07/02/2009 - Sylvania, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Morgan Pressel, Laura Diaz and Song-Hee Kim each fired rounds of seven-under 64 on Thursday to share the opening-round lead of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Suzann Pettersen and Michelle Wie are knotted in fourth place at six-under 65 at Highland Meadows Golf Club.
Tournament officials had to be pleased to see so many familiar faces so high up on the leaderboard, considering they lost one of the biggest stars before she teed off.
Paula Creamer, last year's winner, withdrew before her round on Thursday. She injured her left thumb last week and received treatment on the injury since she withdrew in the middle of last week's Wegmans LPGA.
It was at that event less than a week ago where Pressel began the final round in second place, but a 78 on Sunday left her 11 shots behind champion Jiyai Shin.
"You just take what happened last week, especially on that back nine in terms of the weather, and move on and take what's there this week," said Pressel, the 2007 Kraft Nabisco Champion.
Pressel started on the 10th tee Thursday and collected her first birdie when she poured in a 15-footer at the 13th. She hit a spectacular seven-iron approach to tap-in range for another birdie at 16, then closed her opening nine with a five-foot birdie putt at the par-five 18th.
On her second nine, Pressel waited until the fourth hole for her first birdie. She hit an eight-iron to 10 feet and got to four-under par for the championship.
That birdie kicked off a great run for Pressel. She sank another 10-foot birdie putt at five, tapped in a short birdie effort at six and polished off her fourth birdie in a row with a 10-footer at the par-five seventh hole.
"I hit every fairway and hit every green, and gave myself birdie opportunities on every hole. You can't ask for much more than that," said Pressel. "I made a couple good 10-15 footers, and just kept giving myself chances. I just said, just keep hitting it close, and it will go in eventually."
Diaz first broke into red figures with a 25-foot birdie putt at the fourth. She lost that stroke with a bogey at the fifth after an errant drive, but got back to one-under with a 12-footer for birdie at eight.
Diaz caught fire on the back side. She kicked in a short one at 10 and rolled in a nine-foot birdie putt at the 13th. Diaz birdied her next two to get minus-five.
At the par-five 17th, Diaz laid up with her second shot and had a 56-degree wedge for her third. She holed out the chip from 38 yards and that put her into a tie for first.
"I put myself at a really good angle to the pin, and I had the whole green to work with, with nothing in my line of sight," said Diaz of her eagle at 17. "I put a new 56 in this week, just yesterday, and it checked up a little bit, then just dribbled into the hole."
Kim bogeyed the first hole, but four straight birdies from No. 4 got her to three-under par. Three more consecutive birdies after the turn pushed Kim to six-under, but a bogey at 16 dropped her two off the lead.
Kim, who has five top 10s this season, birdied her last two for her piece of the lead.
"After missing the cut last week I was a little nervous with my game, with my swing and everything," admitted Kim through a translator. "I am glad I played well today."
Shin continued her fine form with a five-under 66 on Thursday. She is tied for sixth place with Cristie Kerr, Inbee Park, Lindsey Wright, Jee Young Lee and Minea Blomqvist.
World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, who has never won this championship, shot a four- under 67 and is part of a large group tied for 12th place.
<< Bees delay Astros/Padres game
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the top of the ninth inning of a game
between the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres, a swarm of bees took over
part of left field and caused the game to go into a delay.
With Miguel Tejada at the plate w
<< Panthers sign Leopold, Wilson
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers bolstered their defensive
corps Thursday by signing both Jordan Leopold and Clay Wilson.
Leopold, who signed a one-year contract, was acquired on the NHL Draft's
second day from Calg
<< RSL, S.J. to battle in Friday fixture
Sandy, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Earthquakes travel to take on Real
Salt Lake in Major League Soccer action on Friday night as the two Western
Conference rivals battle for position.
Both team are in the bottom half of the con
<< Kim's record 62 leads AT&T National
Bethesda, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Anthony Kim set the course
record with an eight-under 62 at Congressional, taking the first-round lead
Thursday at the AT&T National.
Tiger Woods, the tournament host, shot a six-
Astros swarm Padres; bees delay game >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wandy Rodriguez threw seven strong innings to
help the Houston Astros take a 7-2 win over the San Diego Padres in an unusual
finale of a four-game set.
Rodriguez (7-6) gave up just one run on seven hits w
Holy Cross tabs Kearney to replace Willard >>
Worcester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Holy Cross named Sean Kearney its new head
men's basketball coach on Thursday.
Kearney, who becomes the 15th head coach in the history of the program,
replaces Ralph Willard who resigned last mo
Angels come to terms with first-round pick >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim came to terms
on a minor league contract with outfielder Michael Trout, the 25th overall
pick in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft.
Trout, who played his high school ball
Report: Artest joining Lakers >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Free agent forward Ron Artest is
reportedly leaving the Houston Rockets to join the Los Angeles Lakers and will
provide the team with more offensive firepower next season, as he'll join Kobe
Bryant
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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