n series. Albert Pujols, the $240 million slugger,

PARAMUS, N.J. -- Rory McIlroy took a week to celebrate his blockbuster summer and paid for it in The Barclays with his worst start in two months. He could afford a day off. That wasnt the case for players like Bo Van Pelt and Paul Casey, and they picked a good time to produce good scores. With no guarantee of playing beyond this week, Van Pelt opened with three straight birdies Thursday and chipped in for eagle late in his round for a 6-under 65 that gave him a one-shot lead in the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Van Pelt is No. 104 in the FedEx Cup. Only the top 100 advance to the next tournament. Casey is No. 118 with a lot on his mind -- specifically the birth of his first child in two weeks -- and played bogey-free at Ridgewood to join seven other players at 66. That group included Brendon Todd, who is trying to get Ryder Cup captain Tom Watsons attention as a possible wild-card pick; and Hunter Mahan, who at No. 62 is in danger of missing the Tour Championship for the first time since the FedEx Cup began in 2007. Ridgewood featured some of the deepest rough of the year, though the greens were soft enough to allow for birdies if players could keep it in the fairway. The average score was 70.8, with 44 rounds in the 60s. McIlroy was not among them. The British Open and PGA champion went 13 holes before he made his first birdie and finished with a 74. That ended a streak of 14 straight rounds under par, and it was his highest score in the opening round since a 74 in the Irish Open in June. "Fatigue isnt playing a part," he said. "Its I think just not putting the time in that I probably should have over the past week. And I think I allowed myself that and deserved that. But this is the consequence of it and I need to work hard this afternoon and go out tomorrow and shoot a good number." McIlroy established himself anew as golfs No. 1 player with a wire-to-wire win at the British Open, a come-from-behind win at a World Golf Championship and a late charge at Valhalla to win the PGA Championship and become the third-youngest player with four majors. "I wanted to enjoy it for a week," he said. Van Pelt doesnt have that luxury. He started his year missing seven cuts in nine tournaments before it slowly started to come around over the last month. He felt he was heading in the right direction and received more confirmation Thursday. Van Pelt didnt make a bogey, and finished strong with a 10-foot birdie putt on the 16th and the eagle on the par-5 17th hole that put him in the lead. "As poorly as I played at the start of the year, Im just kind of glad to be here," Van Pelt said. "Things have been trending in a lot better direction. So I felt fortunate to be here with the position I was in three months ago. I just felt like if I kept doing what I was doing, hopefully I would at least get to next week and then kind of cross that bridge when I got there." Jim Furyk, Charles Howell III, Brendon de Jonge, Ben Martin and Cameron Tringale also were in the group one shot behind. Casey hasnt had a top 10 on the PGA Tour all season and didnt make it into the playoffs with much room to spare. Hes not sure how long hell be around, although a solid start was sure to help. "I think today was probably a product of really not having really any expectations and just going out there and smashing it around and having fun," Casey said. McIlroy had his fun last week, and he was headed to the range after his opening round to get his game back. He took an early double bogey by barely getting out of a bunker and chipping 15 feet by the hole on No. 12, and then going long into a bunker for a bogey on the par-5 13th. "Its not a bad thing," he said. "A score like this would be tougher to take if I had not just come off the weeks that I had. But at the same time, I want to play well and I want to give myself chances to win tournaments." Mahan is the only player to compete in every playoff event since the FedEx Cup began. He is assured of two tournaments, though he needs a good week somewhere to keep alive his hopes of reaching Atlanta for the Tour Championship. The top 70 advance to the third week, and the top 30 get to East Lake for the finale. Plus, he hopes to audition for one of the captains picks for the Ryder Cup. "It will be a bonus to make it to Atlanta and it will be a bonus right now to make the Ryder Cup team," Mahan said. "So I have nothing to be nervous about or get out there and doubt myself. I have to trust myself because everything Im doing is good and everything else will kind of take care of itself." DJ Moore Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Rashaan Gaulden Jersey . -- Floridas smothering defence returned to form just in time for the third-ranked Gators to keep their winning streak going. http://www.footballpanthersstore.us/ . -- Golden State Warriors reserve centre Ognjen Kuzmic is expected to miss at least six weeks after undergoing surgery on his fractured right hand. DaNorris Searcy Jersey . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve. DaNorris Searcy Panthers Jersey . Watch the announcement live on TSN.ca at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. This years honourees will be recognized at the 2014 Hockey Canada Foundation Celebrity Classic, scheduled for June 23-24 in Vancouver.Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Norman Powell scored 23 points to help UCLA remain unbeaten at home in Pac-12 play and knock off No. 11 Utah, 69-59. The Bruins lost three players to the first round of the NBA draft in 2014 and havent been able to replace the productivity that Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams and Zach LaVine provided. They are in the midst of one of the worst seasons in recent memory, though Thursdays upset over Utah was certainly a step in the right direction. Bryce Alford had 14 points and seven assists and Isaac Hamilton scored 11 for UCLA, which exacted revenge from an embarrassing 71-39 loss to Utah on Jan. 4. Alford went scoreless on 0-for-10 shooting in that game. UCLA (12-9, 4-4 Pac-12) snapped its two-game losing skid. Delon Wright and Brandon Taylor gave 15 and 14 points, respectively, for the Utes (16-4, 6-2), who may have lost more than a game. Freshman center Jakob Poeltl, one of the best young 7-footers in college basketball, lleft the game with an apparent foot injury.dddddddddddd Powell scored six straight points and eight total during UCLAs prolonged 12-0 run to open the second half. His layup to cap the flurry at 13:00 made it 45-30. Taylor scored their next eight points around three UCLA free throws to cut the deficit to 10, but Hamilton countered with a layup, three-point play and triple from the top of the key over the next 1 1/2 minutes to help the Bruins keep Utah at arms length. Utah led by seven points early on before UCLA stormed back to take a 33-30 lead into halftime. Game Notes Utah fell to 2-2 over its last four games following a seven-game win streak ... UCLA center Tony Parker (back) returned from a two-game absence and grabbed six rebounds ... UCLA improved to 3-0 at Pauley Pavilion against Utah since the Utes joined the PAc-12. The Bruins have won those three games by a total of 51 points. 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