Graham DeLaet starts his first tournament of 2014 this week

[blueberryjerry]

Graham DeLaet starts his first tournament of 2014 this week in San Diego, teeing it up at the Farmers Insurance Open. . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. While every stop is important for the Canadian golfer, he is more than just a little excited about his first opportunity to play the Masters. "When I look at the schedule, thats the one thing that stands out," he said just prior to heading out to San Diego. "I feel like I know the course so well already, the breaks on the green and where to hit it. Its my highlight sporting event of the year to watch." DeLaet earned his spot in the field through his stellar 2013 season making it to the Tour Championship as well as finishing inside the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking. He even Tweeted out a picture of the official invitation, which now sits framed on a shelf in his living room. DeLaet is planning to head up to Augusta early to get a look at the course and hell have a pretty good tour guide with him. While playing the Shark Shootout in December with Mike Weir, the two Canadians made a plan for a side trip, likely on the Monday of one of the Florida stops. "It wont be hard to make time for that," he said. "Ive been told by a lot of people that my game suits the course, so Im excited to get up there and see it." There are a few stops prior to Augusta of course and DeLaet is hoping he can continue to play as he did for much of 2013, a year that saw him break out and become a bona fide world-class player. It was also a year that left him out of gas at the end, running on fumes as he hit the Christmas break. "It was a good off season," he stated. "I was really burned at the end of last year but now my battery has been recharged and Im ready to get going." The recharging included he and his wife Ruby moving to Phoenix, Ariz., although hell maintain a residence in Boise where hes lived since his school days. He also took in the Winter Classic hockey game in Ann Arbor, Mi., which he described as crazy (he was one of the few fans in attendance at the Leafs-Red Wings game wearing a Calgary Flames sweater). And, as he got closer to returning to play, there was also a lot of practice, trying to find the feel of his almost-pure swing that statistically has him as one of the games best ball-strikers. The off-season was also busy from a sponsorship standpoint as most of his deals expired. He signed a new clothing contract with Puma that will see him don some bright hues, including a regular red and white outfit every Sunday. He followed that by inking a deal with Canadian communications company Shaw, whose logo will appear on his hat and bag. And, despite some very lucrative offers - one reportedly with seven figures before the decimal point - he stayed with Titleist clubs and ball. "He was one of the hottest commodities out there. Everyone wanted him," said one equipment company executive. That, of course, is because they - like just about every Canadian golf fan, sees the great potential in DeLaet. He sees it too and is hoping this will be the year he notches his first victory along with a few other goals. "Im excited," stated the Weyburn, Sask., produce who turns 32 on Wednesday. "I want to try and put myself in that position to get the first win. The Presidents Cup again, staying inside the top 50 in the world and even moving up. Those are all outcome goals. I know that they come with how I play. Ive been working hard, putting in the proper practice and using the Monday, Tuesday Wednesday to take care of what I need to take care of so Im ready on Thursday." His tremendous play, perhaps highlighted by his Presidents Cup appearance, has meant other changes as well. First off, his schedule will be different in 2014. In fact, it already is. He skipped the SONY Open in Hawaii, and event in which hes performed well in the past and loves to attend. And there will be other tournaments that have been on his itinerary that will be squeezed out to make room for all four majors as well as the lucrative no-cut World Golf Championship events. There is a stretch starting with the British Open where hell play eight out of nine weeks, an exhausting but unavoidable itinerary. With the great play has also come a crushing demand on his time. More autograph requests. More sponsor requests. And more media requests. "It comes with the territory," DeLaet said. "As I rise up the rankings, I get more attention. You try to limit it as much as you can but at the same time you know its part of the job and you know that its important to talk to certain people." This week marks the start of what could be a very big year for DeLaet. Hes pumped and ready for it. So is most of Canada. . Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. .Y. -- Phil Jackson lost out on his preferred coach, but hes working hard on keeping his star player. PHILADELPHIA -- Steve Mason skated off the Flyers ice to a roar he waited a career to hear. The thunderous cheers quickly changed to an appreciative chant: "Ma-son! Ma-son! Ma-son! Headed to New York with new life, Mason sure earned this curtain call. Mason stopped 37 shots for his first career post-season win, Matt Read and Jakub Voracek scored and the Philadelphia Flyers evened their first-round matchup against the New York Rangers with a 2-1 win in Game 4 on Friday night. In his first start of the series, Mason shut down the Rangers, and shut out the noise of a raucous crowd. "The crowd is unbelievable this time of the year," Mason said. "Its definitely loud out there. Sometimes, its almost too loud for a goaltender. You cant hear the shot being released." He had no trouble keeping his eye on the puck and was in top form almost two weeks after he suffered an upper-body injury. Ray Emery was solid in the first three games but Mason played the final 7:15 in a 4-1 loss Tuesday night. Mason was just getting warmed up. He played perhaps his best game of the season, denying a Rangers team that pressured him with shots all game. He was a wall in the final tense minutes when the Rangers pulled goalie Henrik Lundqvist for the extra attacker. Dominic Moore scored for the Rangers, who squandered their chance to win the series this weekend at home. Game 5 is Sunday at Madison Square Garden. "You dont want to go to MSG down 3-1 in the series and have to win in that building," Mason said. "For us, it was pretty much a must win." The Rangers outshot the Flyers 16-6 and dominated a first period that put Mason to work in a hurry. But the Flyers escaped with a 1-1 tie after Jason Akesons shot off the backboards bounced straight to Read, who beat Lundqvist on his left side for the goal. "He told me he meant to do that," Read said. "It came right to me. I just had to one-time it. I think Lundqvist got a piece of it but well take it." Read caught Lundqvist out of place at the perfect time. "I didnt expect it to come out that fast and on his stick," he said. "It was hard for me to come across." Voracek redirected Brayden Schenns shot from the slot past Lundqvist for a power-pllay goal and a 2-1 lead. . Mason had never played with a lead in five career post-season starts. Mason hadnt started a playoff game in five years since his rookie season with Columbus. The Blue Jackets were swept by Detroit in that series, and the late-season injury against Pittsburgh delayed his Philadelphia post-season debut. "I waited a long time for it, but one doesnt do much in the long run," Mason said. Flyers captain Claude Giroux hasnt scored in the series but his strongest performance came after Game 3s loss when he said, "Were going to tie up the series and go back to New York." Off theyll go to New York, the series tied. "Its going to be better for us mentally to go up there," Giroux said. Giroux limped to the bench after taking a hard hit from Mats Zuccarello late in the third. Giroux, third in the NHL with 86 points, had no shots on goal in the first two games and has only two assists through four games. Moore gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead when he joined the rush out of the penalty box and scored on a wraparound goal 4:38 into the game. The Rangers pounded Mason with shot after shot, doubling the Flyers total for most of the first two periods. Mason was sprawled in the crease stopping several shots and kept the Flyers in a game they desperately needed to win. "He looked confident right from the get-go, and he had to be in the first," coach Craig Berube said. Lundqvist, an eight-time All-Star and 2012 Vezina Trophy winner, stopped 23 shots but was betrayed by an offence that couldnt convert open looks. The Rangers were 0 for 4 on the power play and are 0 for 12 since Game 2. "We got good looks, but this time of year you need more than good looks," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "You need to get the job done." Notes: The Rangers have scored first in the last three games. ... Flyers D Nicklas Grossmann left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury. ... Lauren Hart, the daughter of longtime former Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart, sang "God Bless America," alternating lyrics with Kate Smith, who was on a video image. Smiths rendition of the song has been a rallying anthem for the Flyers since the mid-1970s. ... Game 6 is Tuesday in Philadelphia. ' ' '

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