11/06/2008 - Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Matteson fired a nine-under 63 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Children's Miracle Network Classic.
Matteson's 63 came on the Palm Course at the Walt Disney World Resort. Players compete with amateurs the first two days and action is split between the Palm Course and the Magnolia Course.
Jimmy Walker also played the Palm Course and fired an eight-under 64. He was joined in second place by Scott Verplank and Kevin Streelman, who both played the Magnolia Course.
Five more players, four of whom are outside the top 125 on the money list, are one shot further back at minus-seven.
This is the final PGA Tour event of the season and players are fighting to get into the top 125 on the money list to keep their PGA Tour cards for next season.
Five of the top nine players on the leaderboard are outside the top 125 entering this week.
The other big story this week is Erik Compton, who is playing on a sponsors exemption. Compton is five weeks removed from his second heart transplant.
Compton opened with a two-under 70 and is tied for 61st. He carded an eagle, three bogeys and three birdies on the Palm Course.
"The front nine I just didn't really have it, and I knew I needed to get something going on the back because obviously the scores are pretty low," said Compton, who is allowed to ride a cart this year as he comes back from his heart surgery. "My concentration, I think, was not there today."
Matteson eagled the par-five opening hole, but settled in from there. He parred five straight after his opening eagle. He then used two hot stretches to fly up the leaderboard.
After a birdie on the par-five seventh, Matteson birdied eight and nine to make the turn at minus-five. He tripped to a bogey on the par-five 11th, but came right back with a birdie on the 12th.
Matteson, the 2006 Frys.com Open winner, made it two straight as he also birdied the 13th. He followed with his second eagle of the day at No. 14.
That second eagle gave Matteson a share of the lead at minus-eight. He rolled in a birdie effort at 17 to grab the outright lead.
This is the second 18-hole lead Matteson has held this season. He led after on round of the Buick Invitational, before going on to tie for 11th that week.
Walker played the back nine first on the Palm Course. He birdied the 10th, 12th and 17th. On the front nine, Walker birdied four of the first five holes to jump to minus-seven. His final birdie came at the par-five seventh.
Verplank birdied four of his first five holes from the 10th at the Magnolia Course. He birdied No. 17 to turn in five-under. Verplank ran off three straight birdies to close his round at minus-eight.
"Today was the first day, I think since the Northern Trust Open that I actually felt like I putted good," Verplank admitted. "I putted so poorly. I've been out here 22 years and this has been by far the worst putting year I've ever had. So I've been working hard on that."
Streelman birdied the second, but tripped to a bogey on No. 5. He poured in six consecutive birdies from the eighth, then birdied 15 and 18 to share second.
The group tied for fifth at minus-seven includes former PGA Champion Rich Beem, Kirk Triplett, Robert Gamez, Robert Garrigus and Steve Marino.
There are eight more players tied for 10th at six-under 66. That group includes Stewart Cink, Davis Love III, Robert Allenby and Zach Johnson.
<< Texans, Ravens finally ready to face off
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Though it is happening nearly two months later than
expected, the Baltimore Ravens will finally visit the Houston Texans and
Reliant Stadium this Sunday in a make-up game from a Week 2 postponement.
This clash was original
<< England goalie James plans to stay at Portsmouth
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England goalkeeper David James has
dismissed rumors suggesting that he could leave Portsmouth in the January
transfer window for Tottenham.
The 38-year-old has been linked with a move to fo
<< D.C.'s Moreno undergoes successful knee surgery
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United forward Jaime Moreno underwent
successful arthroscopic surgery to clean out his knee on Wednesday, the Major
League Soccer club announced on Thursday.
Moreno, MLS' all-time leading goal-scor
<< Ronaldinho's late magic lifts AC Milan over Braga
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ronaldinho scored in the 93rd minute to help AC
Milan edge Portugal's Braga, 1-0, and avoid a stunning draw at the San Siro on
Thursday in the UEFA Cup.
Ronaldinho replaced Alexandre Pato in the second half a
Burrell, Moyer, Penny file for free agency >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia outfielder Pat Burrell and
pitcher Jamie Moyer, as well as Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny all filed for free
agency on Thursday.
Burrell, 32, played in 157 games for the World Series-winnin
Atlanta recalls Wolves' defenseman Valabik >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers have recalled defenseman
Boris Valabik from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves,
it was announced on Thursday.
The 22-year-old has notched a goal and two assists
Bent's hat trick leads Spurs over Dinamo Zagreb >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darren Bent scored a hat trick as Tottenham
rolled to a 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday in the UEFA Cup.
Tottenham remained unbeaten under new coach Harry Redknapp, who took over the
Spurs two wee
Stiles grabs early lead at Nationwide Tour Championship >>
McKinney, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darron Stiles posted a seven-under 64 Thursday
to take a one-shot lead after one round of the Nationwide Tour Championship.
Stiles, who stands No. 7 on the money list, is the only player in the top 10
on the
NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting