Cameron Smith of Australia takes the halfway lead | Round 2 Full Highlights - Dustin Johnson shoots a 67

Bridgestone and St.Andrews Golf

The complex world of professional golf offers a panorama of tournaments,global locations and series for the avid fan to follow this weekend.In the US,Tiger Woods was totally dominant in the second round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at the Firestone Country Club in Akron,Ohio Friday.Woods matched his PGA Tour career best and the course record with his superb 13 under par 61.I had it going today,Woods said.The weather's coming in tomorrow.We're gonna have to make a few adjustments.We'll see how it goes.The top three:1.Tiger Woods(USA)-13 2.Keegan Bradley(USA)-6;Chris Wood(ENG)-6*The women's pro golf scene is underappreciated.It's not boring to watch.At The Women's Open Championship on The Old Course at St.Andrews,Scotland,the typically unflappable Na Yeon Choi was unfazed by brisk winds that barreled into the afternoon session,topping the leader board with her crisp 10 under par 67.Not content with one complete success,Miki Saiki hammered down second place with two eagles.The top three:1.Na Yeon Choi(ROK)-10 2.Miki Saiki(JAP)-9 3.Morgan Pressel(USA)-8*Bernhard Langer is playing in his native Germany this weekend.At the European Senior Tour Berenberg Masters,Golf-und Land-Club,Koln,Refrath,Germany,the top 3:1.Turner,Greg(NZL)-7 2.Lane,Barry(ENG)-5;Langer,Bernhard(GER)-5;Woosnam,Ian(WAL)-5*The European Senior Tour Order of Merit top three:1.Bernhard Langer(GER) 2.Peter Senior(AUS) 3.Paul Wesselingh(ENG).*Langer is also pursuing his second Charles Schwab Cup,the overall trophy for senior pro golfers in the US.The PGA Champions Tour Charles Schwab Cup Standings:1.Kenny Perry(USA)2508 2.Bernhard Langer(GER)1713 3.David Frost(RSA)1613 *Update:Tiger Woods continued his brilliant campaign,topping the leader board at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational with his 15 under par 68 in Saturday's third round.The third round of The Ricoh Women's British Open was suspended because of high winds,and will restart shortly.At the Berenberg Masters on the European Senior Tour,Steen Tinney(DEN)and Nick Job(ENG)are tied for first place at -6,while Bernhard Langer(GER)has dropped back to sixth with his -4.

Market Disappointed,Oosthuizen Pleased

The market recorded a weekly loss,disappointed by a string of poor data on consumers and manufacturing,as well as revenue misses by leading companies.Google,General Electric,Citigroup and Bank of America discouraged investors with their sales and outlooks.Confidence is low as we enter the heart of earnings season,with 12 Dow components and 122 S&P firms reporting next week.The Dow dropped 1.0 this week,while the NASDAQ fell 0.8 and the S&P slipped 1.2.The trading range is indeed keeping its grip on the faltering market.
Tiger Woods is still in the running at the Open Championship in St.Andrews,Scotland.He shot a 73 on Friday for a -4,tied for fifteenth.The field was led by Louis Oosthuizen(pronounced Westhizen),27,of South Africa,a protege of Ernie Els,who is ranked #54 in the world and 22nd on the European money list.Oosthuizen shot a 67 for a -12 on Friday.Fifty year-old Mark Calcavecchia also shot a 67 on Friday for a -7,putting the American in second place.
The prospect of all those earnings reports,as well as housing data,had the Dow futures falling off a cliff at -233.00 this evening,with the NASDAQ following suit at -47.25 along with the S&P at -27.30.Bond futures also retreated.BP investors were feeling relieved as the latest attempt to cap the oil spill looked very promising.
General Electric(GE),Citigroup(C),Bank of America(BAC),Google(GOOG)
Update:Louis Oosthuizen continued to lead by several strokes in the final round,with the U.K.'s Paul Casey in second,as of Sunday morning Eastern.Tiger Woods had dropped to thirty-first.

Correction Ends On Optimism

A wave of optimism lifted the market out of correction territory this week,fueled by bullish reports from Australia and Canada,as well as progress reported by retailers JC Penney,Macy's and others.Employment surged in Australia and Canada,while hot weather in the U.S. sent people into shopping malls,where they couldn't resist the bargains.This created hope that earnings season,which begins next week with Alcoa's report,would show stronger growth than had been feared.For the week,the Dow was up 5.3%,while the NASDAQ gained 5% and the S&P logged a 5.4% increase.
Golf fans are looking ahead to the British Open at St.Andrews' Old Course in Scotland,which begins next week.It is the third of the year's four Majors.St.Andrews is considered the home of modern golf and is a great favorite with the players.In baseball,the young Stephen Strasburg was pitching masterfully for the Washington Nationals tonight as they dominated San Francisco 8-1.He is showing he is no flash in the pan,justifying the high level of fan interest being generated by his talent.There's a real presence about him.Miami Heat basketball fans held a pep rally for the newly signed LeBron James and friends,broadcast live on ESPN.
The S&P futures were ascending 5.50 this evening,and bond futures rose as well.
JC Penney(JCP),Macy's(M)