PINEHURST, N. Hank Aaron Jersey .C. -- At least Phil Mickelson probably wont face another close call at the U.S. Open. The six-time runner-up and zero-time champion slipped well off the pace Friday with a 73 that left him at 3 over -- 13 strokes behind record-setting leader Martin Kaymer. Its mostly because of his putter. After ditching the claw grip in favour of a more traditional one, Mickelson missed a series of putts that would have put him at least a little closer to Kaymer. "The hole looks like a thimble to me right now," Mickelson said. "Im having a hard time finding it." Now, at a tournament where everybodys seemingly playing for second, hes facing quite a climb to claw back within striking distance on a Pinehurst No. 2 course that 15 years ago was the site of the first of his many second-place finishes. Teenage playing partner Matthew Fitzpatrick called Mickelson "the master" of "getting out of trouble" and that ability certainly will be put to the test this weekend. "I feel like Im playing well enough to win the U.S. Open," Mickelson said. "Except for putting." Mickelson has been saying his putting could use some tweaking. Hes 100th among PGA Tour players in total putting this year after finishing 11th in that stat in 2013. So in an attempt to get his stroke back, he switched to a claw grip for the Open. Even after he shot even par during the first round, he said he wasnt sure how long hed stick with it. All of 18 holes, it turned out. "I felt like I identified what I was struggling with, and I thought it was my eye line had gotten well over the golf ball," Mickelson said. "So as I moved the ball away and put my eyes over the ball instead of over the top, I felt like thats how I putted last year, so I went back to my regular grip." Reverting back to the conventional grip for Round 2, Mickelson got off to an encouraging start with birdies on consecutive early holes. Then came the pesky par-3 sixth that "shook me a little bit." Mickelson plopped his tee shot onto the green, but three-putted for a four after his short par attempt hugged the lip of the cup before spinning out. Two holes later, he pushed his short putt wide left and settled for bogey -- the second straight day he bogeyed both holes. "After that," he said, "I was really fighting it." He added bogeys on two holes he birdied a day earlier -- on the par-5 10th, and on the 14th after spinning another short par putt around the lip of the cup. He ended his round by missing an 11-foot par putt on the 18th and tapping in for his fifth bogey. "Whenever you putt well and you make short ones and you make those 5-, 6-footers and youre running a couple of 20-footers in, the game feels easy," Mickelson said. "You dont put pressure on yourself to hit it close. You can hit more of the middle of the greens. Your ball striking then becomes a lot easier. Your targets are a lot bigger." Because that hasnt happened here yet, it sure looks like when Mickelson turns 44 on Monday, hell still be one victory shy of the career Grand Slam. The three-time Masters champ, 2005 PGA Championship winner and 2013 British Open champion began his run of runner-ups at this course 15 years ago when it staged its first Open. He was preparing for a playoff with the late Payne Stewart when Stewart sank a memorable 15-foot putt for par and the win -- and a statue of Stewart in that moment stands just beyond the green on 18. Mickelson led by a stroke heading into the last hole at Winged Foot in 2006 but finished with a double bogey. Last year, at Merion he led during the final round but finished two strokes behind Justin Rose. But after the way his putter struggled in Round 2, second place doesnt sound too bad. Besides, hes only seven strokes behind Brendon Todd for second. "Im not overly optimistic. Obviously Im not in good position, but more than that ... you cant fire at a lot of the pins," he said. "Youve got to make 25-, 30-footers, Im just not doing it. Im not going to give up. You just never know. Ive had rounds that kind of clicked. ... Tomorrow, I need to shoot 6- or 7-under par to have a realistic chance." John Smoltz Jersey . And thats about it. After the Salukis 73-65 loss at Murray State on Tuesday night, Hinson called his players "uncoachable," "a bunch of mamas boys" and compared the disciplining of his young team to housebreaking a puppy. Greg Maddux Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.bravesapparelsshop.com/bob-uecker-jersey-c-10/ . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. Hard to imagine a venue, which played host to one of the Montreal Impacts most memorable matches in their history when over 55,000 packed in for the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter-finals in February 2009, would play spoiler for todays home opener. There goes my thinking as a parent that snow days only occurred at school. Not in a domed building. This for a stadium which has such a tarnished history it makes the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar appear like a rational decision. Increment weather may have played its part but the real issue here though is with the building itself. Todays postponement has certainly taken the gloss on what has been a very successful couple of months for the Impact off the pitch. Earlier this week the club announced a number of supplier partnerships which are expected to dramatically improve the in-stadium experience. This follows up from a number of announcements and events which have occurred throughout the off season. The Klopas announcement in mid-December could not have been better timed, as later that evening the Impact staged their inaugural Members General Assembly. Staged at the very same downtown hotel the Sounders will spend an extra night in this weekend, the event drew a highly passionate crowd of in excess of 500 season ticket holders who interacted with the Impacts brain trust. A Members Council comprising of 15 fans was introduced, it is they who will represent the supporters and stage regular meetings with club officials. The first of those meetings took place in the Impacts locker room at Saputo Stadium last month. How relieved David Moyes must be that Manchester United dont hold similar events. The bond between fan and club was further strengthened just before the season got underway when the Impact launched their new home shirt at a downtown venue which played host to Adele last time the Grammy winner played in town. There arent many supporters clubs in all of MLS as old as Montreals UM02, who ironically trace their roots back to the time the Toronto Lynx bought a boisterous number to Montreal for an A-League game back in 2002. The Montreal Impact could not have paid UM02 a greater compliment than by incorporating their moto "Toujours Fidèles" inside the collar of the new home shirt. The relationship between UM02 and the Impact has come a long way since the time of a walk out protest the night the Impact unveiled their MLS logo at an NASL match back in August 2011. It cant be overstated the role UM02 and the other supporters clubs, which have sprung up since MLS came to Montreal in 2012, play in bringing new fans through the gates. Dale Murphy Jersey. The appetite for MLS has grown over the past two seasons, as has a much more genuine soccer atmosphere on match days. Dont be surprised if their ranks are swelled Sunday afternoon with a cameo appearance by Montreal Mayor, Denis Coderre - likely wearing the Impact shirt that was given to him when the Mayor met with Joey Saputo at City Hall early in the new year. When the club began their 2014 season ticket push last July an area of weakness in need of much improvement was with the Montreal business community. That matter seems to have been addressed in the off season. Try finding yourself a Saputo Stadium corporate box for the season. Increased chats about the Impact around the office water cooler can be nothing but a good thing. With the confirmation late this afternoon the game will go ahead Sunday afternoon, the Impact will need to build on what was an impressive display in Houston. Play those 90 minutes again and there is no way Houston would emerge with a 1-0 victory. Undeserved as the defeat was these though are the games that come the end of the season can be the difference maker when the playoff positions are handed out. Bruin got the fortunate deflection, Wenger the bobble of the ball when clean through on goal. A bounce here, a bounce there, the margin between defeat and victory can be cruel. The key now is how the team react to that set back. Playing against a team which suffered a home defeat last time out and one which is supposed to be amongst the Western Conference pace setters adds to the task. Of no consequence is the absence of USMNT star Clint Dempsey. The Impacts defence which looked shaky through the pre-season and during the opener in Dallas need to be focused, organized and disciplined throughout the 90. The early season form of rookie right back Eric Miller has been most impressive. He plays with the confidence of an MLS veteran and has certainly seized his opportunities. Continuing to play as he has, then the number two position is his to lose. With a fine display through a little over 70 minutes on the pitch in Houston its hard to imagine that Bernier underwent serious knee surgery in the off season. Just as Di Vaios goals did through 2013, Berniers relationship and understanding with Bernadello will go a long way to define the Impacts season. The Impact will be hoping the Olympic Stadium turf does not have any adverse effects on their 30-something skipper. The MLS All Star is the heartbeat of the club, on and off the pitch. You can reach and follow Noel Butler at:Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys 2019 NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '