when she didnt always look as if she was having fun and before

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND -- Graham DeLaet was on the course on Monday, playing a dozen or so holes to see the course and shake off the jet lag. This is the fifth major for DeLaet and hes missed the cut in the previous three, admitting that while he likes the test of the biggest tournaments, his record isnt all that good. However, he attributed much of his performance to learning the nuances of major championship golf. DeLaet also said that last year at Muirfield, his wrist took a beating due to the firmness of the turf and the steepness of his swing. The ground here at Royal Liverpool is a bit more lush than a year earlier which may help the Canadian. -- Phil Mickelson handed over the Claret Jug on Monday, a tradition the defending champion goes through each year. As do most winners, the lefthander took the trophy to every clambake and family outing he could, sharing it with friends whove helped him along in his career. Mickleson arrives in Liverpool in the midst of what most would consider a down year. He has no wins and not even a top-10 finish to speak of. But, not surprisingly, hes upbeat. “Well, it obviously hasnt been a good year,” he said. “Normally I would be discouraged or frustrated, but Im just not. Im not frustrated and Im not discouraged. I feel like Ive had some good breakthroughs in some areas. I havent had the results, I know I havent played well. But the parts feel a lot better than the whole right now.” Mickelson has armed himself with a few new clubs in the bag this week. Hes added a two-iron as well as a 64-degree wedge that has almost no bounce. Its the only tournament where hell carry these weapons. -- On Monday, members of the International Golf Federation met with the media. Thats the group charged with running golf in the Olympics, among other things. Of course the hot topic is the golf course, which, as with many of the facilities in Rio, is behind schedule. Ian Andrew outlined some of the issues in the latest SCOREGolf Magazine. The powers that be seem to think it will be completed on time and Ty Votaw, who works for the PGA Tour but is also the IGFs vice-president, said there will be a test event prior to the Olympics although there wont be any time to make any changes of significance after that. He also said there is an emergency plan in place. “Well, as far as contingency plan,” he stated, “I think were in no different place than all the other sports in the Olympic games for Rio 2016 and the readiness and preparedness of Rio. “But, yes, we do have plans in place, but were not going to tell you what they are.” -- The weather outlook for the Open, always a concern, is calling for a nice opening day on Thursday with unseasonably warm temperatures (that means getting into the 20s). But the remaining three days arent so positive with thunderstorms in the forecast. Wholesale Shoes . -- Andrew Wiggins is from Canada, Wayne Selden from Massachusetts and Joel Embiid from the African nation of Cameroon. Replica Wholesale Shoes . Louis Blues just continue to roll -- especially against the Nashville Predators. https://www.wholesaleshoesforcheap.com/ .That is precisely what they got Sunday.The Ravens trailed at halftime and never built a comfortable lead against lowly Jacksonville, yet did just enough to squeeze out a 20-12 win to stay in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Wholesale Shoes Nike .C. -- Unable to get much lift off his sore right ankle, Bobcats centre Al Jefferson figured it was time to make an adjustment. Wholesale Shoes From China . Thornton emerged as one of the leagues best defensive ends against the run in 2013. The former undrafted free agent from Division II Southern Arkansas led Philadelphias linemen with 78 tackles and had one sack. PINEHURST, N.C. -- Michelle Wie is becoming a regular contender in major championships, only now as an adult. She captivated womens golf as a teenager, contending in three straight LPGA Tour majors when she was 16. That was when she still was trying to compete against the men, when she didnt always look as if she was having fun and before injuries and criticism were a big part of her growing pains. On another tough day at Pinehurst No. 2, the 24-year-old from Hawaii held it together Friday with two key par putts and finished with back-to-back birdies for a 2-under 68, giving her a three-shot lead going into the weekend at the U.S. Womens Open. "I think you look at the way Michelle has played the last six