ediate is the only player who converted a 54-hole lead into | Forum

ARLINGTON, Va. Nate Solder Patriots Jersey . -- Amid bright expectations and newfound stability, the Washington Capitals opened training camp Thursday. It didnt take long for the mood to change. Roughly 10 minutes into the opening practice, forward Brooks Laich -- coming off an injury-ruined season -- left the ice at Kettler Iceplex, saying he had a "flare-up" of a strained hip flexor suffered a week ago on his first day in Washington after a summer of successful rehab of a pulled groin. Laich, one of the Capitals locker room leaders, was anxious for the start of camp after playing only nine games last year. "The ice here is a lot softer than the ice I skated on back home (in Saskatchewan), and when I skated here I just tweaked it a little bit," Laich said. "Its completely nonrelated to anything I went through last year and on the other side of my body." Laichs status is day-to-day. Neither general manager George McPhee nor coach Adam Oates sounded particularly concerned. "Hopefully its a day or two," McPhee said. While the injury may not be serious, it is symbolic of a star-crossed team that has consistently underachieved in the post-season. Franchise cornerstones Nicklas Backstrom, 25, Mike Green, 27, and Alex Ovechkin, who turns 28 on Sept. 17, have helped propel Washington to five division titles in the last six years but with no trips to the conference finals. Last years 5-0 loss to the New York Rangers at home in Game 7 of the opening round after leading the series 2-0 was perhaps the teams most embarrassing playoff pratfall. "Weve proven (to) ourselves that were a good team. But we havent proven were a great team," Green said. "The only way to do that is to win a Stanley Cup." Washington hopes that stability will help achieve that goal. The team underwent a radical makeover in the middle of the 2011-12 season when Dale Hunter replaced Bruce Boudreau as coach. There was another difficult transition when Oates took over last summer, with little preseason to install his system due to the NHL lockout. "Last couple of years weve had a little bit of chaos in there as far as knowing where you fit in on the team, knowing where your role is," forward Troy Brouwer said. "This year with very limited spots on the team, everyone kind of knows where they fall in and whats expected of them even before camp starts." On the ice, Washington will look for improvement from young goalies Braden Holtby, 23, and Michal Neuvirth, 24, under the direction of Olie Kolzig. The former Caps great was promoted to head goaltender coach after two seasons with the team in a developmental role. Many of the Caps expressed their approval of the realigned NHL. Washington will play in the Metropolitan Division along with traditional rivals including the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Philadelphia Flyers. The Capitals open the regular season on Oct. 1 on the road against the NHL champion Chicago Blackhawks, a prospect that doesnt please Brouwer, a former Chicago player who still resides in the city. "I spent a lot of the summer trying to avoid Chicago," Brouwer said. "The worst thing that could happen to me this summer was having to play them opening night and see the banner." Montee Ball Jersey . On Mar. 16, coming off a "fight of the year" performance at UFC 154 the previous November, St-Pierre faced Nick Diaz at UFC 158 in what would be his eighth defence of the welterweight title. Using his superior athleticism, St-Pierre cruised to a five round, unanimous decision victory setting up a much-anticipated title defence against number one contender Johny Hendricks. Martellus Bennett Patriots Jersey . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. http:///...n-bolden-jersey.aspx . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night. SAN MARTIN, Calif. -- Brooks Koepka knows what its like to hold the lead going into the final round. And he knows what its like to win. Just not in America. Playing the PGA Tour behind stops in Scotland and Shanghai, Koepka gave himself a great chance at yet another detour in his around-the-world journey this year. He had a 4-under 67 on Saturday in the Frys.com Open for a two-shot lead over George McNeil and Jason Kokrak going into the final round at CordeValle. Koepka has won in Spain and Portugal, Italy and Scotland. The 23-year-old Floridian started the year with no status on any tour, and since then has earned membership on the Challenge Tour and European Tour. A victory Sunday would give him a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour and keep him from having to reload the pages in his passport. "Feels the same," he said. "Its all how much pressure you put on yourself. Obviously, I think there may be some people that dont think I can handle it on Sunday, just for the fact that Ive never been sitting in this position. Just got to take it as it comes and just be relaxed about it. Im pretty chill, so nothing really bothers me." A warm afternoon ideal for scoring could have unsettled him. Kokrak holed out for eagle from 129 yards in the first fairway. Koepka rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt. Robert Garrigus dropped a shot into 4 feet on the second hole. Koepka matched him with an 18-foot birdie. He wound up at 15-under 198, one round away from earning membership on three tours in one year -- not to mention a trip to the Masters. "The Challenge Tour prepared me pretty well," Koepka said. "Learning how to win is a big deal." McNeill made 10 birdies in his round of 62 that put him in the last group with Koepka. McNeill is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. He has never played in the Masters because both wins were opposite-field events that didnt award full FedEx Cup points. "Im going for the record to win the most times without qualifying," McNeill said. Thats no longer the case. The Frys.com Open is the first event on the 2013-14 PGA Tour schedule, which has gone to a wraparound season for the first time in history. Its the start of the FedEx Cup season, offering full points, meaning the winner goes to Augusta National. Brantford, Ont., native David Hearn shot a 6 under and finished the day tied for 30th place, while Mike Weir of Brights Grove, Ont., shot a 2 under for a share of 60th place. Kokrak nearly ended his day the way it started when his wedge spun back toward the hole. He settled for a short birdie putt and a 68 that putt him in the last group with Koepka and McNeill. Kevin Faulk Jersey. Jimmy Walker also had a 62 and was three shots behind with Robert Garrigus (68) and Vijay Singh, the 50-year-old Fijian making his first PGA Tour start in nearly two months. Singh hit driver on the par-4 17th hole up the back of the green, back down the slope to about 2 feet for an eagle. That carried him to a 65. Singh last season failed to finish in the top 125 on the money list for the first time in his career. He missed the cut in six of his last 11 tournaments since filing a lawsuit against the PGA Tour for the way it investigated his admission that he used deer antler spray, which was said to contain a banned substance. Ryo Ishikawa also holed out from the fairway at No. 10 and had a 67. He was among those five shots behind, still in the mix but needing something low to have any chance the way the leaders are playing. "I dont think you can play overly aggressive," Koepka said. "You cant play not to lose, either. Its conservatively aggressive." Whatever its called, it worked. The average score was 68.8, and Koepka had one of the 24 rounds at 67 or better. Only six players were over par, led by Camilo Villegas with a 77 that dropped him out of contention. It could have been worse for the Colombian. He tried playing a shot from the water in front of the ninth green, and the ball hit off the bank and nearly struck him. Koepka had no such trouble. He made bogeys on the sixth and 14th hole, but otherwise was giving himself plenty of looks at birdie. He said he has won all his Challenge Tour events from the lead. Koepka will be paired with McNeil, a pair of Florida State alums. It was last year when McNeill called Koepka to answer any questions he had about qualifying for the U.S. Open. "We just had a nice talk," McNeill said. "Honestly, Ive never met him. Never seen him in person. I would like to." And he will, in the final round of the first PGA Tour event of the season with plenty at stake. DIVOTS: Because 81 players made the cut, there was a 54-hole cut. Among those who wont return on Sunday were Geoff Ogilvy, Justin Leonard, Tim Clark and Justin Thomas, who was making his first PGA Tour start as a pro. Thomas still earned his first PGA Tour check worth $9,600. ... Hideki Matsuyama had a 68 and was six shots out of the lead, and one shot behind Ishikawa. ... Since the Frys.com Open moved to CordeValle, Rocco Mediate is the only player who converted a 54-hole lead into the win.  player who converted a 54-hole lead into the win. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '