This Week in Golf - February 11th through February 14th

Golf Betting Lines

02/08/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO- AM, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Pebble Beach, California - It's one of most popular events on the schedule at one of the most storied places.

Pebble Beach, with all of the celebrities and amateurs, hosts this week's PGA Tour stop. That venue will play host to the final round after three days on three courses. The Monetery Course was added back into the mix for 2010, replacing Poppy Hills Golf Course.

Bill Murray headlines the celebrity group as always. From there, it's a host of quarterbacks and television personalities with insanely long rounds mixed in.

Last year, Dustin Johnson, who was a factor at Riviera last week, was declared the winner some 40 hours after he hit his last shot. Due to rain and wind that was strong enough to topple a 40-foot tree, play was called on Sunday. When they went out for the Monday finish, streams replaced fairways and ponds formed on greens.

For Johnson, it was his second PGA Tour victory and he became the youngest player to win the title.

This could be considered the test run for a bigger event at Pebble Beach later in 2010. The U.S. Open returns to the storied course in June with Lucas Glover the defending champion.

Maybe it'll be there when Tiger Woods comes back. In 2000, when Pebble Beach last hosted the U.S. Open, Woods won by about 45 strokes in what some consider his most impressive victory.

The Golf Channel has the action on Thursday and Friday and CBS takes over on Saturday and Sunday.

Next week there will be two events on the PGA Tour.

First is the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, won last year by Geoff Ogilvy. Some thought this would be where Tiger returned, but his caddy Stevie shot that down.

For those not lucky enough to be in the top 64 (technically 66 because of the absence of both Woods and Phil Mickelson), there's the Mayakoba Golf Classic, which was won last year by Mark Wilson.

EUROPEAN TOUR

AVANTHA MASTERS, DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India - European Tour golf heads to the second-most populated country.

Tri-sanctioned between the European Tour, Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India, the Avantha Masters boasts a decent field. Darren Clarke and David Howell are on hand and the field is filled with Indian players.

Jeev Milkha Singh, Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur are the outstanding Indian players in the field.

The Golf Channel has the tape-delayed action.

DLF Golf and Country Club hosted the 2008 Johnnie Walker Classic, which was won by Mark Brown of New Zealand.

CHAMPIONS TOUR

THE ACE GROUP CLASSIC - The Quarry, Naples, Florida - After a long absence and two events in Hawaii, the Champions Tour returns and is in the continental United States.

Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus teamed to win the Champions Skins Game and Watson trumped Champions Tour rookie Fred Couples to win the Mitsubishi Electric Championship.

Last year, Loren Roberts made a three-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Sunday to beat Gene Jones by a stroke.

Couples is in the field this week, but the bigger name for a week anyway is Paul Azinger. The former U.S. Ryder Cup captain is debuting on the Champions Tour this week.

The Golf Channel will air all of the action.

Next week is the Allianz Championship, which Mike Goodes won in 2009.

Boxng Golf Betting News

<< Pacers' Foster to have season-ending back surgery
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana Pacers forward/center Jeff Foster will undergo season-ending surgery for lower back pain following the All-Star break. Foster is expected to make a full recovery and participate in training camp

<< Clippers' Kaman to replace injured Roy in All-Star Game
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman was named the replacement for injured Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy Monday for the NBA All-Star Game to be held February 14 in Dallas. Kaman, a sevent

<< Vesnina, Szavay advance in France
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eighth-seeded Elena Vesnina and Hungarian Agnes Szavay were Monday's first-round winners at the $700,000 Open GDF Suez tennis tournament. The Russian Vesnina vaulted past Romanian Alexandra Dulgheru 6

<< Stricker up to second in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker's victory on Sunday at the Northern Trust Open moved the American to second in this week's world rankings. Tiger Woods remained in first, followed by Stricker, who was third last

<< Gainey stepping down as Canadiens GM
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey will reportedly step down from his post, as the team has scheduled a press conference for 4 p.m. (et). According to a report by TSN Canada, assistant general

Brewers to honor Selig with statue >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers announced Monday that they will honor former owner and current baseball commissioner Bud Selig with a statue at Miller Park. It will be the third statue built at Miller Park, joining

Gainey steps down as Canadiens GM, Gauthier takes over >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey has decided to step down from his post and hand the reins over to Pierre Gauthier, the club announced on Monday. "After a long and difficult period of

Yankees add Thames to outfield mix >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees have reportedly added Marcus Thames with a one-year contract worth $900,000 if he makes the team. SI.com and the New York Post reported the signing. Thames is expected to compete

Rachel Alexandra staying loose in Big Easy >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Less than 12 hours after the New Orleans Saints captured Super Bowl XLIV, the other champion residing in the Big Easy took to the track for a jog. Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra took a jog aroun

Blue Bombers sign RB Marc >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced Monday that they have agreed to terms with running back Emmanuel Marc. Marc participated in Winnipeg's training camp in 2009 and graduated from Delaware State in

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.

(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977.  Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.

Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer.  In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season. 

MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite.  After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.

Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions.  They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals.  The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown. 

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