After winning the Phoenix Open twice in a three-year span, J.B. Holmes was starting to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour. Thanks in part to his second victory at the greatest show on turf, Holmes made his first Ryder Cup team, and looked destined to be a long-standing member of U.S. international teams. That was all derailed when he began battling vertigo-like symptoms in the 2011 season. In his last three starts that year, he missed two cuts and had to withdraw from the PGA Championship. Shortly thereafter, Holmes was on the operating table undergoing brain surgery. He was diagnosed with structural defects in his cerebellum, or Chiari malformations. During the surgery, he had a quarter-sized piece of his skull removed. He came back and played a full season on the PGA Tour in 2012, but managed only two top-10 finishes, both of which came before the Masters. In March of last year, Holmes was roller-blading as part of his conditioning routine, but suffered an awkward fall in which he broke his left ankle. As he rehabbed that injury, Holmes decided it was time to go under the knife, again. This time, Holmes was going to have his troublesome left elbow fixed. Why not? He wasnt fully ready to come back to the tour anyway. Once the calendar changed to 2014, Holmes was ready to go. He waited until late January at the Farmers Insurance Open to make his debut. It has been a slow build to fully get back into game shape. He had more finishes outside the top 50 -- five -- than he had inside the top 20 -- four. However, all four of those top-20 finishes came in his last five starts before the Wells Fargo Championship. Entering the Wells Fargo, Holmes had shot par or better in 14 or his last 20 rounds, and that trend continued at Quail Hollow. Holmes shot 2-under 70 in the opening round, then went 11-under par in the middle two rounds to take the lead entering the final round. Coming down the stretch, he led by two and made the finish interesting. Jim Furyk sat two strokes back and had been in the clubhouse for nearly two hours. He started to pack his things while Holmes was on 18, but stopped when Holmes hit a poor chip shot. Needing to get down in two putts for the win, Holmes did just that to close out a 1-under 71. The win was his third on the PGA Tour. Among the biggest aspects of the victory for Holmes is that he now qualifies for all four majors. When he tees it up at Pinehurst for the U.S. Open next month, it will mark his first start in a major since that 2011 PGA Championship, which he had to withdraw from. Next spring, hell return to Augusta National for the Masters for the first time since 2008. He also moved himself into contention for a spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Holmes did go 2-0-1 as a captains pick at the 2008 Ryder Cup, and not many Americans in line for this years team have winning records. Those things are far off at this point, but for Holmes to even be in that conversation is a huge victory by itself. Now that he is healthy, we are seeing what kind of player Holmes once was, and can be again. A word of warning, though. After Holmes other two wins, which were in February 2006 and February 2008, he posted only two more top-10 finishes in those seasons and both were in 08. The way Holmes is playing now, it isnt hard to see him bucking that trend the rest of this season. LPGAS BEST AMERICANS TOO HOT, TOO SOON? Whether it is the Solheim Cup, Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, each teams captain wants her players to be playing their best heading into that event. Three potential U.S. Solheim Cup team members are off to scorching starts this year on the LPGA Tour. Stacy Lewis just earned her first win this past weekend in Texas, and that was her eighth top-10 finish in nine starts. Michelle Wie also has a win and six top-10s in nine events, while team stalwart Cristie Kerr has six top-10s in eight tournaments. Is it too much too soon? The Solheim Cup wont be played for another 16 months. Captain Juli Inkster has to be happy to see how well some of her potential team members are playing right now. The Americans suffered a crushing defeat last year at the Solheim Cup, and the players from that team, and those hoping to make the 2015 squad, want to make sure what happened last year doesnt happen again. Five of the 10 winners this year on the LPGA Tour have been Americans, while two wins were by a European, Anna Nordqvist. With many of the tours top players hailing from Asia, having Americans winning half of the tours events is a great start for the team. Lets just hope they can keep the momentum going. MINI-TIDBITS - Dont try to blame John Daly for slow play problems, whatever tour he may be playing on. Daly was the first out in the final round of the Web.com event last weekend, and played as a single. Daly cruised around in 2 hours, 21 minutes. There are twosomes that dont play nine holes that fast at some tournaments. - From the where-are-they-now category, we bring you the curious case of Anthony Kim. According to a Golf Channel report last week, Kim rarely plays golf anymore. Kim had three PGA Tour wins by the age of 25, but he hasnt been seen on tour since 2012. The 28-year-old battled wrist, forearm and elbow injuries before tearing his Achilles. We might never know how great he could have been had he stayed healthy. Air Jordan China . Numbers Game looks into the Wild getting Matt Moulson from Buffalo. The Wild Get: LW Matt Moulson and LW Cody McCormick. Air Jordan Outlet . After the loss, White refused to make good on the bet, instead offering Hoyt tickets to a Bears game. https://www.jordanchina.us/. Kadri was dressed in a green jersey at Thursdays practice and skated as an extra forward on the teams fourth line as the Leafs. Cheap Jordan From China . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. Fake Jordan . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports.When Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson last week compared his new playmaker Pedro Morales to Major League Soccer standouts Diego Valeri and Federico Higuain, he was setting a very high standard for the clubs new Designated Player. On Saturday, in just 25 minutes of action as a second half substitute, the Chilean midfielder showed exactly why his new manager has such high hopes. On a day when almost everything went right for Vancouver, Morales short but extremely influential performance capped a wonderful afternoon for the Whitecaps as they opened the 2014 season with a 4-1 win against the New York Red Bulls at BC Place. Robinson was quick to dampen expectations for his new look team following the victory, but the rookie head coach couldnt have asked for a better start to his managerial career as his side showed the attacking qualities he wants to be the trademark of his club. "Well be free-spirited and exciting," Robinson said in the buildup to the season opener. "I want players who can lift me to my feet." On Saturday, he certainly got that, as the Whitecaps turned on the style in the second half. Of course its far too early to draw any conclusion about how Vancouver will fare this season based on one result against a New York side that looked poor, but the initial signs are extremely encouraging. Morales started the match on the bench after a hectic travel schedule and only a couple of training sessions with his new team, but it didnt take long for the Whitecaps fans to get a glimpse of the fantastic technical ability their new signing possesses. There were a few fancy touches as well as a superb through ball for Kenny Millers second goal of the game, and then Morales scored himself in the closing stages to complete the rout. It was an impressive debut. It wasnt just Morales. There were quality performances throughout the team. Young Uruguayan Sebastian Fernandez played on the left side of the three attacking midfielders in the Whitecaps 4-2-3-1 formation and was influential throughout. He took his goal beautifully and was a creative spark, but he also worked very hard defensively. Darren Mattocks had one of his best games as a Whitecap.ddddddddddddHe didnt score, but the Jamaican international finally showed he is capable of playing the lone striker role. He has a point to prove after a disappointing 2013 season, but if his attitude is right, he has all the qualities needed to be a success. Veteran forward Kenny Miller scored twice, the second a lovely chip over the goalkeeper. Like Mattocks, Miller is playing for his future in Vancouver. The Scottish striker wants to stay with the club when his current contract expires this summer. While he wont grab the headlines for his goal-scoring performances, one of the biggest off-season upgrades for the Whitecaps has been the signing of Designated Player Matias Laba from Toronto FC. Described by Robinson as "a destroyer," the young Argentine was superb in breaking up play, protecting the back four and starting moves with excellent vision and distribution. Hes a player who will make the jobs of those around him much easier. Central defenders Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien will benefit greatly from Labas presence, as will his midfield partner Nigel Reo-Coker who will now be able to get forward more. We saw near the end of the game what Reo-Coker is capable of when he has license to attack, assisting on the goal scored by Morales. Another big strength for the Whitecaps this season will be the depth within the squad. Along with Morales, Saturdays substitutes included attacking options Kekuta Manneh, Erik Hurtado and Nicolas Mezquida, midfielder Gershon Koffie and Honduran international defender Johnny Leveron. "Its important to start off on the right foot," said Robinson. "Its important that I keep pushing them to those standards. We did well, but there are still 33 more games to go." Now as the Whitecaps begin preparing for their first road game of the new season at Chivas USA in California next weekend, Robinson has some interesting decisions ahead. He will want to get Morales into the starting lineup as soon as possible, but after Saturdays performance, it will be difficult to leave anyone out. Vancouver Whitecaps at Chivas USA on Sunday, March 16 is live on CTV BC 2. Kickoff is 4pm PT. ' ' '