11/22/2008 - Hong Kong (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England's Oliver Wilson shot a five-under 65 to take the third-round lead Saturday at the Hong Kong Open.
Wilson stood at 13-under-par 197 for a one-shot lead over Lin Wen-tang (64) of Chinese Taipei and a two-stroke advantage over World Golf Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer (63) of Germany.
Pablo Larrazabal (64), Rory McIlroy (66), Jeev Milkha Singh (66) and Francesco Molinari (67) were another shot further back at 10-under 200, while Colin Montgomerie (68) was alone at nine-under 201.
Only four more players were within five shots of Wilson's lead heading into the final round at Hong Kong Golf Club.
Wilson, who lost a playoff to Sergio Garcia at the HSBC Champions two weeks ago, will take to the course Sunday seeking his long-awaited first victory on the European Tour.
Beginning the third round in a four-way tie for the lead with Louis Oosthuizen, Oliver Fisher and Chawalit Plaphol, Wilson opened with a bogey on his first hole. But he posted back-to-back birdies at the sixth and seventh and made the turn in 33 shots.
Wilson turned it on after that, collecting three birdies in a four-hole stretch to begin the back nine. He ended the round with the lead after making a birdie at the 17th hole.
"I am very happy with today," said Wilson. "[Winning on Sunday] will need a good round, but I'll just keep doing what I am doing and hopefully it will be enough."
The 28-year-old Englishman played on his first Ryder Cup team in September on the strength of four runner-up finishes in the 2008 season. He has eight runner-up finishes in his career.
Among those standing in the way of Wilson's first win are the 34-year-old Lin and the two-time Masters champion Langer, who counts the 1991 Hong Kong Open among his dozens of international victories.
The 51-year-old Langer, who won three times on the Champions Tour this season to claim that circuit's money title, also started with a bogey at the first hole Saturday. But he made an eagle, seven birdies and just one more bogey the rest of the way for his 63.
Langer holed out with a seven-iron for his eagle at the par-four seventh. Later, he made four consecutive birdies from the 13th hole to move within two strokes of the lead.
"It was kind of a strange day," said Langer, who won the 1985 and '93 Masters. "It is always great to be up on the leaderboard and it is always great to be in contention. That is what we practice for and what we work for -- to have a good chance on Sunday afternoon to win a tournament."
<< Hughes stars as Bulls edge Warriors
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Hughes burned his old team for 26 points,
getting the start in place of an injured Luol Deng and the Chicago Bulls
pulled out a 115-110 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Derrick Rose scored
<< Kobe shines, 'Melo struggles as Lakers clobber Nuggets
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant scored 29 points to pace the
Lakers to their 10th win in 11 games this season, a 104-90 triumph over the
Denver Nuggets.
Andrew Bynum contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds as Los Angeles
<< Vols pull out close win over Middle Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Smith scored 18 points and
pulled down 10 rebounds as 14th-ranked Tennessee overcame Middle Tennessee for
a 76-66 victory.
Bobby Maze scored 12, while J.P. Prince and Scotty Hopson each
<< Portland uses depth to dominate Kings
Sacramento, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Blake netted a game-high 20 points
with five assists as Portland ripped Sacramento, 117-96, at ARCO Arena.
LaMarcus Aldridge added 19 points with six rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who
have won
Rangers aim to rebound versus Senators >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers will try to
rebound from a loss when they visit the free-falling Ottawa Senators for an
afternoon meeting at Scotiabank Place.
The Rangers, who have 30 points on the year, ha
Sabres hope to get offense going against Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first shutout loss of the season, the
Sabres will next take on the team that they had their best offensive
performance of the season against. Buffalo welcomes the New York Islanders to
town tonight for a meet
Penguins welcome Canucks to Pittsburgh >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will aim for their eighth victory
in nine games when they welcome the Vancouver Canucks for this afternoon's
showdown at Mellon Arena.
The Penguins have yet to lose a game in regulation this month,
Blackhawks continue road trip in Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Blackhawks and Maple Leafs will renew an Original Six
rivalry when Chicago makes the trip to Toronto for this evening's contest at
Air Canada Centre.
Chicago, which has won its last three over the Maple Leafs, will be
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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