Iles in front at Players Cup
Golf Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Bridgeport, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bradley Iles of New Zealand fired a seven- under-par 65 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Nationwide Tour Players Cup.
Canadian Brad Fritsch posted a six-under 66 at Pete Dye Golf Club and is alone in second place, followed by Ron Whittaker, Steve Wheatcroft and Brian Stuard in a tie for third at minus-five.
They are all looking up at Iles, who lost a playoff only two weeks ago at the Knoxville Open.
Iles began on the 10th tee Thursday and quickly went into red figures with a birdie at No. 10. His next birdie came at the par-five 14th, then he closed his opening nine with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18.
Things didn't go so well on the second nine for Iles. He bogeyed the first hole to fall back to three-under par for the championship.
That was the final miscue for Iles.
He birdied the third and fourth holes to move into a group tied for the lead at minus-five. Iles birdied the par-five sixth to keep pace with Fritsch atop the leaderboard.
Iles birdied the par-four eighth to grab sole possession of the first-round lead. This is a place he believes he should be, thanks to more toughness.
"My coach, my manager, several players all told me I had the shots and I had the talent but I wasn't aggressive enough," Iles said. "I didn't have enough mongrel in me."
Brad Elder, Andrew Johnson, Brendan Steele and Tom Scherrer share sixth place at four-under 68.
Roger Tambellini, Tjaart van der Walt, Jon Mills, Chris Anderson, Jim Herman, Jin Park, Scott Gardiner, Fabian Gomez, Bob May, Esteban Toledo, Jeff Gove, David Peoples, Jonas Blixt, Jose Teater and John Kimbell are knotted in 10th at minus-three.
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Jay Bruce
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.