Munoz leads by one in Alabama

Golf Betting Lines

05/13/2010 - Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Azahara Munoz fired a seven-under 65 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic.

Munoz, a tour rookie, is not only looking for her first win, but also her first top-25 finish on the LPGA Tour. In two previous professional starts, her best finish is a tie for 27th.

Katherine Hull and Jee Young Lee share second place at minus-six. Cristie Kerr opened with a five-under 67 and she was joined in fourth place by Janice Moodie, Hye Jung Choi and Meena Lee.

This is the first event since the passing of tour player Erica Blasberg. Many players sported black ribbons in her honor.

Munoz started on the back nine Thursday and holed out from a greenside bunker for birdie on the 11th to get her round going. She then birdied the two par- fives on the back nine, Nos. 13 and 16, to move to three-under.

Around the turn, Munoz birdied the third on the Crossings Course at Magnolia Grove, which is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.

Munoz converted back-to-back birdie efforts from the fifth to move to six- under. She closed her round with a birdie on the ninth, her last, to post minus-seven.

"The course is playing tough, but I just hit every fairway and pretty much every green," said Munoz, who was in the first group out off the 10th tee. "The only green I missed I made a bunker shot, so that was nice. I was playing really well. Actually, a lot of putts didn't go in, but like every putt I hit had a chance. So that was good today."

Munoz had a similar start in Mexico two weeks ago, opening with an eight-under 65, but she struggled the next two rounds to fall out of contention.

"Obviously I was disappointed after a great first round, but I think I learned a lot," admitted Munoz. "I have to stay in the present, one shot at a time. Hopefully I can do that this week."

Hull also played the back nine first and she dropped a shot on the 11th. She posted four birdies over the next seven holes to turn in three-under.

The Australian, who won the 2008 Canadian Women's Open, connected on back-to- back birdie efforts from the fourth. Hull notched her final birdie on the par- three eighth.

"I made a really stupid bogey on 11 so it kind of ticked me off," admitted Hull. "It got me fired up. I just played pretty solid from there on in. Seven birdies and no other bogeys, which was nice."

Lee also played the back nine first and she carded eight pars and an eagle on the par-five 16th over her opening nine. On the front side, she birdied the fourth and sixth before closing in style with birdies on eight and nine.

NOTES: New women's world No. 1 Jiyai Shin opened with a two-under 70 as did Angela Stanford, who is defending her title from 2008. This event was not played last year...Michelle Wie and Natalie Gulbis are tied for 55th at even- par 72, while Sherri Steinhauer, recently named as an assistant captain for the U.S. Solheim Cup team, struggled to a two-over 74.

Socceronlinechance Golf Betting News

<< Both conference finals to start Sunday
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League announced that both the Eastern and Western Conference finals will begin on Sunday. In the West, the top-seeded San Jose Sharks will host the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 at 3 p.m.

<< Hillman dismissed as Royals manager; Greinke gets first win
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer and Zack Greinke threw six effective innings to pick up his first win of the season, as the Kansas City Royals snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-4 vi

<< Longhorns' Ward, Williams granted medical waivers
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Longhorns guard Varez Ward and forward Shawn Williams have each been granted a medical hardship waiver by the Big 12 Conference for the 2009-10 season. As a result, Ward will be a redshirt sophomore

<< Warriors' Azubuike has successful knee surgery
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golden State Warriors swingman Kelenna Azubuike underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday. The procedure addressed patella tendonitis in his right knee. Azubuike will begin rehabilitation i

<< Sharks downplay regular season results vs. Chicago
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Evgeni Nabokov views his 45-save masterpiece in Chicago the same way he does the seven-goal outburst the Blackhawks had in San Jose during the regular season.Both are absolutely irrelevant once the Western Conference finals be

Nationals minor leaguer Bynum suspended >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington National minor league infielder Seth Bynum was suspended 50 games after testing positive for an amphetamine, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevent

Jones the early leader in Texas >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Matt Jones posted a six-under 66 Thursday to take a one-shot lead after one round of the Texas Open. Jones, who is looking for his first PGA Tour title, is coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes

Marlins score on wild pitch in ninth to edge Mets >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cody Ross scored on a wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Florida Marlins beat the New York Mets 2-1, in the opener of a four-game set at Sun Life Stadium. Ross scampered home af

Celtics advance to East finals; LeBron faces big decision >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics are moving to the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years. LeBron James is headed to the off-season again without a championship and has possibly played his last ga

Saborio brace pushed RSL past Houston >>
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alvaro Saborio scored two goals to help lead Real Salt Lake past the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer action at Rio Tinto Stadium on Thursday night. Robbie Findley, a call-up for the U.S. national team's

Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.