GULLANE, Scotland - There was a point during Thursdays opening round when Graham DeLaet, having just three-putted the 15th hole, sat dejectedly on the edge of his golf bag. His eyes were targeted at the green where partners Jonas Blixt and Brian Davis were finishing up but you just knew his mind was elsewhere, likely trying to understand what was happening to him in his first round in a major championship. As he stood up, he gave the bag a swift boot, the only time he showed any frustration. Anyone who saw it would have wondered what took him so long. DeLaet came into his first major full of hope and good swings, but the treacherous Muirfield set up was full measure this day, almost to the point of being unfair. Off the tee, he wasnt bad at hitting the rock-hard fairways. There were a few loose iron shots too, but nothing too out of the ordinary (with the exception of the Hosel Rocket on the 10th). But on the slick greens it was another story. "I struggled with my speed all day," said DeLaet, still smiling despite the adventurous round of 76. "I felt like I didnt really have any birdie chances all day. I finally got one on eight and I ran it six feet past the hole and made bogey. Same thing on 14. Disappointing for sure." DeLaet, like so many other players in the field, left the course after the opening day of the Open Championship scratching his head about the greens. Player after player talked about the quickness of the putting surfaces, which turned from green to brown as the day went on. They also talked about suspect pin placements, some in stronger tones than others. No matter how softly putts were struck, they rolled out as if on ice. Lag putting may have been the most difficult shot of this day. DeLaet, who was cheered on by a good throng of Canadians, a few in Roughrider jerseys, started his day by listening to legendary first tee starter Ivor Robson announce his name and then striping his shot down the middle. He said there were no nerves or extra pressure on him in his first major and he appeared loose and at ease as he walked down the fairway. "I felt good," he said. "I was comfortable all day." As the day wore on, however, the frustrations of small misses that turned into tough shots grew with most of those happening on the greens. "I just wasnt hitting the shots that I needed to and the putting wasnt sharp even though I holed a few. It just felt like I had six, seven, eight feet for par on every hole. "I had a tap in for par on 17 and as I was tapping it in I was like I cant remember the last time I had a tap-in par." One of the strangest holes came on the 10th. After driving into a fairway bunker and landing in a deep rake furrow, he blasted out. But on his next shot he did the unmentionable. "I hoseled my third shot – I hit it straight off the hosel," he admitted, with an after-the-fact laugh. The ball squirted off to the right and ended up in some deep hay almost behind a scoreboard. A few years ago, a hole such as that or perhaps one of the three putts might have pushed DeLaet to frustration but on this day his maturity took over. "A couple of times I really wanted to hit driver on holes where I shouldnt have because I was frustrated so Im happy with that, but Ive got some work to do [on Friday]." Yes, he does, but at five over, DeLaet is easily within reach of extending his stay at Muirfield into the weekend. It will take improved putting and overall tightening of his shotmaking, but he seems to have the skills and the desire to make it happen. Cheap College Jerseys 2020 . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. NCAA Jerseys 2020 . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. https://www.ncaajerseys2020.com/ .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Fake NCAA Jerseys . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months.DOHA, Qatar -- Christian Benitez, a soccer star from Ecuador who led the Mexican league in scoring last season, died Monday a day after playing in a game for his club in Qatar. He was 27. The Qatari club El Jaish provided no details about the death but said Benitez did not complain about his health Sunday. The team is awaiting a medical report. El Jaish played Qatar Sports in the Sheik Jassim Cup, a warmup tournament for the upcoming season. The club said this was Benitezs first game with his new team. The game was played in hot and humid conditions typical of the Persian Gulf this time of year. Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup and the searing heat has prompted many in soccer to call for the tournament to be moved to winter. Benitez, a powerful striker, joinedd El Jaish after helping his Mexican club America win the championship last season.dddddddddddd "He was a player that over the short period he was here was regarded for his high moral character," El Jaish said in a statement. Benitez had 24 goals in 58 appearances for Ecuador and was on its 2006 World Cup team. He also scored against Chile in the 2007 Copa America and had four goals during qualifying for the 2014 World Cup Benitez also spent a season in England with Birmingham. In Mexico, he played with one of the countrys most popular teams. On its website the team mourned "one of the most recent America idols, and shares the sorrow felt by the entire Benitez Betancourt family, and the sport in Mexico, Ecuador and the world." ' ' '