Another weekend at Quail Hollow without Woods

Fans and officials help Tiger Woods, center back, look for his lost golf ball on the fifth hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 4, 2012. Woods was given a free drop after it was determined the ball was picked up by a fan. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Fans and officials help Tiger Woods, center back, look for his lost golf ball on the fifth hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 4, 2012. Woods was given a free drop after it was determined the ball was picked up by a fan. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Webb Simpson hits from the rough on the 10th hole during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

Nick Watney and his caddy line up a putt on the 16th green during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club, Friday, May 4, 2012, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Stewart Cink hits from the 18th fairway during the second round of the Wells Fargo Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, May 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) ? It's becoming a tradition like no other experienced by Tiger Woods ? a weekend at Quail Hollow without him.

He missed the cut two years ago in the Wells Fargo Championship with the highest 36-hole score of his career, a surprise but not entirely unexpected because it was only his second tournament since his return from the downfall in his personal life. Friday was more stunning, not only because he missed a 4-foot birdie putt on his 17th hole that would have allowed him to make the cut, but it came just more than a month after he won at Bay Hill.

Woods, though, reminded that it was all part of the process.

He didn't use those words ? he has said them enough during his swing changes ? but that's what he meant.

Even as Nick Watney rediscovered his game with a 64 to take a one-shot lead going into the weekend, Woods was explaining that swing changes take time, even if he has a trophy to show for it.

When he revamped his swing under Butch Harmon after a record-setting win at the 1997 Masters, it took nearly two years for him to get it right. He switched to Hank Haney, and it was close to two years before he was out with old and fully understood a new way of playing golf.

"So it takes time to get rid of old patterns," Woods said after a 1-over 73 to miss the cut by one shot. "It takes hundreds of thousands ? if not millions ? of golf balls, but eventually it comes around. I've had my share of successes, and I know it's coming."

It just won't be coming this weekend.

Woods turned the show over to Watney, whose 12-under 132 was a surprise for different reasons. Watney, a two-time winner a year ago who started this season at No. 12 in the world ranking, had failed to record a top 10 in his nine stroke-play events this year. He had not finished among the top 30 when playing against a full field. And he had failed to break 70 in the previous nine rounds before he arrived at Quail Hollow.

Worse yet, he missed the cut for the first time since last July at New Orleans a week ago.

"I think last week was a wake-up call for me," Watney said. "And I've worked really hard these five days leading into this event. I think it just shows I'm making progress. Who knows what's going to happen this weekend, but I'm really excited for it. More hard work, and hopefully I'll be in this position a lot more."

With such low scoring in hot, steamy conditions, it was the first time in the 10-year history of this tournament that the cut was under par. It was reflected in a bunched leaderboard, too, so very little has been settled except that Woods won't be part of the rest of the action.

Webb Simpson, who invited Watney to stay in his home about a mile away this week, was the star in Woods' group as he posted a tidy 68 and was just one shot out of the lead.

Right behind were Stewart Cink (69), Ben Crane (64), D.A. Points (68) and John Senden (68), who looked like he might catch Watney for the lead until he turned a birdie into a bogey on the par-5 seventh late in his round by hitting over the green and under a tree.

Ryan Moore, penalized one shot when his golf ball moved ever so slightly on a 10-inch par putt, had a 70 and was another shot behind. Not to be forgotten is Rory McIlroy, who turned 23 on Friday and ended his round with a birdie on the tough par-4 ninth hole for a 68. He was six shots behind, which was far better than his spot when he won in 2010 after making the cut on the number.

"So being only six back should be easy," McIlroy said with a laugh, knowing it will be anything but that.

The cut became a talking point Friday, and while Woods captured most of the attention, he wasn't alone. Vijay Singh and Joe Ogilvie each made triple bogey on their last holes to miss the cut. Rory Sabbatini finished 6-6 ? triple bogey, double bogey ? to miss the cut.

Phil Mickelson was on the cut line and facing the dangerous 17th and 18th holes. He played them flawlessly for pars for a 72, although he was 11 shots behind. Lee Westwood was outside the cut line until he holed an 18-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th and finished with a par and a 72.

Woods missing the cut, however, is always news.

It was only the eighth time in 267 events on the PGA Tour when he missed the cut, and it was the first time he had missed the cut twice in one tournament. Woods didn't make it to the weekend last year at Quail Hollow because he didn't play. He was nursing what was described as minor injuries to his left leg that turned out to be a lot more.

That makes three straight years at the Wells Fargo Championship without golf's star attraction. In his previous five trips to Quail Hollow, he won once and never finished worse than 11th.

"This is one of my favorite tour stops, and unfortunately, I'm just not going to be around for the last two days," Woods said.

For the second straight day, Woods was done in by sloppy mistakes ? a pulled tee shot on the 12th, a three-putt on the 13th, a poor chip on the 18th, and a wedge from 105 yards on the par-5 seventh that nearly went into the water. He made an 18-foot par putt to keep alive his hopes of making the cut, but that ended when he missed the 4-foot birdie putt on the next hole.

"I think he's playing pretty well," said Geoff Ogilvy, in the group with Woods and Simpson. "He hit four or five pretty loose shots of the tee, and one into 5. If he'd holed putts, he'd be in contention. He wouldn't be out of the tournament. I think he's actually getting there. I think he's doing a lot of good stuff. If he tells you he's close, I think it's actually right. But he has to putt better."

Next up is The Player Championship, where Woods has finished out of the top 10 more than any other tournament. He has failed to finish the tournament at Sawgrass the last two years, withdrawing on Sunday in 2010 with a neck injury, and after a 42 on the front nine last year with a left Achilles tendon injury.

Associated Press

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On anniversary of Bin Laden's death, Romney says he would have given the order

Controversy has swirled over a earlier comment by the candidate that he opposed sending troops into Pakistan.

Once a moment of national unity, the political battle over Osama bin Laden's death intensified Monday as presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney sought to minimize the role President Barack Obama has carved out for himself in killing the terrorist leader.

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The president's re-election campaign has raised questions about Romney's willingness to assassinate the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. Obama authorized the U.S. military raid in Pakistan that ended with bin Laden's death after a decade in hiding one year ago this week.

Romney pushed back Monday, saying "of course" he would have made the same decision.

"Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order," Romney said, referencing the former president in his answer to a reporter's question after a campaign appearance in New Hampshire.

Romney was scheduled to appear Tuesday in New York City with firefighters and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani to help mark Wednesday's anniversary of bin Laden's death. Obama and his national security team will be featured in a NBC prime-time special Wednesday night that reconstructs the operation from inside the White House Situation Room.

Obama said Monday that the anniversary is a time for reflection, not celebration.

"I hardly think you've seen any excessive celebration taking place here," he said at a White House news conference. "I think that people, the American people, rightly remember what we as a country accomplished in bringing to justice somebody who killed over 3,000 of our citizens."

But Obama is using the successful military operation to help maximize a political narrative that portrays him as having the courage to make the tough calls his opponent might not.

Bin Laden was killed his compound in Abbottabod, Pakistan, by U.S. Navy SEALs after evading capture for nearly 10 years.

Obama sent in the U.S. forces with no assurance that bin Laden was at the site, leading to a heart-pounding scene in the Situation Room that was captured in one of the most famous photos of Obama's presidency.

But Romney and his advisers suggested Monday that the decision to order the raid was an easy one. In evoking Carter, however, Romney may have clouded his message.

Carter demonstrated how dangerous such decisions can be when he ordered an attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran. The 1980 mission ultimately embarrassed the nation, ending with the death of eight servicemen and the loss of several American helicopters. The hostage crisis lasted more than a year and helped deny Carter a second term.

On Sunday, Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs said it was unclear whether Romney would have made the same decision as Obama.

"Look, just a few years ago, President Obama ? then a candidate ? said in a speech that if we had actionable intelligence of a high-value target in Pakistan, we'd go in and get that high value target," Gibbs said on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''Mitt Romney said that was foolish. He wouldn't do such a thing. That he wouldn't move heaven and earth to get Osama bin Laden."

Obama's campaign last week released a video featuring former President Bill Clinton that seeks to reinforce Gibbs' doubts about what Romney would have done in that situation. "Which path would mitt Romney have taken?" the video asks.

Democrat Arianna Huffington, founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post, said the campaign ad went too far.

"I think it's one thing to celebrate the fact that they did such a great job. All that is perfectly legitimate," she said on CBS' "This Morning." ''But to turn it into a campaign ad is one of the most despicable things you can do."

Former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu, a key Romney supporter who was chief of staff in the first Bush White House, said Obama is wrongly taking credit for bin Laden's killing. Sununu said the decision to strike was ultimately made by a Navy admiral.

"It's wrong in taking credit and it's wrong in implying that someone else would not have made the same decision," Sununu said before Romney addressed a crowd on Portsmouth Fish Pier. "There is no way that anyone sitting in that White House would not have at least done what he did."

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Hundreds held after Egypt Defense Ministry clash

Armored Egyptian military vehicles block the road outside of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012. Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections.(AP Photo/Ahmed Hammad)

Armored Egyptian military vehicles block the road outside of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012. Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections.(AP Photo/Ahmed Hammad)

Armored Egyptian military vehicles block the road outside of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012. Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections.(AP Photo/Ahmad Hammad)

Protesters take shelter during brick throwing clashes outside the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012. Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections. (AP photo/Hamada Elrasam)

Injured protesters are evacuated by motorbike in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012. Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections.(AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)

Protesters light a bonfire during clashes outside of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, May 4, 2012. Egyptian armed forces and protesters clashed in Cairo on Friday, with troops firing water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who threw stones as they tried to march on the Defense Ministry, a flashpoint for a new cycle of violence only weeks ahead of presidential elections.(AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)

CAIRO (AP) ? Military prosecutors have detained over 300 Egyptian protesters following clashes outside the country's Defense Ministry who face accusations including attacking troops and disrupting public order, lawyers said Saturday.

Lawyer Ragia Omran said that the roundup is one of the largest mass arrests to follow violent protests during the country's troubled transition. The detainees, who include 18 women, are being interrogated by military prosecutors and could face military trials, she said.

The clashes broke out Friday during an attempt by protesters to march on the Defense Ministry. One soldier was reported killed and over 300 people injured by tear gas, rocks, and live fire. Security officials said 140 soldiers were injured.

The violence followed the first sustained large-scale protests near the ruling generals' headquarters since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in an uprising last year. The military council had warned the demonstrators before the march that deadly force would be used against them if they approached the ministry. One warned protesters they would be approaching the "lion's den."

These protests have also been spearheaded by Islamists rather than members of the country's left- and liberal-leaning revolutionary movements.

The detainees now face charges of attacking military troops, belonging to groups that aim to disrupt public order and being present in restricted military areas. Omran said the number of detainees could still rise.

Maj. Gen. Mukhtar al-Mullah, a member of the military council, warned late Friday in a televised statement that those involved in or instigating violence would be arrested. An overnight curfew was declared in the area.

On Saturday, the head of the military council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi visited the injured troops and inspected the area of the clashes. State TV showed footage of the funeral of the slain soldier.

The tension in the area started earlier this week when protesters, predominantly supporters of an ultraconservative presidential candidate who was barred from running in the May 23-24 presidential election, held a sit-in outside the ministry.

Deadly clashes broke out when apparent supporters of the military rulers attacked the mostly Islamist crowd.

Nine people were killed in those clashes, drawing in antimilitary protesters from different revolutionary groups who call for the military to stick to its pledges to step down after the elections.

The violence cast a shadow over presidential elections, due to begin in three weeks.

Anger at the ruling military council, which took power after Mubarak's ouster, has risen across the political spectrum. The generals are accused of steering a messy transition, using oppressive measures and maneuvering to maintain a degree of power even after the presidential election and handover of authority.

The Islamists have joined in after the disqualification of two heavyweight Islamists, Abu Ismail and Muslim Brotherhood chief strategist Khairat el-Shater, whose group has been frustrated that its domination of parliament ? where it holds nearly half the seats ? has not translated into political power.

The military still has the support of many members of the public who are critical of the disruptions caused by street protests or who believe that it provides strong government.

The generals renewed this week their pledge to hand over power as soon as a president is elected.

Associated Press

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The C-RAM Centurion Tears Up Warheads With a Stream of Hot Lead [Video]

The US Navy's Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) is the last line of defense against inbound rocket and missile attacks. When it detects inbound threats, it automatically unleashes a torrent of armor-piercing rounds. And, not content to let the Navy have all the fun, the US Army is currently developing its own land-locked version, the C-RAM Centurion. More »

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Adam Yauch's Beastie Boys Videos: A History

MTV News looks at the best Beastie clips of all time, including ones directed by MCA (or Nathanial Hornblower) himself.
By Gil Kaufman

Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch
Photo: Ron Galella/ Getty Images

There are bands that make great music and others that make great videos. But there is a rare breed of act that makes both. Since their very earliest days, the Beastie Boys were in that latter category.

