Graham DeLaet was out on the practice range working on his game on Monday morning, preparing for his first U.S. Open. Its almost hard to believe that the player ranked 32nd in the world, who has earned more than $2 million this year, dazzled at last years Presidents Cup and has 16 top-10 finishes in the last three years, is just now completing the career slam - in terms of playing them, that is. Sometimes we forget that as good as he is, hes still relatively young in terms of being at the elite level. His talent exceeds his experience at this point of his career, which isnt necessarily a bad thing. Still, he does know a good course when he sees one. Having toured around the back nine at the famed No. 2 course here at Pinehurst, DeLaet quickly pronounced it to be a favourite. "It automatically went into my top 10 of all time," said the lone Canadian entrant in the American championship this year. "Its a great test, its an awesome old-style golf course and its going to be a lot of fun." Fun? The U.S. Open? Yep, this is definitely his maiden voyage in this tournament. While he hasnt been playing it, DeLaet, of course, has been an avid viewer of the American championship, and he knows that unlike most of the past, oh, 50 or 60, U.S. Opens, this year there is no long, punishing rough lining the fairways. Instead, Pinehurst has been returned to its original design, thanks to Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore, with scruffy waste areas full of wiregrass bushes on the borders of the short grass. Its something that DeLaet says could prove to be a bit of a lottery for those who stray from the fairway. "This is my first U.S. Open but Ive watched in on TV for years," he said, "and its always been the deep rough and this year there is no rough at all. But the waste area or whatever you call it, sometimes you can get in there and have a pretty clear shot and get a lot of club on it and you can get in there and have a lot of bad breaks as well." DeLaet believes that hitting it into the scruffy section - officially, native areas - will give you about a 50 per cent chance of having a good lie. You might be able to play the shot like a fairway bunker or you might end up behind a tuft of grass that will mean chipping out sideways. The frustration levels could rise significantly if a player gets enough of the bad lies. DeLaet knows that too will be a big part of surviving the week, keeping his patience at an even level and trying to survive the mental test that is a big part of this event. Along with the predicted high temperatures, it will be a tough task for any player to keep their minds focused at all times. While DeLaet is working on his mental side, his physical appears to be in order. He was forced to miss the Memorial two weeks ago with a sore leg, something he now feels is on the mend. "I just kind of had a strained tendon on the outside of my right foot," he stated. "It wasnt extremely painful or anything like that but I just knew if I kept playing - and walking on uneven slopes is the worst for it. And Memorial unfortunately is up and down. I mean thats one of my favourite golf courses and I love that tournament and I have good vibes going in there. It killed me to miss that tournament but I knew for the rest of the year I had to be smart and I just didnt make it worse and over the last couple of weeks with some rest, it has gotten a lot better." While this has been a good year for the Saskatchewan native, he has been in search of more consistency on the greens. In the second round of the Players, he switched to a left-hand-low putting grip that he was practicing with on Monday, under the watchful eye of short game coach Gabriel Hjertstedt. Its just one more little thing he hopes will unlock the mystery that is putting. DeLaet is also hoping that he can bring his game around in a big event. While hes posted six top-10s this year, including consecutive runner-up finishes at Torrey Pines and Phoenix, he missed the cut in both the Masters and the Players. Its understandable as he adjusts to tougher set-ups and deeper fields, but this is where he wants to perform, this is where he wants to be contending. Hell get that opportunity starting at 1:36 on Thursday afternoon. Frank Gore Youth Jersey . Bostons bats exploded in Mondays opener, as David Ortiz belted a pair of two-run homers, Stephen Drew homered and drove in four runs and the Red Sox pummeled the Blue Jays, 14-1. Jalen Hurd Womens Jersey . Watch the game live on TSN and TSN GO at 9pm et/6pm pt. Serge Ibaka returned to the Thunder lineup from a calf injury that was supposed to sideline him for the remainder of the postseason and the results were sparkling. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Yout...r-49ers-jersey/. Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (5) - Simply put, Lundqvist was brilliant. Colin Kaepernick 49ers Jersey . Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, Fiorentina levelled on aggregate in the 14th minute when Joaquin Sanchez Rodriguez headed back a long ball from David Pizarro and Pasqual smashed home an angled volley. Mitch Wishnowsky 49ers Jersey . The weekend at Oriole Park has been less kind, with three players suffering varying degrees of injury. The worst ailment of the three, at least optically, is the deep bone bruise suffered by Adam Lind when he fouled a pitch off the top of his right foot in the sixth inning of Saturdays game.DENVER - Now this is more along the lines of what LeBron James had in mind.Cleveland moved the ball around to James satisfaction and held off the Denver Nuggets 110-101 on Friday night.Sure, there is plenty of work still left to do, but this performance pleased James. Very much, even.We were in tune defensively from the beginning and ... sharing the ball, James said. We were locked in. I was very pleased with that.The shooting? Maybe not so much.James had 22 points and 11 assists on a poor shooting night for Clevelands Big Three. James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving were a combined 19 of 45.But the Cavs showed off their depth, with seven players scoring in double figures in their only win on a three-game road trip.We stressed (ball movement), James said. We were like, Lets get the ball moving from side to side. Lets get the best shot, not a good shot, the best shot.For the most part, the Cavaliers did just that. They wound up with 25 assists two nights after the team tied a franchise record with just six in a loss at Utah.Were going to get better at that as we begin to use our offence more properly and as we begin to recognize the benefit of not holding the ball, coach David Blatt said.Randy Foye scored 28 points for the Nuggets (1-4), who have dropped four in a row. Denver played without speedy point guard Ty Lawson after he was scratched due to a sore left ankle.Nate Robinson started out strong in Lawsons place, but didnt play at all in the fourth quarter since his minutes were maxed out. Robinson isnt supposed to play more than 20 minutes in his recovery from a torn ACL. He was on the floor for 25:49 against the Cavs and scored 14 points.Thats tough playing against a team like them and the guys that they have, Robinson said. Its something that we have to learn from.Splitting time at point guard with Irving, James looked determined to get everyone involved, passing up shots in order distribute the ball. He will see more time at the point until Matthew Dellavedova returns from a sprained knee.The biggest mismatch we could get was when he (LeBron) was handling it and drawwing the switch, Blatt said.dddddddddddd The balls going to be in his hands a great deal, and itll certainly be in his hands at money time. Thats what he does.After leading by as many as 21 in the third quarter, the Cavs took their foot off the accelerator and the Nuggets pounced.They trimmed the lead to six on a jumper by Wilson Chandler with 4:30 remaining. But then Dion Waiters had a steal and a dunk, followed by a jumper, to increase Clevelands advantage.Irving finished with 12 points and six assists. He had 34 points and no assists in the loss to the Jazz.Earlier this week, James wrote on his Twitter account for everyone to relax. The message was in response to talk about Clevelands slow start.The Cavaliers (2-3) certainly played relaxed — at least early on. Although, it suddenly got tight when the game appeared to be turning into a rout.At the morning shootaround, James dismissed reports that he and Irving recently got into a heated disagreement. James said the two are simply trying to get on the same page.Were two dynamic players and its coming along well, I believe, James said.FRIGHTFUL FALLThings got a little rough with 4.4 seconds left in the first quarter, when Darrell Arthur smacked Waiters as he went in for a layup. Waiters stayed down for several minutes.Arthur was called for a flagrant-2 foul and his night was finished.It was very scary, James said. Hell feel it on the plane. Hell feel it tomorrow for sure.TIP-INSCavaliers: Asked if the team might be in the market for another backup point guard, Blatt said: Were not looking for anyone else at this moment, not that I know of anyway. ... Love had 19 points and eight rebounds.Nuggets: J.J. Hickson served the last of a five-game suspension for violating the terms of the leagues anti-drug program. ... Danilo Gallinari is finding his shooting touch. He was 3 for 6 from the field, making two 3-pointers, and finished with 10 points. Gallinari is returning to the court after missing nearly 18 months with a knee injury.UP NEXTCavaliers: Host New Orleans on Monday.Nuggets: Visit Portland on Sunday. ' ' '