Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
09/27/2008 - Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Garcia fired a three-under 67 on Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after the third round of the Tour Championship.
Garcia finished 54 holes at East Lake Golf Club at eight-under 202 and is three ahead of overnight leader Anthony Kim (72) and Phil Mickelson (69).
Garcia was paired with Kim in the final group Saturday in a rematch of the opening singles match last week at the Ryder Cup. On that day, Kim destroyed Garcia, 5 & 4, but on Saturday, Garcia gained some modicum of revenge.
"Obviously, A.K. (Kim) wasn't on his 'A' game," said Garcia.
Camilo Villegas shot a one-under 69 and is alone in fourth place. Ben Curtis (68) and Robert Allenby (67) are knotted in fifth place at two-under 208.
This is the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs and is merely a formality to the coronation of Vijay Singh as the winner. As long as Singh can complete his final round on Sunday, he walks off as the FedEx Cup winner and is $10 million wealthier.
"I tried to play as normal as possible," said Singh, who shot a two-over 72 on Saturday and is tied for 24th at plus-nine. "On almost every tee shot, somebody's congratulating you. It's kind of weird."
The winner of this championship will come in second for the FedEx Cup and earn an additional $3 million.
That man is now Garcia.
He trailed Kim by two shots at the start of the round and Kim extended his lead thanks to a 22-foot birdie putt at the third. Kim hit his tee ball into water at the sixth and drained a nine-footer just to save bogey.
It was after that that Garcia made his move.
At the seventh, Garcia ran home a seven-foot birdie putt to cut the deficit to a stroke. The ninth became a critical swing hole and it started very poorly for Kim and even worse for a member of the gallery.
Kim's drive hit a spectator in the face and the ball bounced several feet away after impact. Kim stayed with the man, whose face was bloodied, until he was taken for treatment.
"It's a very difficult situation," admitted Kim. "I felt terrible. You never want to see that anywhere, let alone when you're the guy who hit the golf shot. I think he's going to be all right."
Garcia kicked in a short birdie putt at the hole to join Kim in the lead. He missed the green short at the par-four 13th and could not get up and down for par.
Kim dropped a shot at the 14th when he missed a short one for par. Mickelson joined the lead after a tap-in birdie at the par-five 15th, but Garcia took over down the stretch.
Garcia rolled in a three-foot birdie putt to take the lead at 15. Mickelson missed the fairway and green en route to a bogey at 16, then Kim hit a tent with his approach at the same hole. That led to a bogey and Garcia was two clear of his Ryder Cup opponents.
Garcia's approach at the 17th rolled to the back fringe. It didn't matter. The Spaniard converted his 17-footer for birdie to take a three-shot lead. The three main principals parred the last and now Garcia looks for his eighth win on the PGA Tour.
"I managed to make a couple of birdies here and there," said Garcia, who won this year's Players Championship. "I played pretty solid overall."
Garcia has held at least a piece of the 54-hole lead only five times on the PGA Tour. The last was the 2007 British Open, which he lost to Padraig Harrington, and Garcia has only won two of those five times. The last time Garcia won with the third-round lead was the 2004 Byron Nelson.
Kim was not sharp on Saturday. He hit only four fairways and had a pretty decent explanation for his poor play.
"I was out of my rhythm," said Kim. "I didn't do the things I usually do before I tee off. I thought my tee time was 11:55 and it was 11:25. No excuses. I should've found my swing."
Mickelson was efficient in round three with three birdies and two bogeys.
"This is my last tournament of the year in the U.S.," said Mickelson. "I'm trying to give it everything I can to finish the year right. If I were able to come out on top tomorrow, I think it would change the way I look at the year."
K.J. Choi shot an even-par 70 and is alone in seventh at minus-one. Mike Weir posted a one-over 71 and is eighth at even-par 210.
Kevin Sutherland (69), Jim Furyk (69) and Ernie Els (70) are tied for ninth at one-over 211.
<< Pryor and Buckeyes handle Gophers
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrelle Pryor threw for one touchdown and ran
for two others, as 14th-ranked Ohio State toppled Minnesota, 34-21, in the Big
Ten opener for both teams at Ohio Stadium.
Pryor finished with 97 yards rushing
<< Racing world mourns the death of Paul Newman
Westport, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Legendary actor, entrepreneur philanthropist
and racer Paul Newman died Friday night at his home in Westport, CT after a
long battle with cancer. He was 83.
Mostly known for his roles in such American fil
<< Three tied at fog-delayed British Masters
West Midlands, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former U.S. Open champion Michael
Campbell was four-under through 15 holes Saturday and is one of three players
tied for the lead when the third round of the British Masters suspended due to
darknes
<< Liverpool topples Toffees as Torres nets two
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fernando Torres scored twice in the
second half to lift Liverpool to a 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park on
Saturday.
The win is Liverpool's seventh in the last nine Merseyside derbies, a
Santana cooks Fish to keep Mets in playoff picture >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In the biggest game of the season Johan
Santana proved his worth as one of the best pitchers in the game, tossing a
three-hit shutout on three days' rest in a 2-0 Mets win over the Florida
Marlins
Fleisher shoots 66 to lead SAS Championship >>
Cary, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bruce Fleisher shot a six-under 66 to grab the
second-round lead Saturday at the SAS Championship.
The 18-time Champions Tour winner had six birdies -- all in his last 14 holes
-- in a flawless round that mov
Rebel Yell: Ole Miss knocks off No. 4 Florida >>
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shay Hodge's 86-yard touchdown reception
and Kentrell Lockett's blocked extra point late in the contest were the
difference as Ole Miss upended fourth-ranked Florida, 31-30, in an SEC tussle.
Jeva
Meche and surging Royals down Twins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gil Meche was solid on the hill and
Ryan Shealy drove in a pair of runs, as the Royals slipped a potential cog
into the Twins' AL Central title hopes with a 4-2 victory.
Minnesota is now tied
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.
Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting