PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Martin Kaymer never lost sight of opportunity even amid so much evidence of trouble in the closing stretch Sunday at The Players Championship. A bad chip led to double bogey. A bad decision cost him a chance at birdie. With his lead suddenly down to one shot, he watched his ball soar against the grey sky toward the scariest island in golf and figured it would be fine. What followed was a bounce sideways instead of forward, mystifying spin that nearly sent his ball over the edge and into the drink, a chip with his feet pressed near the wooden frame of the island and a 30-foot par putt that Kaymer chalked up to instinct and luck. "It was a very strange way to make 3," he said. But it was enough to carry the 29-year-old German to a one-shot victory over Jim Furyk in a final round filled with stress, emotion and a large dose of satisfaction. Kaymer got up-and-down with his putter from short of the 18th green for one last par, giving him a 1-under 71 and his first victory in nearly 18 months. The only time he nearly lost his composure was when talking about his mother, Rina, who died of cancer six years. He has a sunflower, her favourite flower, on his golf bag. His brother, Phillip, sent him a text that he described only as a "very emotional." "To win on Mothers Day ... we show our parents way too little," he said. "We always need some occasions to show them, which is what you realize when theyre not there anymore. So to win on those days ... it adds a little bit of a nice thing to the whole week. "I think about her every day. I dont need a Mothers Day." Furyk closed with a 66, having to wait out a 90-minute rain delay to make a 3-foot par putt. It looked as though it might be enough to force a playoff, or even win outright when Kaymer started to struggle. Just as he did last week at Quail Hollow, Furyk could only watch on TV from the locker room and settle for second place. "I did what I could," Furyk said. "I left it all on the golf course, and I hung it all out there today and every cliche you can think of. I played hard today." Sergio Garcia (70) finished alone in third, though he never got within two shots of the lead at any point. David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., finished in a tie for sixth. That wasnt the case with 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, who was tied with Kaymer going into the final round. He made his first bogey of the tournament on the fifth hole, and four more bogeys followed in his round of 74. He tied for fourth. "Im stinging right now," Spieth said, a runner-up at the Masters. "Its not fun being that close and having opportunities and being in the lead on Sunday and not pulling it off." The typical stress that Sawgrass brings on Sunday was contained to the final hour, and it was almost more than Kaymer could take. He was sailing along until the lightning flashes and rain forced the rain delay. He had a three-shot lead with five holes left and was a different player when the round resumed. He made double bogey from an aggressive play behind a pine tree on the 15th. He nervously chose putter from a collection area on the par-5 16th that turned a simple chance at birdie into a par. Nothing could top the 17th hole, the most exciting on the Stadium Course. When his chip shot stopped just inside 30 feet from the hole, and bogey looked certain, Kaymer figured he still had one more hole. He couldnt see the line in the approaching darkness, though he remembered it from practice rounds. When it dropped, he walked to the side and slammed his clenched fist in celebration, rare emotion for the German. "Making a putt like this is more than big," he said. "I think I will realize it the next few days." Kaymer finished at 13-under 275 and joined an elite group by winning the biggest event on golfs strongest tour. Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott are the only other players to win a major, a World Golf Championship and The Players Championship. For Spieth, it was his second big tournament in the final group. Tied for the lead through seven holes, he dropped shots to Kaymer on each of the next four holes -- two bogeys by Spieth, two birdies by Kaymer. Kaymer had just over 3 feet left for par on the 18th, and it made him think of his winning putt to beat Steve Stricker and ensure that Europe kept the Ryder Cup at Medinah two years ago. The celebration was different. This was for him, and a long journey back from when he won the 2010 PGA Championship, reached No. 1 in the world six months later, and then set out to improve his swing to avoid being a one-dimensional player. "When I was standing over the putt, I just thought, It would be really nice to make that putt now, would be a very nice way to finish," he said. Seattle Seahawks Gear . QUARTERBACKS Carson Palmer (vs Colts)Last week: 30/42, 419 yards, 2 TDsWinners of their last three and now tied for the final wild card spot in the NFC, the Cardinals are worth keeping an eye on. Jaron Brown Seahawks Jersey . Tony Parker had 33 points and nine assists and San Antonio never trailed in a resounding 116-92 victory over Portland, bullying the younger Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. http://www.footballseahawksfanatics.com/customized/.The third-seeded Murray, who won here in 2009, will face seventh-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa next on the indoor hard court. D.J. Fluker Seahawks Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Rasheem Green Seahawks Jersey .Y. - Major League Soccer is prepared to start its season this weekend even if there isnt a labour deal with its referees and other on-field officials.CHICAGO -- During a recent game at Wrigley Field, John Weber was using a pencil and scorecard to expertly track the game between his