re major concerns due to his back issues about whether hed have to retire before this year. Hes

For the first time in more than 60 years, the British Open is headed across the Irish Sea. The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. That was the only time it was held outside Scotland or England since the Open began in 1860. "We have every confidence Royal Portrush will prove to be an excellent venue in every way," R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said. "There is passionate support in Northern Ireland and we expect there will be huge interest." Dawson said it was the "worst-kept secret," although one mystery remains -- the year. To bring the links course up to modern standards of a major championship, the R&A has recommended using the golf architecture firm Mackenzie & Ebert to create new 17th and 18th holes. Royal Portrush club members would have to sign off on the proposal, though that is likely to be a formality. The next available date is 2019. Dawson said it could be "a year or two longer than that." "It has been more than 60 years since the Open was played here, and its been too long," Dawson said. "And were very excited to be coming back." For years, there has been a quiet push to bring the Open back to Portrush and the movement picked up momentum with the success of three players from Northern Ireland. Graeme McDowell won the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Darren Clarke captured the British Open a year later at Royal St. Georges. Rory McIlroy won the U.S. Open in 2011 and then the PGA Championship in 2012. Throw in Padraig Harrington, and Irish golfers won seven of 22 majors during one stretch. What really caught Dawsons attention was when Royal Portrush staged a wildly successful Irish Open in 2012, which attracted some 130,000 fans for the week. And then Martin Ebert suggested the right changes to the links course to make it all work. More than just a golf course, the Open now requires room for such amenities as a television compound and a tented village. Dawson said the R&A would be investing several million pounds (dollars), without giving a more detailed estimate. "No Open venue is immune from the march of time," he said. "They all move and they all have to keep up. This isnt any different from that, except that it hasnt had an Open for a long time." Portrush also has held the Senior British Open six times, and is hosting the British Amateur this week. The British Open this year is being played at Royal Liverpool in Hoylake, which had gone 39 years until it returned to the rotation in 2006 with a popular win by Tiger Woods. Turnberry off the Ayrshire coast in Scotland went 17 years without an Open, despite a history that include the famous "Duel in the Sun" between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus. That required work on the roads to alleviate traffic. Dawson said the work involved to get Royal Portrush in shape for an Open "is a little bit more." "That perhaps reflects the time gap," he said. "Its over 60 years since the championship has been here. The requirements of a modern championship are very different from what they were then. But its something thats manageable." Melvin Ingram Jersey . -- D. J. Williams finally has his packing strategy down. LaDainian Tomlinson Chargers Jersey . The post-season, Pierce said repeatedly, is no time to panic. And the Heat, apparently, are nothing to fear. http://www.chargersauthenticofficialonline.com/authentic-kellen-winslow-jersey.html .com) - Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson lost an appeal to have his indefinite suspension overturned, the NFL announced Friday. Melvin Gordon III Youth Jersey . The 30-year-old Kottaras served as Kansas Citys backup catcher last season after being claimed off waivers from Oakland in January. Mike Williams Womens Jersey . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back.STILLWATER, Okla. -- Seventh-ranked Oklahoma State required patience Tuesday night -- on both ends of the floor. The Big 12 Conferences second-leading offence, averaging 88.4 points per game, faced off with a Delaware State squad that employed the deliberate, shot-clock-eating offence of veteran head coach Greg Jackson. The time-consuming tactics worked for a half, but the athletic Cowboys bolted out of the gate in the second half, forcing their guests to play at a much quicker pace. A 30-16 halftime advantage ballooned to 48-18 four minutes into the second half thanks mainly to full-court defensive pressure. After playing at Jacksons pace for 20 minutes, OSU head coach Travis Ford decided it was time to play at his pace the rest of the way. The 75 points in a 75-43 victory were 13 points below his squads season average, but Ford knew what to expect from Tuesdays opponent. "We played hard in the first half, but we didnt play with the energy or push the ball the way we wanted," said Ford, whose team returns to the court against Colorado in the MGM Grand Showcase in Las Vegas on Saturday. "We didnt make anything happen; we played within the slow-down style of basketball. I told the guys at halftime that we were better than how we were playing." "(Delaware State) wanted to slow it down a lot, and we actually got to put some pressure on them and we pushed the ball," said Cowboys senior guard Markel Brown. "I think that is when we are at our best, when were pushing the ball, moving down the court and taking fluid shots that we like to take." The Hornets (2-9) ate much of the shot clock during a first half that saw them shoot 24 per cent (6 of 25) and go scoreless for an eight-minute stretch. Yet, a long-range 3-point basket by Casey Walker in the final minute kept Delaware State within 12 points. Since giving up 32 first-half points to Memphis on Dec. 1, the Cowboys have held their last three opponents under 20 points in the openinng 20 minutes: South Carolina (15), Louisiana Tech (18), and Delaware State on Tuesday.dddddddddddd "Coming into this game, we knew that (Delaware State) was going to be running a lot of false motion and run the clock down," Brown said. "We just sat down and talked about it all week in practice, about playing disciplined defence and not letting them get the shots that they want, even lulling us to sleep or anything." The game was played at OSUs pace in the second half. "I thought we did an excellent job in the first half," said Jackson, in his 14th season at Delaware State. "We played with discipline and we played hard. Then talent took over; the difference in that ball game is simple talent. We controlled the tempo in the first half and held (OSU) to 30 points, but they played at their pace the rest of the way. You can only play with emotion for so long." Kendall Gray led the Hornets with 12 points and 11 rebounds. The Cowboys out-rebounded Delaware State 39-34. Marcus Smart, the Big 12s leading scorer, did not score in the first half. However, the athletic sophomore guard sparked the early second-half run, recording two of his three steals -- OSU had 10 overall - and following them up with a 3-pointer and dunk. Brown, who tied for high-point honours with LeBryan Nash with 14 points, drained a long-range 3-pointer to put OSU up 54-30 and end any hopes of a Hornets comeback. The lead was 34 points with 13:52 remaining. Despite another lopsided win, Oklahoma State continued to struggle from 3-point range. The Cowboys entered Tuesday 10 of 47 (21 per cent) over their last three starts. They were was 6 of 23 Tuesday, with Phil Forte hitting 1 of 10. "I dont think anything about (his struggles)," Ford said. "I want him to shoot it. You dont worry about makes or misses with a guy of his shooting ability. We know if they go in, it really helps your team, but weve got other things to worry about." ' ' '