Tiger, Rock share lead in Abu Dhabi

Golf Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods and Robert Rock posted matching rounds of six-under 66 Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after three rounds of the Abu Dhabi Championship.

The duo ended 54 holes at 11-under-par 205. They share a two-stroke lead over four players.

Woods, who is playing this event for the first time, posted his best round since round two of last year's Masters, where he also shot 66.

Rock, who has a pair of top-15 finishes already this season on the European Tour, is aiming for his second tour title. He won the Italian Open last year.

Peter Hanson, who shared second at this event in 2007, had the low round of the week as he fired an eight-under 64 to jump into a share of third at minus- nine. He was joined there by former British Open champion Paul Lawrie (68), Francesco Molinari (66) and reigning U.S. Open champ Rory McIlroy (68).

Second-round leader Thorbjorn Olesen managed a one-under 71 and dipped into a four-way tie for seventh at eight-under-par 208 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Woods and Rock broke through a large pack of players to share the lead. At one point in the third round, there were eight players tied atop the leaderboard. At another juncture, there were five leaders.

However, it was Woods, who had a bogey-free round, and Rock, who birdied the final two holes, that broke through the crowded leaderboard.

Woods drained a 10-footer for birdie at the first. After five straight pars, he sank a six-footer for birdie on the par-three seventh to again get within one of the lead.

Around the turn, Woods made his charge. He two-putted for birdie on the par- five 10th to grab a piece of the lead at minus-eight.

Woods drained a seven-foot birdie try on the 12th to join Lawrie at nine- under, then poured in a 25-footer for birdie at 14 to take the lead by himself for the first time.

After two-putting for par on the next three holes, Woods found the green with his second to the par-five 18th. He lagged his eagle putt within three feet and knocked that in a for a closing birdie.

"I was just kind of consistent. I didn't do a whole lot wrong, I didn't do a whole lot right," Woods stated. "Six birdies piled up, but I was methodically going about my business and grinding. This course is playing difficult enough. You can make birdies, but you can go the wrong way quickly. I've still got to post a good number."

Woods hasn't won on the European Tour since he claimed the 2009 JBWere Masters, his last official win anywhere since the turmoil of his car accident and divorce that started shortly after that victory.

Rock, who was one group behind Woods, also had a pair of birdies on the front nine, with his coming on the third and seventh.

The Englishman birdied the 10th and 12th to move into a share of the lead at minus-nine. He converted a birdie chance on No. 14 to match Woods at 10-under.

However, Rock stumbled to a bogey on the par-four 16th, a hole that he also bogeyed in the first round. He fought back with birdies on the final two holes, both from inside eight feet, to join Woods atop the leaderboard.

"I've played some pretty good golf the last few days, so I'm more than happy," Rock said. "I holed a lot (of putts), and I nearly holed two long ones at the end. I just kept trying to hit them all the same, and that worked alright."

Olesen was joined in seventh place by James Kingston (67), George Coetzee (65) and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (69).

NOTES: Woods, who has 37 European Tour titles, hasn't won in the Persian Gulf region since claiming the 2008 Dubai Desert Classic...Fifty-nine of the 69 players that made the cut shot par or better on Saturday.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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