Showing posts with label Arizona State Sun Devils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona State Sun Devils. Show all posts

Friday, July 13, 2012

Out of the Quagmire:Mickelson Brilliant at Scottish Open

Phil Mickelson's career seemed to be on vacation.Last week,he didn't even make the cut at The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia.Before that,he only tied for 65th place at the U.S. Open and had withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament because of fatigue,a reason that was mocked by TV commentators.On Friday,however,the 42-year old Arizona State alumnus launched an eight under par 64 at the Scottish Open on the Castle Stuart links course at Inverness.Mickelson made an eagle and six birdies on the British style golf course.It's not to the level I would like yet,Mickelson admitted,but I get closer each day.
Mickelson's eagle two was from 60 yards out on his first hole.This level of play was in stark relief to his previous eight rounds over par-the worst stretch in his career.I'm really glad I added this tournament,the popular San Diegan remarked on the European Tour website,and it's very helpful to see my game progress so quickly.Mickelson is preparing for next weekend's British Open,the third major tournament on the PGA Tour calendar.
Swede Alexander Noren topped the leaderboard at Inverness,followed by Argentina's Ricardo Gonzalez.Mickelson was tied for 19th position after Friday's round in the overcast but dry conditions,seven under par for the tournament and five strokes off the lead.
Update:Phil Mickelson had another sharp round on Saturday at the Scottish Open,shooting a seven under par 65,including eight birdies,and moving up to a tie for fifth place on the leaderboard from 19th.Italy's Francesco Molinari took the lead at -17.Mickelson is now -14 for the tournament and three strokes behind Molinari.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Worries,Wildfire and Sun Devils

The stock market rolled further down its losing path this week,finishing lower for the sixth straight week for the first time since 2002.The slowness of the recovery,a ballooning national debt and overseas concerns remain stumbling blocks to further appreciation of most equities as a correction drives investors into the havens of bond funds and cash again.
Opportunists scoop up bargains at such times,but profit-taking is the rule of the day,especially on the cusp of a weekend with all its inherent uncertainties.For the week,the Dow lost 1.6,and the S&P surrendered 2.2,with the NASDAQ falling 3.3.Commodities dropped on Friday as the dollar rose,as expressed by the Reuters-Jefferies CRB Index,which slipped 2.30.
The Arizona State Sun Devils didn't slip when they cuffed the Texas Longhorns 3-1 at the NCAA Super Regionals Friday evening in Austin.The first game of the best 2 out of three series was taken control of when Arizona State scored two runs in the top of the 3rd on two Texas errors and an RBI single.
In 2002 and 2005,the Longhorns lost game 1 of the Super Regionals,only to come all the way back and take the College World Series.For tonight,however,the Sun Devils' Joey DeMichele led the way to a win,going 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
At home in Arizona,wildland firefighters worked on saving small towns from a forest fire that was only 5% contained.Five hours from Phoenix,the fire may take up to 3 weeks to fully control.The communities of vacation homes,cabins and resorts will be at risk till then,and in the past it has taken such resorts 5 years to recover from a blaze of this size.
The markets will give their attention to several reports next week,including retail sales,housing starts and inflation.The S&P futures slid a further 18.20 Friday evening,and bond index futures rose on the new week's promise.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Storm Has Few Clues,Light Market Week Ahead

Friday was a mixed night for Arizona basketball teams into the 2nd quarter.In Dallas,the Phoenix Suns trailed the Dallas Mavericks 48-38.Suns superstar Steve Nash was knocked out of the game in the 1st quarter when he was elbowed in the head.Nash was able to walk off the court to the locker room.Meanwhile,Arizona State nursed a slim lead over Nevada 56-52.
A storm approaching the East Coast puzzled forecasters because it originated over the Pacific Ocean,where there are few data collection points.The same obtains as it crosses the mountains.Finally,a huge blocking High off the East Coast is so rare,there are few data points to compare it with.The best guess is that the storm will stay farther out to sea,sparing the coast of anything besides snow showers.
Next week will be a quiet one for the market as the approaching Christmas holiday diminishes trading activity.New and Existing Home Sales reports will provide a little something for the light volume to react to.For the past week,the S&P nudged higher by 0.3.Looking to Monday's opening,S&P futures stepped back 0.10 Friday evening,while the 10-year Treasury futures saw a decline in yield and a gain in price.
Update:The basketball games finished as they were in the 2nd quarter,with Phoenix losing to Dallas 106-91,and Arizona State holding on to their slim lead for a 78-75 win over Nevada.