Hayes said under questioning from defense lawyer John Fuller

CARMEL, Ind. -- Regardless of how the BMW Championship turns out, Roberto Castro is headed home for Atlanta for the next few weeks.He wouldnt mind teeing it up at East Lake during his short break.Castro took a soggy step in that direction Thursday when he opened with a 7-under 65, giving him a one-shot lead among the 33 players who managed to finish the opening round at Crooked Stick because of the 3+-hour storm delay.Castro went to Georgia Tech and lives about 15 minutes away from East Lake, site of the FedEx Cup finale at the Tour Championship where everyone in the field has a mathematical shot at the $10 million bonus and is assured a spot in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open.Theres a long way to go. Still, it was a good start.I told myself the last two weeks really to play like I had nothing to lose, and to make a bunch of birdies is a good way to start, Castro said. Sure, its a hometown tournament for me. Its the hardest one to get to, unfortunately, but its still a great tournament. I would love to be back.He wont find out until Friday if hes even leading the tournament.STILL ON THE COURSE: Chris Kirk was on the driving range a short time after 5 p.m., still waiting to tee off. That was the result of the long rain delay that forced him to wait until just about 5:30 p.m. to even start the BMW Championship.And then he was off and running. Kirk made five birdies on the front nine at Crooked Stick and made the turn in 5-under 31 when the horn sounded to stop play.Hideki Matsuyama, Paul Casey and Adam Scott were at 4 under and on the back nine. Scott made a bogey on the final hole he played. Casey extended his good form from the TPC Boston on Monday, where he had the 54-hole lead and wound up runner-up to Rory McIlroy.BOUNCING BACK: Brian Harman was No. 67 in the FedEx Cup last week and looked like he might lock up a spot in the Tour Championship when he was in the final group at the Deutsche Bank Championship, three shots behind Paul Casey. Instead, he closed with a 77 and wound up moving only 10 spots to No. 57.He put that behind him quickly.Harman ripped a fairway metal into 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th hole on his way to a 66, one shot behind.CASTROS GOAL: Castro is among eight Americans at the BMW Championship who has yet to win on the PGA Tour, and the Georgia Tech grad knows enough math to realize that one round is the equivalent of 25 percent of the tournament.Still, he can only hope for a repeat.Back in 2013, he had a pair of top 10s in the Deutsche Bank Championship and BMW Championship and advance to the Tour Championship, his home tournament.He is at No. 53 in the FedEx Cup and likely would need to finish fourth at Crooked Stick to have a chance.CROOKED STICK: Poor Indiana.The last time it held the BMW Championship in 2012, the week was filled with rain and a soft course. Now that it has the best in the world in town, more rain arrived. And what a difference it made.Jason Day played a wedge out of the rough on the second hole, landed it some 30 feet short of the pin and watched it race across the green and into thick rough. After the delay, it was an entirely different golf course. Patrick Reed, who is leading the FedEx Cup, hit a short iron out of dense rough that plopped down 12 feet from the cup.The course could be attacked, and thats what the players did.TOP FIVE: The top 30 in the FedEx Cup after this week advance to the Tour Championship, but what really matters is being in the top five. Those are the players who would only have to win at East Lake to capture the cup and its $10 million bonus.So there are a pair of bubbles -- the guy at No. 30 (Brooks Koepka, who was 3 under through 14 holes) and the guy at No. 5 (Scott, who was 4 under through 10).Jason Day is at No. 2, but he looked out of sorts in the first round by making three bogeys on the back nine for a 73. The biggest putt from Day was a 25-footer on the 17th hole for birdie, mainly because it allowed him to head over to the 18th hole and hit his tee shot, assuring his group would finish.ON TAP: More bad weather was in the forecast, so the PGA Tour has opted to send threesomes off both tees to allow for a greater chance to finish the second round. With a 69-man field (Henrik Stenson) is not playing this week, there is no cut. Barney McCosky Jersey .Y. -- Marcell Dareus and the Buffalo Bills defence made life miserable for Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. Vic Wertz Jersey . