Howell's 64 leads Irish Open

Golf Betting Lines

07/29/2010 - Killarney, Ireland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England's David Howell fired a seven- under 64 on Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Irish Open at Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.

Richard Green and Damien McGrane both posted rounds of six-under 65 and share second place.

Last year's runner-up Robert Rock finished with a 65, but was disqualified after his round. Two of his scores were inverted on the back nine, so he signed for an incorrect scorecard.

"I'm reasonably thorough," said Rock, who lost a playoff last year to then- amateur Shane Lowry. "It's my responsibility to check the card. I actually checked. I know the difference between a three and a four."

The three biggest Irish names in the field are in the mix.

Rory McIlroy, ranked eighth in the world, shot a four-under 67 and is tied for 13th place.

Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington posted a three-under 68 and is part of a group tied for 25th place.

U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell only managed a one-under 70 and shares 50th place.

"I just need to sharpen up across the board," said McDowell, who earned his first major title last month at Pebble Beach. "I said someone would go super low, but you can defend this course by hiding the pins."

Howell, 35, parred his first three holes, then broke into red figures with back-to-back birdies from the fourth. He tallied his other front-nine birdie at the par-five seventh to make the turn in three-under 32.

Howell once again parred his first three holes, this time on the second nine. He birdied the 501-yard, par-four 13th and two holes later birdied the par- four 15th.

At the par-five 17th, Howell made an eagle to leapfrog over Green and McGrane and into first place on his own.

"That was nice. Haven't done that for a long time but I holed a few bombs today," said Howell. "I chipped in and I think I holed three long ones as well. As it happens, I had a few more chances that I missed but I certainly holed more than my fair share, which in fairness you normally do when you shoot 64."

Howell, a two-time Ryder Cupper, has four European Tour victories, but none since his two-win season of 2006 when he captured the HSBC Champions Tournament and the BMW Championship.

Due to various injuries and inconsistent play, Howell hasn't reclaimed that form. He did some television work when he wasn't on the course, but Howell has yet to record a single top 10 this season with his best finish a tie for 14th at the Open de Espana in early May.

Howell admitted there was a time when he thought about quitting.

"I've never wanted to give up, but it's crossed my mind that if I carry on playing as I did last year I wouldn't have a career to be worried about," said Howell, who made only 10 cuts last year and registered one top-10.

Darren Clarke, Marcel Siem, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Anton Haig, Seung-yul Noh, Brett Rumford, Michael Hoey, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and 1999 British Open winner Paul Lawrie are knotted in fourth place at five-under 66.

NOTES: Lowry opened with a three-over 74 and is tied for 118th place...Justin Rose, a two-time winner this year on the PGA Tour, also carded a 74 on Thursday.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
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It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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

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