Johnson, Day share Deutsche Bank lead
Golf Betting Lines
09/03/2010 - Norton, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Johnson and Jason Day both fired eight- under 63s to share the lead after the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.
With Hurricane Earl bearing down on the Northeast coast, players were able to lift, clean and place their golf balls. There was an 80-minute weather delay when one of the outer rain bands of the storm pounded the course.
The leaders played alongside Ryan Palmer, who carded a seven-under 64. That group combined for 26 birdies and three bogeys.
"It was one of those days that if you get off to a good start it kind of breeds momentum," Johnson explained. "But we all got off to a good start, so it just kind of catapulted our day. We all birdied the first hole, and it fed into the remainder of the day."
Palmer was joined in third place by Charley Hoffman, Rory McIlroy, Ryan Moore, Hunter Mahan, Brian Davis, D.J. Trahan and Geoff Ogilvy, who was minus-eight through 14 holes, but posted two bogeys and a birdie the rest of the way.
Defending champion Steve Stricker opened with a 65 and is tied for 11th.
World No. 1 Tiger Woods bogeyed four of his first five holes, but bounced back with three birdies over his final 11 holes to post one-over 72. That left him tied for 87th in the 99-player field.
"I just didn't have it today," admitted Woods, who won this title in 2006. "I wasn't really doing what I was supposed to be doing out there swing-wise, and then wasn't releasing the putter blade out there and was dragging it a little bit. It was a bad day all around."
Johnson and Day started on the 10th tee Friday at the TPC Boston. Johnson chipped in from over the green, while Day knocked his second shot within tap- in range.
The 34-year-old Johnson came right back with a 30-foot birdie putt on the 11th.
Day rolled in a 12-footer on the 13th to join Johnson at minus-two. Day also birdied the 15th to get to three-under.
Both players converted back-to-back birdie efforts from the 17th. Johnson joined Day at minus-five with a 10-foot birdie putt on the first. At the par- five second, both Johnson and Day got up and down for birdie.
Day followed with a birdie on the third, but he bogeyed the short par-four fourth. The Australian bounced back with a seven-foot birdie putt on the fifth.
Johnson poured in a 28-footer on No. 5 to match Day at minus-seven.
Day traded a bogey for a birdie from the sixth. Johnson was the first to get to minus-eight as he rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at No. 8.
"I probably didn't hit it quite as well as those guys. I hit it fine, I didn't put myself in trouble, but I putted beautifully," said Johnson, who claimed his seventh PGA Tour win earlier this year at the Colonial. "This is probably the easiest the golf course can play, so I'm not taking anything for granted right now. I'm excited about the remainder of the week."
Day sank a 10-footer for birdie on the ninth to join Johnson in the lead after the first round.
"There's a lot of deep scores out there. It was out there today," stated Day, who earned his first tour win at the Byron Nelson the week before Johnson won at Colonial. "I'll probably try and put this round behind me and just focus on the next round and one shot at a time out there."
NOTES: Eighty-three of the 99 players in the field broke par in the opening round...There are 25 players within three strokes of the lead...Day and Johnson have combined to go just 1-for-7 when holding the first-round lead, and that one victory was Day's earlier this year at the Byron Nelson Championship...The top 70 on the FedExCup points list after this event will move on to the BMW Championship.
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Online Sportsbook Football Betting
Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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