From the frat-boy fun of 1986's "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)" video to what will likely be their final clip, a 2011 all-star clip to promote the Hot Sauce Committee Part Two single "Make Some Noise" and the "Fight for Your Right Revisited" film, the B-Boys not only had fun, they made sure we did too.

With the passing of Adam Yauch (a.k.a. MCA) on Friday (May 4) at age 47 following a three-year battle with cancer, MTV News takes a look back at some of the trio's most beloved clips, as well as the ones directed by Yauch under his Swedish pseudonym, Nathaniel Hornblower.

"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)"
This is the one that launched MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D to global stardom. The party anthem was accompanied by a very literal video in which, well, the fellas throw a crazy party and trash the joint.

"No Sleep Till Brooklyn"
Young, wild and free, the Boys lampoon heavy-metal knuckleheads after a cheesy club promoter turns them away when they show up with their "instruments" (i.e. scratch-ready records). Wearing metal wigs and Poison-worthy spandex, they soon strip down to their streetwise uniforms and start raising some hell and engaging in the kinds of shenanigans they became infamous for when they hit the road with Madonna on their first major tour. It's silly and amateurish, but then again, so were they at that time.

"Hey Ladies"
In one of the first of many clips in which the trio would slip into a number of alternate personas, this video from Paul's Boutique had it all: sushi chefs, eight-track tapes, disco dancing, human clocks, cowbells, pimp suits, a mariachi band, fake mustaches and goatees, scuba diving, Afro wigs, "Saturday Night Fever" homages, a "Free James Brown" subliminal message, a 1970s Vincent Van Gogh and the original appearance of booty pads.

"So What Cha Want"
They weren't all high-concept. Yauch was behind the lens for this 1992 mind-tripper, which simply tracked the three MCs as they flexed and rapped their way through a forest tricked out with negative-image special effects intercut with ominous nature footage.

"Sabotage"
The ne plus ultra of Beastie videos, this '70s cop-show spoof directed by pal Spike Jonze is one of the funniest and most creative clips in music-video history. Action-packed and simultaneously utterly ridiculous, the mini-movie finds the Boys cruising the streets of San Francisco in a late model sedan while chasing the bad buys in an increasingly ridiculous series of wigs, mustaches and costumes. Yauch appears as the dapper Sir Stewart Wallace, as well as Nathan Wind playing Cochese.

Filmed by Hornblower, this classic spoof of Japanese monster movies from 1998's Hello Nasty is again awash in absurd costumes as Yauch makes popping, locking killer robots look expensively cheap. Between shots of the haz-mat-suit-wearing MCs posing and rapping in Tokyo subway stations and streets into a fish-eye lens, we see their scientific alter egos trying to save their giant robot from getting short-circuited by a sea creature.

"Body Movin' "
Yauch/Hornblower went highbrow with the video for this Hello Nasty single, which was inspired by the beloved cult 1968 Italian cat-burglar caper "Danger Diabolik." Once again, Yauch dressed himself and his partners-in-crime in absurd outfits and had them act out everything from laughable sword fights (complete with a bloody Yauch beheading) to catapult escapes, helicopter vs. car chase scenes and midair parachute wrestling matches.

"Ch-Check It Out"
Not as well known, this kinetic Hornblower clip from 2004 is another mix of aggressive into-the-camera rapping, with bits of everything from "Star Trek" homages and swamp airboat chases to the Boys in old-lady drag throwing fish across the avenue at their male counterparts.

Related Videos

• Adam Yauch: Remembering A Beastie Boy
• Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch: 1964-2012

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• Beastie Boys

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Marketplace for Windows Phone gets 22 more stamps in its passport

If you've been holed up in Thailand, waiting to browse the latest and greatest apps for your Windows Phone online, then things are looking up. Microsoft has just announced that 22 new countries are being graces with their own online Marketplace. The full list covers Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Israel, Thailand, and Vietnam. The same blog post advises that work is also underway to improve the search results delivered by the site. So you might not have to play Hungry Birds for much longer.

Marketplace for Windows Phone gets 22 more stamps in its passport originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 07:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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