Byrd looking for repeat performance in Hawaii

Golf Betting Lines

01/06/2012 - Kapalua, Hawaii (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When all the champions get together, it seems as though Jonathan Byrd shines the brightest.

Byrd, attempting to defend his title at the PGA Tour's season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions, began with a six-under 67 on Friday and sits alone atop the leaderboard.

His only victory of 2011 came in a playoff win over Robert Garrigus at Plantation Course at Kapalua, but Byrd is looking to make it two in a row after eight birdies and two bogeys. If he were to go on to victory, Byrd would have six PGA Tour wins in his career.

The season-opening event is four rounds like most other tournaments, except it will end Monday evening as opposed to the traditional Sunday finish. Invitations are extended only to those who won a tournament in the previous year, and, after Lucas Glover's withdrawal earlier in the day, 27 entrants teed off on Friday.

Byrd will have to keep up his hot play if he is to hold off a host of contenders, as four players share second at five-under 68. Among those is Webb Simpson, who is coming off a second-place performance in last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs.

The others include 11-time PGA Tour champ Steve Stricker, Michael Bradley and Martin Laird. PGA Champion Keegan Bradley is sixth at minus-four.

Byrd was in the final pairing with FedEx Cup champ Bill Haas, but while Haas struggled all afternoon, Byrd wasted no time.

After two opening pars, Byrd ran off six straight birdies, but it was the final three that were the most impressive.

He broke into red figures with a five-foot birdie putt at the third and followed with birdies at Nos. 4 and 5 from about the same length. The streak appeared over at the sixth, when his approach sat 28 feet away from the pin, but Byrd sank the putt to move to four-under.

Byrd, who made only 12 putts from over 25 feet in all of 2011, followed with a 26-footer at the seventh for birdie and a 29-footer for birdie at the eighth. At six-under, even the defending champion was a bit stunned.

"That's it?" Byrd said on television when informed of his 12 made putts from long distance in 2011. "It's something I practiced this offseason. I tried to improve on 10 to 25 feet after looking at the stats."

Unfortunately for Byrd, he was unable to maintain the momentum all the way through. He missed a nine-foot par putt at the ninth, and he found a greenside bunker at the par-three 11th en route to another bogey.

After dropping back to four-under, Byrd responded with an eight-foot birdie putt at the 12th. At the 16th, he made his fourth long putt of the round, draining a 29-footer for birdie to get back to six-under.

He had a chance to move two clear with a birdie at the last, but his 12-foot chance barely missed. Still, Byrd was optimistic about his play.

"I felt good out there," Byrd said on TV. "My misses were good. I only hit a few loose shots. For the most part, I'm really pleased. I gave myself a lot of opportunities and made a few putts."

K.J. Choi is in seventh at three-under 70, while D.A. Points and Bryce Molder share eighth at minus-two.

NOTES: In 2011, Brandt Jobe, Hunter Mahan, Cameron Tringale and Johnson Wagner tied for the most putts made of over 25 feet with 28. Wagner is the only one of the four in the field this week, and he shot a one-under 72...Byrd ranked 130th on that list with his 12 makes in 2011...Glover withdrew due to a knee injury suffered in a paddleboard accident earlier in the week...This is the fewest number of players in the field since the tournament moved to Kapalua in 1999.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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