PGA Championship First Round News & Notes
Golf Betting Lines
08/07/2008 -
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite the fact they share a
surname, there is no relation, whatsoever, between Jeev Milkha Singh and Vijay
Singh.
"In the practice rounds I can hear a lot of people say, 'Oh, I think he's
Vijay's son or he's Vijay's brother.' I heard that many times," admitted Jeev
Milkha. "I just say I'm the other Singh."
On Thursday, he was the superior Singh.
He posted a two-under 69, while Vijay, a two-time champion and the winner of
last week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, struggled to a six-over-par 76 on
Thursday.
"My short game was sharp," said Jeev Milkha Singh. "Didn't drive the ball that
good, but any time you shoot under par in a major championship, I think you
got to take it and put it deep down in your pocket and I've done that today."
While most casual fans don't know, the younger Singh is one of the hottest
players in the field. He has won two of his last four starts - one in Austria,
one in Japan - and has done so in some substantial pain.
"I had been suffering with a little tendon running through the ankle on my
right foot. It's got a lot of pain," acknowledged Singh. "I've been wearing a
brace for the last four weeks. I did injure it just before the French Open,
that was about seven, eight weeks ago. I've been getting a lot of physio done
and it gets better, but you hit one of those shots out of the rough and I'm
back to square one."
Singh complained that using the driver hurts a little more than other clubs.
His doctor told him he needed four weeks rest. Singh told his doctor he
couldn't do it.
"I decided if I'm going to play the PGA Championship I'm going to push myself
through to this week and next week and after that I'm surely going to be
taking two weeks off, maybe I'm going to extend it to four," he said.
One positive Singh can take from the ankle injury is that he hasn't been able
to practice much at all. Remember, he's got two victories in the last seven
weeks.
"I haven't played any practice rounds for the last seven weeks in the
tournaments I've played and it's worked for me pretty good," said Singh, whose
father was a world-class sprinter.
Since Singh played nine holes each of the last two days, things might not look
great for him come Sunday.
NOT A FAN
"The Monster," the ominous nickname of the South Course at Oakland Hills, may
have lost a fan.
"I was happy to break 80 after being seven-over after 12 holes," said Lee
Westwood, who finished with a seven-over-par 77. "Standing on the 17th tee, I
asked my caddie if he could hear the sea as well as I am sure I could hear my
holiday calling. But I dug in there. I didn't do a lot wrong."
Westwood finished as a runner-up last week at the WGC-Bridgestone
Invitational. He went 4-0-1 in the 2004 Ryder Cup, the last big event staged
at Oakland Hills.
But Westwood was not a happy camper after his terrible round.
"The fairways are narrow and unfortunately if you miss the semi (rough) by a
foot you are worse off than if you miss by 20 yards, which you need to take
different people's opinions as the whether that is fair," he said.
Next up was the PGA of America's setup at Oakland Hills versus the USGA's
layout at Torrey Pines for the U.S. Open, an event, Westwood coincidentally
finished one shot out of the Tiger Woods/Rocco Mediate playoff.
"Cut all the rough out. I think the U.S. Open was set up perfectly," said
Westwood. "It rewards accuracy and penalizes you if you are off liner. I
didn't see that today. I asked my partners if I was out of order and they said
'No, if you are slightly off line you are crucified'."
Moving on to the rough around the greens...
"In my opinion, it is too thick around the greens as well," he said. "It takes
the skill away from chipping."
The par threes?
"If the wind gets up you won't get there. I hit a three-iron and Zach Johnson
hit five-wood and on 17."
And in conclusion, Westwood felt like the set up took away from a great venue
and a great championship.
"I sound as if I am moaning, which I am, but it is a great shame as it is a
fantastic golf course, they are great greens and they are playable, but there
is no need to play it as it is," said Westwood. "They are sucking the fun out
of the Major Championships when you set it up like that."
* Kenny Perry, a pre-tournament favorite thanks to a three-win 2008 PGA Tour
season, made it through the first round, but withdrew after his round. The
Golf Channel reported Perry injured his eye earlier in the week and he
eventually withdrew.
* Padraig Harrington, the winner of the last two British Opens, including last
month's, started wonderfully with three consecutive birdies. Unfortunately,
Harrington finished at one-over 71 in the opening round.
* Frank Esposito, Jr. leads the race for lowest club professional after his
one-over 71 on Thursday. Esposito, playing in his first PGA Championship,
works out of Brooklake Country Club in Florham, New Jersey.
* According to pga.com and Dave Shedloski, Paul Goydos, who lost the playoff
to Sergio Garcia at The Players Championship, was the first player drug tested
at a major championship. Goydos shot a four-over 74 in round one.
* There was a tie for easiest hole on Thursday. The two par-fives, Nos. 2 and
12, both played to an average of 4.7115. They were the only two holes that
played to par or better.
* The hardest hole on Thursday was the 498-yard, par-four 18th. It played to
an average of 4.6122. The 257-yard, par-three ninth also played a half-shot
over par with an average of 3.5238.
<< Karlsson, Jeev Milkha Singh and Romero lead suspended PGA
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson of Sweden and
India's Jeev Milkha Singh both posted rounds of two-under 68 on Thursday and
share the lead with Andres Romero during the suspended first round of the PGA
Champio
<< Clippers add veteran Williams
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers signed veteran
guard Jason Williams, who had been with the Miami Heat. Per team policy,
terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 32-year-old Williams joins his fourth
<< Report: Florida TE Ingram has torn ACL
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - University of Florida senior tight end
Cornelius Ingram has reportedly torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his
left knee, effectively ending his 2008 season.
According to Sporting News, Ingra
<< Kansas State gives coach a Prince of a deal
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas State announced Thursday that head
football coach Ron Prince agreed to a new multi-year contract, keeping him
with the school through the 2012 season.
The new five-year deal is retroactive to
<< Red Sox minor leaguer suspended
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball suspended Boston Red
Sox minor leaguer Victor De La Cruz 50 games after the pitcher tested positive
for Stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor
League
Blumenherst continues to roll at U.S. Women's Amateur >>
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amanda Blumenherst rolled to a pair of wins
Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur at
Eugene Country Club.
Blumenherst, the NCAA Player of the Year and last year's r
Nats sweep doubleheader with Rockies >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wil Nieves and Willie Harris drove in two runs
apiece to give the Washington Nationals a 6-3 victory over the Colorado
Rockies, sweeping Thursday's doubleheader at Coors Field.
Odalis Perez (5-8) won
Tolles fires 62 to lead Wichita Open >>
Wichita, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Tolles fired a nine-under-par 62 Thursday
to grab a one-stroke lead with the first round of the Wichita Open suspended
due to darkness.
Tolles' 62 missed both the course record and the 18-hole tourname
Oswalt continues to stymie Reds in Houston victory >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt dominated the Cincinnati hitters
to help the Houston Astros win a 7-4 decision in the first of four games at
Great American Ball Park.
Oswalt (9-8) improved his career record against the R
Williams helps Hamilton down Toronto >>
Hamilton, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richie Williams threw for 293 yards and three
touchdowns, including Hamilton's first passing touchdown of the season, as the
Tiger-Cats dismantled the Toronto Argonauts to the tune of 45-21, at Ivor
Wynne.
MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
|
