probably the best time Ive everr had being around a group of guys," Napoli said. [url=https://www.cheapflames.com/]Wholesale Fl

PINEHURST, N. Flames Jerseys 2021 .C. -- Comparisons were inevitable by hosting the U.S. Open and U.S. Womens Open on the game golf course in consecutive weeks. Only these had nothing to do with numbers. Stacy Lewis found comfort in comparisons with U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer. The No. 1 player in womens golf studied Pinehurst No. 2 on her own a few weeks ago, formulated an idea how to play the golf course, and then watched Martin Kaymer follow the script she had in her head and win by eight shots. Just like Kaymer, she opened Thursday without a bogey on her card, a 3-under 67 for a one-shot lead over Michelle Wie. "It was cool to see the plan I had laid out in my head. He was kind of doing the same thing," Lewis said. "So it was nice coming into the week knowing that my plan was going to work on this golf course. ... If youre hitting the ball well enough, you can definitely run away with it. At the same time, you have to know par is a good number and keep grinding away." Right behind was Wie, who studied as hard for Pinehurst as she ever did at Stanford. She was at Pinehurst on Sunday to watch the final round, and later picked up the yardage books from a few friends in south Florida -- U.S. Open runner-up Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley -- and compared notes. Wie charted her way to four birdies on the back nine for a 68. "I did a lot of homework," she said. "Just took the notes from both of the books. It really helped just because they played last week in similar conditions. And theyre obviously great players. I definitely learned a thing or two." Her putter certainly helped. Wie rolled in long birdie putts at Nos. 12 and 14, made a good par save after going into a bunker on the 17th and hit her approach to 5 feet on the final hole. It was her lowest opening round in a U.S. Womens Open. She had started with an 80 or higher four of the last six years. They were among only five players under par when the first round was halted by thunderstorms with 30 players who did not finish. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., were the top Canadians on the day. They both shot 71 to finish the first round in a tie for 11th place. Kaymer, who started with a bogey-free 65 on his way to a wire-to-wire win, was among 15 players who broke par in the first round of the mens Open. The scoring average Thursday was 75.73, about 2 1/2 shots harder than it was for the men. Pinehurst No. 2 played 1,064 yards shorter than it did for the opening round of the U.S. Open. That didnt make it any easier. Except for Lewis. "It was such an easy day," Lewis said, referring to her game more than the golf course. "I played really, really solid, other that I had to make a few par putts. But other than that, I didnt put myself in too bad of spots and made a few birdies." Former Womens Open champion So Yeon Ryu, Katherine Kirk and 18-year-old amateur Minjee Lee were at 69. "I think we put on a great show," Wie said. "There are a couple of red numbers out there. There are a lot of people hovering around even par. But I think its great. I love that we are playing on the same stage as the men. I think its really interesting. It makes it very exciting." The show belonged to Lucy Li, the 11-year-old from the Bay Area who became the youngest qualifier in U.S. Womens Open history. She missed only one fairway and was rarely out of position, though it cost the sixth-grader dearly when she was. Li made one triple bogey and two double bogeys, three blemishes on her card that led to a 78. "I mean, its 8 over," Li said. "Its not bad. But I was 7 over in three holes, so thats 1 over in 15 holes. So yeah, I just need to get rid of the big numbers." There were plenty of those to go around. At least 17 players failed to break 80, including Laura Davies. She had an 82, her worst score in a Womens Open since Cherry Hills in 2005. Perhaps more shocking was Lydia Ko, Cristie Kerr and defending champion Inbee Park, each of them at 76. Karrie Webb and Paula Creamer were at 70. Juli Inkster, at 53 and playing in the Womens Open for the 35th time, had a 71. "I dont think the course is on the edge at all," Webb said. "I think the USGA had to be a little bit cautious. We havent played a tournament here with this course setup before, and it is the second week. So I think theyre probably trying to see how the course is playing, just to see where theyre at with the golf course. I think they were just sort of seeing how we handled it." One thing didnt change from either week. Anything around par in a U.S. Open was not a bad place to be. "It was a grind out there today," Wie said. "It will probably be a grind the next three days." Calgary Flames Gear . "First, I would like to offer my deepest and sincerest apologies for any harm I have inflicted on University of Missouri defensive lineman, Michael Sam," the statement read. Fake Flames Jerseys . Marian Gaborik had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made just 17 saves to record his fourth shutout of the season as the Kings snapped a three-game losing skid with a 3-0 victory over the lowly Oilers on Thursday. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . His second visit, not so much. Roark (7-5) allowed four runs on 10 hits and one walk over six innings in a 7-2 setback in front of several friends and family members, as the Cubs snapped his personal streak of four consecutive victories on Friday.BOSTON -- Mike Napoli showed the Boston Red Sox he could have a strong season despite a hip condition that delayed his signing a year ago. So they rushed to re-sign the first baseman who general manager Ben Cherington described Friday as "a unique player." The World Series champions finalized a $32 million, two-year agreement Thursday with the slugging former catcher who turned into a surprisingly good defender. "It was clearly one of our priorities," Cherington said in a conference call. "When we pursued Mike last year and ultimately signed him we did that because we felt like his skill set would obviously help us on the field and we also heard a lot about his reputation as a teammate." After agreeing to a $39 million, three-year contract last December, the Red Sox heard about his avascular necrosis condition in both hips that can cause bone tissue to die because of poor blood supply. About six weeks later, in late January, a $5 million, one-year deal was reached. With performance bonuses, Napoli ended up making $13 million. His new contract has no provisions protecting the team against hip problems, Cherington said. The 32-year-old Napoli was eager to return to the city he excited with his homers and bushy beard. "After going through what I went through last year, it was definitely a relief to just go through this," he said. "Im happy to be back. I wanted to be in a place where I was comfortable and somewhere where we can win." Fears about his hips were unfounded, at least for last season. The eight-year veteran had career highs in at bats, run, hits, doubles, RBIs, walks and strikeouts and made just six errors in his first full season as a first baseman. He also had a good time bonding with his beard-tugging teammates. "As a player, its probably the best time Ive everr had being around a group of guys," Napoli said. Wholesale Flames Jerseys. "It was a lot of fun going to the park every day, seeing those guys, trying to see what was going to happen that day, see how we were going to mess around with each other." With fellow newcomers Jonny Gomes, Shane Victorino and David Ross, Napoli was part of a tight-knit group that changed the clubhouse culture from the previous year. "Having spent several months around him, it became very clear that he was not just an important part of the team on the field," Cherington said, "but, really, a particularly important guy in the clubhouse. Really, a lot of things that Mike does as a player and as a teammate are things that we believe in strongly. Hes accountable. Hes responsible. Hes prepared." Napoli said other teams were interested in signing him. He had been comfortable the previous two seasons in Texas but told his agent he wanted to stay in Boston. He batted .259 with 23 home runs and 92 RBIs then hit two key solo homers in the AL championship series against Detroit -- in a 1-0 win in Game 3 and a 4-3 win in Game 5. The Red Sox won that series in six games. In the post-season, Napoli drove in seven runs as Boston also beat Tampa Bay in the division series and St. Louis in the World Series. "Were confident that Mike is healthy," Cherington said, "and we feel that hes going to be a great part of our team for the next couple of years and, hopefully, beyond." Napoli just wants to get started on his second season with Boston after winning the World Series in his first. "After going through this and being able to sit down and realize what happened for me, it makes me hungry," Napoli said. "I cant wait to get back on the field, be with my teammates again, and try to do it again." ' ' '