Finch leads by one at Gleneagles

Golf Betting Lines

08/26/2010 - Perthshire, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Finch opened with a six-under 66 Thursday to take a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Four of Finch's fellow Englishmen are tied for second place at minus-five. Gary Boyd, Richard Bland, David Lynn and Robert Rock share second with Scotland's Stephen Gallacher.

The European Ryder Cup team will be finalized after Sunday's final round. Several players are fighting for the last two automatic spots or trying to play well enough so that captain Colin Montgomerie will add them to the team.

Miguel Angel Jimenez and Peter Hanson have the final two spots on that team at this point, but could be bumped off. Hanson is tied for 18th at three-under 69. Jimenez, who passed up a family commitment to play this week, is one stroke further back at minus-two.

Simon Dyson, one of the players that could play his way onto the team, opened with a 68. He and Francesco Molinari, who is also at minus-four, headline a group of 11 players tied for seventh.

Ross McGowan, who was hoping to play his way onto the team, or at least play well enough to gain a captain's pick, had to withdraw after shooting 77 due to a shoulder injury. Molinari secured a spot on the European Ryder Cup team with McGowan's withdrawal.

"Unfortunately, I won't be able to make the team now, but I've got a few years left in me, so hopefully I'll make it in a couple of years' time," McGowan stated. "I'm pretty gutted. I had a great opportunity to make the team after having such a good finish to last year."

Finch got his round going with a birdie on the second. After four straight pars, he converted back-to-back birdie chances from the seventh to move to three-under par.

The Englishman ran off five straight pars from the ninth before dropping in his fourth birdie of the day at the par-four 14th.

Finch grabbed a share of the lead with a birdie on 16, then moved atop the leaderboard with a birdie at the last.

"The scorecard doesn't really tell the whole story I suppose, but to go bogey- free was quite remarkable," said Finch, who won twice during the 2008 season.

"I took the slightly scenic route at times, and I'm delighted with the result. Six-under par anywhere is a great score. I think I was one-under after five holes, and I one-putted every hole to get to that point and thought I was going to be in for a long, difficult day."

Lynn also had a bogey-free round with five birdies and 13 pars. Rock and Gallacher carded six birdies and a bogey. Bland mixed nine birdies and four bogeys through his round, while Boyd had four bogeys, an eagle and seven birdies.

NOTES: Defending champion Peter Hedblom posted a three-under 69 and is tied for 18th...David Drysdale and Rafa Echenique both withdrew during their rounds.

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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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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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