11/15/2008 - Guadalajara, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angela Stanford only managed an even- par 72 on Saturday, but remained atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
Stanford, the second-round leader, finished 54 holes at 10-under 206 at Guadalajara Country Club and is one shot ahead of Annika Sorenstam in her second-to-last event on the LPGA Tour.
Sorenstam fired a five-under 67 and is in the clubhouse at minus-nine. The Swede is trying to get one more win before she calls it a career next week after the ADT Championship.
"I would love to finish on a high note," said Sorenstam. "However, there's another 18 and a lot of good players here. I'm going to try and live in the moment and enjoy what's going on now."
The tournament host, world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, shot a two-under 70 and moved into a tie for 13th place at minus-two.
"I feel much better and relaxed," said Ochoa, who has appeared to have trouble balancing the jobs of tournament host and tournament participant. "I tried to be calm. I need to concentrate on my golf game."
Katherine Hull matched the tournament course record on Saturday with a six- under 66. She is alone in third at eight-under 208, which is one shot better than Jee Young Lee, who carded a three-under 69 in the third round.
Stanford did not get off to the type of lead one expects from a leader. She bogeyed the second and fifth holes to lose her share of first, but a 25-foot birdie putt at six got her a piece of the lead at nine-under.
She stayed at nine-under over the next nine holes. Stanford converted some clutch par putts, but none bigger than a nine-footer at the 14th. That kept her tied for the lead with Sorenstam.
The former world No. 1 cruised up the leaderboard with three birdies in a four-hole span on the front nine. She bogeyed the ninth, but a 35-foot eagle putt at the par-five 10th got her within one of Stanford's lead.
At the par-four 12th, Sorenstam drained an eight-footer for birdie to tie her with Stanford, who missed a six-footer for birdie at the same hole a few groups later. Sorenstam sank a 30-foot birdie try at 14 and found herself alone atop the leaderboard.
That advantage lasted only one hole. At the 16th, Sorenstam drove into the tree and had to pitch out for her second. She knocked her third to nine feet, but the par putt skated by on the right edge.
Sorenstam landed 40 feet from the stick at the long, par-three 17th. She left herself around three feet for par, but missed and fell one behind Stanford at minus-eight.
At the par-five closing hole, Sorenstam played a spectacular third shot inside two feet. She tapped in the birdie putt to get to nine-under, but Stanford made a beautiful birdie from out of the rough at 16.
Stanford parred out and set up a battle between the two on Sunday.
If Sorenstam is to win that one last title, she might need to play better down the stretch. Over the last four holes, Sorenstam has six bogeys and two birdies, including a chip-in on 18 on Thursday.
"I'd like to finish better," admitted Sorenstam. "I just don't know. I love the holes. I think it's a great finish to the course. I just have not played it well."
For Sorenstam to reach the winner's circle, she will have to get past one of the hottest players on tour. Stanford collected her second win on tour in September and has not finished outside the top five since.
"My swing felt a little funny all day," acknowledged Stanford. "Thank goodness my putter didn't sleep in along with my golf swing."
Sun Young Yoo posted a two-under 70 on Saturday and is fifth at six-under 210.
Brittany Lang (69) and In-Kyung Kim (70) are knotted in sixth at five-under 211.
Cristie Kerr (69), Teresa Lu (69), Jeong Jang (71) and Nicole Castrale (72) share eighth place at minus-four.
Paula Creamer and Juli Inkster are among the golfers tied for 13th with Ochoa.
<< Lewis and Gibson lead USC in rout of Cal-Irvine
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Lewis scored 18 points and Taj
Gibson added 17 with six rebounds and five blocked shots, as 18th-ranked
Southern California opened its season with a 78-55 victory over Cal-Irvine at
the Gal
<< Lorient scores three late goals to stun Marseille
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lorient scored three times in the final 14
minutes to stun Marseille, 3-2, at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday in France's
Ligue 1.
Morgan Amalfitano started the incredible comeback in the 76th minute,
<< Heerenveen holds on to edge Utrecht
Heerenveen, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danijel Pranjic scored two times in
a first half with five combined goals and Heerenveen held on for a 3-2 win over
Utrecht despite playing a man down for the final 40 minutes on Saturday.
Pranjic
<< Taylor carries Montreal into Grey Cup
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Taylor returned two punts for
touchdowns, and the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 36-26 in
the East Division final to clinch a spot in the 2008 Grey Cup.
Taylor amassed a CF
Morrow leads Warriors over woeful Clips >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In his first career start, undrafted
rookie Anthony Morrow tallied 37 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Golden
State Warriors to a 121-103 victory over the hapless Los Angeles Clippers at
Staples
The Penn isn't mightier; UNC wins >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deon Thompson scored 17 points and grabbed
seven rebounds, and top-ranked North Carolina survived Penn 86-71 in the
season-opener for the wounded Tar Heels.
Tyler Zeller scored 18 points, and Way
Harvin, Gators rout Spurrier and the Gamecocks >>
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Percy Harvin rushed for 167 yards and two
touchdowns on a mere eight carries, as No. 3 Florida further solidified itself
as a national title contender with a 56-6 thumping of Steve Spurrier's 24th-
ranked
Ducks D Beauchemin out six months >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anaheim Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin
will be out the next six months due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in
his left knee.
Beauchemin suffered the injury during the third period of Fri
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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