Clarke Its a new dimension that wasnt there last year and it

PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Nothing was dull about the way Jason Dufner played golf Friday at the PGA Championship. If anything, it was historic. Dufner holed out from the fairway for eagle, rolled in a putt across the green for par and kept making birdies until he stood 12 feet away from a shot at the lowest score in the 153 years of championship golf. One last birdie attempt didnt even get to the hole, and Dufner had to settle for a record-tying round of 7-under 63. "Probably the worst putt I hit of the day, which is a little disappointing," Dufner said. "But all in all, its a 63, and name on top of the leaderboard. So thats a great position to be playing from." It was the third time in the last seven years at the PGA Championship that a player had a putt at becoming the first player to shoot 62 in a major. Tiger Woods circled the hole at Southern Hills in 2007. Steve Stricker narrowly missed at Atlanta Athletic Club two years ago. Dufner didnt feel disappointed for long. On a rain-softened Oak Hill, where pelt-sized divots were flying and birdies were falling, Dufner surged to a two-shot lead over Masters champion Adam Scott, Jim Furyk and Matt Kuchar. At 9-under 131, Dufner tied the 36-hole record at the PGA Championship he now shares with six other players. Dufner was alone at the top, and in the company of some big names in history. His 63 broke the course record at Oak Hill held by Ben Hogan, Curtis Strange and Webb Simpson, who shot 64 about five hours earlier. Dufner became the 24th player to shoot 63 in a major -- Greg Norman and Vijay Singh, both in the Hall of Fame, did it twice. And through it all, he barely cracked a smile. "Hes very calm," said Stricker, who played alongside Dufner. "Im sure he was churning on the inside. He just told me while we were signing our cards, he was like, This is a lot for a Friday." The possibilities were endless on a day that began with three hours of a steady rain until the sun broke through and took all the bite out of Oak Hill. Simpson also had a chance at 63 until he made a bogey on the 16th hole of his round. U.S. Open champion Justin Rose shot 29 on the front nine to get back into contention. When the second round finally ended, 27 players remained under par -- this on a course that is stubborn when it comes to par. In five previous majors at Oak Hill, only nine players have finished the tournament in red numbers. Jack Nicklaus did it twice. David Hearn is the only Canadian remaining in the field. The Brantford, Ont., native sits tied for 50th place, 11 shots back of the lead. The cut was at 143, the lowest at the PGA Championship since 2001 at Atlanta Athletic Club. For all the low scores, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were left behind. Woods couldnt get anything going, exchanging birdies with bogeys during a poor putting round that led to an even-par 70. He was at 1-over 141 and 10 shots back going into the weekend. Woods went to the range with his swing coach, trying to find answers. He has only one score in the 60s in 14 rounds at the majors this year. "Obviously, Im going to have to put together a really good weekend," Woods said. "This golf course is pretty soft. Its definitely gettable. Got to hit the ball in play and keep the ball near the hole so I can be aggressive with my putts." Mickelsons swing apparently went missing in the three weeks since he won the British Open. He was all over Oak Hill and still managed a 34 on the back nine until his wild shots caught up with him. Another 71 left him 11 shots out of the lead. Dufner was in prime position to win the PGA Championship two years ago when he had a four-shot lead with four holes to play, only to be tracked down by Keegan Bradley and then beaten in a playoff. Dufner said that day he would only be disappointed "if I never get another chance." And here he is, in record fashion. Dufners popularity has grown the last two years because of his zombie state. He was responsible for the craze known as "Dufnering" in April when someone took a photo of him slumped against a classroom wall, eyes in a daze, during a charity event at an elementary school as the teacher taught children how to relax and concentrate. But there were nerves, no doubt, and Dufner showed them at the very end. A 6-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole put him at 7 under for the round, and his 15-foot birdie putt on the next hole grazed the cup. He followed with two flawless swings on the tough 18th hole, which had yielded only four birdies at that point. That left him about 12 feet below the hole. And he left it short by about 18 inches. There even was a nervous moment on the tap-in, when the ball came off the putter weakly and dove in the right corner of the cup. "Its tough when youre chasing history," Dufner said. "You will be the first one to do something. I dont think Ive been the first to do