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08/08/2008 - Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - J.B. Holmes bogeyed two of his last four holes Friday, but still managed a two-under 68 and took the second-round lead of the PGA Championship.
Holmes finished two rounds at Oakland Hills at one-under 139 and is the only player under par at the season's final major championship.
Charlie Wi (70), Justin Rose (67) and 2003 British Open champion Ben Curtis (67) are tied for second place at even-par 140. The 67s by Rose and Curtis were the lowest rounds of the championship, while Wi is playing in his first major championship.
David Toms, the 2001 PGA Champion, posted a one-under 69 and moved into a tie for fifth place with Henrik Stenson, who carded an even-par 70 on Friday. They finished at one-over 141.
Phil Mickelson, the 2005 PGA Champion, bogeyed three of his last five holes Friday en route to a three-over 73. He finished 36 holes at three-over 143.
Mickelson got to even-par for the championship after a six-foot birdie putt at the 13th. That got him within one of Holmes, but some uncharacteristic bad shots around the green doomed Mickelson.
His second at 14 went through the green after an errant drive and his chip stopped nine feet from the stick. Mickelson missed that putt, then stubbed a chip at the 15th and left with another bogey.
After a poor second at the 16th, Mickelson saved par from five feet. His five- iron tee shot at the 17th rolled through to the back fringe. Mickelson appeared to skull his chip that ran through the other side of the putting surface. That led to another bogey, but a par at the last kept Mickelson within striking distance.
"If they water the greens and change some pins, you can shoot under par," said Mickelson. "I'm within four going into the weekend. There's a lot of golf left out here."
The first round was completed Friday morning after play was suspended for darkness on Thursday. It was a one-hour, 25-minute weather delay on Thursday that set the tournament back, but the second round was finished without a stoppage.
Holmes played a great opening nine with two birdies and a bogey. It wasn't until he made the turn that he vaulted up the leaderboard.
At the par-five 12th, Holmes chopped his third from the thick rough near the green to three feet. He kicked in that birdie putt and made it two in a row with an eight-footer at the 13th.
Holmes made an unlikely birdie at the 501-yard, par-four 14th. From just short of the putting surface, Holmes rolled in a 25-footer for birdie to get to three-under par.
Things came undone a bit when Holmes played the final four holes into the wind. At the 15th, he came up short and right with his approach and made bogey.
After an errant tee shot, Holmes three-putted from a long distance for another bogey at 17. A par at the last got Holmes in as the only player from the morning wave under par.
"I hit some good shots on those holes and made birdie," said Holmes. "After my third birdie, the next four holes were pretty much into the wind right there and I was just trying to make par on those holes.
"Glad I got in with that. But I felt I left a few out there."
One of the big stories all year has been Kenny Perry's quest to make the Ryder Cup team in his home state of Kentucky. Holmes also has ties to the "Bluegrass" State, although he hasn't been consumed with it, rather his work has been geared toward a first major.
"Going into the week you want to play well, but you can't be thinking about anything like that when you're out there," said Holmes. "I put myself in a pretty good situation and I just got to go out there and play and hopefully it will happen."
Sean O'Hair is still in the mix for a U.S. Ryder Cup berth. He shot a three- over 73 on Friday and is tied for seventh place with 2007 U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera (72), Brandt Snedeker (71), first-round co-leader Jeev Milkha Singh (74), Aaron Baddeley (71), Ken Duke (73) and Sergio Garcia (73). The group finished at two-over 142.
Garcia is still looking for that elusive first major.
Robert Karlsson, the other first-round co-leader, struggled to a seven-over 77 on Friday and fell into a tie for 26th at five-over.
When the horn sounded Thursday night, Andres Romero was tied for the lead with Singh and Karlsson at minus-two. When Romero came back Friday morning, he bogeyed 18 to fall out of the lead.
Sadly, the worst was yet to come for Romero.
The Argentine shot an eight-over 78 in round two, including a quadruple-bogey eight at 16 and a double-bogey six at 18, to fall to seven-over-par 147 for the championship, one stroke above the cut line.
Two of last week's main players in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational were the biggest names to miss the cut. Last week's winner Vijay Singh, a two-time PGA Champion, and Lee Westwood, who tied for second behind Singh at Firestone on Sunday, both missed the 36-hole mark by numerous shots.
Rod Pampling was tied for eighth after the first round, but shot an 81 and missed the cut by three strokes.
Among those that will have the weekend off are 1991 winner John Daly (149), Fred Couples (149), Zach Johnson (149), Adam Scott (150), Darren Clarke (151), K.J. Choi (151), Stewart Cink (151), Davis Love III (152), Hunter Mahan (160) and Colin Montgomerie (160).
Mahan and Montgomerie both need help to make their respective Ryder Cup teams, but tying for the worst score by a non club professional won't help.
<< Yanks recall Kennedy for start
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees added pitcher Ian
Kennedy to their starting rotation in time to start Friday night's contest
against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Kennedy, who was winless in nine appea
<< Braves P Hudson to have Tommy John surgery on Saturday
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson will undergo
Tommy John surgery on Saturday.
The team announced the scheduled procedure on Friday and it will be performed
in Pensacola, Florida by Dr. James Andrews.
Team
<< Mickelson struggles late on Friday at PGA
Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Mickelson bogeyed three
of his last five holes Friday en route to a three-over 73 in the second round
of the PGA Championship.
Mickelson, the 2005 PGA Champion, is still very much
<< Kanaan, AGR agree to 5-year extension
Sparta, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Kanaan and Andretti Green Racing have
reached a long-term agreement that will keep the 2004 IndyCar Series champion
with the team through 2013.
"I'm very happy and relieved to have a deal in place
Runnin' Rebs give Kruger contract extension >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UNLV signed men's basketball coach Lon
Kruger to a one-year contract extension Friday.
The Nevada Board of Regents approved the extension during its meetings August
7-8 in Reno. Kruger is now under co
Dixon grabs pole for Kentucky >>
Sparta, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Dixon won the pole for Saturday's Meijer
Indy 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver
circled the 1.5-mile oval four times in 1 minute, 37.3293 seconds (218.968
m.p.h.)
Piercy moves three clear in Wichita >>
Wichita, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Piercy fired a nine-under 62 Friday to
move three strokes clear of the field after two rounds of the Wichita Open.
Piercy completed 36 holes with a tournament-record score of 16-under-par 126.
The pr
Jazz owner out of hospital >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller was
released from the hospital Friday morning, almost two months after a near-
fatal heart attack.
The 64-year-old Miller described the heart attack, subsequent
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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