on a power play after a nifty b

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Now that hes got that pesky major out of the way, Justin Rose is learning to savour the quest for his next big title. Hes not nearly as optimistic about Englands chances in the World Cup. Rose is the reigning champion heading into the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, a player who is certainly more at ease with his place in golf now that hes got one of those prestigious titles on his resume. "In the last few months, I sort of realized what I have achieved and its time to embrace it, enjoy it, and let that be the strength for me to go on and win more," Rose said Tuesday. Of course, theres another big sporting event beginning this week, one that will certainly have the attention of Rose and his fellow English players. Their soccer-mad nation has a huge opening match in the World Cup against Italy on Saturday, the soccer game scheduled to begin in Brazil about the time the third round of the Open is wrapping up in North Carolina. Reflecting the mood of his homeland, Rose is not very hopeful. Englands only World Cup title came in 1966 and expectations are low for this team, a youthful squad playing in one of the most difficult groups. "I would say theres probably more chance of one of us winning the major than England winning the World Cup," said Rose, among 11 English players in the Pinehurst field. "Sad to say." Roses primary focus will be on his bid to become the first repeat U.S. Open champion in a quarter-century. Last years triumph at Merion had been in the making for nearly that long, ever since Rose finished fourth as an 18-year-old amateur at the 1998 British Open. He spent the next 15 years trying to finish the job, chasing a major title that seemed increasingly elusive as the close calls began to pile up, the weight of expectations becoming almost too much to bear. Then, just when it seemed he might have a lifetime membership in the "Best Players Never To Win A Major" club, Rose won a duel with Phil Mickelson at the venerable club outside Philadelphia, clinching the title with a 4-iron into the demanding 18th hole that gave him the par he needed to hold off Lefty. "I havent been one of those guys who said, OK, well, Im going to win X amount of majors in my career," Rose said. "I really want to treat this major that Ive won now as a gift and let it give me the ability to sort of free-wheel for the rest of my career -- play free, play loose, just go after it. Ive really got no pressure on me from that perspective anymore." Not surprisingly, the U.S. Golf Association paired Rose and Mickelson in the first two rounds. Both hope theyll still be playing together in the final group on Sunday. "I enjoy playing golf with Phil," Rose said. "I enjoy the spirit in which he plays the games, how free he is out there. Hes got a great temperament for the game. Nothing seems to faze him. Thats something a lot of players can look up to him for." Curtis Strange, the last player to win consecutive Opens in 1988 and 89, is pulling for Rose to join the exclusive club. "If Justin would happen to do it this year, that would be the first phone call," Strange said. "That would be fantastic." Rose missed the cut in his last tournament, the Memorial, though he thinks that might turn out to be a good break because it gave him more time to get familiar with Pinehurst. Before that stumble, he had ripped off three straight top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a tie for fourth against a loaded field at The Players Championship. His biggest challenge this week might be keeping his mind on golf. During the 2010 World Cup, Rose held a three-shot lead going to the final round of the Travelers Championship. That morning, he watched Englands title hopes fade away with a 4-1 loss to Germany. Then he went out and shot a 75, finishing three shots behind winner Bubba Watson. "I never really calmed down," Rose recalled. "So maybe Ill be a little bit more careful about my emotions watching the football." 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Dont miss a single shot, live on TSN beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. Winners of their last eight games, the Heat return to Toronto for the second time in the month of November. After beginning the season 4-3, allowing 100.9 points on 47 per cent shooting, Miamis resurgent defence has vaulted them back to the top of a weak Eastern Conference. <a href="http://www.thegrizzliesofficial.com/Authentic-Ben-McLemore-Grizzlies-Jersey/">Ben McLemore Jersey</a>. - Diego Fagundez scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 76th minute to lift the Revolution to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night that kept New Englands playoff hopes alive.GLENDALE, Ariz. -- A win wasnt going to help the Phoenix Coyotes. The playoffs were already out of reach and there was nothing to gain. But as they went into their final game of the season, the Coyotes faced a must-win -- for their peace of mind heading into the off-season. What had been dubbed "That stupid streak" had to end. Dave Moss scored late in the third period, Thomas Greiss stopped 16 shots, and the Coyotes snapped a seven-game skid with a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday night in the season finale for both teams. "Thats something we talked about: That stupid streak, someone has to end it," Moss said. "We were able to get a win, which is a good way to end, but ultimately its not where we want to be." Knocked out of playoff contention on Friday, the Coyotes wanted desperately to break the season-worst losing streak. Shane Doan scored, Greiss gave them a chance with some difficult saves, and Moss finished it with a one-timer past Tim Thomas with 2:31 left. The Coyotes finished two points behind Dallas for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, but at least they went out on a winning note. It would have been an awfully long summer had they not. "It was important for us," Doan said. "Its obviously the way it ends with the streak, its good to win one. We had to win one." Dallas, already locked into a first-round playoff series with Anaheim, rested many of its key players for the finale. The Stars kept it close behind Colton Sceviours first-period goal and 29 saves by Thomas, but couldnt get anything past Greiss with an extra attacker in the closing seconds. "I still slammed a water bottle there at the end," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "You still dont want to lose. I didnt want to lose that game. The only bitter taste was the end of the game." The Coyotes had hoped this season finale would put a stamp on their playyoff bid.dddddddddddd Instead, it turned into a play-out-the-string game that mattered little to either team. The Stars gave Phoenix every opportunity to take the Western Conferences final playoff spot, yet the Coyotes were unable to make up any ground, thanks to a six-game losing streak. Dallas clinched their first playoff appearance since 2008 by beating Colorado on Friday, and Phoenix still couldnt shake its doldrums against depleted San Jose on Saturday, losing to the Sharks 3-2. The Stars will open the playoffs on Wednesday, so captain Jamie Benn and assistant captains Trevor Daley and Ray Whitney were all given the night off against Phoenix. Like they did on Saturday, the Coyotes got off to a lackadaisical start and fell behind when Sceviour got Greiss off-balance with a couple of dekes and scored on a power play after a nifty backhand pass from Vernon Fiddler. Phoenix generated some good chances in the second period, and Doan broke through with his 23rd goal, redirecting a shot from the point by Zbynek Michalek past Thomas. In the third period, Greiss made consecutive saves on Tyler Seguin, including one on a rebound after sliding across the crease and nearly doing the splits. Moss put the Coyotes up late, and Greiss made some difficult saves in the closing seconds after Dallas pulled Thomas. The Stars lost, but they had bigger things on their minds. "Its kind of hard to do it when youre excited for the playoffs," Stars defenceman Alex Goligoski said. "But for the most part, we played well enough to stay in the game until late." NOTES: The Phoenix Coyotes played their final game before changing to the Arizona Coyotes next season. The new ownership group called for the change to make the name more inclusive for the entire state. ... Sceviours goal was his eighth of the season. ... Coyotes LW Lauri Korpikoski played his 400th career NHL game. <a href="http://www.chinawholesalejerseysnfl.com/">Wholesale Jerseys</a> ' ' '