Choi takes 1-shot lead in Sweden

Golf Betting Lines

07/23/2010 - Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - K.J. Choi took the lead Friday at the Scandinavian Masters with a five-under 67 in the second round.

Choi finished 36 holes on the Stadium Course at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club with a nine-under 135, moving one shot ahead of Richard S. Johnson (66).

British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (70) and Rafa Echenique (69) were another stroke further back at seven-under 137, while Robert-Jan Derksen (67) and Richard Green (71) were tied at 138.

Choi started on the 10th tee and shot a 31 on the back nine, including an eagle at the par-five 15th. He also had three birdies before the turn, then another at the first hole.

But Choi three-putted at No. 4, taking the first of three bogeys he made on the front side of the course. He mixed in two more birdies for a 36 to take the lead.

A seven-time winner on the PGA Tour, Choi remained in Europe after missing the cut last week at the British Open. He said he feels more comfortable with his swing this week, one of the reasons he's scored better on another hard course.

"It was very difficult in the morning against the wind," said Choi, who captured his only European Tour win at the 2003 German Masters. "Today my goal was a couple under par ... because the golf course is very difficult."

Johnson negotiated it without a bogey, picking up two birdies on the front nine and four more on the back to climb within one of the lead.

"Turned out to be a really nice round. I actually struggled off the tee today compared to yesterday, but it really worked out nice. I holed out really well and attacked it when I could," said Johnson, who ended at eight-under 136.

Oosthuizen, of course, is coming off a seven-shot win at St. Andrews for his first major championship. He was one of three 18-hole leaders after shooting a 67 on Thursday despite finding little time to sleep during the week.

On Friday, Oosthuizen was done in by a double-bogey at the par-three 17th -- his eighth hole -- where he hit into the water. He shot a 36 on the back nine, then came away with a 34 on the front side to pull within two shots of Choi.

"I made a few thinking errors, stupid mistakes. I think there was a bit of tiredness showing there," said Oosthuizen. "I just made a few bad putts."

Scottish Open winner Edoardo Molinari (71) shared seventh place with Wilhelm Schauman (66) at five-under 139.

NOTES: The cut line fell at one-over 145. Defending champion Ricardo Gonzalez made the weekend at even-par 144...Choi's last win on the PGA Tour came at the 2008 Sony Open in Hawaii.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

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