La Quinta, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Michael Putnam used a big back nine to surge up the leaderboard and shoot a 9-under 63 in Thursdays first round, giving him a 1-shot lead at the Humana Challenge. Putnam, who has never won on the PGA Tour, has three career victories on the Web.com Tour, two of which came in 2013. In five events on tour this season, Putnam has missed the cut twice and his best finish is a tie for 26th at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Over the first three rounds, players will alternate between playing the Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus Private Courses at PGA West along with La Quinta Country Club. Sundays final round will be contested on the Palmer Course. Francesco Molinari, the only non-American in the top 10, finished with an 8- under 64 and he is tied for second with Blake Adams, Mark Wilson, John Peterson and Scott Pinckney. Molinari and Adams played on the Palmer Course, Wilson and Peterson were on the Nicklaus Course and Pinckney played at La Quinta. Defending champion Patrick Reed (La Quinta) fired a 7-under 65 and he is tied for seventh with Matt Kuchar (La Quinta), Jason Kokrak (Nicklaus) and Steve Wheatcroft (Palmer). Playing in his first event since withdrawing from last seasons BMW Championship, 42-time PGA Tour winner Phil Mickelson carded a 1-under 71 and he is tied for 89th. MORE TO FOLLOW. Delanie Walker Jersey . DeGrom outpitched Jake Peavy in a tantalizing hitless duel that carried into the seventh inning Saturday night before the New York Mets broke loose and beat the San Francisco Giants 4-2. Harold Landry Jersey . Numbers Game looks at the As getting Jon Lester from Boston, sending Yoenis Cespedes to the Red Sox along with a deal involving the As and the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics Get: LHP Jon Lester, LF Jonny Gomes, OF Sam Fuld and cash. http://www.officialtennesseetitansfootball.com/authentic-bruce-matthews-jersey-womens . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench. Nate Palmer Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. Bennie Logan Jersey .Balotelli uploaded on Instagram a picture of the video-game character Super Mario, with whom the Italy international shares a nickname, with text around the image including jumps like a black man and grabs coins like a Jew. Keegan Bradley was leaving his home in south Florida for a critical two-week stretch of golf when he noticed a travel bag that hasnt been touched in nearly two years. He brought it home from Medinah in 2012 after his first time playing in the Ryder Cup. Hes not even sure whats in there beyond a lot of dirty clothes stained by bad memories of an American collapse on the final day. "For a split second, I thought about opening it and getting a little motivation," he said. Bradley got Ryder Cup fever that week, pumping his fists, waving flags and winning matches with Phil Mickelson. He wants nothing more than to be on the next U.S. team that tries to win back the cup in Scotland at the end of September. But he has work to do. Bradley is No. 16 in the Ryder Cup standings. Only the top 10 players -- now that Dustin Johnson is out of the Ryder Cup -- earn automatic spots, and qualifying for the American team ends after the PGA Championship. U.S. captain Tom Watson gets three at-large picks, and Bradley helped his cause by taking a scouting trip with the captain to Gleneagles. Still, he cant count on being picked. Not with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson among those not already on the team. "I know Ive got to play good golf the next two weeks," Bradley said. "Theres plenty of points available to make the team. My plan is to make the team on my own. The best thing I can do is play good rounds." Bradley is an example -- and there are a lot of them this year -- of how the PGA Championship features two tournaments in one every other year. The most important is getting that big Wanamaker Trophy from winning the final major of the year. The consolation prize is a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Because points count double at majors, and the PGA Championship offers $1.8 million to the winner, everyone at Valhalla has a mathematical chance of making the team. Brad Faxon once shot 63 in the final round of the 1995 PGA Championship, enough to get him the final spot on the team. Two years later, Jeff Maggert closed with a 65 in the final round at Winged Foot to clinch a spot. David Toms qualified for his first team by winning the 2001 PGA. Bubba Watson earned a spot on his first team when he lost in a playoff at Whistling Straits in 20010.dddddddddddd That took the sting out of losing out on a major. But this is not an enviable position. "Its brutal," Bradley said. "Its stuff you dont think about when youre younger, having to grind out for spots on Ryder Cup teams. All you think about is having fun out here. And its not very fun." Its not much fun for Watson, either. The 64-year-old captain has to make decisions about bringing Americas two biggest stars. Mickelson hasnt won since the British Open last year, and hasnt had a top 10 on the PGA Tour in nearly a year. Woods had back surgery and missed three months of the season. "If Phil and Tiger dont make it in the mix there, Ive got some real thinking to do," Watson said at the British Open. "Everybody is thinking that Im going to pick them automatically. I can assure you that Im not going to pick them automatically. I said about Tiger that Ill pick him if hes playing well and hes in good health. And Phil is the same way. If hes playing well, again, how can you not pick those two?" Woods was No. 70 going into the Bridgestone Invitational. What hurts his cause if that if he doesnt make it into the FedEx Cup playoffs after the PGA Championship, he will have gone six weeks before teeing it up in golfs most intense competition. Mickelson was in much better shape at No. 11. He would seem safe as a pick. Mickelson holds the U.S. record by playing on nine straight teams, and he earned his way on every one of them. "I have not had to rely on a captains selection in two decades," Mickelson said. "And Id like to keep that going." Among those in the best shape to make a move are Brendon Todd, Chris Kirk and Ryan Moore. None has ever played in the Ryder Cup. Moore was having lunch at the British Open when the captain pulled up a chair next to him to talk about the Ryder Cup. It was inspiring for Moore to realize Watson was paying attention to him. But for a guy whos never played in the Ryder Cup, he feels his only chance is to earn a spot. He had two weeks to play good golf without being consumed by making the team. "I simply want to play good golf," Moore said. "At the end of the day, if thats good enough to make the team, then great. If its not, then I tried my hardest." China NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysNFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NFL JerseysCheap Basketball Jerseys OnlineStitched Hockey JerseysWholesale Baseball JerseysFootball Jerseys OutletCollege Jerseys For SaleCheap MLB JerseysWholesale Soccer JerseysWholesale Jerseys For SaleWholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '