methodically so she wouldnt get too far ahead of herself, MacLennan felt the trust in her talent return.In some ways it was really tough but it was also a reminder of how much I really did love the sport, she said. If I didnt I would have given up.Instead she pressed on in an event that requires gymn

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- The curls no longer spilled from under his cap, a big change for Rory McIlroy. Prompted to reveal the rest of his free haircut, he removed his hat and wild brown locks sprang to life. "Still a little bit on the top," he said Wednesday with an easy smile. Only then did McIlroy resemble the Boy Wonder who dominated golf last summer, starting with his win at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island by a record margin. He didnt walk down the fairways that week, he bounced. He was No. 1 in the world, and looked every bit the part. McIlroy would love to rediscover that kid at Oak Hill this week. In its place is a 24-year-old from Northern Ireland who has reason to feel much older. He hasnt won a tournament, and only once did he even come close. He has finished over par in all three majors, with only two rounds at the British Open. He has failed to make the cut five times this year, which includes walking off the course in the Honda Classic with sore wisdom teeth that still havent been removed. Among betting favourites, he was second only to Tiger Woods at the Masters at 5-to-1. For the PGA Championship, the odds are 30-to-1, higher than two players (Henrik Stenson and Brandt Snedeker) who have never won a major. And he cant wait to get to the first tee Thursday afternoon. Inspiration comes from videos he has been watching of his eight-shot win at Kiawah Island, along with his back-to-back FedEx Cup playoff wins against some of the strongest fields of the year. Some of what he noticed was technical, such as the position of his club in the swing. What really stood out was the body language. "Its how you carry yourself. Its all that sort of stuff, your little mannerisms," McIlroy said. "I guess its just trying to remember those feelings and remember how I felt that week and trying to carry some of that into this week and just get those good, positive thoughts going. "I think everyone sees when I walk and Im playing well, I have that little bounce in my step." What would go a lot longer at Oak Hill is keeping the ball in play on a traditional, tree-lined course -- so many trees that even being in the fairway doesnt mean a clear shot at the green if the ball is slightly out of position. The greens are small and slope toward the front. Oak Hill is a hard golf course, and the evidence comes from the previous five majors held on this Donald Ross design -- only 10 players in those five majors have finished under par. "This may be the toughest golf course, but the fairest golf course that we play," said Tom Watson, playing this major for the 32nd time. "Somebody is going to win this thing, and that person is going to play awfully well, awfully good golf this week. Wish I could say thats me." Watson was joking. Not so funny is that the way McIlroys year has gone, there isnt much reason to believe it could be him, either. Most of the attention is on Woods, even though he has gone five years and 17 majors without winning one. Woods won the Bridgestone Invitational last week by seven shots, sparked by a 61 in the second round that tied his personal best. That gave Woods five wins this year, which is five more than McIlroy. Phil Mickelson opened with a 65 in 2003 the last time the PGA Championship was played at Oak Hill until fading badly in one of his worst seasons as a pro. He is coming off an astounding win at the British Open, where his 66 in the final round is regarded as one of the best closing rounds in a major. If he could pick off another PGA Championship, Mickelson would be a shoo-in as PGA Tour player of the year, an award he has never won. McIlroy, meanwhile, has been largely forgotten through ordinary play and endless questions about a season gone wrong from his opening tournament when he missed the cut in Abu Dhabi. Some of his troubles have been attributed to a wholesale equipment change, others to his decision to change management companies. McIlroy said his switch to Nike is no longer an excuse, not with 15 tournaments under his belt. He says it has taken longer than usual to work his way out of bad habits. "I guess every time you play and you dont play well, it sort of chips away at your confidence a little bit," he said. McIlroy has gone through this before. Only a year ago, he had gone five months without a win and missed the cut in four out of five tournaments. With a spark at Firestone, he showed up at Kiawah Island and overwhelmed the strongest field in golf in ways only Woods used to do. "I love proving people wrong," McIlroy said. Ian Poulters advice was everyone to "give him a break." Poulter tied for third -- by nine shots -- last year at Kiawah Island and has watched the fall of a kid who looked one year ago that he would be on top of golf for a long time. Now its back to Woods and Mickelson at Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, with the kid trying to claw his way back. "I think sometimes we forget how young he is and what hes been able to achieve at a very early age," Poulter said. "So the second he feels comfortable again, whether thats with his swing or equipment or whatever it is, then Rory will be winning golf tournaments. That natural swing of his doesnt just disappear overnight." Despite all the scrutiny -- on everything from his new equipment to new management, to girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki and moving from Northern Ireland to south Florida -- McIlroy hasnt dodged the questions for which he has no tangible answers. "Id definitely rather be up here talking about more positive things, but I guess thats the way it is," McIlroy said. "Should you lay off me? Thats not for me to decide. Im here and Im answering your questions and thats all I can do. As I said, it would be nicer just to sit up here, talk about some more positive things. But the way the years gone, its understandable why Im not." Once again, TSN.ca will feature live streaming of the PGA Championship, beginning with Tiger Woods, Davis Love III and Keegan Bradley on Thursday at 8:30am et/5:30am pt. TSNs live coverage of the PGA Championship begins with first-round action on Thursday at 1pm et/10am pt. Rory McIlroy, Vijay Singh and Martin Kaymer tee off at 1:25pm et/10:45am ptCheap Hydro Flask Sale . -- Running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings were back at practice for the Oakland Raiders on Wednesday despite being hampered by hamstring injuries. Discount Hydro Flask Cheap . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. http://www.discounthydroflaskcheap.com/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Hydro Flask Sale . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Hydro Flask Clearance . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames.RIO DE JANEIRO -- Defending Olympic champion Rosie MacLennan opted for her easier routine during womens trampoline finals on Friday, a rare moment of caution in a sport that thrives on daring.I was a lot more confident in it, MacLennan said. The other one was a little more shaky. I knew it would be a bit of a gamble and the Olympics isnt a time to gamble.Considering what MacLennan has been through over the last year as she recovered from a pair of concussions that threatened her career, hard to blame her. Yet she never lost faith, and it paid off with a second gold medal to bookend the one she captured in London.Soaring effortlessly and precisely through the air inside the Rio Olympic Arena, MacLennan posted a score of 56.465 to become the first Canadian athlete to win gold medals in consecutive summer games. Bryony Page of Great Britain was second, followed by Li Dan of China.Page admitted she was shellshocked and could barely stand after putting together the best set of her life, the 25-year-olds legs buckling when her score posted.MacLennans response was more measured. Shes been here before, even if she wasnt sure she would be back after sustaining two concussions in the span of a month in 2015. The first one came during a training mishap, the other when her head was smacked by a car door.Her recovery was slow. Though she managed to qqualify for Rio by finishing fourth at the world championships last November, she noticed an odd and troubling symptom when she ramped up her training program early this year: her eyes would start shaking in the middle of her routine.ddddddddddddIf you cant spot the trampoline you dont know where you are and I was afraid of getting lost in skills, MacLennan said. That fear and that uncertainty took a long time to get back.It wasnt until March that MacLennan felt her confidence return. Working methodically so she wouldnt get too far ahead of herself, MacLennan felt the trust in her talent return.In some ways it was really tough but it was also a reminder of how much I really did love the sport, she said. If I didnt I would have given up.Instead she pressed on in an event that requires gymnasts to leap two stories in the air 20-25 times over the course of a minute, getting scored on a combination of air time and their series of 10 connected flips and twists. MacLennan placed third in qualifying.Another shot at gold on the line, she could have taken the riskier route and hoped the difficulty would offset any mistakes in execution. Pragmatism won out, a decision that ended with her atop the medal stand once again. ' ' '