a 12-foot birdie putt on

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Keegan Bradley had his best round ever at the Memorial on Thursday. Toronto Raptors Pro Shop . It was the way he accomplished that feat that was so unusual. Bradley did not use a belly putter for the first time in his PGA Tour career, and it worked out just fine. He knocked in a 12-foot birdie putt on his opening hole, added four more birdies for a 5-under 67 and was one shot out of the lead among the early starters at Muirfield Village. "Im totally in a trial period here," said Bradley, whose best score in eight previous rounds was a 71. "Im not in any way saying Im switching for good from now on. This is just for right now and this week." Masters champion Bubba Watson, Chris Kirk and Paul Casey each had a 66 on a hot morning at the Memorial. Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy, both coming off victories on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, were among those playing in the afternoon. Bradley was the first player to win a major using a belly putter at the 2011 PGA Championship. The anchored stroke used for long putters will be banned starting in 2016, which he said was like a "ticking clock in your head." But it was advice from his mother, and a week of practice and trash talking with Michael Jordan, that persuaded him to give it a try. Bradley didnt like the way he finished off the Byron Nelson Championship two weeks ago, and while talking to his mother, she suggested he go to a shorter putter. "I hadnt put any thought into it up until that point," he said. "And so I thought I needed something to get me excited about playing because I was bummed." Bradley has not won since the Bridgestone Invitational in 2012, and he needs to get moving if he wants to earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team. Inspired to experiment by his mother, he played with Jordan at The Bears Club in South Florida, asking him to be relentless in heckling and make Bradley feel uncomfortable, "which hes good at." "And we just kept playing and playing. And I felt better and better with it," he said. "And I came here not knowing what I was going to do. I played a round with Brendan Steele and I felt good with it again, and I thought theres no reason for me not to do it." Bradley said he last used a conventional putter in 2010 in his second start on the Nationwide Tour. He is not considered a bad putter. Bradley switched over to the belly putter because he felt he was better with it. His plan for the year was to qualify for the Ryder Cup team and start converting to a shorter putter after October. Now? Who knows? The putter is 41 inches, which is about 6 inches longer than a standard putter. The difference is that Bradley doesnt press the end of it into his belly. He felt better over lag putts, and he said the shorter putter improved his touch on fast greens. "The negatives are just ... Im aware that people are watching me," he said. "And thats the hardest part." Watson also started his round at No. 10 and got going with an eagle on the 15th hole. He finished strong with four birdies over the last five holes, knocking in a 15-foot putt on the ninth hole. Hunter Mahan had a bogey-free 68, a signal that he is finally starting to round into form. Mahan has not been in the top 20 since the second week of March at Doral. Cheap Raptors Jerseys . scored 18 of his career- high 28 points in the first half, as fifth-ranked Ohio State dominated No. Anthony Parker Jersey . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Bulls 99-70 on Monday night. MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- The Miami Dolphins red zone offence took plenty of snaps Saturday night -- and finally produced a touchdown. The first team scored its only TD just before halftime on its 17th play inside the Tampa Bay 20, but the Buccaneers scored with 1:03 left in the game to win 17-16. Miamis starters netted 180 yards playing the entire first half, their most extensive outing in four exhibition games. Ryan Tannehill went 17 for 27 for 150 yards and a 4-yard score to Brandon Gibson with 10 seconds left in the half for a 13-10 lead. "We did some good things," Tannehill said. "We moved the ball well. But we didnt finish when we got into the red zone. When you get that close after moving all the way down the field, you really want to score touchdowns." Gibson and Brian Hartline dropped potential scoring passes, and twice Miami settled for short field goals. "We have to catch the ball more consistently, no doubt about it," coach Joe Philbin said. "I cant tell you the rhythm offensively was great tonight. It didnt feel that way to me. Its got to get better." Miami fell to 1-3 with one exhibition game left. The Buccaneers improved to 1-2, but their first-team offence sputtered again. Tampa Bays Josh Freeman went 6 for 16 for 59 yards, took five sacks and lost a fumble while playing 2 1/2 quarters. The turnover came at midfield with 1:29 left in the first half and led to Miamis lone touchdown. "It was an uphill battle," Freeman said. "We really werent in sync like wed like to be. There were a number of things that we have to get cleaned up." Freemans performance was part of the problem, coach Greg Schiano said. "The quarterback play was not what I wanted it to be," he said. "The good thing is that we have two weeks before the season starts, because were going to need every day of it." Tampa Bay had an edge in special teams, with backup linebacker Adam Hayward making two fumble recoveries on the punt coverage team, which led to the Bucs first 10 points. One turnover came after the kick hit blocker Nolan Carroll, and returner Marcus Thigpen lost a fumble. Thigpen later had a 38-yard punt return. The takeaways pleased former Dolphins head coach Dave Wannstedt, who is in his first year as Tampa Bays special teams coach. "Witth the exception of that one return, I thought our special teams played outstanding," Schiano said. Marc Gasol Jersey. Miami began the game with a 17-play drive that took 8 1/2 minutes -- but settled for a field goal. Tannehill completed six consecutive passes during the possession, including one on fourth down. "Im moving in the right direction," the second-year quarterback said. "There are still some plays I should be better at, but Im learning and try not to make the same mistake twice." It was another slow start by the Bucs defence, which allowed the Patriots Tom Brady to go 8 for 8 on a game-opening touchdown drive last week. Lamar Miller had the edge on Daniel Thomas in their competition for the job as Miamis No. 1 running back. Miller had eight carries for 35 yards, including a 20-yard run on his first carry against the Bucs stout run defence. Thomas carried seven times for 3 yards. "Lamar appeared to run the ball well," Philbin said. "Daniel never really got untracked in the running game, it seemed, but I cant tell you it was all his fault." Two-time Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph, who missed Tampa Bays entire 2012 season because of a right knee injury, played for the first time this preseason but couldnt give the ground game much of a boost. Brian Leonard led Tampa Bay with 38 yards rushing and a score in 10 carries. The Bucs Mike Williams was targeted seven times but caught only two passes. David Douglas scored for the second week in a row when he caught a 12-yard pass from Mike Glennon with 1:03 left. Tampa Bay backup defensive end Trevor Scott had three sacks. Cornerback Darrelle Revis, who began practicing with the Bucs first defensive unit this week, sat out his third exhibition game in a row as he comes back from knee surgery. Left guard Carl Nicks (infected left big toe) and running back Doug Martin (head) were also sidelined. Veteran Rian Lindell, signed this week by the Bucs because Lawrence Tynes has a toe infection, kicked a 38-yard field goal. Rookie Caleb Sturgis, who has clinched a job with the Dolphins, went 3 for 3 on field goals. Notes: The Dolphins outgained the Bucs 312-160 but lost the turnover contest 4-1. ... Tannehill has a 98.6 passer rating this preseason. ... Miami second-year coach Philbin fell to 1-7 in exhibition games. ' ' '