Alfredsson fires career-low 62 for Sybase lead

Golf Betting Lines

05/14/2009 - Clifton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It was only the first round, but Helen Alfredsson was still nervous standing over her last putt.

"I never shot 62 before," she said.

Until now.

Alfredsson, an 18-year veteran of the LPGA Tour, fired a career-best 10-under 62 in chilly, rainy conditions Thursday to take a two-shot lead at the Sybase Classic.

It was one of those days, the 44-year-old Alfredsson said, when the game seems easy.

"When [you] play good, you wonder why you don't do this all the time because it's so easy," she said. "It's not strenuous, your head is not going crazy, your body doesn't hurt. At my age all that stuff usually comes along with it. So you don't know why."

Alfredsson holed a 70-yard shot for eagle at her second hole -- the par-five 11th -- then collected nine birdies the rest of the way while only making one bogey.

She established a new tournament scoring record, but could have gone even lower. She had a three-putt par at No. 18.

"I was actually pretty close to the pin all day. I hit some good shots, kept myself out of trouble, which is nice for a change," said Alfredsson.

Brittany Lincicome's eight-under 64 was also a career-best, but it left her sitting alone in second place behind Alfredsson.

Suzann Pettersen shot a seven-under 65 for third place and Ji Young Oh had a six-under 66 for fourth.

Alfredsson's low score means many top stars will have to play catch-up over the next three rounds at Upper Montclair Country Club.

Karrie Webb (70), Michelle Wie (70), Natalie Gulbis (70), Paula Creamer (70) and defending champion Lorena Ochoa (71) all posted respectable numbers that paled in comparison to Alfredsson's 62.

"She's a streaky player. When she gets hot, she's hot," said Pettersen. "Obviously she played pretty good today."

Alfredsson followed her eagle at No. 11 with three consecutive birdies, including a chip-in from the edge of the green at the 13th.

She made her only bogey of the round at the 15th, where she three-putted, but followed that with two straight birdies to make the turn in just 30 shots.

At that point, a 59 was not out of the question.

Annika Sorenstam, who announced her retirement ahead of this tournament last year, is the only LPGA Tour player who has ever shot a 59 in competition.

Alfredsson's scoring barrage slowed down on the front nine, however, although she did manage to make four more birdies. A six-foot birdie putt at the par- three eighth -- and that "nervous" par putt on No. 9 -- secured her lowest round in 365 LPGA Tour events.

Last year was a comeback season of sorts for the seven-time LPGA Tour winner from Sweden.

After a herniated disk limited her to just 11 events in 2007 -- she also captained the losing European Solheim Cup team that year -- Alfredsson won twice in 2008, including the lucrative Evian Masters.

"I just wanted to give it two more years," she said. "I felt as good as I've done since I started playing, and it was just fun to get another chance at it.

"It would be nice to do it again."

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.