Former PGA Tour winner Pate leads Bogota Open

Golf Betting Lines

03/06/2010 - Bogota, Colombia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former PGA Tour winner Steve Pate had a five-under 66 Saturday to take a two-shot lead after three rounds of the Nationwide Tour's Bogota Open.

The 48-year-old Pate birdied five of his last 11 holes to post an 11-under 202 and distance himself from a pack of players at the top of the leaderboard.

Tag Ridings, a leader after both of the first two rounds, had a one-under 70 and dropped into second place at nine-under 204.

Three players shared third place at eight-under 205, including Zack Miller, who produced the low round of the day with a six-under 65. Aaron Watkins (67) and William McGirt (70) were also at 205.

McGirt held sway over the field for much of the day. He took a two-shot lead with a pair of early birdies and remained on top of the leaderboard until a bogey at the 13th.

While McGirt fizzled on the back nine, Pate thrived.

Back-to-back birdies at the eighth and ninth holes got him within a shot of the lead, but he didn't grab a piece of first place until a birdie at the 13th.

Pate added two more birdies -- at the 16th and 18th holes -- to secure his two-shot lead.

If he can hold on through Sunday's final round, Pate will taste winning for the first time in more than a decade.

The two-time Ryder Cup selection won six times on the PGA Tour between 1987 and 1998. He might also have won the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic if not for David Duval's final-round 59.

"I have no idea what's going on," Pate joked. "I'm hitting it well. I'm not doing anything stupid."

Basically, Pate is playing it safe.

"Even though I have wedges in my hand I'm making sure it's on the green, short of the hole and trying to putt uphill as much as possible," he said. "It seems to be working out."

Pate made only one cut in four starts on the PGA Tour last year. He also missed the cut in most of his starts on the Nationwide Tour. In fact, he hasn't made more cuts than he's missed in any season since 2005, when he was 5-for-9 on the Nationwide Tour.

No one has to tell Pate he's in rare form. He knows how long it's been since he's had an opportunity this good. Now it's just a matter of holding on for the ride.

"I may go out and vomit all over myself tomorrow," Pate said, "but it's fun to be in this position."

NOTES: Pate shot a bogey-free 66 for the second day in a row...This is the first PGA Tour-sanctioned event in South America...Pate's best finish on the Nationwide Tour is a tie for fifth at the 2008 Mexico Open.

Mysportstracker Golf Betting News

<< No. 25 Xavier downs St. Bonaventure
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jordan Crawford scored 22 points to lead 25th-ranked Xavier to a 93-72 win over St. Bonaventure in the regular-season finale for both teams at Cintas Center. Jamel McLean poured in 15 points for the M

<< Juve returns to top four
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus moved back into the top four in the Serie A table on Saturday as Fabio Grosso scored in the 68th minute of a 2-1 Juve win over Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi. Diego put the visitors in f

<< Awesome Act gets Gotham Stakes victory
Ozone Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Post-time favorite Awesome Act, ridden by Julien Leparoux, scampered away down the stretch to capture Saturday's $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. The 1 1/16-mile Gotham is the final local p

<< NAC halts PSV's unbeaten run
Breda, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PSV Eindhoven suffered its first league defeat of the season on Saturday at NAC as Robert Schilder scored the winning goal in the 72nd minute. Orlando Engelaar put PSV in front after 18 minutes, bu

<< Falcons sign CB Robinson
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons announced the signing of free agent cornerback Dunta Robinson Saturday to what is reported to be a six-year contract worth $57 million. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution rep

Villegas alone in first at PGA National >>
Palm Beach Gardens, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Camilo Villegas posted a three-under 67 on Saturday to take sole possession of the lead after the third round of the Honda Classic. Villegas finished 54 holes at 11-under 199 and is three stroke

Stanford finishes off perfect Pac-10 slate >>
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kayla Pedersen had 23 points and Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored 22, as No. 2 Stanford beat California, 63-48, to wrap up their first undefeated Pac-10 season since 2002. Ogwumike added 14 rebounds and Pederse

Real Madrid joins Barca on top >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Van der Vaart's stoppage-time goal gave Real Madrid a 3-2 comeback win over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, while Barcelona could only manage a 2-2 draw with Almeria, leaving the two

Packers retain OT Clifton >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers have re-signed offensive tackle Chad Clifton, keeping the stalwart lineman that has started for the team since 2000. Terms were not released, but the deal was originally repo

Sun Belt Conference Tournament Recaps >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Sherrer hit a jumper with four seconds left to lead the ninth-seeded South Alabama Jaguars to a 52-51 victory over the eighth-seeded Florida Atlantic Owls in the first round of the Sun Belt Co

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.