Ïîïóëÿðíûå ñîîáùåíèÿ

пятница

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Michelle Wie didn't let a little thing like a hectic national media tour slow the momentum following her U.S. Women's Open victory last week at Pinehurst.

The former prodigy continued her resurgence on the LPGA Tour on Friday, shooting a 5-under 66 to finish a stroke behind leader Alena Sharp after the first round of the NW Arkansas Championship.

Wie spent much of her week leading into the tournament busy on the national morning television circuit, only arriving at Pinnacle Country Club on Thursday.

Following a practice round and 12 hours of much-needed sleep, the most recognizable name on the LPGA Tour shot a bogey-free 66 on the 6,375 yard layout — closing with a birdie on the par-5 18th and upstaging local favorite Stacy Lewis.

"Definitely running on fumes right now," Wie said. "... I think it definitely struck me on the back nine, a little bit tired, but I just was really excited to get out here and start playing again. New York was fun, but it's just fun to get back to playing golf."

Sharp, the Canadian ranked 234th in the world, had only 27 putts in her opening 65, while Mexico's Alejandra Llaneza matched Wie with a bogey-free 66.

The top-ranked Stacy Lewis, who played at the nearby University of Arkansas, was 2 over after four holes before recovering to finish with a 70.

Ten players, including major champions So Yeon Ryu and Shanshan Feng, shot 67.

Sharp entered this week having missed the cut in six of her 11 LPGA Tour events this year, though she did win the Symetra Tour's season-opening event in Arizona in February.

The Canadian entered the week 137th on the LPGA Tour with an average of 31.34 putts per round, but she credited a recently putting lesson for Friday's improvement.

"I'm trusting it more and just trying to relax," Sharp said. "It's been a part of my game that hasn't been the greatest this year. I've hit a lot of greens and not making a lot of birdies, so today was definitely a step in the right direction."

While Sharp controlled the leaderboard following the morning group, Wie overcame windy conditions to post the best round of the afternoon — closing with a 4-under 31 on the back nine.

She closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th and needed only 28 putts in her first round since earning her first major championship at Pinehurst.

Wie, who was 64th on the LPGA Tour money list in 2012 and 41st last year, has yet to miss a cut this year and leads the money list with nearly $1.6 million.

"I just feel comfortable out there, and I'm trying to keep improving a little bit every day and still working on a lot of things," Wie said.

Lewis earned an unofficial win in the rain-shortened event as an amateur in 2007, but the Texas native, who finished second to Wie in the Women's Open, struggled early on Friday — much to the dismay of her large pro-Razorbacks gallery.

She was 2 over after four holes, thanks to a missed 4-foot par putt on No. 2 and a bogey from the greenside bunker on No. 4.

Lewis recovered with three birdies to finish 1 under, but she needed 31 putts on her way to settling for a tie for 43rd.

"It's always hard playing here," Lewis said. "People, I don't think they realize how hard it is. There's a lot of pressure, and it's hard to not put too much pressure on yourself."

European Solheim Cup star Caroline Hedwall also was in the group at 67 along with Jennifer Rosales, Moriya Jutanugarn, Emma Jandel, Gerina Piller, Ji Young Oh, Pornanong Phatlum and Paz Echeverria.

ROGERS, Ark. (AP) — Michelle Wie shot a bogey-free 5-under 66 on Friday in her first round since winning the U.S. Women's Open last weekend at Pinehurst, leaving her a stroke behind leader Alena Sharp in the NW Arkansas Championship.

Wie played the back nine in 4-under 31 at Pinnacle Country Club on Friday.

Sharp, the Canadian ranked 234th in the world, had only 27 putts in her opening 65.

Mexico's Alejandra Llaneza matched Wie with a bogey-free 66.

Top-ranked Stacy Lewis, who played at the nearby University of Arkansas, was 2 over after four holes before recovering to finish with a 70.

Ten players, including major champions So Yeon Ryu and Shanshan Feng, shot 67.

After Sharp finished at 6 under in the morning, Wie overcame windy conditions to post the best round of the afternoon.

She closed with a birdie on the par-5 18th. She needed only 28 putts in her first round since earning her first major championship.

Wie spent much of her week leading into the tournament busy with national television appearances following her first major win, and she didn't hit the course until Thursday.

The whirlwind schedule and late arrival didn't slow her Friday, nor did they slow the momentum of the most recognizable player in women's golf — one who has won twice, has yet to miss a cut this year and leads the money list with nearly $1.6 million.

Sharp entered this week having missed the cut in six of her 11 LPGA Tour events this year, though she did win the Symetra Tour's season-opening event in Arizona in February.

