Atwal shoots 61 to lead Wyndham Championship

Golf Betting Lines

08/19/2010 - Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arjun Atwal fired a nine-under 61 to take the first-round lead Thursday at the Wyndham Championship.

Atwal birdied three of his last four holes to match the Sedgefield course scoring record and take a two-shot lead over 2007 champion Brandt Snedeker.

Snedeker snapped a streak of five straight birdies when he bogeyed the 18th for a 63.

The leaderboard was bunched up behind them at the end of a low-scoring day aided by rain-softened greens and lift, clean and place conditions.

Six players -- David Toms, Boo Weekley, Lucas Glover, Kevin Streelman, John Rollins and Jeev Milkha Singh -- were tied at 64. Six more shot a 65 and there were 23 players knotted at 66.

While everyone in the field is focused on a win this week, many are also thinking about next week.

The top 125 players on the FedEx Cup points list after the tournament will make the field for The Barclays next week and the start of the playoffs.

Michael Letzig is 125th on the points list -- last man in at the moment -- and he shot a four-under 66. Mike Weir, who is 126th on the list, opened with a three-under 67.

"This game is always about pressure, whether it's getting into the playoffs, trying to get in the Tour Championship, trying to win the tournament," said Weir. "There's different levels of pressure and this week it's -- I want to play and keep playing."

While it's difficult for a player with a high ranking to make it all the way to the end of the playoffs -- the fields are pared down weekly until there are only 30 players for the Tour Championship -- it is by no means impossible.

Last year, Heath Slocum made the playoffs as the 124th player and won The Barclays, moving to No. 3 on the points list behind Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker.

Slocum made it all the way to the Tour Championship, the playoff finale, and finished eighth on the final points list. He was one of only seven players ranked outside the top 30 on the 2009 points list to advance to the Tour Championship.

One player who no longer has to worry about his standing on the points list is Atwal, who was informed Thursday that he is not eligible for the playoffs.

Atwal failed to earn enough money while playing on a medical extension he received after missing more than four months last season due to a shoulder injury. He had eight tournaments to earn $586,007 to gain full-time playing status for the rest of the year. He has made only $350,490 in nine starts.

Toms broke a six-way tie for the lead when he rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole to become the first player to reach seven-under par.

Birdies were dropping in every corner of the course, however, and no one was making more than Snedeker, who tied Toms five minutes later with a nine-foot birdie putt at the 16th.

Snedeker then moved into sole possession of the lead at eight-under when he knocked his 126-yard approach to a foot at the 17th, collecting his fifth straight birdie and sixth in seven holes.

As quickly as Snedeker reached the top of the leaderboard, he was joined by Atwal, who made back-to-back birdies, capped by an eight-foot putt at No. 7 to reach eight-under.

Snedeker bogeyed No. 18 from the rough, dropping a shot back, and Atwal built his two-shot lead with a seven-foot birdie putt at No. 9, his last hole.

Atwal matched the course record set by Carl Pettersson during his winning run in 2008. It was the eighth round of 61 or better on the PGA Tour this season.

Defending champion Ryan Moore opened with a 68. Moore birdied the third playoff hole last year to beat Kevin Stadler and Jason Bohn.

Tiger Woods (not playing this week) is 108th on the FedEx Cup points list. It is unlikely he will drop out of the top 125, but he could mathematically fall as low as 132nd. Woods announced Thursday that he would play in The Barclays.

MORE TO FOLLOW.

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NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com