Henrik Stenson claims it has been a great year for European golf despite a disappointing Ryder Cup campaign which saw Team USA retain the biannual trophy for the first time since 2008.The Open champion and Olympic silver medallist produced the worst winning percentage at Hazeltine this year with 54.55%, behind Rory McIlroy (57.14%), Sergio Garcia (64.06) and Justin Rose (71.43) to seal his second Ryder Cup loss in four appearances.Stenson, playing alongside Rose in the morning foursomes on day 1, lost to Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed contributing to Team USAs first sweep at a singular session since 1981.Speaking to PA Sport, Stenson said: Its been a great year for European golf and the European Tour and even though we didnt bring back the Ryder Cup, I look back knowing that winning the Open helped so much in winning the Race to Dubai.It has been an impressive year for Stenson individually, who claimed his first major at Royal Troon in July after an epic final-day battle with multiple major winner Phil Micklelson as well as the European Tours Race to Dubai for the second time.Stenson also claimed the BMW International Open and 11 other top-10 finishes in 2016 - which has seen him win the annual Golf Writers Trophy.We talk about receiving recognition from your colleagues and your peers but in this instance its great to be receiving that recognition from some of the most knowledgeable media in the sport.So its wonderful to be chosen as their Golf Writers Association Trophy winner and I feel very honoured to win the award for a second time in my career.Stenson faced competition from Masters winner Danny Willett, who also picked up his first major, Olympic champion Rose and Alex Noren, who collected four European Tour titles in 2016.While Danny has to be congratulated for winning the Masters, I again have to thank the Association of Golf Writers in voting me as their Golfer of the Year, added Stenson.Ill never grow tired of being weighed down with trophies.PA Sport contributed to this article. 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Evan Longoria Jersey Large . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. SAN ANTONIO -- The San Antonio Spurs opened the Western Conference finals resembling the past champions whove been there so many times before. The Memphis Grizzlies looked like the first-timers still trying to adapt to their first conference finals appearance. Tony Parker had 20 points and nine assists, Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points and the Spurs struck first by beating Memphis 105-83 on Sunday. San Antonio raced out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter, then came up with a response when Memphis rallied to get within six in the second half. Both teams pulled their starters with over 5 minutes left and the Spurs leading by 21. "I can promise you this: Nobodys happy in our locker room, because we were up 2-0 (in the West finals) last year and we lost," Parker said. "Its just one game. It means nothing. We still have a long way to go." The Spurs avoided a repeat of their Game 1 loss when the teams met two years ago in the first round. The Grizzlies went on to knock San Antonio out of the playoffs as the top seed that time. Memphis has lost its opener in each round in this years playoffs, recovering from an 0-2 hole in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers and an 0-1 deficit against Oklahoma City in the West semifinals. Game 2 is Tuesday night in San Antonio. "We just didnt play well. Its not anything specific," coach Lionel Hollins said. "Its just that we were running too fast, we missed some layups, we were taking bad shots and our defence was really awful. And the Spurs played well." The NBAs stingiest defence wasnt up to its usual standards, allowing the Spurs to hit 53 per cent of their shots and a franchise post-season-record 14 3-pointers while All-Star power forward Zach Randolph struggled. Randolph had just two points, getting his only basket with 9:26 left in the game. He had a playoff-best 28 points and 14 rebounds in his last game, as Memphis eliminated defending West champ Oklahoma City in Game 5 on Wednesday night. "Obviously, hes their best scorer. Hes a beast inside," Parker said. "We know hes not going to play like that every game. Its just sometimes it happens." The Grizzlies started to rally as soon as Randolph came out of the game for the first time in the second half. Quincy Pondexter made a baseline cut for a layup off Darrell Arthurs pass, then hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 10-0 burst. Jerryd Bayless two-handed, fast-break dunk off a steal got the Grizzlies within 62-56 with 3:43 left in the third quarter. The comeback was short-lived, though. Bayless missed a 3-pointer on the nextt trip, and Manu Ginobili was able to make one at the opposite end to spark an 11-1 response that immediately restored the Spurs lead to 16 by end of the quarter.dddddddddddd Leonard hit a pair of 3-pointers and Gary Neal had one as San Antonio kept pouring it on in the fourth. The four regular-season meetings were all won by the team with more points in the paint, but perimeter shooting proved to be a bigger factor in the playoff opener. Memphis, which was second in the NBA by holding opponents to 33.8 shooting on 3-pointers, let San Antonio make 13 of its first 24 from behind the arc and finish 14 of 29. Danny Green connected three times and scored 16, and Matt Bonner hit four of his five attempts for 12 points. "We did a good job of moving the basketball, finding each other, trusting each other," Green said. "Luckily we made some today." Pondexter led Memphis with 17 points, Marc Gasol scored 15 and Mike Conley had 14 points and eight assists. "We were just so hyper, just running all over the place on defence," Hollins said. "Wed have four guys in the paint and nobody would be out on the perimeter guarding anybody. And thats not how we play defence." The Spurs asserted themselves early, scoring on their first seven possessions and also getting a couple head-to-head defensive stops from their veterans while claiming a quick 23-8 lead. Parker swiped the ball from Conley on Memphis second possession, running out for a layup, and Hollins burned a timeout in the first 2 minutes. Tim Duncan snuffed out the ensuing play by blocking Randolphs shot, and the Spurs strong start continued. Bonner hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 17-point edge late in the first quarter, and San Antonio pushed out to a 43-23 advantage following consecutive baskets by Parker with 6:06 left before halftime. It was the largest first-half deficit for the Grizzlies during the playoffs. "Every time we made a mistake defensively, they made us pay every time," Gasol said, who had three baskets in a push that helped Memphis get within 51-37 at halftime. "It was over-help or no help or whatever it was, they made you pay." Notes: Memphis only other deficit larger than 20 this post-season came in the first-round opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. L.A. didnt lead by 20 until the final minute of a 112-91 victory. ... Tracy McGrady got a standing ovation when he checked in with the Spurs up by 20 midway through the fourth quarter. ... The Spurs had 13 3-pointers in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Clippers in last years playoffs. ' ' '