Choi goes in front at Royal Birkdale

Golf Betting Lines

07/18/2008 - Southport, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - K.J. Choi birdied his final two holes Friday to take the second-round lead at the British Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Choi shot a three-under 67 to become the only player under par at the season's third major championship. He finished 36 holes at one-under 139 and is one clear of 53-year-old, two-time former winner Greg Norman.

"I haven't been here in a long time and again, I'm a realist," said Norman, whose last tour win came in 1997. "But, there's a lot of things you dig out from inside you."

Choi was two shots off the second-round lead of Sergio Garcia last year at Carnoustie, but tied for eighth place. He has never won a major championship and feels he has the game plan to finally break through.

"In majors, it's the middle of the greens," said Choi, a seven-time winner on the PGA Tour. "Hitting the greens is very important. I've got good experience in 10 years."

He only hit 13 greens on Friday, but still moved one ahead of the amazing Norman.

"The Shark" shot his second consecutive, even-par 70 on Friday.

Norman started off with a birdie at the first hole, but fell victim to the diabolical par-four sixth, which played almost a full stroke over par on Thursday.

He drove into the left rough at six and could only advance the ball into the tall grass short, right of the green. Norman walked off with a double-bogey six to fall to one-over for the championship.

Norman responded in the same fashion that made him the No. 1 player through a good chunk of the 1990s. He hit a four-iron to 15 feet to set up birdie at the seventh, then rolled in an eight-footer for birdie at No. 8. The back-to-back birdies immediately erased the double-bogey and got Norman under par.

Norman did not give himself many chances at birdie from there. He sank a seven-foot par save at the 11th, then was threatened with a demanding bunker shot at No. 16.

"An exercise in exercise," joked Norman about his stance at 16.

For his third, Norman had to stand with legs far apart well above the ball. He blasted out to six feet and converted the par save.

He could not do the same at the par-five 17th. An errant drive led to an errant second shot and Norman eventually hit his fourth over the green into a bunker. The Aussie did his best to pitch out to 12 feet, then drained the bogey putt to stay in the lead at even par.

At the closing hole, Norman drove into the left first cut and tried to muscle up a pitching-wedge from 167 yards. He came up 25 feet short, but hammered his putt 20 feet past the hole and on to the fringe.

Norman ran home the par save to stay in the lead by himself.

"At least I had a good read on the putt coming back," kidded Norman. "I kept my mind very quiet. It was all I could do. Obviously, I didn't hit a great putt, but the follow up was right there."

Camilo Villegas birdied his last five holes on Friday for a five-under 65. He is in the clubhouse at one-over 141 and currently tied with another unlikely contender, 2001 British Open champion David Duval.

Defending champion Padraig Harrington finished with a flurry on Friday, picking up four strokes in his last four holes. He shot a two-under 68 and is tied for fifth place with all three first-round leaders, Rocco Mediate, Graeme McDowell and Robert Allenby, as well as Jim Furyk and Alexander Noren.

They have their work cut out for them to catch Choi on the weekend.

Choi bogeyed the first hole, but got the stroke back with a tap-in birdie at No. 3. He parred his next nine holes, including a great save at 11 from a nearly unplayable lie.

Choi birdied the 13th for the second day in a row, but found himself one out of first. He split the fairway at the par-five 17th and reached the green in two. Choi gave himself a 25-footer for sole possession of the lead, but pulled the putt. He tapped in to match Norman at even-par.

At the closing hole, Choi drove into the left rough and his caddie talked him into a pitching-wedge instead of a nine-iron. The decision paid off when Choi played his approach 18 feet short of the stick.

Choi sank the birdie putt for the outright lead.

Actionwager Golf Betting News

<< Inconsistency highlights Phils' first half
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies sure are a tough team to figure out. One day they can put up 20 runs in a dominating effort and the next they can put up a doughnut while struggling all night at the plate. Despite the hot-and-col

<< Indians recall INF Cabrera from minors
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians recalled infielder Asdrubal Cabrera from Triple-A Buffalo Friday. After hitting .283 in 45 games a season ago, Cabrera has suffered through a season-long slump, hitting just .1

<< Nationals place Pena on DL
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals placed outfielder Wily Mo Pena on the 15-day disabled list and activated catcher Johnny Estrada from the 15-day DL on Friday. Pena has a small tear in his left rotator cuff and

<< United's Evra charged with improper conduct
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association following the post-match brawl that marred the Premier League clash at Chelsea in April. Bl

<< Defending champion in the hunt
Southport, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padraig Harrington was only 75 percent sure he'd even defend his British Open Championship title on Wednesday because of a wrist injury. Good thing he teed it up. Harrington finished with two birdi

NHL back on schedule again >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ill-fated unbalanced schedule that the NHL decided to employ following the lockout is finally dead, and it's more than okay to rejoice in its passing. For three seasons, the NHL used a silly system tha

Stoke City confirms addition of Kitson >>
Stoke-on-Trent, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has paid a club record transfer fee of $11 million to land Reading striker Dave Kitson on a three-year contract. The 28-year-old ex-Cambridge United forward sc

'Quakes sign Brazilian midfielder >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes announced on Friday the team has signed Brazilian midfielder Francisco Lima. Lima joins the Earthquakes after spending the last two seasons with Italian team Brescia Calcio of

Mickelson will make cut at British Open >>
Southport, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Mickelson shot a two-under 68 on Friday to finish two rounds at plus-seven, which is within the projected cut line at the British Open. The cut is fluctuating between eight-over and nine-over, but M

Yankees sign Richie Sexson >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees made it official on Friday and signed first baseman Richie Sexson to a contract for the remainder of the season. Sexson was released by the Seattle Mariners last week. In 74 games, he

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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