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SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Rickie Fowler couldnt resist smiling Thursday when a reporter tried to artfully phrase a potentially prickly question about his midseason struggles this year.Hed just shot a 2-under 68 in the first round of the PGA Championship, so it was an odd time to talk about why he has been a hot mess in all the majors this season, but the reporter tap-danced around it anyway: Is it fair to say the middle part of your year wasnt quite what you wanted it to be?The middle part was terrible, Fowler said. You dont have to sugar coat it. It wasnt very good.It was a nice bit of candor from one of golfs typically reserved personalities, and it spoke to just how lost Fowler was for a stretch of 2016. After starting the year with four top-10s in his first five starts -- including a near miss at the Waste Management Phoenix Open -- he found himself mired in a tailspin in which he missed cuts at four of the most important tournaments: The Masters, The Players, The Memorial and The Open Championship.Missing cuts is definitely not fun, and definitely not whats planned, Fowler said. Swing wise, its just fundamentals. At the highest level, if you are off just a little bit, especially in a major, it picks you apart.Six years into Fowlers career, its still hard to project what kind of player hell go down as. An overhyped, streaky fan favorite? Hes likely better than that, especially after retooling his swing under Butch Harmon and finding more consistency. He has won three times since rebuilding his swing, including earlier this year in Abu Dhabi at the HSBC Championship.An all-time great? Might be a stretch, but its still possible. Hes only 27 years old, and Phil Mickelson didnt win his first major until he was 33. Five out of the past six major winners have been first-timers, which suggests he has karma on his side. When hes playing well, Fowler hits it so pure, its hard to imagine him never breaking through and winning a major. He doesnt have any glaring weaknesses. Hes currently sixth on the PGA Tour in strokes gained tee-to-green, 13th in total driving distance, and 48th in strokes gained putting.But in a way, playing so well in 2014, when he became only the third player in history (joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods) to finish in the top five in all four majors in one season, may have raised expectations to unrealistic levels. Winning the Players in a playoff in 2015 only fueled the hype even more. Touted at the start of the year as a potential member of The Big Four, with Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, Fowler now isnt even a lock to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Hes 10th in points, and might need Davis Love III to make him a captains pick without a strong showing over the final month of qualifying.All of which is why Fowlers first-round 68 at Baltusrol was a positive sign. In the opening round of the past seven majors, Fowler had been a combined 25-over par. And after starting with a bogey on the 10th hole, his first of the day, he then made four birdies on the back nine to finish the day 3 strokes behind Round 1 leader Jimmy Walker, who shot 65.Definitely happy with todays round, Fowler said. Anything in red numbers is always nice to start off a major. ... I like my chances. Ive been swinging well and heading in the right direction. Anything can happen this week.Fowlers youth, his embrace of social media, and his unique sense of style can create the impression (at least among some fans) that he doesnt care enough -- that he isnt as focused on winning tournaments the way Spieth, Day and McIlroy are.Its an unfair characterization, and Fowler put some of it to rest earlier this year when he choked up in his post-round media conference after losing in a playoff to Hideki Matsuyama in the Waste Management Phoenix Open. It was obvious, in both his words and how his voice broke several times, how badly he wanted to win in front of his father and grandfather, who were in attendance.With how good Im playing, I know I can win. Thats what hurts, Fowler said at the time.After a frustrating couple of months, Fowler may finally be back there again.Fake Tigers Jerseys . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. 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Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset.LAWRENCE, Kan. -- After he had finally waded through the mass of humanity at midfield, and survived more back slaps than a mixed martial artist, David Beaty walked into the Kansas football complex and exhaled.I feel better being in here right now, he said, than a few of the other showings.Pretty much every other showing.After taking over arguably the worst program in major college football, Beaty endured a winless first season that tested the resolve of even the most optimistic of coaches. And after a season-opening win over lower-level Rhode Island, nine more losses followed in quick succession.The signs of progress were evident, but close losses to TCU and Iowa State only seemed to underscore the monumental building job that Beaty had undertaken.Not to mention raise the frustration level surrounding the program.So when the Jayhawks rallied from a 21-10 second-half deficit to beat Texas in overtime on Saturday night, there was a palpable release of pent-up frustration. Many fans took it out in the most joyous of ways on Beaty, engulfing the personable coach on the turf in Memorial Stadium.Man, it was awesome. It was so cool to see them smiling and to see them having fun and enjoying themselves, Beaty said. They kept coming. They kept coming. Every week there was a ton of students up in that student section. And as a coach you keep thinking, `You know, man, are these kids going to continue to do that? And they did. They did. They kept coming.In black-and-white terms, it was only one victory against a downtrodden program that seems likely to fire its coach . But in grander terms, it was an important benchmark for the Kansas program.The Jayhawks had not beaten a Big 12 opponent in 19 tries. They had dropped 23 consecutive games to fellow Football Bowl Subdivision members. They hadnt beaten the Longhorns since 1938.It feels like more than just a win, Kansas safety Fish Smithson said after Matthew Wymans field goal gave them the 24-21 overtime victory. You get all the aspects into it -- senior day, conference win, our first real win for Coach Beaty. We thought about all of that.The win should pay dividends going forward, too.ddddddddddddeaty cobbled together his first recruiting class in a compressed timeframe after being hired to replace the failed Charlie Weis. His second class was recruited on the heels of a 0-12 season, when all he had to sell prospective athletes was a promising vision and some blind faith. Now, Beaty can point to a victory over one of college footballs blue-bloods.It says a lot about the direction our program is headed, he said. The coaches that we have around here, these coaches are terrific. Our administration, all the support we get from these people even when you dont think they are -- man, our administration, they support us like you wouldnt believe.Our kids, theyre treated like gold, Beaty added. If youre a recruit and you dont want to come here, youre crazy, because, man, we take care of our guys like nobody else.Beaty made it a point to thank those who laid the foundation for his first Big 12 win, including the senior class of a year ago. Many of them, including defensive lineman Ben Goodman, sat in the stands on Saturday, then joined in the delirious celebration on the field.But like any coach, Beaty also sought to keep things in perspective.The Jayhawks are still 1-7 in the conference, 2-9 overall, and have a tough test ahead of them in their season finale Saturday. Theyll head down Interstate 70 to face Kansas State, their bitter rival, a team thats coming off an impressive win over Baylor on Saturday.Weve got a lot of momentum on our side, Kansas defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong said. If we just execute our game plan for both sides of the ball like we did this week, we can get the win.That would be back-to-back wins for the Jayhawks for the first time in five years. Another benchmark for a program now seeking the next one.We got a huge, huge mountain we got to climb to get ready to play these guys, Beaty said, but its a lot easier and a lot more fun preparing with the result we got.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '