Parnevik nearing first win in six years

Golf Betting Lines

10/06/2007 - San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not so long ago there weren't three Swedes on the entire PGA Tour, Jesper Parnevik remarked.

"Now, there are a few of us," he said.

Three of them played together Saturday in the final group at the Texas Open, with the front-running Parnevik paired alongside countrymen Mathias Gronberg and Fredrik Jacobsen.

Parnevik shot a four-under 66 in the third round at LaCantera Golf Club and remained in the lead at 18-under 192. But he got stiff competition from Gronberg, who fired a five-under 65 to climb within three shots at 15-under 195.

"Jesper has been playing really good golf, so it was important to make some birdies and stay close," said Gronberg.

Jacobson only managed a 71, falling 10 shots back of the lead to end any chance of an all-Swedish final group on Sunday. Another Swede, Daniel Chopra, had a 64 to climb within six shots at 12-under.

"Hopefully this can spur the youngsters at home to keep trying," Parnevik said.

Justin Leonard, the two-time Texas Open winner, will play with Parnevik and Gronberg on Sunday after shooting a 64 that put him four shots off the lead at 14-under 196.

Born in Texas, Leonard was happy to see the winds pick up in the third round. Along with his two wins, he owns two career runner-ups at this event. He made six birdies in a spotless round Saturday.

"You have to control your distance by moving the ball around, and I enjoy that," Leonard said.

Parnevik continued to use the putter he picked up for the first time on Wednesday, the one he liked so much playing in the Pro-Am. He needed just 25 putts to complete the third round, the same number he needed in the first round Thursday.

Still not confident that his putting will hold up as he goes for his first win since 2001, Parnevik practiced for five hours Friday night. He said he felt the putter starting to malfunction towards the end of his second round.

Rides at nearby Six Flags Fiesta Texas provided the perfect backdrop for what Parnevik was feeling standing over his putter.

"I told my caddie when I holed [a four-foot birdie putt] on 17, 'If you could feel what I'm feeling over this, you would throw up in a heartbeat,'" Parnevik said.

Carrying a four-shot lead into the round, Parnevik started with a four-foot birdie at the first hole. He made only his second bogey in 38 holes at No. 2, but rebounded by rolling in a 12-footer for birdie at the seventh.

He bogeyed 10 for the second time, then rattled off three consecutive birdies ending with another 12-foot birdie putt at the 13th. For his last birdie at the 17th, Parnevik hit a "long, long eight-iron" into the wind to four feet.

His steady play couldn't have come at a better time. Parnevik came into the tournament languishing at 138th on the money list, 13 places from securing his PGA Tour card for next season.

He hasn't won since claiming his fifth PGA Tour title at the Honda Classic in 2001. But this year has been particularly tough for Parnevik, who has missed nearly half of the cuts in tournaments he started this season.

Saturday marked the fifth time he held at least a share of the 54-hole lead, with all of the previous chances coming when he was winning steadily on the PGA Tour. Three of his five career wins have come after he held the third- round lead.

"I know I've won a lot of tournaments out there, but I haven't won for a while. When I won all my tournaments, I was playing well every week and I won like five times in four years," said Parnevik.

"When you see nothing but bad shots for three or four years, it's a little bit tougher."

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.