Branshaw takes first in Omaha

Golf Betting Lines

08/02/2008 - Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Branshaw fired his third straight seven- under 64 on Saturday to take the third-round lead of the Cox Classic, and in the process, match the 54-hole tournament record.

Branshaw's three-round total of 21-under 192 tied Chris Smith's 1997 tournament record at Champions Run. Smith parlayed the record into victory 11 years ago and Branshaw hopes to hoist his third trophy on the Nationwide Tour Sunday.

Vance Veazey posted a six-under 65 on Saturday and is alone in second place at 18-under 195.

Overnight-leader Ryan Hietala only managed a one-under 70 in the third round and is third at minus-17.

Branshaw did not get off to the kind of start one thinks of in a leader. He bogeyed the second hole, but that would be the only hiccup of the round for Branshaw.

He rattled off back-to-back birdies from the fourth, then birdied nine to make the turn at 16-under par for the championship.

Branshaw started his second nine with an eagle at the par-five 10th. He parred his next two and when Hietala bogeyed the par-three 12th, he and Branshaw were tied for the lead.

That tie did not last long. Branshaw rattled off back-to-back birdies from the 13th and Hietala double-bogeyed 15 to fall four back. Veazey bogeyed 14 as well to fall three back.

Veazey got to within two thanks to a birdie at 17, but both Branshaw and Hietala birdied 17 and parred to give Branshaw his three-shot lead with one round to go.

Two-time winner this year Colt Knost (67) and Garth Mulroy (70) share fourth place at 14-under 199. Last week's winner in Ohio, Bill Lunde (68) is alone in sixth at minus-13.

Gary Christian (65), Greg Owen (66), Alex Prugh (71) and first-round leader D.A. Points (70) are tied for seventh place at 12-under-par 201.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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