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Augusta Chronicle

So, what do you make of the composition of the field this week at the AT&T National outside Philly?

ELLING: Lets start with the positives. The field has Tiger Woods, which for the masses in a city like Philly that hasnt had a PGA Tour event in years and doesnt much know the players to begin with, is all that matters. After that, it goes downhill fast. Its one of the weakest fields of the year, with only Woods, Jim Furyk and Rob Allenby from among the world top 20. Everybody knows that Woods has done plenty to raise the levels of awareness for tour golf, but consider what the PGA Tour has done for Woods. His charity benefits directly from three sanctioned tournaments each year, including on key Labor Day and July 4 weekends, and now it turns out that the latter is somehow working against him because players are staying home in droves in advance of the British Open in two weeks. No question, it probably didnt help the National field this year that the tournament is being moved for two years from Washington, D.C. and Congressional Country Club, site of the 2011 U.S. Open, to a course in Philly that nobody on tour has played, Aronimink. In terms of firepower, the field is weaker t for the title and got to give the winners trophy to himself. Not sure who would handle those duties this year if Woods repeats as the winner, since he was ousted as the host by sponsor AT&T in an offseason coup relating to his sexcapades, which also cost him an endorsement deal with the communications giant. Add it all up and its a decidedly weird concoction, and not necessarily in a good way, like with a Philly cheesesteak. If Woods runs into an AT&T exec, who blinks first? Awkward.

MICHAUX: If a field includes Tiger Woods, does anybody care who else is there? That already makes it a headliner event even if its padded with a bunch of B-listers. The Philly fans will have plenty to watch with the likes of Furyk and Vijay Singh joining Woods. And theres a good chunk of the hottest young (or youngish) talent out there such as Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Justin Rose. Mix that with a few notable oldies like Davis Love III, Justin Leonard and David Toms and it seems to me the fans will be getting their moneys worth. It really is a representative field of what the PGA Tour has to offer. Its not a major. Its not going to get a major field. And the time slot on the schedule is going to prevent it from ever drawing the bulk of the biggest talent from Europe, which skews the ranking argument since so many of the worlds top 50 come from the other side of the pond. But hey, its Fourth of July weekend. Whats wrong with a good All-American (or mostly American) event to celebrate it. Give me Tiger, a hot dog, beer and a unique golf course to look at and Im set.

Theres a new world No. 1 in our midst and it isnt Phil Mickelson. Veteran Cristie Kerr became the first American to claim the top spot in the womens game after winning her second start in succession. Can she stay there for long?

ELLING: Hey, sh Japans Ai Miyazato climbed to No. 1 and lasted a week. Its becoming fairly clear that with the retirement of Lorena Ochoa, its wide open at the top and even a player like Miyazato, even with four wins in four months already this year, likely isnt going to pile up enough points to run off and hide like Ochoa and former No. 1 Annika Sorenstam. The talent pool is too balanced and nobody seems like a breakaway threat. Kerr, even though she is not the most embraceable personality in the womens game, might be able to stand her ground for at least a short while, since the next womens major is the U.S. Open, at brutal Oakmont starting July 8, a tournament she won in 2007. The only other player with two majors in that same three-year span is Yani Tseng. Maybe the balance up top is a good thing, because Mickelson has generated plenty of news in his attempts to supplant Tiger Woods as world No. 1, which Lefty could have done in any of his past three starts this spring. Woods has been No. 1 for five years, plus a couple of weeks. Its gotten sort of monotonous.

MICHAUX: American women still play golf? Good to know. Kerr is obviously a huge talent (though a little less huge than she used to be). She has never been the warmest of personalities and doesnt engage the American crowds like Michelle Wie, Paula Creamer or Natalie Gulbis, but she has proven more capable of maintaining her competitiveness over time. On the plus side for sustainability, she looked pretty dominant in the LPGA by lapping the field. But there are just so many contenders trying to assume the throne vacated by Ochoa that the chances of Kerr locking down that No. 1 ranking for long isnt high. I do disagree, however, that this balance of power is a good thing on the womens side of the ledger. The LPGA is suffering from not having that dominant star attraction to invigorate the fans and build a buzz the way Nancy Lopez, Sorenstam and Ochoa and Wie have in the past. Kerr simply doesnt have the same “it” quality that Wie possesses. If an American is going to lead the LPGA out of this malaise, someone like Wie needs to step up and take over.

Now that mega-hyped Bubba Watson has finally won a tournament on a major circuit, can we expect more?

ELLING: Thats an impressively impossible question, because Watson is without question the most outrageously unpredictable lefty on the PGA Tour, which is saying something in the era of lead-foot Phil. Sure, he hits his driver farther than anybody else, but its his course management that makes fans cringe. Sunday, he tried to play smartly by hitting an iron off the tee late in the round, yet he shoved it into a fairway bunker, cold-topped his next ball into a water hazard situated 50 yards in front of him and almost blew the tournament with a double-bogey. A few years back, faced with another Sunday chance to win, he hit an iron off the tee directly into a tree located perhaps 100 yards from the tee box. Winning might loosen him up, make him exhale and turn him into a free-swinging, John Daly-style cult hero. It might also cause him to place even more expectations onto those angular, square shoulders. However it turns out, knowing Watson, it will be alternately inspiring and grimace-inducing to watch. Hes good enough, long enough and possesses enough tools to contend more often than he has in the past. Maybe his occasionally brittle confidence level has finally risen to match.

MICHAUX: We can certainly expect to see and hear from him more. Bubba is the most self-promotional guy on tour. His recent web-video longing to get invited to be on the was a hysterical display of his desperation to be noticed. Its not a bad thing at all. Its just the way his seemingly ADHD mind works and a product of the difficult environment he grew up in. He can get under peoples skin (ask Steve Elkington) but he also has a good heart. He is committed to trying to help kids in his Florida panhandle hometown and his quietly going back to Georgia to get his college degree to further his business interests is commendable. His long-awaited victory will attract more fans who can relate to his edge-of-trainwreck nerves and style. He might finally become as popular with the masses as fellow Milton High product Boo Weekley, whose redneck trappings hang more naturally (and genuinely) on his shoulders. One thing this win does do for Watson -– it finally earns him the honorary status at Pensacola Country Club that is bestowed only on the regions PGA Tour winners. Watson insisted once he didnt care about that, but his body language betrayed how much it bothered him that school mates Weekley and Heath Slocum and Panhandlers Joe Durant and Jerry Pate all possessed a luxury he didnt have. Hell relish playing on equal footing from now on.

then turn toward the Court 1 player guest box where her parents were seated and put her palms up or shrug her shoulders, as if to indicate, “I dont know whats happening here.”

Tsvetana Pironkova tumbles on the grass in joy and relief. (AP) The five-time Wimbledon champion was out of sorts, out of answers and out of the tournament in the quarterfinals, stunned 6-2, 6-3 Tuesday by the lowest-ranked woman left, No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, meaning there wont be an all-Williams title match at the All England Club this year.

Williams double-faulted five times and totaled 29 unforced errors, 23 more than her solid-if-not-spectacular opponent.

“Didnt do myself any favors,” said the No. 2-seeded Williams, whose younger sister, No. 1 Serena, won Tuesday to reach the semifinals. “I missed all shots today: forehand, volley, backhand. You know, if there was a shot to miss, I think I missed it.”

It was the older Williams 77th career singles match at the All England Club - she participated in eight of the past 10 finals, lo and never had she won so few games. The only time shes been beaten at Wimbledon by someone ranked lower than Pironkova was all the way back on June 28, 1997, when the American lost her tournament debut to No. 91 Magdalena Grzybowska.

Really, the only factor preventing this result from truly being considered one of the biggest upsets in tennis history is that Pironkova actually managed to do this before: She defeated Williams at the 2006 Australian Open.

“I dont even really remember anything from last time,” Williams said. “Obviously, shes played well to get this far, but I dont think I did anything right today.”

Set seven Grand Slam titles, seven runner-up fin and consider the 22-year-old Pironkovas resume: She never made it beyond the second round in 18 previous Grand Slam events, and never made the final at any tournament.

“No one expected me to (reach a) semifinal in Wimbledon,” Pironkova said, “and to beat Venus Williams like that.”

But Pironkova, whos coached by her father, must have believed this was possible, right?

“If I have to be honest: no,” she said. “Coming here, I really just wanted to play a good game, to maybe win one or two rounds. But (a) semifinal looked, to me, very far.”

Well, now shes there.

On Thursday, Pironkova will face No. 21 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who added to the topsy-turvy day by coming back to oust No. 8 Kim Clijsters 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Unlike Pironkova, Zvonareva at least can boast of some experience at this stage, having reached the 2009 Australian Open semifinals.

On the other side of the draw, d lifting her total for the tournament to a Wim and made only six unforced errors in a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 9 Li Na of China.

“I havent seen her serve that well in a while,” said the Williams sisters mother, Oracene Price, who joked that “theyre stealing some aces from Serena; were counting.”

That Centre Court match began after Pironkovas victory was completed, so tennis two most successful chatted, already aware they would not meet in the Wimbledon final for a fifth time.

“I dont know if it affected my play too much,” Serena said.

She next faces yet another unheralded member of this years final four, 62nd-ranked Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic, who saved five match points and erased third-set deficits of 4-0 and 5-2 to eliminate 80th-ranked qualifier Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 4-6, 7-6 (8), 8-6.

“I play now very well, my best tennis in my life, my career,” said the left-handed Kvitova, who knocked off No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 14 Victoria Azarenka and No. 23 Zheng Jie en route to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Asked if she thinks she can win the title, the 20-year-old Kvitova replied: “I dont think so. No.”

Perhaps thats because she hadnt won a grass-court match until last week.

Pironkova and Kvitova give Wimbledon two unseeded women in the semifinals for the first time since 1999. Indeed, Serena Williams is the only remaining woman with a Grand Slam championship; she owns 12.

“Its not mine to lose; its mine to win, if I can get it,” the three-time Wimbledon champion said. “Theres three other people that are vying to win it. They have just as good a chance as I do.”

If you say so, Serena.

Zvonareva, at least, was in Wimbledons fourth round twice before. But she was 0-5 against Clijsters before turning things around this time by letting the two-time U.S. Open champion make mistakes.

Over the last two sets, Clijsters made 25 unforced errors, Zvonareva nine. After going 0 for 3 on break points in the opening set, Zvonareva converted 4 of 10 the rest of the way.

“I never really made her work for it all that much,” Clijsters said. “Thats probably the most disappointing thing.”

Z but was all business Tuesday, staying focused by draping a pink towel over her head during changeovers.

“It just helps me to relax and not to see what is going on around,” Zvonareva explained. “For me, its very important just to keep my concentration.”

That towel prevented her from catching score updates from Court 1, where Pironkova became the first woman representing Bulgaria to reach a major semifinal in the 42-year Open era.

As Pi and in the second game, Williams lost her footing as she strained to reach a forehand on the run. Williams stood and clutched at her lower back, but did not show any further signs of pain and said afterward she wasnt injured.

She turned 30 this month, and a pair of players who are younger and once were her opponents, Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova, played in the legends doubles event Tuesday. But Williams dismissed a question about whether she thinks at all about retiring.

“Today, I didnt seem to be the best tennis player, but for the most part, I rock and roll this game,” she said. “Ill give it up when Im just terrible. It would take more than just a few bad days in a year to make me quit tennis. So thats not even in the equation.”

The first test of Pironkovas nerves came in the fifth game, when she was serving at 15-40. But she saved both break points and claimed the game, thanks to four miscues in a row by Williams.

Pironkova then went ahead 4-2, breaking with the help of a double-fault and a wide backhand by Williams. And Williams was broken the next time she served, too, opening with a pair of double-faults. Pironkova earned the break and the first set with a backhand passing shot.

Pironkova created problems by mixing speeds and angles, hitting slices or squash shots, sometimes of the sort one is more likely to see on a public playground than the manicured lawns of Wimbledon.

“I didnt have a particular strategy,” Pironkova said.

Hey, whatever works.

She clearly flustered Williams, who kept muttering to herself or gesturing toward Mom and Dad.

“I got too caught up in the mistakes I was making, instead of just letting it go and moving on,” she said. “I expect a lot from myself, especially at this tournament.”

Williams finally appeared to make headway when she broke for a 2-1 lead in the second set. But a game later came the shot of the match: Williams hit a drop volley, and Pironkova sprinted up to flick a lob winner over her 6-foot-1 opponent.

Williams put her hand to her mouth, and Pironkova wheeled and hopped and pumped her fist.

“Wimbledon has always been like a religion to me. And I dont think its just for me - its for all of the players,” Pironkova said. “Its the oldest tournament. Growing up, every player is looking at Wimbledon. They say, One day I want to p including younger sister Elisa jumped to their feet, screaming and clapping, to celebrate pretty much every point Pironkova won. They even roared when her postmatch interview was shown on the scoreboard, and Pironkova excitedly spoke about the possibility of maybe getting a mention “on the news” back home.

Yes, Tsvetana, you certainly made news at Wimbledon on Tuesday, even if you werent sure you could.

Argentina forward Javier Pastore says coach Diego Maradonas vast World Cup experience is a major benefit to the squad ahead of Saturdays quarterfinal against Germany.

Maradona played in four World Cups from 1982 to 1994, winning the trophy in 1986 and reaching the final in 1990 - both times against Germany.

Pastore said Maradona had “gone through every experience” and “knows what to say” when players have doubts or questions.

The winner of the quarterfinal between Argentina and Germany will play either Spain or Paraguay in the semis.

PARIS (AP) - French legislators huddled behind closed doors to investigate an issue of national importance - not terrorism or recession, but the French football teams meltdown at the World Cup.

From taxi drivers to President Nicolas Sarkozy, France is taking the fiasco very close to heart and demanding answers. Wednesdays extraordinary parliamentary session defied a warning by footballs governing body that political power shouldnt meddle with sport.

For the French, this is about more than sports. Its a blow to the national honor at a time when the country is already worried about its decline in the world. Football-proud England and Italy, too, are wondering whether their World Cup failures are glitches or a sign of a broader malaise.

The way France, winner of the 1998 World Cup and runner-up in 2006, left this years Cup hurt the French as much as the losing itself.

They finished the first round without a single victory, after players went on strike and refused to train because forward Nicolas Anelka was sent home for insulting the coach. Then there was coach Raymond Domenechs last gesture at the Cup: refusing to shake hands with the rival coach after Frances final loss to South Africa.

Dubbed an “Affair of State” across front-page headlines for the past week, the debacle drove Sarkozy to summon an emergency meeting on French football, and Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot to trash the French team in parliament. Sarkozy has also announced a national symposium next October to rethink how national football is run.

On Wednesday, French lawmakers summoned Domenech and Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes for a grilling on how it all went so spectacularly wrong.

All of the political involvement has led FIFA President Sepp Blatter to warn that the French team risks suspension from global tournaments if authorities intervene in the running of the national soccer federation.

Parliament doesnt see it that way.

“It isnt FIFAs role to threaten French lawmakers; were in a democracy and parliamentarians have the right to hear anyone they want,” said lawmaker Eric Ciotti after Wednesdays hearing.

“This isnt just about football, its about France: Its our honor thats at stake,” added lawmaker Jacques Remiller. The exceptionally large turnout of journalists outside the hearing underscores what a national issue the teams fiasco has become, Remiller pointed out as some 200 reporters haggled with lawmakers for news from the session.

Lawmakers insist theyre not investigating Frances poor sports showing or the coachs dubious tactical decisions, but the teams attitude and the incompetence of federation managers.

French voters are “asking us about it, not about the actual athletic defeat but about the moral defeat,” said Michel Herbillon, vice president of the Parliamentary Commission of Cultural and Educational Affairs, which held the hearing.

Domenech retires next month, Escalettes has announced he is resigning. But many French people are still angry at the team, and football talk is everywhere on the streets.

“More heads have to roll, its the whole system thats rotten,” said Paris taxi driver Jean-Paul Poupin. He slammed Domenechs “lack of fair play,” but most of his dismay was aimed at the once-cherished national team.

