Die Allianz T-D-P » three‑putted coming back down the ridge.

ARCALIS, Andorra -- Diminished by a fever and still reeling from crashes on the opening two days of the race, two-time champion Alberto Contador pulled out of the Tour de France during the toughest Pyrenean stage on Sunday.Slightly more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the end of Stage 9 from the Spanish town of Vielha to the ski resort of Arcalis in Andorra, the 33-year-old Spaniard stopped at the side of the road, hopped off his bike and got into the passenger seat of his team car.I could not keep going, Contador later said at his team hotel. This morning I had a fever. And I did not feel good since I crashed on the first day.Contador crashed in each of the opening stages -- damaging his right shoulder, elbow and hip -- and had already lost time on the other overall favorites.He was in 20th position at the end of Saturdays eighth stage -- 3 minutes, 12 seconds behind leader Chris Froome, who said Contadors departure from the race was a big loss for the Tour de France.We are not going to have to chase his attacks 100 kilometers out anymore, its one of the less things for us to worry about, but its maybe a shame of the race, Froome said.During Sundays stage, Contador dropped back to his team car four times before finally withdrawing.He had started the stage in a bright fashion, though, attacking alongside fellow Spaniard Alejandro Valverde to catch a group of early breakaway riders on the first climb.But Contador could not continue his effort and was quickly brought back by the pack before he pulled out in the Port del Canto climb. He then handed his bike to a mechanic and waved to TV cameras as he exited the race that made him famous.The withdrawal occurred on Contadors home roads near the town of Vilamur in Spain.Its bad news for me, said Tinkoff team owner Oleg Tinkov, who is planning to leave the sport. It was my last try to win the Tour de France. But who knows, maybe Ill come back in a few years.Contador, who won cyclings showpiece race in 2007 and 2009, had made the Tour de France his main goal of the season, skipping the Giro to focus on the Tour.If he recovers, Contador is still expected to compete in the road race at the Rio Olympics last month.I will undergo tests to find out what is going wrong, Contador said.Contador was stripped of the 2010 Tour title and suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned steroid clenbuterol in the final week of the race.He was among the three pre-race favorites this year alongside defending champion Chris Froome and Colombian climber Nairo Quintana.---AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report. Randy Jones Padres Jersey .B. -- The Baie-Comeau Drakkar took over sole possession of first place atop the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League on Thursday with their sixth straight win. Fernando Tatis Jr. Padres Jersey . Laudrup revealed Thursday he was notified of his dismissal in "the briefest of letters which gave no reasons why such hasty and final action was deemed necessary. http://www.padressale.com/padres-tony-gwynn-jersey/ . Down by seven with 90 seconds left in regulation, thats where they looked comfortable. Greg Garcia Jersey .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. Dave Winfield Padres Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge.Justin Rose believes he is in great shape for this weeks first major championship of the season, and admits he arrives in Georgia under the radar. The 35-year-old Englishman tied-for-second at Augusta last year and went on to post top-10 finishes in three of the four majors during 2015.This will be his 11th Masters appearance and Rose says he feels ready to claim a second major title following on from his US Open success three years ago.I think that Ive sort of been steady. I havent really had any fireworks yet this year, said Rose.I feel like all of my backroom work has been fantastic and my preparation has been coming along nicely. Im under the radar but certainly feeling good with my game. Masters week on Sky All four days and much more live on Sky Sports His best finish so far this year is a tie-for-sixth at Pebble Beach and, in his 19 starts since last July, the consistent Rose has finished outside the top 25 just three times, while enjoying 10 top-10 finishes.Looking ahead to this week, he added: To back up a US Open win with a Masters would be just incredible. Obviously, The Open Championship is my home event, and thats going to be one thats always on my hit list.But to win here, its a venue that we come back year on year, you begin to develop that relationship with the course, the venue, the feel, And its somewhere I feel very, very comfortable. Ive had a lot of good rounds here. Last year, I was able to put four together in a row.I dont think you ever feel like youve necessarily mastered it because invariably you learn something new every year, which is what I love about it.As for 2015, he finished four-strokes behind Jordan Spieth who completed 72 holes in 18-under-par. The Englishman put in an impressive display at thhe Masters in 2015 Rose added: At the 16th green, I had a putt to get to 16‑under par, and you know, that level of performance obviously would have won many major championships.ddddddddddddSo I take a lot of confidence from that. That level of performance is good enough to win. If you get beaten by a better guy on the week, you tip your cap.But I know that what I was able to do last year tells me Ive got what it takes to win the tournament going forward.There was a momentum shift around 8 and 9 last year. It was a routine up‑and‑down on No 8 that I didnt make and I hit a great shot into No 9 that just skipped up onto the middle tier and I three‑putted coming back down the ridge. Rose is hoping to build on his impressive form I felt like that was a two or three shot swing there. Had it gone the other way, everything changes going into the back nine. But Jordan was able to stay three or four ahead, which is obviously huge. He did a great job of obviously keeping that distance.And regarding 2016, he told Sky Sports News HQ: Its a very strong field. Theres a bunch of six or seven guys at 12/1 or better. Im not sure weve seen that in recent years.Wind is forecast Thursday, Friday. Thats going to be tough, especially at Augusta where it swirls, so Amen Corner may be tricky and thats where experience comes in. Get a Sky Sports Week Pass Dont miss the Masters. Watch live from ￡6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: Strong start key for Rory Day denies favourite tag Scott full of confidence Golf on Sky Sports 4 ' ' '