CARMEL, Ind. -- Dustin Johnson has his own gold medal.Its actually a coin, a krugerrand from South Africa. And its pure gold, unlike the medal Justin Rose won in Rio de Janeiro at the Olympics. A friend gave it to him, and Johnson was using it Wednesday during his pro-am at the BMW Championship.Johnson is aiming for something more valuable, at least in terms of cash.He is No. 3 in the FedEx Cup going into the third playoff event, and the U.S. Open champion is virtually assured of being among the top five who would only have to win the Tour Championship to capture the $10 million bonus.The FedEx Cup is at the halfway point, and its starting to feel like a sprint -- perhaps it felt like a slowdown for several players who stopped by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Tuesday to drive BMWs around the track.Patrick Reed is No. 1 in the standings based on his victory at The Barclays and a tie for fifth at the Deutsche Bank Championship. Hes followed by world No. 1 Jason Day, Johnson, Deutsche Bank winner Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott.THE THIRD LEG: Only 70 players advanced to the BMW Championship, the final stop before the top 30 reach the Tour Championship.Jordan Spieth is at No. 6 and eager to move into the top five, for those are the players who control their own fate in two weeks at the Tour Championship. The first step is to get there, and it would appear that no more than eight players have a chance to move into the top 30.Kevin Na dropped from No. 14 to No. 23 because he skipped last week when his wife gave birth. Henrik Stenson is No. 24, and his prospects are tenuous because the British Open champ is not playing Crooked Stick to rest his right knee and his mind for the Ryder Cup.Bubba Watson narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Ryder Cup. He is at No. 27 and is hopeful he doesnt narrowly miss out on East Lake.Just outside the top 30 is Daniel Berger, the only PGA Tour rookie last year to make it to the Tour Championship.CROOKED STICK: John Daly was the ninth alternate when he introduced the world to his grip it and rip it ways in the 1991 PGA Championship, and that explains a lot about this Pete Dye design just north of Indianapolis.Its a big course, and its tailored for big hitters.McIlroy made bogey on the last hole in 2012 and still won by two shots at Crooked Stick over a cast of contenders that included Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson and Adam Scott.RYDER CUP: As usual, the FedEx Cup shares the billing with the Ryder Cup at the playoff events this year. U.S. captain Davis Love III makes three of his four picks on Monday after the BMW Championship.Even though Mickelson says the initial three picks are fairly obvious, the list of candidates goes from Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar to Watson and J.B. Holmes, and perhaps a younger player who has had a solid year and wins the BMW Championship.A good week wouldnt hurt an Americans chances.AWARD RACES: Johnson and Day are locked in a tight battle as front-runners for PGA Tour player of the year with only two tournaments remaining before the players vote.But theres more.The top five in the running for the Vardon Trophy -- a prestigious award for the lowest adjusted scoring average -- are Day, Johnson, Mickelson, Spieth and Scott. Day at No. 1 and Scott at No. 5 are separated a 0.273 average, so its still anyones game.One other race is for PGA Tour rookie of the year. The tour declared Si Woo Kim a rookie. The South Korean won the Wyndham Championship three weeks ago and is No. 18 in the FedEx Cup, making him a lock for East Lake. Emiliano Grillo, who won the first tournament of the season and contended in the PGA Championship on Sunday, is No. 8 and the leading rookies. Smylie Kaufman won in Las Vegas, played in the final group at the Masters and is No. 33, needing to get into the top 30 to have any chance. Cheap Wholesale Nike Sb Shoes .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Nike Sb Shoes For Sale Cheap . -- The Bishops Gaiters are showing they belong among the countrys top varsity football teams. http://www.nikesboutlet.com/ . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Nike Sb Shoes Discount . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Nike Sb Outlet Store . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Coach Ron Rivera says if the Carolina Panthers want to beat the Denver Broncos Thursday night theyll need to stay out of third-and-long situations.Thats something Cam Newton and company failed to do in a 24-10 loss to the Broncos in the Super Bowl seven months ago.Denvers top-ranked defense forced the Panthers into third-and-8 or longer on 12 separate occasions. That didnt bode well for the Panthers; those plays resulted in seven punts and two game-changing strip-sacks by MVP Von Miller leading to 14 Denver points -- the difference in the game.A big part of it is you have to have success on first and second down, Rivera said. We didnt have the success in the Super Bowl.The Broncos took full advantage, disguising coverages and sending extra pass rushers at Newton as part of their green dog blitz package.On Carolinas second possession, Miller beat right tackle Mike Remmers on the edge and ripped the ball away from Newton. Malik Jackson recovered in the end zone to give the Broncos a 10-0 lead.Carolina, which averaged a league-high 31.3 points per game during the regular season and 40 per game in the NFC playoffs, never could get in sync after that.Being in third-and-long is a difficult thing, whether they green dog you or blitz you straight up, Rivera said. Its tough to be successful.Newton said Sunday the Panthers have a great game plan this time around.While the league MVP wouldnt reveal the details, he confidently said the Panthers are locked and loaded for Thursday night, saying that this is a different season with different players.Were trying to get guys on the same page, Newton said. If we do that I believe well put ourselves in an unbelievable position to do what were capable of doing, and that is to win this football game.Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart, who was injured his foot early in the Super Bowl but did return, said the impetus is on the running game to gain more yards on first and second down.Its very pivotal, Stewart said. Third-and-8 or third-and-11 makes it tough on the coordinators, tough on quarterbacks and tough on the offensive line to really grasp the situation.Tight end Greg Olsen said that Panthers siimply made too many mistakes in the last meeting -- whether it was missing a blocking assignment, not being in the right place on a route or dropping passes.ddddddddddddarolina also had a season-high four turnovers against Denver in the Super Bowl.Denver has a good defense and good defenses force you into bad plays, Olsen said. At the same time we did a lot of things that were uncharacteristic of ourselves. They were plays that we were accustomed to making. That day it all snowballed on us and we never really got much going.The Panthers offense expects to benefit from the return of Kelvin Benjamin, their top wide receiver in 2014 who missed all of last season with a torn ACL.Although hes only expected to play about 35 snaps while rounding into football shape, Benjamins 6-foot-5, 245-pound frame and physical brand of play could give the Denver secondary trouble.Carolinas smaller receivers struggled against Denvers physical secondary.On one play Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib dragged wide receiver Philly Brown down by his facemask after a reception, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Talib said after the game he did it on purpose.Brown, who was shocked to hear that, said he wont let the past affect his play in the season opener.Aqib Talib dont run my life. I dont walk around thinking about him 24/7, Brown said. Thats not what Im thinking about right now. Im more focused on getting the victory.When asked if Talib has ever tried to contact him to offer an apology, Brown replied, I will block him. He will never have my number.While Benjamins return gives the Panthers a physical presence at wide receiver, Miller said the Broncos defensive backs will once again be up to the challenge.Benjamin is like a safety blanket for Cam, Miller said. Hes a deep, really big receiver -- really talented, very fast and can jump. Luckily we have the best secondary in the National Football League. ... Im totally comfortable in the no-fly zones ability to play the pass this game.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '