Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
07/08/2007 - Bethesda, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stuart Appleby shot a two-under 68 on Saturday to grab sole possession of the third-round lead at the AT&T National at Congressional.
Appleby, who shared the 36-hole lead with K.J. Choi, stands at nine-under-par 201, which is two ahead of Choi, who posted a late rally to shoot an even-par 70.
Steve Stricker shot a three-under 67 and is alone in third place at minus-six, followed by former Masters champion Mike Weir, who also carded a 67 on Saturday.
Tournament host and new father Tiger Woods is still in the picture, but will need a good round on Sunday. In round three, Woods managed a one-under 69 and is part of a group tied for eighth place at minus-two.
"I've got to take care of my own business, and I've got to make a run and then see what happens," said Woods. "I have to handle my own business first before anything can happen."
Woods birdied the first hole, then barely missed birdie tries at the next three holes. He parred all the way to the par-five 16th when he chipped his third close to the hole.
Woods was at three-under and very much in the thick of things until Congressional's closing hole. He missed the fairway left, then the green right, but chipped to 13 feet. Woods missed that putt to fall one more down the leaderboard.
"You have to be patient, which I was all day. I'm still in the ball game," said Woods. "Hopefully tomorrow I can get it going."
Appleby had it going right from the outset. He sank a five-foot birdie putt at the first and when Choi missed a four-footer for par, Appleby found himself two ahead after three strokes of the clubs.
That advantage did not last long as Appleby bogeyed the second, but he atoned for the error with a birdie at the par-four third. Appleby ran home a seven- foot birdie putt at the fifth and was three ahead of the field.
At the par-five ninth, Appleby holed an 11-foot birdie putt to take a four- shot lead to the back nine. He almost needed all of it because Appleby sputtered after the turn.
He found a bunker off the tee and another greenside en route to a bogey at the 11th. Appleby missed a five-footer for par at 12 after an errant drive, but due to Congressional's difficulty, Appleby walked away from the back-to-back bogeys with a three-shot lead.
Appleby hit a spectacular six-iron tee ball at 13 that set up a successful eight-foot birdie putt. From there he played safe golf, but watched close-up as Choi soared up the leaderboard.
Choi was three-over par through 14 holes, but birdied 15 and 16. Appleby missed a 15-foot birdie putt at the 17th, but Choi trimmed the advantage to two with a six-foot birdie putt of his own.
But Choi, who won this year's Memorial, will have to chase Appleby on Sunday. Appleby knows he can not relax with demanding challenges Congressional offers.
"It's a good test," said Appleby, an eight-time winner on tour. "Tomorrow I'm going to have to keep playing my type of golf - hitting greens and giving my a chance."
Lucas Glover shot a four-under 66 and has fifth place at minus-four.
Shigeki Maruyama (65) and Charley Hoffman (67) are knotted in sixth place at three-under-par 207.
Woods was joined in eighth place by Jim Furyk (68), Justin Rose (70) and Kevin Stadler (69) at minus-two. Stadler, who played with Woods on Saturday, aced the 13th hole in round three.
<< Australians McKenzie, Day share lead in Ohio
Highland Heights, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australians David McKenzie and Jason
Day share the lead after three rounds of the Legend Financial Group Classic.
McKenzie carded a five-under 66, while Day posted a 67 to end at 12-under-par
201.
<< Hernandez stymies A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Felix Hernandez baffled A's hitters for eight
innings and Adrian Beltre connected on his third home run in the last two
games as Seattle blanked Oakland, 4-0.
Hernandez (5-4) allowed two hits, walked t
<< Arizona's Webb heading to All-Star Game
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona right-hander Brandon Webb has been
named to the National League roster for the 78th annual All-Star Game this
Tuesday, replacing Colorado left-hander Brian Fuentes, who is sidelined with a
straine
<< Watson one round closer to U.S. Senior Open title
Kohler, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite a one-over 73 on Saturday, Tom Watson
maintained his three-shot lead through 54 holes of the U.S. Senior Open at
Whistling Straits.
Watson stands at seven-under-par 209 and is still three c
Orioles send Bynum to DL >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles shortstop Freddie Bynum was
placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday due to a strained left hamstring.
Bynum suffered the injury running out a ground ball in the third inning of
Frida
Crew doubles up Salt Lake with second-half rally >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew got second-half goals from
Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Eddie Gaven to down Real Salt Lake 2-0 at Crew
Stadium on Saturday.
The goals came just four minutes apart as Schelotto converted
Cubs continue surge as Lilly holds down Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ted Lilly surrendered one run over 7 1/3
innings for his fourth straight winning decision, as the Chicago Cubs
routed the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-1, in the second of their three-game series
at PNC
Strugglers RBNY, Colorado look to snap skids >>
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It has been a while since both the
Colorado Rapids and Red Bull New York have come out on the winning end of an
MLS contest.
New York is winless in its last four games, including three losse
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting