Rodriguez and Surber lead Times Colonist Open

Golf Betting Lines

06/15/2007 - Victoria, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Rodriguez and Russell Surber each posted rounds of four-under-par 68 on Thursday to share the first-round lead of the Times Colonist Open.

Jon Abbott, Steve Friesen, Scott Hend, Jim Lemon, Kevin Pom Arleau and Stephen Reed share third place at three-under-par 69 at Gorge Vale Golf Club.

Rodriguez, who has yet to miss a cut in his 13 starts on the Canadian Tour, began on the back nine Thursday and tallied his only birdie of the front nine at the par-five 15th.

He bogeyed the third, but then hit a spectacular tee ball at the fourth. The par-four hole, measured at 307 yards leads most to drive the hole, but Rodriguez nearly holed out for an albatross. He settled for a tap-in eagle to reach two-under par for the championship.

"I tried to get them (playing partners Steve Friesen and Brendan Steele) to give me a gimmie, but no luck," joked Rodriguez.

He closed with birdies at six and eight to first post 68.

"I just stuck to my game plan and didn't change a thing," said Rodriguez. "When your confidence is going strong, you don't grip the club quite as tight. I just played smart golf."

Surber teed off the first and birdied his first two holes. He dropped a shot at the par-four seventh to make the turn at minus-one.

On the second nine, Surber, a product of the University of Texas, collected birdies at 11 and 12. He joined Rodriguez in first place with a birdie at the 17th.

Defending champion Mike Grob headlines the group tied for 10th place at two- under-par 70. Among the other players in that group are Derek Gillespie and Joseph Lanza, both of whom are in the top 10 on the Canadian Tour's Order of Merit.

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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