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08/04/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "I am glad I brought this course, this monster, to its knees."
Ben Hogan famously said that statement after the 1951 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, site of this week's 90th PGA Championship.
Fifty-seven years ago, there were only two rounds under par, including Hogan's 67 on Sunday. He won the event and put the legend of Oakland Hills into golf immortality.
The South Course at Oakland Hills could still be fresh in the players' minds. It hosted the 2004 Ryder Cup and the 1996 U.S. Open, but renovations by Rees Jones two years ago could make "The Monster" even more terrifying.
Oakland Hills will play to 7,395 yards this week thanks to added length at 15 holes. Fairways were narrowed, both fairway and greenside bunkers were changed and even the ponds at Nos. 7 and 16 bring water into play.
One thing Jones didn't tinker with was the greens at Oakland Hills. Possibly considered the most treacherous putting surfaces in the U.S., Jones did not mess with the greens where even three-footers make players sweat.
Think back to four years ago. Without the top international players, the European team put on a clinic, especially on the greens, winning the event by a staggering nine points. Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood were outstanding that early fall weekend, but the Americans' best player was Tiger Woods.
The world No. 1 and defending champion is obviously not on hand this week, recovering from knee surgery. Last month, we endured our first Tiger-less major and it didn't disappoint.
Unfortunately, Greg Norman won't be at Oakland Hills to bring buzz like he did at the British Open. Norman declined the PGA of America's invitation, but the field is certainly not devoid of intrigue.
Phil Mickelson decided to switch clubs the week before the '04 Ryder Cup and struggled badly. He has not driven the ball well all year, but has two wins and played well at Firestone last week, tying for fourth after entering the final round tied for the lead.
Westwood shared the 54-hole lead at the Bridgestone Invitational and missed the epic Woods/Mediate U.S. Open playoff by a stroke. He's trimmed down, gotten his game in world-class shape and could be ready for a big breakthrough.
Vijay Singh was the third third-round leader and is a two-time PGA Champion. Like Mickelson, he's struggled some with the big club, but when the course requires precision and length, Singh is a hard guy to argue with. Now that he won last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he is the guy at Oakland Hills.
Garcia was lights out four years ago, but that was the Ryder Cup. He's been great at all four of those he's been in, so can he rekindle the magic without wearing the Euro uniform? Hard to say.
Garcia is probably the best driver in the world. He is not close to the top in putting and with these surfaces, the Spaniard could be in some trouble. However, imagination is required at Oakland Hills and Garcia excels when creativity is needed.
Obviously, Ryder Cuppers and 54-hole leaders from the week prior are not the only contenders worth watching.
Ernie Els and Jim Furyk tied for fifth in the '96 U.S. Open. Both are highly- ranked stars with major pedigrees and both posted top-10 finishes at Royal Birkdale.
Then there is Padraig Harrington. He's certainly in good form with his amazing back nine on Sunday at the British Open Championship and the Irishman played well in 2004 in the Ryder Cup.
Harrington went into the Open Championship with zero expectations due to a wrist injury. All he did was relax, play steady and hoist the claret jug for the second year in a row.
Not everyone has the luxury of a bum wrist. Expectations soar for some players in the absence of Woods. Mickelson, Els, Singh and Harrington can all take one step closer to being one of the game's all-time greats.
Garcia, Westwood, Adam Scott and even Kenny Perry can finally secure that elusive first major championship. Guys from both sides of the pond are fighting for Ryder Cup spots and all tour players are gearing up for a run in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
With so much at stake at the PGA Championship, no one will tame "The Monster." Scores won't be under par this week, so look for the grinders. It's safe to say there will be more than two rounds under par, but maybe not many more.
"The greatest test of golf I have ever played, and the toughest course." - Hogan.
The toughest course, and it's lengthened?
Really is a "Monster."
<< Report: Broncos' Marshall to be suspended
Culver City, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon
Marshall will reportedly be suspended for the start of the regular season for
violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
According to the NFL Network, Marsh
<< Injuries mounting for the Mets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When involved in a tight division race, you need things to
go your way every now and then. For the New York Mets, though, things are
going only one way -- down.
Already saddled with a lengthy disabled list, the Mets contin
<< United loan Simpson to Blackburn
Blackburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United defender Danny
Simpson has agreed to join Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan.
The 21-year-old becomes Rovers boss Paul Ince's third capture of the summer
following the ar
<< Drogba to miss start of season for Chelsea
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has
admitted that Ivory Coast international striker Didier Drogba is unlikely to
feature in his first-team plans until the end of this month.
The 30-year-old is con
Cards' Ludwick earns NL weekly honor >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Ryan Ludwick
was named National League Player of the Week for the period ending August 3.
Ludwick led the National League with a hefty .538 average (14-for-26), eight
runs
Nady, Aviles share AL weekly honor >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees outfielder Xavier Nady and
Kansas City Royals infielder Mike Aviles were named the co-Players of the Week
in the American League for the period ending August 3.
Nady, acquired by the Yank
No "slip slidin' away" in the rain at Montreal >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "Slip slidin' away, slip slidin' away. You
know the nearer your destination, the more you're slip slidin' away." Luckily
for Goodyear and NASCAR, using rain tires to run in the rain during Saturday's
NAPA Aut
Tigers' Cabrera named AL Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Tigers infielder Miguel Cabrera was
selected as the American League Player of the Month for July.
Cabrera batted .330 with eight homers and a major league-best 31 runs batted
in last month. He a
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds
According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.
Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.
MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.
Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
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