08/25/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts - It's week two for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and Vijay Singh, by virtue of his playoff win at The Barclays, is the leader in the race for $10 million.
Singh is slightly ahead of his extra-session victims, Sergio Garcia, who is alone in second, and Kevin Sutherland, who is third.
The man in fourth is the defending champion this week, Phil Mickelson.
Last year's win was a big one for Mickelson, not just because it improved his standings in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Mickelson shot a final-round 66 to win the event by two, but there was more to it.
Mickelson won for the first time playing alongside Tiger Woods in a final round. A big step to be sure, Mickelson eventually finished third in last year's FedEx Cup Playoffs behind Woods and Steve Stricker.
The current leader doesn't figure to lose much ground this week. Singh has a win at this event, a second and a fourth. He has two wins in August (WGC- Bridgestone Invitational and The Barclays).
Week two of the Playoffs isn't the only major theme looming this week.
Both the European and U.S. Ryder Cup teams will be finalized after the Deutsche Bank Championship. The European team's automatic 10 will be known after this week's Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, but there may be a pick in the field in Boston.
Paul Casey is currently on the outside looking in at a spot, but after a tie for seventh at The Barclays, a good finish this week could catch captain Nick Faldo's eye.
American captain Paul Azinger has until Tuesday to make his four picks. Since his elite eight were decided after the PGA Championship, there has been a three-week audition for U.S. players.
Unfortunately for Azinger, there has been no American winner in the first two weeks. Scott McCarron and Kevin Sutherland may have distinguished themselves most.
To take advantage of the Labor Day holiday in the United States on Monday, this tournament runs from Friday-Monday.
The Golf Channel has Friday and Saturday's coverage, while NBC takes over on Sunday and Monday.
The PGA Tour moves to Missouri next week for the third week of the PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup. A field of 70 players will compete at the BMW Championship, where Woods captured the title last year.
EUROPEAN TOUR
JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES, PGA Centenary Course at The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland - This is the final week for qualifying for the 2008 European Ryder Cup team, and there is plenty of room for movement.
British Open winner and PGA Champion Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Robert Karlsson, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Graeme McDowell are virtual locks.
Justin Rose, Soren Hansen and Oliver Wilson own Nos. 7-10.
As for captain's picks, well, Faldo has some thinking to do.
Darren Clarke won the KLM Open last week for his second victory of the year, and that had to put him on Faldo's short list. Ian Poulter has remained there since the British Open, Casey is doing well in the States and Colin Montgomerie, who has appeared in every Ryder Cup since 1991, would need to be a pick.
Or, maybe Faldo rewards someone for getting close to one of the spots. Martin Kaymer or Ross Fisher could get a nice surprise this weekend.
Speaking of Ryder Cups, the PGA Centenary Course will host the 2014 edition of the Ryder Cup.
Marc Warren took the title last year at Gleneagles. He toppled Simon Wakefield in a playoff for the victory.
The Golf Channel has all of the action all four days.
The European Tour moves to Switzerland next week for the Omega European Masters, where Brett Rumford captured the 2007 event.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
WAL-MART FIRST OPEN AT PEBBLE BEACH, Pebble Beach Golf Links & Del Monte Golf Course, Monterey, California - One of the best non-major fields tees it up at historic Pebble Beach this week.
Gil Morgan collected his 25th Champions Tour victory last year at a familiar site.
It was at Pebble Beach in the 1992 U.S. Open where Morgan made history. In the third round, Morgan became the first player in U.S. Open history to reach double-digits under par. Morgan even got to 12-under par before a pretty substantial collapse brought Tom Kite his only major championship.
Kite will ride something of a hot streak into play this week. Kite came from behind to win his first championship in two years last week at the Boeing Classic.
Del Monte Golf Club replaced Bayonet Golf Course in 2005 as the tournament's second site. Del Monte is the shortest course on the 2008 schedule, and the oldest golf course in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. It was founded back in 1897.
The format shows the professionals playing with amateurs on both courses Friday and Saturday, then 10 leading amateur teams and 22 juniors joining the 78 professionals for the final round at Pebble Beach.
The Golf Channel has all three rounds.
The Champions Tour moves east to North Carolina in two weeks for the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn, as R.W. Eaks defends his title.
CANADIAN TOUR
SEAFORTH COUNTRY CLASSIC - Seaforth Golf Club, Seaforth, Ontario, Canada - It's a new event for the Canadian Tour this week.
Seaforth Golf Club was designed by Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Dan Halldorson, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour. The course was also home to Canadian star and former Masters champion Mike Weir's first win. He was 13, and the ninth hole is named "Weir's win."
Last week's winner, Alex Coe, is in the field.
This is the final tune-up for next week's Canadian Tour Championship. Bret Guetz won last year.
<< Tennessee Titans 2008 Season Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2008 NFL season couldn't start any sooner for Tennessee
Titans quarterback Vince Young. Despite leading the Titans to the playoffs
last season for the first time since 2003, the jury is still out on whether
Young can beco
<< Ferrer among the early winners at U.S. Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Ferrer of Spain was among the
early winners on the first day of play at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Ferrer, this year's fourth seed and a semifinalist last year, overcame a
sluggish first set
<< Giants move Kiwanuka back to DE
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants moved Mathias
Kiwanuka back to defensive end on Monday.
The move was designed to replace the injured Osi Umenyiora, and decreases the
chances that the defending Super Bowl ch
<< Houston Texans 2008 Season Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Success does not come easy in the NFL, especially when you
lose three star players for an extended period because of injury. Just ask
Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, who had to deal with losing a starting
quarterback,
Pirates obtain C Diaz >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates acquired catcher
Robinzon Diaz from the Toronto Blue Jays Monday as the player to be named in
the August 21 deal that sent infielder Jose Bautista to the Jays.
The 24-year-old
K-Rod captures AL weekly honor >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez has been
selected as the American League Player of the Week for the period ending
August 24.
Rodriguez picked up three saves last week, including his 50th of the sea
Pujols named NL Player of the Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert
Pujols was named National League Player of the Week for the period ending
August 24.
Pujols led the NL with a .579 batting average, a 1.105 slugging percent
Kerr up to sixth in Rolex Rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cristie Kerr's playoff victory Sunday at
the Safeway Classic moved the American to sixth in this week's Rolex Women's
World Golf Rankings.
Kerr jumped up two places thanks to her first victory since l
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting