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Show DAILY Friday, May 30. 2008 HERALD Goggin takes the lead at Memorial i s !' C5 RedWings have the knack of letting opposing teams catch up j, Ira Podell THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PITTSBURGH Jack Nicklaus always enDUBLIN, Ohio visioned the Memorial as a northern version of the Masters, from the superb course conditions to super slick greens, from caddies wearing white coveralls to grounds so immaculate that nary a cigarette butt is to be found. He got his wish Thursday, at GOLF least with the greens. Mathew Goggin spent as little ROUNDUP time on them as possible, taking only rune putts over his final nine holes on his way to a 65 and a one-shMemolead over Jerry Kelly and two-tim- e rial champion Kenny Perry. Goggin holed out a bunker shot for birdie on the par-- 3 fourth, then ended his round with a for par from off the green, giving him only 22 putts for his round. "Is that possible?" Goggin said when told he had nine putts on his back nine. Strangely enough, he was 3 under playing his best golf, then hit some loose shots that produced four birdies over the final six holes. "It was one of those bizarre days where I didn't drop any shots coming in with the poorly played holes," he said. Perry found the right speed and ran off six straight birdies on his way to a 66, also taking 22 putts. Kelly birdied four of his last six holes. Ten other players also managed to break 70 on a day when the average score was 73.7. Most everyone else hung on for dear life. birdie putt on the Shaun Micheel had a 18th hole that traveled 35 yards back into the fairway. Boo Weekley watched a wedge land near the hole at the par-- 5 11th, only to spin back to the front of the green, off the green and into the creek for a triple bogey. "The greens are the best greens I've ever putted on anywhere in the world," Robert said after a 69. "You can take Royal Melbourne, you take Augusta ... these are the best." Perry could not have agreed more. The two-tim- e Memorial champion, who twice has given himself a chance to win this month, birdie on No. 11, and his knocked in an next five birdies were holed from 18 feet or longer, a streak that ended on No. 17. "I was shocked when the one on 17 didn't go in," Perry said. "Awesome day, though." The greens rolled as true as a billiards table, and some players said they were the fastest they have seen all year, including that tournament at Augusta National last month. That was largely a product of spectacular weather at Muirfield Village, a rarity. "The greens are so fast, you can't believe it," Brett Quigley said after his 67, which included five straight birdies to close out his front nine. "The whole day, you're playing defensive, even on uphill putts." Phil Mickelson, coming off a victory at the birdie putt on No. 9 that Colonial, had a went 12 feet by an onto the fringe, leading to a 72. final bogey and an even-pa- r "The speed is quick, obviously," he said. "Some putts are very tough, obviously." Mickelson got an early glimpse of the speed on his opening hole, when he faced a bunker shot left of the greea Sergio Garcia was marking his ball some 20 feet left of the flag when Mickelson motioned that he was aiming in that directioa He angle from the flag, ran the played at a shot some 40 feet by to a ridge, then watched it roll back and graze the edge of the cup. "We almost had another 'shot of the week' on consecutive holes," caddie Jim Mackay said, referring to Mickelson's wedge through the trees to 9 feet for birdie to win the Colonial on Sunday. Garcia, playing for the first time since winning The Players Championship, ran off three straight birdies toward the conclusion of his round until twice trying to play out of the bank of the water on No. 9, only once successfully. He finished with a double bogey for a 72. "Even though I played well, it felt like you couldn't you didn't," he said. "There were very little chances of giving yourself a putt you could go for. It's just not easy. Unfortunately that double on the last, after all the work I did, that didn't feel that good." The greens were so fast that rules officials also were on the defensive, having to abandon several hole locations to keep it fair. One possibility was the front of the 11th green, because any putt above the hole could run off the green and into the creek. One area that kept this from being anything like the Masters was the field. It was tough enough for the Memorial to lose Tiger Woods (knee), Vijay Singh (ribs), Steve Strieker (elbow) and Adam Scott (fatigue), the field expanded to 120 players this year to keep all invitationals consistent in size, but several players didn't want to come. Ten alternates got into the tournament, but the list went down 17 names because of alternates who withdrew. Tee times at the Memorial used to be cherished. "It was the alternate who didn't want to come," Quigley said. "Maybe it was too far away or they had U.S. Open qualifying. But JAY Press LaPRETEAssociated Mathew Goggin, left, reacts to making a par Kelly looks on during the first round of the Memorial tournament Thursday in Dublin, Ohio. putt on the ninth hole as Jerry how can you skip coming here?" Quigley got the call Tuesday while playing with Brad Faxon in Rhode Island, and when he got to Muirfield Village, all he heard on the range were horror stories about thick rough and lightning-quicgreens. "It was doomsday out there," Quigley said. But as they showed Thursday, it wasn't that bad if the shots were hit in the right spot and the putts were on the right line. k LPGA Ginn Tribute: At Mount Pleasant, N.C., Annika Sorenstam's name is everywhere at the Ginn Tribute except near the top of the leader-boar- d after Thursday's opening round. 72 left her seven shots Sorenstam's even-pa- r Karrie Webb and behind Kim, and tied for 60th at RiverTowne Country Club. Sophie Gustafson was third at 66. U.S. Open winner Cristie Kerr led a group of seven an. other stroke back at 67. Sorenstam, ranked second in the world, has looked forward to playing strongly at the tournament she's hosted the past two years. Pairing all bear her sheets, programs, caps and first name, "ANNIKA," in capital letters. The event lost world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa earlier this week when she left to be with her sick uncle in Mexico, leaving Sorenstam as the marquee attraction. NCAA men's golf: At West Lafayette, Ind., Kyle Stanley shot a par 68, helping e lead over UCLA at the Clemson to a halfway point of the NCAA men's Division I golf championship. Stanley, the runner-u- p a year ago, birdied four of the first seven holes on Purdue's par-7- 2 Kampen Course and had two more birdies on 6 on No. the back nine to offset a double-boge- y 12, the only hole on which he failed to make d total of 140 was one stroke par. His behind leader Billy Horschel of Florida, who finished Thursday's round on the 7,450-yarcourse at par 67. The top score of the day was by Nick Taylor of Washington, whose seven birdies helped him to total of 141 for a par 66 and a leader Kevin Chappell of third place. UCLA shot a 73 and fell to a fourth-plactie with Georgia's Hudson Swaf ford at 142. Southern Cal freshman Tim Skiiter, who won his first college tournament in March, was at 143 for sixth place. The field of 30 teams will be cut after today's round to the top 15 going into Saturday's finals. one-strok- two-roun- iVVi rTrrr-iir- - -- fU 4 citbi compamv 90 Days Same Ai Cash - O.A C. nmraii I Ladies German Open: At Munich, Germany, Mi68 in the first round of chelle Wie shot a the Ladies German Open to share seventh place four strokes behind leader Nina Reis of Sweden. The American birdied three of the first five holes and made par the rest of the way at the Golfpark Gut Haeusern, north of Munich. "I felt I was a little bit rusty. But I am happy with how I played today," said Wie, who is hoping to gain some confidence after playing just two tournaments in the United States this year. "I feel I can do a lot. I left a lot out there on " the It's Wie's first appearance in a full Ladies European Tour field after receiving a sponsor's invitation to play in the event. par-5s.- I Wales Open: At Newport, Wales, Scott Strange made five straight birdies and shot an o 63 to take a lead over Molinari in the first round. The Australian began his round at the 11th and his birdie run from the 14th gave 28. him a ninerhole score of Molinari, an Italian who won the 2005 U.S. Amateur title, shot seven birdies for his 64. Jeev Milka Singh, Alvaro Velasco and Ricardo Gonzalez were tied at 65. Because of heavy rain Wednesday, the course was shortened by 142 yards to a length of 7,210 yards. 7-- 0 SRAKOCICAssociated hardly put up a convincing argument that they are suddenly the team to beat. The Red Wings raced to a 1 edge in shots in the first period and closed with a 16-barrage in the third as they tried to erase Pittsburgh's lead that alternated between one and two goals. Given a few more minutes, it seemed inevitable they would have gotten the game at least even in the most entertaining and competitive game of the series. The skill level on both sides was on full display, as was expected between these clubs. Detroit outshot Pittsburgh overall. "We finished the game strong," Lidstrom said. "We had some chances to tie the game up. That's something you want to build on. You want to carry it into Game 4 and take the good things with you. One thing we can take with us is that third period where we played real hard." Neither the Penguins nor the Red Wings practiced Thursday, with both clubs happy to escape the hockey spotlight for a day. For the first time since the playoffs began, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby did not meet with the media. On Wednesday, Sid the Kid scored in each of the first periods and put a few dents into the Red Wings' perceived invincibility. The Penguins know that Press deficit Nashville erased a to Detroit in the first round with a pair of home wins, before falling in six, and that Dallas forced a Game 6 after dropping three straight. in There was a "white-out- " Pittsburgh on Wednesday, which seemed a whole lot better to the Penguins than a shutout or wipeout at the hands of the Red Wings. "Anytime you have success like that, it's going to give everybody a huge boost mentally," said Adam Hall, whose goal was the winner. "It just makes everything seem worth it, all the effort you put into it. We feel like we put the same effort into the first two games, but sometimes it's not just a matter of working hard, you've got to work smart, as well. "It was just great for everybody looking around the room after the game to see everybody in great spirits." Even Penguins coach Michel Therrien enjoyed a laugh Thursday. He was the last person to take the podium on a quiet day at the rink after causing a bit of a delay while tending to a family issue. "Sorry, I got caught up," he said upon his arrival. "I had to go back to school and pick up my daughter." That moment of levity was every bit an indication how deficit feels much better a than the virtually insurmount2-- 0 9-- 5 third-perio- 34-2- 4 , d 2-- 1 able 3-- . BOSS- i t ' " And Earn $300-550- 0 ... NEKS"" each month! The Daily Herald is currently seeking INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS to fill a variety of routes. Now you can devote and be your own boss. ' on uomoosiTe mce - ! J in Utah - fOUB WH zr ( ( Effi i Installed , g hours and still have activities. or business time for other daytime You can invest just a few early-mornin- Plus, you can grow your business by simply increasing your customer base. The more newspapers that are delivered in your designated area, the more profit you can make. Call 375-510- 3 today to start earning more money. 60 Days Same As Cash. O.A.C. CALL V Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock speaks to the media after Came 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Wednesday. JUST A FEW HOURS A DAY Deck Vn ," KEITH -- Edo-ard- one-stro- County! Self Install Welcome 8'xlO' Visit Our Showroom Elements i 2-- 0 e LowesT J i 2-- 1 -- two-roun- d Decking .u. i,l 3-- First-roun- d i r-- - four games. Are the Red Wings vulnerable, or do they have the Eastern Conference champs right where they want them? "We didn't come into the series thinking we were going to win four straight," goalie Chris Osgood said. "We were hoping to, but to say we expected it to be a hard series would be right on." Detroit was again dominant at times during its 2 road loss to the Penguins on Wednesday and was coming on strong before running out of time. There is no need to panic. The Red Wings are playing well and still lead in the best-o- f seven series. "It's not over after you're up defenseman Nicklas or Lidstrom said Thursday, the first of two straight off days. "You have to have that mentality that you have to stick with it for four wins. It's not going to be easy. They're a very good team over there, and we knew that, too, coming in." If the Wings can figure out a way Saturday night to beat the Penguins in Pittsburgh something no team has done in nine playoff games and 17 overall dating to Feb. 24 the Red Wings will head home with a chance to win the Cup in front of their octopus-lovin- g fans at Joe Louis Arena. After being blanked by a score in the first combined two games of the series in Detroit, the Penguins returned to the comforts of home and managed to get three pucks past Osgood. Although that was enough to win, they "y 'X d FREE 3D Custom Deck Design i f . 0fa o ! De- 0-- ot 55-fo- The troit Red Wings have been through this before. 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