NEW YORK -- About to contest her third Grand Slam final of the year, Angelique Kerber couldnt help but hear the part of player introductions when she was announced to the crowd as soon-to-be No. 1 in the rankings.It still sounds a little bit crazy, Kerber said a few hours later, the U.S. Open trophy by her side.Yet its also starting to feel real, she added. And deserved.Especially after Kerber rallied from down a break in the third set Saturday to edge Karolina Pliskova and clinch her second major title of 2016.The Australian Open back in January was where Kerber not only made her first Grand Slam final but won her first championship. But this U.S. Open may prove to be where the 28-year-old Kerber started to find herself comfortable with all those accolades.That it would happen at Flushing Meadows is fitting. Shell always remember the 2011 U.S. Open as the turnaround of her career.She came into the tournament ranked 92nd, never having advanced past the third around at a major. That season, Kerber had lost her opening match at five straight events during one stretch and 10 times overall -- including the years first three Grand Slams.I was just telling myself, `OK, just win a few rounds, and then you can get main draw in Australia, she recalled.Instead, she reached the semifinals, where she fell in three sets to eventual champion Sam Stosur. Kerber embraced the big stadiums, the boisterous crowds, the notion she belonged on those stages.It started growing, she said, a smile spreading across her face, and now I am here as the champion.Not that everything went smoothly those five years in between. Kerber made another semifinal at Wimbledon the following summer then didnt get back that far at a Grand Slam until this years Australian Open.And that run in Melbourne almost never happened. Kerber was on the verge of being swept out of the tournament in straight sets in the first round against 64th-ranked Misaki Doi.Kerber still remembers how she saved the match point -- with a serve out wide that forced Doi to miss a forehand.After that, everything starts this year, Kerber said. That was a really special match.She went on to stun Serena Williams in the final, though that achievement wasnt easy to handle at first. In her next major, Kerber lost in the first round to 58th-ranked Kiki Bertens at the French Open.I had so much pressure on my shoulders, Kerber said. I told myself, `OK, I will try to enjoy it now. And not going out there with the pressure, with the expectations that everybody say, `OK, now you have to win every tournament.She made another final at Wimbledon, playing well but losing the rematch with Williams because, as Kerber put it, Serena was the better player on this day.She lost the Olympic gold-medal match to 34th-ranked Monica Puig then fell to Pliskova in the Cincinnati final when a victory would have clinched the No. 1 ranking.Kerber spent two weeks at Flushing Meadows listening to -- and trying to block out -- questions about another opportunity to overtake Williams for the top spot.In the end, when Pliskova upset Williams in the semifinals, Kerber was guaranteed to be No. 1 when the next rankings come out Monday.She felt a sense of calm going into Saturdays title match unlike her experiences at the Australian Open or Wimbledon. She explained that her confidence came from knowing exactly what will happen after the final, win or lose, so she could just go out there and play.Afterward, Kerber thought back to her greatest weakness when she was a teenager aspiring to Grand Slam titles and No. 1 rankings: My fitness was the worst, she said, laughing.She faded in three-set matches. Wilted in the heat. Moved sluggishly around the court.No one watching her Saturday could have ever imagined that. There was Kerber running down every shot, looking fresh in a decisive set played in stifling humidity.Ten years later, Kerber said, my fitness is the best, and I can move forever on court. CHEAP NFL JERSEYS CHINA . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. CHEAP JERSEYS AUTHENTIC . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. http://www.authenticjerseysnflwholesale.com/ . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. CHEAP JERSEYS ONLINE . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. WHOLESALE JERSEYS CHINA . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. 1. What will Phil do next?Following such a bittersweet tournament at The Open, Phil Mickelson next week returns to Baltusrol for the PGA Championship -- where he won his second major title in 2005.Whether playing another major so soon is good or not remains to be seen, but Mickelson tried to view it as a positive in the aftermath of his second-place finish to Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon.A product of the schedule due to golfs return to the Olympic Games, the PGA has been moved up two weeks, giving players little time to prepare for another venue and a completely different style of golf.It doesnt give me a chance to take time off, per se, Mickelson said. It forces me to keep my game sharp.Mickelson was not headed home to San Diego after The Open but to the New York City area this week. He has some corporate responsibilities and that will give him a chance to get to nearby Baltusrol in Springfield, New Jersey.Ive got a lot of special memories going back to Baltusrol in 05 and [not having] a month to wait between majors is a good thing for me, he said. Ill try to look at the positives and take that into Baltusrol and keep my game sharp over the next week or two as opposed to going home and taking some time off.Mickelson has now finished runner-up in a major championship in each of the past four years, following up his second-place finish at the 2013 U.S. Open with a win at The Open. He was second at the 2014 PGA Championship to Rory McIlroy and second to Jordan Spieth last year at the Masters.2. Another Olympic problemYou can bet that members of the International Golf Federation were secretly rooting for Stenson over Mickelson on Sunday. The Swede is an enthusiastic supporter of the Olympic golf event, a welcome departure from all of the recent negativity surrounding player withdrawals. And it would have been embarrassing to have Mickelson win The Open -- and potentially the PGA next week -- and not be an Olympian.Nonetheless, Mickelsons second-place finish moved him to 13th in the world and the fifth-highest-ranked American. With Dustin Johnson and Spieth withdrawing, Mickelson would have qualified for the U.S. had the deadline been extended one week as the top 4 within the top 15 are eligible.The July 11 deadline was always ludicrous, just another in a long line of mistakes as they relate to the golf competition. IGF officials insist they were powerless to change it. Peter Dawson, head of the IGF and former CEO of the R&A, repeatedly lobbied the IOC to move the qualification deadline back one week and was rebuffed.3. If it had been any other year ...Mickelsons score in relation to par at The Open would have won 140 of the 145 played. Only Stenson (-20), Tiger Woods twice (-18 in 2006, -20 in 2000) and Nick Faldo (-18 in 1990) went lower. McIlroy was 17-under in 2014, the same number under par as Mickelson was at Royal Troon with an aggregate of 267.It should be noted that the first 31 Opens were played over just 36 holes and nobody came close to breaking par back then -- if they even looked at it that way. The Open does not note scores in relation to par until 1938. And no one got as low as 10-under-par until 1958.4. And its happened at other majors, tooNot only did Mickelson shoot a score that would have won nearly every other Open, he also did so at the 2015 Masters and the 2001 PGA Championship.Last year at Augusta National, Mickelson and Justin Rose tied for second, four strokes behind Spieth. Their total of 274, 14-under-par would have tied or won 74 of the 80 Masters.At the 2001 PGA, Mickelson finished second behind David Toms, shooting 266, 1 stroke behind Toms 265, which had been the major championship aggregate record until Stenson shot 264 at Royal Troon. Mickelson would have won every other PGA Championship with his score.5. Hey, lets do this some moreCount former Masters champiion Trevor Immelman among those who was pining for more golf from Stenson and Mickelson after their 18-hole showdown at Royal Troon.dddddddddddd6. The closest observerJim Bones Mackay has caddied for Mickelson the entirety of his professional career, dating just before his pro debut at the 1992 U.S. Open. So it wasnt a surprise that Mackay took Sundays defeat to Stenson nearly as hard as his boss.Afterward, he marveled at the play of Stenson and gave props to the Swede for winning his first major. He also grieved a bit for Mickelson while pointing out the impressiveness of his 17-under-par performance, while also complimenting Mickelsons new coach, who he began working with last fall.You cant say enough about Andrew Getson. Hes been nothing short of phenomenal, Mackay said. Im so glad that Phil found him. He had an unbelievable warm-up session [Sunday]. Similar to Muirfield [2013] where he was hitting the ball so well on the range he just backed off and sat around. He took it to the course and had an incredible ball-striking day on the course. He shot 65 and finished second.The great thing about what he is doing now is he is loving playing. Hes been great. Hes played a lot better this year than even most people would think. If you look at the numbers, hes really, really played well this year. Im happy for him that hes got this kind of game. You can make the argument that this is as good a tournament as Ive seen him play in a long time.Mackay sees nothing about Mickelsons age of 46 holding him back.Not at all, he said. When youre as competitive as Phil is, absolutely not. He was very honest with you guys [the media, on Saturday]. He turned a 77 into 70 and it was amazing. He wasnt feeling it and he felt it [Sunday] and hit a lot of good shots.7. Henrik takes a hit -- sort ofThis is one of those First World problems, and undoubtedly youll never hear him say anything about it, but Open champion Stenson took a financial loss due to the recent Brexit vote which saw the United Kingdom decide to leave the European Union. That caused a big hit on the British pound, which has sunk to its lowest level against the dollar in decades.While the amount to the winner increased to ￡1,175,000 this year -- up about ￡25,000 -- Stenson actually earned less in U.S. dollars than Zach Johnson received last year for his victory at St. Andrews. In U.S. funds, Stenson earned $1,549,590 -- or about $245,100 less than Johnson. Presumably Stenson, who is from Sweden, converts to U.S. dollars because he lives full time in the United States.Stenson undoubtedly cares way more about the Claret Jug, regardless of the amount of the prize money.8. The State of TurnberryDonald Trumps ownership of the Turnberry Resort in Scotland has put the venues future as an Open site in flux, a point that R&A chief Martin Slumbers deftly sidestepped last week by noting that a decision on a future Open there is not imminent.Turnberry was and is part of the pool of courses for the Open Championship, Slumbers said. There are at the moment nine courses, and Turnberry is one of those.With The Open set for Royal Birkdale next year, Carnoustie in 2018 and Portrush in 2019, Turnberry is up for consideration. As Slumbers pointed out, 2020 or 2021 will go to a venue in England, with the other year going to St. Andrews.I had a chance to check out Turnberry last week -- it is roughly 25 miles south of Royal Troon on the Ayrshire coast -- and it would be a shame if the R&A did not go back. It is the most scenic of all the venues, the iconic lighthouse enhanced by a change to holes 9, 10 and 11 that make them a visually appealing part of a course that has undergone an impressive refurbishment.9. The Champion Golfer of the Year Cheap NFL T-shirts Discount Jerseys Wholesale NFL Gear Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping China Jerseys Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Stitched Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic ' ' '