Bjorn joins Hansen in lead at Mercedes Benz

Golf Betting Lines

09/15/2007 - Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Bjorn fired a six-under 66 on Saturday to join fellow Dane Soren Hansen in the lead after three rounds of the Mercedes Benz Championship.

Hansen, the overnight leader, bogeyed his last three holes for a one-under 71 at Gut Larchenhof, falling into a tie with Bjorn at 12-under 204.

They held a one-shot lead on Alastair Forsyth, who posted nine birdies, an eagle and one bogey for a 62 that was still two shots off the course record. He stood at 11-under 205.

Lee Westwood, who opened with a 61 on Thursday, shot a 72 in the third round and was tied for fourth place with Richard Green (66) and Simon Khan (69) at 10-under 206.

Overall, there were 11 players within five shots of the leaders. Tournament host Bernhard Langer was among them after carding a 70 to join Philip Archer (66) and Niclas Fasth (69) at nine-under 207.

Bjorn had three birdies on both the front and back nines, posting a bogey-free round to climb from a tie for sixth place into a share of the lead. He is playing for just the second time in two months.

"I've never had a summer holiday since I was 14 and now with three kids I really wanted to spend some time with them," said Bjorn, 36. "I was working very hard but things were going nowhere and it was nice to take some time out when the kids were out of school."

Sunday, Bjorn will be seeking his 10th European Tour victory and first since the 2006 Irish Open.

"I'm at a crossroads in my career. I've made a conscious decision about how I want to swing the club and play the game, but I have no goals whatsoever," he said. "I just want to play some golf and enjoy myself and this is a huge step forward. I haven't had many rounds in the 60s and you're not going to compete in tournaments if you don't shoot low."

Bjorn benefited from Hansen's late-round collapse after the onetime European Tour winner lost a three-shot lead with three straight bogeys to end the day. Hansen avoided a double-bogey at the 18th by scrambling for a bogey after hitting his tee shot into the water.

He almost knocked his third shot in the water as well.

"I lost a little bit of touch over the last few holes, and it cut me to the bone. I didn't feel really comfortable, and I pulled a few shots, but I managed to hit a great chip on the last," said Hansen.

"It gave the crowd a bit of excitement."

Sunday, the same crowds will see two countrymen play together for the first time since they finished near the bottom of the World Cup last December.

"Soren is a huge talent. He has sorted his putting out this summer, which was always the weak part of his game," said Bjorn. "I've always pushed him harder and harder to make him realize how big a talent he is. All he needs to do is win another tournament. I hope tomorrow it's me winning, but if it's not me, then I hope it's him."

Added Hansen, "Thomas has not been playing to his potential this year, but a Thomas Bjorn in form is a very dangerous man, so I will have to play well to beat him."

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

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