10/06/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - CHAMPIONS TOUR - CONSTELLATION ENERGY SENIOR PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, Baltimore Country Club (East Course) Timonium, Maryland - Last year, Loren Roberts fired three rounds of three-under 67 to go with a four-under 66 in the second round to cruise to a six-stroke win.
The victory was Roberts' seventh on the Champions Tour and was his third major championship crown.
This is the fifth and final major of the season on the Champions Tour. Jay Haas (Senior PGA Championship), Bruce Vaughan (Senior British Open Championship), Eduardo Romero (U.S. Senior Open) and Fred Funk (JELD-WEN Tradition) won the season's first four major crowns.
Roberts' other major wins came at the 2005 JELD-WEN Tradition and the 2006 Senior British Open Championship.
Early in the final round last year, Roberts reeled off four straight birdies to pull away from the field. That helped him erase the memory of 2006, when he coughed up a five-shot lead to open the door for Bobby Wadkins' first major championship title.
This is the 26th playing of this event and Arnold Palmer is still the only one to win this title in back-to-back years. Raymond Floyd and Dave Stockton join Palmer as the only players to win this title twice.
There have been just two playoffs in the first 25 years of the event. About a quarter of the winners have been rookies, as six players won this title the first time they played the event.
This is the second year the tournament will be played at the Baltimore Country Club. From 1991 to 2006, the championship was held at the TPC of Michigan. Three other courses have hosted this event.
The Golf Channel has coverage from 1:30-4:00 p.m. (et) on Thursday and Friday, while NBC will cover the action from 4:00-6:00 p.m. on the weekend.
PGA TOUR
VALERO TEXAS OPEN, The Resort Course at La Cantera Golf Club, San Antonio, Texas - Native son Justin Leonard closed with a five-under 65 last year to force a playoff with Jesper Parnevik.
Leonard then birdied the third playoff hole to win this title for the third time. He joined Arnold Palmer as the only three-time winners of the event. Leonard and Palmer are the only two players to win this crown in back-to-back years.
Parnevik opened with a career-best nine-under 61 to lead after the first round. He went 65-66-69 the rest of the way, while Leonard closed with rounds of 64-65 to catch the Swede and force the extra session.
The Texas Open is the sixth-oldest event on the PGA Tour, but the only one that has been played in the same city throughout.
When Robert Gamez won the tournament in 2005, he ended the longest drought between wins in PGA Tour history. Gamez had last won in March of 1990. The 15 years and six months between wins was longer than the 15 years, five months Butch Baird had gone between victories.
A year earlier, Bart Bryant won thanks to a course-record, 10-under 60 in the third round. That meant he and his brother, Brad, became the fourth set of brothers to win on the PGA Tour.
The Golf Channel has three hours of coverage all four days. Next week, the PGA Tour heads to Las Vegas for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, where George McNeill won last year.
EUROPEAN TOUR
MADRID MASTERS, Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain - The Madrid Masters is the third of four new events on the 2008 schedule.
The event will be run by GFC Golf & Business. European Tour player Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, a three-time winner on tour, is the president of that company. He will be joined in the field by Miguel Angel Jimenez and five other Spaniards.
This will be the 19th different event to be contested on Spanish soil. The tournament will be played at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, which hosted eight Spanish Opens and five Madrid Opens, as well as the 1965 World Cup.
The Golf Channel has three hours of coverage each day this week. Next up for the European Tour is the Portugal Masters, where Steve Webster won last year.
LPGA TOUR
LONGS DRUGS CHALLENGE, Blackhawk Country Club, Danville, California - The LPGA Tour remains in California this week for the Longs Drugs Challenge, where Suzann Pettersen claimed her third of five wins last year.
Pettersen stumbled to a one-over 73 in the final round, but it was enough to get her into a playoff with women's world No. 1 Lorena Ochoa, who closed with a 71 to join Pettersen at 11-under.
On the second playoff hole, Pettersen made a six-foot birdie putt to knock off Ochoa. The loss dropped Ochoa to just 1-5 in playoffs.
Last year's extra session was the first since the second year of the event.
LPGA Hall of Famer Juli Inkster is the only two-time winner in tournament history, picking up back-to-back titles in 1999-2000. Inkster, who finished third last year, has made the cut in 11 of 12 starts here.
The very busy Golf Channel will have coverage from 7:30-10:00 p.m. (et) every day. Next week is the Kapalua LPGA Classic, which is a new event on the LPGA Tour schedule.
NATIONWIDE TOUR
WNB GOLF CLASSIC, Midland Country Club, Midland, Texas - Last year, this event matched the second-longest playoff in Nationwide Tour history.
Brad Adamonis (70), Ron Whittaker (71), Tjaart van der Walt (68) and Vance Veazey (68) all finished at 10-under to force a playoff.
Whittaker was knocked out on the first extra hole and Veazey got bumped off on the second playoff hole. However, Adamonis and van der Walt needed eight holes to decide a winner.
Adamonis parred the eighth playoff hole to finally knock off van der Walt. Adamonis will not be defending his crown as he is scheduled to play on the PGA Tour.
