That's what happened last year.

McIlroy had gone five months without winning, long enough to lose his No. 1 ranking. He also went through a slump so severe that he missed the cut in four out of five tournaments, including his title defense in the U.S. Open. There was only a shred of evidence that his game was coming around when he tied for fifth at Firestone before heading to Kiawah Island for the final major of the year.

One week changed everything. McIlroy won the PGA Championship, and then won consecutive FedEx Cup playoff events and ended the year with another big win in Dubai.

Did he see it coming?

"No, not really," McIlroy said Wednesday at the Wells Fargo Championship, scene of his first PGA Tour title in 2010. "I don't think you do. Of course, you want to try to get in contention and try to win tournaments. But you get comfortable with your game over a period of time and it's a great feeling. And I wish I had that feeling all the time."

So maybe there's hope for McIlroy, who turns 24 on Saturday.

He went through another wretched slump at the start of the year and only lately has shown signs of turning it around. He tied for second in the Texas Open, and at least had a decent finish at the Masters with a 69 on the last day to tie for 25th.

Quail Hollow brings back good memories.

McIlroy was headed toward a missed cut in 2010 until he made eagle on his 16th hole of the second round to make the cut on the number. He got back into contention the next day, and then closed with a 62 for the victory.

He is the top player in a field that is weak by Quail Hollow standards. No. 2 in the world, he is the only top-10 player in the field. The Wells Fargo Championship gets underway Thursday, with McIlroy teeing off in the afternoon.

McIlroy is looking for a little momentum to push him in the right direction.

"I'm happy with where my game is at," he said. "That little spark, that little bit of momentum to maybe get on a run like I got on at the end of last year would be nice, but I'm being patient with it and just waiting for the right time."

One reason for the shortage of big names that usually show up at Quail Hollow might be the condition of the golf course.

Quail Hollow has been a symbol of perfection for 10 years since it returned to the PGA Tour lineup, a beautifully manicured golf course where the six major champions who have won ranged from Tiger Woods to McIlroy. It is less than perfect this year. Some have even compared the greens to a rundown municipal course.

"You can't lie about it the greens are shaky," defending champion Rickie Fowler said Wednesday. "But I feel like come tournament time ... you're still going to be able to make putts. There is still a hole out there. Someone's going to have to make putts this week. Someone's going to win the golf tournament. They're still giving out a trophy and a jacket at the end of Sunday."

No one is more disappointed than tournament officials, who spared no expense trying to fix a problem that was out of their control. The South has been plagued by an unusually cold and wet spring, which tournament director Kym Hougham said was the primary culprit. The bent greens are to be torn up in two weeks and replaced by Bermuda, a move that is one year too late.

How bad are they?

The greens on Nos. 8 and 10 had to be replaced by sod just last week in fact, the 10th green had to be re-sodded twice because the roots were growing sideways. For the new sod, the club paid for strips of grass that were 4 feet wide and 60 feet long to reduce the number of seams, even though it was the most costly. Several other putting surfaces have patches of brown where there is no grass.

On four greens, the players were asked to only hit one shot in the practice rounds and limit their putting to alleviate stress on the greens.

"I'm trying to see how many bounces it takes to get to the hole," Robert Allenby said. "That was 22 for a 33-foot putt."

Allenby took issue with a memo from PGA Tour officials that warned players of four bad greens at Quail Hollow, with the rest of them typical of tour greens.

"There's not one green that's like a normal tour green," Allenby said. "That might have confused a lot of players."

Woods decided last week not to play, presumably because he forgot there were only two weeks between the Masters and Quail Hollow, a change in the schedule this year. Nine players already have withdrawn, including past champions Vijay Singh and David Toms. Ian Poulter was in Charlotte on Tuesday but never made it out to the golf course. He withdrew citing personal reasons. Not all of the withdrawals are related to course conditions, although there were enough to make other players wonder.

Tournament director Kym Hougham didn't hide his disappointment, nor did he make any excuses.

"It's unfortunate," he said of the greens. "There was a lot of effort put it to rectify the situation. A number of factors contributed, Mother Nature being the biggest. But you know our standard. They deserve good greens, and we didn't produce good greens. And we'll make sure that never happens again."

For the players who showed up and stayed they planned to make the best of it.

"We come to Quail Hollow and they're for me probably the best greens on tour, usually," McIlroy said. "It's just unfortunate that they're not quite up to the standard that they usually are, but it's no big deal. The rest of the golf course is in phenomenal shape. It's going to be the same. Everyone has to putt on them, and the best player at the end of the week is still going to win. I don't think there is a big problem at all."

"I don't mind because I'm not a guy that relies on my putting, per se," he said. "So it will eliminate quite a lot of the field. I don't mind that at all."

Three other candidates - Indonesia's Mari Pangestu, New Zealand's Tim Groser and South Korea's Taeho Bark - were asked to withdraw from the race after not garnering sufficient support from the WTO's 159 members, the source said.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Michael Roddy)

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Bloomberg's Erik Matuszewski reports"best trick" competitions from any further iterations of the X-Games, its 18-year-old extreme sports challenge. Previously, riders on snowmobiles or specialized dirtbikes would throw themselves off a huge jump to attempt the gnarliest spin or flip moderation they possibly could. It often produced some of the Games'—and, of course, its biggest injuries, leading up this year's fatal one. 

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An  that the decision to cut the events was not tied to Moore's death at all. "Moto X Best Trick and Snowmobile Best Trick were not dropped in response to what happened in Aspen," . "This decision was under consideration before Aspen, and, in fact, our review of Snowmobile Freestyle continues."

This is ESPN's official statement on their reasoning for eliminating the best trick events: 

"This change reflects our decision to focus on motor sports disciplines which feature athletes who also compete in multiple, world-class competitions [e.g., professional events and tours] reflecting the highest degree of athlete participation, competitive development and the global nature of our X Games franchise. Over the past 18 years we have made more than 60 changes to our competition lineups at X Games events to capture the evolution of the sport and these continue that growth."

When you wade through the P.R. jargon, this translates roughly to: We want to focus on competitions that aren't only featured at the X-Games. So, while there are other freestyle snowmobile competitions, there aren't very many "best trick" competitions. It just so happens that the decision came two months after an athlete died in a freestyle snowmobile competition attempting a variation of a trick — the backflip — that's very common in "best trick" competitions. Total coincidence, guys. Nothing to see here. 

So, while there was no prior indication that either "best trick" competition was up for elimination, this was : 

As a result of this accident we will conduct a thorough review of this discipline and adopt any appropriate changes to future X Games.

For 18 years we have worked closely on safety issues with athletes, course designers and other experts. Still, when the world's best compete at the highest level in any sport, risks remain. Caleb was a four-time X Games medalist attempting a move he has landed several times previously.

But the two decisions aren't related. Nope, not at all related. Millions would believe you, ESPN, but somehow we don't.

The dangers of X-Games events , culminating this winter. Moore attempted a backflip during the snowmobile "best trick" competition, but his machine under-rotated. The snowmobile's skis dug into the ground and slammed the machine down on top of a helpless Moore. He was able to walk away from the incident, but was later admitted to the hospital for a concussion and bleeding around his heart. Following complications after surgery, Mooresuffered in competition. 

ESPN is still deliberating whether or not to cut the snowmobile freestyle competition. But the decision to preemptively cut motocross "best trick" is interesting. It, too, has led to major injuries for some of the biggest X-Games stars, though nothing approaching the same level as snowmobiling. Notably, in 2011, Travis Pastrana — one of the most decorated athletes in X-Games history —  on the first day of a planned three-day blitz of events. The , as it was called, was ruined. And it turns out, Pastrana is pretty bummed with the decision to cut one of his favorite competition — arguably the one that brought him the most fame. "Best trick was my favorite event both as a competitor and a spectator," . "Usually these athletes were capable of landing their trick in a foam pit or on special set up but under pressure, they rarely did which added to the dangerousness of it. Either way I was a fan of this event and will be sad to see it go."

Whether this decision indicates freestyle motocross, one of the biggest draws at the Summer X-Games, is in danger of surviving with ESPN remains to be seen. But you can be it will be dangerous.

David Stockman, who was Republican Ronald Reagan's budget director from 1981 to 1985 and a key architect of tax-cutting policies, and Peter Orszag, budget director for Democratic President Barack Obama from January 2009 until July 2010, agreed the United States spends more on defense than is needed.

Both also said the country would be well-served if better-off citizens paid more taxes and took smaller benefits from the government in their old age.

But the two men, who appeared together at a Thomson Reuters Newsmaker event, were at odds over how quickly and forcefully the government should act to reduce the deficit. Stockman contends the government should dramatically cut spending and raise taxes to pay down the national debt.

Orszag says governments are right to use spending to stretch out the economic adjustments to keep large segments of population from losing their jobs, which itself can cause long-lasting problems.

The men spoke on the eve of the formal publication of Stockman's new book, "The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America."

Stockman calls his book, which runs more than 700 pages, a screed. He says he wrote it to call attention to damage caused over 80 years by crony capitalists, spendthrift politicians and central bankers at the Federal Reserve who have inflated financial bubbles by printing money.

Stockman criticizes politicians of both parties, starting with Democrat Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s and including his former boss Reagan, as well as former Republican President George W. Bush.

Stockman advises investors to sell their securities and hold cash instead. He admits he does not believe Washington will adopt his recommendations.

Stockman said in an interview, before taking the stage with Orszag, that with his approach "there would be a lot of pain," with job losses and reduced income, perhaps for a generation. He said that would be better than further putting off the day of reckoning with the deficit.

Orszag told the audience, "David wants us to flog ourselves to have some brighter future and the problem is that the flogging can do some serious damage to that future."

Orszag said Stockman is wrong to place so much blame for the weak economy and budget deficit on government policies. Changes from new technology and global trade have hurt incomes and employment, he said.

Some $85 billion of across-the-board government spending cuts automatically took effect on March 1 after Congress and the White House failed to agree on federal budget decisions. The drain of money has put pressure on the U.S. Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low to shore-up the economy.

Washington is having recurring fiscal showdowns over how to slash the budget deficit and $16 trillion of national debt, which was built from years of spending on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and stimulation for the U.S. economy.

In Stockman's book, he draws on his experience in government and his mixed-success as a Wall Street executive to make his points.

Stockman, 66, became widely known in 1981 for criticizing the institutions where he worked. He talked freely then to a magazine writer for The Atlantic, which published his misgivings about the Reagan administration's spending policies.

Orszag, 44, is now a non-executive vice chairman of corporate and investment banking at Citigroup Inc. He was director of the Congressional Budget Office before working for Obama. He was also a White House economist in the administration of former President Bill Clinton.

(Reporting by David Henry in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

What has happened to plain old "parenting"? Time and again, I see children make their own rules because the parents have shrugged off the responsibility of parenting. You should have told them to tell their child that if he won't wear a helmet, his bike will be taken away until he does. -- BILL IN BARTLESVILLE, OKLA.

DEAR BILL: You and many readers are right. I did overlook the issue of parenting in my reply. Mea culpa! Read on:

DEAR ABBY: Have "Overprotective Mom" ask her son if he thinks firefighters, fighter pilots, police officers and football players are "uncool." They all wear helmets! -- JAMES IN HASTINGS, NEB.

DEAR ABBY: Not wearing a bike helmet to be "cool" is knuckling under to peer pressure. Those parents should use this opportunity to explain peer pressure and its consequences to their son.

He needs to understand that he must make decisions for himself, and his "friends" should accept him for who he is. He needs to learn to stand his ground and be who he wants to be despite what others think of him. He also needs to learn to make decisions that affect his life based on facts, and not follow the crowd. True friends will most often make the same sound decisions that he makes, or accept his decision without pressuring him.

One other comment: Require the kid to wear a helmet or forfeit the right to ride a bike. It's called "tough love" and although it is tough, it is also rewarding. More parents need to have sound, well-thought-out rules and stick to them. -- PARENT FIRST, FRIEND SECOND

DEAR ABBY: Patients cannot be used as exhibits, even with the best of intentions. It would be unethical and also illegal under HIPAA laws. A better option would be to contact the injury prevention office at a local children's hospital and ask for tips. If your readers don't live near one, there are websites filled with helpful information. -- LAURIE IN DALLAS

DEAR ABBY: It's true that there is no state code law in Texas regarding bicycle helmets, but many municipalities, including Dallas, have ordinances that require riders to wear them. That mother should check her city code. -- CONCERNED IN TEXAS

DEAR ABBY: "Overprotective" should let her son choose a "cool" helmet and be sure it's fitted correctly. Going to a bike shop may be the best bet.

Serious bikers are cool and will be supportive. The boy should select the style and color he wants and decorate it with hot stickers or whatever he wishes. If that doesn't work, then take the bike away. It's the kind of cause-and-effect discipline that really works. -- BARBARA IN RUMFORD, MAINE

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

For an excellent guide to becoming a better conversationalist and a more sociable person, order "How to Be Popular." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Popularity Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

MUMBAI (Reuters) - He's starred in several Bollywood blockbusters, an Oscar-winning film and played a Middle Eastern leader on the American TV series "24".

Anil Kapoor is now wooing Indian audiences with an adaptation of the hit thriller series about a counter-terrorism agent.

Kapoor, the remake's producer and lead actor, says he wanted to bring the "discipline and professionalism" of U.S. television to India.

The 53-year-old spoke to Reuters on the sets of his new show, describing his experience with the U.S. series and how "24" will hook Indian audiences like slow poison.

Q: When you did the original "24" in the U.S., how different was the experience?

A: When I went to the shoot, I was totally taken aback by the scale. My only experience of an international film at that time was "Slumdog Millionaire" which we shot in India. Now I was shooting in America It was much bigger than "Slumdog" - vanity vans and cars and the whole paraphernalia. It was huge. I went inside and saw the set. That day it was the U.N. set and I noticed the detailing. It was an exact replica. Exact. The detailing and everything was perfect.

I couldn't put the script down. We are not used to reading scripts (in India), we are used to narration. But I just had to finish reading this script. I thought this is like shooting a big commercial film. Everybody was well-prepared and completely immersed in the work culture. The way we shot it, the two camera set-up, the way it was. Slowly, I got completely sucked into it and started enjoying the whole process.

Q: Indian TV audiences are used to very different fare. Do you think you've taken a big risk?

A: Whatever I have done in my career - you like something, you go for it You stick your neck out and I have stuck my neck out. I am not playing it safe, I am playing the lead. And I'm a movie star.

Q: When you conceptualized the show, was (director) Abhinay Deo part of the plan?

A: The written material was already there, but I needed to get an international scale and feel. Then I happened to see "Delhi Belly". When I saw the performances, the pitch of the film, I said this is it. He is the director. When I met him, it turned out he was equally passionate about "24".

Q: What does it take to make an international-level TV show in India?

A: The first is the scale and the budget. Everything is about money today. I can't tell you about the budget but I can say that we are trying our best to have the same scale. That was the major thing, the biggest hurdle to cross. Convincing the channels that this is what it is.

Q: In that sense, it is an experiment. Isn't it?

A: It's not an experiment, it's a challenge. What happens is, even if the first season is good enough, that will be enough. Then the second season will come with a bang. Even in America, the first season was OK-OK. It was only after the second and third season, (it) took off. Television slowly gets into you like a poison They will realize that this will work like slow poison. It'll suck people into it.

Q: Do you have to add drama for the benefit of Indian audiences who aren't used to subtlety?

A: "Sholay" is a great example. The pitch is mainstream but real. You enjoy it. We are aiming for that kind of pitch and that's what I understand. The one thing Abhinay wants is for youngsters to watch television from "24". Somewhere, the footfalls in the theatres have increased and (TV) shows which were earlier successful aren't any more. There is a stagnancy. That's why they are going to theatres to watch these niche films. There are lesser sources of entertainment. The timing is very right.

Q: What if this doesn't work?

A: My wife says your body of work is so much, that it doesn't matter. You can move on. I am doing it when I am peaking. I am saying no to feature films. Big film-makers. Bigger stars than me have said yes to those roles. It doesn't work, it doesn't work. You move on.

Q: What would be the measure of success for you?

A: For me, it's already a success. That it's happening. I am already on seventh heaven. I have already celebrated.

(Editing by Vipin Das and Tony Tharakan)

Spike Albrecht of Michigan and Luke Hancock of Louisville came off their respective benches and each made all four of their 3-point attempts Monday night, as the Wolverines took a 38-37 lead after a breakneck first half in the national title game.

Albrecht had 17 points at halftime and still hasn't missed in nine attempts from beyond the arc during the NCAA tournament.

Hancock, who led Louisville with 20 points in its semifinal victory, had 16 at halftime of this one.

Albrecht, a freshman who averages less than eight minutes and two points a game because he plays behind AP Player of the Year Trey Burke, was 6 of 7 overall from the floor.

Burke scored seven points over the first 2:44 for the Wolverines to match his entire output from Saturday night's semifinal. But he drew his second foul with 11:09 and coach John Beilein replaced him with Albrecht.

Good call. The freshman from Crown Point, Ind., hasn't missed a 3-pointer since March 3. Before this game, he had only scored 67 points all season.

Meanwhile, Hancock made all four of his 3-pointers to start a 14-1 run for Louisville that briefly gave the Cardinals a one-point lead after they trailed by 12. Michigan's Glenn Robinson III made two free throws with 2 seconds left to give the Wolverines the lead at the half.

The Cardinals (34-5) have won four games this season after trailing by 10 or more, including Saturday night's semifinals, when they beat Wichita State 72-68 after also falling behind by 12.

It was a scintillating opening to the final act of a season that has been more of a grind, with scoring at its lowest (67.49 points per team) since 1951-52 and shooting at its worst (43.3 percent) since 1964-65.

The 131.2-points-per-game average during March Madness is the lowest since the 3-point line was brought to the game in 1987, though the teams were on pace to easily surpass that after the first half.

"Look at the story lines out there," Beilein said during a quick interview at halftime. "It's going to be one of the best games ever."

Watching from the stands were all five members of the Fab Five, the brash group of sophomores who led Michigan (31-7) to the final in 1993 the program's last appearance at the Final Four.

That included Chris Webber, who infamously called a timeout the Wolverines didn't have at the end of Michigan's 77-71 loss to North Carolina in the 1993 final. He has had very little to do with his alma mater in recent years, but was seen getting out of his car and heading into the Georgia Dome shortly before tip-off.

Top-seeded Louisville is trying to bring its first title back to the state of Kentucky's "other" school since 1986. Sitting on the bench with the Cardinals is sophomore guard Kevin Ware, the team's inspiration since snapping his tibia in the regional final last weekend.

Cardinals coach Rick Pitino is working the sideline hours after being chosen for the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Pitino is trying to become the first coach to lead two programs to national championships. He took Kentucky to the title in 1996.

Russ Smith, the Louisville team leader who Pitino has nicknamed "Russdiculous" for some of his wild and wildly effective antics on the court, scores 18.9 points a game for the Cardinals during the season but has picked up the scoring in the tournament, averaging 25 in the five Louisville wins.

The Cardinals are playing without their main reserve, Ware, who broke his leg in the regional final against Duke. Needing a pickup without Ware, Hancock led the scoring against Wichita State. And rarely used walk-on Tim Henderson made two key 3-pointers during the comeback.

"The other night, we were not going to play in the championship game unless a walk-on steps up and makes a play to give us momentum," Pitino said in a pregame interview.

Michigan topped Syracuse 61-56 on Saturday despite an off night from Burke, who finished with only seven points on 1-for-8 shooting.

Burke, a sophomore, seriously considered leaving for the NBA after last season but decided he had unfinished business left in Ann Arbor. He picked up the AP Player of the Year award, among others, and is now one victory away from the ultimate prize in college hoops.

Before leaving the locker room, Beilein gave his team a pep talk: "You play with poise, play with confidence, you do all those things today and we're going to have one heck of a celebration," he said.

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