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CHASKA, Minn. -- Dustin Johnson made an exception to his rule of never watching golf on television, only because it was the Ryder Cup.That was the only thing I missed, Johnson said.The best player this week at Hazeltine, he was nowhere to be found two years ago at Gleneagles.Amid a published report that Johnson twice tested positive for drugs, he took a six-month break from golf to seek help for what he described as personal challenges. That caused him to miss the PGA Championship, the entire FedEx Cup playoffs and the Ryder Cup.That now seems like a long time ago.Johnson is No. 2 in the world, with a chance to reach the top by the end of the year. He is the U.S. Open champion, and perhaps the most feared player in golf because of his combination of power off the tee and precision with his wedges.He has gone from a low point in his career to being a dominant player that his power and talent suggested he should be.Ive had a lot of (stuff) happen to me, Johnson said in an interview last summer. But I come out better on the other side.Now he takes his place as the leader of an American team desperate to win the Ryder Cup.Phil Mickelson has the most experience, playing in his 11th consecutive Ryder Cup and qualifying for every one of those teams. Davis Love III is the U.S. captain for the second time, popular with the players. Tiger Woods surely will bring a presence to the team room and on the golf course as an assistant captain.Johnson, however, is the thoroughbred.That puts him in the best position to set the tone for these matches for his U.S. team. Because its not about speeches in the team room. Its not about pumping fists or any other public displays of excitement. Its about points.The best way to be a leader is to win your match, Johnny Miller said over the weekend.Thats one area where the Americans have been lacking during their most recent losing streak to Europe. The top qualifiers for the U.S. team in the last three Ryder Cups have combined to win a total of one match.Bubba Watson went 0-3 at Gleneagles. Woods was 0-3-1 at Medinah in 2012, not contributing a point until he halved with Francesco Molinari in singles. Mickelson was the top qualifier in 2010. He went 1/3 at Celtic Manor, not winning a match until he beat Peter Hanson in singles.Johnsons last meaningful round of golf going into Friday was forgettable.He was tied for the 54-hole lead with Kevin Chappell at the Tour Championship when he missed a couple of tee shots on the front nine that led to bogey, fell a few shots behind and never could get caught up. The end was a three-putt from 4 feet above the hole for double bogey, and he closed with a 73.No matter. He still is a lock to win PGA Tour player of the year. Johnsons three victories were a major (U.S. Open), World Golf Championship (Bridgestone Invitational) and FedEx Cup playoff event (BMW Championship). He had 14 finishes in the top 10, a rate of 67 percent. He won the PGA Tour money title at just over $9.3 million. He won the Vardon Trophy for lowest adjusted scoring average.He didnt have many bad weeks.How will he respond as the top player for the American team? Johnson is not one to let anything clutter his thinking, assuming there are many thoughts going through his head at all. He sees the shot and hits it. He makes the game simple.What he brings to the table is his game, Mickelson said. He just needs to keep playing the way hes playing. Shoot low numbers and hes going to get us a lot of points.It didnt work out that way at Gleneagles when Johnson made his Ryder Cup debut with Mickelson at his side. They lost two matches, both ending on the 16th green. Johnson went 3-0 at Medinah, playing twice with Matt Kuchar. He also formed a strong pairing with Jordan Spieth at the Presidents Cup last year in South Korea, a combination of the best driver and the best putter.He thinks simply, which helps in his golf game, Spieth said. He just has a lot of confidence in what hes doing. Bad stuff doesnt seem to bother him. You couldnt even get under his skin. D.J. will laugh it off.Johnson has never been this confident. He has never looked this relaxed.Then again, the Ryder Cup has a strange way of bringing out the worst in the Americans. Cheap Vans Shoes .S. -- Nikolaj Ehlers registered a hat trick for the third straight game and Jonathan Drouin had a goal and five assists as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 10-1 on Tuesday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Vans Sale Store .