PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Even without Tiger Woods around, Sergio Garcia couldnt avoid reminders of a week to forget at The Players Championship. The 17th hole is where Garcia last year lost the battle, along with the war of words. After two days of verbal sparring with Woods, the Spaniard put two balls in the water to make quadruple bogey, and he put another in the water on the 18th for good measure. Garcia already was 4 under on Thursday when he came to the par-3 17th with an island green. "It did cross my mind. Im not going to lie to you," Garcia said. "I was trying to be positive. Its a new year -- lets improve on it. I pulled it a little bit there, but it was an OK shot. I was able to do much better there, and much better on 18, so I was very happy to see that." Garcia was six shots better than the last time he played those holes. He wound up with a 5-under 67 and was four shots behind leader Martin Kaymer, a good start for a past champion who has shown he can manage his way around the Stadium Course. As for those other memories? Garcia has put those behind him. Much like his golf shots, hes looking forward. Woods won The Players last year in a tournament marked by a weekend of squabbling with Garcia -- such public feuds are rare in golf -- that ended badly a few weeks later in London when Garcia made a racially insensitive comment about Woods while trying to be funny. It started in the third round, when Garcia blamed Woods for pulling fairway metal from his bag on a par 5 to stir up the gallery just as Garcia was trying to play his shot. Video doesnt support that sequence of events, but it set off a weekend of bickering -- and Woods got the last word by winning. "I think its over. I think its passed," Garcia said. "I didnt think I was a villain, but I think that weve all moved ahead of that. I certainly have. Im just looking forward to now and hopefully whats coming soon." Garcia says he is in a happier place, and it shows. He conducted a clinic for kids on Wednesday, and he is at his best in the presence of children. He played beautifully on Thursday, losing momentum with one bogey on his 14th hole, but no less satisfied with a 67. Even so, he conceded his battle with Woods last year unsettled him. He was at an awards banquet in London when asked if he would invite Woods over to dinner during the U.S. Open. "We will serve fried chicken," Garcia replied. He apologized twice, though it didnt quell the criticism that followed him the rest of the summer. Garcia spoke of the ups and downs in his career, of trying to play good golf when he feels miserable. Garcia went into a deep funk when longtime girlfriend Morgan Leigh Norman left him. He said after a poor third round in the 2012 Masters that he did not have the game to win a major. "You go through ups and downs in your life, in your career," Garcia said. "And Ive had really, really good times; really, really happy times. And then Ive had times that were a little bit more down. I think it happens to all of us. Youve got to try to enjoy those good times as much as possible and learn from the tough ones and hopefully make them as short as possible. I think at the end of the day, thats all you can really do." He said the last four years have been "pretty good," but not always. "I dont know, probably (what) comes to mind maybe last year is when everything went on with the little problem with Tiger," he said. "I think that was tough." Lately, he is on an upward swing. Garcia won in Thailand late last year. He won in Qatar at the start of this year. He is No. 9 in the world. He is thinking positively. And it probably doesnt hurt that Woods is sidelined indefinitely while recovering from back surgery. And yes, at 34, he believes hes good enough to win a major. "I think that when Im on, I can definitely win anywhere," he said. "I think Ive proven that. Its just a matter of getting that week where you feel good, where you feel comfortable, where things go your way, where everything feels relaxed, everything feels at ease and you manage to do things the way you know how to do them. Im still waiting for that particular week." San Francisco Giants Shirts . On Sunday, hell attempt to become the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Nationwide race on Iowas short track. The 20-year-old Blaney wont be the only kid pushing a podium finish. San Francisco Giants Gear . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/. 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. San Francisco Giants Store . He still wanted out. "It just seemed like the direction they were going didnt fit what I thought my career was going to be," Kesler said. "At the end of the day I want to win a championship and I want to win it now, and four years is a little too long for me. Custom San Francisco Giants Jerseys . Every once in awhile, it seems like life lets dreams become real - and that is a gift.DENVER - Justin Morneau wondered out loud just how many teams have turned a triple play and hit a walkoff homer in the same game. A better question yet may be this: How many times has the same player been involved in both? Morneau hit a two-run homer in the 10th inning and helped the Colorado Rockies turn the third triple play in team history as they beat the San Diego Padres 8-6 on Sunday. Definitely a pretty good afternoon for Morneau, who hit the sixth walkoff homer of his career. Hes making himself right at home batting behind Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. After Gonzalez singled earlier in the inning, Morneau lined a two-out, 3-2 fastball from Dale Thayer (2-2) to straightaway centre. Morneau thought for sure he got enough of it, too, but then Cameron Maybin drifted back and back, like he might have a play on it. He didnt. "Scared me a little bit," Morneau said. "As good of athlete as he is, if he cant catch it, its definitely gone." Morneau sprinted around the bases to the applause from the crowd and flipped his helmet off after passing third. He was mobbed at home by his teammates. "Justin is having a phenomenal season," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "Great to see him get the big hit." Thayer insisted he made a quality pitch and that he didnt think it was leaving the park. "But it doesnt surprise me it went out. He hit it hard," Thayer said. Nick Masset (1-0) pitched a perfect 10th for his first win with Colorado. LaTroy Hawkins blew his first save of the season in the ninth as he surrendered a tying two-run homer to Everth Cabrera. Corey Dickerson had a two-run homer and Tulowitzki added a solo shot in the fifth to keep up his hot hitting at Coors Field, where hes batting .571 in 18 games. Seth Smith and Rene Rivera hit solo homers for the Padres, who return home following a 3-3 road excursion. "This was a game that was in the balance the whole way," Padres manager Bud Black said. "Both teams kept pecking away at each other the whole game, which is typical of this ballpark." Juan Nicasio didnt have his best stuff, but was bailed out all afternoon by his defence, no more so than in the thhird.dddddddddddd. With runners on first and second, third baseman Nolan Arenado fielded a grounder by Carlos Quentin and stepped on the bag. He threw to second baseman D.J. LeMahieu, who relayed the ball on to first for the triple play. Quentin was originally ruled safe at first, but the second base umpire called Smith for baserunner interference as he slid into second. "That was different than anything Ive ever seen," Morneau said. The momentum from that play ignited the offence as the Rockies scored four runs in the bottom of the frame. Charlie Blackmon had a two-run single and Dickerson added a two-run homer. Usually a reliever, Donn Roach made his first major league start as he filled in for Andrew Cashner, who went on the 15-day disabled list because of soreness in his pitching elbow. Roach was on a pitch count and out of the game early, giving up four runs in three innings. Black elected to bat Roach eighth in the order and third baseman Alexi Amarista ninth, just to give the team more double-switch flexibility early in the game. It worked, too, when Roach was lifted for Will Venable in the fourth, with Venable hitting an RBI single. Roach couldnt find his rhythm in the first as he walked leadoff batter Blackmon and then Dickerson. It didnt matter, though, as both were thrown out trying to steal second — with a little assistance from replay. Blackmon was originally called safe on his steal attempt, but Black requested an appeal and the umpires overturned the call. After Dickerson walked, he tried to steal and, like Blackmon, was called safe when the tag was high. Black jogged out of the dugout to appeal, with the umpires again reversing the call. According to the team, its the first time a manager has successfully overturned two calls in the same inning. NOTES: The last time San Diego hit into a triple play was April 15, 2012, at Los Angeles against the Dodgers. ... Both teams are off Monday. ... Before the game, Colorado activated C Wilin Rosario (viral infection) and optioned C Mike McKenry to Triple-A Colorado Springs. ... The triple play in the third was Colorados first since Tulowitzki turned an unassisted one on April 29, 2007, against Atlanta. ' ' '