BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Jeff Sluman and Fred Couples are hoping for more days like Thursday, when the wind was down and the rain and bogeys stayed away. Sluman birdied No. 17 en route to a 7-under 65 and a one-stroke lead over Couples after the first round in the Regions Tradition, the second of five Champions Tour majors. Sluman, who had eight birdies, and Couples both had their only bogeys on No. 16 at Shoal Creek. The Legends of Golf winner with Brad Faxon in April, Sluman matched his best opening round score on the Champions Tour. Sluman knows the game can shift as swiftly as the weather, which cleared up in time for the round after nearly two inches of rain from Wednesday afternoon into the early morning. "The greens are very fast out there, but theyre as good as weve seen all year certainly, or the last five years that I can remember," he said. "They were just perfect speed and I was getting the ball to the hole. "On days like today, it feels like its easy and then sometimes you come out the next day and it feels like an alien took over your body. I hope that doesnt happen to me (Friday)." Couples, the Presidents Cup captain and World Golf Hall of Famer, made a 20-foot eagle putt on the par-5 sixth hole and a 30-footer for birdie on the next hole. His only blemish was a bogey on the par-3 16th when he overshot the green and landed just into the line of spectators. The 1992 Masters winner has had a whirlwind few weeks, visiting the White House recently as Presidents Cup captain, playing two rounds with Tiger Woods last week at the PGA Tours Memorial and getting inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May. Couples said his golf has been "fair" but called the rest of the year "truly fun." He has endured a memorably bad experience at Shoal Creek. Couples had four consecutive bogeys to blow a one-stroke lead after 12 holes in the 1990 PGA Championship and lost by three strokes to Wayne Grady. Couples still likes the course and finished fourth at the Tradition last year. "I didnt play well at all a couple years ago and then last year I had a good last round to move my way up there," he said. "But I never really had a shot at beating Tom (Lehman). I think I shot a 7 under the last round so I was not even really a factor but at least it felt like I could shoot another good round here. I played really well (Thursday)." Duffy Waldorf and Peter Senior shot 67, and Mark Calcavecchia, Michael Allen, David Frost and Corey Pavin followed at 68. Two-time defending champion Lehman was one of 11 players with a 69 Couples got in 14 holes during the rain-shortened pro-am on Wednesday. "The fairways were the best theyve ever been here for the three years, and the greens took a little bit of water (Wednesday) night that you never saw," he said. "If you were in the rough, you could get the ball on the green. Obviously it made the course play a little easier." Sluman had few complaints, He nearly managed to save par on 16 and then hit a sand wedge to about 3 1/2 feet on No. 17 to take the lead. "Relatively speaking, it was a dead-straight putt, the kind of putt youre supposed to make if youve got your name on the bag," said Sluman, who came within inches of a closing birdie. Waldorf had five birdies on the final eight holes after finishing the first 10 at even par. He said he missed several 10-foot birdie chances but recovered with a nice bunker shot to set up birdie on No. 11 and a 50-footer for another one at the next hole. "It was almost like I felt like I was prepared for the course and everything, but then two inches of rain came or however much rain came (Wednesday) evening," Waldorf said. "It kind of felt like I was feeling the course out again as far as how the ball was rolling, how the greens were running and all that." Lehman said "brutal putting" prompted him to switch to a cross-handed grip on No. 8 that hed been practicing with for the last month, and he had three birdies and a bogey after that. "Frustration and I didnt feel like I had a chance to make it," Lehman said. "You know how it is when you just feel like you just cant make the putt. I had no confidence so I just changed my grip up and felt more comfortable." Retro Jordan 11s For Sale . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro Yellow .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. http://www.cheapjordans11online.com/cheap-air-jordan-11-retro-black/ . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. Cheap Air Jordan 11 Retro Brown . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Cheap Jordan 11s Online . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizonas towering European tandem had a big night Tuesday.Wildcats 7-footers Dusan Ristic and Lauri Markkanen scored 18 points apiece, and No. 20 Arizona bounced back from its loss to Gonzaga with a 79-57 victory over UC Irvine.Ristic, a Serbian who was two points shy of his career high, scored 14 in the first half and finished with 10 rebounds. Markkanen, the standout Finnish freshman, had 13 points in the second.They are very different players with some shared traits, coach Sean Miller said.They are incredible kids, Miller said. I mean, in the classroom, off the court, in practice, as teammates, love the game, two of our hardest workers. ... Theyre from the other side of the world. Theyre not going home for Christmas and yet theyre really, really great kids.The Wildcats (7-2) pulled away in the final 6 1/2 minutes of the first half and never were threatened again.Jaron Martin scored 12 points and Max Hazzard had 10 for the Anteaters (4-5).Rawle Alkins added 14 points and Kadeem Allen 12 for the Wildcats, who shot 54 percent from the field to UC Irvines 38 percent.After a sluggish start, Arizona ended the first half on a 15-3 run to lead 39-23.The Wildcats jumped out to leads of 14-5 and 16-7, but Martins second 3-pointer cut Arizonas advantage to 24-20 with 6:40 left in the half. Ristic scored four of the next six points and Arizona was finally rolling.Allen scored seven and Ristic six in the run.Arizona led by as many as 30 points. UC Irvines only lead was 1-0.Markkanen was coming off the worst shooting game of his young career, when he went 4 for 14 -- 0 for 3 on 3s -- in Saturdays loss to Gonzaga. He was 7 of 10 against the Anteaters, including 4 of 6 on 3s.I didnt think about the last game, Markkanen said. My game is to let the game come to me, not force it. ... Im not worried about my shooting. My self-confidence is still up. Nothing changes.Ristics game is close to the basket, and he shot 8 of 11 from the field.All the outside guys did a great job of getting the ball to me, he said. And they (UC Irvine) played zone pprobably 80 percent of the game.dddddddddddd A lot of times the low post was open and that is how I score the majority of my points.Down to seven scholarship players, Arizona switched from its traditional man-to-man to a 2/3 zone for a time in the second half. Miller said he did it to give his team some rest. He might do it again, but not often, he said.The more zone we play, the worse well be in man-to-man, he said.Anteaters coach Russell Turner thought perhaps the Wildcats player shortage would work to his teams advantage.I thought if we played our style of basketball, he said, played good defense and rebounded well, that we would have had a chance to keep this game close given their roster situation. But we werent really able to maintain our focus on doing the things we said.BIG PICTUREUC Irvine: The Anteaters lost four starters from last seasons team. They are big but not very athletic inside. If they expect to be competitive in the Big West, the Anteaters need to shoot better from long range. They went 4 of 20 on 3s against Arizona.Arizona: The Wildcats needed a win, regardless of the opponent, after dropping two of their last three -- to Butler and Gonzaga on neutral courts -- with a tough game coming up at Missouri.STILL SHORT-HANDEDWith starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright sidelined by an ankle injury and the status of Allonzo Trier still unclear, the Wildcats go with just two scholarship players on the bench.Jackson-Cartwright, whose right ankle remains in a boot, might not be back until sometime in January. Trier could finally have his situation resolved soon, but thats been said before. The school has not officially given a reason for his absence but its apparently an eligibility issue.UP NEXTUC Irvine: The Anteaters face Pomona-Pitzer on Friday in their second home game of the season.Arizona: The Wildcats play on an opponents home court for the first time this season at Missouri on Saturday. Jerseys NFL China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '