CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The new greens at Quail Hollow proved to be a good tonic for Angel Cabrera, who made seven birdies in his round of 6-under 66 to take a two-shot lead among the early starters Thursday at the Wells Fargo Championship. The club changed over to Bermuda greens as it prepares to host the 2017 PGA Championship. Cabrera hasnt had a lot go right this year, making only two cuts in nine starts on the PGA Tour. But something worked in the opening round. Not only was it his best score of the year, it was only his fourth round in the 60s. "It was a very good first round, and we have a lot to go," the Argentine said through a translator. Jonathan Byrd and Stewart Cink each had a 68 in relatively calm, humid conditions in the morning. The wind began to pick up in the afternoon when Phil Mickelson played. Rory McIlroy had six birdies and had to settle for a 69 when he failed to convert two good birdie chances late in his round. Even so, he took advantage of the par 5s, which he failed to do at Augusta National last month, and was pleased to see adjustments in his putting stroke pay off. Others at 69 included Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Martin Kaymer, who had a wild finish to his round. Kaymer played his final four holes in 2 under without making a birdie or a par. After a bogey on the par-3 sixth, he made eagle on the par-5 seventh, chipped in for eagle from just short of the green on the par-4 eighth and then closed with a birdie. "Two eagles in a row, pretty rare. I dont think Ive ever done that before," Kaymer said. "I missed a lot of short putts today as well, so therefor, 3-under par is OK. I stayed in the tournament. But overall, it would have been nice to get a couple more shots here and there because it was possible." Quail Hollow is three years away from hosting its first major. Cabrera is acting as if its already here. He seems to show up only at the biggest events. His only two victories in America were at the 2009 Masters and the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont. He also lost to Adam Scott in a playoff at Augusta National last year. On this day, it was simply a matter of giving himself chances and making a few putts. He holed a birdie putt from 18 feet on No. 3, and knocked in a 40-footer from just off the green at No. 11. Cabrera made five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn, ending at No. 12 with an approach into 5 feet. Then, it was a matter of hanging on. He made tough par saves on the 16th and 17th, and appeared to be in trouble well right of the 18th fairway, blocked by trees. But he carved out a beautiful shot that reached the front of the green, and he two-putted from long range for par and his 66. "I was lucky," Cabrera said. St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . 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Johnny Manziel, college footballs most entertaining player with the reputation for pulling off magical plays, was selected with the No.CARSON, Calif. -- Landon Donovan thought he had earned a prominent role on the U.S. World Cup team right up until the moment he was cut from the roster by coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Donovan was still stunned and confused by Klinsmanns decision when he went back to work with the LA Galaxy on Saturday. "Im disappointed. Im sad," Donovan said Saturday after the Galaxys practice. "Im human, and I wanted to go. I really wanted to go. Im at peace with it. I respect the decision. I just feel in my heart that I deserve to be there, and thats the pill thats hardest to swallow." The 32-year-old attacker was denied the chance to play in his fourth World Cup after Klinsmann chose U.S. team newcomer Aron Johannsson and 31-year-old Chris Wondolowski over the most accomplished international player in American history. The decision surprised Donovan, who believed a strong performance in training camp had secured his spot on the 23-man roster. But Donovan declined to speculate on additional possible factors in the decision: his recent soccer sabbatical, the coachs decision to evaluate a versatile player solely as a forward, or the impact of the Americans difficult group draw on their long-term planning. "I think if Im being judged solely on what happens in camp, then I absolutely deserved to be going to Brazil," Donovan said. "I firmly believe that not only should I be going, but I feel like I really deserved it, and not from anything that I did in the past, but from what Ive done in the last week and a half." Donovan gave little insight into whatever reasons Klinsmann shared with him at the Bay Area training camp. Klinsmann provided only murky details about his decision Friday, saying other players were "a little step ahead of Landon in certain areas." "I dont agree with that assessment," Donovan said. "I think I was at least as good as everybody else in camp. ... I think I was one of the better players, so thats why it stingss a little.dddddddddddd. If I had gone in and didnt feel like I deserved it, I could live with that. But thats not the case here." Donovan had nothing to say about any underlying implications of the mocking tweet by Jonathan Klinsmann, the coachs teenage son, moments after the announcement. "I dont really know his son well, so Im not really sure where that came from," Donovan said. Donovan also doesnt think his four-month sabbatical from soccer in 2013 after the Galaxys second straight MLS Cup title should have worked against him. "I actually think Ive been a much better player since I came back," he said. Donovan is the career U.S. leader with 57 international goals, and is second with 156 appearances. He has scored five World Cup goals, including a stoppage-time goal against Algeria to send the Americans to the second round four years ago. Instead of jetting off to Brazil, the five-time MLS Cup champion will resume his pursuit of the top U.S. leagues career goal-scoring record in Sundays home game against Philadelphia. Donovan tied Jeff Cunninghams mark with his 134th goal late last season, but hasnt scored in seven matches with the Galaxy this year. "Im excited to be back here," Donovan said. "I certainly didnt want to be back here under these circumstances or this soon, but I love these guys. These are my teammates, and this is my home. I will not let this affect me going forward." Donovan said he would gladly return to the U.S. team from the standby list if an injury created a spot on the roster, and he wouldnt rule out playing for the U.S. team in the future. He urged fans to support Klinsmanns current squad because "I dont want there to be a negative tint to any of this." "Ive always loved representing this country, so I cant imagine that if Im given another opportunity that I would say no," Donovan added. "But at this point, Im just trying to deal with the disappointment." ' ' '