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08/05/2007 - Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Flesch posted his second straight three- under 69 Saturday to push his lead to five strokes after three rounds of the Reno-Tahoe Open.
Flesch, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, completed 54 holes at 15-under-par 201. He leads after 54 holes for the seventh time in his career, but he has held on to win just one of the previous six events. His five-stroke lead is the largest 54-hole advantage of the year on the PGA Tour.
"I missed a couple of short ones. I missed two six-footers and a three-footer for birdie on nine," admitted Flesch, whose lead could have been bigger.
John Merrick posted a four-under 68. He moved into second place at 10-under- par 206. He stands alongside Steve Allan (69) and Todd Fischer (69).
Charles Warren dropped from second place to fifth with a one-over 73. He is at minus-nine. Kevin Stadler, Jose Coceres and Steve Elkington are tied for sixth at eight-under-par 208.
Flesch parred four in a row to start the day. He rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt on the fifth, but gave that stroke back as he bogeyed No. 7 at Montreux Golf and Country Club from over the green.
The 40-year-old collected birdies on 10, from three feet out, and 11, from 10 feet away, to move to 14-under. Flesch dropped another stroke at 12 with a three-putt bogey, then parred four in a row.
Flesch birdied the par-five 17th from inside six feet and made it two straight as he birdied the par-four closing hole from five feet out.
"I think today, I was a little bit more conservative because of the wind, but not intentionally. I just think the wind kept you from shooting at a lot of the pins," Flesch stated. "I picked my spots and played aggressively when I could."
Merrick moved up the leaderboard with four birdies on the front nine. Around the turn, he posted two bogeys and two birdies to share second.
"I'm trying to not put too much pressure on myself and that is leading to better scores," admitted Merrick. "It was very difficult out there today, especially on the back nine. You not only have to deal with the elevation, but the swirling wind as well."
Allan bogeyed the first, but came back with three consecutive birdies from the third to move to nine-under. After a birdie from off the green at 11, he bogeyed the next two holes. Allan recovered those lost strokes with birdies on 15 and 16.
"The wind is supposed to be up (Sunday) too, so it will be key to focus on one shot at a time," Allan stated. "I'm driving the ball well. You have to be in the fairway because the greens are really firming up."
Fischer carded three front-nine birdies to get to 10-under par. He stumbled to a bogey at the par-three 12th.
The 36-year-old Fischer recovered that lost stroke with a birdie on the par- four 14th. However, he faltered to another bogey at 15. Fischer posted his final birdie on the par-five 17th to end in a share of second.
Shaun Micheel, the 2003 PGA Championship winner, carded a one-under 71. He stands at seven-under-par 208 and stands alongside Jason Dufner (72), Brendon De Jonge (72) and Jeff Maggert (67). Daniel Chopra, Greg Kraft, Corey Pavin, Chris Riley and Grant Waite are one stroke further back at minus-six.
<< Weibring one up on Thorpe at 3M Championship
Blaine, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.A. Weibring fired a six-under 66 Saturday to
take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the 3M Championship.
Weibring completed 36 holes at 13-under-par 131. His 131 matched the 36-hole
scoring record that
<< Brewers activate Linebrink from bereavement list
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers activated reliever
Scott Linebrink from the bereavement list prior to Saturday's game against
Philadelphia.
The right-hander has appeared in two games for Milwaukee since being acquired
<< Brewers active Linebrink from bereavement list
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers activated reliever
Scott Linebrink from the bereavement list prior to Saturday's game against
Philadelphia.
The right-hander has appeared in two games for Milwaukee since being
<< Franchitti on pole in Michigan
Brooklyn, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dario Franchitti won the pole for Sunday's
Firestone Indy 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. The No.27 Andretti
Green Racing Honda circled the high-speed, two-mile oval in 32.9810 seconds
(218.30
Fielder homers, Hart robs HR as Brewers rally to beat Phillies >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prince Fielder's two-run homer in the eighth
inning put the Brewers on top, and Corey Hart robbed Tadahito Iguchi of a
potential tying homer in the ninth, as the Milwaukee Brewers edged the
Philade
Hudson leads Braves over Rockies >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Hudson pitched seven scoreless innings to
lead the Atlanta Braves to a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Turner
Field.
Hudson (12-5), who also knocked in two runs at the plate, scattered five hi
Zimmerman homers twice as Nats clobber Cardinals >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Zimmerman went 2-for-5 with a pair of
home runs and three RBI as Washington crushed St. Louis, 12-1, in the second
installment of a three-game set at RFK Stadium.
Joel Hanrahan (1-0) yielded just
Pena, Devil Rays down Orioles >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena belted a two-run homer
and Scott Kazmir threw seven strong innings as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
spanked the Baltimore Orioles, 9-2, in the second of three games from
Tropica
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
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