Oosthuizen's 62 gives him Africa Open lead
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01/06/2012 -
East London, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Louis
Oosthuizen fired a brilliant 11-under 62 on Friday to move atop the
leaderboard at the mid point of the Africa Open.
The South African Oosthuizen, who won the 2010 Open Championship, finished 36
holes at 15-under 131 and is two strokes clear at par-73 East London Golf
Club.
First-round leader Thomas Aiken managed a four-under 69 on Friday and is tied
for second place with two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (68), Jaco
Ahlers (68) and Tjaart van der Walt (64). The group of South Africans finished
at minus-13.
Oosthuizen began on the ninth tee Friday, which, instead of the traditional
10th, is used for half of the field due to course logistics. He birdied No. 9,
then waited three holes for his next birdie. After a par at 14, Oosthuizen
birdied three of his last four to make the turn at nine-under par for the
championship.
Oosthuizen did most of his damage on the abbreviated second nine. He birdied
the par-five first hole and recorded his next birdie at the next par five, the
third. Oosthuizen reached the green in two, but two-putted to get to 11-under
par.
At the par-four fifth, Oosthuizen nearly drove the green, then nearly chipped
in for eagle. He settled for a birdie and was alone in the lead at 12-under
par.
After so many near brushes with eagle, Oosthuizen finally got one at the par-
four sixth. He drove the putting surface at the 308-yard hole and drained the
60-footer for eagle.
"It was a lot of concentration on the tee shot because I hit the three-wood in
the bush yesterday," explained Oosthuizen. "It was a three-wood again off the
tee, and I didn't want to take any other club because I wanted to show myself
that I can do it.
"So I hit it on the green at the back. I saw the line of the putt, but I
wasn't sure so I asked my caddie and he saw exactly the same line. I hit a
perfect putt and it went straight in the middle of the hole. But it was a very
long putt, it was probably about 60 feet."
Oosthuizen had one more great putt left in him. At the eighth, his last, the
major winner came up 25 feet short with his approach. He holed the curving
putt to polish off his 62 and get in with the second-round lead.
"I was aggressive on the putter," said Oosthuizen. "I went about six feet past
a few times and I had to make those for par and the last one I made on the
eighth would have been eight or 10 foot past, but it hit the middle of the
cup.
"But I was aggressive because yesterday I left a few putts short and you're
not going to hit it that far past on these greens. I putted brilliantly."
Danny Willett (68), Alastair Forsyth (66), Magnus A. Carlsson (66), Tommy
Fleetwood (66) and Craig Lee (67) share sixth place at 11-under 135.
NOTES: Oosthuizen's third European Tour victory after this tournament last
year and the Open Championship was the 2010 Open de Andalucia...At 40th,
Oosthuizen is the highest-ranked player in the field...The 36-hole cut came at
five-under 141 with 82 players making the weekend.
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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