Thompson, Spieth advance at U.S. Junior

Golf Betting Lines

07/21/2010 - Ada, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stroke play medalist Curtis Thompson and defending champion Jordan Spieth both won their first-round match play encounters Wednesday at the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship.

Thompson, of Coral Springs, Florida, topped 14-year-old Scottie Scheffler, 3 & 1. Spieth, from Dallas, Texas, cruised past Chelso Barrett, 7 & 5 at Egypt Valley Country Club.

Thompson was actually behind the 64th-seeded Scheffler on three different occasions and was all square after 14 holes. The 17-year-old Thompson won the ensuing three holes to lock up the win.

"On 12 and 13, you could tell that he wasn't hitting as good shots as he was hitting earlier in the round," Thompson said. "I knew when I got to 15 - he's only what 13, 14 [years old] - I knew I could have him there because that hole is 470 [yards] and it was into the wind today. He had 3-wood and I had 8-iron. There's a difference."

Spieth, 16, is attempting to become the second player in history to win multiple Junior Amateur championships after Tiger Woods, who won three in a row from 1991-93.

Next up for Spieth will be Robby Shelton in round two of match play Thursday. Shelton beat Ben Crancer on Wednesday, 3 & 2.

Gavin Hall, the 15-year-old who set a course record with a 62 on Tuesday, beat Brandon Ng, 3 & 2.

There were also a few upsets as Devon Purser beat Shugo Imahira, 1-up; Adam Ball defeated Marcel Puyat, 4 & 3; and Sam Straka got by Brian Jung, 1- up.

The second and third rounds of match play will be Thursday, the quarterfinal and semifinal matches are scheduled for Friday and the 36-hole championship final is slated for Saturday.

Wwmozilla Golf Betting News


<< Pirates C Doumit leaves Wednesday's game
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit left Wednesday's game against Milwaukee after feeling light-headed and nauseous following a first inning collision at home plate. The Brewers loaded the bases for

<< Medalist Kang escapes with narrow victory at U.S. Girls' Junior
Village of Pinehurst, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stroke play medalist Danielle Kang squeezed past 17-year-old Colombian Alejandra Cangrejo, 1-up, in the first round of match play Wednesday at the U.S. Girls' Junior Championship. Kang, of Tho

<< Report: Georgia WR Green under investigation
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green is the latest target of an NCAA investigation revolving around a Miami party hosted by sports agents. According to TMZ, Green allegedly attended a party at the Fontai

<< CFL Previews - July 22-24 - Week Four
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (1-2) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (2-1) DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 22, 7:30 p.m. (et). GAME NOTES: Ranked fifth in the most recent power rankings in the CFL, the Montreal Alouettes

<< Finger injury sidelines David Lee for world championships
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golden State Warriors forward David Lee will miss the upcoming world championships due to an injured middle finger on his right hand. Lee, who was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal from the New York Knicks

Phillies P Moyer to have elbow examined >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer returned to Philadelphia on Wednesday to have his left elbow examined. The 47-year-old Moyer is scheduled to see team doctors Thursday. He threw only 18 pitches before l

Nolasco beats Rockies again >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gaby Sanchez hit a three-run homer and Ricky Nolasco was solid in eight innings on the mound, as the Florida Marlins handled the Colorado Rockies, 5-2, in the third test of a four-game series at Sun Lif

Alvarez homers twice as Pirates crush Brewers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Delwyn Young homered and drove in five runs and Pedro Alvarez went deep twice for a second straight night to power Pittsburgh past Milwaukee, 15-3, in the third meeting of a four-game set. Young fi

Tigers snap seven-game skid behind Scherzer, Laird >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Max Scherzer turned in seven scoreless innings and Gerald Laird hit an early two-run blast as Detroit snapped a seven-game skid by topping Texas, 4-1, in the finale of a three-game series from Comerica Park.

Former manager Ralph Houk dies >>
Winter Haven, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ralph Houk, who managed the New York Yankees to consecutive World Series championships in 1961-62, passed away Wednesday at the age of 90. Houk, who played as a backup catcher for the Yankees fr

It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

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

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.