Rookie Min leads LPGA Championship

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06/10/2007 - Havre de Grace, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Na On Min was making just her sixth start on the LPGA Tour.

Sunday, she'll carry a lead into the final round at her first major.

Min, a rookie from South Korea, fired a seven-under 65 Saturday at Bulle Rock to take the third-round lead at the McDonald's LPGA Championship, the second women's major of the season.

She was at 10-under 206, one shot ahead of overnight leader Suzann Pettersen.

"Maybe tomorrow I'll be nervous. But I'll just do my best and not think about my position," Min, who has spoken English for less than two years, said in an on-course interview.

Pettersen made a 12-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole and shot a one-under 71 to join Min in the final group Sunday. She is at nine-under 207.

Karrie Webb, the 2001 champion, also had a 71 Saturday and was tied with Angela Park, another rookie, at eight-under 208. Park fired a 68 in the third round.

"I've never experienced anything like this before," the rookie said.

Morgan Pressel, the season's first major winner at the Kraft Nabisco Championship, shot a 70 and was alone in fifth place at seven-under 209.

Kim Saiki-Maloney (70) was a stroke further back at 210.

Behind her, Lorena Ochoa (69) led a group of six players who were knotted in seventh place at five-under 211. The world No. 1 is still looking for her first major championship.

"Hopefully I'm not too far back and I have a chance tomorrow," said Ochoa, who was five back.

Another young star wasn't so lucky.

Michelle Wie, bothered by a left wrist injury that forced her controversial withdraw from the Ginn Tribute last week, shot an 11-over 83 Saturday and was in last place out of 84 players who made the cut.

It was her worst round against the men or women since she shot an 85 in the first round of the LPGA Tour's CJ Nine Bridges Classic in November 2003, just weeks after her 14th birthday.

Wie, now 17, was at 14-over 230 and unsure if she would even play the final round Sunday.

"I really want to play," Wie said, her wrist wrapped in ice. "I think it would be awesome to get another experience, a round under my belt. Just have to see how it goes tonight."

Wie's highest round against the men was an 81 in the second round of last year's 84 Lumber Classic.

Annika Sorenstam, a vocal critic of Wie's withdrawal last week, and her subsequent practice rounds over the weekend at Bulle Rock, shot a one-over 73 and was tied for 13th place at four-under 212.

Sorenstam was one of 16 players within six shots of Min, whose 65 Saturday was the best round by three shots.

Min recovered from an early bogey at No. 2 with eight birdies over the next 14 holes. Her two-putt birdie from the fringe at the par-five 15th moved her into a first-place tie with Birdie Kim.

Pettersen moved one shot ahead of both players when she knocked her second shot at the par-five 11th within 10 feet and made the eagle putt to reach 10- under.

But Min tied her with a 10-foot birdie putt ahead at the 16th, and Pettersen fell two back when she made a sloppy double-bogey at the 13th after missing the fairway and taking a penalty.

That opened the door for Min's surprising overnight lead.

"This is my first major, so I'm nervous," said Min, who hit every green in regulation Saturday until the last two holes. "I will just try to keep my tunnel vision and play steady (on Sunday)."

Pettersen redeemed herself by making the 12-foot birdie try on 17, where her preparations included getting down on her stomach to read the putt.

The often intense Pettersen missed a chance to win her first major when she coughed up four shots in a three-hole stretch at the end of this year's Kraft Nabisco Championship, handing Pressel the victory.

Pettersen finally broke through for her first LPGA win at the Michelob ULTRA Open in May. Sunday, as she makes another run at her first major, she'll be paired in the final twosome with a player she's not sure she has even heard of.

"I'll probably know her when I see her on the first tee," Pettersen said.

Defending champion Se Ri Pak had a 74 Saturday and was 11 shots back at one- over 217.

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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.

New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).

The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.

Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.

Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.

Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.

The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.

Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.

The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.

Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.

However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).

The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.

Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.

In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.

Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.

Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.

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