Late arriving Strange leads in Sweden

Golf Betting Lines

08/16/2007 - Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Strange was the first alternate as Thursday started. However, 45 minutes prior to the first round beginning, Strange received a phone call telling him he was in the field for the Scandinavian Masters.

Strange finally arrived at the first tee just minutes before his scheduled 7:30 a.m. tee time. He turned around and fired a six-under-par 64 to grab the lead after round one at Arlandastad Golf Club.

Not only did he get the late phone call that he was in the tournament, but he had to run through the parking lot and the clubhouse in order to make his tee time.

"As soon as I got the call on the bus, we ran into a traffic jam and the bus driver would just not go over the speed limit and so I ended up getting off the bus at 7:21 a.m.," Strange explained. "I was the flash running through the car park and through the clubhouse and out to the 10th tee."

Amateur Fredrik Qvicker is one stroke further back at minus-five. He was joined in second place by Englishman Sam Walker.

Strange, who only got into the field thanks to David Drysdale's late withdrawal, got off to a quick start despite not warming up. He birdied the 10th, his first, from two feet and the 12th.

The 30-year-old Strange stumbled to a bogey on the par-four 13th, but came right back with birdies on the next two holes. He made the turn at minus-four thanks to a birdie on the 17th.

Strange parred four in a row around the turn before rolling in an 18-foot birdie putt from the fringe on the fourth. He closed with a two-foot birdie putt on the par-five ninth.

"I am Category 12 which makes it difficult to get starts all the time, but I am quite pleased with how the year has gone so far," said Strange, who stands 117th on the Order of Merit. "But if I can get some more starts and continue to play like this, that will be better and will help with my ambition of getting my card."

Qvicker, a University of Tennessee sophomore, opened with nine straight pars. He birdied 10 and 11 before pars on the next two holes. Qvicker ran off three straight birdies from the 14th to get minus-five.

Walker birdied four of the first six holes from the 10th before parring the next 11 holes. At the ninth, his last, Walker rolled in a four-foot birdie putt to gain a share of second.

"I played very well in Moscow (two weeks ago), but the only thing I didn't do was hole any putts." Walker stated. "On the weekend there, I hit 34 out of 36 greens, but just didn't hole anything so that was disappointing. If I'd holed even a few more there I'd have been comfortably in the top five, but I had to settle for ninth."

Mikko Ilonen, who won the Indonesia Open earlier this year, posted a three- under-par 67 Thursday. He was joined in a share of fourth place by Lee S. James, Henrik Nystrom, Ian Garbutt, Alessandro Tadini, Jean-Baptiste Gonnet, Martin Kaymer, Rafael Cabrera Bello and Dawie Van Der Walt.

Nine more players, including Paul Lawrie and Nick Dougherty, are one stroke further back at minus-two.

Americans Corey Pavin and Jeff Sluman each posted even-par 70s, while John Daly is at plus-two.

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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.

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