hometown Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 86-year-old retired transit worker figures he is an increasingly rare kind of baseball fan. "Look around, do you see many people keeping score?" he asked. No indeed. Between batters and between pitches, most fans in the stands at Wrigley -- and everywhere else in the majors -- take their eyes off the game to peck away at smartphones, phablets, tablets and iPads. Few bother to figure out the baseball hieroglyphics that Weber and other purists lovingly scrawl on their cards. The Cubs are hoping to add a massive video scoreboard to Wrigley as early as next year in what would be the biggest renovation at Wrigley since lights were installed more than a quarter century ago. The plan has stirred plenty of opposition, with many wondering if modern electronics will rob some of the mystique that surrounds the venerable ballpark, which hosted its first game on April 23, 1914 -- 100 years ago Wednesday. The scene in the stands illustrates how Wrigley is already a modern park and in fact got there faster than some of the newer, shinier stadiums around the country. The Cubs were the first to install a moving walkway back in the 1950s (it was removed a few years later) and in 2012 were one of the first teams in the majors to offer Wi-Fi. "The Cubs were ahead of their time and, frankly, ahead of the league," said Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advanced Media, the leagues interactive branch. The lack of a video scoreboard is a glaring reminder that the Cubs have some catching up to do. That is even more obvious this year thanks to a new instant replay system that allows teams to challenge umpires calls. "With this replay for our fans, 75 million of them at the games, get to see what everyone sees at home," Bowman said. Except at Wrigley, where fans have to wait until they get home or watch the television monitors while theyre in line to buy a hot dog or beer. "How ridiculous is that?" asked Marc Ganis, a sports consultant with SportsCorp Ltd. in Chicago, who once advised the Cubs prior owner, the Tribune Co. "The only time you see it is when youre not in your seat." The lack of a video board is only the most visible example of some of the differences between Wrigley and other parks. Rather than ordering food and drink on a handheld device and having it delivered right to their seats, fans at Wrigley get things the old-fashioned way: By yelling at vendors roaming the aisles or making a trip to the concession stands.dddddddddddd The Cubs cant do it any other way because Wrigley Field is so small that food must be prepared offsite. A proposed $300 million renovation project includes construction of commissary, though team spokesman Julian Green said a final decision hasnt been made. The Cubs are also examining whether to join the roughly 20 teams that have customized Major League Baseballs At the Ballpark app to give fans access to information about ballparks as they enter, from seat location to specials on merchandise. One thing the Cubs say they wont be doing any time soon is allowing fans to upgrade their seats via their handheld devices. "There are a lot of great innovations happening at new ball parks but Wrigley has magic (and) we need to be careful that we dont implement technology that takes away from the experience of Wrigley, the experience of what it has been like for sons going to games with their fathers, and their fathers fathers," said Andrew McIntyre, the Cubs senior director of information technology. Many fans do worry that the Cubs embrace of technology could change the atmosphere at the friendly confines for the worse. They want to see the park as they imagine past generations saw it. "Any modernization, you risk losing what made it special," said Todd Jezierski, a 32-year-old Oregon resident. He said when a friend heard he was coming to Wrigley, he excitedly told him he just had to visit the restrooms and see the ancient urinal troughs. Charlie Tausche, a 75-year-old retired attorney, has less of a problem with a massive video board than with the technology-toting young people who will flock the Wrigley in greater numbers once school lets out. "They stand up in front of you in the middle of the game and take their selfies," he complained. The oldest stadium in the majors, Bostons Fenway Park, is awash in video boards and still remains one of the jewels of baseball at 102 years old. And -- this is a big one for long-suffering Cubs fans -- it has fielded three World Series winners in the last decade. Robert Garcia, a 38-year-old Chicago teacher who came to a recent game decked out in a Cubs hat, jacket and clutching a scorecard and pencil he just bought, said the essence of Wrigley will remain with new technology. "When you come in and look down you still see the ivy, you still see the bleachers," he said. Even Darryl Wilson, who has been working the manual scoreboard for 23 years, has no objection to all the new technology, including a new video scoreboard. "I hope they dont think I can keep up with that scoreboard," he said. Wholesale MLB Orioles JerseysRed Sox Jerseys From ChinaDiscount Yankees Jerseys OnlineRays Jerseys For SaleBlue Jays Jerseys From ChinaWholesale MLB White Sox JerseysIndians Jerseys For SaleTigers Jerseys From ChinaWholesale MLB Astros JerseysCheap Baseball Angels JerseysAthletics Jerseys From ChinaMariners Jerseys For SaleCheap Baseball Rangers JerseysBraves Jerseys For SaleDiscount Marlins Jerseys OnlineDiscount Mets Jerseys OnlinePhillies Jerseys From ChinaWholesale MLB Nationals JerseysCubs Jerseys From ChinaDiscount Reds Jerseys OnlineBrewers Jerseys From ChinaWholesale MLB Pirates JerseysWholesale MLB Cardinals JerseysDiamondbacks Jerseys For SaleRockies Jerseys For SaleDiscount Dodgers Jerseys OnlineDiscount Padres Jerseys OnlineGiants Jerseys For Sale ' ' '