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THE WOODLANDS, Texas—Arnold Palmer curled in the 25-foot putt on the 18th
hole, raised his right hand and acknowledged the massive, cheering gallery with
a thumbs-up sign and his trademark smile. Brandon Stokley Jersey . Jack Nicklaus gave
Palmer a hard handshake. Gary Player offered a pat on the back, a fitting end to
a memorable day for the golf greats. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player made up a
threesome in a nostalgic, 18-hole exhibition round Saturday in conjunction with
the second round of the Champions Tours Insperity Championship. Thousands lined
the fairways at the Woodlands Country Club and several Champions Tour players
joined the gallery to catch a rare glimpse of golfs “Big 3” playing together.
“We enjoyed it,” Nicklaus said. “We didnt make any bogeys, we made a few birdies
and we hit a few nice shots and had a great time. And thats what this was all
about.” Lee Trevino played in the threesome ahead in the nine-man scramble.
Miller Barber, Don January, David Graham, Gene Littler and Dave Stockton also
participated. But most of the estimated crowd of 40,000 came to see the Big 3,
who hit the ceremonial opening tee shots together at the Masters for the first
time this year. This day was different, and even competitive. Naturally,
Nicklaus, Palmer and Player took home the biggest trophy, shooting 11-under par.
“We didnt make it too serious,” Palmer said, “but we didnt want to come in
second, either.” Before the round, Trevino lamented that he wasnt sure when the
group would get to play together again. But Nicklaus, who said he hadnt played
in public for six or seven years, said afterward that he was open to the idea.
“Id do it again,” Nicklaus said. “I just dont play golf. I actually hit the ball
pretty decently today. I putted very well, and I wouldnt have expected that.”
The event seemed to be a huge success, with young and old fans eagerly snapping
photos and lining up for autographs between every hole. They were treated not
only to entertaining, up-close banter with the players, but also some solid
golf. The 76-year-old Player, who says he routinely shoots six or seven shots
below his age, dropped his approach to the par-4 11th hole within 2 feet,
setting up one of the groups 11 birdies. “We birdied the living daylights out of
this golf course,” Player said. “The quality of golf was like when we were
young.” Palmer tapped in the short putt before Player and Nicklaus reached the
green, and Palmer bent down and rolled the ball down a hill to Players feet,
drawing laughter from the crowd. “Weve got to hit it closer, guys!” Palmer said,
as the players boarded carts and headed for the next tee. Just as they arrived,
Trevino ripped a drive down the middle of the 12th fairway, drawing applause.
The chatty Trevino turned to the crowd, raised his driver and cracked, “I may
auction this off when were finished!” There were also reminders of the days when
the men ruled the game. Driver in hand, Nicklaus walked up to the tee box on the
par-5 13th hole and turned to the gallery. “How long is this hole?” Nicklaus
asked. “Five hundred yards,” someone answered. “Driver, wedge, Jack!” someone
else said. “Ah, those were the good ol days,” Nicklaus said, before hitting a
drive down the right side of the fairway. Palmer, who retired from competitive
golf during the Champions Tour event here in 2006, had his share of good shots
and capped the day with the long birdie putt. “I was so happy to see him do
that,” Player said. “He got a little taste of what he did when he was young.”
Houston resident Steve Elkington, Ben Crenshaw, Andy Bean and Peter Jacobsen
were among the former pros who joined the gallery to catch a peek at the games
greats back in their element. “I love to see them,” Crenshaw said. “We cant
thank them enough. Theyve done it all for us. I have been so fortunate to have
spent so much time with them, not only playing, but being together. Theyve been
a great part of my professional life.” Crenshaw hopes this isnt the last time he
sees them play together. Nicklaus, Palmer, Player and Trevino all seemed
enthusiastic about doing it again, too. “We had a blast today,” Nicklaus said.
Von Miller Pink Jersey . Russia now also
avoids the United States — if the Americans win Group A as expected — until the
gold-medal game if both teams advance in the medal round. Fridzon, the hero of
Russias victory over Brazil on Thursday, made the clinching free throws with 4.
John Elway Womens Jersey . An own goal in the
52nd minute proved to be the winner for the Timbers (3-5-3), who had played to
scoreless draws in their last two matches. “Maybe it wasnt pretty at times, but
it was the three points that we needed,” Timbers striker Kris Boyd said. http://www.nfldenverbroncosfans.com/matt-prater-jersey
. —Give Damien Williams just a little daylight and hes going, going, gone. Champ Bailey Womens Jersey . Kubel hit two of
Arizonas four home runs to help the Diamondbacks beat San Diego 8-5 Saturday
night, snapping a seven-game losing streak against the Padres. Willis McGahee Pink Jersey . The Halifax
native posted a time of 33.804 seconds in the mens K-1 200 metre to earn a
ticket to the London Games. “It feels awesome,” said de Jonge.British marathoner
and world record holder Paula Radcliffe has been ruled out of the London 2012
Olympic Games. The British Olympic Association and UK Athletics made the
announcement on Sunday. The 38-year-old Radcliffe has been battling a foot
injury, a flare-up of a chronic condition of osteoarthritis that flared up this
month. Prior to the start of the Games, UKA head coach Charles van Commenee put
Radcliffes odds of competing inthe Olympic Games at 50-50. A BBC story said she
would conduct a fitness test Sunday to determine if she would be physically
ready to handle the 42-kilometre grind on Day 9 (Sunday, August 5). Early
Sunday, Radcliffe had taken to twitter, bothered by reports that she had already
been ruled out. “Hurt by daillymail & whoever thinks know my situation,
before evendo final test run. Von Miller Orange Jersey. Not looking good
but my heartbreaking news to break!” Radcliffe wrote on her Twitter feed Sunday.
A story in The Guardian also said the mother of two went to see German doctor
Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt, a man renowned in the sports medicine world, who
also recently treated Usain Bolt for a nagging hamstring problem, in the hopes
of competing in her fifth Olympic Games, and earning her first career Olympic
medal. The closest she got to the podium was a fourth-place finish in Sydney
2000 in the 10,000m. She finished in 23rd place at the Beijing 2008 marathon.Her
world record mark was recorded during the 2003 London Marathon, a time of
2:15:25. ’ ’ ’