Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-str

SHANGHAI - Graeme McDowell typically looks at the leaderboard more often at the start of a tournament. It gives him a sense of how the course is playing and what score he might need to contend at the finish.There was no need to look Thursday in the HSBC Champions.McDowell noticed ankle-deep rough at Sheshan International and fairways not as wide as usual. He felt firm greens and saw trees jostling in stiff wind. More than anything, he kept looking at all the birdies that filled his scorecard.McDowell already had seven birdies when he finished his 12th hole, and a couple of loose mistakes at the end of the opening round didnt diminish his satisfaction. He opened with a 5-under 67 on a tough day in Shanghai to build a two-shot lead.No, I didnt need a leaderboard to let me know that 7 under through 12 is fairly strong, McDowell said. Gauging whats a good score can be a good thing maybe when youre not going well. But it might not be a great thing if youre taking it deep and the rest of them are 3-under par and youre thinking, Whoa, this is a very good score.Thats not what slowed him. Trouble was lurking everywhere, and not even McDowell was immune.Rickie Fowler also started quickly with three birdies in his opening five holes, only to spend the rest of the round trading birdies with bogeys. He wound up with a 69, along with U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, Brandt Snedeker, Chris Kirk, Tim Clark and Tommy Fleetwood.Strong wind added to the demanding conditions.Jordan Spieth began his new PGA Tour season with two straight bogeys and had to save par with a long bunker shot on his third hole. He scratched his way back and wound up in a large group at 70 that featured Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Adam Scott and Henrik Stenson, who made bogey from the bunker on his final hole.It didnt take much for players to stumble. FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel made two double bogeys, only one birdie and shot an 80.This is a top event — some of the best players in the world, probably the best field youre going to get in Asia, and you dont want it to be a pushover, Fowler said. You want a good, solid test. And its showing that.Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. had to withdraw after shooting 45 through his first nine holes because of a neck injury. It’s his third withdrawl in the last four months. He also withdrew from Malaysia last week with a sore neck.Only 27 players in the 78-man field broke par, compared with 37 players under par on the first day last year when the winning score was 24-under 264. McDowell said he wouldnt be surprised to see something around 10 or 12 under win, even if the wind lets up.McDowell is the only player this year to finish in the top 10 at all the World Golf Championships, and while he hasnt captured a WGC title, Sheshan International would seem to favour him more than the others. Thursday was his 10th consecutive round in the 60s on this course.A big key to this golf course is driving the ball well. I drove it very well today, McDowell said.The exception was on the 603-yard eighth hole, playing with the wind. McDowell hit a 3-wood to avoid the bunker on the right side of the fairway, and he put it in the deep grass for the first time all day. He could only manage an 8-iron out of the rough and still had 215 yards over the creek fronting the green. McDowell pulled that left of the green and failed to get up and down.No complaints. He did not forget the 20-foot birdie putt he made on No. 14, or the 45-foot putt he holed across the green at the 17th, or the 25-foot birdie on No. 3. And then there was his drive on the 288-yard 16th, a perfect yardage to go with a perfect swing that gave him a two-putt from 15 feet for birdie.There were some tricky holes on the front nine, McDowell said. I made a couple of putts I should have in the first 12 holes, and then I made a couple of bogeys that I shouldnt have coming in. All in all, I think 5 under was a fair representation of my round.DIVOTS: Kevin Stadler withdrew after two holes with a wrist injury. ... Jason Dufner had one moment when his body was in China and his head was still in Malaysia. Players were allowed to lift, clean and place their balls last week in soggy Malaysia. Dufner instinctively picked up his ball in the 18th fairway, a one-shot penalty. He had a 72. Just one of those things, Dufner said with a shrug. Stitched Jerseys . "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys . -- Rodney Stuckey scored 15 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Detroit Pistons beat the New York Knicks for the first time in eight meetings, 92-86 on Tuesday night. http://www.chinajerseyscheap.com/. - Erick Torres scored his 10th goal of the season on a stunning volley, and Chivas USA edged 10-man Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night. Wholesale NFL Jerseys China .Murray has played 20 matches in five weeks, winning three titles to climb to fifth in the ATP Race.The two-time Grand Slam champion also seeks to qualify for next months ATP World Tour Finals.Murray said: I always wanted to qualify for it, but also I want to get back into the top 8 players in the world and it makes a huge difference for seedings in the major events. NFL Jerseys China . - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational.Next up is another appearance by the Magic Man doing what he does.Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs.Gareth Bale, roadrunner edition.Blake Griffin "accidentally" throws water on a Warriors fan after the game.Dom Dizzle with the cross dizzle... Bacon sizzle. But ya, this is pretty awesome.ddddddddddddWhen someone is jumping off a roof, you probably have a pretty sweet trick shot on your hands.Remember that trick shot we showed you a couple weeks ago? Well heres an outtake that might be harder to do than actually getting it in.This probably took a really long time.A pretty sick skateboarding trick. ' ' '