Perry's 61 good for Travelers lead
Golf Betting Lines
06/25/2009 - Cromwell, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenny Perry had chance at the magical 59 on Thursday, but settled for a nine-under 61 and the first-round lead of the Travelers Championship.
Perry needed to go two-under over his last three holes to become the fourth player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59, but missed birdie efforts from eight, 25 and 24 feet on the last three.
"I had it the back of my head," Perry said of his chances at joining golf immortality with a sub-60 round. "Today was a good day to do it. I just didn't get it done."
His 61 matched the course record at the TPC River Highlands. Kirk Triplett set the original mark in 2000, then it was matched by Phil Mickelson and Scott Verplank in the 2001 championship and Brad Faxon four years ago.
Paul Goydos and Charles Warren are tied for second place at seven-under 63.
Lucas Glover, three days removed from his U.S. Open Championship, birdied three holes in a row from the 13th en route to a five-under-par 65 and a share of eighth place.
"I played well. I'm very pleased," said Glover, who earned his first major title Monday at Bethpage.
As well as Glover played on Thursday, Perry was four strokes better in round one.
Perry broke into red figures with back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth holes. He flew up the leaderboard thanks to a spectacular run, which began with a birdie at the par-five sixth.
After that birdie, Perry caught fire. He birdied his next four holes for five in a row and that spurt moved him into a share of first place at seven-under par.
Perry had a decent chance at birdie at 11, but missed. He parred the 12th as well, then reached the green in two at the par-five 13th and two-putted for another birdie.
Perry drove the green at the par-four 15th and had 20 feet for an eagle. That putt missed the hole, but he tapped in from three feet for a birdie and now 59 was a very realistic possibility.
At the par-three 16th, Perry hit his tee ball to eight feet. His putt grazed the right side of the cup and his 25-foot chance at 17 never threatened the hole.
Perry needed to hole his second shot at 18 to join the sub-60 club, but he couldn't manage it. He played his approach to 24 feet and the No. 7 player in the world could not convert for one final birdie and a round of 60.
Perry lost a playoff at the Masters and hasn't finished inside the top 20 since.
Greg Chalmers, Tag Ridings, Spencer Levin and Boo Weekley are tied for fourth place at six-under 64.
Glover was joined in eighth place by Ricky Barnes, one of the runners-up at Bethpage.
"Today I wanted to come back and rebound, obviously, from what happened last week," said Barnes, the third-round leader at the U.S. Open. "But today reminded me of the first round of last week. Just really solid, hit a lot of greens, had a lot of good looks."
Glover and Barnes are tied at minus-five with David Toms, John Merrick, D.A. Points, Mathew Goggin, Jerry Kelly, Y.E. Yang and Aaron Watkins.
Defending champion Stewart Cink struggled on Thursday. He shot a one-over 71 and was of 36 players out of 156 in round one who failed to shoot even-par or better.
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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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