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02/11/2012 - Victoria, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On a Saturday when many players near the top of the leaderboard struggled, Jessica Korda shot an even-par 73 to claim the lead after three rounds of the Women's Australian Open.
The American Korda sits at four-under-par 215, one shot in front of Nikki Campbell, Hee Kyung Seo and So Yeon Ryu.
The shuffling of the leaderboard came after another tough round at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club.
Ryu, the reigning U.S. Women's Open champion, was the second-round leader but stumbled to a three-over 76 on Saturday. She reached minus-eight early in her round and looked like she might take control of the tournament, but went on to post six bogeys.
Seo was right below Ryu after the second round, but carded a 75 on Saturday.
"It's one of the hardest courses I have ever played," said Seo. "It's probably in the top-five or the top-three, and sometimes the breeze is quite crazy. Also, the green is firm and fast, plus the undulations. Most of the players struggled at times."
Campbell was one of a few players to take advantage of the second-round leaders' struggles, firing a 70 to gain a share of second place.
"The wind was a lot stronger than the first two days," Campbell said. "You had to trust your shots a lot more and stay patient."
Two-time defending champion Yani Tseng (71), Katie Futcher (71) and Lorie Kane (72) are tied for fifth at two-under-par 217.
Ryu and Seo were threatening to pull away from the field early in their rounds.
Ryu birdied the par-five second and followed that with another birdie at the par-three third. Meanwhile, Seo birdied the third, after which Ryu was at eight-under and Seo sat at six-under.
But Ryu's round started to unravel when she gave both shots back with bogeys at the fifth and sixth. She birdied the eighth, but again followed that up with a bogey to make the turn at six-under.
Seo also birdied the eighth, but posted a bogey at the holes immediately before and after and made the turn at five-under.
They began the back nine with their scores back where they were after the second round, but both continued to struggle.
Ryu didn't have a single birdie during her final nine holes, instead recording bogeys at the 11th and 14th. She still had a share of the lead heading to the last, but bogeyed that was as well to drop into second.
Seo double-bogeyed the par-four 14th and bogeyed the 16th to fall two shots behind Korda, but ended the round on a positive note. A birdie at No. 18 lifted her into second.
Like Ryu and Seo, Korda had an up-and-down round. She bogeyed the fifth, but responded with birdies at Nos. 7, 9 and 10 to reach six-under. That would have left Korda as the decisive leader had she stayed at that score, but she dropped shots at the 13th and 17th.
Korda is the daughter of Petr Korda, a former professional tennis player who won the 1998 Australian Open.
"My dad was world No. 2," Korda said. "I told him I want to beat that. It would be a great accomplishment, an awesome thing."
Julieta Granada and Melissa Reid were tied for third with Korda after the second round, but both endured above-par rounds on Saturday. Granada shot a 76 to fall into a tie for eighth at one-under with Brittany Lincicome (73). Reid posted a 77 and sits at even-par overall, tied for 10th with first-round co- leader Stacy Lewis (77).
NOTES: Only nine players sit below par...German Sandra Gal began the third round in contention at one-under, but shot a 10-over 83 on Saturday to tumble into a tie for 53rd...Amateur Lydia Ko, 14, fired a 72 and sits in a tie for 18th at three-over 222. Ko is the youngest winner of a professional golf tournament, having claimed the title at the NSW Open in January.
<< Westbrook, Thunder cruise past Jazz
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Russell Westbrook scored a game-high 28
points as the Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a 101-87 victory over the Utah
Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on Friday.
Kevin Durant added 19 points and Serge Ib
<< Sharks outlast struggling Blackhawks
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Benn Ferriero's goal early in the third period
proved to be the winner, as the San Jose Sharks kept the Chicago Blackhawks
reeling with a 5-3 victory at HP Pavilion.
Justin Braun, Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton a
<< Kings place Stoll on IR
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings placed center Jarret
Stoll on injured reserve Friday with an abductor muscle injury.
Stoll suffered the injury in the latter stages of the third period of
Thursday's 3-1 loss
<< O'Reilly's late goal leads Colorado past Carolina in OT
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan O'Reilly scored the game-winner with 1.2
seconds left in overtime to give the Colorado Avalanche a 4-3 win over the
Carolina Hurricanes.
With time winding down, O'Reilly picked the pocket of Jus
Westwood vaults into Dubai lead >>
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lee Westwood fired a five-under
67 on Saturday to vault into the lead at 15-under par after three rounds of
the Dubai Desert Classic.
Westwood was three shots behind Rory McIlroy and Thom
Hantuchova to face Kirilenko for Pattaya crown >>
Pattaya City, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Daniela
Hantuchova and Maria Kirilenko were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet
for the title at the Pattaya Open.
The third-seeded Hantuchova eased past Taiwanes
Thrashers activate Stapleton off IR >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets have activated center Tim
Stapleton off injured reserve.
Stapleton had been sidelined since January 20 with a lower body injury. He has
appeared in 37 games this season, entering Saturda
Jets activate Stapleton off IR >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets have activated center Tim
Stapleton off injured reserve.
Stapleton had been sidelined since January 20 with a lower body injury. He has
appeared in 37 games this season, entering Saturda
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.
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Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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