Bjorn joins Hansen in lead at Mercedes Benz

Golf Betting Lines

09/15/2007 - Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thomas Bjorn fired a six-under 66 on Saturday to join fellow Dane Soren Hansen in the lead after three rounds of the Mercedes Benz Championship.

Hansen, the overnight leader, bogeyed his last three holes for a one-under 71 at Gut Larchenhof, falling into a tie with Bjorn at 12-under 204.

They held a one-shot lead on Alastair Forsyth, who posted nine birdies, an eagle and one bogey for a 62 that was still two shots off the course record. He stood at 11-under 205.

Lee Westwood, who opened with a 61 on Thursday, shot a 72 in the third round and was tied for fourth place with Richard Green (66) and Simon Khan (69) at 10-under 206.

Overall, there were 11 players within five shots of the leaders. Tournament host Bernhard Langer was among them after carding a 70 to join Philip Archer (66) and Niclas Fasth (69) at nine-under 207.

Bjorn had three birdies on both the front and back nines, posting a bogey-free round to climb from a tie for sixth place into a share of the lead. He is playing for just the second time in two months.

"I've never had a summer holiday since I was 14 and now with three kids I really wanted to spend some time with them," said Bjorn, 36. "I was working very hard but things were going nowhere and it was nice to take some time out when the kids were out of school."

Sunday, Bjorn will be seeking his 10th European Tour victory and first since the 2006 Irish Open.

"I'm at a crossroads in my career. I've made a conscious decision about how I want to swing the club and play the game, but I have no goals whatsoever," he said. "I just want to play some golf and enjoy myself and this is a huge step forward. I haven't had many rounds in the 60s and you're not going to compete in tournaments if you don't shoot low."

Bjorn benefited from Hansen's late-round collapse after the onetime European Tour winner lost a three-shot lead with three straight bogeys to end the day. Hansen avoided a double-bogey at the 18th by scrambling for a bogey after hitting his tee shot into the water.

He almost knocked his third shot in the water as well.

"I lost a little bit of touch over the last few holes, and it cut me to the bone. I didn't feel really comfortable, and I pulled a few shots, but I managed to hit a great chip on the last," said Hansen.

"It gave the crowd a bit of excitement."

Sunday, the same crowds will see two countrymen play together for the first time since they finished near the bottom of the World Cup last December.

"Soren is a huge talent. He has sorted his putting out this summer, which was always the weak part of his game," said Bjorn. "I've always pushed him harder and harder to make him realize how big a talent he is. All he needs to do is win another tournament. I hope tomorrow it's me winning, but if it's not me, then I hope it's him."

Added Hansen, "Thomas has not been playing to his potential this year, but a Thomas Bjorn in form is a very dangerous man, so I will have to play well to beat him."

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

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