Bettencourt leads DiMarco in Reno

Golf Betting Lines

07/15/2010 - Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Bettencourt shot a six-under 66 to take the first-round lead Thursday at the Reno-Tahoe Open.

Bettencourt earned his first 18-hole lead on the PGA Tour largely due to an eagle at the 17th hole. He moved past Chris DiMarco, who had a 67 at Montreux Golf & Country Club to sit alone in second place.

Craig Bowden and 2006 champion Will MacKenzie were another shot further back at 68, while Chad Campbell and former PGA Championship winner Steve Elkington led a large group at 69.

Because the tournament is being played opposite the British Open, Campbell is the highest-ranked player in the field at world No. 93.

The event features a mixture of young pros trying to get their first PGA Tour wins, wily veterans hoping for a good finish, and many players in between.

DiMarco is among the veterans seeking a good finish. On a career downswing, he has now missed three British Opens in a row after playing in eight straight. He was runner-up to Tiger Woods at Hoylake in 2006.

Making the best of his start in Reno, the 41-year-old DiMarco mixed six birdies with one bogey during the first round. He birdied his last three holes, sinking a seven-foot putt at the 18th to take the clubhouse lead.

"I really like the golf course," said DiMarco, who tied for 26th last year on the Montreux layout. "It fits my eye really well off the tee, which is pretty big when you're playing golf, to be able to see the lines that you want to have."

DiMarco has three career PGA Tour wins, but none since the 2002 Phoenix Open. His last victory on any tour came at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in January 2006.

"I still feel like I can win out here," DiMarco said. "My confidence is slowly but surely coming back. I'm starting to get comfortable on the golf course again.

"It's coming back."

DiMarco's lead didn't last long Thursday.

Playing three groups behind him, Bettencourt eagled the par-five 17th after hitting his second shot 260 yards and within three feet of the hole, getting to seven-under par.

Bettencourt then bogeyed the 18th from a fairway bunker, trimming his lead to a shot. He also had six birdies during the round, all in his first 13 holes.

"I'm very pleased with my round," said Bettencourt, a 35-year-old grinder who has never won on the PGA Tour. "I've been struggling a little bit this year with my expectations. I've been battling a few injuries. So it feels good to be feeling healthy and getting out there and playing good golf."

NOTES: Defending champion John Rollins opened with a 71...Tournament host Scott McCarron had a 70...Two-time Reno-Tahoe winner Vaughn Taylor shot a 74...Bettencourt picked up two victories on the Nationwide Tour in 2008.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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