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A change of heart could pay massive dividends for Graeme McDowell after the former U.S. Open champion survived a windswept opening day of the Scottish Open.On a day when winds gusting up to 40mph sent scores soaring, McDowell carded a two-under 70 to lie a shot off the lead held by Australias Scott Hend and Chiles Felipe Aguilar at Castle Stuart.McDowell had previously accused the Scottish Open of losing its identity and prestige by moving to the one-dimensional course outside of Inverness, which only opened in 2009.But after apologising to the tournament sponsors the Ryder Cup star was welcomed back with open arms and enjoyed the tougher test after spending two days in similar conditions at Open venue Royal Troon.Myself and Martin Gilbert [chief executive of sponsors Aberdeen Asset Management] have gotten a little closer over the years, McDowell joked after a round containing four birdies and two bogeys.Im really quite surprised by how good the golf course is. It really does feel like its designed for this wind direction.Its a beautiful piece of land here and has a really nice architectural mix of short [par] fours and tough [par] fives and its a helluva lot more narrow than I remember it. People are going to say Im full of s--- having criticised it pretty heavily and now Im saying its good. But Im allowed to change my mind and I like the golf course.McDowell missed the cut with rounds of 80 and 73 in the French Open last week, but made the most of his early exit to practice at Royal Troon, where he made his Open debut in 2004.I think the two days at Troon were a big help coming into this week, added the 36-year-old, who needs to produce some good performances to extend his record as the only European player to qualify automatically for the last four Ryder Cups. The wind really blew hard Saturday and Sunday when I was there. If it continues to blow like this, this is going to be a grind this weekend.Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington produced the best round of the later starters to join McDowell on two under, along with former U.S. PGA champion YE Yang, Swedens Alex Noren and the English quartet of Richard Bland, Tyrrell Hatton, Andy Sullivan and Eddie Pepperell. Inverness native Russell Knox was just three off the lead after a 72 but criticised the terrible set up of the 18th hole, which only one player in the top 20 managed to birdie.Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson remained upbeat despite an opening 76, while compatriot J.B. Holmes could be forgiven for wishing his clubs had never arrived after struggling to an opening 80.It was tough but I think this course is so well designed that it can accommodate difficult conditions, Mickelson said. Its a very fair test. I thought it was very playable even in such challenging conditions.Unfortunately I really struggled on the greens and missed quite a few short putts that prevented me from shooting a score around par.Holmes only received his clubs at 7pm on Wednesday evening after they were lost in transit from last weeks WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio.The former Ryder Cup player -- who was part of the last U.S. victory in 2008 -- immediately headed out to practice but it failed to do him much good as he slumped to nine over par after 12 holes. Cheap Pirates Jerseys . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Pirates Jerseys China . But what about the officials? Every sport has officials and they also have stories about hard work and sacrifice but their accomplishments are seldom recognized by anyone outside their inner circle. http://www.custompiratesjersey.com/ . 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WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- New Zealands All Blacks are in South Africa preparing to play without their top halfback, who was sent home weeping after getting caught cheating on his girlfriend in an airport restroom.The scandal surrounding Aaron Smith, regarded as one of the best rugby scrumhalves in the world, has dominated media in New Zealand this week.Prime Minister John Key waded into the furor Thursday, saying Smith -- who led the All Blacks in their iconic pre-game haka during last years World Cup championship campaign -- clearly let himself and those that are close to him down.Smith was suspended for one match, missing the All Blacks last outing in the southern hemisphere rugby championship this Saturday in Durban against the Springboks, and faces a misconduct hearing.Before leaving South Africa, he apologized to his girlfriend, teammates, the New Zealand Rugby Union, and All Blacks fans.I made a huge mistake, a huge error in judgment, he said, in a tearful apology .His girlfriend, in a statement released by the NZRU, asked for privacy.The incident happened on Sept. 17 at the airport in Christchurch where, the day before, the All Blacks beat South Africa 41-13. Smith and a woman spent about 10 minutes in a restroom for those with disabilities.An annoyed couple with children was waiting outside the bathroom, and they taped sounds and took pictures of Smith leaving the scene. That information didnt come to light until this week, and the All Blacks took action because Smith was in team uniform on a team trip.Key believed the incident was unusual in that the All Blacks, for more than a decade, had been good role models for the most part.But Smith was benched for a test match against South Africa in 2012 after breaking a team curfew, and in 2014 he sent a naked picture of himself on a social networking app which was captured by other users.The All Blacks have woon all eight of their matches this year after beating Australia in the 2015 World Cup final.dddddddddddd But New Zealand rugby has also had several scandals regarding player behavior.The (NZRU), coming off the back of a few other pretty poor PR issues in recent times, will want to send a strong message to the All Blacks that they have a high level of expectation of their behavior, Key said. And Aaron clearly didnt meet it.Those PR issues have made New Zealanders question the pedestal on which rugby players are put in the country, whether players deserve star treatment, or should even be role models.The NZRU was slammed last month after an in-house investigation couldnt substantiate claims by a stripper that she was sexually assaulted by players from Hamilton-based team the Chiefs, at their Super Rugby postseason party in July. The investigation didnt punish any players, but formally cautioned them.After outrage from many who said the investigation lacked independence and transparency, NZRU chief executive Steve Tew admitted that in terms of educating players on respecting women, they had not got it right.Soon after, promising player Losi Filipo was discharged without conviction for a brutal assault last year on four people, two of them women. The judge reportedly said, Are the courts in the business of destroying peoples career prospects?Filipo, who was an under-19 player for Wellington, had his playing contract terminated the next day. Still many criticized apparent star treatment for rugby players.One of the men he beat up, also a rugby player, said he was still suffering headaches. His mother said Filipo should have gone to jail.Its a rugby thing. If he played hockey, basketball, or anything else, I dont think he would have got off. ' ' '