Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/45552
2B Daily News – Tuesday, October 25, 2011 Golfers 'given break' by R&A rule changes ST. ANDREWS, Scotland (AP) — Golfers will no longer be penalized if their ball moves after it has been addressed in one of a number of rule changes announced Monday by the sport's govern- ing body. Rory McIlroy and Webb Simpson were among those to have been hit with one-shot penalties this year for what is widely regarded as one of the harshest rules in golf. The revision was made by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, which issues the sport's rules in con- junction with the USGA, the governing golf orga- nization in the United States and Mexico. Beginning Jan. 1 and until 2015, players will not be punished if the ball moves after the address ''when it is known or virtually certain that he did not cause the ball to move.'' ''Every time the wind blows, I am worried that my ball is going to move and I am worried about grounding my putter, distracting me from trying to hole my putt,'' said Padraig Harrington, three-time major winner who is an R&A ambassador. McIlroy, the U.S. Open champion who is ranked No. 3, was penalized in his final round at the British Open at Royal St. George's. The conse- quences weren't dire for McIlroy — he had little chance of winning and finished 25th — but the same cannot be said of Simpson during the final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in May. The American was leading by a shot and closing in on what would have been his first title when his ball moved on the 15th green. After receiving a one-stroke penalty, he eventually lost in a playoff to compatriot Bubba Watson. Simpson lost the PGA Tour money title to Luke Donald on Sunday by a margin of $335,861 — the difference between first and second place at the Zurich Classic was $460,800. Simpson at the time labeled the sanction ''such a bad rule.'' Other changes announced by the R&A include allowing players to smooth sand or soil before playing from a hazard ''provided it is for the sole purpose of caring for the course and Rule 13-2 (improving lie, area of intended stance or swing or line of play) is not breached.'' Golfers will also no longer be automatically dis- qualified from a tournament if they start late, but within five minutes of their assigned tee time. Instead, they will lose the first hole in match play or two shots at the first hole in stroke play. ''I am delighted with the changes, in particular the ball moving after address,'' Harrington said. ''It is definitely giving us players a little bit of a break.'' In addition, the R&A has amended the definition of addressing the ball to mean ''simply ... ground- ing his club immediately in front of or behind the ball, regardless of whether or not he has taken his stance.'' Before, the address position required a player to be stood over the ball with the club grounded. SERIES (Continued from page 1B) The Cardinals scored twice in the second, cash- ing in two leadoff walks sandwiched around a wild pitch. Yadier Molina notched his fifth RBI of the Series with a single that left field- er Murphy overran and fumbled for an error. Skip Schumaker followed with an RBI grounder to first that Moreland boxed around, preventing any chance at a double play. Murphy made a diving catch to end the inning, denying Nick Punto a run- scoring hit. Punto carried his bat all the way to first base and tried to break the wood by bending it over his right thigh. Already ahead 2-0, the Cards threatened in the third after Wilson slipped coming off the mound try- ing to field Rafael Furcal's leadoff bunt and made a poor, backhanded flip that skittered past Moreland. But with runners at the corners, Wilson got Holli- day to bounce into a quick double play. Not so sur- prising, really — Wilson induced the most DP grounders in the majors this year while St. Louis hit into an NL-record 169 double plays. Holliday flied out with the bases loaded, after an intentional walk to Pujols, to finish the fifth. NOTES: Playing on his 34th birthday, Furcal led off the game with a liner that 3B Beltre backhanded. Furcal started Game 4 the same way. ... Wilson matched the postseason record for walks — 19 — set by Cleveland's Jaret Wright in 1997. Wilson's 11 walks in the World Series are the most since Allie Reynolds in 1951. ... Pujols flied out on a 3-0 pitch to end the first. He swung at 15 of 37 pitches on 3-0 counts this season, going 4 for 8 on the balls he put in play. ... Cardinals reliever Arthur Rhodes turned 42. He's the oldest player to celebrate a birthday while playing in the Series. Jim Palmer was 38 in 1983. Womathlon November 19th , 2011 at Tehama Family Fitness Center Attention Ladies! Test your strength, endurance, and perseverance at this competition! Saturday November 19th Events: • Hex Bar Body Weight Dead Lift for Max Reps in 1 minute • Bench Press 3 Attempts for Max Weight • 25 lbs Kettlebell Snatch for Max Reps in 2 Minutes • Pull up Bar Hang For Time • Medley- TBA • 1.5 Mile Run for Time Cost: Pre Register by 11/1 $15 • Late Registration $25 *Minors must have parent signature Weigh-ins at 8am-First Lift at 9am For More Info Contact Troy 530-528-8656 Tehama Family Fitness Center 2498 South Main St. • 528-8656 www.tehamafamilyfitness.com SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Braylon Edwards ran routes on his surgically repaired right knee during the 49ers' bye week, giving coach Jim Harbaugh hope that the veteran wide receiver will be back for Sunday's home game with the Cleve- land Browns. Edwards is scheduled to return to practice Tuesday when the team reconvenes from ''improvement week,'' as Harbaugh puts it. Playing against the Browns became the goal after Edwards hurt his knee making a 21-yard catch on the 49ers' third play from scrimmage in a 27-24 overtime loss to the Cowboys on Sept. 18 — the team's lone defeat so far. ''I watched him run and run routes,'' Har- baugh said Monday. ''Like I said, hopeful that he'll come back tomorrow and good things will happen.'' Fullback Moran Nor- ris, recovering from a broken left fibula, also is set to practice Tues- day. He stopped wearing a walking boot last Monday. ''Our wounds have almost healed and we'll know better on Tuesday when we get out there on the field and prac- tice,'' Harbaugh said. At 5-1, San Francisco is in a strong position to win the NFC West and end an eight-year stretch without a win- ning record or playoff berth. The 49ers return from their off week with a three-game division lead over second-place Seattle (2-4), which won the West with a 7-9 record last season. Ari- zona is 1-5 and St. Louis 0-6. Harbaugh doesn't NASCAR Sprint Cup Points Leaders 1. Carl Edwards 2. Matt Kenseth 3. Brad Keselowski 4. Tony Stewart 5. Kevin Harvick 6. Kyle Busch 7. Jimmie Johnson 8. Kurt Busch 9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10. Jeff Gordon 11. Denny Hamlin 12. Ryan Newman 2,237 2,223 2,219 2,218 2,211 2,197 2,187 2,185 2,163 2,155 2,153 2,149 Remaining Schedule Oct. 30 — TUMS Fast Relief 500, Ridge- way, Va. Nov. 6 — AAA Texas 500, Fort Worth, Texas Nov. 13 — Kobalt Tools 500, Avondale, Ariz. Nov. 20 — Ford 400, Homestead, Fla. Bye week comes at opportune time ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders' bye week is coming at just the right time. With new quarterback Carson Palmer still trying to shake off the rust and learn a new offense and new team- mates and star running Darren McFad- den and other key players nursing injuries, the Raiders can sure use this time to regroup from a 28-0 loss to Kansas City and get back on track with two big division games on the horizon. The focus this week will be on get- ting Palmer up to speed with the offense in time to take over the starting role Nov. 6 against Denver. He threw three second-half interceptions in Sun- day's loss, just five days after ending his retirement to join the Raiders in a trade from Cincinnati. ''This is something that I definitely think we need,'' receiver Jacoby Ford said. ''We're going to have to work hard and get good with him. Just to get the timing down and be here with him.'' While bye weeks are often used to rest the body and refresh the mind, the Raiders have plenty of work planned for the week in order to get Palmer acclimated. They will hold practices on Tuesday and Wednesday before taking an NFL-mandated four days off. But instead of leaving town for the weekend, the receivers, tight ends and running backs are all planning to stick around to get some informal work in with Palmer. ''We know we need to be here, and we're going to be here,'' receiver Derek Hagan said. ''For us to get on the same page and get this thing clicking again, it's obviously going to take more of an effort from us to put more time in just to make sure we're doing those little things right.'' Palmer was sitting at home a week ago as the Raiders were figuring out how to move on after losing starting quarterback Jason Campbell to a bro- ken collarbone. Oakland ended up trading for Palmer, sending a 2012 first-round pick and a conditional sec- ond-rounder in 2013 to Cincinnati. Palmer had his first practice in more than nine months on Wednesday and got about 20 percent of the first-team snaps during the week before replacing an ineffective Kyle Boller in the third quarter against the Chiefs. Palmer completed his first pass, but mostly struggled. He finished 8-for-21 for 116 yards and threw three intercep- tions, including one that Brandon Flowers returned for a touchdown. ''That was kind of like a preseason game for him, because obviously he hadn't played in a game in quite a while,'' coach Hue Jackson said. ''I think it was very beneficial and will serve us well as we continue to move forward.'' Palmer finished with his third-worst completion percentage, tied for his sec- ond-most interceptions and his 17.3 passer rating was the second lowest of his career. He has quite a bit of work to do to get back to the level of play the Raiders are expecting, but Palmer believes that with the bye he can do it in time for the next game. ''Two weeks is enough time to be where I need to be, and I'm going to get everything I can out of these guys,'' he said. ''I understand that it's a bye allow himself — let alone his players — to think beyond the next game, though in the case of last week the coaches did look ahead to a tough November sched- ule and started those preparations. ''Some, a little,'' he said of the work toward next month. ''No elabo- ration.'' The Niners travel to Washington to face the Redskins next week, then come home to host the Giants and Cardinals on back-to-back Sun- days, then there's that much-hyped Thanksgiv- ing Day sibling matchup against big brother and Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh back East. Jim Harbaugh will point to one thing when it comes to the team's impressive showing so far. ''The players. Those guys are fueling the start,'' he said. ''A lot of people have asked and wanted bullet points and things like that. We don't have any to give them.'' No word on whether Harbaugh worked on his NCAA Top 25 Schedule Thursday's game No. 18 Houston vs. Rice, 5 p.m. Saturday's games No. 3 Oklahoma State vs.Baylor, 12:30 p.m. No. 4 Stanford at Southern Cal, 5 p.m. No. 6 Clemson at Georgia Tech, 5 p.m. No. 7 Oregon vs.Washington State, Noon No. 8 Arkansas at Vanderbilt, 9:21 a.m. No.9 Michigan St.at No.13 Nebraska, 9 a.m. No.10 Kansas St.vs.No.11 Okla., 12:30 p.m. No. 12 Wisconsin at Ohio State, 5 p.m. No.14 S. Carolina at Tennessee, 4:15 p.m. No. 15 Virginia Tech at Duke, 9:30 a.m. No. 16 Texas A&M vs. Missouri, 9 a.m. No. 17 Michigan vs. Purdue, 9 a.m. No. 19 Texas Tech vs. Iowa State, 4 p.m. No. 21 Penn State vs. Illinois, 12:30 p.m. No. 22 Georgia vs. Florida, 12:30 p.m. No. 23 Arizona St. vs. Colorado, 3:30 p.m. No. 25 W. Virginia at Rutgers, 12:30 p.m. MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA y-Galaxy 19 5 10 67 48 28 x-Seattle 18 7 9 63 56 37 x-Salt Lake 15 11 8 53 44 36 x-FC Dallas 15 12 7 52 42 39 x-Colorado 12 9 13 49 44 41 Portland 11 14 9 42 40 48 QUAKES 812 14 38 40 45 Chivas USA 8 14 12 36 41 43 Vancouver 6 18 10 28 35 55 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA y-K.C. 13 9 12 51 50 40 x-Houston 12 9 13 49 45 41 x-Phila. 11 8 15 48 44 36 x-Columbus 13 13 8 47 43 44 x-New York 10 8 16 46 50 44 Chicago 9 9 16 43 46 45 D.C. 9 13 12 39 49 52 Toronto FC 6 13 15 33 36 59 N. England 5 16 13 28 38 58 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. x- clinched playoff berth y- clinched conference —————————————————— End of Regular Season Playoffs Wild Card Round Wednesday:New York at FC Dallas, 6 p.m. Thursday: Columbus at Colorado, 7 p.m. week for these young receivers, and it's time to get away a little bit, just let your mind go somewhere else because hopefully there's a long road ahead of us. But it's also time to get some work done, get that timing and rhythm and get going.'' McFadden won't be partaking in this week's workouts. The NFL's lead- ing rusher entering the game managed just two carries for 4 yards and one short reception before leaving after the second drive with a sprained right foot. McFadden was on crutches and had a walking boot Monday. Jackson said the plan was to rest McFadden this week anyway. ''We're going to have the foot looked at and make sure structurally that it's OK,'' Jackson said. ''We'll take a great look at it as we go through this week. I'm hoping to get him back soon.'' Even though backup Michael Bush gained 99 yards on 17 carries in McFadden's place, the Raiders can ill afford to be without their most dynam- ic offensive player if they want to com- pete in the AFC West. Middle linebacker Rolando McClain, who has been nursing a sprained left ankle the past few weeks, left the game for a stretch and was vis- ibly limping when he returned. He also had on a walking boot Monday. Tight end Kevin Boss also was knocked out with a concussion and safety Matt Giordano had neck spasms. The Raiders hope the time off will help all of those players heal, as well as cornerbacks Chris Johnson (groin, hamstring) and Chimdi Chek- wa (hamstring), fullback Marcel Reece (ankle) and kicker Sebastian Janikows- ki (left hamstring). 49ers back to work for game with Browns handshake during the break, though he did commit to improving his postgame etiquette in the wake of his skirmish with Lions coach Jim Schwartz following San Francisco's 25-19 comeback win Oct. 16 at Ford Field. Harbaugh gave Schwartz a firm, quick shake and then a hard pat on the back before Schwartz chased him down and had to be held back. Harbaugh did take a little bit of downtime last week, catching his former players in No. 4 Stanford's 65-21 rout of Washington on Saturday — along with several members of his coach- ing staff who made the jump with him from the Cardinal program to the NFL earlier this year. Harbaugh was hired away by the 49ers on a $25 million, five-year deal after turning around Stanford during his four-year tenure, which was capped by a school-record 12 wins and a 40-12 victory over NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA 6 2 0 12 19 15 5 1 1 11 17 10 4 3 0 8 16 17 Dallas Kings Ducks Phoenix 3 3 1 7 20 22 SHARKS 33 0 6 18 16 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA 5 1 0 10 19 14 Detroit Chicago 4 1 2 10 24 18 St. Louis 4 4 0 8 22 24 Nashville 3 3 1 7 15 20 Columbus 0 7 1 1 17 29 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA Colorado 6 2 0 12 26 20 Vancouver 4 3 1 9 22 23 Minnesota 3 2 3 9 18 20 Edmonton 3 2 2 8 13 12 Calgary 2 4 1 5 15 20 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA Pittsburgh 6 2 2 14 30 22 Philadelphia 5 2 1 11 27 21 N.Y. Rangers 3 2 2 8 14 14 New Jersey 3 2 1 7 13 16 N.Y. Islanders 3 3 0 6 14 14 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Toronto 5 2 1 11 26 27 Buffalo 5 2 0 10 20 13 Boston 3 5 0 6 19 19 Ottawa 3 5 0 6 24 34 Montreal 1 5 2 4 18 26 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Washington 7 0 0 14 30 14 Florida 5 3 0 10 20 19 Carolina 3 3 2 8 22 27 Tampa Bay 3 3 2 8 25 27 Winnipeg 2 5 1 5 17 27 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. —————————————————— Monday's results Florida 2, Montreal 1 N.Y. Rangers 2, Winnipeg 1 Philadelphia 4, Toronto 2 Today's games San Jose at Nashville, 5 p.m. Detroit at Columbus, 4 p.m. Ottawa at Carolina, 4 p.m. Pittsburgh at N.Y. Islanders, 4 p.m. Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 4:30 p.m. Anaheim at Chicago, 5:30 p.m. Vancouver at Edmonton, 6:30 p.m. Dallas at Phoenix, 7 p.m. New Jersey at Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday's games Philadelphia at Montreal, 4:30 p.m. Colorado at Calgary, 7 p.m. St. Louis at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl in January. ''We all saw the same thing. Stanford is really good,'' Harbaugh said. ''They are just that much better than every- one that they're playing. Proud of those guys. They're doing a great job. They're making it look easy.'' Harbaugh also took toddler daughter, Addi- son, to the movies and Disney on Ice. ''Lot of family time,'' he said. Now, it's back to work on the Browns. NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Chargers 4 2 0 .667 141 136 RAIDERS 43 0 .571 160 178 Kansas City 3 3 0 .500 105 150 Denver 2 4 0 .333 123 155 East WL T Pct PF PA N. England 5 1 0 .833 185 135 Buffalo 4 2 0 .667 188 147 N.Y. Jets 4 3 0 .571 172 152 Miami South 0 6 0 .000 90 146 WL T Pct PF PA Houston 4 3 0 .571 182 131 Tennessee 3 3 0 .500 112 135 Jacksonville 2 5 0 .286 84 139 Indianapolis 0 7 0 .000 111 225 North WL T Pct PF PA Pittsburgh 5 2 0 .714 151 122 Cincinnati 4 2 0 .667 137 111 Baltimore 4 2 0 .667 155 83 Cleveland 3 3 0 .500 97 120 NFC West WL T Pct PF PA 49ERS 51 0 .833 167 97 Seattle 2 4 0 .333 97 128 Arizona 1 5 0 .167 116 153 St. Louis 0 6 0 .000 56 171 East N.Y. Giants 4 2 0 .667 154 147 Dallas WL T Pct PF PA 3 3 0 .500 149 128 Washington 3 3 0 .500 116 116 Philadelphia 2 4 0 .333 145 145 South WL T Pct PF PA N. Orleans 5 2 0 .714 239 158 Tampa Bay 4 3 0 .571 131 169 Atlanta 4 3 0 .571 158 163 Carolina 2 5 0 .286 166 183 North Green Bay 7 0 0 1.000230 141 Detroit WL T Pct PF PA 5 2 0 .714 194 137 Chicago 4 3 0 .571 170 150 Minnesota 1 6 0 .143 148 178 —————————————————— Week 7 results Sunday's results Kansas City 28, Oakland 0 Atlanta 23, Detroit 16 Carolina 33, Washington 20 Chicago 24, Tampa Bay 18 Cleveland 6, Seattle 3 Dallas 34, St. Louis 7 Denver 18, Miami 15, OT Green Bay 33, Minnesota 27 Houston 41, Tennessee 7 New Orleans 62, Indianapolis 7 N.Y. Jets 27, San Diego 21 Pittsburgh 32, Arizona 20 Monday's results Jacksonville 12, Baltimore 7 Week 8 schedule Sunday's games Cleveland at San Francisco, 1:15 p.m. Arizona at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Houston, 10 a.m. Miami at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Minnesota at Carolina, 10 a.m. New Orleans at St. Louis, 10 a.m. Detroit at Denver, 1:05 p.m. Washington vs. Buffalo at Toronto, 1:05 p.m. Cincinnati at Seattle, 1:15 p.m. New England at Pittsburgh, 1:15 p.m. Dallas at Philadelphia, 5:20 p.m. Monday's game San Diego at Kansas City, 5:30 p.m. Open: Oakland, Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, N.Y. Jets, Tampa Bay