11/08/2008 - McKinney, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Bettencourt fired an eight-under 63 on Saturday to vault into a tie for the lead with Bryce Molder, who had a 64 of his own, after three rounds of the Nationwide Tour Championship.
The pair finished 54 holes at 15-under 198 and is three ahead of overnight co-leader Darron Stiles (70), Peter Tomasulo (63) and Kyle Reifers (65) at the TPC at Craig Ranch.
This is the final event of the season on the Nationwide Tour and after the completion of the final round, the top-25 players on the money list will earn PGA Tour cards for next year.
Bettencourt is 12th on the money list and is safe for a trip to the PGA Tour next year. He can win the money title, but Molder is 32nd and in need a strong finish if he is to return to the PGA Tour.
"You go out and try to hit the fairway on the first tee and oversimplify things," said Molder. "I'm going to try and win the golf tournament. I feel very comfortable with my game."
Bettencourt birdied one, but lost that stroke at four. After the hiccup at the fourth, Bettencourt went on a major tear.
When his 11-foot birdie putt at the eighth fell into the cup, that was his fourth in a row. He drained a 22-foot eagle putt at nine to cap off a front- nine 30, but he wasn't done.
Bettencourt played a spectacular approach to three feet to set up birdie at the 10th. That birdie meant Bettencourt played hole Nos. 5-10 in seven-under par.
Bettencourt parred 11 and 12, but his approach spun back inches from the hole at 13. He tapped in for birdie and made it two in a row with a nine-footer at the 14th.
That put Bettencourt in front by four, but Molder flew up the leaderboard. Molder birdied four in a row from 12, including a 12-footer at the 15th and was only two behind.
Bettencourt, after a great 12-foot par save at 16, missed the green at the par-three 17th and walked off with a bogey. That cut his margin to one and that disappeared when Molder birdied the last.
"This is so much fun," said Bettencourt. "Big day tomorrow, fun day regardless of the outcome. It'd be great to finish first, but there's a lot more on the line."
Garrett Osborn, who shared the second-round lead with Stiles, only managed an even-par 71 and is tied for sixth place with Marc Leishman, who posted a 68, at minus-11.
Jeff Klauk shot a two-under 69 and is alone in eighth at 10-under 203.
Scott Gutschewski (67), Spencer Levin (69), Hunter Haas (70) and Colt Knost (71) are knotted in ninth at nine-under 204.
<< Eskimos hold on to beat Winnipeg, move to East final
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Harris scored a pair of touchdowns and
Fred Perry added a 31-yard interception for a touchdown as Edmonton rallied
past Winnipeg, 29-21, in the East Division semifinal at Canad Inns Stadium.
Ricky
<< Hall, No. 17 BYU rout San Diego State
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Max Hall threw for 317 yards and three
touchdowns, leading the 17th-ranked BYU Cougars to a 41-12 thrashing of the
San Diego State Aztecs at Cougar Stadium.
Hall completed 25-of-30 passes, and Aust
<< Lyon edges Monaco to maintain four-point lead
Monaco, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fred scored in the 55th minute to help Lyon
edge Monaco 1-0 at Stade Louis II on Saturday in France's Ligue 1 and maintain
a four-point lead on Marseille, which beat Grenoble 3-0.
Lyon had struggled rece
<< Roma hands Bologna a draw on late own goal
Bologna, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francesco Totti scored in his 400th match for
Roma on Saturday, but his club's woes in Serie A continued after a 91st minute
own goal helped Bologna escape with a 1-1 draw.
Totti scored in the 68th minute
Iowa's last-second FG knocks off Penn State >>
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Murray hit a 31-yard field goal with
one second left, and the Iowa Hawkeyes toppled third-ranked Penn State, 24-23,
to end the Nittany Lions' dream season and national title hopes.
The victory mark
Edwards wins Phoenix, Bowyer overcomes wreck to finish fourth >>
Avondale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Edwards inched closer towards Clint
Bowyer for the Nationwide Series championship with a victory in Saturday's
Hefty Odor Block 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. The No.60 Roush Fenway
Racing
Sloan headed back up to Washington >>
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals recalled defenseman
Tyler Sloan from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears, it
was announced on Saturday.
This is Sloan's second recall this season after playi
Peckham sent down after another brief stint in NHL >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edmonton Oilers General Manager Steve
Tambellini announced on Saturday the club has assigned defenseman Theo Peckham
to the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League.
Peckham, who was just r
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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