Finch leads by one at Gleneagles
Golf Betting Lines
08/26/2010 - Perthshire, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Finch opened with a six-under 66 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.
Four of Finch's fellow Englishmen are tied for second place at minus-five. Gary Boyd, Richard Bland, David Lynn and Robert Rock share second with Scotland's Stephen Gallacher.
The European Ryder Cup team will be finalized after Sunday's final round. Several players are fighting for the last two automatic spots or trying to play well enough so that captain Colin Montgomerie will add them to the team.
Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson have the final two spots on that team at this point, but could be bumped off. Hanson is tied for 18th at three-under 69. Jimenez, who passed up a family commitment to play this week, is one stroke further back at minus-two.
Simon Dyson, one of the players that could play his way onto the team, opened with a 68. He and Francesco Molinari, who is also at minus-four, headline a group of 11 players tied for seventh.
Ross McGowan, who was hoping to play his way onto the team, or at least play well enough to gain a captain's pick, had to withdraw after shooting 77 due to a shoulder injury. Molinari secured a spot on the European Ryder Cup team with McGowan's withdrawal.
"Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the team now, but I've got a few years left in me, so hopefully I'll make it in a couple of years' time," McGowan stated. "I'm pretty gutted. I had a great opportunity to make the team after having such a good finish to last year."
Finch got his round going with a birdie on the second. After four straight pars, he converted back-to-back birdie chances from the seventh to move to three-under par.
The Englishman ran off five straight pars from the ninth before dropping in his fourth birdie of the day at the par-four 14th.
Finch grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on 16, then moved atop the leaderboard with a birdie at the last.
"The scorecard doesn't really tell the whole story I suppose, but to go bogey- free was quite remarkable," said Finch, who won twice during the 2008 season.
"I took the slightly scenic route at times, and I'm delighted with the result. Six-under par anywhere is a great score. I think I was one-under after five holes, and I one-putted every hole to get to that point and thought I was going to be in for a long, difficult day."
Lynn also had a bogey-free round with five birdies and 13 pars. Rock and Gallacher carded six birdies and a bogey. Bland mixed nine birdies and four bogeys through his round, while Boyd had four bogeys, an eagle and seven birdies.
NOTES: Defending champion Peter Hedblom posted a three-under 69 and is tied for 18th...David Drysdale and Rafa Echenique both withdrew during their rounds.
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Southern California has been stripped of the 2004 Grantland Rice Trophy it received in recognition for winning the national football title. The award was revoked by the Football Write
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cold War may be a thing of the past in
a political sense, but the battle between Russia and the West is still alive
and well in the hockey world.
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<< Knicks sign second-round pick Fields
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks have signed guard/forward
Landry Fields, the 39th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
As per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
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<< Wozniacki, Clijsters could meet in Open final rematch
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded 2009 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki
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last year's final, as the women's draw was revealed Thursday for the U.S.
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NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -If Bob Stoops had his way, the practice of redshirting incoming freshmen to save them for later would be scrapped at Oklahoma.He'd rather have his freshmen contribute right away for the seventh-ranked Sooners.``I believe that the
Ex-Cavs GM Ferry returns to Spurs front office >>
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -Danny Ferry is returning to the San Antonio Spurs.The former general manager for the Cavaliers will be vice president of basketball operations for the Spurs. He will be reunited with coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Bu
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San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs have named Danny
Ferry the Vice President of basketball operations.
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Villanova's Bell out indefinitely >>
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Villanova freshman guard James Bell will
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Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.