caught a little more of the plate and I was able to get the good part of the bat on it," Davis said. "We really didnt do too much off him, but we scored just enough runs. Its hard to beat the Dodgers only scoring two runs, but our pitchers were amazing tonight." Drew Butera, who caught Becketts no-hitter, also was behind the plate for Lirianos no-no with Minnesota on May 3, 2011, against the White Sox in Chicago. He threw out Russell Martin and Harrison on stolen base attempts for the third out in the second and fifth innings, respectively. NOTES: It was the 19th time since 1900 that a pitcher made his first start following a no-hitter against an opponent who also had pitched one. The last time that happened was May 7, 2012, when Jered Weaver of the Angels faced Liriano and beat Minnesota for the second time in five days, 8-3. ... Dee Gordon stole two more bases to raise his major league-leading total to 34, and the Dodgers total to 64 -- also tops in the majors. ... Pirates LHP Tony Watson extended his scoreless streak to 15 2-3 innings with a perfect seventh. ... Cincinnati LHP Johnny Vander Meer (1938) remains the only pitcher to throw no-hitters in consecutive starts. Cheap Bills Jerseys Authentic Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Patriots Store Cyber Monday Jets Jerseys Cyber Monday Texans Jerseys Black Friday Colts Jerseys Cheap Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Titans Store Black Friday Broncos Jerseys Cheap Chiefs Jerseys Cheap Raiders Jerseys Authentic Chargers Jerseys Cheap Ravens Store Black Friday Steelers Jerseys Black Friday Cowboys Jerseys Cheap Giants Store Cheap Eagles Store Black Friday Redskins Jerseys Falcons Jerseys Online Panthers Jerseys Online Authentic Saints Jerseys Cheap Buccaneers Jerseys Authentic Cardinals Jerseys Black Friday 49ers Jerseys Black Friday Seahawks Jerseys Cyber Monday Rams Jerseys Black Friday Bears Jerseys Wholesale Lions Jerseys Packers Jerseys Online Authentic Vikings Jerseys Cyber Monday Bengals Jerseys Cyber Monday Browns Jerseys ' ' '