right now its pretty much a dead issue.\' Lester said th

Billy Payne wore a smile as wide as the Augusta National fairways as he watched eight kids file out of the room with their trophies from the inaugural Drive, Chip and Putt Championship on the Sunday before the Masters. cheap jerseys from china . "Were going to be hearing from some of these kids again," he said. Yes, but six weeks later? An 11-year-old girl who won her age group in the youth competition before the Masters has played her way into the U.S. Womens Open next month at Pinehurst No. 2. Lucy Li, a sixth grader with braces and a sharp short game, made history Monday at Half Moon Bay with rounds of 74-68 to become the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Womens Open. Not only did she earn a spot at the biggest event in womens golf, she won the 36-hole qualifier by seven shots. Its another example that golf has no age limits. The record for youngest qualifier had belonged to Lexi Thompson, who was 12 when she made it to the 2007 Womens Open at Pine Needles. Its only fitting that when Li signed up for the Drive, Chip and Putt, she listed Thompson as among her favourite players. Li, from the suburbs south of San Francisco, still wont be the youngest player. Beverly Klass was 10 when she played in 1967, but that was when the U.S. Womens Open didnt have qualifying. Judy Rankin was a 14-year-old prodigy from Missouri when she entered the 1959 U.S. Womens Open at Churchill Valley Country Club in Pittsburgh. "When I went to register, they asked me if I was registering for my mother," Rankin said Tuesday. "I weighed 80 pounds. I remember the first tee was way up high. I was shaking. I was so scared, so nervous. I thought I could fall off. I didnt even make the cut. I was probably ill-prepared to be playing. But the next year, I was low amateur." Teenagers in the U.S. Womens Open are nothing new. Morgan Pressel, who went on to become the youngest major champion in LPGA Tour history at 18, qualified for the U.S. Womens Open in 2001 when she 12. Michelle Wie was 12 when she qualified for her first LPGA Tour event, and she was in the final group at a major when she was 13. Lydia Ko was 15 when she won the Canadian Womens Open two years ago, making her the youngest winner in LPGA history. Now shes in range of becoming No. 1 in the world. In mens golf, Matteo Manassero won twice on the European Tour before he had his drivers license. Ryo Ishikawa won his first professional tournament when he was 15. Jordan Spieth nearly won the Masters last month at age 20. And who can forget Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old from China who made the cut at the Masters last year? Even so, two numbers are enough to get anyones attention — "11" and "sixth grade." "This is ridiculous," Dottie Pepper said Tuesday, more amazed than concerned. Earlier in the day, Pepper was on Twitter and tried to get her head around an 11-year-old teeing it up at Pinehurst No. 2 when she noted that Lis date of birth was "THIS CENTURY. Whoa!" Rankin and Pepper both attributed the increasing achievements by teens — pre-teens in Lis case — to modern equipment and coaching. Li began playing when she was 7 by whacking a few golf balls on the range while waiting for her brother and cousin to finish a golf tournament. She now works with Jim McLean. And this is not the first time Li has written herself into USGA history. She set a record last year in the U.S. Womens Amateur as the youngest qualifier at age 10. She also was the youngest in the U.S. Womens Amateur Public Links to reach match play, losing in the first round to a college player. "For people with talent, regardless of age, todays equipment is making the game a lot easier to learn," Rankin said. "For talented people, they are learning the game quicker and easier. That has a big bearing on it." Rankin also points to the very best in golf being on television so often, and the fact that kids copy what they see. "No one in the world is better at mimicking than children," she said. "I can go way back to a friend of mine from U.S. Amateur days, Helen Sigel Wilson. She always said the way to teach a kid how to play good golf is only let them see great players. They can figure it out." Sooner than later, thats what theyre doing. cheap jerseys .  The tournament includes a total of 109 Canadian players. There are 35 players from Ontario, 35 from British Columbia, 18 from Alberta and seven each from Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. wholesale jerseys . Pavalec made 39 saves in a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday, and coach Paul Maurice knows his goalie has been on a hot streak. "Hes played the same way, believe it or not, prior to. BOSTON -- Jon Lester says there was nothing but rosin -- which is perfectly legal -- on his glove when he beat the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series. A Cardinals minor leaguer posted a screen shot on Twitter showing a green substance on Lesters glove. Tyler Melling, a 25-year-old pitcher in the Florida State League, wrote: "Jon Lester using a little Vaseline inside the glove tonight?" The Boston Red Sox left-hander said before Game 2 on Thursday night that "I can honestly tell you that all I use is rosin. So, its obviously frustrating that after a night like last night, we should be having fun and running around with some energy today and Ive got to stand here and answer questions about it." Lester allowed five hits in 7 2-3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and a walk in the Red Soxs 8-1 victory. Boston manager John Farrell also said Lester uses only rosin, which is provided on the pitchers mound, to get a better grip. "If you know Jon Lester, he sweats like a pig and he needs rosin," Farrell said before Game 2. "I dont see this as anything at all." Major League Baseball said in a statement Thursday that "we cannot draw any conclusions from this video. There were no complaints from the Cardinals and the umpires never detected anything indicating a foreign substance throughout the game." Section 8.02 of the Official Baseball Rules says a pitcher "shall not apply a foreign substance of any kind to the ball" and says the penalty for a violation is ejection and an automatic suspension. "MLB has obviously evaluated it and issued a statement," Farrelll said. jerseys cheap nfl. . "We consider it closed." Mellings tweet was later deleted. "Obviously, when I get a text at 2 oclock in the morning, its not fun," a composed Lester said. "I understand. I saw the picture. It looks bad." He also said he sweats a lot and rosin helps control that. "I throw rosin in my glove. Thats it," Lester said. "I warm up with one hat in the bullpen and then have to change hats when I come in (to the dugout). Ive had plenty of games where Ive got sweat dripping off my brim. Ive put rosin on my hat before to try to stop it. You do a lot of different things to just try to try to contain it. "Even on a cold night like last night, Im still sweating, so youve got to do certain things to try to keep a grip on the ball and not let it slip, and rosin is one of those things that seems to help me." Asked if hes sure that rosin was the only substance in Lesters glove, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said, "this was not instigated by us. And the way that we approach this is we just play the game. We dont deny that some things have been acknowledged. And if thats what he claims, then thats what it is. Thats all there is to it. And right now its pretty much a dead issue." Lester said the issue wouldnt affect him in the future. "I played with Jon basically my whole professional career," Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "He kind of sweats a lot, man. I know he loads up with rosin all over the place. I dont even like going out there and telling him good job, and patting him on the back because you get all wet and stuff." Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Authentic China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '

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