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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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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