DUBLIN, Ohio -- Keegan Bradley had his best round ever at the Memorial on Thursday. San Antonio Spurs Jerseys . It was the way he accomplished that feat that was so unusual. Bradley did not use a belly putter for the first time in his PGA Tour career, and it worked out just fine. He knocked in a 12-foot birdie putt on his opening hole, added four more birdies for a 5-under 67 and was one shot out of the lead among the early starters at Muirfield Village. "Im totally in a trial period here," said Bradley, whose best score in eight previous rounds was a 71. "Im not in any way saying Im switching for good from now on. This is just for right now and this week." Masters champion Bubba Watson, Chris Kirk and Paul Casey each had a 66 on a hot morning at the Memorial. Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, both coming off victories on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, were among those playing in the afternoon. Bradley was the first player to win a major using a belly putter at the 2011 PGA Championship. The anchored stroke used for long putters will be banned starting in 2016, which he said was like a "ticking clock in your head." But it was advice from his mother, and a week of practice and trash talking with Michael Jordan, that persuaded him to give it a try. Bradley didnt like the way he finished off the Byron Nelson Championship two weeks ago, and while talking to his mother, she suggested he go to a shorter putter. "I hadnt put any thought into it up until that point," he said. "And so I thought I needed something to get me excited about playing because I was bummed." Bradley has not won since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2012, and he needs to get moving if he wants to earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Inspired to experiment by his mother, he played with Jordan at The Bears Club in South Florida, asking him to be relentless in heckling and make Bradley feel uncomfortable, "which hes good at." "And we just kept playing and playing. And I felt better and better with it," he said. "And I came here not knowing what I was going to do. I played a round with Brendan Steele and I felt good with it again, and I thought theres no reason for me not to do it." Bradley said he last used a conventional putter in 2010 in his second start on the Nationwide Tour. He is not considered a bad putter. Bradley switched over to the belly putter because he felt he was better with it. His plan for the year was to qualify for the Ryder Cup team and start converting to a shorter putter after October. Now? Who knows? The putter is 41 inches, which is about 6 inches longer than a standard putter. The difference is that Bradley doesnt press the end of it into his belly. He felt better over lag putts, and he said the shorter putter improved his touch on fast greens. "The negatives are just ... Im aware that people are watching me," he said. "And thats the hardest part." Watson also started his round at No. 10 and got going with an eagle on the 15th hole. He finished strong with four birdies over the last five holes, knocking in a 15-foot putt on the ninth hole. Hunter Mahan had a bogey-free 68, a signal that he is finally starting to round into form. Mahan has not been in the top 20 since the second week of March at Doral. Rudy Gay Jersey . LA (SportsNetwork. Kawhi Leonard Jersey . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season.CHICAGO - Henry Sims can see the growth and hes not referring to the stack of losses. The Philadelphia 76ers skid continued and so did their march toward the wrong kind of record. They have dropped 24 straight after losing 91-81 to the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. But Sims can at least see some positives. "Were learning to play better with each other," he said. "Were learning to make better decisions down the stretch. Were growing right now, and thats the main focus right now. The games we have left, we want to keep growing." They wouldnt mind stopping the losing streak, either, but the Bulls werent about to let that happen. Joakim Noah finished with 20 points, Jimmy Butler scored 17, and Chicago handed the 76ers yet another loss to put them within two of the NBA record. The Sixers moved ahead of the Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96), Denver Nuggets (1997-98) and Charlotte Bobcats (2011-12) for the second-longest, single-season losing streak. The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped 26 during the 2010-11 season, and Philadelphia would have to pull off an upset to avoid tying that. The next two games are at San Antonio and Houston. Drop them, and the Sixers could set the record at home against Detroit on March 29, particularly if they continue to shoot like this from the outside. They missed their first 18 3-pointers and were threatening a league record before Byron Mullens made one early in the fourth. They wound up going 1 for 20. The mark for most 3-point attempts in a game without a conversion is 15. "We were 1 for 20 — what do you say?" coach Brett Brown asked. "Its going to be hard. I thought our defence was really quite good. Its always going to be hard if you cant make perimeter shots. This group has struggled doing that, and so, finding wins and finding ways to stay in games is always going to be a challenge." Despite that, they hung in until Taj Gibson buried a jumper and D.J. Augustin nailed a 3 with 2:30 remaining. That mmade it 91-79 and sealed the win for the Bulls, who moved into a tie for third in the Eastern Conference with Toronto. Joffrey Lauvergne Jersey. Noah and Butler each had eight rebounds, with Butler dishing out six assists. Gibson came on strong in the fourth quarter to finish with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Augustin added 16 points and six assists, and the Bulls came away with the win after losing at Indiana the previous night. "Its tough," he said. "(The 76ers) come out and they have nothing to lose. Basically, they just come out shooting whenever they feel and some of those shots go in. Its hard for anybody to play against a team thats losing, but theyre still a good team at the same time." Thaddeus Young scored 28 for Philadelphia despite missing seven 3-pointers. Sims added 18 points and 15 rebounds, but the Sixers remained winless since Jan. 29. It didnt help that they were missing Tony Wroten, one of their few bright spots in this lost season. He sprained his right ankle in Fridays one-point loss at home to the New York Knicks and did not travel with the team. "Theres a win in this group," Brown said. "We will continue to fight and continue to stay together. Im just thrilled, Im proud of their ability, their character, to stay together in whats clearly difficult times." Notes: Brown said Wroten will miss all three games on the trip. ... Brown had high praise for Noah before the game, saying he hopes Nerlens Noel develops like him. "Every time I see Joakim, I hope I see what were going to get in Nerlens," Brown said. "Hes one of the prime examples I point to as we try and groom a young player." Noel was taken with the sixth pick in the draft last spring despite a torn ACL in his left knee. He has not played this season. ... Houston (at Orlando, March 30, 1991), Golden State (against Indiana, Dec. 6, 1996) and Milwaukee (against Phoenix, Jan. 22, 2002) share the record for 3s attempted without a conversion in a game. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
