Pressel takes 1-shot lead in Arkansas

Golf Betting Lines

09/10/2010 - Rogers, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's hard to believe, but Morgan Pressel has gone nearly two years without a victory on the LPGA Tour.

Trying to end that drought, Pressel opened with a five-under 66 Friday to take the first-round lead at the P&G NW Arkansas Championship.

Playing in the morning wave, Pressel posted six birdies and one bogey and her score stood up for a one-shot lead over Yani Tseng, Gloria Park and Na Yeon Choi.

Michelle Wie and Suzann Pettersen led a group of six players who were another shot further back at 68.

Wie is coming off a win two weeks ago at the Canadian Women's Open, her second LPGA title and the last time the tour was in action until Friday.

Despite her length, she failed to make a birdie on any of the par-fives at Pinnacle Country Club, playing the four holes at one-over par with one bogey.

Wie made four birdies over the rest of the course and lamented her poor putting.

"It felt like I could have shot a lot better, but I'm happy with my round," said Wie. "Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a lot more birdies."

Pressel played much of the round with a splinter in her left hand. While she said it didn't affect her swing, the splinter did bother the 22-year-old during her putting routine. She could feel it every time she rested the hand on her left leg.

"It's still there," Pressel said after the round. "I dug at it, I've seen the paramedics, I've seen the physiotherapist, I've begged for people to go and find tweezers and everything and I still haven't been able to dig for it. I can't see it, that's the problem; I can just feel it."

Pressel started the round on No. 10 with a birdie, then picked up two more strokes to shoot a three-under 32 on the back nine. She added a birdie at No. 2, then made her only bogey of the round on the next hole.

She finished the day with back-to-back birdies, making putts inside three feet on her last two holes to finish what she called a "very solid" round.

Pressel is chasing her first LPGA victory since winning at Kapalua on Oct. 19, 2008. It was her second win as a professional after the '07 Kraft Nabisco Championship, where an 18-year-old Pressel became the youngest woman ever to win a major.

"I didn't miss a lot of shots. I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities and I got a few of them to go in. I made one bogey, and even that was kind of a silly bogey," Pressel said. "I just didn't make any mistakes, didn't put myself in any trouble."

Pressel hasn't gone totally winless since Kapalua.

In May of this year, she captured one of the major championships on the Japan LPGA Tour. She has since climbed to 14th in the world rankings based mostly on top-10s at the LPGA Championship and Women's British Open, both majors, and a runner-up at the lucrative Evian Masters in France. Pressel finished seventh at the Canadian Women's Open.

NOTES: Defending champion Jiyai Shin, the world No. 3, opened with an even-par 71...World No. 1 Ai Miyazato also had a 71, while No. 2 Cristie Kerr shot a 72...61 players were within five shots of Pressel's lead.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.