ut and had one of the best games of my career

Wednesday Notebook: GULLANE, Scotland - In the last few days, Ive done about 10 radio shows back home and the consistent questions are: 1. How will Tiger play? 2. Whats up with Rory? 3. Can Phil really win this? 4. How is the course playing? And 5. How will Graham DeLaet play? In order, my responses: 1. I think I still have a few question marks surrounding the state of his game at the moment. He says his elbow is fine and it didnt show any signs of hurting him during practice but hes been off for a month so while I think hell play well, Im not betting on him. 2. Who knows? I dont even think Rory knows and it appears as if its starting to frustrate him, all these mediocre scores and all. He keeps saying hes close, and that hes had good rounds but not good consistency, but until he starts playing like he did at this time last summer, the questions about his clubs, his dedication, his girlfriend et al will continue, even if all of them are unfair and probably have no effect on his game, good or bad. Sometimes guys just dont play well. 3. Phil won on a links course, which is a good thing, an impressive thing, a surprising thing. But Phil winning at the Open to me is still a bit of a long shot. I do think he will be heard from at some point this week, but Im not sold yet that hes figured out how to mesh his immense talent with a links course. 4. Hard and fast. Think Hoylake in 2006. This is as hard and fast as weve seen an Open Championship in some time and I think the players are excited about the prospect. The weather is unseasonably warm (I packed three turtle necks and zero shorts) and the sun is shining. The wind is blowing but not hard which all adds up to tough pin placements or low scores. 5. Graham DeLaet looks confident. He looks relaxed and he seems prepared. I watched him on the range this week stinging three irons about 280 yards without getting six feet off the ground. I saw him bounce shots in from 160 and have them stop right by the pin. I also think he understands the mental test that awaits him but this is his first major and his first British Open so lets not put too much in the way of expectations on the guy (we can save that for next week). ------- It was predictable, of course. Not long after Peter Dawson, head of the R&A, and his pals sat down in front of the press, the questions about gender equality came spewing forth. Why, it was asked many times in many ways, was the R&A okay with holding the grandest of its championships at a facility that doesnt allow women to be members? Dawson bobbed and weaved, even seemed to get a little irritated, but in the end had to absorb countless body blows. There is no way for the R&A to win this one and Dawson probably knows it. After Augusta National admitted women members this past year, it left the R&A standing naked in a field. Of course the question isnt - or shouldnt be - whether or not clubs can be male or female only. Thats up to the club. Its whether or not the Open Championship should be held at such a facility. My answer is no. It will be a long, slow change if it happens, but the questions are going to keep coming until something changes. ------ My top five picks in no particular order: Graeme McDowell, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Brandt Snedeker and Sergio Garcia. My two darkhorses: Henrik Stenson and Brandon Grace. ------ Random thoughts: I watched David Duval hit a few shots today. He still looked pretty darn good with the club in his hands ... The golf course continues to get harder and faster with each day. One marshal told me that they watered an area where he was standing but the water they put on "wasnt enough to make a cup of tea." ... I ran into the amazing Judy Rankin on the course today. In my book, theres no one better as a walking reporter. Looking forward to working with her in Edmonton next month ... In the bet shops on Wednesday, Graham DeLaet was at 100/1. Tiger was still the favourite at 8/1. Calgary Flames Shirts . Kozun faked to the forehand and beat Monsters starter, Calvin Pickard, pad side in the second round for the winner. Spencer Abbott also scored in the shootout for the Marlies (25-13-4). Calgary Flames Store . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Flames Jerseys 2021 . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher is no stranger to opening the season with a redshirt freshman starter at quarterback.It worked out pretty well for the Seminoles three years ago with a guy named Jameis Winston, who won the Heisman Trophy as a redshirt freshman and led FSU to the 2013 national championship.Enter Deondre Francois, another redshirt freshman Fisher has been bullish about since the spring. Francois is set to make his first start Monday when No. 4 Florida State goes up against No. 11 Ole Miss (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. Fisher seems more eager than antsy to see what Francois can do, even though the quarterback is a youngster on such a big stage.Part of that is Francois can play and has proved it on the Seminoles practice field. But another part is that the guy getting Francois ready to play has a proven track record when it comes to developing quarterbacks, and that goes for quarterbacks of all different styles and at a couple different places.Randy Sanders is one of the most underrated quarterback coaches in the country. He might not have the same fanfare as some of the other so-called quarterback gurus around the country, but Sanders has a résumé that puts fanfare to shame.Hes a great quarterbacks coach, the best Ive been around, said former Kentucky coach Joker Phillips, whos now working as a quality control assistant on Urban Meyers staff at Ohio State. Hes honest with his players, able to coach his guys hard because of his relationship with them and has a great football mind.Sanders, who doesnt do media interviews per Fishers policy at FSU, has worked with everybody from Peyton Manning to Tee Martin to Randall Cobb to Winston.The year after Manning left Tennessee, the Vols won the national championship with Martin taking over as quarterback. Sanders first game as Tennessees play-caller came in the 1998 national championship game after David Cutcliffe left his post as offensive coordinator to take the Ole Miss head coaching job.I just remember how calm he was, that nothing really rattled him, said Martin, now USCs co-offensive coordinator. It was the biggest game of his life, and hed just been put in that role as a young coach. His demeanor gave me confidence. Theres an air about him where hes tough on you but also puts you at ease because of how prepared he always is.You know you can trust him because of the way he sees the game. He makes you understand why hes calling what hes calling, and not a lot of coaches can do that.Sanders, 50, is entering his fourth season at FSU and his third as co-offensive coordinator. Fisher noted last season that he had given Sanders more of a role in calling the Seminoles plays, so its obvious Fisher has supreme confidence Sanders, who played quarterback at Tennessee and understands as well as anybody the pitfalls of playing and coaching the most important position on the field, especially when that guy is also the play-caller.Sanders was the scapegoat at Tennessee in 2005 when a quarterback controversy rocked the team, sending the Vols spiraling to the first losing season of longtime coach Phillip Fulmers career. The offense never got on track that season, and Sanders stepped down as offensive coordinator in the middle of the year. He remained on staff but was no longer the primary play-caller.When Cutcliffe returned to Tennessees staff the next season as offensive coordinator, Sanders went his own way and landed at Kentucky. It was a bitter pill for himm to swallow, leaving his alma mater in those circumstances, but he gained a ton of support in the coaching profession by the way he handled his exit.ddddddddddddHe didnt point fingers and never spoke publicly about being unfairly blamed for the Vols problems. Instead, he kept his head down and found a new coaching home.Thats Randy and why guys love playing for him, Martin said. Its never about him. Its always about the team and his players, doing what he can to make them better. Hell take the heat, but he lets everybody else take the credit.At Kentucky, Sanders helped turn Andre Woodson into an SEC record-holder, the same Woodson who was battling with Curtis Pulley just to win the starting quarterback job the previous spring. Woodson responded by throwing 71 touchdowns over the next two seasons, including an SEC-record 40 touchdowns as a senior in 2007.In 2009, Mike Hartline was the Wildcats starter until he injured his knee in the fifth game. Sanders was forced the juggle Cobb, Will Fidler and true freshman Morgan Newton at the quarterback position, and Kentucky was still able to make a bowl game.In 2010, Hartline bounced back from his knee injury to pass for 3,178 yards, 23 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. And in 2011, Sanders got receiver Matt Roark ready to play quarterback in the season finale after injuries sidelined Maxwell Smith and Newton, and Kentucky ended a 26-year losing streak against Tennessee with a 10-7 win over Sanders alma mater.Hartline, whos now a quarterback intern on Ohio States staff, said its no coincidence that Sanders has been around so many productive quarterbacks.He does an incredible job of knowing who he has at quarterback and understanding what that person can and cant do and then communicating to the head coach the best positions to put that guy in in order to be able to win games, Hartline said. Hes a very strict guy and cuts through all the B.S. really quickly and makes you understand what he expects out of you.I trusted him so much in the game plan that if I came out and had one of the best games of my career, and he came in the film room the next day and said that I played like crap, then I was convinced that I played like crap. He instilled confidence in guys, and thats what separates him from most coaches.Winston was 26-1 as a starter under Sanders tutelage at FSU in 2013 and 2014. And even last season, despite losing Winston, four offensive linemen, one of the nations top tight ends and the schools career leader in receptions, the Seminoles still averaged 31.7 points per game while playing two quarterbacks, Everett Golson and Sean Maguire.Maguire, who injured his foot in preseason camp, may be back sooner than expected, but its Francois show for now.Theres no doubting Francois skill set. He can throw it and also has the ability to extend the play and make things happen with his legs. The only thing working against him is his lack of experience.But thats where Sanders comes in.You judge a guy based on what he can bring out of his players, Martin said. With Randy, youre going to see the true identity of his quarterbacks, and thats whoever he coaches, whether its a pocket passer, dual-threat guy, a guy whos very talented or a guy with limited talent. Whoever it is, hes going to bring out the best in that quarterback, and hell do it again this year just like he always does. ' ' '