She finished 19th in a Symetra Tour event last week but started quickly on Friday morning — birdieing her second hole, the 11th. Sharp then surged into the lead with four straight birdies, starting on the par-5 18th and ending on the par-3 third.

Sharp followed her only bogey of the round on No. 5 with birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, and her 27 putts came after a putting adjustment two weeks ago following her 45th-place finish at the Manulife Financial Classic in Ontario. She entered this week 137th on the LPGA Tour with an average of 31.34 putts per round.

Lewis earned an unofficial win in the rain-shortened event as an amateur in 2007, but the Texas native, who finished second to Wie in the Women's Open, struggled early on Friday — much to the dismay of her large pro-Razorbacks gallery.

She was 2 over after four holes, thanks to a missed 4-foot par putt on No. 2 and a bogey from the greenside bunker on No. 4.

Lewis recovered with three birdies to finish 1 under, but she needed 31 putts on her way to settling for a tie for 43rd.

European Solheim Cup star Caroline Hedwall also was in the group at 67 along with Jennifer Rosales, Moriya Jutanugarn, Emma Jandel, Gerina Piller, Ji Young Oh, Pornanong Phatlum and Paz Echeverria.

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mixed on Wall Street with little news to drive trading. Major indexes are headed for a slight weekly loss, their second this month.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 26 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,819 as of noon Eastern time Friday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell a fraction to 1,957 and the Nasdaq composite rose eight points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,387.

Five of the 10 industry groups in the S&P 500 index fell and five rose.

DuPont sank 4 percent, the biggest drop among the 30 big companies in the Dow. The company cut its profit forecast late Thursday.

Nike gained 2 percent after reporting earnings that beat analysts' expectations.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.52 percent.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Florida Panthers selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad with the first pick in the NHL draft Friday night.

The 6-foot-4, 214-pound Ekblad played for Barrie in the Ontario Hockey League. He is the first defenseman to go No. 1 since St. Louis took Erik Johnson in 2006.

Without a clear cut No. 1, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon was open to trading the pick. In the end, he decided to take the 18-year-old defenseman out of Belle River, Ontario, with the first selection at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Panthers had a top-three pick in the NHL draft for the fourth time in the past five years. The first three — defenseman Erik Gudbranson (in 2010), wing Jonathan Huberdeau (2011) and center Aleksander Barkov (2013) — all played significant roles last season.

Florida also won the draft lottery in 2002 and 2003, but traded away those picks.

"We are thrilled to have selected Aaron with the No. 1 pick," Tallon said. "He is a strong, smart and physically mature defenseman who skates well and can play at both ends of the ice. Aaron is another building block for our team and we are confident that he will fit well with our young nucleus of talented players that includes Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, Jonathan Huberdeau and Erik Gudbranson. We look forward to his continued growth and contributions to our team and the South Florida community."

Ekblad was the OHL's most outstanding defenseman last season, ranking first among defensemen with 23 goals and tying for fifth with 53 points. He also served as Barrie's captain.

Flyers fans packed the arena for the first draft in the city. They gave one of the longest sustained boos in recent memory for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman's draft introduction. He was drowned out for most of his 2-minute speech thanking the city for its hospitality.

"Isn't this supposed to be the city of brotherly love," he asked.

Former Flyer Rod Brind'Amour received a huge ovation when the Carolina assistant coach made the pick for the Hurricanes.

The Sabres selected center Sam Reinhart with the second overall pick. He is the son of former NHL player Paul Reinhart, who was selected by the Atlanta Flames in the first round in 1979.

Reinhart has the potential to be a top-line center in filling a key need for the rebuilding Sabres, who are coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history. Buffalo (21-51-10) finished last in the NHL standings, and set a franchise record for losses.

The Edmonton Oilers selected center Leon Draisaitl with the third overall pick, Calgary took center Sam Bennett with the fourth pick and the New York Islanders picked forward Michael Dal Colle fifth. Vancouver selected forward Jake Virtanen with the sixth pick, and Carolina took defenseman Haydn Fleury seventh.

There was a big trade in the hours before the draft, when the Anaheim Ducks acquired center Ryan Kesler from the Vancouver Canucks for center Nick Bonino, defenseman Luca Sbisa and the 24th overall pick Friday.

The 29-year-old Kesler is a standout two-way center who has spent his entire 10-season career in Vancouver, compiling six 20-goal seasons and 392 career points. The two-time U.S. Olympian won the Selke Trophy in 2011 as the NHL's best defensive forward.

Blog Archive