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01/26/2012 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory McIlroy and Robert Karlsson both fired rounds of five-under 67 on Thursday to share the opening- round lead of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
Tiger Woods made his 2012 debut and played decently enough with a two-under 70. Woods, who ended his 2011 campaign with an unofficial win at the Chevron World Challenge, his first anywhere in two years, hit the ball well on Thursday, but the flat stick let him down.
Woods hit 10 of 14 fairways and 17 greens in regulation, but needed 35 putts in round one.
"I just had a hard time getting a feel for these greens. It was difficult and my speed was off," said Woods, who is tied for ninth place.
Woods, despite a fall in the world rankings to 25th, still made headlines with his season debut, but he was not the only big star to open his season in the Gulf.
World No. 1 Luke Donald had a one-under 71 in his first outing of the year. Donald played with McIlroy, also making his first start of 2012, and Woods in round one and will again on Friday.
World No. 2 Lee Westwood managed an even-par 72.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of Thursday's first round was the poor performance of the fourth-ranked player in the world.
Martin Kaymer, the two-time defending champion and three-time winner, struggled badly on Thursday. He went out in 39, came back in 38 and signed for a five-over 77.
The German has won this event three times with a runner-up finish in the last four years.
That's an amazing record, but McIlroy is no slouch at Abu Dhabi. He's tied for fifth, took third and finished second in his last three appearances at this event.
"I feel it suits me really well. Just one problem -- it suits Martin Kaymer even better," said McIlroy.
The reigning U.S. Open champion started on the 10th tee Thursday and went on a great run almost immediately after teeing off. McIlroy ran home a nine-footer for birdie at 11, a 12-footer for birdie at 12 and capped off his run with a three-foot birdie putt at the 13th.
McIlroy dropped a shot at the 14th, then again at No. 17, but rebounded at the par-five 18th, despite hitting a tent with his second shot. The Northern Irishman got back to three-under par thanks to a short birdie putt at the par- five second.
McIlroy inched up the leaderboard late in his second nine. He knocked his tee ball inside four feet to set up a birdie at the par-three seventh, then chipped in for a birdie at the par-five eighth.
It was not a statistically beautiful round for the world No. 3. He missed eight fairways and six greens in regulation, but he scrambled well and is atop the leaderboard.
"It was a good score and a great way to start 2012, but I don't feel I drove the ball particularly well and it's something I've got to work on," said McIlroy. "It was nothing that a good practice session won't fix."
Karlsson also began on the 10th tee in round one, but he endured an up-and- down start. He traded two birdies and two bogeys over his first four holes, then parred his next three.
The tall Swede birdied 17 and 18 to make the turn at two-under par. Karlsson parred his first three holes on his second side, then rattled off three birdies in five holes to join McIlroy in the lead.
Gareth Maybin, Richard Finch and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet are knotted in third place at four-under 68.
Nicolas Colsaerts, Robert Rock and Richie Ramsay share sixth at 69.
Woods was joined in ninth by a large group highlighted by reigning Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and former British Open champion Paul Lawrie.
NOTES: Sergio Garcia recorded his first ace on the European Tour Thursday at the 12th. The Spaniard shot a one-under 71...Branden Grace, who won the last two European Tour events, shot a three-over 75 and shares 89th.
<< Mallon named 2013 U.S. Solheim Cup team captain
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meg Mallon was named captain of the 2013
United States Solheim Cup team on Thursday at the PGA Merchandise Show.
She will have the task of trying to win back the Cup after the Americans lost
a heartbrea
<< Bryans reach eighth Aussie doubles final
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The world No. 1 twin Bryan brothers,
Bob and Mike, were come-from-behind semifinal winners Thursday at the
Australian Open.
The Bryans saved a match point and overcame a 2-5 deficit in
<< Nadal beats Federer to reach Aussie final
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the all-time greats did
battle in a Grand Slam event once again on Thursday, and once again it was
Rafael Nadal beating his fellow former world No. 1 star Roger Federer, this
time in the Austral
<< Azarenka, Sharapova to clash in Aussie final
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova
will square off in Saturday's women's Australian Open final after they both
survived tense three-set semifinal matches on Thursday.
Azarenka, seeded third, e
Top-25 foes collide in Big Ten brawl >>
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-25 showdown is on tap in Madison this
evening, as the 25th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers play host to the 16th-ranked
Indiana Hoosiers in Big Ten action from the Kohl Center.
Tom Crean's Hoosiers were one of t
No.7 Tar Heels take on rival Wolfpack >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Instate rivals collide in ACC action in
Chapel Hill this evening, as the seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels
welcome the NC State Wolfpack to the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels were handed their worst loss
Cavs and Eagles meet in ACC affair >>
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers will
look to bounce back from its first home loss of the season as they host the
Boston College Eagles for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at the John Paul
Jones Aren
Gaels take on Lions in City of Angels >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Saint Mary's-CA Gaels look
to stay unbeaten in West Coast Conference action as they hit the road to
square off with the Loyola Marymount Lions at the Gersten Pavilion.
This will be the 130th
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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