Bradley, Steele lead Franklin Templeton Shootout

Golf Betting Lines

12/10/2011 - Naples, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA Champion Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele teamed for a 10-under 62 on Saturday to take the second-round lead of the Franklin Templeton Shootout.

Bradley and Steele, first-round co-leaders, finished at 19-under 125 and are shot clear at the Gold Course at Tiburon Golf Club.

Bradley and Steele shared Friday's lead with the Champions Tour pair of Mark Calcavecchia and Nick Price. Those two teams will be in Sunday's final group again. Calcavecchia and Price overcame a bad start with a nine-under 63 and are second at minus-18.

Bradley and Steele, both rookies, combined for three wins on the PGA Tour this year. Bradley's biggest victory came at the PGA Championship, where Steele was the third-round leader.

Calcavecchia and Price both won on the Champions Tour this season. They've combined for two British Open titles and had fun playing with their much younger peers on Saturday.

"It's enjoyable playing with those two kids," Calcavecchia said in a televised interview. "I've always enjoyed coming to play. This is fun. We're in the last group tomorrow."

Rory Sabbatini and Jhonattan Vegas fired Saturday's lowest round, a 12-under 60, and are third at minus-17.

Saturday's format was better ball. Sunday's scramble is a format that always yields low scores.

"We'll have Steeley (Steele) hit his drive down the middle and I'll swing as hard as I can," Bradley said on TV.

Bradley and Steele caught fire right before the turn with three straight birdies from the eighth. Bradley birdied 13 and 14 to get the team to 17-under par.

Steele made a nice par save at the 15th, then Bradley drained an eight-footer for birdie at 16. Steele two-putted the par-five 17th for his side's final birdie.

"It was a lot of fun," Bradley said.

Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker paired for a seven-under 65 and are tied for fifth with Kenny Perry and Scott Stallings (62) at 15-under 129.

Charles Howell III and Justin Leonard (62), Anthony Kim and Webb Simpson (63) and Sean O'Hair and Jason Dufner (64) are tied for seventh at 14-under par.

Tournament host Greg Norman and his partner Scott McCarron shot a 10-under 62 and share 10th with Chad Campbell and Chris DiMarco, who managed a nine-under 63. The two teams came in at minus-13.

Stewart Cink and Bo Van Pelt carded a 10-under 62 and are last at 12-under par.

NOTES: Ian Poulter and Dustin Johnson won last year, but neither are in the field this week...Stricker and Kelly captured the title in 2009.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.