Sonstiges » r the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. The Mag

SYDNEY -- Former top-ranked American Jordan Spieth yielded the spotlight in Thursdays first round of the Australian Open to a pair of rising local stars: U.S. amateur champion Curtis Luck and rookie professional Lucas Herbert.Herbert and Luck both shot 5-under 67 to lead the tournament by a shot from a group of five players including the 51-year-old Australian Peter OMalley who shared the lead until he bogeyed his final hole.World No.5 Spieth was a further shot back among a group of eight players, including seven Australians, at 3-under 69.Former champion and local favorite Adam Scott contended with tougher conditions after a late tee-off and finished at 1-over, in a tie for 71st.Herbert was the leading amateur at the 2014 Australian Open when, still a teenager, he drove from Melbourne to Sydney and slept overnight in his parents car before qualifying and finishing 23rd overall.He missed the 2015 Open and used Twitter to plead for an invitation to join the field at this years tournament at the Royal Sydney Golf Club. In a series of tweets, Herbert pointed out he had been featured in promotional footage for the tournament and said hed be willing to sleep in the carpark again to get the vibes back from 2014.I was a bit of a cheeky on Twitter, he said. I shared a few tweets on Friday afternoon with (organizers).Maybe it helped, I dont really know but all I know is the next day I had an invite.Herbert had five birdies in a flawless 67 while Luck had a more rollercoaster ride on the par-72, 6,344 meter layout, carding seven birdies and two bogies.Luck was drawn to play alongside Spieth after a stellar season in which he won the U.S. Amateur Championship, the Asia-Pacific Championship and the professional West Australian Open.I had two great playing partners in Geoff (Ogilvy) and Jordan and they made it a lot of fun for me and obviously I played quite well, he said. Believe it or not, I wasnt actually that nervous and it was purely because Geoff and Jordan are so casual and so legitimately nice that we were chatting on the first tee before Id even teed off.Spieth was equally full of praise for his young playing partner.He was better composed than I was, no doubt, he said. Certainly, I learned a bit from him today on that side of things.He was smiling the whole time, really enjoying himself. I got a little frustrated there when I was hitting it close and just couldnt capitalize.He could have shot even par for the day and instead he turned that into 5-under there in the middle of the round, so thats the kind of stuff that is unteachable, and he has that.Dre Mont Jones Broncos Jersey . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Joe Flacco Youth Jersey . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Demarcus-Ware-Broncos-Jerseys/ .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Noah Fant Youth Jersey . With Parker having a quiet game for once, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw provided the scoring as France won its first major basketball title by beating Lithuania 80-66 on Sunday. It was a victory that ended a decade of frustration for Parker and a talented French generation, which lost the final against Spain two years ago and took bronze in 2005. Noah Fant Womens Jersey . McCarthy, a player who played some games in the second tier for Wigan at the start of this season, would go on to shine inside Evertons midfield, outplaying the man he was brought in to replace, on one of the grandest stages in English football. On Saturday, it was fitting that Manchester Uniteds most recent dagger into the chest was delivered by Frenchman Yohan Cabaye, a wonderfully gifted central midfielder who put on an outstanding effort for Newcastle at Old Trafford.The Boston Celtics have built an identity the last few years under Brad Stevens as a tough-minded defensive team.His offensive brilliance with a mismatched roster without a star has always had the stout defense as a backdrop.To take that next step, Boston added Al Horford to Isaiah Thomas, hoping they would propel the club to the top of the Eastern Conference. They believed Horford would only bolster their defense.Horford has indeed helped, notwithstanding the failed tip-in at the buzzer against the Houston Rockets on Monday. Boston is sitting at 12-9 and in third in the packed Eastern Conference.The defense, though, has been slow to develop.In 2015, the Celtics finished 12th in defensive rating on their way to a surprise playoff berth. Last year, Boston finished fourth in that metric.This year, however, Boston is 17th in defensive rating, giving up 105.1 points per 100 possessions. Boston is still winning, but the team has struggled to bring its defense to the elite level that it one of the rising teams last year.The defense has improved recently. In the last 10 games, the Celtics are 11th in defensive rating, giving up 104.8 points per 100 possessions. Boston is still carving out an identity with the new players on the roster.The Celtics opponent Wednesday, as they wrap up a three-game trip, has found that identity in the laast month.ddddddddddddWhile the Celtics have been trying to elevate their defense, the Orlando Magic have become one of the top defenses in the league.Orlando had given up just 94.3 points per 100 possessions in 10 games before a 124-116 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. The Magic have risen to third in the league as defense has become a key part of their identity.No player has embodied that improvement more than Nikola Vucevic, who had a reputation as a poor defender but has quickly become one of the biggest defensive stalwarts for the Magic this season.Everybody has been really so hard on my defense, Vucevic told the Orlando Sentinel. I think there is no player in this league that does everything. So there are areas that I do really well defensively (and) some areas that I need to improve, and I think I did improve on those this year. I never felt like my defense was that big of an issue. It was just all the media making a big deal out of it.The Celtics will hope to get their defense back on track against the Magic. They may have to do it without Thomas. The All-Star point guard missed Tuesdays practice with a pulled groin, but he told The Boston Globe he still hopes to play Wednesday. ' ' '