“With the money they earn, its outrageous that they go on strike,” said the cabbie, echoing widespread grumbling on the general state of French society.

The World Cup routing of England and Italy has also triggered soul-searching.

Englands 4-1 second-round defeat to old rival Germany sparked a fevered and doom-laden debate about the future of English football and its Italian coach, Fabio Capello.

A motion in the House of Commons called for an urgent inquiry to be held into the state of the national game and voiced “great disappointment at Englands pathetic exit.” The motion, signed by two lawmakers, says it firmly believes that “many Premier League players are grossly overpaid and under-perform.”

Fans and media also criticized Capello, turning their attention to the Football Association, which is to decide whether Capello is to retain his job as the most highly paid manager in the international game.

One potential candidate to replace Capello injected a slight tone of nationalism into the debate.

“Surely we have to find a manager from England, an English manager,” storied coach Harry Rednapp was quoted as saying in British media reports.

“Im not talking about a Scottish manager or an Irish manager, Im talking about an English manager because this is where were from, this is our country.”

The England players havent escaped censure, with most lamenting the stars inability to reproduce their English Premier League form at international level. They also came under criticism for ignoring fans after returning home from the tournament.

In Italy, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconis has kept a low profile amid the teams disastrous campaign.

But members of the right-wing Northern League party in his coalition have said Italys football failure is a sign that the countrys top-tier league is opening up too much to foreigners.

“By filling up our teams with foreigners, our football players have become useless,” Davide Cavallotto of the Northern League was quoted as saying in Corriere della Sera after Italys elimination.

Other Italian politicians said the players were often too old, with little room left for younger generations.

In Paris, after Wednesdays hearing, Domenech and Espalettes left the National Assembly through a side door, carefully avoiding reporters.

Lawmakers said Domenech blamed LEquipe newspaper, which printed details of Anelkas expletive-laden tirade, for the disarray. Domenech also said the paper misquoted the player.

Lawmaker Lionel Tardy, reporting on the closed-door hearing live on Twitter, quoted Escalettes as voicing his “shame” at the “rotten, spoiled brats” on the French team.

—

Associated Press writers Alessandra Rizzo in Rome and Steve Wood in London contributed to this report.

A look at Day 20 Tuesday at the 2010 World Cup (all times EDT):

RESULTS

No games scheduled.

On Friday, Netherlands plays Brazil at Port Elizabeth, and Uruguay plays Ghana at Johannesburg in the quarterfinals.

—

FEUD?

Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger accused quarterfinals rival Argentina of showing no respect for opponents and referees. Germany eliminated Argentina on penalty kicks four years ago at the same stage and there were chaotic scenes after the shootout, with both sides exchanging punches and kicks in a fracas that included team officials from both benches.

“The shootout is still in our memory, but what really weighs heavily on our minds is what happened after that match,” Schweinsteiger said Wednesday. “We have to remain calm and not get provoked and I hope the referee will be very alert.

“You could see their behavior at halftime of the game against Mexico,” he added of a pushing and shoving incident during the second-round match. “When you look at their body language and gesticulations, they way they try to influence the referees, they have no respect. Its their mentality and character and well have to adjust.”

—

FRENCH FALLOUT

Lawmakers taking part in a closed-door hearing about Frances World Cup fiasco said coach Raymond Domenech refused to take any responsibility for his teams misbehavior and offered no real explanation for their debacle. Lawmakers said Domenech, who is retiring, tried to pin blame on the media during the parliamentary hearing. Prominent lawmaker Jean-Francois Cope said his testimony “wasnt very dignified.”

—

NIGERIAN FALLOUT

Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan suspended the national soccer team from international competition for two years after a poor showing at the World Cup. Nigeria left the competition with just one point, earned in a 2-2 draw with South Korea. Nigeria lost to Argentina 1-0 and Greece. The Super Eagles havent won a World Cup match since 1998. The Nigerians went out with two losses and a draw in 2002 and did not qualify for the 2006 World Cup.

—

TICKETS

Tickets are available for all four World Cup quarterfinals matches. FIFA says that 500 tickets are unsold for the Netherlands-Brazil match in Port Elizabeth on Friday. About 1,200 premier class tickets are available to see Uruguay play Ghana at Soccer City in Johannesburg the same day. And 300 tickets are unsold for the Argentina-Germany game in Cape Town on Saturday. No details were available on number of tickets to be sold for Paraguay-Spain at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

HISTORY

Ghana could become the first African team to make the semifinals by beating Uruguay. The last of the six African nations left in the World Cup, Ghana is in its first quarterfinals. Previously, Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 got to the final eight.

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QUOTABLE

“Were the best because we have more desire, we feel the heat of the game! Go, South America! Go, go! The people of Latin America are so passionate about everything we do - and thats what makes all the difference.” - Leticia Villaera, a 29-year-old Paraguayan flight attendant who on a six-hour layover in Rio watched on Copacabana beach as her team advanced for the first time to the quarterfinals, slipping by Japan on penalty shots.

Spain and Portugal are considered two of the bigger 2010 World Cup betting powerhouses but there is a big difference between the two: goal scoring. You might think that Portugal has the edge after they netted a total of seven goals in the opening round and didn’t concede a single one, but it’s in fact Spain who has the offensive punch and bettors might see Portugal end up goal-less again.

June 29th – 2:30 PM ET
Cape Town
Round Of 16

Team Spain – Betting Preview

Spain had a very slow start to their World Cup campaign and since soccer betting fans saw so many traditional contenders struggling, like Italy, France and England, many assumed that Spain in the same, sluggish boat.

