Karlsson, Jeev Milkha Singh and Romero lead suspended PGA
Golf Betting Lines
08/07/2008 -
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson of Sweden and
India's Jeev Milkha Singh both posted rounds of two-under 68 on Thursday and
share the lead with Andres Romero during the suspended first round of the PGA
Championship.
A one-hour, 25-minute weather delay set play back and 18 players still need to
finish their first rounds. They will return to the South Course at Oakland
Hills 8:00 a.m. (et) Friday to finish the first round.
Romero is two-under par through 16 holes.
Sergio Garcia, Sean O'Hair, Billy Mayfair and Ken Duke share fourth at one-
under 69.
"I putted good. I chipped good. I hit a lot of good shots into the greens --
and you know, one-under par on this course, I'm thrilled with it," said
Garcia.
Phil Mickelson, the 2005 PGA Champion, overcame bogeys at his first two holes
to shoot an even-par 70.
"I'm just happy to have shot even-par today," acknowledged Mickelson. "I think
that after the start, bogeying the first two holes, I thought it was pretty
good to hang in there, fight and make some birdies, because there were a lot
of holes that were tough to get to."
Mickelson tallied three birdies and two bogeys the rest of his first nine to
make the turn at plus-one, but perhaps his best shot was a chip-in par at the
par-three 13th.
Mickelson rolled in a 15-footer for birdie at four, then converted a four-
footer for birdie at five to get into red figures for the championship.
Unfortunately for Mickelson, he bogeyed his final hole, the 257-yard, par-
three ninth, but is still pleased.
"I'll gladly take it," said Mickelson.
He is only two behind the co-leaders, one of whom has enjoyed quite a major
season.
Karlsson is the only player to post top-10 finishes in all four majors this
season, but he's not resting on an impressive record in golf's most important
events.
"To forget about those three top eights, that's the most important thing,"
Karlsson said when asked about expectations. "This is a new event. This has
nothing to do with the other three."
Karlsson, like Mickelson, got off to a terrible start on Thursday. He hit a
cart path over the green and walked off the first with a double-bogey six.
That would be one of his last mistakes.
Karlsson birdied three in a row from the second, including a two-putt from 60
feet at two, a four-footer at the third and a 12-footer at No. 4. The tall
Swede drained an 18-foot birdie putt at six and knocked a seven-iron to tap-in
range to set up birdie at the eighth.
A 10-foot birdie putt at 11 got Karlsson to four-under par for the
championship, but back-to-back bogeys from the 14th dropped him into a share
of the lead.
"It was great," said Karlsson. "The greens were absolutely perfect, so once I
rolled a couple in, just keep going, so it was good."
Singh also made a mess early on with a bogey at the first. He atoned for the
error in style with a five-foot eagle putt at the second and Singh got to
minus-two with a nine-foot birdie putt at the fifth.
Singh dropped shots with bogeys at seven and 10 to fall back to even-par. At
the 15th, Singh hit his seven-iron approach to kick-in range and got back
under par for the championship.
He grabbed his share of first with a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-three
17th.
And Singh is doing all of this with a bad ankle.
"Obviously the ankle does hurt at certain positions because it's a hilly golf
course and especially the slopes," said Singh, who has won in Austria and
Japan in the last two months. "I try to watch that whenever I'm walking."
Romero, who was in the hunt for the British Open last year, collected his
first birdie at the par-five second hole. He birdied eight to get to two-
under, but a bogey at the treacherous ninth sent him to the back nine at
minus-one.
He birdied the next par-five, the 12th and parred his last four to finish off
his day in a share of the lead. With a good morning, Romero could get sole
possession of first, but with the 238-yard, par-three 17th and demanding
closing hole, staying in the lead would be a nice feat.
Mickelson was joined in eighth place by two-time winner this year Anthony Kim,
Ryan Moore, Rod Pampling, Charlie Wi, Brian Gay, Michael Allen and 2007 U.S.
Open champion Angel Cabrera.
Padraig Harrington, winner of the last two British Opens, birdied his first
three holes Thursday, but slipped a bit. He finished with a one-over 71 and is
part of a group tied for 16th, with, among others, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk and
J.B. Holmes.
Vijay Singh, a two-time PGA Champion and the winner of last week's WGC-
Bridgestone Invitational, struggled badly on Thursday. He managed a six-over
76 and is tied for 92nd.
Kenny Perry, a pre-tournament favorite with three wins this year, withdrew
after his round due to an eye injury.
<< Clippers add veteran Williams
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Cornelius Ingram has reportedly torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his
left knee, effectively ending his 2008 season.
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<< Kansas State gives coach a Prince of a deal
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with the school through the 2012 season.
The new five-year deal is retroactive to
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PGA Championship First Round News & Notes >>
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite the fact they share a
surname, there is no relation, whatsoever, between Jeev Milkha Singh and Vijay
Singh.
"In the practice rounds I can hear a lot of people say, 'Oh, I think he
Blumenherst continues to roll at U.S. Women's Amateur >>
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amanda Blumenherst rolled to a pair of wins
Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur at
Eugene Country Club.
Blumenherst, the NCAA Player of the Year and last year's r
Nats sweep doubleheader with Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wil Nieves and Willie Harris drove in two runs
apiece to give the Washington Nationals a 6-3 victory over the Colorado
Rockies, sweeping Thursday's doubleheader at Coors Field.
Odalis Perez (5-8) won
Tolles fires 62 to lead Wichita Open >>
Wichita, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Tolles fired a nine-under-par 62 Thursday
to grab a one-stroke lead with the first round of the Wichita Open suspended
due to darkness.
Tolles' 62 missed both the course record and the 18-hole tourname
Oswalt continues to stymie Reds in Houston victory >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt dominated the Cincinnati hitters
to help the Houston Astros win a 7-4 decision in the first of four games at
Great American Ball Park.
Oswalt (9-8) improved his career record against the R
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.
It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)
2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines.
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