always. Kaymer last week used putter exclusively

Graham DeLaet starts his first tournament of 2014 this week in San Diego, teeing it up at the Farmers Insurance Open. While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. While every stop is important for the Canadian golfer, he is more than just a little excited about his first opportunity to play the Masters. "When I look at the schedule, thats the one thing that stands out," he said just prior to heading out to San Diego. "I feel like I know the course so well already, the breaks on the green and where to hit it. Its my highlight sporting event of the year to watch." DeLaet earned his spot in the field through his stellar 2013 season making it to the Tour Championship as well as finishing inside the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking. He even Tweeted out a picture of the official invitation, which now sits framed on a shelf in his living room. DeLaet is planning to head up to Augusta early to get a look at the course and hell have a pretty good tour guide with him. While playing the Shark Shootout in December with Mike Weir, the two Canadians made a plan for a side trip, likely on the Monday of one of the Florida stops. "It wont be hard to make time for that," he said. "Ive been told by a lot of people that my game suits the course, so Im excited to get up there and see it." There are a few stops prior to Augusta of course and DeLaet is hoping he can continue to play as he did for much of 2013, a year that saw him break out and become a bona fide world-class player. It was also a year that left him out of gas at the end, running on fumes as he hit the Christmas break. "It was a good off season," he stated. "I was really burned at the end of last year but now my battery has been recharged and Im ready to get going." The recharging included he and his wife Ruby moving to Phoenix, Ariz., although hell maintain a residence in Boise where hes lived since his school days. He also took in the Winter Classic hockey game in Ann Arbor, Mi., which he described as crazy (he was one of the few fans in attendance at the Leafs-Red Wings game wearing a Calgary Flames sweater). And, as he got closer to returning to play, there was also a lot of practice, trying to find the feel of his almost-pure swing that statistically has him as one of the games best ball-strikers. The off-season was also busy from a sponsorship standpoint as most of his deals expired. He signed a new clothing contract with Puma that will see him don some bright hues, including a regular red and white outfit every Sunday. He followed that by inking a deal with Canadian communications company Shaw, whose logo will appear on his hat and bag. And, despite some very lucrative offers - one reportedly with seven figures before the decimal point - he stayed with Titleist clubs and ball. "He was one of the hottest commodities out there. Everyone wanted him," said one equipment company executive. That, of course, is because they - like just about every Canadian golf fan, sees the great potential in DeLaet. He sees it too and is hoping this will be the year he notches his first victory along with a few other goals. "Im excited," stated the Weyburn, Sask., produce who turns 32 on Wednesday. "I want to try and put myself in that position to get the first win. The Presidents Cup again, staying inside the top 50 in the world and even moving up. Those are all outcome goals. I know that they come with how I play. Ive been working hard, putting in the proper practice and using the Monday, Tuesday Wednesday to take care of what I need to take care of so Im ready on Thursday." His tremendous play, perhaps highlighted by his Presidents Cup appearance, has meant other changes as well. First off, his schedule will be different in 2014. In fact, it already is. He skipped the SONY Open in Hawaii, and event in which hes performed well in the past and loves to attend. And there will be other tournaments that have been on his itinerary that will be squeezed out to make room for all four majors as well as the lucrative no-cut World Golf Championship events. There is a stretch starting with the British Open where hell play eight out of nine weeks, an exhausting but unavoidable itinerary. With the great play has also come a crushing demand on his time. More autograph requests. More sponsor requests. And more media requests. "It comes with the territory," DeLaet said. "As I rise up the rankings, I get more attention. You try to limit it as much as you can but at the same time you know its part of the job and you know that its important to talk to certain people." This week marks the start of what could be a very big year for DeLaet. Hes pumped and ready for it. So is most of Canada. Austin Rivers Jersey .C. -- Eric Staal kept his focus after his apparent breakaway goal was waived off early in the third period. Gerald Green Jersey . He was signed to help with depth to the receiving corps because of the loss of Shamawd Chambers to the 6-game injured list. http://www.therocketsofficial.com/Authentic-Charles-Barkley-Rockets-Jersey/ . -- Kevin Stadler might be playing in the Masters for the first time, but hes already showing his old man a thing or two. Robert Horry Rockets Jersey . Snedekers best result so far this year is a tie for eighth place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. He sits 113th in FedEx Cup standings and has dropped to 31st in world rankings — not the results expected from a player ranked fourth in the world only two years ago. Custom Houston Rockets Jerseys .Y. - Urijah Faber walked out on a Madison Square Garden stage in a Wes Welker jersey, the UFCs fun nod to that other "super" show this weekend.PINEHURST, N.C. -- Lucy Li made two