Malelane, South Africa (SportsNetwork.com) - Branden Grace went low on Thursday with a 10-under 62 and he holds a 3-shot lead after the first round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Grace, who missed the course record by one shot at Leopard Creek Country Club, is a four-time winner on the European Tour, all of which came in 2012. Graces most recent win came at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October of 2012. Rookie Jake Roos also had a strong showing to start his season as he shot a 7- under 65 and he holds sole possession of second place. Coming off a 4-shot victory at the Nedbank Golf Challenge last week, Danny Willett has his name in the mix again after shooting a 6-under 66. Willett is tied for third with rookie and fellow Englishman Matt Ford. Nacho Elvira, Michael Hollick and Tjaart van der Walt are all tied for fifth at 5-under 67. Defending champion Charl Schwartzel, who has won here on his home soil the last two years and three times overall, carded a 3-under 69 and he is tied for 21st. Grace was on from the start as he drained two birdies on his first three holes at one and three. After making two consecutive pars on four and five, Grace made back-to-back gains on six and seven, putting him at minus-4 for the day. The 26-year-old South African did not let up on the back nine either. After making the turn with a pair of pars on eight and nine, Grace made two more birdies on 10 and 11. Another par on 12 preceded Graces seventh birdie on the par-5 13th. Grace finished strong as he rattled off three gains on his final four holes at 15, 16 and 18 to complete his bogey-free round that nearly broke the course record. I hit the ball superbly from the start to the finish, Grace said. I cant remember the last time I hit 18 greens in a row, which is pretty nice, especially around this place, where there are some daunting approaches. Its a good feeling going into the rest of the tournament. Graces compatriot Roos went off earlier in the morning and held the lead for a while before Grace caught up to him. Roos, playing the back nine first, exploded out of the gate when he holed out for eagle with a 5-iron on the par-4 10th and he followed that up with a birdie on No. 11. Roos dropped his first and only shot of the day with a bogey on No. 12, but he made up for it with a trio of birdies from No. 14, getting him to minus-5. Seven straight pars from 17 had Roos cruising before he ended on a high note with two birdies on his final four holes at six and nine. I felt comfortable and swung quite nicely, said Roos. I hit a lot of good shots and had a lot of short birdie putts on my front nine, and I was able to take advantage of a couple. Willett continues to play exceptional golf as he went bogey-free in his first round with three birdies on both the front and back nines. Ford started off slow with a bogey on one, but he later went on a huge run with seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch from No. 4. Another bogey on 13 slowed Ford down some, but he responded three holes later with a gain on 16 before finishing up with a pair of pars on 17 and 18. NOTES: Grace was one shot off of the course record 61, which was shot by Thomas Aiken in 2009 ... Along with the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Grace also won the Joburg Open, Volvo Golf Champions and Volvo China Open in 2012 ... Schwartzels last two wins on tour were at this event. He also has four runner-up finishes here ... Willett has made just one bogey in his last 73 holes. . The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. . Then again, he really was at his home away from home. "It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday.
http://www.cheapbuccaneersjerseyssale.c ... sey-sale.A. Happ is coming off his first start of the year, a win at Philadelphia Monday. The former Phillie allowed three hits in five scoreless frames of a 3-0 triumph. .com) - The New York Islanders will try to solve their issues against Central Division opponents when they visit the Minnesota Wild for Tuesdays battle at Xcel Energy Center. . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Tom Coughlin doesnt have many options at halfback for the winless New York Giants. The choice now is rookie Michael Cox, and thats it. Veteran Brandon Jacobs, who ignited the running game for the first time this season in a 27-21 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night, has a tweaked left hamstring. He did not practice on Monday as the Giants (0-6) started work for next Monday nights game against the Minnesota Vikings. Jacobs insists he will play. Cox said he is ready. David Wilson and DaRel Scott are major question marks. Wilson, the No. 1 back to start the season, was in California on Monday having a troublesome neck injury examined. Scott has a bad hamstring injury and appears to be out for Minnesota. Things were so bad before last week that backup linebacker Allen Bradford ran a few plays as a halfback with the scout team. Coughlin joked Monday when asked if he was concerned about his halfback situation. "What do you mean?" he said. "We had one. Were all set." Besides Cox, Coughlin also has fullback John Conner in the backfield. Sitting in front of his locker, Jacobs smiled when asked about his hamstring, which was hurt on a night he carried 22 times for 106 yards. It was the first individual 100-yard rushing effort by a Giant this season, and Jacobs first 100-yard game since 2010. It came on a night New York ran for a season-high 123 yards. "Im not missing any game," Jacobs said. "Straight up, thats all there is in a nutshell. I am not counting on being down." Jacobs said the trainers advised him not to practice Monday and he has been told his injury is day to day. The 31-year-old Jacobs surprised a lot of people with his performance. He ran hard. He had great second effort. He also showed he could get into the end zone, twice carrying Bears defenders to pay dirt. "Its not about proving to everybody," said Jacobs, who barely played after signing with San Francisco as a free agent last season.dddddddddddd"I dont care to prove to anybody. All I need to do is show the guys in this locker room and the coaching staff what I have to do." On the other hand, Cox has to prove himself. The seventh-round draft pick is still trying to learn the offence. "Hes young," Coughlin said. "Its sophisticated and complex the things that are thrown at him, particularly in the protection area, so youve got to be careful." The bottom line is the Giants dont want Eli Manning getting hurt because Cox missed a blocking assignment. "I feel like Im ready to go, but obviously Im just working on everything, pass protection, just watching more film and the whole offence, everything," Cox said. Centre Jim Cordle said the offensive line got a chance to work with Cox on Monday. Cordle said the 24-year-old who has yet to carry the ball in the regular season is a fast, physical back. "He is talented, but I am sure Brandon will play," Cordle said. "You saw how much he loves playing and how much he wants to be here. If those are the two guys, well go with them." Scott also injured his hamstring against the Bears. He had a hard time walking up steps after watching practice Monday. The biggest concern is Wilson, the Giants first-round draft pick last year. He hurt his neck getting tackled against Philadelphia on Oct. 6. He briefly lost feeling but walked off the field. There is some concern he has had a narrowing of his spinal column, and that was being looked at in California. Wilson was optimistic about his condition on Friday. Coughlin said Wilson overcame a similar injury in college. The Giants were not certain whether they would have an update on Wilsons injury on Monday. The halfback situation should improve after the eighth game, when halfback Andre Brown is eligible to come off injured reserve. He broke his left leg for the second time in less than a year in the preseason finale against New England. ' ' '
