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PINEHURST, N. Thanasis Antetokounmpo Jersey .C. -- Much to his delight, Martin Kaymer discovered that Pinehurst No. 2 was even more different than he imagined in the U.S. Open. This wasnt the beast of a course that Kaymer and so many other players were expecting. This was a day for scoring. Kaymer made six birdies Thursday afternoon, three on the final five holes, that sent the 29-year-old German to the lowest score in three Opens held at Pinehurst No. 2. He made a 6-foot par putt on the 18th hole for a 5-under 65 and a three-shot lead. "It was more playable than I thought," he said. "I think that made a big difference mentally, that you feel like there are actually some birdies out there, not only bogeys." So much was made of the new look at No. 2, which was restored to its old look from more than a half-century ago. There also was plenty of talk that this U.S. Open would be as tough as any U.S. Open. When he finished his final day of practice Wednesday under a broiling sun, Kaymer was asked what it would take to win. "I said plus 8 because the way the golf course played on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday," he said. "But obviously, they softened the conditions a little bit so it was more playable. So hopefully, Im not right with the plus 8. I would be disappointed." Former U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell took the conservative route on his way to a 68 that featured 15 pars, one bogey, one birdie and one eagle. He was joined by Kevin Na, Brendon de Jonge and Fran Quinn, a 49-year-old who last played a U.S. Open in 1996, when Tiger Woods was still an amateur. "This was a golf course where I spent the last few days just preparing myself mentally for the challenge, really, knowing that this golf course wasnt going to give much and it was only going to take," McDowell said. "Im assuming they put some water on this place this morning. And we were able to take advantage of that a little bit early on and actually think about getting at some of those flags." Brandt Snedeker, who had a chance at 30 on his front nine, had to settle for being part of a large group at 69 that included 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, Henrik Stenson, Matt Kuchar and Dustin Johnson. The 15 players to shoot in the 60s were the most for an opening round at the U.S. Open since 24 players did it at rain-softened Olympia Fields in 2003. Phil Mickelson, in his latest quest to win the one major keeping him from the career Grand Slam, shot a 70. He was among the early starters, who received additional help by cloud cover that kept moisture in the greens. Mickelson doesnt expect Pinehurst to be any easier the rest of the week. "There was some low scoring out there -- some good scoring, I should say," he said. "Anything around par, its usually a good score." Masters champion Bubba Watson was among the exceptions. He shot a 76 and said, "This course is better than me right now." Graeme DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., is already well off the pace after shooting 75. The sun broke through shortly before noon and began to bake the course, though not enough to stop Kaymer. He watched some of the tournament on television in the morning, and he was particularly struck by the sight of Stensons 6-iron into the par-3 15th only rolling out a few feet. Kaymer expected it to roll off the green. "Last night I thought that its going to be very, very firm in the afternoon," he said. "But actually, it was more playable than I thought." Not everyone was able to take advantage. Defending champion Justin Rose had a 72, making his bid a little tougher to become the first repeat winner in 25 years. Adam Scott, the world No. 1 who has been formidable in every major the last two years except the U.S. Open, had a 73. Scott wasnt about to panic. Pinehurst only figures to get more difficult. "You know how its going to be at the end of the week," Scott said. "Were going to be looking at even par, or something around that." Kaymer picked up four birdies with relative ease -- three wedges to inside 3 feet, and a high draw with a 3-wood to about 20 feet on the par-5 fifth for a two-putt birdie. A few longer putts at the end really dressed up the score. He hit a 6-iron at the flag on the 16th hole and made a 12-foot birdie putt, and then hit another 6-iron at the par-3 17th to about 10 feet for birdie. Kaymer tied the course record with a 63 in the opening round when he won The Players Championship last month, ending a drought of some 18 months. That only boosted his confidence, and the 65 on Thursday only adds to it. Even so, he realizes its only one round, and that the course probably wont be so kind or gentle the rest of the way. "I would have never expected myself to shoot such a low round at Pinehurst ... but its a good round of golf," he said. "I wasnt expecting it. Im not freaking out about it. Its the first round of a very, very important tournament. I put myself so far in a good position, but we have three rounds to go. The golf course can change a lot. "If other people want to make more out of it, its fine," he said. "But for me, its a great start into one of the most important weeks of the year." Bobby Simmons Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Thursday nights Bruins-Blackhawks game had a goal by Patrice Bergeron initially waved off by the referee, but video review clarified it was a good goal. Eric Bledsoe Jersey . Solomon Elimimian did not make the trip with the team after suffering what appeared to be a right leg injury in the teams regular season finale against the Calgary Stampeders. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/ . Kyle Denbrook, a soccer player from Saint Marys University, took the CIS male athlete of the week honour. Stanley, a fourth-year business administration student from Charlottetown, scored both goals in a 2-0 win over Dalhousie on Friday and tallied again in a 1-0 win over Saint Marys on Sunday. TUCSON, Ariz. -- The McKale Center crowd buzzed in the minutes before the opening tip, more like a post-season game than another conference game. With support like that, its not hard for top-ranked Arizona to get off to a fast start. Charged by the mojo created inside one of college basketballs best home-court advantages, the Wildcats raced out to a big lead and held on down the stretch to remain unbeaten with a 69-57 win over Colorado on Thursday night. "This is why we love McKale; we feel like its like this all the time," said Arizona forward Brandon Ashley, who had 15 points. Arizona (19-0, 6-0 Pac-12) had a week off after blowing out rival Arizona State and was still in a groove early, building a 14-point lead in the opening six minutes. The big lead allowed the Wildcats some leeway in the second half when things didnt go quite as well. Arizona struggled from the perimeter, making 3 of 15 from 3-point range, had a rare night when it didnt outrebound the opposition (32-32) and missed three free throws in the closing 72 seconds to keep the game from becoming a rout. The Wildcats pulled it out thanks to the big start and 44 points in the paint, allowing them to tie -- with the 1992-93 and 1997-98 teams -- for the longest winning streak in school history. Nick Johnson led Arizona with 18 points and Aaron Gordon added 12. "Our second half maybe wasnt as good as our first, but there are always good lessons to be learned from that and still leave with the win," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. A year after nearly pulling off an upset in the desert, Colorado (15-5, 4-3) had no chance for late-game heroics in its third game without leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie. The Buffaloes struggled to slow Arizonas bevy of scorers and couldnt shoot their way out of the big early hole, falling to 0-16 all-time against No. 1 teams. Xavier Johnson led Colorado with 21 points and Josh Scott added 15 with 11 rebounds. "We dug ourselves a hole," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "We had trouble scoring the ball and they made shots. We didnt have an offensive rhythm all night. The Buffaloes split their first two games withoout Dinwiddie, losing to UCLA and beating Southern California after the junior sustained a season-ending left knee injury against Washington on Jan. Robin Lopez Jersey. 12. Arizona was a much stiffer challenge without Dinwiddie, Colorados scoring and assists leader. The nations top-ranked team for seven straight weeks, Arizona entered the game fifth in scoring defence (56.7 points) and shooting percentage against (37 per cent) and was 22nd at defending 3-pointers (29 per cent). Colorado needed someone to step up and no one was able to do it early against Arizonas relentless pressure. Barely able to get passes off much less good shots, the Buffaloes missed their first five shots and had four turnovers in the opening six minutes. Arizona also missed its first five shots, but started dropping them in from all over, building a quick 18-4 lead. The Buffaloes settled down for a little bit, cutting the lead to six with a 10-2 run. All that seemed to do was make the Wildcats play harder. Ratcheting the defensive pressure back up, Arizona hounded the Buffaloes into more missed shots and turnovers, leading to breakouts and 3-pointers at the other end. Starting with a 12-2 run, the Wildcats built the halftime lead to 39-24, holding Colorado to 8-of-27 shooting while forcing nine turnovers. Johnson had 12 at the half and Ashley nine. "We do what weve been doing, just focusing on the process of Arizona basketball and thats just a little glimpse of what we can do," Gordon said. Colorado had a little more success shooting to start the second half, hitting three of its first four shots. Problem was, the Buffaloes couldnt stop the Wildcats. Arizona hit its first six shots, including one by Ashley that bounced off Scott and into the basket and a reverse dunk off a spin move by Gordon that put the Wildcats up 51-31. The Wildcats made 12 of 22 shots in the second half to prevent Colorado from cutting the lead under double digits. "We were playing the No. 1 team in the nation, but they werent that good," Xavier Johnson said. "We didnt come in here with the (right) mindset and its hard coming into this atmosphere." ' ' '