There is no television coverage this week. Next week is the Chattanooga Classic, the next-to-last full field event of the season. Whittaker won that title by a single stroke last year.
<< Luhukay sacked by Monchengladbach
Monchengladbach, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Monchengladbach have
sacked coach Jos Luhukay following a poor start to the new season.
Luhukay's side have lost six of their seven Bundesliga games this term, with
the final straw
<< Creamer moves to No. 3 in Rolex Rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paula Creamer won the elite Samsung World
Championship on Sunday and jumped two places to No. 3 in the Rolex Women's
World Golf Rankings.
The top two remained the same with Lorena Ochoa followed by A
<< Karlsson climbs to eighth in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson's win on Sunday at the
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship helped him jump into the top 10 in this
week's Official World Golf Rankings.
Karlsson moved 10 places to a career-best
<< Robben out two weeks for Real Madrid
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid winger Arjen Robben looks set for
a two-week spell on the sidelines after limping out of Sunday's 2-2 draw with
Espanyol due to a hamstring problem.
The Netherlands international only came on at
Tampa acquires D Krajicek from Vancouver >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired defenseman
Lukas Krajicek and forward Juraj Simek from the Vancouver Canucks for
defenseman Shane O'Brien and forward Michel Ouellet on Monday.
The 25-year-old Kr
Granollers upended in Sweden >>
Stockholm, Sweden (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eighth-seeded Spaniard Marcel Granollers
was a first-round upset victim Monday at the $980,000 Stockholm Open.
Japanese wild card Kei Nishikori ousted Granollers in 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 come-from-
behind fashio
Griese questionable; Garcia could start >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brian Griese is
considered questionable for this week's game against Carolina after sustaining
elbow and shoulder injuries Sunday against Denver.
Bucs coach Jon Gruden said he wo
Ferrero, Verdasco advance in Vienna >>
Vienna, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero and
fifth-seeded Fernando Verdasco were a pair of Spanish winners Monday at the
$930,000 Bank Austria Tennis Trophy.
An unseeded Ferrero toppled fourth-seeded Cr
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
2007 Academy Award Betting : Oscars odds
The 79th Annual Academy Awards odds , which will air February 25th, is sparking an interest throughout the nation with the announcement of its nominees. As the public chooses their favorites, sportsbooks are creating odds for one of the biggest entertainment betting nights of the year.
Whether its at a “Oscar Party” or in an on line sportsbook, entertainment gambling on award shows represent a huge increase in betting. As the public speculation mounts, MySportsbook.com, the largest and most respected sportsbook on the web, posted odds on who is going home with a “Golden Best Friend.”
“ We see a majority of our entertainment wagers come from the Academy Awards,” said MySportsbook.com spokesperson, Tim Dalton. “This is a competition that applies to everyone. These are the people that entertain us on a daily basis and you want to see them win.”
MySportsbook.com posted the following odds for Academy Awards:
Odds to win the Achievement in Directing:
Alejandro González Iñárritu "Babel": 8/1
Martin Scorsese "The Departed": 2/17
Clint Eastwood "Letters From Iwo Jima: 4/1
Stephen Frears "The Queen": 12/1
Paul Greengrass "United 93": 15/1
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond": 11/1
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson": 20/1
Peter O’Toole in "Venus": 16/5
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness": 16/1
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland": 1/11
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Penélope Cruz in "Volver": 18/1
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal": 15/1
Helen Mirren in "The Queen": 1/50
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada": 10/1
Kate Winslet in "Little Children": 20/1
Best Animated Feature Film:
"Cars": 1/3
"Happy Feet": 2/1
"Monster House": 20/1
Best Foreign-Language Film of the Year:
"Water" – Canada: 22/1
"The Lives of Others" – Germany: 7/2
"After the Wedding" - Denmark: 24/1
"Days of Glory (Indigenes)" – Algeria: 23/1
"Pan's Labyrinth" - Mexico: 1/10
Odds to win the Best Live-Action Short Film:
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)": 6/5
"Eramos Pocos (One Too Many)": 7/2
"Helmer & Son": 5/2
"The Saviour": 6/1
"West Bank Story": 7/2
Odds to win the Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel": 7/4
"Letters From Iwo Jima": 3/1
"Little Miss Sunshine": 21/20
"Pan's Labyrinth": 11/4
"The Queen": 5/4
Best Motion Picture of the Year:
"Babel": 11/4
"The Departed": 1/2
"Letters from Iwo Jima": 15/2
"Little Miss Sunshine": 17/10
"The Queen": 20/1
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 11/10
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children": 10/1
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond": 9/1
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls": 2/5
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed": 5/1
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Adriana Barraza in "Babel": 14/1
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal": 11/1
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine": 2/1
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls": 1/8
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel": 11/1
Film To Win Most Oscars:
Dreamgirls: 2/3
Pans Labyrinth: 6/5
The Departed: 6/1
The Queen: 11/1
Babel: 15/1
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: 11/1
Little Miss Sunshine: 15/1
Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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