double bogeys, a triple bogey and finished her historic round at the U.S. Womens Open just like any other 11-year-old girl. She went straight for an ice cream. The sixth-grader from the Bay Area held her own at Pinehurst No. 2 except for three bad holes. Li wound up with an 8-over 78. That put her 11 shots behind the early leader, two-time major champion Stacy Lewis, and a long shot to become the youngest ever to make the cut in the Womens Open. Li already is the youngest qualifier in championship history. She dressed for PINEHURST, N.C. -- Lucy Li showed her age only when she finished her historic round Thursday at the U.S. Womens Open. Just like any 11-year-old, she went straight for an ice cream. The youngest qualifier ever at the Womens Open played a grown-up game at Pinehurst No. 2, except for three holes that made her 8-over 78 look a lot worse than it was and stretched the odds of her becoming the youngest player to make the cut. "She looks 11. She doesnt talk 11. And she doesnt hit the ball like shes 11," said Catherine ODonnell, who played with her in a sunbaked opening round on a course that only four days ago hosted the mens U.S. Open. The sixth-grader from the Bay Area was the star attraction, right down to her Stars & Stripes outfit to celebrate the occasion. She wore a mid-drift shirt patterned after the American flag, with a similar motif for a skirt, complete with silver stars that matched the colour of her braces. Li wound up 11 shots behind Stacy Lewis, the No. 1 player in the world who opened with a 67. But one moment was telling. The kid made a 7-foot birdie putt on the par-5 fifth hole and headed to the next tee, her braided pigtails swinging with each step. The media and a large gallery followed her right past the adjacent green, where hardly anyone noticed Lewis making her way around Pinehurst with no bogeys. Only this was more than just a sideshow. Li missed only one fairway -- by less than a yard. Even though she hit fairway metals into half of the holes, she rarely got out of position. Now if she could only take back three shots that led to big numbers. "It was a lot of fun. I kind of struggled today, but it was great," Li said, pausing to lick her ice cream between answers. "I mean, its 8 over. 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." Li had the same score as ODonnell, Natalie Gulbis and Jessica Korda, a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour this year. There already were 11 rounds in the 80s. Perhaps most remarkable about her round, besides the 13 pars and two birdies, was how she bounced back from mistakes. "Thats what I was so happy about in my round," she said. "Because after I got doubles and triples, I was able to get it back. Like I made a good stretch of holes after the double on the first hole. And after the triple, I birdied No. 5..ddddddddddddAnd I got a lot of pars after that." Li left a tough angle for her third shot on the par-5 10th hole and came up short and into a bunker. The sand shot looked reasonable until it kept rolling off the back of the green. She chipped with her wedge (a pink shaft) to about 8 feet and missed the putt to take double bogey. Another double bogey came on the 450-yard 16th hole when her fairway metal went into a bunker some 20 yards short of an elevated green, leaving a shot so hard even the best men would have a tough time. Her bunker shot was not strong enough, and she wound up missing a 7-foot bogey putt. Asked to have one swing back, it would be the wedge on the short third hole. She went left of the flag, and it trickled off the turtleback green -- the signature of this Donald Ross course -- and into a bunker. She blasted out over the green, chipped on to 18 feet and three-putted for triple bogey. But she made a pair of smooth birdies -- a 6-iron to 15 feet on No. 1, and a wedge to a right pin position on the fifth hole -- along with some tough par saves. The best came at the 426-yard eighth hole, when her 5-wood from 198 yards went long and over a steep slope right of the green. She lofted a pitch perfectly, and it rolled 6 feet by the cup. This is the same hole where John Daly putted off the green so many times in 1999 that he whacked the ball with his putter when it was still moving and rang up an 11. "Give her that shot again and she cant do that another 50 times, probably," ODonnell said. Along the way in a 5 1/2-hour round, Li often plopped to the ground in the shade and sat until it was time to hit, one time munching from a cup of fruit. "I normally sit down even more than that," she said, giggling as always. Kaymer last week used putter exclusively when he was just off the green. Li chose to chip because thats what made her more comfortable. She won the driving and chipping portion of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship two months ago at Augusta National. That was for kids. This is for grown-ups. She fit in just fine. "Shes so much more mature than I could possibly imagine," said Jessica Wallace, the other player in their group. "Shes a lot better than people thought. Shes very capable on this golf course. She played like she belongs out here. And it was a real pleasure." The youngest player to make the cut was 13-year-old Marlene Bauer, who tied for 14th in 1947. That was the second U.S. Womens Open, and Baeur -- whose married name was Hagge -- became one of the founders of the LPGA Tour. It was a long day for Lucy Li, and part of her was glad it was over. She also was looking forward to another chance Friday. And what will she do in the meantime? "Eat some more ice cream," she said. the occasion -- an American theme, with silver stars among her red, white and blue outfit. She made two birdies and a couple of grown-up par saves. ' ' '