As it turns out, that’s not the case. After a fluky loss to Switzerland, Spain bounced back with a big win over Honduras and Chile to emphatically claim Group H.

On the whole, Spain looked far more confident in their second and third games and really regained their form after a rough wakeup call.

They are a very complete team. With David Villa and Fernando Torres up front, the Portuguese defense is constantly going to be tested. The Red Fury’s midfielders have also really picked it up in the last two games, which has helped feed their strikers.

If they can continue to keep the possession and pass it around as beautifully as they have so far, they should have multiple opportunities to get the strikes they need.

Team Portugal – Betting Preview

Portugal had a ton of goal scoring issues heading into the World Cup and while many handicappers want to put them to bed after a big 7-0 win over North Korea, the reality is that they are still present.

Portugal couldn’t muster a goal against Brazil or Ivory Coast, which is somewhat of a concern. Obviously, those teams are fairly high caliber but Portugal didn’t really threaten them so much either.

The good news is that they have been really tight on their back end, which is a great sign. They haven’t allowed a single goal in the tournament so far and their defense has been real quality. We’ll see if it holds up against Spain.

Who To Bet On?

Cristiano Ronaldo is basically the entire offense for Portugal but as we’ve seen time and time again, it takes more than one weapon to get the job done. Betting fans saw this with Spain, who started the tournament with just David Villa up front in their loss to Switzerland, and then immediately started Villa alongside Fernando Torres in the team’s next game.

Betting fans know that he Red Fury have more offensive power and that will likely be the difference. Even if Ronaldo connects on a magical strike, Spain has the ability to counter. Meanwhile, if Spain gets up by a goal or two, Portugal, who hasn’t scored goals against anyone besides North Korea, might have trouble matching.

Spain Portugal Betting Pick: Spain

One team was expected to be in the round of 16 and one team wasn’t – can you guess who? Brazil, the World Cup betting favorites have cruised into the round of 16 whereas Chile, who admittedly was in a weak group, managed to advance as well. Chile beat up on Switzerland and Honduras but their performance in a 2-0 loss to Spain is something that we are more likely to see here.

June 28th – 2:30 PM ET
Cape Town
Round Of 16

Team Brazil – Betting Preview

Brazil is as loaded as it gets when it comes to talent and they have flashed it through the opening round. Their defense is among the best in the business, which is a big concern for their opponents going forward, but another issue is how to handle their offensive weapons.

So far in the tournament, Brazil has conceded a pair of goals but both came in mop-up time. When the contests have been on the line, they have hardly been threatened.

On offense, they don’t need much of an opening to get a lead. North Korea thought they had Brazil suffocated but as soon as they blinked, they found themselves down 2-0. The Ivory Coast also quickly found out what Brazilian soccer is all about. Chile better be on their game or betting fans won’t see this be much of a contest for long.

Team Chile – Betting Preview

Chile advanced to this point as a result of a weak group, which is still a good accomplishment but it cheapens their credibility. Soccer betting fans may want to think twice before betting this team to pull a monumental upset.

The Chileans won twice in the opening round but topping Switzerland and Honduras isn’t medal-worthy. In their third contest, they were worked over by Spain and a couple of defensive lapses – especially a 34-yard goal by David Villa – really gave handicappers and insight into where they are at.

They will be in very tough on Monday against Brazil and unless they can find at least one miracle goal, they likely won’t qualify.

Who To Bet On?

Brazil is the team to bet on in this contest. They are going to be in control of this contest from start to finish and they won’t give up many chance. While it might be tight for the first half, expect Brazil to break them down in the second half and get a comfortable 2-0 win.

Brazil Chile Betting Pick: Brazil

As Bubba Watson proved he can do more than turn a golf ball into a whistling vapor trail, the world of golf also has a new Yank atop the world rankings and it isnt Phil Mickelson. For the week after a U.S. Open, it was a surprisingly wild weekend and CBSSports.com senior writer Steve Elling is here to sort out the wallops from the whiffs.

Up

His real name is Gerry, by the way Even after all this time, Bubba Watson is one of the biggest enigmas on the entire PGA Tour. He prefers to be called Bubba, though he is no redneck. One week, he is humble to the core, espousing religion, deferential to others who far outstrip him on the golf totem pole. Other weeks, he comes across as brash and too big for his britches, as they might say in his stomping grounds in the Florida Panhandle. He can be alternately engaged or utterly aloof. He admits he probably has a raging case of ADD, which given the rapidity of his speech at times seems fairly certain, yet he wont take any meds. He isnt particularly close to the other two standouts from the same Panhandle high school, Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum. But no matter how you want to des after years of hype, television commercials and blather, the Bagdad (Fla.) bomber has finally won for the first time on a PGA Tour-sanctioned circuit, in his 185th start. As Arnies dad used to say, swing hard, kid, just in case you hit it. Watson lives and dies by the same creedo, and boy, does it ever make for entertaining television

Take 20 minutes and read this Of all the pulp, virtual Internet ink and paparazzi flashbulbs expended in the never-ending Tiger Woods affair, the Q&A with former swing coach Hank Haney might be the most illuminating look behind the Wizard of Ahhs secretive curtain yet. After recently ending a six-year relationship that Haney characterized as “dysfunctional,” the 55-year-old coach does nearly as much indirect damage to the dented Woods aura as anything his myriad mistresses and supposed baby moms have alleged. No question, Haney freely acknowledges that Woods is perhaps the greatest sports figure of our time, but the frank description of their client-pupil relationship says everything about the world No. 1s stubbornness and aloofness. More amazing is the fact that the interview was published by a magazine, often reticent to be critical of the world No. 1 in any regard, that includes Woods as a paid client. A couple of days after he parted ways with Woods, Haney sent me an e-mail that said words couldnt express the sense of relief he was feeling. Well, the words he used in the interview did a pretty fair job of accomplishing exactly that, not to mention explaining why he feels that way to begin with.

Lorena, what hell hath you wrought? While Tiger Woods has seemingly built a foundation reinforced with rebar as the reigning mens No. 1, a position he has enjoyed for five straight years, the womens game is in what you might charitably be called a full-fledged transitional phase. American Cristie Kerr won for the second time in as many events and became the first Daughter of Uncle Sam to ascend to No. 1, supplanting Japans Ai Miyazato, who a week earlier had unseated South Koreas Jiyai Shin, who inherited the throne when Lorena Ochoa abruptly retired midseason. But given t Kerr has the last three wins on tour b this is positive news. Kerr, whose ego has always outstripped her production, can finally lay claim to being the best player in the game and has a shot at becoming the first Yank to top the LPGA money list since 1993. Thats a No. 1 spot worthy of a far greater celebration.

Just once, I wish Cinderella would win We ought to be used to disappointment after the majors of 2009, when the sentimental favorites, if not those favored on the Vegas betting line, lost across the board at all four Grand Slam events. But on an even smaller scale, is it asking too much for the games capricious gods to toss a break to somebody like Madalitso Muthiya, who has a personal story so compelling, it could make double heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton sit up and take notice? Muthiya hails from decidedly humble means in impoverished Zambia and played at University of New Mexico, after the president of his country personally asked an American business contact to help land the personable Muthiya a college scholarship. In an era when there isnt a full-blooded black player, either from Africa or America, playing fulltime on the three major U.S.-based tours for men or women, a win last weekend in the Nationwide Tours Mexico Open would have been spectacularly welcome news on multiple continents. Muthiya, who has minimal status on the Nationwide and was making his first start of the year on that tour, began the day tied for third but slipped to T9 with a sloppy final round, though he did at least lock up a spot in the next Nationwide event in Ontario beginning July 8. Maybe hell have better luck north of the border than he did south of it.

Stark-ravin Pavin As we all know, in this era of bombers and bashers, he had no business even being there, really. Newly minted 50-year-old Corey Pavin is splitting time on the PGA and Champions tours, as much because hes still scouting prospects for his Ryder Cup roster this fall. He entered the Travelers Championship last week ranked dead last in driving distance on the PGA Tour at 256 yards per drive. Yet somehow, the tenacious Pavin found himself in a three-man playoff that included ball-smashing Bubba Watson, who ranks third in driving distance with an average of 296 yards, which is only two yards out of the No. 1 slot. Watson, needing a birdie, hit a measured drive on the final hole of regulation that or roughly 150 yards farther than Pavins effort. No knock on Bubba, but it was such a David-Goliath mismatch, plenty of us were rooting for the flyweight Pavin just on principle alone. Watso wi to secure his first tour title. But the half-hour affair reinforced one of the greatest elements of the game. On a given day, at a professional tour event or amateur club tournament, Mighty Mouse can play with Superman. Or for that matter, a mostly unheralded Frenchman ranked No. 395 in the world can nearly win a U.S. Open title.

Speaking of precocious 50s The unquestioned talk of the first round at the LPGA Championship last week was veteran Juli Inkster, who briefly topped the leaderboard before losing a few shots down the stretch. Inkster, already a Hall of Famer with seven majors among her 31 tour titles, eventually finished T62. “She doesnt act like she is 50 years old,” said Stacy Lewis, half Inksters age at 25. “She acts like she is one of us.” I guess we know what she meant by that, sort of. Inkster has a daughter that was born in 1990, making her older than some LPGA players. Its one thing for Pavin, Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh or even the ageless Tom Watson to contend into their late 40s and beyond, but in the womens game, its virtually unheard of. In the history of the LPGA, founded in 1950, only two players have won after turning 46, and none since 2003.

Finally in Philly: Woods and the PGA Tour Its one of those odd geographic deals that the PGA Tour would love to solve at some point. Philadelphia, which has become one of the countrys great sports towns, doesnt have a stop on the tour. Nor does St, Louis, considered the best sports city in the land. Finally, as part of a two-year deal while host site Congressional is being tweaked in advance of the 2011 U.S. Open, the AT&T National event has been moved this week to Aronimink outside Philly, giving the City of Brotherly Love its first glimpse at Woods as a professional (insert City of Sisterly Love here). The field is nothing to crow about, though with Woods in the mix, nobody will likely care, and while the dudes life has bigger cracks than the famous bell located thereabouts, if the tournament proves popular and a title sponsor can be located, maybe a permanent event can be added if theres room in the hearts of the denizens for more than just the Phillies, Eagles and Flyers. As an aside, since hes playing in a town that once booed Santa Claus, do you suppose Woods is feeling a bit nervous? Second random thought: Is a Philadelphia Flyer something you blame on V-grooves?

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South-of-the-border order A tip of the visor to former college player of the year Jamie Lovemark, who won the Nationwide Tours Mexico Open with one of the clutch shots of the year, a 6-iron from 235 yards to within 3 feet for eagle on the first hole of a two-man playoff, securing his first win at any level in three years. Lovemark, a second-year pro who lost in a Fall Series playoff on the PGA Tour last year perhaps a little too much. “This is the second-best tour in the world and theres no substitute for playing at this level of competition,” the former USC star gushed. Well, if the tour is as deep as he claimed, its hard to envision how two lightly regarded locals, Efren Serna and Jose Rodriguez, chased him all over the back nine on Sunday before finishing in third and fourth place. Besides, based on the way the Europeans are slaying the Yanks on the world stage lately, the PGA Tour is in a dead heat for firepower with the European Tour at the moment. Sorry, but the Nationwide shouldnt be mentioned in the same sentence, much less the conversation, as the other two circuits.

Your tax dollars, not-so-hard at work This is, what, the second time that mysterious, federally funded forces have conspired to not only watch Tiger Woods back, but the top of his head? According to a detailed report from the , the FBI called the FAA during the final round of the U.S. Open and ordered an aviation company that trails airplane banners overhead to cease and desist, though it had absolutely no power to do so. The company had been contracted to fly banners reading, “Tiger: Are You My Daddy” and “Happy Fathers Day Tiger LOL,” but was waved off before the second banner was ever used. For background, Woods spent much of the week privately stewing about two lingering paternity issues involving women with whom he has been linked. As for the feds, according to the report, there is absolutely no legal grounds be it on the back of an airplane or on a bumper sticker. At the Masters in April, a plane trailing a banner about Woods was ordered grounded after a curiously timed spot FAA inspection found a minor seatbelt violation. Nobody wants to hear about how this is a safety issue, because thats complete crap. If that were really the case, why would they allow motorized hang gliders to hover a few yards overhead on the seaside holes at Torrey Pines each year?

Andy Roddicks mood was subdued, his words curt.

Once again, hes leaving Wimbledon without the champions trophy. Only this time and after being beaten by a far-less-accomplished opponent.

The No. 5-seeded American erased an early deficit to even his fourth-round match against 82nd-ranked Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan, then got broken for the only time all day in the very last game and lost 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 9-7 despite hitting 38 aces Monday.

“It never gets easier,” said Roddick, a three-time runner-up at Wimbledon. “Of course Im going to be [ticked] off when I wake up tomorrow. I mean, if you got fired from your job, you probably wouldnt wake up the next day in a great mood.”

This one sure looked like a mismatch going in, and not only because Roddick won all three previous meetings in straight sets.

Roddick, after all, is a former No. 1 who won the 2003 U.S. Open and played in four other major finals, losing each to Roger Federer, including 16-14 in the fifth set at the All England Club in 2009.

And Lu? The guy arrived last week with a 6-18 career record in majors, including five consecutive first-round exits. He also lost in Wimbledons first round the past four years. So even he had doubts as the match stretched beyond 4½ hours.

“Fifth set, I dont believe I can win, because hes [a] better server than me,” Lu said. “But I just tell myself, Even [if] I dont believe, I have to fight.”

He pointed to the sky after ending the match with a forehand passing shot, dedicating the victory to his late father, a chicken farmer who died in 2000.

Lus coach, Dirk Hordorff said: “Sometimes hes mentally not strong enough. But today he showed he was strong enough.”

The second Monday at Wimbledon is one of the great spectacles in tennis, with all 32 remaining men and women in action, and there was quite an array of stars spread around the grounds. With the temperature moving into the 80s, and a cloudless sky, past Wimbledon champions Federer, and won in straight sets.

Taiwans Yen-hsun Lu pulls off a stunning upset at Wimbledon. (AP) “A wonderful day for the fans,” said Federer, who beat No. 16 Jurgen Melzer in the main stadium, then observed, “Obviously I know every corner of this Centre Court. It helps.”

Serena Williams followed him out there and pounded 19 aces in her 7-6 (9), 6-4 victory over 2004 champion Maria Sharapova.

“I had a few looks at her serve,” Sharapova said, “but even when you had a good look, and the balls coming at you in the 120s [mph], its pretty tough to do much with it.”

In a matchup between former No. 1s and Grand Slam champions from Belgium who recently came out of retirement, No. 8 Kim Clijsters beat No. 17 Justine Henin 2-6, 6-2, 6-3. Henin slid and tumbled to the grass in the matchs third game, jarring her right elbow, and wasnt the same the rest of the way.

Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 winner at the All England Club, lost to 2008 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4, 3- Britains hope defeated No. 18 Sam Querrey of Santa Monica, Calif., 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 and is the only man yet to drop a set.

Lus victory over Roddick was Mondays most significant surprise, by far, but it wasnt the only one.

The 62nd-ranked Petra Kvitova knocked off No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki, last years U.S. Open runner-up, 6-2, 6-0; while No. 82 Tsvetana Pironkova eliminated No. 11 Marion Bartoli, the 2007 Wimbledon runner-up, 6-4, 6-4.

Kvitova and Pironkova each reached her first major quarterfinal. On Tuesday, Pironkova takes on five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, and the 22-year-old Bulgarian is not likely to be too intimidated: She beat the American at the 2006 Australian Open.

The older Williams sister picked up a 6-4, 7-6 (5) victory Monday over 92nd-ranked Jarmila Groth, but this was no easy day of work. Williams showed up late at the office, strolling out at 12:09 p.m. for their scheduled noontime match, saying later she expected to be escorted to remote Court 2.

“I was waiting on someone to get me. No one came. So eventually I just came out,” said Williams, who twice broke when Groth served for the second set. “I saw everyone else leave. I thought, OK, time to go.”

It was a tight match, but Groth is far less experienced in these matters than Williams, who advanced 31 more than Groth. At 5-all in the tiebreaker, Groth double-faulted to hand over a match point, then dumped a forehand into the net.

In the other quarterfinals, Clijsters faces No. 21 Vera Zvonareva, who advanced when No. 4 Jelena Jankovic quit because of a back injury; Kvitova plays 80th-ranked qualifier Kaia Kanepi; and Serena Williams meets No. 9 Li Na.

The mens quarterfinal matchups Wednesday will be top-seeded Federer vs. No. 12 Tomas Berdych; No. 2 Nadal vs. No. 6 Robin Soderling in a rematch of this months French Open final; No. 3 Djokovic vs. Lu; and No. 4 Murray vs. No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Nadal, the 2008 champion who was forced to five sets the previous two rounds, breezed past Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-4, 6-2, 6-2, showing no sign of being hampered by his bothersome right knee. Soderling edged No. 9 David Ferrer 6-2, 5-7, 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 to make the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time.

Lu is the only unseeded man left. Indeed, w he was asked to size up a meeting against the American.

Who could have expected Lu to win? He didnt even earn a single break point against Roddick through the first three sets, yet led by virtue of being more solid in the matchs first two tiebreakers.

“Through three sets I was playing horrendously, I mean really, really badly,” Roddick said. “I was trying to think of how to put balls in the court. I think the fifth set was probably the best set that I played … but when you dig yourself a hole, its tough to get out.”

By the end, Roddick had won more total points, 199-196. But Lu served much better than he had in their past matches, winning 101 of 124 points in his service games and saving 7 of 8 break points, including 3 of 3 in the final set.

He had one break point in the fourth set, which Roddick saved, and one in the fifth, at 8-7. Roddick began the last game by missing a forehand wide, then shanked another one. At 30-all, Roddick hit an apparent ace, but Lu challenged the call, and the replay showed it was a fault. Roddicks second serve came at 98 mph, and Lu drilled a return that forced Roddick into a forehand error.

Suddenly, it was match point, and Lu got back a 133 mph serve, then smacked a winner for his first victory over a top-10 opponent since defeating Murray in the first round at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Lu sat in his sideline chair, buried his face in a towel, and immediately thought of his late father, who used to take him to tennis lessons. After Lu became the first man from Taiwan to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam, his mother and brother went to the hill where his father is buried to give him the good news.

After Mondays victory, Hordorff told his charge: “Now your family can go again, and tell him that youre in the last eight.”

Roddick, meanwhile, was left to stew about what has to be one of the most disappointing losses of his career, given the tournament, the round and the opponent.

“He deserved to win more than I did,” Roddick said. “Thats for sure.”

Paraguay advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time by beating Japan 5-3 in a penalty shootout Tuesday after a 0-0 draw.

Yuichi Komano hit the crossbar on the third penalty, while substitute Oscar Cardozo walked up casually and scored the winning kick, sending the South Americans into wild celebrations on the pitch.

Paraguay will face either Spain or Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Both teams played cautiously, but didnt lack scoring opportunities.

Paraguay dominated possession in the first half, but Japan had the better chances. Midfielder Daisuke Matsui intercepted a poor clearance from the Paraguay defense and his shot from 25 yards (meters) hit the crossbar in the 22nd. Keisuke Honda curled a shot just wide from the edge of the area after a quick break down the right by Matsui in the 40th.

Paraguay forward Lucas Barrios latched onto to a throughball in the 20th and sidestepped the last defender into the penalty area, but his weak shot with the outside of his foot went straight at Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima.

Roque Santa Cruz wasted a good chance for Paraguay just before the half hour mark when a corner glanced off another player and fell to him about six yards out, but the strikers shot went wide of Kawashimas left post.

There was more of the same in the second half, with Paraguay dominating possession but doing little with it.

Japan left back Yuto Nagatomos close-range shot in the 54th deflected off a Paraguay defender straight at goalkeeper Justo Villar. Japan center back Yuji Nakazawa made a crucial block in the 56th of a close-range shot by Edgar Benitez and the ball went out for a corner.

Paraguay midfielder Christian Riveros then headed straight at Kawashima in the 59th. There was little other action in the second half.

Paraguay had the best chance in the first period of extra time in the 97th, when Claudio Morel cut in from the left and fed the ball to a sliding Nelson Valdez, but the substitutes effort went straight to Kawashima.

Japans prowess from free kicks nearly paid off again in the 98th when Honda forced a save by Villar. The Asian team pressed for a winner in the dying minutes of extra time, but didnt have enough players forward when a cross went across the face of goal with no Paraguay defenders covering the empty space.

The South Americans have a solid defense and conceded only one goal, against Italy, in the tournament. Japan also defends well in a 4-5-1 formation and the team only let in two goals in its four matches.

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Lineups:

Paraguay: Justo Villar, Claudio Morel, Carlos Bonet, Paulo Da Silva, Antolin Alcaraz, Nestor Ortigoza (Edgar Barreto, 75), Enrique Vera, Christian Riveros, Roque Santa Cruz (Oscar Cardozo, 94), Lucas Barrios, Edgar Benitez (Nelson Valdez, 60).

Japan: Eiji Kawashima, Yuichi Komano, Yuto Nagatomo, Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yuki Abe (Kengo Nakamura, 81), Daisuke Matsui (Shinji Okazaki, 65), Yasuhito Endo, Makoto Hasebe, Yoshito Okubo (Keiji Tamada, 106), Keisuke Honda.