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04/18/2009 - Hilton Head Island, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Gay is killing Harbour Town with his steadiness.
"I'm just seeing things well out there," he said.
Gay extended his lead at the Verizon Heritage with a four-under 67 in Saturday's third round, setting up what could be a career-changing outcome for the 37-year-old PGA Tour veteran.
Seeking just his second career win, Gay was three strokes in front of New Zealand's Tim Wilkinson. A victory would mean Gay's first-ever berth in the Masters next year.
"I feel great. I look forward to [the final round]," said Gay, who broke through for his first victory at last year's Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico. "I just have to keep hitting good shots, keep it in front of me and keep on going on."
Wilkinson shot a six-under 65 and was alone in second place at 10-under 203, with two-time U.S. Open champion Lee Janzen (69) another stroke further back at nine-under 204.
Former British Open winner Todd Hamilton (71) stood at 205, while five-time Heritage winner Davis Love III (69) shared fifth place with Briny Baird (65) at 206.
Known as one of the shortest -- and straightest -- hitters on the PGA Tour, and as one of its best putters, Gay has strung together rounds of 67-66-67 to take only his third 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.
He has done it in familiar ways -- by hitting fairways and greens and making his putts. He ranked second in driving accuracy and greens in regulation and was tied for seventh in putting after three rounds.
"I'm hitting it really straight off the tee and just hitting a lot of solid shots," said Gay.
He began the day with a one-shot lead over Hamilton, protecting it with a birdie at the fifth hole. He then rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt at No. 6 to take a two-shot lead.
Gay, on the way to compiling his second bogey-free round in three days, made further birdies at the 11th and 15th holes to secure his three-shot lead.
He credited his success on the Harbour Town greens to his familiarity with the area.
"I grew up in the South and I'm used to the greens and these types of grasses, so it's pretty familiar for me," said Gay. "You just got to pay attention to when it's shiny or dark; you can tell if you're putting into the green, that sort of thing."
When Gay missed the 17th green and was left with a delicate chip-shot to get up-and-down for par, he had little trouble with the task. He knocked it close enough to set up a mid-range par putt, which he rolled into the center of the cup to protect his three-shot lead.
"His short game is so good," said Love. "This is a good course for him. It's not surprising he's doing so good."
Gay's steadiness will make it hard for players to catch him on Sunday, even if Harbour Town is giving up birdies. Love was within six strokes, and that looked like too much, even for the five-time champion.
"Brian needs to quit making birdies, and I need to make a bunch," said Love.
He could have been speaking for anybody.
<< Astros give Cooper extension
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Devils forward Langenbrunner to miss two games >>
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Monaco finishes off 10-man Rennes >>
Fontvieille, Monaco (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerko Leko converted a penalty kick in
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Leko converte
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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