Kerr, Wright take Michelob lead as Ochoa falters
Golf Betting Lines
05/09/2009 - Williamsburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lorena Ochoa's game, so sharp through 36 holes, faded to a dull mishmash of aimless shots on Saturday as Lindsey Wright and Cristie Kerr grabbed the lead at the Michelob Ultra Open.
"It wasn't a good day for me," said Ochoa after shooting a three-over 74 that turned a three-shot overnight lead into a five-stroke deficit.
Ochoa's struggles -- especially during a five-hole stretch on the back nine when she dropped four shots -- allowed Wright and Kerr to move in front at the $2.2 million event.
Wright, a 29-year-old grinder who has never won on the LPGA Tour, set up a Sunday challenge for her maiden title with a sparkling seven-under 64 that was almost good enough for sole possession of the lead.
But Kerr birdied three of her final four holes to shoot a five-under 66 and tie Wright atop the leaderboard at 15-under-par 198. The 11-time LPGA Tour winner and 2005 Michelob champion said she found "the zone" on her back nine, patiently waiting to strike at the right time.
"I played within myself, didn't try to hit it that close when my swing wasn't on," said Kerr. "I waited for it."
The duo share a one-shot lead over In-Kyung Kim (67) and a two-stroke advantage over another Korean, Song-Hee Kim (68).
Ochoa is three shots further back in a tie for fifth place with Natalie Gulbis (68) and Wendy Ward (67) at 10-under 203.
The Mexican star was left hoping her third round was simply an aberration -- "A couple yards left or right and it would have been different," she said -- and it may have been.
After all, Ochoa's top-ranked game looked to be on cruise control while she posted scores of 64-65 in the first two rounds.
On Saturday, her lead dwindled to a single shot as she collected three straight pars to begin the round. She rolled in a birdie putt at No. 4 that doubled her advantage to two.
But Ochoa's lead was halved again to a stroke before she made the turn. And that's when she really began to fall apart.
Ochoa missed a simple six-foot par putt on No. 10, taking a bogey that dropped her into a four-way tie for the lead with Wright and the two Kims. She then bogeyed the 13th, chipping past the hole from beside the green, to fall one shot off the lead.
At the par-four 14th, Ochoa knocked her approach shot over the green and down a steep hill. It took her three more strokes to get on the green -- the first rolled halfway back down the hill, and the second reached only the fringe.
She walked off with a double-bogey and was suddenly four back.
"I misjudged the distance and was right away over the green," said Ochoa. "It just happens. Sometimes there's nothing you can do. It was just a mistake."
The 74 marked Ochoa's highest score this year and the 12th time in 26 rounds that she's failed to break 70. She has already won twice this season, bringing her career total to 26 titles.
Wright's bogey-free 64 -- a career-best -- included long birdie putts at the 15th and 17th holes that gave her a brief two-shot lead. The English-born Australian, who owns her first 54-hole lead on the LPGA Tour, credited her success this week to recent changes to her putting stroke.
"Today was good. Under pressure, it's working," she said.
Not realizing until late in the round that Ochoa had fallen so far back, Wright said she was more interested in her own game.
"She's a great player and everyone has one round a week that's not the best," said Wright. "Tomorrow's going to be a good one."
Kerr followed up her course-record-tying 63 on Friday with a steady performance on Saturday that should at least guarantee the 31-year-old American her fifth straight top-10 finish.
She also credited her putting after rolling in birdie tries on 15, 17 and 18 that totaled more than 30 feet in length.
"It's always been my favorite part of the game," said Kerr. "I practice that more than anything."
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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
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