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08/10/2008 - Bloomfield Hills Township, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Curtis, the 2003 British Open Champion, fired a two-under 68 Sunday morning to move into sole possession of the lead after the third round of the PGA Championship.
It took Curtis an extra day, but he finished 54 holes at two-under 208 at the South Course at Oakland Hills.
After sitting for almost five hours on Saturday before play was called, Curtis was one of eight players who had 36 holes on his docket for Sunday.
"It should be a lot of fun this afternoon," said Curtis. "I went to bed pretty early. It's gonna be a long day and you just have to stay patient."
The third round was completed well within the time period the PGA of America allotted to finish all play on Sunday. If there is bad weather Sunday, and there's a 40 percent chance in the forecast, the fourth Monday finish in the stroke-play era of the PGA Championship could be a reality.
Players are going off both the first and 10th tees in threesomes in the final round. The last threesome is scheduled to go out around 2:20 p.m. (et) and with a five-hour window of play, there is time allowed for a possible playoff.
Again, that is dependent on no weather stoppages on Sunday. The forecast calls for a chance of thunderstorms in the late afternoon, with a 40 percent chance of rain all afternoon.
Second-round leader J.B. Holmes bogeyed the last hole to fall out of a tie for first. He managed an even-par 70 in round three and is tied for second place with Henrik Stenson, who birdied 18 for a one-under 69. The pair is knotted at minus-one.
Reigning two-time British Open champion Padraig Harrington flew into contention Sunday morning. He posted a third-round, four-under 66 to move into a tie for fourth with the man he beat in a playoff last year at the British Open, Sergio Garcia (69), and Charlie Wi (71). The trio is knotted at one-over 211.
Andres Romero matched the Oakland Hills course record Saturday with a five- under 65. He shares seventh with first-round co-leader Jeev Milkha Singh, who carded a third-round, even-par 70. That pair is in at plus-two.
Camilo Villegas (67), Steve Flesch (70), Aaron Baddeley (71) and 2001 PGA Champion David Toms (72) are tied for ninth place at three-over-par 213.
Phil Mickelson, the 2005 PGA Champion, never got going Sunday morning. He faced a seven-foot eagle putt on the sixth hole when he returned in the morning, but only made birdie.
Mickelson rattled off back-to-back bogeys at the 10th and 11th. He parred out and finished 54 holes in a tie for 13th at four-over 214, six off the lead.
<< Celtic opens defense of title by edging St. Mirren
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic started the season with a 1-0 win
over St. Mirren on Sunday, but it was by no means a vintage performance by the
three-time defending Scottish Premier League champions.
It took a penalty kick by
<< Browns sign two, waive one
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns on Sunday signed defensive
backs Brandon Mitchell and Travis Key and waived defensive back Steve Cargile.
Mitchell, a former Ohio State product, comes to Cleveland after spending last
year
<< Rays wrap up set in Seattle
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Regardless of how the 2008 season ends, it has already been
a successful one for the Rays. Having matched its franchise record for wins in
a season with 46 games left to play, Tampa Bay concludes a four-game series
with th
<< Angels aim for home sweep of Yankees
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fans could get used to
offense like this. Los Angeles goes for another offensive explosion today in
the finale of a three-game set with the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium.
The Ang
Eagles release von Oelhoffen, sign rookie DT >>
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles released defensive
tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen on Sunday.
The 37-year-old von Oelhoffen logged only two tackles in limited time for the
Eagles last season, his only campaign with
Ferguson: Real Madrid made one bid for Ronaldo >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United manager Sir Alex
Ferguson has admitted that Real Madrid made one official offer for Cristiano
Ronaldo earlier in the summer.
The Portugal international has been linked with
Liverpool's Parry: Villa wants too much for Barry >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry
believes Aston Villa's valuation of Gareth Barry is too high.
The England international has been linked with a move to Anfield throughout the
summer, but the Red
AC Milan's Kaka still considering Chelsea >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kaka's personal assistant insists the
Brazilian may still complete a switch from AC Milan to Chelsea before the
transfer window closes at the end of this month.
The Rossoneri insist Kaka is n
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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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)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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