Fernandez-Castano takes lead in Qatar

Golf Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Doha, Qatar (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano shot a six-under 66 on a windy Thursday to take the first-round lead at the Qatar Masters.

The Spaniard birdied four of his final five holes at Doha Golf Club to take a one-shot lead over American John Daly, who is search of his first win since 2004. Daly is a two-time major champion, but has slipped to 543rd in the world rankings.

K.J. Choi and Jason Day both shot four-under 68s Thursday and are tied for third.

Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer, the No. 3 and 4 players in the world, respectively, are in a large group tied in 15th at one-under 71.

MORE TO FOLLOW.

Focsports Golf Betting News

<< Blazers crush Bobcats
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While they haven't been at their best on the road, the Portland Trail Blazers have had almost no trouble winning at the Rose Garden. Jamal Crawford scored 24 points while Gerald Wallace netted 23 points

<< Clippers earn rare win in Utah
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It wasn't easy, but the Clippers picked up their first win in Salt Lake City since 2003. Los Angeles had lost 15 straight against the Jazz in Utah, but got a season- high 34 points and 11 assists fr

<< Doughty scores in final second as Kings down Jackets
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Drew Doughty rammed home the game-winning goal with two-tenths of a second remaining to send the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Staples Center. After Blue Jackets'

<< Stars start second half with win over Ducks
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Ryder and Jamie Benn each had a goal and two assists as the Dallas Stars took a 6-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Stephane Robidas, Eric Nystrom, Vernon Fiddler and Sheldon Souray ea

<< No. 17 San Diego State edges Boise State
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamaal Franklin scored 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds as No. 17 San Diego State survived to take a 58-56 win over Boise State. The game came down to the final shot after Chase Tapley hit 1-

Hot Hawks kick off homestand vs. Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks are back home after an impressive road trip and will kick off a four-game residency this evening versus the Memphis Grizzlies. Hidden in all the hype by the likes of Miami, Chicago and Philadelphia in the

Avs host Wild in Northwest Division battle >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key battle in the Western Conference playoff race is on tap tonight in Denver, as the sliding Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center. Despite posting just four wins in their last 20 games (4-12-4)

Blackhawks try to stop slide in Edmonton >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The return of two of Chicago's top forwards wasn't enough to halt the club's losing streak last time out and the Blackhawks will try to avoid matching their longest skid of the season tonight when they visit the Edmonton Oile

Sharks, Stars renew hostilities in San Jose >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks turned in an impressive performance in their first game following the All-Star break and the Pacific Division leaders will aim for a third straight win tonight when they host the rival Dallas Stars at HP P

Blazers visit reeling Kings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reeling Sacramento Kings will attempt to halt a five- game losing streak when they entertain a Portland Trail Blazers club trying to figure out how to get it done away from Rip City. The Kings were competitive in their

COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

Get free Sports Betting lines RSS feeds from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com