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WINDSOR JUNCTION, N.S. - In many ways, the Nova Scotia Open is just another Web.Com Tour event, another chance to move up the money list and get closer to a PGA Tour card for next year. But for the 20 Canadians in the field, it is a rare home game with some tangible benefits. "Its great," said Roger Sloan, who plays out of the Tobiano Golf Club in Kamloops, B.C. "I stopped at Tim Hortons before my round." Perhaps it was the power of that morning double-double that pushed Sloan to a score of four-under 67, the lowest among the Canadians who teed off in the morning wave. "I got off to a really good start," said Sloan. "Birdied my first hole and had a couple of really good birdie opportunities in my first few holes. It was just a solid ball-striking day." Sloan had it to four under through his first nine with birdies on the third, fifth and ninth holes. He pushed that to five under with another one at the 12th before giving that back at the 17th. The New Course at Ashburn isnt long by Web.Com Tour standards but the greens here are providing a suitable defence. The putting surfaces have strong (a polite word) slopes that make getting the ball close on approaches tough and the putting even more difficult. "The greens are tricky," Sloan stated, "so you really have to be in control of the ball to get it close." By the time 36 holes are in the bag, "tricky" might be a nice description for how the players view these greens. They will most certainly be the deciding factor in who wins. Sloan, of course, is hoping that will be him. Hes in his second season on the Triple-A circuit and has been playing some more consistent golf this season, making the cut in seven of 12 starts. However, hes only missed once in his last seven events, showing steady improvement. A year ago, he was anything but consistent, making just five cuts in 19 starts. However there was a slight off-course distraction as he got married. This year, however, his goal was to avoid the highs and lows, and even out his play. "Ive been playing solid all year," he stated, "putting together some solid rounds of golf. Thats what I really wanted to do this year. You never know when those really good rounds are going to come. You just have to keep plugging away and stay focused on one shot at a time." Talking to Sloan its easy to see hes mature and keeps a good perspective on life, something that isnt always found in younger players. He sees the world beyond golf and is obviously well-grounded. He is in the middle of a seven-week run of tournaments but doesnt seem frustrated or burned out or home-sick, despite the fact his wife rarely is able to join him on Tour. He understands his job and the career hes chosen. He prepared himself for this lengthy road trip and is focused on his game. "Theres no job security out here as you might have on the PGA Tour where I can take next week off," Sloan stated. "You have a lot of guys playing really well, lot of great players, too. Theres pressure to play well but at the same time, if youre out here, you have the ability so trust yourself." Unlike a number of the other Canadians such as Adam Hadwin or MacKenzie Hughes, Sloan is playing without much in the way of outside financial backing. He has no major sponsors and wasnt a beneficiary of Golf Canadas Young Pro program when it was announced earlier this year. In fact, hes never really been on the Golf Canada radar, when he was an amateur or now. Its somewhat hard to believe -- actually its shocking -- that with his talent and personality, a company wouldnt embrace him and get behind him. Still, the ever-optimistic Sloan doesnt see that as a problem, but rather a fact that will change only by his doing. "Ive been blessed to play this game professionally on my own accord," he stated. "Its taught me a lot of good values. Its been tough, Ive had to make a lot of sacrifices, my wife and I, in order to make that work. Its tough but at the same time I have to keep focused on playing well and ultimately achieving my goal of winning on the PGA Tour and the money kind of takes care of itself." . Rookie Christian Vazquez got his first three major league hits and drove in three runs, while David Ortiz had three RBIs to break open the game in the sixth inning and lead Boston over the Houston Astros 8-3. . No, the San Antonio star didnt announce retirement plans during an off day at the NBA Finals on Wednesday. http://www.nikeshoesfromchina.com/. Power had a two-lap average of 218.896 mph in qualifying Friday at the high-banked, high-speed 1 1/2-mile track for his 34th career pole. . This game was inside. Adrian Peterson was missing. The stage was set for another step toward the playoffs. . While Chelsea stayed two points behind leader Arsenal courtesy of Etoos hat trick, seventh-place United slipped 14 points from the summit this weekend. And the gap from the Champions League places is growing as well, with Liverpool six points ahead in fourth.Defensive lineman Evan Gill of the Manitoba Bisons has suffered a partially torn quad and will be out 6-8 weeks. Gill was drafted ninth-overall by the Hamilton Tigeer-Cats.dddddddddddd There has been recent speculation that Gill was leaning toward going back to school this fall and enter next years NFL draft. ' ' '