Gary Christian looks back at last week’s Northern Trust Open, picks out his West Coast swing highlights and predicts a big few weeks ahead for Rory McIlroy. It has been a spectacular West Coast swing, certainly living up to the billing with some great comeback stories and impressive rounds on some outstanding courses.Riviera is one of the top five courses on the PGA Tour and is one where you really need to have played it a handful of times to really get a good handle on it. Its just a very, very good golf course and you cant really spray it all over the place. Bubba Watson moved back to world No 4 with victory Bubba Watson had one of those weeks at the Northern Trust Open where his driving was straight, so that 320-yard average is a very dangerous weapon when youre hitting it like that.Its a pretty long course for a normal length hitter with a lot of 460-yard holes and a lot of difficult shots indeed, so to be going in with a nine-iron when the rest of the field is going in with the six gives you a big advantage.With as much golf as he has played at the quality he has performed, Jordan Spieth was always going to have tournament where he was just off. From his driver to his putter, everything just wasnt right and around a course with the quality of Riviera, theres always the potential of shooting something unexpected. McIlroy finished nine strokes adrift of Bubba Watson at Riviera We can say the same for Rory McIlroy in the final round, particularly with the putting which is obviously quite a concern. If theres a weakness in his game then its the consistency in his putting and its a little frustrating for him to get in a position and not close out the deal.As one of the worlds top three players you would have expected him to, but I think a lot it was just down to rustiness. Hes now starting to get ready for Augusta and starting to have a more regular playing schedule, so Im sure well see him do a lot better the next time hes in that position and probably win the tournament.When you start back in a different continent on a different tour it takes a little while to get everything fine-tuned for that last round, so I think thats all part of Rorys poor finish and I think hes going to be just fine. Hes familiar with all of those courses hes playing (on the Florida Swing) and I expect to see something special from McIlroy. Gary Christian Special performanceI sure weve already seen the round of the year in Brandt Snedeker at the Farmers Insurance Open. I cant see anything approaching that. For him to score that low in those conditions on that course was incredible.It was basically an unplayable golf course. When the best players in the world were in action and the average score was almost 80, it just goes to show there was something a little bit special about that 69.On possibly the hardest course on the PGA Tour where the rough was a thick as it was and the green as quick as they were, just keeping it anywhere near 76 or 77 would have been an achievement. Brandt Snedeker was the only player to shoot under par during the final round We know how brutally hard it can be playing links courses in Britain with the wind coming up, so I think Greg Owen described conditions in California quite nicely before the final round as having the potential for carnage.Snedekers achievements were amazing, but it was impressive to watch KJ Choi and Jimmy Walker try to chase him down. It was good to see they still had difficult conditions on the Monday and at least had a chance down the last few holes.Fowlers frustrationYou can frame the Phoenix Open as a tournament Rickie Fowler threw away, but you can also frame it as one where he holed countless putts to stay in contention. It just happens that Hideki Matsuyama was equal to him and hit more good shots, as Rickie hit one poor one to miss out. Fowler is a four-time winner over the past 12 months Fowler was clearly crushed in the press conference afterwards, as hes now in that position in golf where if he gets into a play-off then he expects to win. He expects to be a better player than the guy hes going to be playing against, but it wasnt a shock that Matsuyama was able to hold him off.Weve got to realise that Matsuyama is one of those players that has the total game, so we shouldnt be surprised to see him bouncing around the worlds top five or six in two or three years time.He may have kept hitting the shots he wanted to and almost always pulled them off, but Fowler will certainly be kicking himself for finding the lake at 17. Saying that, hell also look back at the quality of drives at the 18th and feel his game is going from strength to strength. Butch Harmon takes Tim Barter through the changes hes made to Rickie Fowlers game, which Harmon believes will make him a great. It seems like his focus, driving and long game all get better when the pressure is on. Rickie used to have the tendency to spray a little bit with his driver under pressure, but thats now gone. His driving is now an incredible weapon.Maybe his next thing to work on is how he can hold and extend a lead, much like he did in Abu Dhabi. We saw his ability to chase down leads last year and come from behind, but we need to see him control things from the start a few more times. Some people make it look easy like Spieth and McIlroy, but there are very few who can do that on a consistent basis.Blast from the pastFor me, the West Coast Swing highlight was Vaughn Taylors victory at Pebble Beach. The feel-good factor of the whole story was just tremendous. Vaughn Taylor secured his first victory since 2005 Taylor had such a solid career, playing in the Ryder Cup and being a multiple PGA Tour winner, but saw his career go off the rails and was barely getting in to Web.com Tour events. Thats the great thing though when youre a PGA Tour player; even if you havent made a cut for years youre still good enough for it to be your week.He pulled it all together brilliantly and more than anything handled the