Couples leads Masters; Woods two back in return
Golf Betting Lines
04/08/2010 -
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fred Couples fired his lowest round ever at The
Masters, a six-under 66 on Thursday, and earned the first-round lead at The
Masters at Augusta National.
Tiger Woods made his return to golf and it was a triumphant one.
Woods posted a four-under 68, which was the lowest opening-round score in his
Masters career.
"I expected to go out there and shoot something under par," acknowledged
Woods. "It felt normal. The reception was incredible all day. I was pretty
calm all day."
Woods received a strong response from the gallery when he marched to the first
tee at 1:42 p.m. (et). It was his first round on the PGA Tour since last
year's Tour Championship. He missed the last five months in a self-imposed
exile as a sex scandal rocked the four-time winner's world.
Woods posted two eagles on Thursday, a first in his Masters career, and mixed
three birdies and three bogeys. He is tied for seventh place.
While Woods dominated the headlines, there were some amazing stories ahead of
him on the leaderboard, and not just from the 50-year-old Couples.
Sixty-year-old Tom Watson, two-time champion Phil Mickelson, Woods' playing
partner K.J. Choi, world No. 4 Lee Westwood and reigning PGA Champion Y.E.
Yang are knotted in second place at five-under 67.
But the story, despite the star power atop the leaderboard, was Woods.
He collected his first birdie at the third, but dropped a shot at seven. Woods
eagled the eighth from seven feet and birdied the ninth. Woods lost a stroke
at 10, but played well on the back nine.
The No. 1 player in the world had nine feet for eagle at 13, but his putt
lipped out. Woods settled for birdie, but bogeyed 14 when his approach sailed
well left of the green.
Woods responded with a 10-foot eagle putt at the par-five 15th and was four-
under for the championship. He could've gotten to five-under, but a short
birdie putt at the last stayed above ground.
"It wasn't a day I could slash it all over the place," said Woods. "I'm very
pleased. For the most part, I think I hit the ball well. If I putted well, it
could've been a very special round."
Woods was joined in seventh by last week's winner in Houston, Anthony Kim, as
well as Nick Watney, Ian Poulter and Ricky Barnes.
Woods was upstaged on Thursday by one of his practice-round partners this
week.
Couples, who played with Woods on Monday, came into this year's Masters as
perhaps the hottest golfer in the world, although it hasn't come on the PGA
Tour.
The 50-year-old has dominated the Champions Tour in 2010. He's won his last
three starts on the elder circuit and his only non-victory was a second in his
debut to none other than Watson.
"The Champions Tour has been a lot of fun, but this is where I really want to
play well and today was a very good day for me," said Couples, who has missed
the cut the last two years. "The idea that we're all so old, it's also a
blessing if you play well."
The 1992 Masters champion started brilliantly on Thursday with back-to-back
birdies at one and two. He dropped a shot at five, but Couples reclaimed the
lost stroke with a birdie at the par-five eighth.
After the turn, Couples soared up the leaderboard.
He rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at the 12th and followed with a five-foot
birdie putt at the par-five 13th. Couples parred No. 14, but hit a delicate
chip from over the green to four feet at the 15th to set up another birdie.
Couples moved to five-under for the championship and tied for the lead, but a
seven-foot birdie putt at the 17th gave him sole possession of first place.
He had a chance to extend the cushion at the last. Couples' approach to the
18th rolled to five feet, but the putt slid by the hole. He tapped in for his
66 and the first-round lead in The Masters for the first time since 1998.
"Today was, I think, as good a round as I've ever played here," said Couples.
"I didn't shoot a 66 today because of luck. But tomorrow it's a lot of
pressure to be leading and we'll see what happens."
The pressure will come, not just from Woods, but from those a stroke behind.
Watson had a bogey-free round on Thursday with five birdies and no bogeys. He
finished in fantastic fashion with three birdies in his last four holes,
including a 30-footer at 15, a 12-footer at 16 and a fantastic five-footer at
the last.
Watson lost an epic playoff to Stewart Cink at last year's British Open and on
Thursday proved that despite being 60, he can still contend for major
championships.
"It's a longshot for somebody, still, honestly, of our age to do it. But
still, they can do it," said Watson, who hadn't broken 70 at The Masters since
1997. "Over the past several years I've had some issues with my ability to
play this golf course. It's a tough golf course for me. Today it was
favorable."
It's not a longshot for Mickelson to do it.
The 2004 and 2006 winner also made his move on the back nine.
Mickelson was one-under through 12 holes, then hit a spectacular second shot
to 25 feet at the par-five 13th. He ran home the eagle try to kick off a great
run for the world No. 3.
Mickelson made a long birdie putt at 14 and two-putted for birdie at the par-
five 15th.
"It was a little three-hole stretch that made the whole round," said
Mickelson.
He had a seven-foot look at birdie on the last, but his putt snuck past the
hole.
Yang, who became the first player to topple Woods when Woods had a third-round
lead at a major last year at the PGA, and Choi both mixed six birdies and a
bogey on Thursday, while Westwood had seven birdies and two bogeys.
NOTES: There were storms forecast for Thursday and while it did rain some,
play never stopped...Thirty-one players broke par on Thursday...Defending
champion Angel Cabrera wasn't one of them...He had a one-over 73 in the first
round.
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Real Madrid and Barcelona enter the match even on points with 77 atop La Liga,
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Bayern lost to United
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Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Harris smacked a two-run homer, and
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to salvage a game in this season-opening three-game set.
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<< Woods cheered in return to golf
Augusta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods took one last practice putt and
began the short walk to Augusta National's first tee, the most anticipated
golf shot in recent memory just minutes away.
Just 18 days earlier, in one of his televised
<< Vanderbilt C Ogilvy entering NBA Draft
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career.
"W
Wisconsin rips RIT, advances to NCAA men's ice hockey final >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derek Stepan posted two goals and two assists
as Wisconsin routed RIT, 8-1, in a Frozen Four matchup from Ford Field.
Justin Schultz and Blake Geoffrion posted a goal and one assist each for the
Badgers (2
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New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer announced Thursday it has
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Real signs Beckerman to four-year deal >>
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Salt Lake signed captain Kyle Beckerman to
a new four-year contract Thursday.
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Chipper leaves Braves-Cubs game, day-to-day with sore side >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones
left Thursday's game against the Chicago Cubs with a sore right side.
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McCann's gro
Rays P Niemann leaves game >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann left
the game in the second inning of Thursday's game against Baltimore after being
struck in the right shoulder with a batted ball.
Miguel Tejada lined a pitch off
Sportsbook Betting
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
NFL Betting Lines
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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