months and you look at her differently," said Stacy Lewis, the No. 1 player in womens golf who was four shots out of the lead. "I think shes become one of the best ball-strikers on tour. She hits it really consistent. She knows where the balls going. And shes figuring out how to win. Thats the big thing." But theres a familiar name, and another teen prodigy, who joined Wie as the only players still under par. Lexi Thompson, who soundly beat Wie in the final round to win the Kraft Nabisco Championship for her first major title, powered her way out of the sand and weeds, running off three straight birdies to match Wies 68, the low score Friday. For all the interest in the men and women playing Pinehurst No. 2 in successive weeks, Wie and Thompson made the Womens Open more closely resemble the first LPGA major. Is it too early to start thinking rematch? "Definitely too early," Thompson said with a laugh. "Thirty-six holes in a major, thats a lot of golf to be played, especially at a U.S. Womens Open." For now, Wie had control. Her three-shot lead is the largest through 36 holes in the Womens Open in 11 years. She twice thought her shots were going off the turtleback greens, and twice she relied on her table-top putting stance to make long par saves. She finished with a 6-iron that set up a 12-foot birdie putt, and a 15-foot birdie on the par-5 ninth to reach 4-under 136. "End of the day yesterday, I was thinking if I just did this again, that would be nice," Wie said. "Finishing with two birdies is always great. Its a grind out there. Its not easy. Really grateful for the par putts that I made and some of the birdie putts that I made. I cant complain. Ill take it." Just when it looked as if this had the trappings of another runaway -- Martin Kaymer led by at least four shots over the final 48 holes to win the U.S. Open -- along came Thompson with a shot reminiscent of what Kaymerr did last week.dddddddddddd From the sand and bushes left of the fairway on the par-5 fifth hole, Thompson blasted a 5-iron from 195 yards just off the green, setting up two putts for birdie from about 60 feet. Kaymer was in roughly the same spot in the third round when he hit 7-iron from 202 yards to 5 feet, that pin position more toward the front. That was her third straight birdie, and she closed with four pars to reach 139. Sue Kim of Langley, B.C., and Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., each shot 73 to finish the second round in a tie for 14th place. Pinehurst No. 2 wasnt in much of a giving mood on another warm day in the North Carolina sandhills, with a brief shower in the middle of the afternoon that didnt do much to soften a dry, crusty golf course. Lewis, who opened with a bogey-free 67, picked up a bogey on her first hole in a wild round of six bogeys, three birdies and a tough 73. Even so, the two-time major champion managed to see the big picture. "I hung around, and thats what youve got to do at this tournament," said Lewis, at even-par with Amy Yang (69) and Minjee Lee, the 18-year-old amateur from Australia who played bogey-free on the back nine to salvage a 71. Lucy Li, the precocious 11-year-old and youngest qualifier in the history of the U.S. Womens Open, isnt leaving town until Monday. She just wont be playing any more golf. The sixth-grader from the Bay Area started with a double bogey for the second straight day and shot another 78 to miss the cut by seven shots. The cut was 9-over 149. Na Yeon Choi had a 70 and was at 1-over 141, followed by a Paula Creamer (72) at 2-over 142. The group at 143 included Karrie Webb (73) and So Yeon Ryu (74), who saved her hopes with three straight birdies on the front nine, and narrowly missing a fourth. All of them are former Womens Open champions. This is a different Wie they are chasing. She already has won this year in Hawaii, and she has eight top 10s and is No. 2 on the LPGA money list. Attribute that to a putting stroke that she owns, no matter how peculiar it looks with her back bent severely, almost parallel to the ground. And she has learned to play the shot -- she has a full allotment -- instead of worrying about her score or her position on the leaderboard. "I knew I could get better," Wie said. "I knew I could improve. But thats the game of golf. I think thats whats so fun about it. You work hard, you work hard, its a challenging game. You can never quite perfect it. I love working on my game. I love working on different shots. Just trying to get better every day. I never really lost a sense of determination or drive." ' ' '