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. http://www.vanssalestore.com/vans-old-skool-clearance.html . The defending champion beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (6), 6-3, while second-seeded Andy Murray of Britain dispatched Edouard Roger-Vasselin, also of France, 6-3, 6-3. Making his first appearance since injuring his wrist a month ago, Del Potro had difficulty with his service games in the first set. Cheap Vans SK8 . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Vans Slip On Clearance . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Minnesota Vikings feel as if theyre back in the playoff picture.The Jacksonville Jaguars seem to be counting down the days until the season is over.Although both teams looked mostly lost the past two months, the Vikings used a trip to Jacksonville to gain some much-needed confidence and maybe even turn around a season that went awry after a 5-0 start.We needed this one, receiver Adam Thielen said. Our backs were against the wall.Matt Asiata scored on a short touchdown run, Kai Forbath kicked four field goals and the Vikings beat the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars 25-16 on Sunday, winning for just the second time in nine weeks.Sam Bradford completed 24 of 34 passes for 292 yards and a touchdown. He wasnt sacked and scrambled four times for 17 yards. His 3-yard TD toss to tight end Kyle Rudolph with 2:13 remaining sealed the victory.Minnesota (7-6) hadnt won on the road since Sept. 25 at Carolina and needed a victory to keep pace in the NFC playoff race. With games against Indianapolis, Green Bay and Chicago remaining, the Vikings believe they can win out and slide in.I wouldnt say we were desperate, but definitely there was a sense of urgency, receiver Stefon Diggs said. When you get desperate or get in shambles and dont stay calm, cool and collective, thats when things dont go your way.Little went Minnesotas way Sunday, but it didnt matter.The Vikings lost the turnover battle, failed to score twice inside the 1-yard line , allowed a fourth-down conversion on a fake punt and missed an extra point.Those kinds of mistakes normally would result in a loss, especially on the road. Not against the Jaguars (2-11), who dropped their record-tying eighth consecutive game and fell to 0-6 at EverBank Field this season.Jacksonville now needs to win at Houston next week to avoid setting the single-season franchise record with nine straight losses. The club mark is 13 consecutive losses over two seasons.Its tough anytime you lose, quarterback Blake Bortles said. I know for me personally, I cant wait to play on Sunday the following week and get another opportunity and hopefully to try to erase some of this stuff thats going on and maybe wake up from this nightmare.With these last tthree weeks left and then having to live six months until you get another opportunity, I think is more fearful than counting down the days until its over.dddddddddddd I dont want to have to go through those six months.Here are some other things we learned from Minnesotas fourth straight win against Jacksonville:DEEP SHOTS: Known more for short passes than deep shots, the Vikings changed things up against the Jaguars. Bradford connected with Rudolph for 44 yards on the first play from scrimmage and then found Thielen for a 41-yard gain on Minnesotas second possession. Both set up field goals. He also found Diggs for a diving, 45-yarder in the first half.We created some explosive plays, and anytime you do that, it just makes it easier for the offense, Bradford said.LEE SHINES: Marqise Lee caught five passes for a career-high 113 yards, further establishing himself as Jacksonvilles go-to guy down the stretch. Allen Robinson finished with one reception for 17 yards, giving him nine catches for 90 yards in the past four games. Robinson, Bortles and offensive coordinator Nate Hackett held a private meeting this week in hopes of getting on the same page, but it was another dismal day for the 2015 Pro Bowl receiver. Lee, meanwhile, had another strong showing .Theyre all competing, but hes really standing out, said Jaguars coach Gus Bradley, who fell to 14-47 in four seasons. I like where hes at right now. I think hes playing with great competitive spirt and hes competing in his routes, hes competing in catching, hes competing in blocking.ZIMMER RETURNS: Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had no real issues in his first game back following eye surgery. Zimmer missed last weeks game against Dallas because of a detached retina and was unsure earlier in the week whether he would be on the field or in an upstairs box. Zimmer, who needed a doctors clearance to fly to Jacksonville, wore a patch over his right eye and had no limitations.I couldnt see to my right, but other than that, not really, he said.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '