07/28/2006 - Wichita, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Wilkinson beat the rain and fired a seven- under-par 64 Thursday, giving him the first round lead at the suspended Wichita Open.
Wilkinson collected eight birdies with one bogey and holds a one-shot lead over six players in the clubhouse at minus-six. He was able to finish his round before a weather delay in the afternoon.
The beginning of the round was pushed back one hour, also due to inclement weather, and play was finally suspended for good due to darkness at 8:43 p.m. local time.
The first round will resume at 7:45 a.m. local time on Friday.
Wilkinson dropped his only shot of the day with a bogey at the par-four 15th, where he was admittedly a little too aggressive with his approach.
"I got a little greedy on No. 15," he said. "I tried to get it to the back of that green and it plugged in the back bunker."
Otherwise, Wilkinson had a more than steady round, hitting 11-of-14 fairways and 13-of-18 greens in regulation and needing just 24 putts.
His group had an early tee time, so Wilkinson was able to finish his round before the afternoon weather delay. He still benefited from the ideal conditions created by intermittent rain.
"The greens are so soft out there it's like throwing darts," he said.
Beginning on the back nine, Wilkinson made a surge up the leaderboard with four consecutive birdies starting at the 11th. Each of those birdie putts was inside 10 feet.
After his bogey at 15 and a par at 16, Wilkinson rattled off three straight birdies to reach six-under. He missed a five-foot birdie putt at the second, but picked up his eighth birdie on a 15-foot putt at the par-three fifth.
Wilkinson's 64 equaled his career-low score on the Nationwide Tour, set during the first round of the Miccosukee Championship in 2004. He attributed this 64 to the ease he feels playing on the par-71 layout at Crestview Country Club's North Course.
"I'm happy with the start," Wilkinson said. "This course suits my eye off the tee. I just feel comfortable here."
The players knotted in second place at six-under-par 65 are Kevin Johnson, Deane Pappas, Danny Briggs, Chez Reavie, Jason Dufner and Josh Broadaway.
There are six players on the course at minus-five and three at minus-four.
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Coliseu
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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