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08/23/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - THE BARCLAYS, Ridgewood Country Club, Paramus, New Jersey - It's playoff golf.
The PGA Tour playoffs begin on Thursday with the first round of The Barclays. The top 125 on the FedEx Cup regular-season points list were eligible and there are only three who are skipping the week.
Sergio Garcia is in a needed, self-imposed exile from golf for the next two months.
Corey Pavin has Ryder Cup captaincy on his mind.
Paul Goydos withdrew on Monday without stating a reason.
Tiger Woods, despite the worst year of his professional career and probably his personal life, is in the field. He won the FedEx Cup last year, but will need to make a lot of ground starting this week.
Woods is 112th on the FedEx Cup points list and the top 100 advance next week to the Deutsche Bank Championship. A good week wouldn't kill his chances for the Ryder Cup, either.
Woods missed out on the automatic eight spots following the PGA so he'll need a pick from Pavin. Woods is "high on my list" according to Pavin, but a good week would definitely cement Woods' chances at a spot in Wales.
The top five on the FedEx Cup points list heading into the first round of the playoffs are Ernie Els, Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose.
Els and Stricker tied for second place last year along with Woods and Padraig Harrington. They finished one stroke out of what would have been an incredible playoff.
The man who emerged victorious was Heath Slocum. What made Slocum's win all the more amazing (besides trumping those future Hall of Famers) was that Slocum headed to the Barclays ranked No. 124 on the FedEx Cup points list. He vaulted up to third after the win.
Scott Piercy was the only player outside the top 125 last week at the Wyndham Championship to move his way into the Barclays field.
Golf Channel will handle the telecast on Thursday and Friday and some early- round action on the weekend. CBS takes over for the weekend broadcast of the leaders.
Next week is the Deutsche Bank Championship at the TPC Boston. Stricker won last year and remember: it's played over the Labor Day holiday in the U.S. so it starts Friday and ends Monday.
EUROPEAN TOUR
JOHNNIE WALKER CHAMPIONSHIP AT GLENEAGLES, The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland - While the PGA Tour begins a new chapter with the playoffs, the European Tour will end a chapter Sunday at The Gleneagles Hotel.
This is the final tournament for European players to earn one of the automatic nine spots on the Ryder Cup team. Colin Montgomerie's squad will be finalized on Sunday with the announcement of his three captain's picks.
Lee Westwood, PGA Champion Martin Kaymer, U.S. Open winner Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy will make the team from the World Points list.
Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher seem like safe bets as two of the five from the European Points list. Francesco Molinari, last week's Czech Open winner Peter Hanson and Miguel Angel Jimenez are in the precarious spots 7-9.
Molinari and Hanson are in the field at Gleneagles, but Jimenez is not. He's attending his nephew's wedding, so he may be in trouble for one of those automatic spots.
Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington are next in line, but are teeing it up at the PGA Tour's Barclays instead. They will have to rely on Montgomerie selecting them with a pick.
Simon Dyson, Alvaro Quiros and Ross McGowan have chances to break into the top nine. Dyson and Quiros need to win the title this week to make the team, while McGowan has to do no worse than second.
Casey and Harrington will definitely be on Monty's short list for picks come the completion of play on Sunday. Luke Donald and Justin Rose will be among those for Monty to choose from, as will Edoardo Molinari, the brother of Francesco, and Champions Tour star Bernhard Langer.
Monty stoked the fire a few weeks back when he said he'd consider Langer, who won the Senior British Open and U.S. Senior Open in back-to-back weeks.
Edoardo Molinari is in the field at Gleneagles.
Peter Hedblom captured last year's event when he held off fellow Swede Martin Erlandsson by a shot. The win was Hedblom's third European Tour title.
Golf Channel will have all four rounds.
Next week is the European Masters, won by Alexander Noren last year.
LPGA TOUR
CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN, St. Charles Country Club, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - It's a new venue ... sort of.
This is the first time that St. Charles Country Club will host the Canadian Women's Open, but the track hosted the defunct du Maurier Classic numerous times.
Sherri Steinhauer won the last du Maurier held at St. Charles in 1992. Juli Inkster, fresh off her disqualification for using a weighted device on her club to warm up during a delay on the 10th tee Saturday at the Safeway Classic, took the title at the du Maurier way back in 1984. Both are in the field this week.
Suzann Pettersen won last year's Canadian Women's Open at Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club in Calgary. She won by five strokes over five different women and if she can do that this week, she might move to No. 1.
The revolving door at No. 1 this year has seen Lorena Ochoa (remember her?), Jiyai Shin, Ai Miyazato and Cristie Kerr hold the perch. Miyazato is back to first after her win at the Safeway.
Kerr is second and Pettersen is third. Pettersen has never held the top spot, but a successful title defense will most likely get her that elusive No. 1 ranking.
Golf Channel has all four rounds.
The next LPGA Tour event is Sept. 10-12. It's the Arkansas Championship and it was won last year by Jiyai Shin.
CHAMPIONS TOUR
BOEING CLASSIC, TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, Snoqualmie, Washington - It's another home crowd for Freddie Couples.
After having almost the entire gallery behind him a few weeks back at the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee in Seattle, Couples is back near his hometown this week.
He lost to Bernhard Langer on Sunday at the U.S. Senior Open, but Couples will try and put a dent in the margin Langer's built in both the money race and Charles Schwab Cup points race.
Both are in the field this week, but Langer may have quite an interesting Sunday. With the time difference between Washington and Scotland, Langer will know when he tees off Sunday if Colin Montgomerie has made him one of his captain's picks for the European Ryder Cup team.
Fred Funk is also in the field this week. He won his third major title on the Champions Tour Sunday at The Tradition.
Last year, Loren Roberts birdied his final two holes on Sunday to defeat Mark O'Meara by a single stroke. The win was Roberts' third of 2009 on the Champions Tour.
Golf Channel will carry all three rounds.
Next week is the First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, which was won last year by Jeff Sluman.
CANADIAN TOUR
CANADIAN TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP, St. Catharines Golf and Country Club, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada - For the second year in a row, St. Catharines will host the season-ending Tour Championship.
The top players from the 2010 season gather with the money title on the line. The top-two finishers on the Order of Merit after play on Sunday will be exempted into the second stage of the PGA Tour National Qualifying School.
James Love won last year's Tour Championship when he parred the first playoff hole to defeat Lucas Lee.
USGA
U.S. AMATEUR, Chambers Bay Golf Club, University Place, Washington, and The Home Course, Dupont, Washington - The 110th U.S. Amateur Championship began Monday at Chambers Bay Golf Club and The Home Course.
Both venues will be used for the two days of stroke play while Chambers Bay will host the match-play rounds. At 7,742 yards, Chambers Bay will be the longest course in USGA history. Torrey Pines Golf Club, which was the site of the 2008 U.S. Open, was previously the longest at 7.643 yards.
Last year, Byeong-Hun An became the youngest U.S. Amateur champion in history when he defeated Ben Martin, 7 & 5. At 17 years, 11 months and 13 days, An surpassed 2008 winner Danny Lee as the youngest champion.
An is back to defend his title and if successful, he would be the first to do so since Tiger Woods' three-peat from 1994-96.
After two days of stroke play to find the low 64 players, the first round of match play begins on Wednesday. The second and third rounds are scheduled for Thursday. The quarterfinals will be Friday, the semifinals on Saturday and the 36-hole final is on tap for Sunday.
Golf Channel will broadcast some action on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. NBC takes over on the weekend.
The next USGA event is mid-Septemeber and it's the USGA Men's State Team event.
<< City dispatches Liverpool
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Tevez scored two second-half
goals as Manchester City recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Liverpool at
Eastlands on Monday.
Gareth Barry put City in front in the 13th minute, and Teve
<< Rangers activate Harden for Monday start
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers activated pitcher Rich
Harden off the 15-day disabled list to start Monday's game against the Twins.
Harden has been sidelined since a 2 1/3-inning start against the Athletics on
Augus
<< Dementieva wins Pilot Pen opener
New Haven, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Elena
Dementieva was among Monday's opening-round winners at the $600,000 Pilot Pen
Tennis event, a final hardcourt U.S. Open tune-up.
The fourth-seeded Dementieva flew past
<< Astros extend partnership with Double-A Corpus Christi
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros announced a four-year
extension of the player development contract with the Corpus Christi Hooks,
the team's Double-A affiliate.
The new agreement runs through the 2016 season.
"
Shanahan has private meeting with Haynesworth >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The offseason drama involving Washington
Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth continued Monday, as head coach
Mike Shanahan confirmed that he "had a conversation" with the two-time Pro
Bowl se
Redskins S Moore has knee surgery, out 4-6 weeks >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Redskins safety Kareem Moore
underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Monday and is likely to miss four to
six weeks worth of action.
Moore was expected to start in Washington's defensive ba
Kwame Brown, Michael Jordan reunited again >>
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is bringing back what's considered his worst move as a basketball executive: Kwame Brown.The Bobcats on Monday agreed on a one-year deal with Brown for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million.
Nats' Strasburg going back on DL, to have 2nd exam >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Stephen Strasburg is headed back to the disabled list, and his prized right arm will undergo yet another examination that will largely determine whether he pitches again this season.The Washington Nationals rookie will have a second
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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