Chappell sets 36-hole mark on Nationwide Tour

Golf Betting Lines

07/09/2010 - Clarksburg, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Chappell shot an eight-under 63 to remain in the lead Friday at the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic, setting the Nationwide Tour's 36-hole scoring record in the process.

Chappell finished two rounds at 19-under 124, breaking the old record of 125 by a shot. His 19-under total also matched the tour record for most strokes under par after two rounds.

"I've played some good golf this year and I knew it was coming," said Chappell.

Keegan Bradley was on a 59 watch after playing his first 15 holes at 10-under, but he finished with three consecutive pars to shoot a 61 and break the course record at the Georgian Bay Club by one stroke.

Bradley moved to 16-under 127, three strokes behind Chappell, who also played the Georgian Bay course on Friday.

David Branshaw had an eight-under 64 at Raven Golf Club to move into third place at 13-under 130, while 2008 champion Justin Hicks (68) led three players tied at 11-under 132.

Both courses were used for the 36-hole pro-am on Thursday and Friday, but only the Georgian Bay Club will be used for the final two rounds.

That's unfortunate for Chappell. As well as he played at Georgian Bay on Friday -- he had eight birdies and 10 pars -- Chappell was even better during his first round on the Raven course.

He opened with a 61 there on Thursday, tying the course record on his 24th birthday.

How good has he been so far? Chappell has made more birdies (19) than pars (17) and is already just one stroke behind last year's winning score.

"For me the goal was to not make a bogey. That's always my Achilles' heel," he said. "I always make plenty of birdies and I knew if I could keep the blemishes off the card, things would take care of themselves."

Chappell broke the old 36-hole scoring record shared by Jason Gore and Webb Simpson. He is trying to become the first two-time winner on tour this season, having already captured the Fresh Express Classic in April.

"The lower you get, the harder it is to keep shooting lower because you've got to hit it closer to the hole," he said. "It's strictly the odds -- the further you are away from the hole the less you have a chance of making it."

Bradley has also played his first two rounds without a bogey as he chases his first career victory.

"It's definitely one of the best rounds I've ever had," said Bradley, who also carded a 61 in this year's BMW Charity Pro-Am. "The putter got extremely hot. From about number seven to 15 the hole looked as big as a trash can."

NOTES: The cut fell at six-under 137...137 matched the lowest score for a cut in tour history...Bobby Gates (67) and James Hahn (69) shared fourth place with Hicks...Chappell also set the 36-hole tournament scoring record...The previous mark of 130 was held by 2009 champion Roger Tambellini...Bradley bested the 62 shot by Garrett Osborn at Georgian Bay in 2008.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.