Woods makes more history at PGA

Golf Betting Lines

08/11/2007 - Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods matched the lowest round in major championship history on Friday with an seven-under-par 63, a historic round that gave him the second-round lead at the PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

Woods stood at seven-under par for his round with a great look at birdie on the 18th hole. His 12-footer for a record-setting 62 seemed destined for the cup, but lipped out after going three-quarters of the way around the hole.

"I knew if I made that putt on the last hole it would have been a nice record to have," said the defending champion. "I thought it was in. I guess a touch firmer."

He finished 36 holes at six-under-par 134, which is good for a two-shot lead over Scott Verplank, who shot a four-under 66 in the morning.

Last year's U.S. Open winner, Geoff Ogilvy (68), and Stephen Ames (69) are tied for third place at minus-three. Woody Austin posted an even-par 70 and is alone in fifth place at two-under 138.

But no one was in Woods' league on Friday.

He birdied the first, then rattled off back-to-back birdies from the fourth. Woods bogeyed seven for the second straight day, then tapped in a short birdie putt at the ninth.

Woods also birdied the 10th to reach three-under par and trail by one. He appeared to be in trouble at the 12th, but sank an improbable 30-footer to save par.

"The putt on 12 was huge," he said. "It kept the momentum of the round going."

That putt certainly spurred Woods on as he went on a spectacular run after the par save.

At the par-five 13th, Woods found a bunker with his second, but blasted out to three feet. He converted that birdie putt, then holed a 15-foot chip from the fringe for another birdie at 14.

Woods drained a 20-footer at the 15th to polish off three consecutive birdies. That put him alone in the lead at minus-six, and his margin was extended when Ogilvy bogeyed the last two holes.

Woods needed at least one more birdie on the way to the clubhouse for the 18- hole major scoring record. He had decent looks at the 16th and 17th, but did not convert.

The putt cruelly stayed above ground at Southern Hills' demanding closing hole, but Woods, true to form, put the major championship ahead of everything else.

"Sixty-two would have meant I had a three-shot lead, not a two-shot lead," he offered.

Woods is now in a very comfortable position. Of the six previous majors contested at Southern Hills, the winners have all held at least a part of the 36-hole lead.

"I'd like it to continue," said Woods, who also matched Raymond Floyd's course record.

Woods has 12 major titles on his mantle, and in all 12 he has held the lead on Saturday night. The game's best front-runner has now taken first place and the rest of the field will need something special to catch the No. 1 player in the world.

Verplank is in the best spot to do it.

He parred his first eight holes, then rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the ninth. Two holes later, Verplank hit a seven-iron to six feet and canned the birdie putt to reach two-under par for the championship.

At the par-four 15th, Verplank hit an eight-iron to 12 feet to set up his third birdie of the round. He found the fairway at 17, but was slightly blocked by some trees. No matter, as Verplank punched a pitching-wedge to eight feet and holed that birdie try to take the lead.

Verplank had a decent chance to pad his advantage at the closing hole. He had 20 feet for birdie, but missed the putt and settled for a bogey-free round of 66.

"I hit the ball yesterday and today as good as I've ever hit it," acknowledged Verplank. "I just hit lots of fairways, lots of greens, very solid shots and putting at birdie most holes."

Pat Perez (69), Niclas Fasth (68) and John Senden (70) are knotted in sixth place at minus-one.

John Daly, who started the round in second place, struggled a bit on Friday. He shot a three-over 73 and is tied for ninth place with Ernie Els (68), Arron Oberholser (72), Camilo Villegas (71), Adam Scott (68) and Paul McGinley (66). That group is at even-par 140.

Overnight leader Graeme Storm struggled to a six-over 76 and is tied for 15th place at plus-one

Phil Mickelson carded a one-under 69 on Friday to move to plus-two for the championship. The 2005 winner was not satisfied despite an under-par round at this demanding track.

"It just feels like I'm leaving four, five shots out there, is all," said Mickelson, who has missed the cut in his last two majors. "I feel like I'm playing a lot better than I'm scoring. That's what's been frustrating."

The 36-hole cut fell at five-over 145 and several big-name players will have the weekend off.

Jim Furyk (146), Vijay Singh (146), Rory Sabbatini (150), Masters winner Zach Johnson (150), U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera (151) and Andres Romero (153) all missed the cut.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.