Vorstellung » rly and cleanly winning ball. She has also proved j

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tiger Woods was a large part of the conversation on the eve of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And hes not even playing. Woods is missing Bay Hill for only the second time in his career when the tournament starts Thursday on a course that Palmer said is in the best shape ever. Woods has won eight times, including the last two years, but he called the 84-year-old host on Tuesday to say persistent back pain will keep him from playing. "He didnt tell me how bad his back is. I dont think he knows how bad his back is," Palmer said. "I think hes listening to the doctors. And he mentioned that theyre saying that he needs to give it a bit of a rest and see if he can work it out. He was very nice. And I, of course, have great sympathy for the fact that he tried like hell to come here and play. And I appreciate that and the fact that he called. "I think he wanted to play golf this week," Palmer said. "I think that he needs to take (time) -- whether its this week, next week or the following week -- to get ready for Augusta. Certainly, if I were in that position, Id be doing much the same." Most of the chatter was more about the future with Woods. Will he play at the Masters? Stuck on 14 majors for the last five years, can he match or surpass the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus? And what will be the larger obstacle -- his age (38), his health (legs and back) or the competition (long list)? "I dont think 38 years is the ultimate stopping point for his quest to do what Jack did," Palmer said. "I think it lessens the possibility of that happening. Its going to be tough. Its going to be tough to keep the concentration and the type of the game that is necessary to win majors." Nicklaus won four of his majors after turning 38. Ben Hogan, with battered legs from a car accident, won five majors after turning 38. Palmer, however, believes more than age is at stake for Woods. "These young guys are tough, and theyre strong," Palmer said. "And if they continue to play as well as theyve been playing, its going to be tough for anybody -- whether it be Nicklaus or Tiger or whomever it would be -- to continue to win major championships. And were talking about guys that are playing good and coming on." Palmer actually had a list of players he was talking about. Some of them were young, such as Chris Kirk and Harris English. Others had either won this season (Ryan Moore) or played well recently (Robert Garrigus). "I dont know how many you want me to name," Palmer said. "But really, the strength and the ability of these people is very pleasing to me." Graeme McDowell, a runner-up to Woods two years at Bay Hill, said he can understand what the No. 1 player is going through with injuries. He also believes that competition might be an even larger obstacle than his health for Woods to break Nicklaus record. "Hes a physical player who creates a lot of speed and a lot of power and his body is starting to struggle a little bit, no doubt about it," McDowell said. "But Im sure hell fix it. ... But we all talk about how good the fields are nowadays. Taking Tigers fitness and physicality out of it, winning major championships is getting harder and harder for everyone -- including the best player maybe thats ever lived in Tiger. "Hes got more than just his body to be fighting. Theres a lot of great players in the world now," McDowell said. "Its going to be harder for him to achieve Jacks record. But if anyone can do it, Im sure he can find a way because we all know how good he is." The field at Bay Hill is not as strong as usual, starting with the absence of Woods, the No. 1 player in the world and an eight-time winner of this event. Match Play champion Jason Day (No. 4 in the world) pulled out with recurring pain in his thumb, and Phil Mickelson (No. 5) is not playing this year. Not that it would change the dynamics of what already has been a peculiar season. With 18 tournaments in the books this season, Zach Johnson is the only player to win a PGA Tour event while ranked among the top 10 in the world. The Masters is three weeks away. Is it time for the stars to come out? "Hopefully, this one does," Masters champion Adam Scott said, pointing to himself with a laugh. "But as far as unexpected winners, it seems to me thats happening more and more in golf. There are more and more guys breaking through, putting in a lot of hard work and getting what they deserve. So I think weve seen a bit of a shift in the game over the last couple of years -- a lot less domination by top players." Blake Wheeler Jersey . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs. Teppo Numminen Jersey .Two San Francisco radio stations say they wont play the song during the duration of the World Series. A Kansas City, Missouri, station responded with plans to play the Grammy-winning track every hour from 7 a. http://www.officialwinnipegjetspro.com/T...ne-jets-jersey/. Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. Custom Winnipeg Jets Jerseys . – Team Canadas Brooke Henderson carded a 4-under 67 at Craigowan Golf and Country Club to jump into the lead at the Canadian Womens Amateur Championship on Wednesday. Bobby Hull Jersey .com) - A chant of Zeke reverberated around AT&T Stadium before Ezekiel Elliott powered into the end zone for his fourth and final touchdown.After the end of the Superleague season, we asked our experts to pick the best seven players from the eight teams in the table. Surrey Storm retained the title after defeating Manchester Thunder in the Grand Final of the Vitality Netball Superleague on May 7, but who were the top performers over the 16 rounds of games during the campaign?Our Sky Sports pundits have picked out a player who impressed them in each position. Goal Keeper: Ama Agbeze, Loughborough Lightning Anita Navin: Ama has played with an incredible determination and a winning mentality.She has a renewed energy and her ability to read her opponents and disrupt their flow of play in and around the shooting circle has been incredible.She has limited shooting opportunities against the top-profile shooting opponents and uses a wide range of strategies to defend the shot and shooter in open play. Goal Defence: Layla Guscoth, Hertfordshire Mavericks Katharine Merry: Layla has done two things well this Superleague season - defending and studying. Doctor Layla Guscoth, now fully qualified, led the Mavs to a Superleague semi-final.It was an impressive year and for me she is one of the most dynamic and athletic defenders in the game. She has a high work-rate with the ability to intercept consistently. Any game that gets Pam Cookey and Guscoth head-to-head is a winner! Wing Defence: Amy Flanagan, Surrey Storm Camilla Buchanan: Amys Sniper-like ways have earned her a position in the Sky Sports Team of the Season!The silent assassin, with her slight frame, goes quietly through the game, picking off interceptions like paid hits!Her versatility in defence has been most impressive with the ability to limit her opponents movements whilst cleverly and cleanly winning ball. She has also proved just as dangerous with her attacking prowess, bringing the ball out of her defensive end. Centre: Sara Bayman, Manchester Thunder Tamsin Greenway - This is a tough call. Im torn between Sophia Candappa and Sara Bayman. Both have been superb, but Im going to go for the old and experienced player over the young, budding superstar.Sara is a winner - she has flair, passion and that old-fashioned grit that can drag a team back from the brink. Her leadership across the court, her feisty attitude and her confidence to attack the game is something all young Cs should aspire to be. Tamsin Greenway It is rare centres are both attacking and defensive in equal measure, but you can rely on her in both.Her leadership across the court, her feisty attitude and her confidence to attack the game is something all young Cs should aspire to.Wing Attack: Naatalie Haythornthwaite, Manchester Thunder Jess Thirlby: A former England U21 athlete and rising star within the national squad, Natalie has had a very consistent season for her new team Manchester Thunder.ddddddddddddHaving offered both the GA and WA positions earlier in the season it is the latter where she has enjoyed more court time and looked most comfortable. Its been great to see Natalie build on her performances of last year. Jess Thirlby Her work rate and tenacity are second to none, her commitment to take on defenders at the Centre pass and get free is a real strength. She transitions well into second phase and her speed of movement and change of direction are a handful for the quickest of defenders.Her ability to release the ball quickly, distribute the ball around the circle edge and feed her shooters with accuracy have been impressive. Its been great to see Natalie build on her performances of last year.Goal Attack: Pam Cookey, Surrey Storm Caroline Barker: There have been some standout performances at GA throughout the season, including Mavericks Ella Clark making a return to netball from basketball and Helen Housby again making the most of her speed and movement at Thunder.But for me the consistency of Pam Cookey just tips the rest as she helped Surrey Storm retain their title.Its not just the relationship with Rachel Dunn in the circle, but the confidence she gives the whole team that was ultimately the difference this season.Goal Shooter: Rachel Dunn, Surrey Storm Karen Atkinson: There have been some standout performances in the GS position this season, with Samantha Wallace making an impact on the league and rising star Ellie Cardwell showing her potential, but you cannot look beyond Rachel Dunn for someone that has delivered when it mattered.Rachel has the highest shooting volume in the league with 474 goals at 85 per cent shooting accuracy. She also has one of the most well-rounded games. She was instrumental in the success of Surrey Storm this season. Karen Atkinson on Rachel Dunn When she sticks to the task she has a phenomenal hold but she can also move, take ball outside the circle, offload and rotate with her GA.One of her strongest assets is her well-timed step-change of direction, either forward, to drop back or to pop along the baseline. She was instrumental in the success of Surrey Storm this season. 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