Steve Stricker made it clear that money was not important. His plan was to defend his title at Kapalua and walk away from the PGA Tour for the rest of the year. Over the holidays leading into 2013, he reached a compromise and cut his schedule roughly in half. He contacted his sponsors, and they supported him. Stricker didnt have great expectations starting his year of semi-retirement. "If I could just make enough money to pay yearly expenses, Im fine with that," he said. "If we dont have to touch anything Ive put away ... I dont need to do what Im doing just to make money. Id rather be staying at home, doing things at home with the foundation and with my kids." No one else was around during this conversation, but Stricker still leaned in and lowered his voice as he stated what everyone already knew. "You know, were pretty conservative with our money," he said. Stricker was runner-up that week at Kapalua and made $665,000. He didnt play for six weeks, and then reached the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship to earn $275,000. Two weeks later, he was runner-up at Doral and brought in $880,000. That should pay the bills. He finished the year with just over $4.4 million, the third-highest total of his career. His world ranking improved 10 spots to No. 8. And by the end of the year, he had several players contemplating a similar schedule. Along the way, there were plenty of other moments that showed more about players than just their birdies and bogeys, and the checks they cash. ------ Rory McIlroy generated a buzz no matter where he went at the start of the year. He had the hefty deal from Nike. He was No. 1 in the world. And he was struggling early with a missed cut in Abu Dhabi and a first-round departure in Match Play. Nothing caused a stir like Friday at the Honda Classic, when he abruptly shook hands with Ernie Els as they were making the turn and walked straight to the parking lot. Information was a trickle. He was vague during a brisk walk to the car. Later, a statement from his management company said he had a sore wisdom tooth. There was a golf tournament still going on. Michael Thompson shot 65 on that Friday to move to the top of the leaderboard. It was early afternoon and no one seemed interested. The announcement sounded more like a plea. "We have Michael Thompson in the interview room," the official said. One voice broke the awkward silence. "Is he a dentist?" a reported asked. No. But he did win his first PGA Tour event that week. ------ Angel Cabrera is a man of few words and loud actions. A month after losing the Masters in a playoff, he was walking off the 18th green at TPC Sawgrass following a practice round. Fans thrust programs and flags for him to sign. There was bumping and pushing, and a marshal started to bark at everyone to back up. Cabrera stepped back about 10 feet, and then instructed only the children to come under the ropes and join him. He spent the next 15 minutes signing for them. ------ It looked like the scene outside the mansion in "Young Frankenstein," missing only the pitchforks and torches. The Pure Silk LPGA Bahamas Classic was played on a 12-hole course at The Ocean Club because of flooding. The first round didnt finish because of another storm system in the area. Players gathered in darkness outside the rules trailer to find out the plan for Friday. A computer error led players to believe -- only for a moment -- that they would keep their same tee time for the second round. Chaos ensued, filled with heated arguments among players and rules officials. And it was at this moment the LPGA showed its true international flavour. A group of Swedish players were off to the right, raising their voices in their native language. The Americans were in the front of the pack. The South Koreans were in the back. The Spaniards were in the middle. The Germans were over by the hedges. It was the ultimate melting pot. And they ultimately got it all worked out. ------ Among the visitors at The Players Championship was Ulises Mendez, who plays on the PGA Tour Latinoamerica. The Argentine earned his card last year when he tied for 15th in Latin America Q-school. His player badge allowed him access to the tournament, and he camped out just beneath the bleachers behind the 17th green. He stood there for an hour as the best players came through the 17th. It was an inspiring day. "To know where you need to be," Mendez said, "you need to see where you want to go." ------ There is no love lost between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, as both made clear at The Players Championship and in the weeks that followed. The same could be said for Garcia and Padraig Harrington, as the Irishman showed on a couple of occasions this year in his subtle style. Speaking to a small group of reporters at the TPC Sawgrass, where the Woods-Garcia flap was starting to unfold, Harrington said of all the times he has played with Woods he considered his etiquette "absolutely impeccable." "Ive played with Tiger many times," Harrington said. "I give him an A-plus on his etiquette on the course. I give him an A-plus for his respect for fellow players on the course." A British reporter then asked Harrington what kind of grade he would give Garcia. "Im not in a position to rank players," he replied. Later that summer, Harrington finished a practice round at Muirfield and was signing autographs. One fan had the British Open program turned to the page that showed Harrington winning his first claret jug. That was in 2007 at Carnoustie, after a playoff with Garcia. Harrington signed the page and held onto the book for the longest time, staring at the photo with a satisfied smile. "You like that picture?" the man said. "More than you know," the Irishman replied. ------ The woman behind the counter at Starbucks in the Denver suburbs was making small talk with a customer when she learned he was headed to the Solheim Cup. "Annika Sorenstam was just in here," she said. "Well, I think that was her." Think? Not only is the Swede the most famous LPGA Tour player of her generation, one would suspect writing the word "Annika" on the cup would be a dead giveaway. Except that in this case, she can be excused. Turns out Sorenstam doesnt go by "Annika" when shes in Starbucks. Her code name is Maria. "Maria is the one name that translates on every continent," Sorenstam said when she confessed to her alias. "So Im Maria Swenson." ------ The first day of the Solheim Cup nearly didnt finish because of a rules decision that took nearly a half-hour to determine -- and as it turned out, it was the wrong decision. It proved a pivotal part of the fourballs match, which Europe went on to win. It wasnt the first time a rules official had made the wrong call. Former USGA President Trey Holland, one of the most skilled in the Rules of Golf, mistakenly gave Ernie Els relief in the U.S. Open from a temporary immovable object that was movable. But when an official makes a ruling, it stands. Brad Alexander, a respected LPGA official, made the wrong call at the Solheim Cup. When the day was over, confusion and anger lingered. Alexander volunteered to accompany both captains to the media centre to handle any questions from the press. He explained what happened. He made no excuses. He accepted all the blame. It was classy. That kind of accountability would have come in handy at Augusta National this year. ------ The final week of December is the one week no meaningful tournaments are played on any tour in the world. The golf year is endless, and it can feel even longer. Mark Fulcher, the caddie for Justin Rose, has been at this a long time. The crowning moment was at Merion, where Rose won the U.S. Open for his first major. This was in late October, halfway around the world in Shanghai. Everyone was tired. Rose was just starting the stretch run to the end of his year. The caddies were talking about the drudgery of early rounds at a tournament. Except for "Fooch." "The day I stop caddying, Ill either be dead or I wont be excited on a Thursday morning," Fulcher said that day. "Thursday is the greatest day in golf. Its the perfect reset, isnt it? Youre reminded, even if you won, that everyone starts all over the next week. And if youve played absolute rubbish, theres always the belief that its about to turn around. I love Thursday. Just love it." Its a good reminder for everyone involved in this game. You never know whats going to happen next. Or when. Allen Hurns Jersey . "I never commented to anyone that I wanted out," he explained. "My heart is with this group and making the playoffs." Kesler added that the rumours are "completely false" that he asked to be traded - recently or ever. Dalton Schultz Cowboys Jersey . Marcus Olsson, 23, joins Blackburn on a free transfer from Swedens Halmstads. He made 139 appearances and scored 17 goals in his four years with the club. He earned his first caps for Sweden this month, featuring against Bahrain and Qatar. http://www.cowboysproshopauthentic.com/Womens-Leighton-Vander-Esch-Authentic-Jersey/ . Louis Cardinals on Sunday afternoon; a brief, poor outing that served to highlight two trends that have developed this season. Dorance Armstrong Jr. Cowboys Jersey . Among the teams moves was trading one of the teams two third round picks, no. 83 overall, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Brandon Bollig, a six-foot-two, 223-pound left-winger who had seven goals, seven assists, and 92 penalty minutes in 82 games last season. Dorance Armstrong Jr. Jersey .Y. - Referee Ed Hochuli referred to replay official Tom Sifferman by his nickname Jungle Boy, which was heard on the in-stadium microphone during the Arizona Cardinals-Carolina Panthers NFC wild-card game Saturday.Sitting atop their perch in the NFC West, the Arizona Cardinals will take their swings at the visiting Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in one of the most anticipated games of Week 8. You can watch the game live on TSN2 at 4:25pm et/1:25pm pt. The Cardinals and Eagles are two of the four remaining one-loss teams. Many believed either the defending champion Seattle Seahawks or San Francisco 49ers would be the current NFC West leaders at this juncture. But au contraire. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has his team at 5-1, with the 49ers 4-3 and the disappointing Seahawks 3-3. The Cardinals have won back-to-back games since Denver destroyed them back on Oct. 5, posting wins over Washington and Oakland. In Sundays 24-13 victory at the lowly Raiders, the Cardinals held the hosts to 220 yards and Carson Palmer threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns with an interception against his former team. Arizona, which is 5-1 for the first time since 1976 and 12-3 dating back to last season, is first in rushing yards allowed (72.5) and limited Oakland to 56 yards on the ground. Arizona is the only team in the NFL that has yet to allow an opponent to rush for 100 yards in a game this season. It has allowed 20 points or fewer in five of six games this season. Every Sunday gets bigger and bigger, Cardinals tackle Jared Veldheer said. Its nothing but a good start. We need to keep the mindset of We need to win every week. The Cardinals are 3-0 at home this season and 7-1 in the past eight as the host dating back to 2013. They are 9-2 at home with Arians as head coach and 7-0 in the desert against non-division opponents. After hosting the Eagles, the Cardinals have another challenge with a trip to Dallas on the schedule. Arizona will face last years NFL rushing leader in LeSean McCoy, but hes been bottled up most of the season with defenses stacking the box and forcing teams to throw. McCoy, though, ran for a season- high 149 yards on 22 carries in a win over the rival New York Giants. McCoy (5,895) trails former Eagle Brian Westbrook (5,995) by 100 yards for second on the franchises all-time rushing list. He could get that Sunday. Perhaps the stingy run defense is why the Cardinals are third in interceptions with eight and rated 31st in defending the pass. They are allowing almost 300 yards (284.8) per game through the air and the Eagles look to expose that with their No. 7 pass attack (262.3 ypg). The Eagles are also 5-1 and enter University of Phoenix Stadium fresh off the bye week. They welcomed some familiar faces back at practice in injured offensive linemen Jaason Kelce and Evan Mathis, along with all-purpose running back Darren Sproles.ddddddddddddNeither is expected to play Sunday, but Sproles said his MCL sprain felt good after practice this week. If I feel the way I did today, then yeah, but that decision is up to the coach, Sproles said of the possibility of playing Sunday. Quarterback Nick Foles will be under center and hopes to light up Arizonas secondary. Foles entered the bye with an average showing in a 27-0 beatdown of the Giants on Oct. 12, as he threw for 248 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Foles has four TD passes and five interceptions in his last three games. In his last 10 road games (8 starts), Foles has thrown for 2,774 yards with 24 TD passes and four INTs. The Eagles, who are trying to remain steady with the 6-1 Cowboys in the NFC East, are averaging an NFC-best 30.5 points this season (3rd in NFL) and are ninth overall in total yards with 378.3. They are only one of three teams in the NFL to average at least 260 yards passing per game and 115 yards rushing. Eagles head coach Chip Kelly can only hope his players remain focused after having a week off. You hope it doesnt (affect the team), Kelly said of the bye. You obviously had some time off, but I think ... you would hope theyd have a little bit of bounce in their step because theyve had some time off, so well see. There were a lot of guys in here (Monday) on their day off, getting treatment, checking film out on their own, so I dont anticipate these guys not being ready to go. Its a pretty good group that way. The Eagles defeated the Cardinals last Dec. 1 in a 24-21 victory at Lincoln Financial Field and almost blew a 24-7 lead. Foles passed for 237 yards with three TDs, McCoy ran for 79 yards on 19 carries and Palmer had 302 passing yards with three scores and two picks. Cardinals wide receivers Michael Floyd (99 yards) and Larry Fitzgerald (72 yards) both reached the end zone. Fitzgerald is tied with Don Maynard for 12th on the all-time touchdown receptions list with 88 and has owned the Eagles in his career, catching 40 passes for 642 yards and 10 TDs in six games, including the 2008 NFC Championship. Fitzgerald has more TDs against the Eagles in the regular season than he does against any team outside the NFC West. It will be a long afternoon for Eagles corners Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher if Fitz has his way. The Cardinals lead the all-time series with the Eagles, 57-55-5, and have won the last three matchups as the host. Arizona is 12-3 against teams outside the NFC West under Arians. 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