Goosen leads Mickelson, Leonard at Bridgestone

Golf Betting Lines

08/06/2010 - Akron, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Retief Goosen shot a four-under 66 Friday to take a one-shot lead over Phil Mickelson and Justin Leonard after the second round of the Bridgestone Invitational.

Meanwhile, defending champion Tiger Woods continued his struggles at the event he's won seven times and looked likelier than ever to lose his No. 1 ranking.

Goosen finished 36 holes at Firestone Country Club with a seven-under 133, while Mickelson and Leonard both ended at six-under 134.

Mickelson scrambled for two closing pars to finish off an up-and-down 68 that left him tied with Leonard (66), but still on pace to snatch the No. 1 ranking from Woods.

First-round leader Bubba Watson (71) dropped into a tie for fourth place with Peter Hanson (66) and Bo Van Pelt (68) at five-under 135.

Much further back was Woods, who continued to have problems off the tee on the way to a 72 that dropped him to six-over 146 -- tied for 72nd place out of the 80 players remaining in the field.

Woods opened with a 74 on Thursday, his worst-ever score at Firestone, and has back-to-back rounds above par for the first time at any of the World Golf Championships events.

As historically bad as the 36 holes were for Woods, his struggles could have even more significance.

Woods has held the No. 1 ranking for 269 consecutive weeks dating back to June 12, 2005, when he wrested it back from Vijay Singh. But there's a good chance that streak could end this week.

Mickelson, currently ranked second, would become the new No. 1 with a victory regardless of how Woods finishes. He can take the top spot with a finish as low as fourth, a scenario that involves Woods ending outside the top 37.

The way it's going for Woods -- and Mickelson, for that matter -- either way looks plausible.

A winner in seven of his previous 10 Bridgestone starts, Woods knows there isn't a cut at this event. Although he might wish there was this year. He would at least have more time to work on his driving.

Woods hit only 3 of 14 fairways Friday, one day after he found only five on the way to his worst-ever score at this tournament.

Still, things didn't look so bad early on. Woods played the back nine first and made the turn at even-par after holing a nine-foot birdie putt at the 15th and struggling to a bogey from the rough at the 18th.

That was the first of three bogeys in a four-hole stretch, however, as Woods found a greenside bunker at No. 1 and chipped 10 feet past the hole at No. 3 on the way to dropping two more shots.

He finished the round birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey, never finding any positive momentum.

England's Lee Westwood could also have become No. 1 with a victory this week, but he withdrew after his second round because of a torn muscle in his right calf. Westwood, currently the world No. 3, said he would miss next week's PGA Championship.

MORE TO FOLLOW.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.