This Week in Golf - June 17th through June 20th

Golf Betting Lines

06/14/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION - UNITED STATES OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California - The major championship season continues this week as the best players in the world head to Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open.

Lucas Glover closed with a three-over 73 last year, but it was enough for a two-stroke win over Phil Mickelson, David Duval and Ricky Barnes. For Glover, it was his first major championship title and just second win on the PGA Tour.

He became just the sixth qualifier since 1960 to win the title. Glover was one stroke behind Barnes after 36 holes, and posted an even-par 70 in the third round to remain one back.

Barnes, the 2002 U.S. Amateur champion, struggled to a six-over 76 in the final round to fall into a share of second.

That quick recap doesn't include the biggest story of the week -- rain. The first round did not finish until Friday afternoon and pushed back the remaining three rounds.

After several lengthy delays, the final round got underway late on Sunday, but Glover and Barnes were only able to complete one hole of the final round before players were taken off the course due to darkness.

They shared a five-stroke lead when play resumed Monday morning, but Glover was not alone in the lead until he birdied the 16th hole.

Mickelson had two bogeys in the last four holes to end two back. Duval gained a share of the lead with three straight birdies on the back nine, but was done in by a bogey on No. 17.

Barnes stumbled to six bogeys in an eight-hole span on Monday and posted 12 bogeys over the final 30 holes after making only one over the first 42.

Glover sealed the win with back-to-back pars.

Tiger Woods was a dominating winner at Pebble Beach in 2000. He won by a record 15 strokes and was the only player to break par for the week.

Woods and Rocco Mediate staged an epic battle the last time the Open was in California two years ago at Torrey Pines. Mediate was given the final spot in the field this week despite losing a six-for-five playoff at his qualifying spot. He had been the first alternate, but was given the final spot when no one else claimed it via winning an event this past weekend.

With the Open returning to the West Coast, there will be plenty of prime time television coverage on the East Coast. Coverage runs from 1-10 p.m. (et) on Thursday and Friday with ESPN and NBC showing the action. NBC will be on air from 4:30-11 p.m. on Saturday and 3-9 p.m. on Sunday.

The PGA Tour heads back to the East Coast next week for the Travelers Championship, where Kenny Perry won last year.

LPGA TOUR

SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC, Seaview Resort (Bay Course), Galloway, New Jersey - After three years off the schedule, the ShopRite Classic returns to the Jersey shore this weekend.

The event is the second tournament in a five-week run for the LPGA. The final three events after the ShopRite include two majors, the LPGA Championship and the U.S. Women's Open.

The 54-hole event returns to the same spot on the schedule -- the week before the LPGA Championship -- as it was before it was left off the tour's slate.

In 2006, Seon Hwa Lee ran away from the field as she closed with an eight- under 63 to win by three strokes over Jeong Jang, Sherri Steinhauer and the now-retired Annika Sorenstam.

Sorenstam owns the tournament scoring record of 196, which she posted 1998 and 2005. She also won this title in 2002.

The event gets a boost this week with the return of Paula Creamer. In the first event of the season, Creamer lasted just one round as she continued to battle an injured thumb that she first hurt last year.

Creamer finally had surgery a few weeks later and this will be her first start since that surgery.

Golf Channel will broadcast action of all three rounds starting at 3 p.m. (et) on Friday and Sunday and at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Next week, the tour heads to New York for the LPGA Championship, which will be contested at Locus Hill Country Club for the first time. Anna Nordqvist is slated to defend the title she won last year at Bulle Rock.

EUROPEAN TOUR

SAINT-OMER OPEN, Aa Saint Omer Golf Club, Lumbres, France - With the best players in the world at Pebble Beach this week, the European Tour offers a co- sanctioned event with its Challenge Tour.

The field is not completely without star power as former European Ryder Cuppers Peter Baker and Joakim Backstrom will tee it up this week, as will Raphael Jacquelin, the highest-ranked player in the field at world No. 154.

Christian Nilsson, who won the title last year and was the runner-up in 2008, is not in the field this week. However, five former champions -- David Dixon, Carl Suneson, Cesar Monasterio, Joakim Backstrom and Jose-Filipe Lima -- are competing.

Robert Dinwiddie, who sits atop the Challenge Tour money list, has made the cut in three of his five European Tour starts this season. His best finish came in his last start when he tied for 13th at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca.

There is no television coverage this week.

The European Tour returns to action in Munich, Germany, next week with the BMW International Open, where Nick Dougherty held off Rafa Echenique by a single stroke last year.

NATIONWIDE TOUR

FORT SMITH CLASSIC, Hardscrabble Country Club, Fort Smith, Arkansas - The Nationwide Tour gets a boost from local favorite John Daly this week.

The two-time major champion is making his first Nationwide Tour start since February 1991. Before joining the PGA Tour, Daly did win the 1990 Utah Classic, when the circuit was known as the Ben Hogan Tour.

Along with Daly, defending champion Jason Enloe will also be at Hardscrabble Country Club to defend his title. Enloe closed with a five-under 65 to join Chris Tidland at 15-under 265.

They headed to a playoff, where Enloe made par on the first extra hole to claim victory. No player on the Nationwide Tour has won the same event in back-to-back years.

The Nationwide Tour heads south of the border next week for the Mexico Open, where Troy Merritt was victorious last year.

Myspotsbook Golf Betting News

<< Gold Pride extends lead atop WPS table
West Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marta scored two goals and assisted on another as FC Gold Pride moved four points clear at the top of the Women's Professional Soccer table after beating the Philadelphia Independence, 3-1, at John A.

<< 110th U.S. Open Championship Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sitting down for his post-championship interview in 2000, Tiger Woods opened with a simple comment that summed up his historic victory at the U.S. Open. "Well, I guess I won." More than that, Woods

<< Henin wins; Tanasugarn loses Unicef opener
's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 and 2010 Australian Open runner-up Justine Henin was an easy opening-round winner, while two-time defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn exited the draw Monday

<< World Cup neophytes New Zealand, Slovakia set to square off
Rustenburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of relative newcomers to the world stage meet up at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Tuesday as New Zealand and Slovakia square off in the Group F opener for both sides. Slovakia will be app

<< De Bakker exits Unicef draw
's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Dutch crowd favorite Thiemo De Bakker was a first-round upset victim Monday at the Unicef Open, a final grass-court Wimbledon tuneup. De Bakker gave way to wild car

Titans LB McRath suspended four games >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans linebacker Gerald McRath has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs. The Tennessean conf

Indiana State hoops coach McKenna resigns >>
Terre Haute, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana State men's basketball coach Kevin McKenna has resigned from his position Monday to take an assistant coaching position at Oregon. McKenna spent three seasons guiding the Sycamores,

Cards G Lutui signs qualifying offer >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Cardinals guard Deuce Lutui signed his one-year qualifying offer on Monday. A four-year pro, he started all 16 games for Arizona last season. Since coming into the league as Arizona's second-rou

United's Pontius claims MLS Player of Week >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United attacker Chris Pontius was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Week for Week 12 of the 2010 MLS season. Pontius was originally credited with a hat trick in his team's 3-2 win at Seattl

Vikings DE Edwards signs tender >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Vikings restricted free agent defensive end Ray Edwards signed his one-year tender offer on Monday. The 25-year-old will be entering his fifth NFL season after the Vikings selected him

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.

MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.