B. Pappas shoots 60 to lead Louisiana Open
Golf Betting Lines
03/23/2007 - Broussard, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brendan Pappas fired an 11-under 60 Thursday in the first round of the Chitimacha Louisiana Open, grabbing a four-shot lead and almost becoming the fourth player in Nationwide Tour history to shoot a 59.
Pappas left a long birdie putt at the edge of the cup on No. 8 -- his 17th hole -- then closed with a routine par at No. 9 after landing his approach 60 feet short with a lob wedge.
"I threw up on myself with that lob wedge on the last hole," said Pappas, who two-putted for his closing par. "I was shaking like a leaf out in the fairway. But it was still an incredible day."
Pappas opened with five birdies on Le Triomphe's back nine, then added six more on the front nine to break the course record by one shot and equal the lowest opening round score in Nationwide Tour history.
It was his personal best score on the Nationwide Tour by five shots.
Though he hit 16 greens in regulation and needed just 24 putts in a bogey-free round, the brush with history left Pappas lamenting the few shots he left on the course.
"Let's talk about what I didn't do right," he said. "I hit a bad shot on No. 5 and a bad lob wedge on the last hole. Every other shot was just how I pictured it. I made the putts I was supposed to make and three or four that I wasn't supposed to make. I just kept making birdies all day."
Pappas' previous best score on any tour was a 62 in the final round of the PGA Tour's 2003 Southern Farm Bureau Classic, where he was runner-up. He also flirted with a 59 during that round.
"I was 11-under playing the last hole that day and bogeyed it," Pappas recalled. "Making the (eight-foot par putt) on the last hole today was important psychologically just to know I'm not going to bogey every time I get to 11-under."
Pappas was aiming to become the second Nationwide Tour player to shoot 59 on a par-71 course. The first player, Jason Gore, was also the last player on a major professional tour to card a 59 when he accomplished the feat in the second round of the 2005 Cox Classic.
Gore rode his 59 to a win and a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour.
It's the sort of thing that can do wonders for a player like Pappas, a 36- year-old grinder with previous PGA Tour experience who won his first Nationwide Tour title last year.
"When I made the putt on No. 12 to get to eight-under I knew I had a chance," Pappas said. "What actually cost me a 59 was on the par-three sixth hole. My seven-iron from 190 yards actually jumped in the hole and then back out."
Behind Pappas, Justin Bolli had one bogey in a round of seven-under 64 to sit alone in second place. Eight players are tied one shot further back at 66, and 84 players broke par overall.
"It was one of those days where everything felt easy," said Bolli.
This is the fourth of 33 Nationwide Tour events scheduled for the 2007 season, and the first played in the United States.
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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