PEBBLE BEACH, Calif.
Anthony Swarzak Braves Jersey . -- Jimmy Walker and Jordan Spieth are tied for the lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, which should surprise no one. Walker went eight years and 187 starts on the PGA Tour before his first victory, and now he cant seem to lose. He already has won twice in this new wraparound season, the Frys.com Open and Sony Open, and he has played 36 holes this week without making a bogey. That included a 69 at Spyglass Hill on Friday. And it helps that Walker has finished in the top 10 at Pebble Beach each of the last three years. "Its definitely not old," he said of this position he keeps finding himself in. "Ive been here before after 36 holes and after 54 and after 72. You do get more comfortable and you start to realize what it takes." Spieth had an amazing rookie season, going from no status at the start of the year to No. 7 in the FedEx Cup and a spot on the Presidents Cup team. And the 20-year-old Texan has shown no sign of stopping. Throw out that missed cut at the Sony Open, a matter of the hole failing to get in the way of his putts, and consider his start. He led after the first and third rounds at Kapalua, where he played in the final group and finished second. He led after 36 holes at the Farmers Insurance Open and played in the final group at Torrey Pines. Spieth had a 67 at Monterey Peninsula, following a 67 at Spyglass Hill, and now heads to Pebble Beach. In his young career -- 27 tournaments in the book since turning pro -- he already has a win at the John Deere Classic and four runner-up finishes. Spieth doesnt see the four second-place finishes as failures, rather learning experiences, which shows a maturity beyond his years. Both still have one more day before they can truly figure out where they stand. Walker was at 9-under 135 and heads to Monterey Peninsula, the easiest of the three courses in the rotation. Spieth was at 9-under 134 and goes to Pebble Beach, which can be brutal in nasty weather. And the forecast for Saturday was not particularly pleasant. Along with a three-club wind on the exposed sections of all three courses, steady rain began coming down sideways toward the end of the second round. There was about a 75 per cent chance for more rain Saturday, and Sunday didnt appear to be much better. More than looking ahead, Spieth was looking behind. He was happy to at least get Spyglass out of the way already, having opened with a 67 on Thursday. That didnt make the Shore Course at Monterey Peninsula a picnic. "Today was very difficult," Spieth said. "We started out in the rain and wind, and we finished in rainier and windier," he said. Spieth caught Walker for a share of the lead on the 187-yard ninth hole, which typically requires a 6-iron. He watched Kevin Chappell hit first with a 3-iron, and the ball rolled back down off the front of the green. Spieth doesnt carry a 3-iron. "I went to a hybrid," he said. "And I just kind of hit a little stinger cut about 20 feet away. And then it was normally a straight putt and Michael (Greller) and I, my caddie, are looking at each other saying, Well, weve got to play this about a foot out to the right with the wind. And so I hit it a foot out. With about 3 feet to go, the wind just blew it right, just broke perfectly right into the hole." Walkers best holes were his pars, particularly the par-5 14th. His 8-iron came back down into a bunker, leaving him such an awkward lie that he had to plant his feet outside the sand. With a shallow swing, he did well to blast out 12 feet away, and he made the par putt. "That was pretty big to keep it feeling like things were still in my favour," Walker said. He made two long birdie putts, and then hit a drive of nearly 390 yards on the seventh hole -- with the aid of a cart path. It left him only an 8-iron to the green, and he had an easy up-and-down for his final birdie. Hunter Mahan had a 68 at Spyglass Hill, with half of his six birdies on the par 5s. He was at 8-under 136. "Coming up these last few holes are tough," Mahan said. "Theyre uphill, they got the wind, its getting cold, raining. You just dont want to throw away shots. Because this can be a long week, and it could be mentally more grinding than anything." Phil Mickelson had a 73 at Pebble Beach and was five shots behind, even though he has taken 62 putts over two rounds. "Tee to green, Im playing very well, but I havent putted this poorly in a year," he said. "For the way Im hitting it, its a little disappointing because I should have a really good opportunity. And Ill have to turn it around. Its not too late, but Ive got to get it turned around here."
Hoyt Wilhelm Jersey . -- Challenged for the first time under Major League Baseballs expanded replay system, umpires got it right.
Braves Jerseys 2019 . The Earthquakes (6-9-7) were coming off a 5-0 loss at home last Saturday to FC Dallas. Even with the draw, the Sounders (13-7-3) climbed back into a tie for both the Western Conference and overall top spot in MLS. Seattle, West co-leader Real Salt Lake and East leader Sporting Kansas City all have 42 points.WASHINGTON - Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper doesnt think left wing Ryan Malones DUI and cocaine possession charges will be a distraction to the post-season-bound team. "Ryan is probably a little embarrassed of whats gone on. He made a poor decision, getting behind the wheel when he had alcohol in his system," Cooper said before Tampa Bay beat the Washington Capitals 1-0 in a shootout Sunday to close the regular season. "But for me, Ive watched all the good decisions Ryan Malones made in his life, and how charitable hes been and what a staple hes been in our community in the years hes been here," Cooper added. "I hope this one instance doesnt take away from that, because hes been a class act for us, on and off the ice." Malone didnt travel with the team to Washington. It isnt yet known what his status for the playoffs will be. Tampa Bay will host the Montreal Canadiens in the first round, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday. An officer saw Malones SUV strike a curb after making a left turn from the centre lane in the early hours of Saturday, Tampa Police Lt. Paul Lusczynski said. After being pulled over, Malone got out of his vehicle, and the officer smelled alcohol on his breath, Lusczynski said. According to the police report, the officer found 1.3 grams of cocaine in one of Malones pockets. "We talked about it as a team yesterday, and its a real unfortunate thing, but I dont think it was really on too many guys minds here today with the ... stakes of this game," Matthew Carle said after scoring the only goal in Sundays shootout. Malone refused to take field sobriety tests, but a breath test given at the jail recorded blood alcohol levels of 0.112 and 0.116 per cent, Lusczynski saaid.
Ralph Garr Braves Jersey. Florida law considers a driver impaired at 0.08. Malone was released from the Hillsborough County jail on $2,500 bond. His car was impounded by police. "The one thing is, no matter what happens, regardless of anything, youre dealt with as a human being first, hockey player second. Thats how we deal with everything. ... So you want to look after your players in their life first," Cooper said, pausing at times to choose his words carefully. "Im happy everythings OK with Ryan. ... Ive spoken to Ryan. There is a whole process thats going to go through here. Its out of our hands." NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Saturday that Malone "is subject to mandatory evaluation" under the substance abuse program agreed to by the league and the players union, and "his future playing status" will be determined based on the terms of that program. "Lets just say nobodys perfect. We all make marginal decisions at one point in our life. I know Ive made them," Cooper said. "Hell let this be a learning experience for him," Cooper said, "and were really looking forward to getting him back at some point." Malone has five goals and 10 assists in 57 games this season for the Lightning. The 34-year-old forward is in his 10th NHL season, his sixth with Tampa Bay. He has 92 goals, 201 assists and 388 penalty minutes in his career. "Hockey-wise, weve had way more distractions worse than this one. This is more of a life issue that is a friend of ours that we know is physically doing OK. Hopefully the worst is over. This is moving onward and upward after that," Cooper said. "But as for the hockey, this wont be a distraction at all for us." ' ' '