Willis leads Transitions Championship

Golf Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - Palm Harbor, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Willis, a local resident playing on a sponsor's exemption, shot a six-under 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead of the Transitions Championship.

Defending champion Retief Goosen, Jonathan Byrd, Rickie Fowler, Jim Furyk, 2005 winner Carl Pettersson and Jeff Maggert, who got into the field on Thursday when Vijay Singh withdrew, are knotted in second place at four-under 67.

"I was debating whether to go on ahead and come on over and I just took the late flight last night," said Maggert.

The leader is a man who lives about 45 minutes away from the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.

Willis was in the second group out Thursday morning and didn't get off to a great start. He parred his first two, but found trouble with his approach at the par-four third. Willis "double-crossed" a five-iron and the ball went left of the putting surface. He couldn't get up and down for par, but reclaimed the lost shot when he was able to pull off the cut five-iron shot and sank a 20- footer.

Willis' only other front-nine birdie came at the long, par-three eighth. He hit a five-wood 35 feet past the hole, but drained the long birdie putt to head to the back nine at one-under.

On the second nine, Willis caught fire immediately. He chipped in for birdie on the 10th, then laid up at the par-five 11th. Willis converted a four-footer for birdie and made it three in a row thanks to a 15-footer at the par-four 12th.

At the par-five 14th, Willis' third shot stopped 15 feet from the stick. He rolled in the birdie putt to reach four-under par for the championship.

Willis' final birdie came at the par-four 16th. His approach landed short of the green, but bounced up to 15 feet. Willis holed the birdie and that would be enough for the first-round lead.

"I was fortunate enough to get off early before the wind really started kicking up," said Willis, who is staying at his own house this week. "I was constantly putting at birdie, so made it pretty easy."

Willis is back on the PGA Tour after a few years away. He finished 12th on the 2009 Nationwide Tour money list to get his card back, although this week he's playing on a sponsor's exemption.

"It's always been one of my favorite tournaments and always looked for the opportunity to be able to play here," said Willis, who won in Tucson in 2001. "It was nice enough of them to give me an exemption into the field, so actually I found out on the way down to the Honda that I was getting an exemption, which freed me up pretty good at the Honda, even though my weekend scores didn't show that."

Willis finished in 74th at the Honda after an 80-79 weekend. His best finish in 2010 was a tie for 26th at the Bob Hope Classic, but he's missed only one cut in five starts.

Former PGA Champion Steve Elkington, Ross Fisher, Jeff Quinney and J.B. Holmes are tied for eighth place at three-under 68.

NOTES: Singh, who won this title in 2004, pulled out minutes before his tee time with a back injury...British Open champion Stewart Cink struggled to a seven-over 78 on Thursday, but that was five shots better than young Japanese star Ryo Ishikawa, who had a 12-over 83 and is last...Ishikawa graduated from high school last weekend...Goosen had other things on his mind Thursday. It was his grandmother's 100th birthday. "Unfortunately I can't be there for the party this weekend, but it's nice to see she got to that age."

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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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. 

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