11/02/2008 - Palm Coast, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Palmer rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the 18th hole on Sunday to win the Ginn sur Mer Classic.
It was a timely putt for Palmer, and a timely putt for the tournament.
Plagued by a weekend filled with bad weather, including a pair of weather delays on Sunday, the tournament finished in waning daylight on the soggy Conservatory course.
Palmer's clutch birdie putt at the last hole gave him a one-under 71 for the final round and ensured there wouldn't be a six-way playoff on Monday. He finished at seven-under-par 281, beating five other players by a shot.
Picking up his first win since the 2004 Funai Classic at Walt Disney World, the 32-year-old Texan secured his PGA Tour playing status beyond this season -- something that looked less and less likely as the season came closer to an end.
Palmer entered the tournament 143rd on the money list -- 18 places away from locking up his tour card for next year. He earned $828,000 for the win and moved safely into the top 125 while picking up all the other perks that go along with a victory.
Reminded in the rain that he earned an automatic invitation to January's season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship in sunny Hawaii -- a winners-only tournament -- Palmer smiled and said, "That's exciting. That's going to be fun.
"I've been struggling because my stats are so good and I haven't been getting the results," he said. "But I'll tell you what -- what a patient week. It was unbelievable."
Michael Letzig was the last player with a chance to tie Palmer for the lead, but he couldn't make birdie at the 18th despite having just 80 yards to the hole.
Letzig (73) shared second place with George McNeill (69), Nicholas Thompson (69), Vaughn Taylor (70) and Ken Duke (71) at six-under 282. They were among a large group of players who fought for the lead throughout the final round.
Palmer had plenty of chances to give up on his round.
He took a costly one-stroke penalty on the 10th green when he grounded his club and was deemed to have made his ball move illegally. The miscue led to a bogey, and he hit into the water and made double-bogey at the 11th.
Those three dropped shots erased Palmer's two-stroke lead, leaving him trailing by one.
But a spectacular bunker shot that landed within inches of the hole at No. 13 set up a birdie, giving him a share of the lead with the round headed into a three-hour weather delay.
When the round resumed at 3:50 p.m. (et) -- with daylight at a premium -- Palmer played steadily for four holes, making all pars. Play was interrupted again by a heavy rain, but only briefly.
Palmer's par run was interrupted by his closing birdie at the 18th.
He knew the putt was good before the ball even got to the cup, taking several excited steps backward and letting loose a "Whoo!" and pumping his right fist when it did drop in.
Crying during an interview for TV, Palmer said, "This sums it up.
"I poured so much sweat this year, and a lot of tears," said Palmer, who had just three top-10s this season before Sunday's win. "I've just been down and upset, and to finally...I'm speechless. It's unbelievable."
Thirty players finished within five shots of Palmer's winning score -- an unbelievably tight leaderboard that left the outcome up in the air as the tournament finished in the rain and disappearing dusk light.
"It was a long day out there," said Taylor, one of the 30.
Five players shared seventh place at five-under 283: Troy Matteson (68), Brian Gay (69), Tom Scherrer (69), Robert Allenby (71) and John Huston (73).
Peter Lonard, Bob Estes, Jesper Parnevik, Carl Pettersson, Jeff Maggert and Bob Tway were among the other players who finished within a shot of Palmer.
<< Benzema leads Lyon over Le Mans
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Karim Benzema scored his eighth goal Sunday to
lead Lyon to a 2-0 win over Le Mans at Stade de Gerland in France's Ligue 1.
Benzema leads Ligue 1 through 12 weeks and has scored four goals in Lyon's last
four
<< Petrova rallies past Mattek for Quebec title
Quebec City, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nadia Petrova of Russia came back from a
set down to beat American Bethanie Mattek for the title at the Bell Challenge.
The top-seeded Petrova rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 triumph to earn her ninth
care
<< Seahawks LB Tatupu out vs. Eagles
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu
was inactive for Sunday's contest against the Philadelphia Eagles with a groin
injury.
Tatupu was questionable after not practicing, and the three-time Pro Bow
<< Bryant's field goal lifts Bucs over Chiefs in OT
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Bryant drilled a 34-yard field goal in
overtime, after Tampa Bay scored a late touchdown and two-point conversion to
get to the extra session, to give the Buccaneers a 30-27 win over the Kansas
City Ch
Line of Scrimmage: No Joke - Cardinals Have Super Bowl Potential >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are two NFL franchises that have
been in continuous existence during every year of the Super Bowl era but have
not participated in a game held on Super Sunday.
One is the Detroit Lions, who nearly bl
McNabb, Eagles dominate Seahawks >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Donovan McNabb threw for 349 yards and two
touchdowns on 28-of-43 passing, as the Philadelphia Eagles dominated the
Seattle Seahawks, 26-7.
McNabb was shaky in the first quarter, when he threw a
Fuel strategy pays off for Edwards with Texas victory >>
Fort Worth, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Edwards drove the final 69 laps without
pitting for fuel to win Sunday's Dickies 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway and
trim 77 points off of Jimmie Johnson's lead in the Sprint Cup Series
champio
Manning, Giants roll over Cowboys >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eli Manning threw three touchdown
passes and Brandon Jacobs put together his third 100-yard rushing game of the
season, as the New York Giants crushed the injury-depleted Dallas Cowboys,
35-14,
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6
The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.
Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com. "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis. It's like Week 1 of the NFL. Pre-season means nada!
We do know the 24 finalists however.
Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24. He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway. He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien.
Brandon Rogers - Who?
Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition. He should go a good distance.
Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was. And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition. He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice! People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way.
"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks. He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes. But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.
A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”
Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes.
"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate. "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past. He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far. Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."
Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts)
And the others:
Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter
The girls
"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis. "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has. The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive. I think she will go far."
Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.
"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams. Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth. "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.
Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.
Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan
MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with).
Last two contestants will be?
1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)
2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)
2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)
MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines.
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