emotions and the chance to win a tournament. As someone who would certainly be considered a journeyman, the feeling of watching a player like him take on the big boys and prevail was very much a heart-warming story.Exciting times aheadMcIlroy now has a busy schedule, but hes full of energy and more importantly needs to get a win under his belt. Regaining the that he has the ability to close out a win is important to him, so obviously the more tournaments hes in the better the chance of him doing that. McIlroy is looking for his first win of 2016 At least there isnt a huge amount of travel with it all being based in Florida, so there are no worries about jet-lag and he can just turn up on the Tuesday night and play in the following days Pro-Am. Hes familiar with all of the courses he will be playing and I expect to see something special from McIlroy.I think people, especially in the second half of last year, were talking about Jason Day, while the first part of 2015 was all about Jordan Spieth. With McIlroys injury and him not winning as much as he would like, I think theres a little part of him that will want to prove theres a stubborn fella from Northern Ireland who is still quite good as well.When Rory gets the bit between his teeth and is a man on a mission, well see some very impressive stuff from him. We cant wait for the Florida swing now!Watch all four Florida Swing tournaments live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf Also See: Honda Classic: Ways to watch Harrington ready for defence PGA National betting preview Golf live on Sky Sports 4 cheap jerseys . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. 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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- DeMarco Murray ran for a 71-yard touchdown and rookie Derrick Henry also scored and the Tennessee Titans new-look rushing attack delivered an impressive debut Saturday in a 27-10 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers.Murray, seeking a new start in Tennessee after struggling with Chip Kellys offense in Philadelphia last season, had six carries for 93 yards. Henry, the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama, had 10 carries for 74 yards and a touchdown.Id love to see that all season, Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. Thats what theyre capable of doing.Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota played three series and went 5 of 5 for 45 yards, including a 31-yarder to rookie Tajae Sharpe. The Titans had a field goal on Mariotas first series and capped his final drive with Murrays touchdown.Murray credited receivers Dorial Green-Beckham and Harry Douglas for delivering quality blocks on his big run. Murray easily broke safety Adrian Phillips attempted tackle on his way to the end zone.Murray rushed for an NFL-leading 1,845 yards with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, but flopped last season after the Eagles signed him to a five-year, $40 million contract with $21 million guaranteed. Murray averaged 3.6 yards per carry and was benched late in the season.The Titans acquired Murray by swapping fourth-round picks with the Eagles and giving him a new contract.At the end of the day, you go through ups and downs in your life and career, Murray said. Its all about how you bounce back and how you have perseverance through things that dont go your way. Ive been blessed and lucky to be here as a Titan.Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers played just one series and connected with Melvin Gordon on a 44-yard touchdown.Rivers was 2 of 3 for 64 yards. After overthrowing Isaiah Burse deep, Rivers delivered a 20-yard completion to Keenan Allen on third-and-15. On the next play, Gordon caught a pass around the Tennessee 40 before running into the end zone.POSITION BATTLESChargers: Kellen Clemens and Zach Mettenberger are competing for the backup quarterback spot. Clemens played most of the firsst half and went 9 of 16 for 96 yards.dddddddddddd Mettenberger entered in the second half and was 2 of 8 for 22 yards with an interception.Titans: Brian Schwenke, listed on the depth chart as the Titans second-team center, got some reps at left guard with the rest of the first-team offensive line during the second quarter. The Titans first-team left guard Saturday was Quinton Spain, who started Tennessees final six games last season. ... The acquisitions of Murray and Henry leave 2014 second-round pick Bishop Sankeys roster spot in doubt. Sankey had a 41-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.ROOKIE WATCHChargers: Tight end Hunter Henry had three catches for 43 yards. Drew Kaser, a sixth-round pick from Texas A&M, averaged 52.8 yards on five punts with two touchbacks. ... Kenneth Farrow had a heavy workload in the second half and finished with 60 yards on 16 carries.Titans: Kevin Byard, a third-round selection from Middle Tennessee, picked off Mettenbergers pass in the third quarter. ... Jack Conklin, a first-round pick from Michigan State, started at right tackle.INJURY UPDATEChargers: Guard Orlando Franklin didnt play after hurting his ankle in Thursdays practice. Wide receivers Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams also didnt play.Titans: Sharpe was evaluated for a possible concussion late in the first quarter after catching two passes for 35 yards. .... Cornerback Perrish Cox didnt play because of a twisted ankle.QUOTABLEChargers: As the game went on offensively, we had too many penalties, coach Mike McCoy said. Little penalties. Wed move the ball and then have a play and have something hurt us so were playing first-, second- or third-and-long. And defensively weve got to do a better job of stopping the run.Titans: We definitely want to be a physical team, especially running the ball, Henry said. We want to be smash-mouth. ... Today was a good day, with the O-line blocking and us running.---Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '