Pirate Galaxy » court pressure on

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- Mackenzie Hughes figured he was down to his last chance to stay alive in a four-man playoff Monday morning in the RSM Classic.The Canadian rookie with pluck and a pure putting stroke poured in an 18-foot par putt from off the 17th green at Sea Island, and that last chance turned into his first PGA Tour victory when the other three players all missed from 10 feet or closer.I made the putt of my life right there, Hughes said.He calmed his nerves and came up clutch in the 42-degree chill, becoming the first PGA Tour rookie in 20 years to go wire-to-wire for his first victory. The final day of a long year on the PGA Tour brought a most unlikely finish.Hughes had a chance to end it Sunday night until his 10-foot birdie putt in the dark on the 18th hole turned away. The next morning, he was the only player who was never on the green at the par-3 17th until his ball was in the cup.Blayne Barber, Henrik Norlander and Camilo Villegas narrowly missed their par putts to extend the playoff.Hughes was watching from off the green, and the prospect of winning became more real with each putt that missed -- first Barber, then Norlander. When Villegas missed his 7-footer, Hughes dropped his putter, turned his back on the green and knocked off his cap as he rubbed his head in disbelief.If I didnt make, I thought I was probably out, Hughes said. Before I hit it, the thought was, Just make them think about it. Put this putt in first, and if you can be the first guy in, put the pressure back on them. And thats what happened.The victory sends the 25-year-old Canadian to the Masters. One of his most vivid golf memories as a kid in Ontario was watching Mike Weir win the green jacket in 2003.He was texting me last night a little bit, Hughes said. Its pretty cool to have a guy like that to lean on for advice.Billy Horschel was eliminated from the five-man playoff on the first extra hole Sunday night when he narrowly missed a birdie putt then shockingly missed a 2-foot putt. Hughes putts so well it was mildly surprising when he missed his 10-foot putt on the second playoff hole.It ate at me a little bit knowing that I had 10 feet to win it, he said. But I came out here to try to clear my mind, tell myself that I have a one-in-four chance.The odds looked worse when his 4-iron bounded over the green and down a steep slope. Making the pitch shot even more difficult was that the pin was 15 feet from the back edge and the green ran quickly away from him. His pitch was a few feet from being perfect, but instead it stopped short of the green.Norlander was in the front bunker, while Barber was left of the green and Villegas was just over the back. Barber and Villegas used putter for their second shots.The last rookie to go wire-to-wire for his first win was Tim Herron at the 1996 Honda Classic. Hughes started this week with a 61, and he led after every round until he was posing with tournament host Davis Love III with the trophy.Hughes, who closed with a 69 and finished at 17-under 265, capped a memorable fall season.He began his rookie season by playing the final two rounds with Phil Mickelson and tying for 13th at the Safeway Open. Mickelsons caddie Jim Mackay said in a text message Saturday night, I really like his moxie, hes got guts.In his only week off this fall, Hughes and his longtime girlfriend from Kent State, Jenna, were married. They planned a honeymoon in the offseason, and now he gets to plan a schedule that includes Kapalua, Augusta National and the PGA Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives.Hughes earned $1.08 million.Villegas and Norlander do not have full PGA Tour cards, and a victory would have changed that. Villegas got into the field as a past champion, while Norlander has no PGA Tour status and received a sponsors exemption.Villegas had made every big putt, from his birdies on the 16th and 17th in regulation to his 6-foot par putt on the 72nd hole to join the playoff to another tough 4-foot putt in the dark Sunday night to stay alive. He missed from 7 feet Monday.I just pushed it a tiny bit, Villegas said. But once again, Im proud of myself. We want to win a golf tournament, so you go with a little bittersweet, but youve got to look at the positive and keep moving forward. Cheap Jordans For Sale . Scott Kazmir allowed four hits in seven shutout innings, Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in a three-run first inning and the Indians maintained their hold on an AL wild-card spot with a 4-1 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night. Air Jordan Nz Online . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. http://www.airjordannz.com/ . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Cheap Jordans Nz . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Air Jordan Nz . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses. MINNEAPOLIS -- Much is expected from Minnesotas Jordan Murphy this year.After struggles in the teams first two games, he was dominant Wednesday night.The sophomore scored 18 points and added 12 rebounds and the Gophers pulled away to beat Mount St. Marys 80-56.The Gophers, 3-0 for the first time in three years, also got 13 points each from Dupree McBrayer and Nate Mason.Minnesota, which shot 57.4 percent, also had a 46-25 rebounding edge.There was a lot of good, said Gophers coach Richard Pitino. Our post offense was really good; our passing out of the post was really good.A member of the Big 10 All-Freshman team last year, Murphy totaled 17 points on 5 of 17 shooting in wins over Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas-Arlington.Every time you step on the court its a new chance to see where youre at skill-wise . and just see how you can impact the game, said Murphy, who was 8 of 9 from the field.Sometimes he lets certain things zap his energy, whether hes confused by something or whatever, Pitino said. We just talked about playing through that is the most important thing.Junior Robinson scored 16 points to lead Mount St. Marys (0-3), which fell to 0-18 all-time against Big Ten teams. Elijah Long had 11 points and 5 rebounds.The Mountaineers were 7 of 27 on 3-pointers.This is the game where you got to make 14 to 15 threes. We are more than capable of doing that, but we are just coming up short right now and not having enough guys stepping in and knocking them down, said coach Jamion Christian.With Minnesota up 49-42, Murphy scored on a dunk, blocked a 3-pointer by Will Miller and scored on another dunk 5 seconds later. After a media timeout, he scored on a putback for a 13-point lead with 11:10 to play.Back-to-back 3-pointers by Akeem Springs pushed the lead to 119.dddddddddddd. He and Amir Coffey each finished with 10 points.We dont look at individually how we do, Mason said. Were just looking for the win.FREE THROW CONCERNSMinnesota was 14 of 23 from the free-throw line after shooting 72.2 percent in its first two games.Its early in the season I think feeling comfortable up there, Pitino said. Just got to be confident, stick to the routine.NOT GETTING TURNOVERSLast season, Mount St. Marys forced at least 17 turnovers in a game 18 times and 20 or more on eight occasions. In three games this season, the Mountaineers have forced an average of 12.3: West Virginia and Minnesota had 13 and Iowa State had 11.BIG PICTUREMount St. Marys: The Mountaineers live and die playing up-tempo, with an aggressive full-court pressure on defense and an offense that likes to shoot from beyond the arc. Mount St. Marys showed flashes on both ends, but needs to be more consistent, especially against teams with bigger post players.Minnesota: The Gophers, who went 8-23 last year, including home losses to mid-majors South Dakota, South Dakota State and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, continue to advantageously use their depth. This was the third straight game at least five Gophers finished in double figures.UP NEXTMount St. Marys continues its season-opening nine-game road trip Friday at George Mason (1-1) of the Atlantic 10. Mount St. Marys has lost 14 straight non-conference road games.Minnesota is expected to have a tough test Friday when the Gophers welcome St. Johns as part of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. It will conclude a stretch of three games in five nights at home. The Red Storm (2-0) beat Binghamton 77-61 Monday. ' ' '