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07/27/2007 - Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie Chris Thompson rolled in a 30-foot putt at his last hole Thursday to shoot an 11-under 60 in the opening round of the Nationwide Tour's Cox Classic.
It was the latest in a series of thrilling moments at one the developmental tour's most notorious shootouts.
"Anytime you shoot a 60 you're going to make some putts," said Thompson, who also made a long birdie putt at No. 8, his second-to-last hole. "I couldn't be happier with the way I played and I'm even happier with the way I putted."
This is the tournament where Jason Gore shot a 59 in the second round in 2005, the year he earned his battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour.
On Thursday, Thompson wasn't the only player who flirted with shooting the Nationwide Tour's fourth 59.
Scott Sterling led the tournament for most of the day after posting a 10-under 61 in an early group, only to be passed by Thompson later in the afternoon. He sits alone in second place.
"I haven't played real well here in the past, so this is unexpected," said Sterling, who chipped in for eagle at No. 9 to make the turn in just 29 shots. "I've never even made a cut here so a 61 is unexpected -- but I'll definitely take it."
Thompson's 60 -- the 12th in tour history and third at the Cox Classic -- was a surprise coming from a rookie whose best finish was a tie for 20th place at the Melwood Prince George's County Open in May.
"It just added up to a 60 today," he said.
Kelly Grunewald shot an eight-under 63 and was alone in third place, while Keoke Cotner and Roland Thatcher were tied for fourth at seven-under 64.
Overall, there were 109 players under par after the first round.
"I'm sure the fans enjoyed it," said Thompson -- talking about his own round, but surely a statement that could be applied to the entire field. "It is better cheering for birdies than for players chopping it out of the hay."
Greg Chalmers, Tom Scherrer, Bob Burns, Jon Mills and Chad Collins shared sixth place at six-under 65. Nineteen players were another shot further back at 66.
<< Seahawks sign CB Wilson
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks announced Thursday they
have signed their second round draft pick, cornerback Josh Wilson, to a four-
year deal.
Wilson, 5-9, 190, played in 46 of 48 games for Maryland, starting his
<< Denver signs third-round pick Harris
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos signed offensive lineman
Ryan Harris on Thursday, while safety Sam Brandon was waived after failing his
physical.
Harris, a Notre Dame product, was selected in the third round (70th ove
<< Three eagles gives Mahan Canadian Open lead
Markham, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hunter Mahan recorded three eagles on Thursday,
including two hole-outs from the fairway for a nine-under-par 62 and the
first-round lead at the Canadian Open.
His 62 matched the tournament record first s
<< Top three from Foster to battle in Whitney Handicap
Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The three top finishers from last
month's Stephen Foster Handicap head a field of 12 for Saturday's $750,000
Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Race Track. The 1 1/8 mile race will be renewed
for the
Midfielder Ledesma leaving Argentina for Greece >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Midfielder Christian Ledesma is
leaving Argentina champions San Lorenzo for Greek champions Olympiakos on a
$1.7 million transfer.
Ledesma had one goal for San Lorenzo last season as it w
Giants down Braves as Bonds goes homerless again >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dave Roberts was 3-for-5 and drove in a
pair of runs as San Francisco doubled up Atlanta, 4-2, in the finale of a
four-game set at AT&T Park.
Barry Bonds went 1-for-4 with a double before leavin
PSG signs midfielder to contract extension >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France midfielder Jerome Rothen has signed a
contract extension with Paris St. Germain of France's Ligue 1 to stay with the
club through 2011.
"I am obviously very happy of this prolongation of contract.
Extra holes the norm at Girls' Junior >>
Lakewood, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michelle Shin rolled to a 4 & 3 win over Sarah
Brown in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Girls' Junior on Thursday -- by far the
easiest victory of the afternoon.
The other three quarterfinal matches required ext
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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