Roberts leads Funk at Senior Players

Golf Betting Lines

10/06/2007 - Timonium, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Loren Roberts held off the steady charge of Fred Funk with a three-under 67 on Saturday to remain in the lead after three rounds of the Senior Players Championship.

Roberts finished with a tough up-and-down par from below the 18th green at Baltimore Country Club and held a three-shot lead on Funk at 10-under 200.

"I hit a really good spot in the middle of the round. But my putter saved me on the last few holes," said Roberts, who will be seeking his third Champions Tour major on Sunday.

Funk, who has never won a major on any tour, hit every fairway and missed just two greens in regulation during the third round, finishing at seven-under 203. He had the best round of the day Saturday, a four-under 66 that kept Roberts on his toes.

"It was the best ball-striking round I've had in a long while," said Funk, who has won on both the Champions Tour and the PGA Tour this season.

Tom Watson shot a two-under 68 and was alone in third place at five-under 205. The reigning Senior British Open winner made a sloppy bogey from the rough at the 18th to fall five shots off the lead, leaving Roberts and Funk in good position to go head-to-head for the win Sunday.

Mark Wiebe (69), Des Smyth (70) and David Eger (70) were tied for fourth place at four-under 206, six shots off the pace and all but out of contention. Jay Haas, Dana Quigley and Gil Morgan were the only other players within seven shots of Roberts.

The man they call the "Boss of the Moss" will not only be seeking his third Champions Tour major on Sunday, he will also be looking to reverse a recent trend that has hijacked opportunities for further majors.

Roberts hasn't broken par in the final round in any of the last nine over-50 majors.

At this event last year, he coughed up a two-shot lead in the final round when he shot a 74 on Sunday at the TPC of Michigan. His lead was as big as five shots before a nasty stretch run that included two double-bogeys and a bogey.

Bobby Wadkins ended up winning despite making a double-bogey on the 18th hole.

"I really let that one get away last year," said Roberts. "But I've forgotten about that and I'm just going to go out and keep doing what I've been doing. I felt like I've hit some good shots and I'm just going to focus on that tomorrow."

The week before last year's Senior Players, Roberts lost a final-round lead at the U.S. Senior Open after setting a USGA scoring record the day before when he scorched Prairie Dunes for a 62.

"I feel like I'm getting a little better, hopefully," Roberts said.

He had five birdies and two bogeys in a solid -- if not unspectacular -- third round. Funk pulled within two shots down the stretch, but Roberts restored his lead to three when he knocked a 167-yard approach to three feet at the 13th for his last birdie.

Roberts drove into the left rough at the 18th, then couldn't get his club down cleanly on the ball on the approach. He ended up short of the green, and his ball rolled back down the fairway.

"Wow, that didn't come out of there at all," Roberts could be heard saying.

He was able to chip up to five feet, making the par-saving putt to preserve his three-shot lead on the steady Funk. Roberts is 1-3 with the 36-hole lead on the Champions Tour.

"I always thought that majors were important. Unfortunately I didn't get into enough of them on the regular tour," Roberts said.

This is the final major championship of the season.

Trifectas Golf Betting News

<< Kansas comes back to beat No. 24 Kansas State
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dexton Fields' 30-yard touchdown catch gave Kansas the lead in a wild final 15 minutes, as the Jayhawks finally downed No. 24 Kansas State in Manhattan, 30-24. The Jayhawks (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) finally

<< Mendenhall leads way as Illini halt Wisconsin's win streak
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 160 yards and two touchdowns and Isiah Williams threw for 121 yards and ran for 92 more, as the two offensive stars catapulted Illinois past fifth-ranked Wisconsin, 31-26,

<< Lava Man odds-on to win Oak Tree Mile
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lava Man, the winner of six career turf races, is the 4-5 morning-line favorite for Sunday's $250,000 Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita Park. The winner of the one mile grass race will gain automatic entry into th

<< Ryan has big day as BC hammers Bowling Green
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Ryan threw for 312 yards and four touchdowns as No. 7 Boston College plowed over Bowling Green, 55-24, at Alumni Stadium. Jamie Silva had three of BC's six interceptions, returning

<< Waltrip, Toyota dominate qualifying at Talladega
Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Waltrip led a contingent of seven Toyota-powered cars into the top-10 capturing the pole for Sunday's UAW-Ford 500, the fourth race in the 10-race "Chase for the Nextel Cup." The No.55 NAPA Auto Parts To

Donato Hanover equals record with Kentucky Futurity win >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Donato Hanover, winner of the Hambletonian, equaled the world record on Saturday with his victory in the $742,000 Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile. The Futurity is the final race in trotting's Triple

Benson edges Crawford for win at Talladega >>
Talladega, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Bodine held off a last corner charge from Rick Crawford and Johnny Benson to capture Saturday's Mountain Dew 250 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Talladega Superspeedway. The No.30 Germain Toyota crossed

Parnevik nearing first win in six years >>
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 Texa

Argonauts hammer Eskimos >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Bishop passed for 257 yards with two scores while a pair of special teams touchdowns allowed the Toronto Argonauts to defeat the Edmonton Eskimos, 33-8, at Rogers Centre Robert Edwards rushed for 5

Bradford helps Sooners hold off Longhorns >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sam Bradford threw three touchdown passes to lead 10th-ranked Oklahoma over 19th-ranked Texas, 28-21, in the annual Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl. Bradford completed 21-of-32 passes for 244 yard

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

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