This Week in Golf - October 2nd through October 5th

Golf Betting Lines

09/29/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - TURNING STONE RESORT CHAMPIONSHIP, Atunyote Golf Club at Turning Stone Resort, Verona, New York - New York native Joey Sindelar, playing his rookie season on the Champions Tour, accepted a sponsor's exemption to play on the PGA Tour this week.

He couldn't have picked a better Fall Series tournament.

This week's Turning Stone resort -- with its $6 million purse and $1.08 million winner's check -- is the most lucrative of the seven tournaments that make up the PGA Tour's season-ending series.

"It's awesome that the leading tournament of the PGA Tour's Fall Series is held in Central New York," said Sindelar, a Horseheads native, "and that I can compete in front of the people who cheered me on my whole career."

More exciting for the other players, though, is the prospect of a big paycheck.

With many of the top stars planning to take the rest of the season off following the FedEx Cup playoffs, there is ample opportunity for good finishes and good money in the Fall Series. Players who are not inside the top 125 on the money list will be looking to get there to secure their PGA Tour cards for next season.

Michael Allen was one of those players last year. He finished second behind winner Steve Flesch to pick up a $648,000 check, moving him from 154th on the money list to 89th.

It was the fourth PGA Tour win for Flesch and second of the 2007 season. He will be in the field this week to defend his title.

The Golf Channel will have coverage this week and also next week for the Valero Texas Open, where Justin Leonard beat Jesper Parnevik on the third playoff hole last year.

LPGA TOUR

SAMSUNG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, Half Moon Bay Golf Links (Ocean Course), Half Moon Bay, California - Annika Sorenstam will play in her final Samsung World Championship this week as part of the elite 20-player field set to tee off at Half Moon Bay.

Sorenstam, set to retire at the end of the season, has won five Samsung World Championships, beginning with back-to-back victories in 1995-96. She won again in 2002, then in 2004 and '05.

World No. 1 Lorena Ochoa has won the event the last two seasons, closing with a 66 in the final round last year to beat Mi Hyun Kim by four shots in a dominating performance against the best players in the women's game.

Ochoa and Sorenstam -- with 10 wins between them this season, including seven by Ochoa -- will be joined in the field by 2008 major champions Yani Tseng, Inbee Park and Ji-Yai Shin; Ladies European Tour money leader Helen Alfredsson; and sponsor's exemption Juli Inkster.

Other top players like Paula Creamer, Jeong Jang, Cristie Kerr, Suzann Pettersen and Karrie Webb earned their berths by way of the LPGA Tour money list.

The prize purse is $1 million and the tournament will be broadcast by the Golf Channel on Thursday and Friday and by NBC on the weekend.

Next week is the Longs Drugs Challenge, where Suzann Pettersen is the defending champion.

EUROPEAN TOUR

ALFRED DUNHILL LINKS CHAMPIONSHIP, St Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns Fife, Scotland - A three-course rotation and stellar field are the most recognizable aspects of this week's tournament, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships.

Nick Dougherty won last year's event, bolstered by back-to-back 66s in the second and third round that helped erase a middling 71 on Sunday. He beat Justin Rose by two shots.

Reigning British Open and PGA champion Padraig Harrington, the world No. 4, leads the field and is a two-time winner, having claimed victories in 2002 and '06.

Each of the other five previous champions -- Dougherty, Colin Montgomerie, Stephen Gallacher, Lee Westwood and Paul Lawrie -- will also be in the field.

Other top stars who will be on hand this week include eight of Harrington and Westwood's Ryder Cup teammates: Paul Casey, Soren Hansen, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlsson, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson and Oliver Wilson.

Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Darren Clarke lead the remainder of the names.

The Golf Channel has coverage of all four rounds. Next week's event is the Madrid Masters, a new tournament on the European Tour.

Honestead Golf Betting News

<< Moya wins; Ancic drops Metz opener
Metz, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unseeded former world No. 1 Carlos Moya advanced, while eighth-seeded Croat Mario Ancic came up a first-round loser Monday at the $540,000 Open de Moselle tennis tournament. Rising 20-year-old Latv

<< Howard named NL Player of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard has been named the National League Player of the Month for September. Howard carried the Phillies to the National League East pennant for the second season

<< No structural damage for Packers' Rodgers
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers could play this Sunday against Atlanta after injuring his shoulder against Tampa Bay. Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday the results on Rodgers' th

<< Isles claim D Pock
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Islanders claimed defenseman Thomas Pock off of waivers from the New York Rangers on Monday. Pock had been a member of the Rangers since the team signed him as an undrafted free agen

<< Santana tabbed NL Pitcher of Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Mets pitcher Johan Santana was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for September on Monday. Santana ended the Brewers' CC Sabathia's two-month reign by going 4-0 in six starts wit

Tribe's Shoppach has knee surgery >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach underwent arthroscopic surgery on Monday to remove cartilage in his right knee. Team medical director Dr. Mark Schickendantz performed the routine surgery a

Acclimation to track to determine Curlin's Classic start >>
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curlin, North America's all-time leading money winner, is safely in his barn at Santa Anita Park with a possible chance to race in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic looming. Fresh off his historic second

James Madison rolls into No. 1 spot in poll >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Madison survived a challenge from Maine for a 24-10 victory on Saturday evening and moved into the top spot of The Sportsbook Betting Lines poll on Monday. The Dukes, who were second last week after thei

Liberty's Jennings, Scott of Colgate head FCS players of the week >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rashad Jennings of Liberty, Jordan Scott of Colgate, Nate Thellen of Northeastern and Joe Marcoux of Villanova have been named The Sportsbook Betting Lines's FCS national players of the week. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE

NHL storylines to follow in 2008-09 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Every NHL season begins with a certain amount of speculation about which players, teams and trends will be the ones to watch. The 2008-09 campaign will be no different, except for the fact that an off-ice


2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.








Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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