Karlsson shoots course-record 61 to lead in Italy

Golf Betting Lines

05/09/2008 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson fired an 11-under 61 in the second-round of the Italian Open on Friday to set a course record and take a two-shot lead.

Karlsson was at 15-under-par 129 overall, his 61 on Friday breaking the previous Castello di Tolcinasco course record of 62 set by fellow Swede Joakim Backstrom last year.

Ranked No. 48, Karlsson is one of only five golfers in the world top 50 not competing at the Players Championship this week.

"My caddie actually got a text from Nick O'Hern's caddie, who is at Sawgrass, and it said 'greens rock hard, fairways rock hard, rough very thick, greens running 13, and forecast high winds' so I said to him 'Maybe it is good that I am here!" Karlsson remarked.

Next week's European Tour event is the Irish Open, meaning Karlsson would have had considerably more travel time had he competed in the Players Championship this week.

"It worked out best for the family, too, because I can see the kids on Monday. So there are many plusses to coming here, [including] the lure of good Ryder Cup points if I could go on and win," said Karlsson.

He had a two-stroke cushion on England's Mark Foster and South Africa's Hennie Otto, who both shot 66 on Friday to share second place at 13-under 131.

Denmark's Anders Hansen (65) and Argentina's Estanislao Goya (67) were tied at 11-under 133, with seven players knotted another shot further back at 134.

Karlsson, who opened with a 68 in the first round to share 24th place overnight, vaulted into the lead with eight birdies, two eagles and just one bogey on Friday.

He started on the back nine with three consecutive birdies, followed by a bogey at the 13th and an eagle at the par-five 15th on the way to a 32. He then scorched the front nine for a 29, making five birdies and another eagle at the par-five first.

Karlsson also shot a 61 in the first round of the 2006 Wales Open, though it came on a par-69 course. He won that tournament for one of his seven European Tour titles.

His 129 total after Friday's round was one shot off Ian Poulter's 36-hole tournament record from 2002.

Karlsson spoke of a recent drop in the world rankings, and his decision to play in Europe this week.

"All of a sudden you don't know, and it only takes a couple of guys to win and you can go either way," he said. "So I decided to stay in Europe and prepare for here, which was good."

The cut line fell at four-under 140, with the previous two champions, Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Francesco Molinari, missing the mark.

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It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

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