the Sabres. He helped Montreal to its

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Now that hes got that pesky major out of the way, Justin Rose is learning to savour the quest for his next big title. Hes not nearly as optimistic about Englands chances in the World Cup. Rose is the reigning champion heading into the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, a player who is certainly more at ease with his place in golf now that hes got one of those prestigious titles on his resume. "In the last few months, I sort of realized what I have achieved and its time to embrace it, enjoy it, and let that be the strength for me to go on and win more," Rose said Tuesday. Of course, theres another big sporting event beginning this week, one that will certainly have the attention of Rose and his fellow English players. Their soccer-mad nation has a huge opening match in the World Cup against Italy on Saturday, the soccer game scheduled to begin in Brazil about the time the third round of the Open is wrapping up in North Carolina. Reflecting the mood of his homeland, Rose is not very hopeful. Englands only World Cup title came in 1966 and expectations are low for this team, a youthful squad playing in one of the most difficult groups. "I would say theres probably more chance of one of us winning the major than England winning the World Cup," said Rose, among 11 English players in the Pinehurst field. "Sad to say." Roses primary focus will be on his bid to become the first repeat U.S. Open champion in a quarter-century. Last years triumph at Merion had been in the making for nearly that long, ever since Rose finished fourth as an 18-year-old amateur at the 1998 British Open. He spent the next 15 years trying to finish the job, chasing a major title that seemed increasingly elusive as the close calls began to pile up, the weight of expectations becoming almost too much to bear. Then, just when it seemed he might have a lifetime membership in the "Best Players Never To Win A Major" club, Rose won a duel with Phil Mickelson at the venerable club outside Philadelphia, clinching the title with a 4-iron into the demanding 18th hole that gave him the par he needed to hold off Lefty. "I havent been one of those guys who said, OK, well, Im going to win X amount of majors in my career," Rose said. "I really want to treat this major that Ive won now as a gift and let it give me the ability to sort of free-wheel for the rest of my career -- play free, play loose, just go after it. Ive really got no pressure on me from that perspective anymore." Not surprisingly, the U.S. Golf Association paired Rose and Mickelson in the first two rounds. Both hope theyll still be playing together in the final group on Sunday. "I enjoy playing golf with Phil," Rose said. "I enjoy the spirit in which he plays the games, how free he is out there. Hes got a great temperament for the game. Nothing seems to faze him. Thats something a lot of players can look up to him for." Curtis Strange, the last player to win consecutive Opens in 1988 and 89, is pulling for Rose to join the exclusive club. "If Justin would happen to do it this year, that would be the first phone call," Strange said. "That would be fantastic." Rose missed the cut in his last tournament, the Memorial, though he thinks that might turn out to be a good break because it gave him more time to get familiar with Pinehurst. Before that stumble, he had ripped off three straight top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour, including a tie for fourth against a loaded field at The Players Championship. His biggest challenge this week might be keeping his mind on golf. During the 2010 World Cup, Rose held a three-shot lead going to the final round of the Travelers Championship. That morning, he watched Englands title hopes fade away with a 4-1 loss to Germany. Then he went out and shot a 75, finishing three shots behind winner Bubba Watson. "I never really calmed down," Rose recalled. "So maybe Ill be a little bit more careful about my emotions watching the football." After all, hes probably Englands best hope for a championship. Jimmy Nelson Brewers Jersey . -- Brad Gushue of St. Paul Molitor Jersey . It was just time for him to make a big play. Nicolas Batum had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 18 points, and the Trail Blazers overcame poor-shooting nights by two of their best players in a 94-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/919y-gio-gonzalez-jersey-brewers.html .com) - Jimmy Butler made four key free throws down the stretch to lift the Chicago Bulls over the Boston Celtics, 109-102, on Friday. Alex Claudio Jersey . On the day the club activated Casey Janssen from the 15-day disabled list, his return from a strained oblique that cost him the first six weeks of the regular season, it announced Sergio Santos would be placed on the disabled list on Monday with discomfort in his right forearm. Bud Selig Brewers Jersey . The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. Inoue, the first Japanese boxer to claim a world title in just his sixth professional fight, improved to 6-0 with five knockouts.Patrick Roy will no doubt get a positive reception from the Bell Centre crowd on Tuesday night ahead of the Colorado Avalanches game versus the hosting Montreal Canadiens. It will then be back to business once the puck drops as the two clubs battle for key points in their respective playoff races. Watch the game live on TSN Canadiens and listen on TSN Radio 690 starting at 7:30pm et. Roy, of course, was a third-round pick by the Canadiens franchise in the 1984 draft and spent his first 10-plus seasons with Montreal before his infamous trade to Colorado in December of 1995 after a fallout with then head coach Mario Tremblay. During his time with the Habs, Roy won a pair of Conn Smythe Trophies and Stanley Cup titles in 1986 and 1993. He also won two Cups and another Conn Smythe award with the Avalanche. Roy has since had his No. 33 jersey retired by the Canadiens and faced Montreal for the first time as a coach when the Avalanche picked up a 4-1 victory at home on Nov. 2. It was Colorados fourth straight win over the Habs and it has also won its past two in Montreal. Roy admitted after Sundays win over the Ottawa Senators that he hadnt been looking ahead to this matchup. "Now Im going to think about it, but before that I was not really focusing on this," said Roy. "Ive been talking to our players that I want a partnership with them. I want us to focus on what we have to do every night and take it one day at a time. I have to do the same thing as them. "I have a lot of respect for the Montreal organization and I have a lot of respect for the fans in Montreal. They were a big part of my career, my 10 years there (were) outstanding, and now that were going to play them Im just going to try and approach it as a hockey game." The big storyline for both clubs isnt the reunion as much as the chase for playoff positioning. Colorado is second in the Central Division with 93 points, one ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and eight back of the St. Louis Blues. Montreal, meanwhile, is tied for second in the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a distant 16 points behind the Boston Bruins. However, the Canadiens also are only one point ahead of the fourth-place Toronto Maple Leafs. Habs goaltender Carey Price said on Monday that the club needs to focus on the game and not the return of Roy.dddddddddddd "(He) is obviously a special player, when it comes to this franchise. But at the end of the day its not about that. Its about our team versus theirs on the ice and right now were in desperation mode trying to pick up points," said Price, though he did admit that Roy was one of his favorite goaltenders. "He was the favorite among many in my generation. Its pretty exciting to have the opportunity to play against him, indirectly I guess." Price missed Montreals first eight games after the Winter Olympic break having suffered a lower-body injury while helping lead Canada to a second straight gold medal. He finally returned to action on Saturday in a 5-4 overtime win against the Ottawa Senators, then did not make his clubs trip to Buffalo to get extra rest. Instead, Dustin Tokarski played in his 10th NHL game and notched a 29-save shutout, the first of his career, in a 2-0 win over the Sabres. He helped Montreal to its second straight win following a three-game slide. "The main thing is the two points," Tokarski said. "It was just a little icing on the cake with the shutout." Dale Weise and Brendan Gallagher scored the goals for the Habs. Price will get the start tonight and is 0-2-1 with a 3.61 goals against average versus the Avalanche. Backup netminder Jean- Sebastien Giguere will get the start for the Avs in what may be his last game played in his home town. The Montreal-born Giguere is 8-3-1 against the Canadiens with a 2.49 GAA. Colorado has won seven of its last nine and notched a 3-1 triumph over Ottawa on Sunday. Andre Benoit, Nick Holden and John Mitchell supplied the goals and Semyon Varlamov made 38 saves. Varlamov came within six seconds of a shutout before getting beat on a one- time blast from the point by Ottawas Mika Zibanejad. "He played so well ... The guys wanted to get the shutout for (Varlamov), but they made a great play," said Roy. Forward Matt Duchene collected two assists as Colorado played a fourth game in a row without Paul Stastny due to a back issue. ' ' '