presents a major commitment, even with the salary cap

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Cristie Kerr made a 55-foot par-saving putt after hitting her final approach into the water Saturday at Aviara, giving her a share of the Kia Classic lead with Lizette Salas. Kerr finished with a 2-under 70 to match Salas at 10-under 206. After dropping a stroke on the par-5 17th, Kerr holed out from the edge of the green on the par-4 18th after taking a penalty drop. "Obviously, it was the worst shot I could have hit and then it was the best shot I could have hit," Kerr said. "So go figure, thats golf. It was pretty ...... It is really one of those moments that you just remember for a lifetime. I was just trying to get it close. Usually thats when those go in." Kerr won the Kingsmill Championship last year for her 16th LPGA Tour title. "I hit two hooks on 17 in a row," Kerr said. "That ..................... owes me tomorrow. That ..................... owes me tomorrow, big time." Salas, the former Southern California player from Azusa, had a 69. She birdied the par-5 17th for a share of the lead and matched Kerr with a par on the last. Salas was followed by a spirited gallery wearing "Team Salas" shirts as she tries to win her first LPGA Tour title. "Im just really trying to capitalize on the par 5s," Salas said. "Just staying patient. Thats really my key this week is to stay patient, even though Im in trouble, like on No. 13, where I hit it into the bunker." She got up-and-down for par, and didnt let a bogey on No. 15 -- her first of the tournament -- bring her down. "One bogey out of three days is not a bad thing," Salas said. Dori Carter, the second-round leader after a course-record 64, had a 74 to drop into a tie for third at 8 under with Thailand winner Anna Nordqvist, Ayako Uehara and Shanshan Feng. "Overall I handled my nerves pretty well," Carter said. "It was my first time playing in the final group." Nordqvist and Uehara shot 67, and Feng had a 69. "I started off really solid," Nordqvist said. "I think the back nine is playing a little tougher, but I hung tough and made a silly mistake on 16. But other than that, Im really happy with my round." Third-ranked Stacy Lewis was 7 under after a 73. She had two late bogeys. DIVOTS: One of the tournaments most bizarre shots came Saturday from Yani Tseng on the par 4 No. 18. Tseng sprayed her approach shot left, deep into the bleacher hugging the green. The ball ricocheted around and spit out, landing on the green where Tseng, the 2012 winner, pared the ...................... ... Michelle Wie and 16-year-old Lydia Ko were in a group tied for 28th at 3 under. Wie had a 70, and Ko shot 71. Matt Leinart College Jersey . Smiths former Atlanta teammates were glad to hang on for an ugly win. Wholesale Jerseys . Jeff Carter had two goals and an assist as the Kings stretched their streak to seven wins in a row with a 4-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. http://www.jerseyssafe.ru/jersey-junior ... lx-50.html. The Stampeders announced the move on Wednesday. Bell spent his first two CFL seasons with the B. Wholesale NFL Jerseys .James scored 29 points, including 16 in the first quarter, and the Cleveland Cavaliers broke a four-game losing streak with a 106-74 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday night. NFL Jerseys China . Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace. ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Dion Phaneufs contract extension wasnt a surprise, thanks in part to HBOs "24/7" reality series. "It was a little bit of a bad-kept secret at the end of it," the Toronto Maple Leafs captain said Tuesday after the new agreement was announced. That Phaneuf was worth US$49 million over seven years to the Leafs was also no secret. The teams No. 1 defenceman plays every situation for Toronto which makes him arguably the most irreplaceable player on the roster. "He plays some pretty tough minutes, and his plus-minus has gone in the right direction playing those minutes, against the best players, starting in his own end, most defensive zone faceoffs, all those things," general manager Dave Nonis said. "And hes done that, and hes welcomed it, I think hes improved at it." Phaneuf has a long way to go before hes considered among the elite captains in franchise history, but the 28-year-old Edmonton native fits the teams current needs perfectly. No one on the Leafs plays more minutes (24:21 a game), and his four goals are the most on the blue- line. He plays more on the power play than anyone else and more on the penalty kill than anyone except for defensive centre Jay McClement. Hes not the same player the Leafs acquired from the Calgary Flames in early 2010. "I definitely feel that my game has grown with experience and playing in the league," said Phaneuf, who was understandably all smiles at his Michigan Stadium news conference on the day of Winter Classic practices. "You grow as a player, and Ive learned a lot of things over my time since Ive started, and I feel Im a better player today than I definitely was when I started and in my time in Calgary, thats for sure." Phaneuf has developed into someone Nonis considers a "pillar" the Leafs can build around. So much of what they do on the ice is built around him, and if he were to get injured there isnt a defenceman who possesses the ability to fill his skates. But Nonis insisted that wasnt the reason the Leafs ponied up and signed Phaneuf, who would have been an unrestricted free agent July 1. "We signed Dion to this deal because he deserved it," Nonis said. "Hes going to play at this level or beyond, I feel, for seven years, again, maybe beyond that. Its not that you dont have anyone to replace Dion, its that hes done enough to prove to us that he is a player that is near the top of the league in terms of how he stacks up against the top defencemen. ... "Its not that we dont have anyone to replace him. I think if thats why we were signing him, wed be making a mistake." On the ice, Phaneuf makes mistakes. He has an element to his game that Nonis acknowledged that includes taking chances to jump up in the play or lay a hit on an opponennt.dddddddddddd. Part of that is what has made Phaneuf such a polarizing player in the eyes of fans. He has shown plenty of flaws, but ultimately hes a big, minute-logging defenceman who provides a mix of offence (four goals, 11 assists) and physicality. "Dions always going to have a little bit of risk to his game, but I believe hes lowered that," Nonis said. "Hes taken less big chances, less risky pinches, he still likes the big hit but hes not running at people the way he did early on. All those things are just a function of maturity." Phaneuf has matured into not just a better defenceman but a better leader. This is his fourth season as captain. "Ive definitely grown into the role, and Ive learned a lot," Phaneuf said. "Id be lying if I sat up here and said I cant. Im very comfortable in the role." The Leafs were comfortable enough with Phaneuf in that role that they rewarded him handsomely with this deal. Phaneuf will make US$8 million in each of the first two seasons, then $7.5 million, $7 million, $6.5 million, $6.5 million and then $5.5 million in 2020-21. Nonis said hes not concerned about the length of the deal. "Dion was going to get seven years regardless. If we werent going to pay him, hes going to get it (in free agency)," Nonis said. "I think hell play beyond the term of his contract. Hes not in his 30s. Hes in his 20s. His game is rounding out and its getting better. I dont think theres any reason why he cant play the seven years and then look for another contract." Theres no guarantee Phaneuf plays the entire contract with the Leafs, given that he has only a limited no-trade clause. Nonis doesnt believe in giving players full no-movement clauses, so Phaneuf didnt get one. None of the players Toronto has signed long-term -- forwards Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, David Clarkson, Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul -- have full no-trade clauses in their contracts. "The core is always going to be somewhat movable," Nonis said. "Its not locked in stone for eight years that these guys are all going to be here. We signed them because we believe theyre part of a winning team, that they can be part of something, but it doesnt mean that were locked into anybody." The Leafs arent locked into Phaneuf, but this deal represents a major commitment, even with the salary cap expected to rise above $71 million next year and continue to increase. Phaneuf locked himself in rather than test the unrestricted-free-agent market, and though he thought about that possibility, he called this an easy decision. "I really believe that were building something special," he said. "That is a very big decision, and one that Im very happy with in the way that I chose to go." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '