NORTON, Mass. -- In the 477 days between Rory McIlroys last PGA Tour victory and his ultra-impressive, come-from-behind triumph at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Monday afternoon, hes been the subject of massive critical analysis.Hes been condemned for too few title contentions and too many back-door top-10s. Blasted for working out too much. Chided for not caring enough about his game -- or possibly caring too much. Razzed for not supporting the Olympics and castigated for comments about growing the game.Ask him which criticism is most unfair and he points to the one about his workout regimen, but quickly concedes that any judgment of his on-course performance is fair game.I dont know if any criticism is unfair, McIlroy said after a final-round 65 lifted him from a 6-stroke deficit to a 2-stroke victory. With my game, the critics and the analysts and everyone that are out there, theyre educated about golf, so they for the most part know what theyre talking about. A criticism of my golf game, I take it, and I know what I need to work on -- and sometimes those people point out the obvious.The obvious in this case was so obvious that he didnt even need to mention it. Thats because all of those criticisms put together didnt equal the negative reviews about his putting.And for good reason.By his own admission, McIlroys putting has largely been abysmal this year. If you dont believe him, just take a look at his PGA Tour ranks: Entering this week, he was 117th in putts per round, 130th in strokes gained putting, 165th in total putting, 189th in putting inside 10 feet and 193rd in three-putt avoidance.Most players would lose their cards with these numbers. McIlroy is such a good ball striker that he was simply losing tournaments.Just a week ago, he did something about it. He switched from a Nike putter to a Scotty Cameron mallet-style model and formalized a working relationship with putting guru Phil Kenyon, who has previously helped the likes of Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen.Something clicked. Check that: Everything clicked.At TPC Boston, McIlroys putting stats were a complete turnaround. He finished seventh in strokes gained putting and first in putting average, and he endured just a lone three-putt all week.To paraphrase Happy Gilmore: Somebody learned how to putt -- uh-oh.Its just incredible, this game, how quickly things can change and how quickly things can turn around, he explained. Its been a great lesson for me this week not to get down on myself, to stay patient.Those words illustrated not only his reversal on the greens but also an epic bounce-back after an inauspicious beginning to the tournament.Through his opening three holes on Friday morning, McIlroy was already 4 over par -- just two spots away from last place on the leaderboard. He played the remaining 15 holes in 4 under and then posted progressive scores of 67-66-65, all while pointing to that Friday comeback as the key component.I thought its a great opportunity being 4 over through three holes to do something that I had never done before, to be in that position and go on and win a golf tournament, he said. I think even finishing in the top 10 after that start on Friday would have been a very respectable result, but to be sitting up here and have won the tournament, Im very proud of myself for that.McIlroy cited an ever-increasing maturity level and a reluctance to get down on himself as the reasons for this weeks win. That much is true, but so is this: Just a few weeks ago, he wouldnt have been able to make this comeback because he wasnt putting well enough.Thats right. The guy who ranked so far down the list on putting ranks this season won because of his putting this week.His world-class peers took notice, too.Adam Scott: Hes remarkable because hes a bit Teflon-coated, Rory. He gets criticized a lot, everything analyzed, and hes very patient, I think, with it all. To me, it looks like he hasnt got so frustrated this year -- hes just kept doing his thing. And this week hes kind of found some magic in his fingers or something and hes holing everything.Jordan Spieth: The last two weeks, hes been on the practice green every time Ive been there, and before and after. I feel like I work hard on my putting, and hes worked as hard as anybody in the past two weeks on his putting. Its just a little bit of confidence. I mean, it seems to be working for him now.Jason Day: Over the last few days, hes obviously playing pretty well. Its been tough conditions and he thrives under these conditions with his ball striking. And if he gets hot on the greens...Day didnt need to finish that sentence.If McIlroy gets hot with his putting, this is exactly what happens: He finishes the day clutching a big trophy.That much is obvious, just as obvious as the season-long criticism about his putting -- criticism that will disappear after his long-awaited triumph. David Long Jersey Robert Woods Youth Jersey .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. http://www.laramsfootballshops.com/greg-gaines-jersey/ .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Greg Gaines Womens Jersey . -- Chicago Bears cornerback Tim Jennings was selected Monday to his second straight Pro Bowl, while guard Kyle Long made it after a solid rookie season. Robert Woods Jersey .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. DETROIT -- Jose Abreus home run drought had lasted over a month, and the Chicago slugger was well aware.It was a tough time for me, because Ive never experienced something like that in my career, Abreu said through a translator. Bad stretches when I couldnt hit homers, but not a long bad stretch like this.Abreu can stop worrying about it now. He and Avisail Garcia both went deep in a five-run second inning, and the White Sox chased Jordan Zimmermann early in his return from the disabled list, snapping Detroits eight-game winning streak with a 6-3 victory over the Tigers on Thursday.Abreus two-run shot was his first homer since June 23.Its been a long time, and I think somewhere in there, its been dragging on him, White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. I think his swings today were great, and he hit a lot of balls right on the nose, which is a good sign for him.Zimmermann (9-5) had been out since June 30 because of a right neck strain, and now a lat issue has come up. The right-hander was to have an MRI, and the Tigers were taking a wait-and-see approach on his next start.His lat was a little bit tight, not really related to what the issue was when he was on the DL, Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. He just couldnt seem to get loose. There was no pain, he was just having trouble getting extended and locating the ball.Zimmermann allowed six runs and six hits in 1 2/3 innings, failing to strike out a batter. Jose Quintana (9-8) allowed three runs and eight hits in 7 1/3 innings.David Robertson pitched the ninth for his 26th save in 30 chances, and Chicago won for only the second time in eight games.Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler homered for Detroit, but the Tigers fell to three games behind AL Central-leading Cleveland.Zimmermann labored through the first, allowing a run on Justin MMorneaus sacrifice fly, but it was the second inning that was his undoing.dddddddddddd Garcia homered into the second level of bushes beyond the wall in center field to give Chicago a 2-1 lead. Not long after that, trainer Kevin Rand went to the mound to check on Zimmermann, but the right-hander remained in the game.Melky Cabrera added an RBI single, and Adam Eaton hit a sacrifice fly. Abreu then made it 6-1 with a drive to left.It was Zimmermanns shortest outing since he also went 1 2/3 innings for Washington against Miami on April 9, 2014.MORE SUPPORTQuintana had received one run or fewer of support in nine of his previous 14 starts. He protected the big lead without much drama Thursday after a shaky first inning.POWERKinslers homer was his 21st of the season and Miguel Cabreras was his 25th.Kinslers leadoff homer tied the game at 1, and the Tigers nearly scored again in the first on J.D. Martinezs double, but the relay home was in time to retire Nick Castellanos for the third out.In the seventh, the Tigers scored on an RBI single by Tyler Collins, and Miguel Cabrera hit his solo shot an inning later.TRAINERS ROOMWhite Sox: Rookie SS Tim Anderson left in the first inning with a bruised left hand after being hit by a pitch. X-rays were negative.Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin sat out with a sprained left thumb.UP NEXTWhite Sox: Chicago hosts Baltimore for three games. Miguel Gonzalez (2-5) of the White Sox faces Yovani Gallardo (3-3) of the Orioles on Friday night.Tigers: Justin Verlander (11-6) takes the mound against Noah Syndergaard (9-5) in the opener of a three-game series against the New York Mets.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '
