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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Dustin Johnson apparently had high expectations after winning his first major at the U.S. Open.He didnt win the next major at Royal Troon and got rid of his beard.I finished ninth at the British, so I shaved it, Johnson said Wednesday, the big smile indicating he went with a clean look for no specific reason.Hed like to leave the PGA Championship with a new ranking -- No. 1.While his back-to-back victories at the U.S. Open and the World Golf Championship at Firestone rightly get most of the attention, its easy to overlook that he has been playing better than anyone all year.He has finished out of the top 10 only five times in his 16 starts this year, including his last six tournaments. With a tie for second last week at the Canadian Open, the 32-year-old Johnson arrived at Baltusrol with a mathematical chance to replace Jason Day at No. 1 in the world.Johnson would have to win the PGA Championship and have Day finish third or worse, or he could be the sole runner-up and reach No. 1 if Day were to finish 28th. However you do the math, its a possibility.And typical of Johnson, he wont give it much of a thought.It wont be on my mind, he said. Im going to go out and try to focus on what Ive got to do. The rest of the stuff, I try not to worry about -- or actually I dont worry about. I just go out and play golf and try to shoot the best score I can. At the end of the week, if Im on top of the leaderboard and I get to No. 1, obviously that would be great and be a big accomplishment.He was the betting favorite going into the final major of the year, mainly because of his consistently great play, and because Baltusrol is a big golf course at 7,462 yards for a par 70. And thats right up his power alley.As for the majors, Johnson is starting to set himself apart.Dating to a missed cut in the 2014 Masters, he has seven top 10s in his last nine majors, including his U.S. Open title at Oakmont.I feel like it keeps me mentally in it longer, Johnson said of the majors. When Im on really tough golf courses, I feel like Im more focused because Im really trying to hit the ball to a certain spot, instead of a lot of times when I struggle sometimes its just staying mentally focused on every shot.What sets the Lower Course at Baltusrol apart for the PGA Championship is that the A.W. Tillinghast design doesnt have a par 5 until the 17th hole, and then it ends with a pair of par 5s. That would seem to be disadvantage for Johnson, whose length can lead to easy birdies on par 5s.Or maybe not.This golf course, I hit a lot of drivers, he said. Its par 70, but its quite long. I feel like I wear out my 8- and 9-irons on the par 4s.Long course. And 8-irons and 9-irons into the par 4s.Thats his game.One of the par 5s might not be reachable, anyway. The 649-yard 17th hole is the second-longest in PGA Championship history behind the 653-yard fifth hole at Southern Hills. John Daly was the first player to hit the green in two, using a 1-iron in the 1993 U.S. Open.But with nearly two inches of rain on Monday night, and more storms in the forecast, the course is too soft to have a reasonable chance, even for Johnson. He hammered a drive during his first practice round and still had 320 yards to the hole.Then again, his wedge play has been the reason he has risen to the elite in golf, why he is one big win away from reaching the top. And finally getting his first major did little to make him satisfied.I want to win every major, he said. Maybe even more of a desire to get a second one. Cheapest Nmd Shoes . "Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal. Cheap Stan Smith Pink . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. http://www.stansmithdiscount.com/discount-stan-smith-shoes.html . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Buy Adidas Ultra Boost . Darren Helm scored on Detroits sixth attempt in the shootout and then Jonas Gustavsson stopped Andrew Shaws shot, lifting the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night. Ultra Boost Discount .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. The demolition job that R Ashwin did on New Zealand during the third Test, in Indore, shows that the Australian distaste for offspin bowling has now spread to become an Antipodean curse.Ashwin has already caused Australia huge problems in India - not quite as devastating as his Indore performance, but troublesome nevertheless. Coincidentally, it was in Australia that Ashwin learned a very good lesson about bowling. His first attempt was peppered with multiple variations, resulting in his line and length suffering, which, in turn, provided easy pickings for the batsmen.His second attempt was only marginally more successful in the scorebook but the execution was a big improvement. He concentrated on spinning his offbreak and relied more on subtle variations of pace rather than trying to turn the ball both ways. This provided more control and the batsmen were made to work harder for their runs.That led to a much better performance against Australia when they toured India in 2012-13. Ashwin became a more confident bowler, exuding an aura that all good spinners possess. And as a solid middle-order run getter, he was on course to becoming a regular match-winner for India.The trouble that Ashwin caused Australia in India was reminiscent of the mayhem that a number of other talented offspinners achieved.My first memory of Australian ineptitude against offspin was a vivid one: Jim Laker taking 19 wickets in the 1956 Old Trafford Test. I was verging on teenager status and was devastated to see a picture of my idol, Keith Miller, tumbling head first out of his crease as he was beaten in flight by Laker.Before collecting all ten wickets in the second innings of the match, Laker had already achieved that rare distinction in Australias tour match against Surrey. Such was the turmoil in the Australian camp that when skipper and offspinner Ian Johnson attempted to rally his troops with an anything he can do, I can do speech, his vice-captain, Miller, is reported to hhave raised his gaze from a form guide and responded: Six to four you cant.ddddddddddddAnother offspinner to weave a spell over Australian batsmen was the Indian magician Erapalli Prasanna. In 1967-68 he took 25 wickets in only four Tests in Australia, and then bettered it by one (in five Tests) in the return series, in 1969-70. His performance in Australia has to be one of the outstanding achievements by a fingerspinner in a country renowned for pitches that are much more responsive to wristspinners.Then there was Harbhajan Singhs tornado-like destruction in the 2000-01 series in India. Just when it appeared that Australia would win their first series in India since the 1969-70 tour and complete their 17th successive Test victory, Harbhajan struck. With six second-innings wickets in Kolkata, he turned what looked to be an Australian cruise to victory into a head-on crash. He turned in a similarly destructive performance in Chennai, and finished the three Test series with an incredible 32 wickets. No wonder the crowds began chanting Singh is king.Ashwin has already inflicted much pain on Australia, as did Laker, Prasanna and Harbhajan before him. Ashwins dominant performance in the series against New Zealand will send chills through Steven Smiths squad.Ashwins 27 wickets at 17.77 and Man-of-the-Series award against New Zealand could be viewed as a prelude to the main performance. In a few months time he will face an Australian line-up traumatised by the portly left-arm Sri Lankan fingerspinner Rangana Herath.Ashwins spin bowling partner, left-armer Ravindra Jadeja, will be buoyed by Heraths success. Not only does this not augur well for Australias batsmen, with their distaste for spin bowling, it will also revive memories of 1956 and the destruction caused by Laker and his partner - the left-arm orthodox spinner Tony Lock. ' ' '