Unser Chat » Mickelson handed over th

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND -- Graham DeLaet was on the course on Monday, playing a dozen or so holes to see the course and shake off the jet lag. This is the fifth major for DeLaet and hes missed the cut in the previous three, admitting that while he likes the test of the biggest tournaments, his record isnt all that good. However, he attributed much of his performance to learning the nuances of major championship golf. DeLaet also said that last year at Muirfield, his wrist took a beating due to the firmness of the turf and the steepness of his swing. The ground here at Royal Liverpool is a bit more lush than a year earlier which may help the Canadian. -- Phil Mickelson handed over the Claret Jug on Monday, a tradition the defending champion goes through each year. As do most winners, the lefthander took the trophy to every clambake and family outing he could, sharing it with friends whove helped him along in his career. Mickleson arrives in Liverpool in the midst of what most would consider a down year. He has no wins and not even a top-10 finish to speak of. But, not surprisingly, hes upbeat. “Well, it obviously hasnt been a good year,” he said. “Normally I would be discouraged or frustrated, but Im just not. Im not frustrated and Im not discouraged. I feel like Ive had some good breakthroughs in some areas. I havent had the results, I know I havent played well. But the parts feel a lot better than the whole right now.” Mickelson has armed himself with a few new clubs in the bag this week. Hes added a two-iron as well as a 64-degree wedge that has almost no bounce. Its the only tournament where hell carry these weapons. -- On Monday, members of the International Golf Federation met with the media. Thats the group charged with running golf in the Olympics, among other things. Of course the hot topic is the golf course, which, as with many of the facilities in Rio, is behind schedule. Ian Andrew outlined some of the issues in the latest SCOREGolf Magazine. The powers that be seem to think it will be completed on time and Ty Votaw, who works for the PGA Tour but is also the IGFs vice-president, said there will be a test event prior to the Olympics although there wont be any time to make any changes of significance after that. He also said there is an emergency plan in place. “Well, as far as contingency plan,” he stated, “I think were in no different place than all the other sports in the Olympic games for Rio 2016 and the readiness and preparedness of Rio. “But, yes, we do have plans in place, but were not going to tell you what they are.” -- The weather outlook for the Open, always a concern, is calling for a nice opening day on Thursday with unseasonably warm temperatures (that means getting into the 20s). But the remaining three days arent so positive with thunderstorms in the forecast. Cheap Philadelphia Eagles Gear . On Thursday, a judge said Varlamov could be released if he posted $5,000 bond and be allowed to travel with the team but he was ordered to stay away from his girlfriend, among other restrictions. Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys Outlet . James Erskine said Tuesday that Thorpe was "quite sick" in a Sydney hospital but dismissed media reports the swimmer might lose the use of his left arm. "Hes not in the intensive care," Erskine said. http://www.cheapeagles.com/ .S.-Cuba relations means baseball prospects get off the island and into the major leagues without payoffs to smugglers and threats from kidnappers, its hard to see the downside. Discount Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . Meanwhile, the Jets extended their winning streak to four and remain perfect under Paul Maurice. Its the Jets second four-game winning streak of the season, the other coming in mid-November. Custom Eagles Jerseys .Mila Kunis was a guest on Kimmel last night and revealed a surprising side of herself that comes out when she watches sports. It turns out screaming something vulgar at professional athletes is therapeutic for Kunis.The NFL Combine wrapped up this week and the impact on the mock drafts and predictions around the league is already being felt. While some players merely solidified their standing on big boards and mock drafts, several others saw their Combine results either boost or drop their placing in the mind of scouts and general managers across the league. Some notes from the NFL Combine Two-Horse Race A look at the most recent batch of mock drafts has two players showing up more often than any others at the top spot. One wont surprise you – South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney – but one certainly could – UCF quarterback Blake Bortles. While questions about his work ethic may knock Clowney out of the top spot, his blistering 40-yard dash time (4.53) ensures that if he does fall, it wont be very far. Bortles meanwhile impressed both on the field and off. Almost all draftniks and experts consider the once unknown QB to be a legit top end prospect. Of the 15 expert mock drafts gathered for TSN.cas database, Bortles had the most first overall picks of any player. Quarterback Battle While mock drafters are slotting Bortles into the first pick (owned by the Houston Texans) more than any other quarterback, that doesnt necessarily mean hes viewed as the top quarterback. Of the 15 expert mock drafts culled by TSN.ca, Bortles had just the third highest average draft position. First was Texas A&Ms Johnny Manziel with an ADP of 3.1 followed by Louisvilles Teddy Bridgewater (3.9) and then Bortles at 4.7. Dont Forget Me While hes not in the same boat as Manziel, Bridgewater, or Bortles, Fresno States Derek Carr reportedly had a very strong NFL Combine showing, particularly while interviewing with teams. At this point Carr appears to be a mid-first round pick at best but his showing has some quarterback-needy teams considering passing on one of the top three QBs early in the draft to fill other positions, while hoping to land Carr later on. There are reports the gap between the Big Three and Carr is not very wide. Moving Up The biggest benefactors of the NFL Combine, among the early picks at least, were Auburn OT Greg Robinson and Buffalo LB Khalil Mack. Robinsons athleticism seems to have solidified him as the top offensive tackle on the board and boosted his projected status from Top 10 pick to Top 5. Robinson could even hear his name as early as second overall to the St. Louis Rams. Mack is another former potential Top 10 pick that could easily find his way intto the Top 5 come May.dddddddddddd While his destination is hard to pinpoint at this point in the evaluation process, respected NFL Network draftnik Mike Mayock said he would consider Mack with the first overall pick. Thats high praise! Moving Down The rise of Robinson and Mack is having adverse effects on players of similar talent at the same position of the two in Jake Matthews and Anthony Barr. Once considered two of the top three players in the draft (alongside Clowney) by some, Matthews and Barr are no longer locks to be Top 5 picks and thats in large part due to Robinson proving hes the better offensive tackle, and Mack proving hes far closer to Clowney than originally thought. At this point it wouldnt be shocking to see Barr fall out of the Top 10 picks (ADP currently 8.9) while even Matthews could see himself suffer the same fate (ADP currently 5.9) the way things are playing out. To be fair, in Barrs case, Mack isnt the sole reason the UCLA pass rushers stock is falling; only 15 reps on the bench press could scare away a few teams. Lions targeting a CB The Detroit Lions need help at cornerback and most draftniks expect them to get it at the draft. Of the expert mock drafts culled by TSN.ca, 86% of them have the Lions taking a cornerback 10th overall. The only question in their minds is if it will be Oklahoma States Justin Gilbert, taken by the Lions in 53% of mock drafts, or Michigan States Darqueze Dennard, taken by Detroit in 33% of mock drafts. The current draft landscape lays out with a slight drop off after the top nine players. From there its still anyones guess as to who leads the second tier of players. Many mock drafters see the Lions filling a need and taking whichever cornerback they have ranked the highest. Wide Receiver Battle This position battle is unlike the quarterback battle as Clemson standout Sammy Watkins is the clear cut top pass catcher in this years draft. The battle is for the second best receiver with USCs Marqise Lee losing his spot to Texas A&Ms Mike Evans in 80% of mock drafts gathered. The receiver class is very deep this year with good pass catchers still likely to be available midway through the second round and if Lee finds himself engulfed in the second tier of receivers, hes no lock to hear his name on the first day of the NFL Draft. The true battle could be between Evans and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron. The difference between their ADP is currently only a couple of picks (Evans: 13.8 to Ebron:16.0). 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