As the wind blows, scores soar at St. Andrews
Golf Betting Lines
07/16/2010 -
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After second-round play was stopped
for 66 minutes at the British Open, the wind continued to blow at St. Andrews,
and in the process, sent scores soaring.
With the final group midway through the front nine, there are only five
players under par for the second round.
All five of them are just minus-one. Among that group, Jin Jeong, the reigning
British Amateur champion, and Darren Clarke are the deepest into their rounds
as they have completed 10 holes.
Louis Oosthuizen fired a five-under 67 before the wind really kicked up to
finish two rounds at 12-under-par 132. That gave him a five-stroke cushion
over 1989 champion Mark Calcavecchia, who also shot 67.
For the day, there were just nine rounds in the 60s and U.S. Open champion
Graeme McDowell was the last of them to finish. He completed his round at
about 12:07 p.m. (et) or 5:07 local time.
When McDowell finished, the final group was still 19 minutes from its
scheduled tee time due to the weather delay.
With about one-third of the field still on the course, there already were 10
rounds in the 80s with at least three more players on the their way to
posting a number that high.
Among those going the wrong way on the leaderboard was first-round leader Rory
McIlroy. The 21-year-old, who had never shot a round out of the 60s on the Old
Course, was eight-over through 16 holes of his second round.
<< Montanes into semis in Stuttgart
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Albert Montanes of Spain rolled over
second-seeded Jurgen Melzer in the quarterfinals of the Mercedes Cup tennis
event on Friday.
Montanes, seeded fifth, cruised over the second-seeded
<< Lightning re-sign Szczechura
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed forward Paul
Szczechura to a one-year contract on Friday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Szczechura appeared in 52 games last season for the Lightning, rec
<< Sunderland's Gordon to miss start of new season
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon will
miss the start of the upcoming Premiership season after he fractured a bone in
his arm.
Gordon sustained the injury in training on Thursday after he fell awkwar
<< Szavay moves on in Prague; Garrigues ousted
Prague, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last week's Budapest titlist
Agnes Szavay advanced to the semifinals of the $220,000 Prague Open tennis
event with a straight set win over Slovenian Polona Hercog.
The seventh-seeded Sza
<< Barrera completes West Ham move
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexico international Pablo Barrera
completed his move to West Ham on Friday, the club announced.
The 23-year-old winger has moved to Upton Park from Mexican side UNAM Pumas on
a four-year contract
EWU home victories would turn opponents red >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an effort to boost exposure, Eastern
Washington University will literally go in the red this year, replacing the
traditional grass surface of Woodward Field with red artificial turf.
The move is admitte
Predators sign Lundmark >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators signed center Jamie
Lundmark to a one-year, two-way contract on Friday.
The 29-year-old appeared in 36 games between Calgary and Toronto in the
2009-10 season and tallied five
Roberts, Skelton under contract >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Cardinals will head into training
camp with their two FCS draft choices, quarterback John Skelton and wide
receiver Andre Roberts, signed to four-year contracts.
Skelton was the Cardinals' fifth-rou
AL Central: Tribe's future will take shape in second half >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For Cleveland Indians fans, the hard part is over.
They've endured a first half of the season that saw their team finish 20 games
below .500 (34-54) and fall 15 1/2 games off the pace in the American League
Central. Grante
Stars sign veteran D Lukowich, three others >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars signed veteran defenseman Brad
Lukowich and two others to one-year, two-way contracts on Friday.
Lukowich, 33, has registered 23 goals and 90 assists in 653 regular season NHL
games with six
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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