Haas leads Principal Charity Classic

Golf Betting Lines

06/09/2007 - West Des Moines, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jay Haas, the reigning Champions Tour Player of the Year, fired a six-under-par 65 on Friday to take the first-round lead of the Principal Charity Classic.

Dave Eichelberger posted a five-under-par 66 and is alone in second place at Glen Oaks Country Club.

Two former champions Bob Gilder and Jim Thorpe were joined in a tie for third place by Mark James and David Edwards. The quartet finished Friday's opening round at four-under-par 67.

Haas parred his first three holes, then recorded back-to-back birdies from the fourth hole. He added another front-nine birdie at the seventh to make the turn at minus-three.

Haas, the leading money winner on the Champions Tour, birdied two in a row from the 10th and seemed to be in command. He bogeyed the 12th for a momentary setback, but birdied two of his next three.

He dropped a shot at the par-four 17th, but reclaimed the lead by himself with a 24-foot birdie putt at the closing hole.

Haas already has two wins this season at the Toshiba Classic and Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf. Last week, he held the 36-hole lead of the The Boeing Championship at Sandestin, but shot a final-round 73 and tied for fifth place.

Eichelberger had an interesting front nine on Friday. He birdied three and six, but double-bogeyed the par-four fourth. He finished his front nine with an eagle at the ninth.

He parred his next five holes, but birdied the par-five 15th. Eichelberger, a six-time winner on the Champions Tour who has not visited the winner's circle since 2002, birdied 17 and converted a 10-foot birdie putt at the last to get within one of the lead.

Tom Wargo, Tim Simpson, Keith Fergus and Tom Purtzer share seventh place at three-under-par 68.

Defending champion Gil Morgan double-bogeyed his final hole en route to a one- over-par 72. He is part of a group tied for 31st place.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.