Kritik und Lob » ers from last seaso

ARDMORE, Pa. -- Tied for the U.S. Open lead, Hunter Mahan was on cruise control. He was the steadiest player for most of Sunday at Merion Golf Club, ripping off par after par after par to stay in the hunt. Then he hit No. 15. Mahans tee shot sailed into the rough. So did his second. Just like that, Mahans Open run was over. He fell from a three-way tie for first after his double-bogey on 15 and finished in a four-way tie for fourth with a 5-over 75 and a 285 total. It was his best Open finish since he was sixth in 2009. "It was brutal out there," Mahan said. "It was tough finishing. But I swung it pretty well, kept my composure." He scored pars on 13 of his 14 holes with one bogey and tied for the lead with winner Justin Rose and Phil Mickelson going into 15, where he three-putted for double bogey. He rebounded with a par on 16, but bogeyed the next two holes and lost any chance of winning his first major. "Its not fun on the last three there," he said. "Phil and I had great chances on 16, and none of us could make it." Mahan was topped only by Mickelson on Saturday and trailed him by a stroke. They were paired together and went off as the final group on Sunday. Mahan has yet to win this season and really never has been in the final-round hunt at a major. Still, he saw a silver lining. "Its good to be there, because every time you get back there again, you feel a little bit more calm," he said. "You know its still golf. And its still about hitting good shots." It was a much different scene in 2010 when Mahan was in tears after the U.S. blew the Ryder Cup in Newport, Wales Mahan asked then to be in the last singles match, asked to have the pressure of the anchor spot. But he blew up on No. 17 and conceded to Graeme McDowell to send the Cup back to the Europeans. Out of that failure, a deeper friendship with Mickelson blossomed. It was Mickelson who patted Mahan on the shoulder and tried to boost his spirits even as tears welled in the Texans eyes after Wales. Yes, Mahan wanted that Open trophy, but he ached a bit, too, for Mickelson. "Hes a great leader, and being in golf you dont hear that word very often -- leader," Mahan said. "But hes really a leader in the game and he takes his time out to talk to the young guys. He did it with myself at the Presidents Cup. He really relishes that role and enjoys it. "Hes a great guy to admire." Mahans has had major struggles this season, missing two cuts, and finishing no better than 16th in four tournaments prior to the Open. He was among a group of contenders -- Steve Stricker, Luke Donald, Billy Horschel and Rose -- that had never won a major. That, of course, changed for Rose on Sunday. Buoyed by Merion, Mahan feels better about ending that streak soon. "I stepped on the tee today knowing I was going to win," he said, "And left the 18th green knowing I could win. Its all good." Rockies Jerseys 2019 .Y. -- The Buffalo Sabres have placed centre Cody Hodgson on injured reserve and recalled two players from their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Rockies Jerseys 2020 . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Wholesale Rockies Jerseys . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Fake Rockies Jerseys . -- For the first time in two months, an opponent was standing up to Alabama. HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- First-year Southern Mississippi coach Jay Hopson walks into a situation that many of his peers would envy.Theres the loaded roster that includes 13 returning starters and an experienced quarterback. Theres a fan base thats second to none in Conference USA and hungry for a return to prominence.But with that comes the expectations. And Hopson knows nothing less than a C-USA title will be accepted.On our Eagle Walk, they only put the champions up there, Hopson said. At the end of the day, the goal at Southern Miss is to win a championship -- thats our charge.Hopson takes over a program thats seen a remarkable variation of highs, lows and turnover since 2011. A quick history lesson:- Coach Larry Fedora and quarterback Austin Davis led Southern Miss to a 12-win season and Conference USA title in 2011. Fedora left for North Carolina in the offseason while Davis went to the NFL.- Coach Ellis Johnson took over the program and the Golden Eagles had one of the most remarkable collapses in college football history, falling to 0-12 in 2012.- Johnson was fired after one season and Todd Monken inherited a depleted program and lost its first 11 games in 2013. But he slowly rebuilt the roster and led Southern Miss to a 9-5 record in 2015, including a trip to the C-USA championship game before a loss to Western Kentucky. Monken left to become offensive coordinator for the NFLs Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the offseason.That brings the Golden Eagles to present day and the arrival of Hopson, who led Alcorn State to two straight SWAC championships in 2014 and 15.The pressure for Hopson will be intense. The Golden Eagles were especially effective on offense under Monken -- quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 4,476 yards, 38 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last seeason.ddddddddddddMullens says even with a new coach, he expects the same results.Every coach has to adjust to their personnel and they all have their little twist, Mullens said. So its a little different. But there are also a lot of similarities. So I think you can look forward to a balanced attack thats going to score a lot of points.Here are a few other things to know about Southern Miss this season:THOMPSONS TURNSouthern Miss top two receivers from last season -- Michael Thomas and Casey Martin -- are gone. That means Mullens likely top target will be D.J. Thompson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior who caught 55 passes for 779 yards and six touchdowns last season.HOPSONS DEFENSEWhile Monkens background was mostly on offense, Hopson has spent most of his career on the defensive side of the ball. The Golden Eagles return five of their top seven tacklers from last season, including safety DNerius Antoine, who had 103 tackles and two interceptions in 2015.KEY GAMESThe Golden Eagles have a couple big opportunities against Southeastern Conference opponents, including the Sept. 3 season-opener at Kentucky. Southern Miss also travels to face LSU on Oct. 15. In C-USA play, the Golden Eagles conference title hopes could come down to showdowns against Marshall on Oct. 29 and Louisiana Tech on Nov. 25. Both of those games are at home.PREDICTIONSouthern Miss has the talent to win the C-USAs Western Division for a second straight year. Its just a matter of if Hopsons system can gel with the new personnel in time.-----Follow David Brandt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/davidbrandtAP-----Online: AP College Football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '