eceived a glimpse of the interest level Woods can once again bring to the game. He admitted that if he hadnt been in the field this week, he likely would have been watching from home, keeping an eye on the guy who has had so much influence on his own game.For him to come back and

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley has hailed how plans to speed up the sport got off to a positive start during the recent Desert Swing, where round times were up to 19 minutes quicker.A new Pace of Play policy was introduced at the start of the year to identify slow players, with the aim to make the game more appealing to fans either at the course or watching on television.As well as the ability to still officially time players, referees now can issue a monitoring penalty for slow play, with world No 1 Jordan Spieth the first recipient during his opening round in Abu Dhabi. Pelleys pledge was to try and reduce round times by 15 minutes, with the new guidelines having an immediate affect at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Qatar Masters and the Dubai Desert Classic.The measures saw average round times drop by five minutes during Abu Dhabi compared to the previous years event, while rounds in Qatar were more 10 minutes quicker than they were in similar windy conditions in 2012. Spieth took too long to line up his putt during the opening round in Abu Dhabi The biggest change came in the last group times, which were 19 minutes and 14 seconds quicker in Qatar compared to four years ago, meaning an earlier finish time for the tournament. It is terrific to see the policy has had an immediate effect, even though we are still in the early stages of its implementation, Pelley said. We said before our new measures were introduced in Abu Dhabi that we wanted to take the lead on pace of play.I am also pleased that our members have reacted positively to this change. We are continually striving to make our product even more appealing and entertaining for our fans and this is a good starting point. Chief referee John Paramor looking out for players playing too slowly There is no quick fix for slow play, but this new policy is aimed at empowering our referees to more effectively target the problem and I believe we will see even more inroads made over the coming weeks and months.A total of 95 groups were monitored during the three early-season events, with Spieth one of only five players to be handed a monitoring penalty.Daniel Brooks (Abu Dhabi, round two), Benjamin Hebert (Abu Dhabi, round four), Eddie Pepperell (Dubai, round one) and Gavin Green (Dubai, round two) complete the group, with those five now set to receive a fine for each monitoring penalty they receive during the rest of the season. Gary Christian believes stroke penalties and not fines are the only way to address the issue of slow play on the golf course The fines will increase for each following monitoring penalties, with players punished if they exceed the time allowed for a shot - 50 seconds if first to play and 40 seconds thereafter.It is important to note that our referees now have the ability to apply monitoring penalties if they see a player take an excessive amount of time over a shot, even if their group is in position on the course, so our players are now more aware than ever that slow play is unacceptable, Pelley added.Watch the European Tour throughout the season live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golfAlso See:Tour cracks down on slow playR&A: Slow play a top issueSpieth hit by slow play warningGolf live on Sky Sports 4Hydro Flask Outlet Store . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Hydro Flask Clearance Sale . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. http://www.cheaphydroflaskireland.com/32-oz-hydro-flask-outlet.html . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Cheap Hydro Flask For Sale . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Hydro Flask Ombre Sale . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.NASSAU, Bahamas -- Its no secret that Patrick Reed grew up idolizing Tiger Woods. He often wears a red shirt on Sunday afternoons to pay homage and his recent Ryder Cup success can be at least partially credited to a desire to strut his stuff in front of the vice captain assigned to him that week.On Thursday afternoon, Reed was gift-wrapped a front-row seat to Woods return, serving as his first playing partner during a competitive round in nearly 16 months.As he watched Woods open with four birdies in his first eight holes at the Hero World Challenge before stumbling, a singular thought entered Reeds mind.I was like, Oh, my gosh, he later said. Tiger is back.The seemingly never-ending debate over Woods relative back-ness is subject to interpretation. Some consider him already back, having played four rounds this week. Others wont believe he is back until he begins playing a full PGA Tour schedule once again. Even others contend he isnt really back until hes contending for tournament titles -- or possibly even until hes winning them.Well, heres one thing we can agree upon: Woods being back portends positive things for golfs short-term future.Despite the doom and gloom picture that many have painted -- from decreased interest in the game to lower television ratings -- golfs most elite level has thrived and flourished in the few years since Woods latest decline. Jason Day, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth have become a quartet of entertaining superstars, any of them capable of dominating a tournament on a given week, while the likes of Reed, Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka and Hero champion Hideki Matsuyama represent the next tier of exciting young golfers, if not a blurred line between the two.I think we proved that golf does not need Tiger, Brandt Snedeker said. It was successful the last couple of years when we didnt have Tiger, to see Rory and Jordan and other guys step up and play the way they did. That said, golf is better when Tiger is around. I dont know if we need Tiger. We all want Tiger. I want to see Tiger playing again. Its fun.Golfs in a really good position these past few years and thats without him, Rickie Fowler concurred. Now it can only be better with him. He can only help it. And the better he plays, the better it is for the game.The game enjoyed its greatest popularity, numbers-wise, during Woods prime years. Starting with his transcendent victory at the 1997 Masters aand through the injury-riddled 2008 U.ddddddddddddS. Open title, he was the connective tissue, bringing the masses to the game and the game to the masses.It was enough to make these past few years -- with all of the young players atop the games highest level -- pale in comparison, despite the fact that there were burgeoning rivalries and a greater competitive balance on a weekly basis.If we can allow ourselves to consider the possibilities, theres potential for all of these players to continue playing their best golf, while adding the games most popular player to that mix. Its not a stretch to believe Woods full return to form could result in a golden age for the game, a cross-generational blend of superstars on some of its biggest platforms.Thats really exciting for us, Spieth said. Tiger moves the needle. Tiger created golfers from athletes -- even myself. I played a lot of sports and Tiger certainly played a large influence in why I decided to play golf. ... He can still have that influence for another decade on the golf course. I think he can truly help get the numbers back up in golf that have been dropping a little bit.The state of the game is tremendous; throwing him back into it just makes it even better, Zach Johnson explained. If hes playing competitive golf and he can play a mildly full Tiger schedule and stay healthy, even if hes in contention just two or three times, its going to elevate the product to a high that maybe we havent seen in a long time.Reed was among those who received a glimpse of the interest level Woods can once again bring to the game. He admitted that if he hadnt been in the field this week, he likely would have been watching from home, keeping an eye on the guy who has had so much influence on his own game.For him to come back and play really well, it just means more for us, Reed said. It not only grows the game, but it allows my generation to see the Tiger that we used to see on TV. I would love for him to get back to the stage where he is just playing solid, Tiger golf and be able to go against him.It can be argued whether golf is already in a good place or hurting from those declining numbers. It cant be argued what impact Woods return to the most elite level would bring to a game that always draws more interest with him playing well.Cheap Jerseys [url=http://www.cheapauthes