PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Even without Tiger Woods around, Sergio Garcia couldnt avoid reminders of a week to forget at The Players Championship. The 17th hole is where Garcia last year lost the battle, along with the war of words. After two days of verbal sparring with Woods, the Spaniard put two balls in the water to make quadruple bogey, and he put another in the water on the 18th for good measure. Garcia already was 4 under on Thursday when he came to the par-3 17th with an island green. "It did cross my mind. Im not going to lie to you," Garcia said. "I was trying to be positive. Its a new year -- lets improve on it. I pulled it a little bit there, but it was an OK shot. I was able to do much better there, and much better on 18, so I was very happy to see that." Garcia was six shots better than the last time he played those holes. He wound up with a 5-under 67 and was four shots behind leader Martin Kaymer, a good start for a past champion who has shown he can manage his way around the Stadium Course. As for those other memories? Garcia has put those behind him. Much like his golf shots, hes looking forward. Woods won The Players last year in a tournament marked by a weekend of squabbling with Garcia -- such public feuds are rare in golf -- that ended badly a few weeks later in London when Garcia made a racially insensitive comment about Woods while trying to be funny. It started in the third round, when Garcia blamed Woods for pulling fairway metal from his bag on a par 5 to stir up the gallery just as Garcia was trying to play his shot. Video doesnt support that sequence of events, but it set off a weekend of bickering -- and Woods got the last word by winning. "I think its over. I think its passed," Garcia said. "I didnt think I was a villain, but I think that weve all moved ahead of that. I certainly have. Im just looking forward to now and hopefully whats coming soon." Garcia says he is in a happier place, and it shows. He conducted a clinic for kids on Wednesday, and he is at his best in the presence of children. He played beautifully on Thursday, losing momentum with one bogey on his 14th hole, but no less satisfied with a 67. Even so, he conceded his battle with Woods last year unsettled him. He was at an awards banquet in London when asked if he would invite Woods over to dinner during the U.S. Open. "We will serve fried chicken," Garcia replied. He apologized twice, though it didnt quell the criticism that followed him the rest of the summer. Garcia spoke of the ups and downs in his career, of trying to play good golf when he feels miserable. Garcia went into a deep funk when longtime girlfriend Morgan Leigh Norman left him. He said after a poor third round in the 2012 Masters that he did not have the game to win a major. "You go through ups and downs in your life, in your career," Garcia said. "And Ive had really, really good times; really, really happy times. And then Ive had times that were a little bit more down. I think it happens to all of us. Youve got to try to enjoy those good times as much as possible and learn from the tough ones and hopefully make them as short as possible. I think at the end of the day, thats all you can really do." He said the last four years have been "pretty good," but not always. "I dont know, probably (what) comes to mind maybe last year is when everything went on with the little problem with Tiger," he said. "I think that was tough." Lately, he is on an upward swing. Garcia won in Thailand late last year. He won in Qatar at the start of this year. He is No. 9 in the world. He is thinking positively. And it probably doesnt hurt that Woods is sidelined indefinitely while recovering from back surgery. And yes, at 34, he believes hes good enough to win a major. "I think that when Im on, I can definitely win anywhere," he said. "I think Ive proven that. Its just a matter of getting that week where you feel good, where you feel comfortable, where things go your way, where everything feels relaxed, everything feels at ease and you manage to do things the way you know how to do them. Im still waiting for that particular week." Gary Zimmerman Jersey . Alexander was released last week by the Edmonton Eskimos, where he spent the past three seasons at safety. He had 121 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles and seven interceptions in 51 regular-season and three playoff games. Paxton Lynch Broncos Jersey . Last year, Matt Kuchar closed with a 4-under 68 to beat Kevin Chappell by two strokes for his second win of the 2013 season and sixth of his career. http://www.broncosproauthentic.com/Black-Friday-Devontae-Booker-Jersey/ . Hernandez (3-0) struck out 11 and shut down Oakland for the second time in a week, becoming the first Mariners pitcher to win three times in the first nine games of a season. With the usual "Kings Court" for Hernandez home starts expanded to a "Supreme Court" encompassing the entire stadium with yellow shirts and "K" cards, Hernandez gave up four hits in the 28th double-digit strikeout game of his career. Karl Mecklenburg Broncos Jersey . Both sides of the deal have formally announced acquisitions: TFC introduced Jozy Altidore as a designated player on Friday, while their counterparts announced a three-and-a-half-year deal with Jermain Defoe. Shannon Sharpe Womens Jersey . This has become the Raptors mantra as they embark on a new era with a new regime and, in the not-so-distant future, a new image.TAMPA, Fla. -- Sidney Crosby hit a milestone and helped his team get a win. Chris Kunitz scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 21 shots, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Crosby had assists on all three goals for Pittsburgh, which extended its winning streak in the series to eight games. The Penguins also halted the Lightnings bid to tie a club record with an eighth consecutive triumph on home ice. Kunitz opened the scoring seven minutes in, taking a pass from Crosby and lifting it past Tampa Bay goalie Ben Bishop from the left circle. Kunitz sealed the win, scoring into an empty net with 1:43 remaining in the game. Crosbys accomplishment caught the attention of his coach. "It is amazing how often and how fast he has been on that score sheet," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said of Crosby, whose second assist was the 700th point of his career. Crosby, the NHL leader this season with 36 points, appreciates the milestone. "You obviously play to win, but when you get things like that, little individual things, I guess you enjoy it for a little bit," he said. "Its fun to see that, but ultimately you play to win games. Its nice we were able to get a win in the same night." Brandon Sutter scored the second Pittsburgh goal on a power play midway into the third period. Sutter took his own rebound behind the net and banked it off the leg of Lightning defenceman Victor Hedman on the opposite sside.dddddddddddd "Its part of the game. It was a really lucky bounce for them and unfortunate for us," Hedman said. "Down one goal and they get a lucky one on the power play, so obviously it sucks a little momentum out of you. ... It could have gone either way. They got the bounces today." Tampa Bay had several excellent scoring chances. Richard Panik got loose in front of the Pittsburgh net just before the second intermission, but was stopped by Fleury, who earlier made a save on Nikita Kucherov on a partial breakaway. "Part of the problem tonight was we let Fleury see shots, not all of them, but too many," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "And we were really having a tough time getting pucks to the net." The Lightning also came up empty in three man-advantage situations. Bishop, who finished with 26 saves, has lost twice in his past three games. The early goal set the tone for Pittsburgh, which has won all but one of the 15 games in which it scored first. The Penguins are 9-0 when leading after the first period, and Tampa Bay is 0-6 when behind after one. NOTES: Crosby, Kunitz and C Evgeni Malkin each have seven-game point streaks against the Lightning, with a combined 23 goals and 22 assists. ... Pittsburgh broke a tie with Tampa Bay for second place in the Eastern Conference. ... Penguins LW James Neal was held without a point for the first time in six games, having collected 11 on six goals and five assists in his past five outings. 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