HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.
[b]Mike Cuellar Jersey[/b] .C. -- Matt Kuchar saw his well-struck 5-iron on the 18th hole at the RBC Heritage come up way short of the target and settle in a front bunker. "Well," he thought as he walked toward the shot, "there are a lot worse places to be." For Kuchar, there was no better place -- and no better shot in the tournament. He followed with a stunning hole-out on Harbour Town Golf Links closing, lighthouse hole, to overcome a four-shot deficit for a one-stroke victory and end nearly a month of Sundays where he came close to a title only to lose at the end. Kuchar shot a 64 to finish at 11-under 273, one stroke ahead of Luke Donald, who had his third second place and fifth top-three finish here in the past six years. Donalds latest chance ended Kuchars winning shot. He hit it solid, felt it was a good line and watched it rattle home. "I heard the crowd go crazy," Kuchar said. "Then I went crazy." Kuchar punched the air to celebrate, grabbed his cap and swung it around to the cheers of the crowd. It was Kuchars seventh career PGA Tour victory. He earned $1.044 million and his first trophy since the Memorial last June. It also followed a stretch of golf were Kuchar was in contention nearly every week. He was two shots behind winner Steven Bowditch at the Texas Open on March 30, then lost a playoff at the Houston Open a week later on Matt Jones 42-yard chip in. Kuchar was in the mix at Augusta National a week ago, having a share of the lead on Sunday before a four-putt double bogey at the fourth hole dropped him from contention. Kuchar, at No. 6 in the world the highest-ranked golfer here, couldve taken a break like other top competitors, but hoped the momentum would carry into Harbour Town. "Its awfully sweet to have another chance," Kuchar said. Kuchar made up the four shots on Donald with seven birdies in his first 10 holes. Then nearly gave away another tournament when he three-putted from less than eight feet away at the par-3 17th, a bogey that dropped him into a tie for the top spot -- and set up the dramatic 72nd hole. "I was in a little bit of shock," Kuchar said. "But I think I did a good job of shaking things off." Donald had two holes to catch Kuchar but couldnt do it. He missed a 28-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole, then saw his try at a chip-in birdie slide past the cup. "Finishing second isnt what I was hoping for," he said. "Disappointed, obviously, not to have won. Usually a solid 69 on a windy day with a two-shot lead is enough to get it done on Sundays. Its tough to win out here and hats off to Matt for a superb round." Donald was at 10-under 274 after his 69. Ben Martin, who turned pro in 2010, shot 67 to finish tied for third at 9 under with John Huh, who shot 68. Sunday finally brought the sunshine the tournament had lacked all week. Players got the bonus of easy, softened greens from three days of moisture. The birdies were flying from the start, and Kuchar took full advantage. He birdied the first and second holes, then added a third from 20 feet or so at No. 4. "When I made that putt, I knew it was going to be a really good day," he said. That Donald was in the chase again here was no surprise. The steady Englishman, once No. 1 in the world, says Harbour Towns tight fairways and small greens are a perfect layout for a player such as him who isnt the longest hitter on tour. Donald said a gust of wind in his swing led to him driving the ball way left out of bounds on the sixth hole for a double bogey. He climbed back into the hunt with birdies on the seventh and ninth, but hooked his drive into the water left on No. 10 for a bogey. "It was just a poor swing," he said. "I flipped it." Donald kept charging, though, and drew within a stroke of Kuchars lead with consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. He could get no closer, finishing his round with six pars. Martin, who had missed seven cuts in his past eight tournaments, reached 10 under with back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes. Martins run ended when he couldnt squeeze through some pine trees after driving into the rough at the par-5 15th. His ball struck a tree and scooted into more trouble across the fairway. He took bogey to drop two shots off the lead.
[b]Will Harris Jersey[/b] .J. -- Jaromir Jagr has hit so many NHL milestones this season for the New Jersey Devils that he is starting to downplay them.
[b]Jim Umbricht Jersey[/b] .Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told a FIFA Live Your Goals Tour news conference Friday that the artificial turf is being tested to make sure it meets standards.Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Ward made 23 saves to give the Carolina Hurricanes a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. Brad Malone and Eric Staal each scored a goal for the Hurricanes, who snapped a three-game slide. The Flyers lost their fourth straight game on this eight-game road trip, and have appeared to survive a scare after captain Claude Giroux went down with a left leg injury. Early in the third period, Giroux was chasing a puck down in the right corner of the Carolina end and got tangled up with Justin Faulk. As Faulk was putting hit left leg down, his skate caught the back of Girouxs left ankle, and it appeared that Giroux was bleeding through his equipment. Giroux was tended to on the ice by a trainer and eventually taken into the locker room. After the game, though, the team announced that the cut wasnt bad, and Giroux is probable for Saturdays game in New Jersey. Im not a doctor or anything but I got pretty lucky there, said Giroux. I know I got lucky because that was pretty scary. Chris VandeVelde sccored the lone goal for Philadelphia, with Steven Mason turning away 24 shots.
[b]Kent Emanuel Jersey[/b]. Malone scored on a snap shot at 13:41 of the first for his first goal of the season. The Hurricanes moved their advantage to 2-0 just 41 seconds into the second period, as a turnover saw Jordan Staal eventually send a wrister on net from the slot, with Eric Staal putting home the rebound from the left side. Philly cut its deficit to one at the 8:45 mark of the third as Vincent Lecavalier skated in down the middle and left the puck at the top of the left circle for VandeVelde, who slid over to the slot and snapped it home for his second of the year. The Flyers pulled Mason from the net with just under two minutes to play, but Ward made a couple of stops late in the game to preserve the win. Game Notes The Hurricanes host Boston on Sunday ... Carolina was 0-for-2 on the power play, while Philadelphia went 0-for-3 ... Carolina forward Jeff Skinner missed the game with flu-like symptoms. ' ' '
