Live From 141st British Open: Leaders At A Glance

The 31-year-old American pushed the lead to 10 under with another course-record-equalling round for an Open at Lytham. Snedeker was four clear of first-round leader Scott, an afternoon starter, and eight clear of the next group in the clubhouse at two under par.

Luke Donald shot 68 to edge to two under alongside American Steve Stricker (71) and New Zealander Steven Alker, while Rory McIlroy carded a five-over 75 to slide to two over. Only the top 70 players and those tied for 70th will make the cut which is hovering between two and three over par.  American Phil Mickelson (78) and England's Paul Casey (79) both finished on 11 over par. England's Simon Dyson finished one under after a 67 and Padraig Harrington shot 72 for two over but Rickie Fowler, who also took 72, was flirting with the cut at three over.

Snedeker had six birdies and six straight pars to finish and has not leaked a single bogey after carding a 66 on day one. "I'm sure everybody in this room is in about as much of shock as I am right now," he told a news conference after his second round.

"My mantra all week has been to get the ball on the greens as fast as possible. Once I'm on there I have a pretty good handle on the speed of the greens.

"I'm just going to try and keep doing that over the weekend."

Donald kept himself in contention by swapping three bogeys for five birdies, including three in a row from the fourth.

"Again, it was a pretty solid round, tee to green," said Donald, who was without regular caddie John McLaren as he dashed to London to attend the birth of his first child. "The difference between yesterday's and today's round was I holed a few more putts.

"Still the only disappointing thing probably was I gave myself a lot of opportunities from 100 to 150 yards with the greens being pretty soft, not much wind. I wasn't quite sharp enough, hitting a lot of shots from that distance to 25 feet, and I felt like I could have created some more opportunities that way. "I'm certainly feeling more and more comfortable. Obviously where I am in my career I need to be contending. "

 

McIlroy, who began the day three under, said the turning point was the double bogey he made after taking two to get out of a greenside bunker on the short ninth and running up a double bogey.

"It wasn't the best day out there," he said. "I was doing pretty well just to hang in there around par on the front nine. And making a double, I couldn't really recover from that. I wasn't committing to my tee shots and I was in two minds a few times about what shots to hit off tees." The 23-year-old revealed afterwards he had paid for a hotel night for the man he hit on the head with a wayward drive and his friend. The pair, who were planning to camp, also received about £100 for dinner.  "I thought it was the least I could do," said McIlroy, who gave the youngster a signed glove at the time. "I didn't want him sleeping the night in a tent when he's got a massive gash in the side of his head."

Tiger Woods Donates Ball And Glove To World Golf Hall Of Fame

Former world's number one golfer Tiger Woods, donated the ball he used to hole out for the win at the Memorial Tournament on June 3 to the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine.

Woods also donated the glove he wore and an autographed Memorial pin flag that will be in the display, as part of the Hall’s ongoing “History in the Making” exhibit program.  The Wolrld's Golf Hall of Fame showcases pro golfers most recent accomplishments in golf, honoring them by obtaining equipment, clothing and other items used or worn by the player to put on display as soon as possible after the event.

Woods hit a lob shot out of the greenside rough at the par-3 16th of the Muirfield Village Golf Club that landed well short of the hole and rolled in for birdie. Woods locked up the tournament title two holes later to tie tournament host Jack Nicklaus for second on the all-time PGA Tour victory list with 73. Nicklaus called the shot, on live TV, the best he had seen, given the pressure on Woods to win the tournament. “I don’t think under the circumstances I’ve ever seen a better shot,” said Nicklaus, who also signed a pin flag from the Memorial that is part of the display.

                             

Is Golf A Game Or Sport Inquiring Mind Wants to Know

ProCon.org  is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.  Information is presented on 42 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from the 2012 presidential election, alternative energy, and medical marijuana to the death penalty, illegal immigration, and health care reform.

And the latest topic being examined is one of America's favorite.  Golf in the United States is a $76 billion industry with 25.7 million players. Thirty-eight percent of Americans consider themselves golf fans. Golf is clearly popular, but whether or not it is a sport remains a hotly debated topic.   ProCon, a nonpartisan research organization devoted to critical thinking on controversial issues, published its newest website to provide up-to-date scientific studies, expert analysis, historical data, and athlete perspectives on the pro and the con side of this controversy.   

The research appears on the nonprofit organization's 43rd website, where Proponents say that golf meets the definition of "sport" found in the dictionary, requires physical exertion and coordination, and is recognized as a sport by sporting goods companies, athletic associations, fans, the media, and more. They point to golf's inclusion in the Olympics starting in 2016 as further evidence of its qualification as a sport.

Opponents say that golf better meets the definition of "game" than "sport," does not require rigorous physical activity, and can be played professionally by people who are overweight, injured, or non-athletic. They argue that golf is a game or leisure activity, and they cite golf's 112-year absence from the Olympics as proof that it is not a sport. In addition to in-depth pro and con research, the latest ProCon's website contains a historical background section, videos, photos, over 60 footnotes and sources, and Did You Know? facts including:

1. Golf was banned in Scotland in 1457 because King James II worried that people were too distracted by the game to develop the archery skills needed to protect the country from the English.

2. Golf was included in the 1900 and 1904 Olympics, then removed for 112 years until its slated return at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Like croquet, golf has been in the Olympics twice which is three less times than tug of war has been in the Olympics.

3. Golfer Tiger Woods in 2009 became the first athlete to surpass one billion dollars in career earnings (prize money and endorsements), making him the richest athlete of all time.

4. The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in PGA Tour v. Martin (2001) that allowing a golfer to use a cart instead of walking the course would not "fundamentally alter the nature" of the game.

5. The Associated Press has named a golfer its "Female Athlete of the Year" 24 times (30% of honorees) since the award began in 1931; a golfer has been named "Male Athlete of the Year" nine times (11% of honorees). 

ProCon.org President Kamy Akhavan commented: "Tiger Woods could bench 315 and win the US Open with a broken leg.  John Daly weighed close to 300 lbs, won two major tournaments, and sometimes smoked cigarettes while playing. They're both great golfers, but are they both great athletes competing in a real sport?  Whether a sport o a game, fan and professional alike knows of the intensity required to play.