plied: Yes, but they didnt have Lewis Hamilton as their

DORAL, Fla. -- The new Doral in raging wind looked a lot like an old U.S. Open on Friday. Matt Kuchar played out of the rough to tap-in range for birdie on the 18th hole for a 2-over 74 that allowed him to join an exclusive group at the Cadillac Championship -- one of only four survivors to par. The Blue Monster gobbled up just about everyone else. Dustin Johnson bogeyed three of his last six holes for a 74. Patrick Reed made only two birdies in his round of 75. Hunter Mahan atoned for a triple bogey with a 4-iron into 5 feet for eagle on the eighth hole, giving him a 74. They joined Kuchar atop the leaderboard at 1-under 143. "I felt stressed all day, because I knew every shot had big penalty written all over it," Mahan said. "It was a really tough day. There wasnt an easy shot out there. One of those rounds where it could go south pretty fast, so youve got to grind it out and find a way to get a number up there and get to the weekend." Only three players broke par in the second round. No one shot in the 60s. The average score was a fraction under 76. "I dont think Ive played in conditions this difficult in the U.S.," Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland said after a 71 that left him one shot behind. "Its an Open Championship day. Its a real Friday afternoon at St. Andrews in 2010 before they called it. It was hard out there -- really, really hard." Rory McIlroy (74), Francesco Molinari (75) and Jamie Donaldson of Wales (70) also were one behind at even-par 144. Tiger Woods hit three balls in the water and scraped out a 73, thanks in part to a 90-foot birdie putt on the par-3 fourth hole. Phil Mickelson made back-to-back double bogeys, and then laid on his back along the bank of the fourth tee during a long wait. He got up, hit into the water and made another double bogey. Lefty shot 75. Both were still in the mix, only six shots behind. "Its a tough golf course as it is," Reed said. "And with how hard the wind is blowing, it made it even tougher. Almost felt like we were playing at a major today." At times, it looked even worse. Fist pumps were replaced by players stretching out their arm to take a penalty drop from the water -- 113 balls in the water, which is everywhere on the course that Gil Hanse redesigned under the direction of new owner Donald Trump. Trump described it as bold. It turned out to be brutal. And just like a U.S. Open, there were plenty of complaints. The greens were always going to be firm because the course was built in under a year. There was always going to be concern about the sharp edges of fairways and greens that sent balls down the bank and into the water. Throw in gusts that topped 30 mph, and any score was possible on any hole. "The setup is horrendous," Webb Simpson said after a 78 that included a bunker shot that went onto and over the seventh green and into the water. "Even if we had a 10 mph wind, it still would have been bad. I played terrible. I want to get that out there. But when you have conditions like this, and a setup like this, so much luck comes into play." Henrik Stenson prefaced his comments by saying, "How do you say something you might regret the rest of your life?" So he didnt. Stenson, part of the Nos. 1-2-3 grouping from the world ranking, had a 76 and joined Woods at 5-over 149. Masters champion Adam Scott, the other member of that illustrious trio, had a 73 and was at 4-over 148. The group was a combined 14-over par for the tournament. Stenson was walking off the 15th green Friday morning while finishing up the rain-delayed first round. Spotting a small group of reporters, he said, "Are you having fun watching?" And then as he walked away, he smiled and said, "Because its sure as hell not any fun to be playing." Johnson managed for the longest time. Even as everyone was succumbing to par, he was at 3 under with a birdie on No. 12. But he dropped a shot on the par-3 13th. His short iron into the 15th hit the green and rolled over the back and into the water. And on the 18th, his fairway bunker shot came out too strong and over the green, and he missed a 6-foot par putt that would have given him the outright lead. The forecast is for less wind on the weekend, and surely a sigh of relief from the players. And this World Golf Championship is wide open. "Weve all got a shot at it now," Woods said. "No one is going anywhere." Woods, like so many other players, could have gone south. He was 7 over for the round after a wedge tumbled into the water on No. 3. But he made the long birdie on No. 4 and hit wedge to 3 feet for birdie on the next hole, and then managed to avoid bogeys the rest of the way. Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask., finished the day in a tie for 34th place. McIlroy went out in 40, but he made three birdies on the back nine. A 74 was enough to move up the leaderboard on this day. "It was a day where you obviously couldnt win the golf tournament, but you could let it get away from you, and you could rack up a few big numbers and play yourself out of contention," McIlroy said. Luke Donald did just that with an 82. So did Victor Dubuisson, who had an 81. Custom Philadelphia Phillies Nike Jerseys . Then Klay Thompson put his foot on the gas. Thompson scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points in his season debut to help the Golden State Warriors to a 106-93 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Custom Washington Nationals Nike Jerseys .J. - The New York Jets have signed former Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Graham Harrell, giving them some added depth at the position. https://www.custombaseballnikejerseys.com/?tag=custom-tampa-bay-rays-nike-jerseys . - A lot of scenarios ran through Terrell Suggs head when the Baltimore linebacker prepared to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Custom Kansas City Royals Nike Jerseys .Mateo Kovacic and Andrea Ranocchia scored for Inter, which had goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to thank for several crucial saves.Its an important victory against a Chievo side which plays well, Mancini said. Custom Cleveland Indians Nike Jerseys . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.Nico Rosberg may have never won a Formula 1 world championship, but the ease in which he has dominated the first three races of the season suggests his dreams could yet become reality in 2016. In claiming victory at the Chinese GP, Rosberg became the seventh driver to win the opening trio of grands prix since the sports inception.And, as if the pressure of securing a maiden championship wasnt enough for the German, the previous six who had started a campaign so strongly went on to lift the title that season. Brundle: Rosberg on a roll Martin Brundle on why Rosberg is managing expectations Rosberg is also now the bookies favourite in 2016 after three assured drives, and seems to be maturing after two years of hurt at the hands of Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton.He has already opened up an early 36-point lead in the Drivers Championship, and although a year younger than Hamilton at the age of 30, Rosbergs consistency since winning his first race back in in 2012 must also be lauded. Three or more consecutive wins at the start of the season Driver Season Consecutive GP wins Alberto Ascari* 1953 Argentina-Belgium Juan Manuel Fangio* 1954 Argentina-France Juan Manuel Fangio* 1957 Argentina-France Ayrton Senna 1991 US-Monaco Nigel Mansell 1992 South Africa-San Marino Michael Schumacher 1994 Brazil-Monaco Damon Hill 1996 Australia-Argentina Michael Schumacher 2000 Australia-San Marino Michael Schumacher 2004 Australia-Spain Nico Rosberg** 2016 Australia-China * excludes Indy 500 **sequence ongoing Sundays win took his total grand prix victories to 17, eclipsing the great Sir Stirling Moss record of the most wins without a championship.2016 has of course played into Rosbergs hands so far, with Shanghai a prime example. Already safe in the knowledge that Hamilton would be starting from the back of the grid, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardos hopes of challenging were then ended through contact and punctures within minutes. Nico Rosberg comfortably wins sixth consecutive race; Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat completed the podium Rosberg comfortably brought the W07 home and joins esteemed company with his perfect start to the year.ddddddddddddMichael Schumacher began the 1994, 2000 and 2004 seasons in similar vein, all three of which ending in titles, while Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell and Damon Hill were victorious at the beginning and end of the year in 1991, 1992 and 1996 respectively. Most GP wins by drivers that have not won a world championship Driver Entries Wins Nico Rosberg 188 17 Sir Stirling Moss 67 16 David Coulthard 247 13 Carlos Reutemann 146 12 Felipe Massa 234 11 Rubens Barichello 326 11 Alberto Ascari (1953) and Juan Manuel Fangio (1954, 1957) can also claim to have won the opening three grands prix and title in same year. However, in an ever-thorny issue where F1s record books are concerned, neither driver strictly won the opening three rounds of the World Championship as the Indianapolis 500 was an official race on the calendar between 1950-60. Neither Ascari nor Fangio competed at the famous Brickyard in those respective title-winning seasons.Hosting cars and drivers that were wholly different, the 33 American drivers who competed the Indy 1953 didnt enter a single race for the rest of the F1 season, for example. Wolff: Nico not favourite Toto Wolff has tipped Lewis Hamilton to close the gap The statistics then, point to prolonged Rosberg dominance. However, when informed of the record on Sunday, Rosberg replied: Yes, but they didnt have Lewis Hamilton as their team-mate.I dont see it that way at all. It is a handful of races. Yes, it is going well, but this is the longest season in F1 history with Hamilton as my team-mate, a triple world champion, who has been hard to beat in the past three years. Lewis Hamilton finished seventh after starting from the back of the grid It is going to be a great battle. I have a little bit of an advantage now which is good, better that way than the other way, but that is it really. I am just enjoying it and making the most of it race by race.With 18 grands prix left in the season, race by race is probably the best way to go as Rosberg aims for glory.Dont miss the F1 Report on Wednesday at 8:30pm on Sky Sports F1 for full analysis of an action-packed Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit. Natalie Pinkham is joined in the studio by Marc Priestley and Alex Lynn. Every race live in 2016 Sky Sports F1 brings you every race live in 2016. Fast and easy online upgrade - click here. Also See: Wolff: Nico not title favourite Rosberg odds-on favourite ' ' '