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07/02/2006 - Newport, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Annika Sorenstam, a two-time winner of this event, and Pat Hurst both posted rounds of even-par 71 on Saturday and are tied for the lead after two rounds of the U.S. Women's Open. The pair is knotted at two-under-par 140 and are the only players under par at Newport Country Club.
Michelle Wie overcame a double-bogey on her eighth hole to shoot a one-over 72 in round two. She is tied for third place at even-par 142 with amateur Jane Park (73) and Shi Hyun Ahn (71).
Two-time U.S. Women's Open champion Juli Inkster (70), Rookie of the Year Paula Creamer (72), reigning Women's British Open winner Jeong Jang (71), Stacy Prammanasudh (71) and LPGA Champion Se Ri Pak (74) are knotted in fifth place at one-over-par 143.
The second round was contested on Saturday after a dense fog caused the suspension of play on Thursday before a single shot was struck. With no weather problems in the forecast, the plan is to play 36 holes on Sunday.
Wie began her round on the back nine and rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt at the 12th. She missed a four-footer for par at 15, but reclaimed the lost stroke with a birdie at 16.
At the par-three 17th and tied for the lead, Wie needed two to get out of a muddy bunker and walked off with a double-bogey. She got back into red figures with a short birdie putt at the third, but missed the fairway en route to a bogey at the sixth.
One hole later, Wie hit a hideous tee shot left. She took an unplayable lie and hit an amazing shot from the shrubs to 10 feet. Wie canned the putt to save a spectacular par.
"I hit it right where I wanted to, and it was all-in-all a very good hole, and right after the ball went into the hole I kind of laughed at myself," said Wie. "It was pretty ridiculous."
If Wie is to visit the winner's circle on Sunday afternoon, she will have to get through the game's top superstar and one of the steadiest veterans on the LPGA Tour.
Sorenstam began Saturday's second round on the back nine and netted nine pars, a strong score in a U.S. Open with windy conditions. She extended her par streak on her second nine with four more, then collected her first birdie at the par-three fifth when her four-iron tee ball stopped 14 feet from the stick.
The Swede dropped a shot at the sixth when her approach came up short of the green. Sorenstam chipped to seven feet, but two-putted to fall back to minus- two and bogey the hole for the second consecutive day.
At the seventh, Sorenstam hit a sand-wedge to 16 feet to set up birdie. She lost sole possession of the lead at her final hole when her seven-wood approach came up short of the putting surface. Sorenstam chipped to eight feet, but missed the putt to fall back to two-under par.
"As I reflect on the last two days, I'm very happy with the way I played," said Sorenstam. "If you would have told me I was going to be two-under after 36 holes, I would have said, 'I'll take it.' I'm very happy."
Sorenstam is mired in what some call a slump as the most dominant player on the LPGA Tour the last few years has only visited the winner's circle once this season.
Also, since Sorenstam burst on to the golf scene with back-to-back wins at this event in 1995-96, she has gone winless at the U.S. Women's Open. She has pocketed seven major championships since 2001, but not this one.
"I don't really count the years I don't win a certain event," acknowledged Sorenstam. "I'm just happy that I have two championships like this, and I'm excited to be back every year."
With most of the hype surrounding not just her fellow co-leader, but the 16- year-old behind her on the leaderboard, Hurst may be in a perfect position to sneak in a win.
She has a major championship (1998 Kraft Nabisco Championship), and the 36- hole marathon on Sunday won't be a problem. Hurst participated in every session of last year's Solheim Cup.
"I think I just need to take it one step at a time and not push myself and just walk down the fairways nice and slowly and not rush to the ball," said Hurst. "I've been out there long enough and this is my 12th year, and I try to learn off my experiences."
Hurst posted a bogey on the third hole, but came back with a long birdie putt at the par-three fifth. She dropped another shot at six, but atoned for it quickly with a 15-foot birdie putt at seven. Hurst rolled in a 10-footer for birdie at the eighth to reach three-under par for the championship.
At the 12th, Hurst drove into the left rough, but she was able to reach the green with her second. Unfortunately, she three-putted from 45 feet for a bogey to fall back to minus-two.
The problems didn't end there for Hurst. Her four-iron tee ball at the par- three 13th landed in a right bunker and she blasted out through the other side of the green. Hurst missed her 15-footer from the fringe for par to fall one behind Sorenstam.
Hurst birdied the 16th to tie Sorenstam for the lead.
"Obviously I feel pretty good, sitting here in the lead with Annika. But we've got 36 more holes, so anything can happen tomorrow," said Hurst. "I'm just going to go out and play the best I can."
The LPGA Tour's leading money winner, Lorena Ochoa shot a two-over 73 on Saturday and is part of a group tied for 11th at plus-two.
Karrie Webb, a two-time champion of this event and the reigning Kraft Nabisco Championship winner, carded a five-over 76 and is through 36 holes at seven- over-par 149.
The 36-hole cut fell at eight-over-par 150 and players with recent success at this tournament did not fare well.
Last year's runner-up Brittany Lang (151), 2004 champion Meg Mallon (154) and last year's winner Birdie Kim (154) all have Sunday off.
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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