Byrd looking for repeat performance in Hawaii

Golf Betting Lines

01/06/2012 - Kapalua, Hawaii (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When all the champions get together, it seems as though Jonathan Byrd shines the brightest.

Byrd, attempting to defend his title at the PGA Tour's season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, began with a six-under 67 on Friday and sits alone atop the leaderboard.

His only victory of 2011 came in a playoff win over Robert Garrigus at Plantation Course at Kapalua, but Byrd is looking to make it two in a row after eight birdies and two bogeys. If he were to go on to victory, Byrd would have six PGA Tour wins in his career.

The season-opening event is four rounds like most other tournaments, except it will end Monday evening as opposed to the traditional Sunday finish. Invitations are extended only to those who won a tournament in the previous year, and, after Lucas Glover's withdrawal earlier in the day, 27 entrants teed off on Friday.

Byrd will have to keep up his hot play if he is to hold off a host of contenders, as four players share second at five-under 68. Among those is Webb Simpson, who is coming off a second-place performance in last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The others include 11-time PGA Tour champ Steve Stricker, Michael Bradley and Martin Laird. PGA Champion Keegan Bradley is sixth at minus-four.

Byrd was in the final pairing with FedEx Cup champ Bill Haas, but while Haas struggled all afternoon, Byrd wasted no time.

After two opening pars, Byrd ran off six straight birdies, but it was the final three that were the most impressive.

He broke into red figures with a five-foot birdie putt at the third and followed with birdies at Nos. 4 and 5 from about the same length. The streak appeared over at the sixth, when his approach sat 28 feet away from the pin, but Byrd sank the putt to move to four-under.

Byrd, who made only 12 putts from over 25 feet in all of 2011, followed with a 26-footer at the seventh for birdie and a 29-footer for birdie at the eighth. At six-under, even the defending champion was a bit stunned.

"That's it?" Byrd said on television when informed of his 12 made putts from long distance in 2011. "It's something I practiced this offseason. I tried to improve on 10 to 25 feet after looking at the stats."

Unfortunately for Byrd, he was unable to maintain the momentum all the way through. He missed a nine-foot par putt at the ninth, and he found a greenside bunker at the par-three 11th en route to another bogey.

After dropping back to four-under, Byrd responded with an eight-foot birdie putt at the 12th. At the 16th, he made his fourth long putt of the round, draining a 29-footer for birdie to get back to six-under.

He had a chance to move two clear with a birdie at the last, but his 12-foot chance barely missed. Still, Byrd was optimistic about his play.

"I felt good out there," Byrd said on TV. "My misses were good. I only hit a few loose shots. For the most part, I'm really pleased. I gave myself a lot of opportunities and made a few putts."

K.J. Choi is in seventh at three-under 70, while D.A. Points and Bryce Molder share eighth at minus-two.

NOTES: In 2011, Brandt Jobe, Hunter Mahan, Cameron Tringale and Johnson Wagner tied for the most putts made of over 25 feet with 28. Wagner is the only one of the four in the field this week, and he shot a one-under 72...Byrd ranked 130th on that list with his 12 makes in 2011...Glover withdrew due to a knee injury suffered in a paddleboard accident earlier in the week...This is the fewest number of players in the field since the tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.

Wwwussoccer Golf Betting News

<< Varlamov, Avalanche blank Blackhawks
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots for his second shutout of the season as the surging Colorado Avalanche handed the Chicago Blackhawks a 4-0 defeat at United Center. David Van Der Gulik, Chuck Kobasew, T.J

<< Rose leads Bulls over Magic
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrick Rose had 21 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, leading the Bulls to a 97-83 win over the Magic on Thursday. Luol Deng added 21 points, while Carlos Boozer had 20 and 13 boards for the Bulls,

<< Cavs down Timberwolves
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antawn Jamison scored 22 points to lead Cleveland to a 98-87 win over Minnesota Friday. Anderson Varejao posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds while Kyrie Irving poured in 14 points

<< 'New Sixers' play same old song
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sixers were the last NBA team to open the home portion of their schedule Friday night and it was a little more special than usual. New ownership led by billionaire investor Joshua Harris has taken over

<< Gallinari, Nuggets take down Hornets
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danilo Gallinari scored 23 points and dished out six assists, as the Denver Nuggets used a strong second half to beat the New Orleans Hornets, 96-88. Al Harrington added 14 points and six reboun

Penn State makes O'Brien hiring official >>
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Penn State has officially named Bill O'Brien football coach, hiring the New England Patriots offensive coordinator to replace Joe Paterno and lead the Nittany Lions in the aftermath of a child sex abu

Thomas lifts No. 5 Maryland over Georgia Tech >>
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alyssa Thomas scored a game-high 24 points, leading No. 5 Maryland to a 77-74 win over Georgia Tech on Friday night. Thomas' three-point play with 17 seconds remaining gave the Terrapins (15-

Jazz slip by Grizzlies >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Al Jefferson scored 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Utah Jazz past the Memphis Grizzlies, 94-85, on Friday. Paul Millsap added 14 points and eight boards, while Josh Howard scored 13

Arkansas picks apart K-State in Cotton Bowl >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Adams scored on a 51-yard punt return and No. 7 Arkansas built a big early lead Friday night on the way to beating No. 11 Kansas State, 29-16, in the Cotton Bowl. Tyler Wilson threw two touchdown pas

Pennetta, Zheng Auckland final postponed >>
Auckland, New Zealand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's ASB Classic final between Italy's Flavia Pennetta and China's Zheng Jie has been postponed due to rain. The decision was made by event organizers to move the event to Sunday. Sh

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.