PHOENIX -- Morgan Pressel had a befitting start at Wildfire Golf Club.
[b]Ryan Pressly Jersey[/b] . She was 6 under after six holes, then 9 under through 11. Golfs magic number of 59 -- accomplished only on the LPGA Tour by Annika Sorenstam in 2001 at nearby Moon Valley -- was in range and word spread quickly Thursday at the JTBC Founders Cup. "Wow. Go Morgan," friend Natalie Gulbis tweeted. "I dont know if I was necessarily thinking 59, but I probably just got a little bit excited, because I had never been that many under par in that short of a span," Pressel said. "I just got a little bit quick and came back to earth." She did, bogeying the next two holes and closing with five pars for a 7-under 65 that left her a stroke behind first-round leader Mirim Lee. After birdieing Nos. 1 and 2 -- her 10th and 11th holes -- to reach 9 under, Pressel pulled her drive left on the par-4 third. Her ball lodged at the base of a short bush, with the bulk of the branches between the right-hander and the ball. There were burrowing animal holes near the ball, but they didnt interfere with a possible swing or stance. "I could have hit it left-handed and there were a couple of burrowing animal holes around," Pressel said. "I brought them (rules officials) over to ask, but I didnt honestly think that I was going to get relief and I dont think that I deserved it." Pressel took an unplayable lie and missed the green to the right, chipped to 7 feet and made the putt to save bogey. She also dropped a stroke on the par-3 fourth, missing a 15-footer after hitting another iron to the right. "It wasnt the finish that I would have hoped for, but it gives me a little bit of confidence knowing how many birdies I can make and Im capable of," she said. Pressel birdied the first four holes and made a 50-footer for eagle on the par-5 15th. She also birdied the par-3 17th and made the turn in 7-under 29. "I dont know that Ive ever gotten off to that hot of a start," Pressel said. A tour regular since she was 17, the 25-year-old Pressel won the 2007 Kraft Nabisco to become the youngest womens major champion. She also won the 2008 Kapalua LPGA. "I definitely feel like I have the ability to win again," Pressel said. Lee also started on No. 10 and nearly matched Pressels start, playing her opening nine in 6-under 30. She had three birdies and a bogey on the front side for a 64. "Everything was good," said Lee, making her third LPGA Tour start. Defending champion Stacy Lewis, top-ranked Inbee Park and Michelle Wie were two strokes back at 66 along with 2011 winner Karrie Webb, Eun-Hee Ji, Catriona Matthew, Gerina Piller and Pernilla Lindberg. "A lot of tee shots set up well for me," Lewis said. "They fit my eye." Coming off a victory two weeks ago in China in a Ladies European Tour event, Park birdied the final three holes. She closed with a tap-in birdie on the par-4 ninth after nearly holing a full pitching wedge. "It was a very solid round," Park said. "Very good irons." Wie eagled the par-5 fifth. "I hit 3-wood, 5-iron over the green and then chipped in," Wie said. Sixteen-year-old Lydia Ko had a 67. Playing alongside Park, Ko closed with a bogey after driving left into the desert. "I forgot to bring my food and my protein bars," Ko said. "Thats my excuse." DIVOTS: Paula Creamer, a playoff winner three weeks ago in Singapore in the last LPGA Tour event, shot 70. She had a double bogey on the par-4 eighth, her 17th hole. ... Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods niece, had a 71. The Phoenix player won the LETs Australian Ladies Masters last month. ... The Semper Fi Fund said The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation will match Cristie Kerrs tour earnings this year to help injured and critically ill service members and their families. She shot 73. ... The scoring average was 70.863. The Arnold Palmer-designed front nine played to an average of 35.917 and the Nick Faldo-designed back nine to an average of 34.946.
[b]Kent Emanuel Jersey[/b] . - Vince Wilfork has played only two career games in Kansas City.
[b]Jim Umbricht Jersey[/b] . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension.INDIANAPOLIS -- Carl Edwards 11-year run with Roush-Fenway Racing will end after this NASCAR season. Roush confirmed the decision Sunday, a move that had been long expected but could not be substantiated because Edwards refuses to publicly discuss contract negotiations. Hes believed to be headed to Joe Gibbs Racing in a new fourth car, but his contract with Roush does not permit him to announce his plans until September. Matt Kenseth was bound by the same clause when he left Roush at the end of 2012 and had to wait months to announce he was moving to Gibbs. Edwards, speaking two hours before the start of the Brickyard 400, said he has a completed deal with another team but is not ready to talk about it. He also tried to limit his time discussing his departure from Roush because the start of Sundays race was approaching. "Right now, the mission is to win this championship, this race," Edwards said. "This is my decision, its a decision I made and I didnt take it lightly. Sometimes you just want to make a change, and opportunities present themselves and you say, Hey, what was that like to not take that opportunity? " With a move to Gibbs, Edwards will be reunited at a Toyota team with Kenseth, whom he didnt always get along with when they were Roush teammates. Minutes before the race, team owner Joe Gibbs declined to discuss Edwards but said a fourth car at the organization is possible. Leaving Roush ends Edwards long association with Ford. The manufacturer stepped up heavily in contract negotiations four years ago to offer incentives to keep Edwards from leaving Roush for Gibbs. "Carl Edwards has been a part of the Ford family for a decade, and it will certainly be tough to see him leave Ford and Roush Fenway Racing," said Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing. "While we are disappointed in his decision to leave Roush Fenway Racing, we certainly want to extend our appreciation for Carls contributions." Edwards has been with Roush since 2003 and in the No. 99 Ford in the Cup Series since 2004. He has 67 career victories in NASCARs three national series. Edwards results have not been anywhere close to what he had hoped after losing the 2011 championship on a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards went winless in 22012, his first year of a new three-year contract extension with Roush, and missed the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
[b]Myles Straw Jersey[/b]. Although he won two races last season, he finished last in the 13-driver Chase field. His performance is much better this year and Edwards goes into Sundays race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway ranked sixth in the standings with two victories. He said he does not want his departure to interfere with winning the Chase. "If you look around, not in the NASCAR world, but all of sports, change sometimes is a good thing from a performance standpoint," Edwards said. "You guys know what Ive been through from a competitive standpoint. Ive been really close as a driver to some championships, and I know what one point, one race can do. So the last thing Im going to do, or (the team) is going to do is let next year and beyond affect the championship." Roush disclosed its three-driver 2015 lineup: Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will both return, and Trevor Bayne will move up from the Nationwide Series to a full-time Sprint Cup Series ride. "We have always prided ourselves in developing talent at Roush Fenway, and our 2015 lineup is a testament to the success of our organization in that respect," Jack Roush said. Biffle has been with Roush since 1998 and earned the organization its first NASCAR championship with the 2000 Truck Series crown. He added a Nationwide Series title in 2002. He has qualified for the Chase in five of the last six seasons and was a career-best second in 2005. "I dont have the words for what Jack Roush has meant to my career," Biffle said. "Our goal remains to run up front, win races and become the sports first triple crown winner by having a championship in all three series." Stenhouse, a two-time Nationwide Series champion, joined Roush Fenway in 2008. He replaced Kenseth in the No. 17 Ford when Kenseth left for Gibbs. Fastenal, one of the primary sponsors on Edwards car, will move its funding to Stenhouse next season to remain in the organization. Roush officials had previously announced that Bayne will be promoted from the Nationwide Series to a full-time Cup ride next year, with AdvoCare as his primary sponsor of the No. 6 Ford. ' ' '
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