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. https://www.cheaptigers.com/1149z-hank-greenberg-jersey-tigers.html . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Mickey Lolich Jersey . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Harvey Kuenn Jersey . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. NEW ORLEANS -- The man who fatally shot retired New Orleans Saints defensive leader Will Smith was convicted of manslaughter on Sunday night, ending a week-long trial in which the defendant insisted he only fired because the popular football star was drunk, violent and had grabbed a gun following a traffic crash on the night of April 9.Smith was part of the Saints team that lifted the stricken citys spirits in the years after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, helping carry the team to a winning season in 2006 and a Super Bowl win four years later. His death at the hands of Cardell Hayes, 29, was stunning, even for a city where residents are accustomed to reports of multiple gunfire deaths every week.Hayes faces a possible sentence of up to 40 years in prison at his sentencing on Feb. 17.Hayes defense lawyers said Smiths popularity led to a rush to judgment by police and prosecutors.I knew for a fact that I was going to get shot, Hayes told the jury after taking the stand in his own defense Saturday. He said he not only saw the gun but heard what he believes was a gunshot before he began firing.Hayes, however, was the only witness to say Smith armed himself that night. Prosecutors acknowledged that a loaded gun was found in Smiths car but said there was no evidence that it was ever fired or that Smith had grabbed it.A pathologist report showed Smith was legally drunk with a high blood-alcohol level that night, the end of a day in which he had spent time at the citys annual French Quarter Festival, a bar and two restaurants. He, his wife and two passengers were in his Mercedes SUV the night of the shooting. They were heading from New Orleans Lower Garden District toward downtown when a series of events led to the shooting, beginning with Smiths vehicle appearing to lightly bump Hayes Hummer -- although the prosecution raised doubts that the two vehicles actually touched.Hayes vehemently denied intentionally running into Smiths Mercedes SUV moments later -- he said he was trying to dial 911 and didnt realize how close he was getting to Smith as he tried to report the apparent hit-and-run.Hayes said he armed himself only after he and hiis own passenger were accosted by Smith and Richard Hernandez, a passenger in the Smiths Mercedes.dddddddddddd Hernandez, he said, wildly stripped off his shirt and took something shiny from his pocket -- Hayes said he was afraid it was a knife.Smith didnt initially notice the gun, Hayes said. He said Smith, 34, threw a cup containing some type of alcohol at him and punched him repeatedly. At some point during the fast-unfolding melee, Hernandez alerted Smith to Hayes gun, Hayes said under questioning from defense lawyer John Fuller.Hayes testified that Smith addressed him with a racial epithet and then told him, ... you got your gun. Well Im going to get mine and Ill show you what to do with it.Hayes said Hernandez, a white Hispanic who fled the scene, also used racial epithets.However, race has not been raised as an alleged factor in the confrontation. Hayes and Kevin ONeal, his passenger, are black, and so was Smith.On cross examination, Assistant Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Napoli repeatedly noted that no other witness said Smith had a gun and that Hayes never told investigators he saw a gun in Smiths hands that night.I never gave a full statement to anyone, Hayes said, growing testy as Napoli asked about inconsistencies in his testimony and past statements.Hayes also insisted he never shot Racquel Smith, although Napoli said ballistics evident indicates otherwise.Calm and sometimes smiling during his early testimony, Hayes voice broke a bit as he talked about being separated from his 6-year-old son. Hayes has been jailed since the shooting. Hayes owns a tow truck business and also said he breeds dogs. He discussed his high school and college football career, his time as a semi-pro football player and his admiration for Smith. He said he didnt recognize Smith the night of the shooting and grew despondent hours later upon learning he had killed the beloved football star.I cried like a baby, he said.I said my lifes over with ... Theyre going to make me like I just shot and killed this man. ' ' '