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08/02/2008 - Akron, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Mickelson bogeyed the 18th hole Saturday to fall into a three-way tie for the lead after three rounds of the WGC- Bridgestone Invitational.
Mickelson posted a two-under 68 to complete 54 holes at eight-under-par 202. He was joined atop the leaderboard by Vijay Singh (69) and Lee Westwood (67).
None of the leaders has won a World Golf Championships event.
Stuart Appleby is one shot behind the leaders at minus-seven after a three- under 67 on Saturday. Retief Goosen is alone in fifth at five-under-under 205 after a third-round 68.
The three leaders traded the top spot with each other and two others as well.
Singh parred the first to remain at minus-seven, where he was joined by Westwood and Zach Johnson, both of whom birdied the first two holes.
Westwood made it three in a row as his 17-foot birdie effort at the third found the bottom of the cup, giving the Englishman the lead. Singh responded with a birdie on the second to join Westwood at minus-eight.
At the par-four third, Singh chipped in for birdie to regain the top spot. However, he faltered to bogeys on the fourth and seventh to slide one behind Westwood.
After Westwood bogeyed the ninth, Mickelson created a three-way tie atop the leaderboard with a 27-foot birdie putt on the eighth.
Meanwhile, Miguel Angel Jimenez climbed into the mix. He had three birdies and a bogey over the first eight holes, then poured in a birdie effort at the ninth. The Spaniard moved himself to minus-seven and into a share of the lead.
That was short-lived though as he stumbled to four bogeys to go with a lone birdie over the final eight holes at Firestone.
Singh dropped his second shot to 11 feet at the 10th and converted that putt for birdie and the lead at minus-eight.
Westwood moved back to eight-under with a 31-foot birdie putt at the 12th. Singh three-putted for bogey at the 12th to fall one back, then Mickelson three-putted from the front fringe at the 13th to drop two back at minus-six.
That bogey for Mickelson came after he hit a remarkable shot out of the trees. His ball was knee-high on the side of hill and he punched a three-wood through the trees to the front edge of the putting surface, but was unable to take advantage of the stellar shot.
Mickelson quickly rebounded though. His approach to the 14th stopped five feet from the cup and he rolled that in for birdie. The left-hander made it two straight with a 13-foot birdie putt at 15.
The world's second-ranked player polished off a run of three straight birdies at 16 where he got up and down for birdie from a back bunker.
Singh kept pace with his playing partner, Mickelson, with back-to-back birdies from the 15th.
Those two headed to the 17th tied for the lead at nine-under, while Westwood was heading for the clubhouse at minus-eight. He tripped to a bogey on 15, but recovered that stroke with a birdie at the par-four 17th.
"I was surprised how good the scoring was, because standing on the range you felt like the golf course was going to play pretty tough since we didn't get the rain overnight as expected, and it felt like it was going to dry out as the day went on," Westwood said. "I wanted to come out quick, and birdie, birdie, birdie was obviously great. But I played pretty solid all day."
Singh's approach at 17 stopped on the front fringe and he rolled his birdie putt within three feet. However, Singh's par putt didn't even touch the cup and he walked off with a bogey to join Westwood in second at minus-eight.
"I feel pretty good, a little disappointed though," admitted Singh, who missed a couple of short putts Saturday. "It could have been a better round than that, but you've got to take what it gives you. A few short putts here and there would have made a big difference."
Mickelson pitched his third to nine feet at the last and missed the par-saving putt to fall into a share of the lead.
"I'm excited that I'm tied for the lead going into the final round," said Mickelson, who has won two straight and seven of his last nine when owning a piece of the 54-hole lead. "I think it'll be a fun shootout. There's four guys right there and then there's a big grouping four shots back.
"So I think that we're all in good position. I feel like I've played well the first three rounds and I'm looking forward to a nice shootout tomorrow."
Darren Clarke, the 2003 champion, fired a five-under 65 Saturday to move into a share of sixth place at four-under-par 206. He was joined there by Chris DiMarco (68), Rory Sabbatini (70), Jimenez (70) and D.J. Trahan (70).
Masters champion Trevor Immelman shares 11th place with six other golfers at minus-three.
<< Romero overtakes Funk for U.S. Senior Open lead
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eduardo Romero fired a five-under 65
on Saturday to move past overnight-leader Fred Funk and take the third-round
lead of the U.S. Senior Open.
Romero finished 54 holes at nine-under 201 and i
<< Griffey leaves game with cramping
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ken Griffey Jr., playing in just his
second game for the Chicago White Sox after being acquired at the trade
deadline, was lifted for pinch-hitter Dewayne Wise after complaining of
cramping in his right leg.
<< Braves designate P Ring for assignment
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves designated pitcher Royce
Ring for assignment Saturday.
The left-handed specialist was replaced in the bullpen by right-hander
Vladimir Nunez, whose contract was purchased from Tri
<< Cardinals' Duncan faces season-ending surgery
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan
will undergo surgery Monday to repair a herniated disk in his neck, likely
ending his season.
Duncan was placed on the disabled list July 22 with the injury.
Fellows reigns at soggy Montreal >>
MONTREAL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canadian Ron Fellows battled wet track conditions
and capitalized on an early-race pit strategy to win Saturday's rain-shortened
NAPA Auto Parts 200 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. The No.5 JR
Motorspo
Hoops sign Watson to developmental deal >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas signed midfielder and Dallas-area
native Jamie Watson, the team announced.
The 22-year-old Watson spent the past three seasons with Real Salt Lake, where
he scored two goals and added one assis
Chivas USA acquires GK Thornton from Red Bulls >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA acquired goalkeeper Zach Thornton, a
five-time MLS All-Star and 13-year veteran of Major League Soccer, from the
New York Red Bulls in exchange for future considerations, the teams announced.
"Zac
FCD officially announces Toja transfer >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas midfielder Juan Toja has been
transferred to Romanian club FC Steaua Bucuresti for an undisclosed amount,
FCD General Manager Michael Hitchcock announced.
"We wish Juan all the best in Eur
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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