RIO DE JANEIRO -- Unless some unknown cellphone video shows up, we are unlikely to ever see the putt Henrik Stenson made Friday morning -- the one he may look back on as a big factor in winning an Olympic gold medal.Television cameras were focused on a ruling taking place in a bunker on the third hole at the Olympic Golf Course when Stenson, seemingly miles from the cup, rolled in his putt for an unlikely par. On the previous hole, in horrid weather to begin the second round, he made a 40-footer for birdie.By the end of the round, the sun was out in Rio and a smile was on Stensons face. He wasnt leading, but he had put himself right in the thick of the Olympic golf tournament.And he was still a bit amazed about that long putt dropping in.It was so long that tournament computer information that pegged the putt at 108 feet was deemed to be inaccurate.No, (the computer is not) broken, Stenson said. I tell you, its not broken. I mean, I felt broken at the time.Stenson, 40, is bidding to win Olympic gold a month after capturing the Claret Jug at Royal Troon. His 3-under-par 68 left him 2 strokes back of leader Marcus Fraser of Australia, with Belgiums Thomas Pieters between them.It didnt seem that things would end up so well for Stenson earlier, when he began his round in cool, wet conditions. A steady rain greeted players for the first few hours of the day, and Stenson got caught in the worst of it.Our group and the groups around us probably got three of the toughest holes in those conditions there right at the start, said Stenson, who estimated his tee shot into the wind on the second hole went just 250 yards, leaving him a 220-yard 4-wood to reach the green.And he holed a 40-footer for birdie on No. 2. Then, at the third, his drive went into the water, and after a drop he managed to get a 4-wood to the very front of the green.Youre just standing there praying for a 2-putt bogey, he said. Before I know it, I think it found the bottom of the cup. Thats the longest putt Ive made in my career, I would say. First of all, its hard to get a putt that long on any green in the world, maybe St. Andrews on a double green, you can find one.Stenson finished his round with two bogeys and three birdies over the final five holes and lamented some missed opportunities.But given some of the problems he found on an otherwise off day, he was quite pleased to be in this position.Theres a lot of golf still to play, he said. Ive said before, I always prefer to be two ahead than two behind. If youre not there at the halfway turn, youve got more to make up for the next two rounds. But 36 holes, if youre playing good, you can obviously make up quite a few shots.This has become normal for Stenson of late. He won the BMW International in Germany early last month, had a good tournament at the French Open, and then dazzled at Royal Troon, where he had the best round on each of the last three days, including a major-tying 63 in the final round to beat Phil Mickelson by 3 at The Open.Two weeks later, he contended at the PGA Championship, and then set his sights on the Olympics, never putting down the significance of a victory here.Hes the man to beat, I reckon, said Englands Justin Rose, who is tied for fourth, 4 strokes off the lead. Hes in good shape, obviously ice-cold, and we all know when he gets into a rhythm as we saw at Troon, hes a pretty special player.It doesnt hurt that hes chasing a couple of golfers who are far less accomplished. Fraser, 38, has just three European Tour victories in his career. Pieters, 24, who played college golf at the University of Illinois, has two European titles.Well, you know hes going to shoot a good score, Pieters said. Hes a top-class player, No. [5] in the world. You know hes going to make a lot of birdies, so you have to just play your own game.That has worked pretty well for Stenson of late. And its impressive -- even if that long putt was fortunate.I did my homework, Stenson said of figuring out that putt. It wasnt like you could read every break. I just had to look kind of straight, a bit of left to right, coming back at the end, and you just kind of go with that feeling and hit it.The scary thing was that it was like 30 feet out and looking like it is stone dead. My caddie was attending the pin and he felt the same. It was just like tracking. He thought it was going to be a tap-in and just, like, came up and took a little dive into the cup -- which I wasnt against. Stan Smith UK Sale . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Cheap Stan Smith UK For Sale .7 million, one-year contract, a raise of $2.2 million. Wieters had asked for $8.75 million and the Orioles had offered $6. http://www.clearancestansmithuk.com/ . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Wholesale Stan Smith UK . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Discount Stan Smith UK ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. ST. LOUIS -- Coach Ken Hitchcock and the St. Louis Blues are happy to be back home after a tough road trip.The Blues saw their four-game trip end with a thud on Tuesday night as they gave up four goals in the third period, part of a string of six unanswered goals, in a 6-3 loss at Nashville in a game they once led 3-0.The loss capped a 1/3 trip for the Blues which dropped their road record this season to 4-9-1. Only three teams in the NHL have fewer wins away from home.Hitchcock was upset not only about the latest loss but about defeats earlier in the trip against the Islanders and Wild. The Blues were tied 2-2 after the second period against the Islanders before losing 3-2; they trailed the Wild by a goal, 2-1, going to the third period but lost 3-1.We had a 3-2 lead going to the third period, and we had the game taken from us, Hitchcock said following Tuesday nights loss. Thats three games where the games been taken from us in the third period. Same thing in New York, same thing in Minnesota.Said defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, Its always tough being at the end of a road trip. But we cant use that as an excuse. Its a night where we needed everyone to chip in. We cant use that as an excuse.The Blues only win on the trip was a 3-1 victory at New Jersey, their opponent on Thursday night when they play the first of three consecutive games at home, where theey are 12-1-3 so far this season.dddddddddddd.The Devils have lost their last three games by a combined score of 14-3 against the Canadiens, Blues and Rangers. They have not played since they were shut out 5-0 by the Rangers on Sunday.Center Travis Zajac told the Newark Star-Ledger that the biggest reason for the teams recent struggles is easy to identify.Its not a talent thing or anything like that. Its work ethic, Zajac told the newspaper. We can bring that consistently through the lineup, four lines and six (defenseman). When you dont have it, were pretty easy to play against.Its still going to be on the leaders. We have to do a better job of pushing everyone in the same direction and showing up and giving our best game. Its about consistency, and the good teams that have it are winning games.Zajac hopes to see that in the game against the Blues, knowing the team needs to find some way to turn around a stretch which has seen them win only two of their last nine games. They have won only once in regulation since Nov. 12.Theres no easy way to win games, he said. Theres no magic formula or structure or anything like that. It always comes down to compete and work ethic. If you dont have that, you dont give yourself a chance. ' ' '