Wilson scorches Home Course in Round 1 of U.S. Amateur

Golf Betting Lines

08/24/2010 - University Place, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chambers Bay's showcase for the 2015 United States Open featured stunning vistas, rolling hills and difficult scoring conditions in the first round of stroke play at the United States Amateur.

Jeff Wilson wouldn't know.

The Fairfield, California native was busy blistering the Home Course, which yielded 20 of the 23 under-par scores on Monday. A solid three-under 33 on the shorter back nine allowed Wilson to make the turn in a share of the lead.

Then a blitz unlike anything seen all day in the great Northwest left a large margin between Wilson and the rest of the field. He parred the first two holes before draining a birdie at the par-4 third. He made it two in a row at the long par-3 fourth then added another deuce to his score on the nearly as long par-3 sixth. Fireworks ensued at the end, as Wilson eagled the par-5 eighth and holed his second shot for eagle and a back nine score of 29 at the ninth.

The first-round of 10-under-62 left him seven shots clear of a nine-man crew highlighted by Patrick Reed, the only man in the group to navigate the more difficult Chambers Bay in three-under-par. The scenic course overlooking water on the Northwest shore was awarded the 2015 United States Open back in February 2008.

Reed, a native of Augusta, Georgia, worked his way through the 7,700-yard-plus layout with three birdies, two bogeys and one hole-out eagle at the 521-yard, par-4 14th hole. He made two of his birdies and just one bogey on the front nine - a 3,972-yard monster.

The other two under-par scores shot at par-71 Chambers Bay belonged to Patrick Rodgers (69) and Patrick Cantlay (70). Defending champion Byeong-Hun An, the youngest champion at 17 years old last year, fired a two-under-par 70 at the Home Course, leaving him with Rodgers in a share of 11th place.

Play was suspended at 8:17 p.m. local time because of darkness. The players left to complete the first round will resume play at 7:00 a.m. local time.

Of the 40 rounds finished at par or better, just seven came from Chambers Bay. Each player will play both courses over the two rounds of stroke play while Chambers Bay will host the match-play rounds.

The two days of stroke play will identify a low 64, and the first round of match play begins on Wednesday. The second and third rounds are scheduled for Thursday. The quarterfinals will be Friday, the semifinals on Saturday and the 36-hole final is on tap for Sunday.

Wwwsoccerstore Golf Betting News

<< Helton lifts Rockies over Braves
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton recorded his first four-hit game since the summer of 2009, and his final hit back through the middle scored Carlos Gonzalez with the eventual winning run, as the Colorado Rockies edged the Atl

<< Giants place Mota on DL
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco Giants placed reliever Guillermo Mota on the 15-day disabled list on Monday with IT band syndrome in his left leg. Mota has given up at least two runs in four of his last six appear

<< Safina, Dementieva win Pilot Pen openers
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Dinara Safina and two- time Grand Slam runner-up Elena Dementieva were among Monday's opening-round winners at the $600,000 Pilot Pen Tennis event, a final hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up

<< Chris Johnson, Gado rush Titans past Cardinals
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samkon Gado, signed last week after an injury to Stafon Johnson, rushed for a pair of touchdowns, as Tennessee toppled Arizona, 24-10, in preseason play. Gado, who spent parts of the last two seasons w

<< So close to perfection: Rangers miss no-hitter, still blank Twins
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer broke up a combined no-hitter with a one-out single off Neftali Feliz in the ninth inning, but the Texas Rangers used sensational pitching to defeat the Twins, 4-0, in

Police: OSU lineman found naked in stranger's home >>
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -A redshirt Oregon State University football player has been dismissed from the team after police say they found him naked and intoxicated in a stranger's home and had to use stun guns to take him into custody.Corvallis police s

Giants blast Reds >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain pitched eight solid innings, while Aubrey Huff and Pablo Sandoval each registered three runs batted in, as San Francisco blasted Cincinnati, 11-2, in the first of three games from AT&T Par

Shields, Rays down Angels, regain share of first in AL East >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Shields pitched six-plus innings and fanned 10 batters as Tampa Bay edged the Angels, 4-3, and moved back into a first-place tie in the AL East. B.J. Upton hit Scott Kazmir's first pitch of the

Army's next goal is a bowl game >>
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) -Rich Ellerson's first season at Army was successful in several ways. The Cadets won five games and were more competitive than they had been in years.The goal now for Ellerson will be building on the accomplishments of the firs

Pelini says Nebraska not a 'steppingstone job' >>
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -Bo Pelini is heading into his third year at Nebraska. Based on his track record, that means it must be about time for him to move again.The only place Pelini plans to go is to the Big Ten in 2011, and he's taking his Cornhuskers

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

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

Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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