Teilemarkt Biete » and decided on a Day 1 strategy: stay short

DALY CITY, Calif. -- Karine Icher and her caddie husband, Fred, evaluated the conditions and course at challenging Lake Merced and decided on a Day 1 strategy: stay short of the pin and putt uphill. The move worked beautifully, and Icher delivered the most consistent performance on a day there werent many in the debut of the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic. "I think its the key on this course," Icher said. "Its a tough golf course, especially with the wind and temperature. It gets so cold. You try to stay warm and try to catch the right wind and go with it and make some putts." The Frenchwoman birdied four of her first seven holes and finished with a 6-under 66 on Thursday to take the lead, two strokes ahead of Lydia Ko and several others. Afterward, Icher was off to pick up 2-year-old daughter, Lola, from the tours childrens care and head to dinner. The start was delayed two hours because of fog and play was suspended because of darkness with 24 players still on the course. Icher had a bogey-free round and hit all but one green in regulation. Many struggled off the tee or with their putters on speedy, tricky greens on a cool day with plenty of wind and hovering fog not far off the Pacific Ocean. The gallery sang "Happy Birthday" to Ko on her 17th birthday as she started from the first tee, and Ko came through with a 68 on a day she was also named among TIME magazines 100 most influential people. Kos group barely beat the horn for darkness. "I wanted to finish today," she said, acknowledging the birthday song was "kind of embarrassing" but much-appreciated. Morgan Pressel birdied four of her first eight holes and was among the players sitting three strokes back at 69. Mo Martin also shot a 69 after warming up four times before finally hitting her first tee shot following the fog delay. Pressel, whose round began on the back nine, went to 4 under at the turn. Top-ranked Inbee Park opened with a 73 in the $1.8 million event, while second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 70 in her first tournament since missing three events with a back injury. On the par-4 11th, a frustrated Pettersen made an 8-foot putt for triple-bogey to fall from 3 under to even par before bouncing back. Michelle Wie, coming off her first win in nearly four years last week in her home state of Hawaii, finished at even-par 72. Those who were still on the course will play resume their rounds Friday morning, so many will have a quick turnaround after a short break. Tee times remained the same. Pressel also had a sizzling first round in Phoenix last month, going 9 under through her first 11 holes in the JTBC Founders Cup and chasing a 59. But Pressel bogeyed two straight holes and wound up with a 7-under 65. On Thursday, she recovered for par on holes 16 and 18 after both tee shots missed the fairway. On the forgiving par-5, 532-yard 18th, Pressels drive ricocheted off a tree and landed in a more favourable lie to the right of the fairway. She nearly put her third shot onto the green but the ball kicked back a couple of feet shy. "It was actually a bit of a struggle out there. My short game kept me in it. I stayed patient," Pressel said. "I stayed tough. Its a tough golf course. I knew nobody was going to go out there and blitz it." Martin played through more fog, and even wondered whether there might be a second delay. The LPGA is back in the Bay Area for the first time since 2010, and San Francisco provided exactly the kind of day that so perfectly represents this region and its unpredictable weather patterns. Martin sported an "L" charm necklace in memory of her grandfather, Lincoln Martin, who died last month at age 102. One of her biggest supporters since they reconnected 10 years ago, he last travelled to a tournament in Rochester, N.Y., last year. He ate vanilla ice cream on his chocolate crisped rice cereal -- with half and half to boot -- for breakfast every morning. He also had several U.S. patents. "It would be really hard to do him justice in a couple sentences, but greatest person Ive ever met," she said. "Changed my life when I got to know him in the last 10 years. Most peaceful person Ive ever met. ... Everybody out here loved him. He followed womens golf and was a fan of everyone." Angela Stanford and Se Ri Pak withdrew Thursday, and neither provided a reason to tournament officials. Fjallraven Kanken Mini Cheap . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more. Fjallraven Backpack Clearance . As deep as their roster is, they need their superstar. Rose scored 23 points in his return from a five-game absence due to back pain, and Chicago hung on to beat the struggling Atlanta Hawks 90-79 on Monday. http://www.fjallravenkankencheap.com/fjallraven-kanken-no-2.html . If one fighter gases, he usually gets beat up pretty bad from that point on. Fjallraven Kanken Big Backpack Cheap .com) - American Madison Keys grabbed a first- round victory on Sunday in a rainy start to the Apia International Sydney tournament. Fjallraven Outlet Usa . Nothing pretty. But this is 1/4 World Cup. Usually plays out this way. TORONTO -- Quinn Smiths CFL draft stock is on the rise. The Concordia Stingers defensive lineman was ranked fourth among the CFL scouting bureaus top-15 prospects for next months draft. Heady stuff, considering Smith wasnt rated on either the fall or winter lists. But the six-foot-two, 305-pound Toronto native raised eyebrows at last months CFL combine, excelling on both sides of the ball. And that versatility will enhance his chances of being taken early in the May 13 draft, with the expansion Ottawa Redblacks holding the first pick overall. "Obviously I felt I shouldve been on the first two but Im very happy that my hard work paid off to be quite high on the new list," Smith said during a CFL conference call Tuesday. "I want to be a professional football player. "It doesnt matter what city, what team. Im going to be happy wherever I go." Once again Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, McGills highly rated offensive lineman, topped the rankings. But the six-foot-five, 310-pound medical student is projected as a mid-round NFL draft pick. Where Duvernay is taken by an NFL club will dramatically impact when hes selected in the CFL draft. David Foucault, Montreals towering six-foot-eight, 300-pound offensive tackle, moved up a spot into No. 2, with Laval offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu dropping to No. 3. St. Francis receiver Devon Bailey also dropped one position behind Smith into No. 5. Manitoba defensive tackle Evan Gill remained at No. 6, ahead of Western defensive lineman Dylan Ainsworth, who skyrocketed from No. 15. Manitoba running back Anthony Coombs moved up a spot to No. 8, ahead of Simon Fraser offensive lineman Matthias Goosen (who dropped from No. 5) and Queens defensive back Andrew Lue (from No. 8). Rounding out the top-15 were Laval defensive back Adam Thibault, Simon Fraser linebacker Casey Chin, defensive lineman David Menard and defensive back Antoine Pruneau -- both from the University of Montreal -- and Western linebacker Beau Landry. Ainsworth was another player who excelled at the CFL combine, especially in the 1-on-1 drills when he steamrolled over Foucault. The six-foot-three, 225-pound native of Delta, B.C., credited teammate Landry with helping him prepare for the weekend-long audition before league officials. "Just seeing my name there the first couple of rankings was an honour for me, it was just up to me to prove myself at the combine," Ainsworth said. "As a result of training hard with (Landry) I feel like I did as well as I really couldve hoped. "To see me shoot up to the No. 7 spot is huge but the real ranking is May 13 and thats what Im most excited about, just to see what happens and how it all plays out." Withh Duvernay-Tardif expected to head to the NFL, Foucault is being mentioned as the most CFL-ready prospect among the eligible offensive linemen.dddddddddddd But he, too, is attracting American interest, having recently interviewed with NFL clubs at the leagues Super Regional combine earlier this month in Detroit despite suffering a foot injury while running his 40-yard dash. "Just three of the 33 guys on the offensive line got an interview with NFL teams and I got some good feedback," Foucault said. "Right now, I dont know what (is happening), theres a little stress because I dont control this part." Foucault, a converted defensive lineman from LaSalle, Que., would welcome playing in the CFL, but admitted his focus right now is on the NFL because its draft is first on the calendar. The NFL draft will go May 8-10 and those players not selected could still be signed as priority free agents before CFL officials begin stockpiling their rosters with top prospects. "I just want to be a football player," Foucault said. "Its a good thing to play in the NFL or CFL but I want to take my chances to go to the NFL because I want to try." The CFL draft remains first and foremost on Smiths radar. Hed prefer to play professionally as a defensive lineman but wouldnt refuse the opportunity to line up along the offensive line, either. "Ive played both but playing defensive tackle has got me a free education at university, its got me to the CFL combine and I had a really great showing," he said. "If a team drafted me and wanted me to play the O-line I would have no problem with that. "I love playing football on the offensive or defensive side but defensive tackle is my natural position." Ainsworth, too, might find himself lining up in a different position in the CFL, either as a rush end or linebacker. While hed prefer to remain on the defensive line, Ainsworth is also keeping an open mind about where he could be lining up as a pro. "Defensive line is more my natural position, its sort of what I have more of a passion for," he said. "But any team that comes knocking whatever they want me to play is what I"ll be playing. "Its not an issue of what I want, its an issue of where I can fit and best contribute." But Ainsworth definitely has a preference regarding when hed like to hear his name called May 13. "Im hoping first round," he said. "Just to go in the first round would be awesome but realistically any team that picks you youre going to be happy to go there. "Its just going to be a nice weight lifted knowing where you need to go. Then the real work starts there." ' ' '