In his first official practice round at Augusta National, Graham DeLaet got in a great cram session, playing 18 holes alongside Mike Weir. As they walked off the first tee, Weir opened his book of course knowledge to his fellow Canadian, telling him to ask him about anything and everything. For the next four hours, the two talked about the humps and bumps and hills and swales of the famed course, with DeLaet trying to drink in as much information as he could ahead of Thursdays opening round. "It was nice to have Mike kind of showing me around," said DeLaet. "He was giving me guidance on a few things that other players had given him, guys like Jack (Nicklaus) and Freddy (Couples) and stuff along the way. Thats one of the cool things out here that guys kind of pass things along. You go to a regular tournament and guys kind of keep things secretive. But for whatever reason, out here you just kind of pass the torch along. Any time I asked, he was more than happy to point out a few things along the way I wouldnt have known about." And few people know the course better than Mike Weir, who is making his 15th start here this week. However, the 2003 champion cautioned DeLaet that many of his references were specific for his game, not the long-bombing power style that the Weyburn, Sask., native plays. "I wasnt overloading him because our games are so different," said Weir, who thrilled fans by jarring in his tee shot on the 16th hole during the round. "He has more power, hitting shorter irons into greens, while Im probably playing more for position. He can be more aggressive. I told him to be mindful of that. Im telling him out how I play it because Im back there hitting a four-iron." For DeLaet, the chance to play at Augusta National with Weir was more than an exercise in local knowledge, it was also the chance to play with one of his golfing idols. In 2007, when he teed it up in the Canadian Open for the first time, DeLaet managed to get his picture taken with the lefthanded star. Its a picture he keeps hanging on his wall at home to this day. "He was the guy I looked to when I was a kid," admitted DeLaet. "Now I call him my friend. Going around here, the respect he gets from the crowd – and rightfully so – is pretty cool." Now DeLaet has to take all the information and put it to use. His caddy, Julien Trudeau – who also raved about the details Weir passed on – said he and his boss will sit down and formulate a game plan for their opening round. That game plan will also try to take into account the butterflies that will undoubtedly be in DeLaets stomach when he gets set to start his first Masters. "I know that Im going to be nervous, Im nervous at the Byron Nelson tournament," he stated. "I do have a couple of majors under my belt now which is going to help a little bit but I dont know exactly what Im going to feel like on (the first tee) on Thursday but Im looking forward to it." Vincent Brown Chargers Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings, but there are changes among those teams in pursuit. Chargers #65 Jersey .Y. - Dustin Tokarski stopped all 43 shots he faced as the Hamilton Bulldogs blanked the host Syracuse Crunch 3-0 on Saturday in American Hockey League action. http://www.chargersstore.us.com/Black-29-Shareece-Wright-Womens-Jersey/ . The Texas Rangers right-hander will probably reconsider now. Wolf pitched five strong innings for his first big league win in his first start in the majors, David Murphy and Adrian Beltre homered in a three-run first inning, and the Rangers avoided a sweep with a 3-1 victory against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Jason Verrett Chargers Jersey . According to a report from the Winnipeg Free Press, the Bombers will name Acting GM Kyle Walters to the post full time. Jeremiah Attaochu Chargers Jersey . Hudson pitched into the eighth inning after having eight days between starts, and the San Francisco Giants beat the Miami Marlins 5-3 on Saturday night.MILWAUKEE -- While Michigan didnt have a particularly pretty start to its NCAA tournament, coach John Beilein felt his team proved a point to the rest of the field on Thursday night. Yes, they can play defence too. Glenn Robinson III scored 14 points in the arena his father used to call home in the NBA, Jordan Morgan added 10 points and 10 rebounds, and the second-seeded Wolverines held No. 15 seed Wofford to 34 per cent shooting in a 57-40 win. "We were able to get a win basically with our defence today," Beilein said, "and thats something a lot of people wouldnt say if they watched us this year." However the method, what mattered most was that Michigan is still in the hunt to return to the Final Four in spite of pesky Woffords best efforts. Michigan (26-8) capitalized on its decisive edge in athleticism on the undersized Terriers (20-13) but had some nervous moments after missing 15 of their first 18 shots in the second half. Karl Cochrans 3 with 9:25 left whittled an 18-point deficit to 40-33 -- the only 3 Wofford hit all night. But the Wolverines regrouped, and Caris LeVerts 3 with 4:17 left gave them a 15-point lead to deflate Woffords dreams of an upset. "We know were pretty efficient offensively. Most times we dont have trouble scoring the basketball," said Morgan, whose hustle in the paint helped turn away Wofford. "We know were only going to go as far as our defence carries us." When it counted, Michigan exerted its will on an overmatched opponent. Shooting 1 of 19 from 3-point range didnt help Wofford, either. But the Terriers knew they were heavy underdogs coming into the game, and they exit the NCAAs with an appreciation of simply getting into the tournament. When players were asked why they shot so poorly from behind the arc, forward Lee Skinner spoke up first and said "I dont shoot from the 3-point line" before drawing some smiles. A 39 per cent shooter from long range on the season, Cochran finished with 17 points on 1-of-10 shooting from 3-point territory on Thursday and 8 of 21 overall. "Some nights unfortunnately the ball doesnt drop in the basket," he said.dddddddddddd. "Unfortunately we just faced a tough night from the 3-point line." Nik Stauskas had 15 points for the Wolverines, while Robinson hit big shots in the same arena his father played in while with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1990s. The elder Robinson, sitting in the Bradley Center stands, surely was impressed with Wofford, the Southern Conference champions who hustled to the final buzzer. Michigan opened the second half shooting 2 of 12, and Cochrans 3 with 9:25 left got Wofford within seven points. Even the crowd broke out into a "Lets Go Wofford!" chant. "Hats off to them," Beilein said. "I was a coach that was today very concerned about how well they would guard us, and they did." As if flipping on a switch, the Wolverines then turned up their intensity. Morgan glided in for a basket and Robinson followed with a tip-in. "Inside, they were a bigger team, they were physical," Skinner said. After a missed jumper by Spencer Collins, LeVert hit his 3 from the top of the circle to get the lead back to 15. Michigan shot 33 per cent in the second half after shooting 63 per cent in the first. Fortunately for Beilein, his defence held firm. He said it was an emphasis in practice all week. "That probably was our best defensive performance overall for everybody," said Beilein. The spunky Terriers fell well short of their goal of the perfect game required to have any shot at taking down Michigan, though they played with energy most of the night and never seemed intimidated. "You always have to keep an optimistic mindset, especially in an off night," Cochran said. Smiling two seats away, coach Mike Young appreciated the positive vibes. "Im beaming with pride with these guys sitting to my left and their accomplishments," he said. "So, well walk out of here with our head high." Michigan was never truly threatened in spite of Woffords second-half spurt, leading 34-20 at halftime thanks in part to 11 points from Robinson. ' ' '