anything in my life. So it was a little nerve-racking for a Friday. Its usually the pressure you might feel toward the end of the tournament." That part is still to come. Low scores were available to anyone. Even after Dufner finished his round, K.J. Choi had an 18-foot birdie putt on the 16th hole to reach 7 under. It narrowly missed, and Choi made bogey on the next hole to end that threat. Scott is swinging the club beautifully, and his only flaw Friday was not holing enough birdie chances when the rain stopped. Even so, he was in the hunt on the weekend for the fourth time in the last six majors. He will be in the final group with Dufner on Saturday. Henrik Stenson, a runner-up at Muirfield, had a 66 and joined Rose at 6-under 134, only three shots behind. Stricker and Robert Garrigus were another shot behind. Dufner is a student of golf history and was thrilled to part of it. But while that 63 put him in the record book, it doesnt guarantee the trophy. Of the 25 previous times that someone shot 63 in a major, only five players went on to win -- Nicklaus and Johnny Miller in the U.S. Open, Norman in the British Open, and Woods and Raymond Floyd in the PGA Championship. Now thats some elite company. Justin Upton Jersey . Collaros, 25, was solid last season, posting a 5-2 record as the starter while incumbent Ricky Ray was injured. Collaros also started Torontos 23-20 regular-season finale loss to Montreal — Ray didnt dress because the Argos had already clinched first in the East Division — but was one of three quarterbacks to play that day. Albert Pujols Angels Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. http://www.baseballangelslockroom.com/matt-harvey-angels-jersey/ . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Andrelton Simmons Angels Jersey . Vettel, who has already clinched his fourth straight F1 title, enters the finale with a chance to equal Michael Schumachers 13 victories in a year and match the record of nine consecutive wins by Alberto Ascari in the 1952 and 1953 seasons. J. C. Ramirez Angels Jersey . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed.Warrington, Widnes and Wigan have showed the best form ahead of crunch weekend but which team can gain the most? This is how Super League looks right now as we approach what is a significant Easter weekend.Warrington, Widnes and Wigan have been the best teams so far and the rest of the competition will be hoping that the bonus weekend, offering four points, can kick-start their season and spring them into the next stage with confidence. Widnes are the top try scorers with 42 so far, however, this next week will pose the toughest questions of the year. Widnes Joe Mellor has been a sensation so far this season Its worth mentioning that the team with the fewest tries are the current champions.Leeds have scored just 18 tries in six games and will be hoping that the harder pitches and warmer weather brings them out of hibernation.My prediction of Widnes not finishing in the top four could look a foolish one if the Vikings pick up four points with victories over Warrington and St Helens.Some of their success has been down to the sensational start to the season that Joe Mellor has made. Hes been absolutely brilliant to watch. Brian Carney previews the Easter weekend fixtures in Super League If he is fit, hell go head-to-head in the half-backs with Kurt Gidley and Chris Sandow at 3pm on Easter Monday, Theyve claimed most of the headlines in their recent successes for Warrington.Both have kicked tremendously and its mainly down to them that they lead the way for tries from kicks. A quarter of all Warringtons tries have featured a kick-play. Thats twice as many as other teams in the league. My prediction of Widnes not finishing in the top four could look a foolish one if the Vikings pick up four points with victories over Warrington and St Helens.dddddddddddd Phil Clarke Its a new dimension that wasnt there last year and its proving difficult for teams to defend against.The other aspect of Kirk Gidleys game thats making a difference is his goal kicking. He leads the charge with a plus 85 per cent success rate. That is ten per cent higher than the average Super League kicker.As the competition gets closer we might start to see that this makes a significant difference.This is my favourite time of the year. Weve a lot of games on Sky Sports and I cant wait. Jeff Stellings journey to Wembley involves walking ten marathons in ten days Juts as a footnote, I did the Men United walk with Jeff Stelling, Brian Carney, Barrie McDermott and Bill Arthur this week and Ive got absolutely huge respect for Jeff Stelling. We just did one of the ten days that hes doing on his march to Wembley and it was tough enough.I wish him all the best in the remaining days. It was a pleasure to spend time with him. Phil Clarke brings you his top five Super League tries of the week Also See: Rugby League on Sky Fixtures and results Follow @SkySportsRL Pundits ' ' '