TROON, Scotland -- The way Rory McIlroy is hitting the ball, he doesnt feel as though he should be eight shots behind 36-hole leader Phil Mickelson in the British Open. Blame that on the weather. McIlroys side of the draw got the worst of it over the opening two rounds at Royal Troon.Except that McIlroys knows better not to complain.Two years ago at Royal Liverpool, he was on the good side of the draw. McIlroy had a four-shot lead after two rounds and sailed to victory. So after coming in from the rain and wind -- particularly one 90-minute stretch on the back nine -- he was not surprised at how the leaderboard looked.Nor was he about to complain. Not too loudly, anyway.Its The Open Championship, McIlroy said. Some draws go your way and some draws dont. The last Open I played, I got the good end of the draw and good things happened that week. Then this year, its not so much. But Im not going to let being on the wrong side ruin my mood or ruin my week. I feel like Ive played very well and that gives me optimism going into the weekend.The nature of links golf, and this championship, is getting the good side of the tee times.Mickelson was soaked when he walked off the course, though he managed to get in eight holes Friday morning before the rain arrived. He had three birdies by then, didnt make his first bogey until the 30th hole of this championship and shot a 2-under 69.He was at 10-under 132 and led Henrik Stenson -- also playing Friday morning -- by one shot. Stenson made his birdies during lulls in the weather and shot 65.Go down the leaderboard to find more evidence.The top 14 players all played late on Thursday (the wind was mild and straight off the Irish Sea, the easiest direction) and early on Friday (the wind and rain didnt get really nasty until late in the afternoon).Of the 26 players who remained under par, only four of them were playing Friday afternoon.Some handled the misfortune well, such as McIlroy and even Jordan Spieth, who had to play the final six holes even par to shoot 75 and make the cut at 4-over 146 with no room to spare.Its tough when we all realize before we go out that youre kind of what would be the bad end of the draw before you even play your second round, Spieth said. But at 4-over par, my game is not major championship-winning caliber those first two rounds. It just made it pretty interesting and actually somewhat nervous on the last five, six holes because Id really like to play the weekend.Some didnt.Justin Rose started with a bogey, ended with a double bogey and was in no mood to appreciate that fickle weather is a big part of links golf.It was ridiculous, he said. When you see such a disparity between the draw, and you see no name from this side of the draw popping up, its just frustrating. Thats really about it. That group (Friday morning) was bound to make the cut. Great players, kind of doing their best to make the cut, kind of tells you it was tough out there.Standing outside the tented area was Padraig Harrington, who had finished moments earlier at 72 and was at even-par for the championship, 10 shots behind.The Irishman was not one to complain, and he stands as an example of how best to handle such situations.Go back to Royal Birkdale in 2008, when the wind and rain raged so strong that Sandy Lyle walked off the golf course after 10 holes, and Rich Beem opened with a 46 through nine holes and joined him. Such is The Open. Someone always gets the wrong end of the draw.Why is that significant?Harrington played in the same side, five tee times after Lyle. By Sunday, he was holding the claret jug.Swell Water Bottle 17 Oz . 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Swell Water Bottle Sale Australia . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in.The weekends are a time for getting out into the world and seeing friends and family; but youll miss all the action if you do that.There are only seven rounds remaining in the NFL season, and things are starting to heat up; in the NBA, meanwhile, every team is still filled with optimism about their chances during this season.So how can you be expected to catch up for coffee with friends when your team is on the TV?Heres what you do; fill up the coffee pot, buy plenty of snacks, set your TV to ESPN and invite your friends over. That right there is killing two birds with one stone.With so much action on, here are the cant-miss games this weekend.NFLNew Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers - Friday, ESPN @ 12.25pm (AEDT)Week 11 of the NFL season kicks off with a Thursday night showdown between two teams fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Saints emerged victorious, 41-38, the last time these sides met, back in Week 6, but what can we expect this time around?With the Saints possessing the worst pass defense in the league and the Panthers the eighth worst, expect both Drew Brees and Cam Newton to rack up the passing yards and put plenty of scores on the board.Both sides are coming off tough losses and will be hungry to get over the line. Can the Panthers salvage anything from this painful season or will the Saints march on towards a Wildcard spot?ESPN Pick: Brees to outgun Newton in an epic. 38-34Odds: Carolina $1.54 v New Orleans $2.50Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs -- Monday, ESPN RedZone @ 5am (AEDT)The Chiefs pulled off a miracle last week against the Panthers, scoring 17 points in the final quarter to steal one on the road by three points, 20-17. The Bucs had a much easier week against the lacklustre Chicago Bears, taking the points with a comfortable 36-10 win.Jameis Winston is coming into his own as a starting quarterback for the Bucaneers, but he will need to be on top of his game if he wants to get past the Chiefs. Winston has thrown 10 intercepts this season and the Chiefs defence -- with Marcus Peters and Eric Berry having a combined seven intercepts -- will be ready should one ball be thrown out of place.Kansas City are a tough unit to score against, and things could be bleak for the Bucs inside Arrowhead Stadium if Winston isnt on his A game from the opening kick.ESPN Pick: Chiefs D to cause mayhem. 23-13Odds: Tampa Bay $3.55 v Kansas City $1.30Baltimore Ravens vs. Dallas Cowboys -- Monday ESPN RedZone @ 5am (AEDT)The league-leading Cowboys welcome the Ravens into their home, and the hosts rookie sensations, Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, will look to continue their stellar seasons.With Elliott leading the charge, the Cowboys average the most rushing yards per game in the league (161) but theyve never come up against a side like the Ravens.Possessing the No. 1-ranked rushing defence in the league, and also the fifth-ranked passing D, the Ravens smother teams and punish them relentlessly. Will the Cowboys put morre reliance on Prescott to throw big numbers or can Elliott get beyond the Ravens defensive line?Were about to find out what happens when an unstoppable force (Cowboys/Elliott) meets an immovable object (Ravens defense)?ESPN Pick: Prescott to air it out in a battle.dddddddddddd 17-13Odds: Dallas $1.30 v Baltimore $3.55NBAPhiladelphia 76ers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves - Friday, ESPN2 @ 12pm (AEDT)This is a battle of up-and-coming stars, two teams with young incredible talent squaring off against each other.Philly fans have been trusting the process for a long time now, and, unfortunately, this season hasnt been any easier. Joel Embiid looks terrific, but things are still bleak in the City of Brotherly Love - where fans await the return of Ben Simmons.Minnesota on the other hand have a young core that is extremely fun to watch, and the signs all point towards a bright future. With Andrew Wiggins is starting to develop his offensive skill set and Karl Anthony-Towns is seemingly able to do it all; how will the 76ers cope?Can Brett Brown and his team grab their second win of the season or will the Wolves prove their process is the far superior product?ESPN Pick: Wiggins and Towns to carry the Wolves. 104-90Odds: Minnesota $1.12 v Philadelphia $6.30Golden State Warriors vs. Boston Celtics - Saturday, ESPN @ 12pm (AEDT)Game one of the Saturday double header sees the self-anoinyed Super Villains take on the Celtics.Golden State are the No. 1 target for every other team in the league; theyre the biggest baddest wolf in the land, and everyone else wants to take them down. The Celtics never back down from a fight, and they will look to take it up to the Warriors.The Warriors have seemingly found their groove since losing to the Lakers, scoring at astronomical heights. Theyre averaging 119 points per game with the big four pouring in 89 points per game during that span.Can the Celtics stop the juggernaut or will the Warriors continue on their merry way?ESPN Pick: Boston love to cause an upset and will do so here. 117-111Los Angeles Clippers vs. Sacramento Kings - Saturday, ESPN @ 2.30pm (AEDT)The Clippers have been the best team in the league this season, opening with a 10-1 record and a streak of seven wins as they go up against the often dysfunctional Kings.The Kings DeMarcus Cousins is one of the most skilled big men in the game, and he can turn games almost single-handedly, but his frustration can get the better of him. Will the Clippers look to get under his skin and throw him off or will they just rely upon their weapons to get the job done?Chris Paul is leading the charge and Blake Griffin is back in full health, so this looks like a one-sided affair; but the Kings are such a difficult puzzle to understand that they could just pull off the upset.ESPN Pick: Clippers are rolling and dont look like stopping. 113-89 NBA markets: ' ' '