Flesch leads by five in Reno

Golf Betting Lines

08/05/2007 - Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Flesch posted his second straight three- under 69 Saturday to push his lead to five strokes after three rounds of the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Flesch, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, completed 54 holes at 15-under-par 201. He leads after 54 holes for the seventh time in his career, but he has held on to win just one of the previous six events. His five-stroke lead is the largest 54-hole advantage of the year on the PGA Tour.

"I missed a couple of short ones. I missed two six-footers and a three-footer for birdie on nine," admitted Flesch, whose lead could have been bigger.

John Merrick posted a four-under 68. He moved into second place at 10-under- par 206. He stands alongside Steve Allan (69) and Todd Fischer (69).

Charles Warren dropped from second place to fifth with a one-over 73. He is at minus-nine. Kevin Stadler, Jose Coceres and Steve Elkington are tied for sixth at eight-under-par 208.

Flesch parred four in a row to start the day. He rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the fifth, but gave that stroke back as he bogeyed No. 7 at Montreux Golf and Country Club from over the green.

The 40-year-old collected birdies on 10, from three feet out, and 11, from 10 feet away, to move to 14-under. Flesch dropped another stroke at 12 with a three-putt bogey, then parred four in a row.

Flesch birdied the par-five 17th from inside six feet and made it two straight as he birdied the par-four closing hole from five feet out.

"I think today, I was a little bit more conservative because of the wind, but not intentionally. I just think the wind kept you from shooting at a lot of the pins," Flesch stated. "I picked my spots and played aggressively when I could."

Merrick moved up the leaderboard with four birdies on the front nine. Around the turn, he posted two bogeys and two birdies to share second.

"I'm trying to not put too much pressure on myself and that is leading to better scores," admitted Merrick. "It was very difficult out there today, especially on the back nine. You not only have to deal with the elevation, but the swirling wind as well."

Allan bogeyed the first, but came back with three consecutive birdies from the third to move to nine-under. After a birdie from off the green at 11, he bogeyed the next two holes. Allan recovered those lost strokes with birdies on 15 and 16.

"The wind is supposed to be up (Sunday) too, so it will be key to focus on one shot at a time," Allan stated. "I'm driving the ball well. You have to be in the fairway because the greens are really firming up."

Fischer carded three front-nine birdies to get to 10-under par. He stumbled to a bogey at the par-three 12th.

The 36-year-old Fischer recovered that lost stroke with a birdie on the par- four 14th. However, he faltered to another bogey at 15. Fischer posted his final birdie on the par-five 17th to end in a share of second.

Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Championship winner, carded a one-under 71. He stands at seven-under-par 208 and stands alongside Jason Dufner (72), Brendon De Jonge (72) and Jeff Maggert (67). Daniel Chopra, Greg Kraft, Corey Pavin, Chris Riley and Grant Waite are one stroke further back at minus-six.

Wwwlotteryusa Golf Betting News

<< Beckham expected to miss Sunday's match in Toronto
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At a press conference at the Air Canada Centre Saturday, David Beckham and Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop made it p "For the first time I ran today in training," Beckham said. "Running straight is

<< Weibring one up on Thorpe at 3M Championship
Blaine, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.A. Weibring fired a six-under 66 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the 3M Championship. Weibring completed 36 holes at 13-under-par 131. His 131 matched the 36-hole scoring record that

<< Brewers activate Linebrink from bereavement list
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers activated reliever Scott Linebrink from the bereavement list prior to Saturday's game against Philadelphia. The right-hander has appeared in two games for Milwaukee since being acquired

<< Brewers active Linebrink from bereavement list
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers activated reliever Scott Linebrink from the bereavement list prior to Saturday's game against Philadelphia. The right-hander has appeared in two games for Milwaukee since being

<< Franchitti on pole in Michigan
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dario Franchitti won the pole for Sunday's Firestone Indy 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. The No.27 Andretti Green Racing Honda circled the high-speed, two-mile oval in 32.9810 seconds (218.30

Roddick to battle Isner for DC title >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded American Andy Roddick remained on track to win his third tournament in the nation's capital, beating seventh- seeded Croatian Ivo Karlovic, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-5) in Saturday's semifinals of the $60

Fielder homers, Hart robs HR as Brewers rally to beat Phillies >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prince Fielder's two-run homer in the eighth inning put the Brewers on top, and Corey Hart robbed Tadahito Iguchi of a potential tying homer in the ninth, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the Philade

Hudson leads Braves over Rockies >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Hudson pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Turner Field. Hudson (12-5), who also knocked in two runs at the plate, scattered five hi

Zimmerman homers twice as Nats clobber Cardinals >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 with a pair of home runs and three RBI as Washington crushed St. Louis, 12-1, in the second installment of a three-game set at RFK Stadium. Joel Hanrahan (1-0) yielded just

Pena, Devil Rays down Orioles >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena belted a two-run homer and Scott Kazmir threw seven strong innings as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays spanked the Baltimore Orioles, 9-2, in the second of three games from Tropica

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.