This Week in Golf -- January 26th through January 29th
Golf Betting Lines
01/23/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - FARMERS INSURANCE OPEN - Torrey Pines (North and South Courses), La Jolla, California - The PGA Tour heads to beautiful Torrey Pines this week.
This event used to signal the start of Tiger Woods' PGA Tour campaign, but more on that later.
Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner, is on hand fresh off his uninspiring tie for 49th at the Humana Challenge. He was involved in last year's thrilling finish.
With Mickelson two behind, but in the 17th fairway, Bubba Watson waited to tee off on the par-five 18th hole at the South Course at Torrey Pines. It was a wise move by Watson. Mickelson knocked his approach to four feet, so Watson waited for the gallery to settle before he hammered one down the 18th.
Mickelson holed his birdie putt to get into a tie for second with Jhonattan Vegas, the PGA Tour rookie who won the Humana the week before. Vegas was first to hit in the 18th fairway, but his approach sank just short of the green into the water.
Watson short-sided himself in a greenside bunker and that was no guarantee of an up-and-down birdie. Mickelson popped up his drive into the left rough, but still had enough to get home in two.
Watson played his bunker shot well left of the flagstick. The ball rolled down to 12 feet, but it was far from a gimme birdie.
Mickelson made a curious decision. Instead of waiting for Watson to putt, which would have let Mickelson know if he needed eagle or just birdie to tie, Mickelson laid up in the fairway.
Watson poured in his birdie shot to sign for his 67 and move two in front of Mickelson. Vegas bogeyed 18 to get in at 13-under, so it was down to Mickelson, a man known for his gambling style and interesting theater.
Knowing he needed to hole out for eagle, Mickelson sent his caddie "Bone" the 72 yards to the hole to tend the flag in case his ball flirted with the hole.
His pitch landed just long of the cup and began to spin back, but it was not enough. Mickelson's approach stayed above ground and that gave Watson the title.
Watson is back to defend and Ernie Els, Ryo Ishikawa and Rickie Fowler are making their season debuts on the PGA Tour.
Golf Channel has the action for the first two rounds, then CBS takes over on the weekend.
Next week is traditional event opposite the Super Bowl, the Phoenix Open, which was won last year by Wilson.
EUROPEAN TOUR
ABU DHABI HSBC GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP - Abu Dhabi Golf Course, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - There is quite a formidable field scheduled for Abu Dhabi this week.
Tiger Woods will make his 2012 debut after his victory at the end of last season at the unofficial Chevron World Challenge. He is 25th in the world rankings, so he is way behind some of the others in the field.
Luke Donald, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy and Martin Kaymer will open their seasons this week. The four are the four highest-ranked players in the world, adding some serious star power to the European Tour's event.
Kaymer has to be considered the favorite and can make history this week. Kaymer is the two-time defending champion and earned his first European Tour victory at this tournament in 2008. The one year he didn't win from 2008-2011, he tied for second in 2009.
Kaymer can join a select group of European Tour players who have won the same tournament four times.
Kaymer cruised to an eight-stroke win last year and set a new tournament scoring record, finishing at 24-under-par 264 to break the old mark by three shots. The victory 12 months ago moved Kaymer to No. 2 in the world rankings, dropping Woods to three. Kaymer eventually became the world's best.
Masters winner Charl Schwartzel and British Open Champion Darren Clarke are both in the field. With reigning U.S. Open winner McIlroy also playing, PGA Champion Keegan Bradley is last year's only major winner not in this week's field.
Kaymer deserves to be the favorite based on his pedigree at the Abu Dhabi Championship, but the hottest player in the world will also tee it up Thursday.
Branden Grace won for the second week in a row last week at the Volvo Golf Champions event. After his breakthrough victory at the Joburg Open, Grace topped two of his fellow countrymen, Els and Goosen, in a playoff at Fancourt.
Golf Channel will carry the action all four rounds.
Next up for the European Tour is the Qatar Masters, which was won last year by Thomas Bjorn. Hunter Mahan, K.J. Choi and Jason Day are scheduled to play as well.
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze will remain out of the lineup for Saturday's match with Hoffenheim because of a thigh injury. Gotze had been struggling with an adductor injury which kept him
<< Rookies Newton, Dalton among Pro Bowl replacements
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie quarterbacks Cam Newton of Carolina and
Andy Dalton of Cincinnati were among the players selected for this week's Pro
Bowl as replacements for those originally selected from the Super Bowl
partici
<< Leroux nets five goals as USA hammers Guatemala
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sydney Leroux scored five goals and Abby
Wambach added two more as the United States women's national team coasted to a
13-0 win over Guatemala in Group B play at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying
tournam
<< Alonso helps Toluca edge Tigres
Toluca, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivan Alonso notched his fourth goal of the
Mexican Clausura season to help Toluca claim a 2-1 win over Tigres on Sunday.
Chilean striker Hector Mancilla gave Tigres the lead from the penalty spot in
the 2
<< Jackets activate Umberger off IR
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated
forward R.J. Umberger off injured reserve.
Umberger had missed five games because of an upper body injury, believed to be
concussion-like symptoms. He took an elb
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon defender Dejan Lovren signed a two-year contract extension with the club, it was announced on Monday. Lovren still had more than two years remaining on his existing deal, but has now committed himself
Stars lock up D Goligoski with four-year extension >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars on Monday signed defenseman
Alex Goligoski to a four-year contract extension worth $18.4 million.
Goligoski was set to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
"Alex Goligosk
Marseille loses Mbia to thigh injury >>
Marseille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marseille is set to be without defender
Stephane Mbia for the next two or three weeks after he sustained a thigh
injury in the club's 3-1 Coupe de France win over Le Havre.
Mbia was forced out o
Van Buyten sidelined by broken foot >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich defender Daniel Van Buyten is
facing a spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed that he sustained a
metatarsal fracture in his left foot.
Van Buyten suffered the injury in Friday's 3
Stampeders cut ties with franchise rushing leader Reynolds >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unable to find a trading partner, the Calgary
Stampeders have released running back Joffrey Reynolds.
The 32-year-old Reynolds played eight seasons with the Stampeders and became
the franchise's all-time
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Betting the NFL preseason
Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.