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
05/24/2009 - Beachwood, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Allen drilled his final drive 315 yards down the 18th fairway, then stuck his last approach shot to 12 feet.
"About freaking time!" he called out.
The 50-year-old from San Mateo, Calif., had a reason to be so effusive.
Winless in 334 PGA Tour stars, Allen won his Champions Tour debut by shooting a three-under 67 in the final round of the Senior PGA Championship on Sunday.
Clinging to a one-shot lead over Larry Mize through 17 holes, Allen turned his two uninhibited shots at No. 18 into a closing birdie and a two-shot win at six-under-par 274.
His first title in 11 years was also a major championship, the first of the season on the over-50 tour.
"It's been a great week," said Allen.
Mize, the 1987 Masters champion, coughed up the lead on the tough back nine at Canterbury Golf Club, also closing with a 67 to end at four-under 276. He watched as Allen clinched the win at 18.
"Two great shots. You gotta take your hat off to him," said the 50-year-old Mize, playing his first full season on the Champions Tour. "He played well."
Bruce Fleisher, an 18-time winner on the Champions Tour, joined Allen and Mize with a 67 in the final round and took third place at three-under 277. Tom Watson (66) was the only other survivor to par, ending at even-par 280.
Fred Funk (70), Jeff Sluman (73), Gil Morgan (72) and Chris Starkjohann (70) tied for fifth place at one-over 281.
Allen and Mize, after steady front nines, battled for the lead. Fleisher showed up late as a challenger, but the 60-year-old former U.S. Senior Open champion may simply have run out of holes against his younger competitors.
"Obviously 50 years old is a lot younger than 60," said Fleisher.
The final round was tight throughout.
Mize tied Allen for the lead with 15-foot birdie putts on the first two holes, then moved two shots ahead when he collected back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth. Allen climbed within a stroke when he rolled in a 20- footer for birdie at No. 9.
But neither player was going to win without playing well on Canterbury's back nine.
In Saturday's third round, Mize made an eagle, a birdie, three bogeys and a double-bogey on the demanding stretch of holes, while Allen had a trio of birdies.
Allen was better on Sunday, as well.
Mize hit two offline drives in two holes, the 11th and 12th. He saved par from a fairway bunker at 11 when he chipped to a foot, but made bogey from the rough at 12 to fall into a tie for the lead with Allen at four-under par.
That allowed Allen to take the lead with a five-foot birdie putt at the 12th.
Allen, however, gave the shot back when he missed a six-footer for par at No. 14 -- making his only bogey of the round and forging another tie for the lead with Mize at four-under.
Taking a long time over his shots towards the end of the round, Allen drained an eight-foot birdie putt at No. 15 to regain his one-shot lead.
Mize saved par from 15 feet at the 18th, placing all the pressure on Allen to make at least a closing par for the win.
Which is when Allen pulled driver on the last tee -- an unnecessary risk -- and unloaded his 315-yard blast down the fairway. As impressive was his gutsy approach to the green, taking the ball over a bunker and right at the hole.
"To hit a drive like that on 18 under the gun in awfully impressive," said Mize.
Allen, who turned 50 in January, had made 271 professional starts since winning the 1998 Greater Austin Open on the Nationwide Tour. He opted to play this tournament instead of the Byron Nelson Championship, the $6.5 million event on the PGA Tour this week, accepting a special invitation from the PGA of America to join the field.
It paid off.
Allen became the 14th player to win his Champions Tour debut, earning him $360,000 and a one-year exemption on the senior circuit. He is already fully- exempt on the PGA Tour, where he has made 9-of-12 cuts this season without posting a top-20 finish.
Short on experience in situations like the one he found himself in Sunday, Allen nevertheless appeared calm -- if meticulous -- as he found all but one fairway on the back nine.
Afterward, he smiled broadly on the 18th green, holding the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy in his hands.
"It's really heavy," Allen said.
Apparently, the pressure was not.
<< Wings Datsyuk. Lidstrom out for Game 4
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk and
defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom both were not in the lineup for Game 4 of their
club's Western Conference final series against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Datsyuk w
<< Khabibulin out, Havlat in for Game 4
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will not have
one key player for Sunday's Western Conference final contest, but will also
welcome one back.
Starting goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin will not play in Ga
<< Dixon leads, Kanaan crashes half-way in Indy 500
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Dixon held the lead when the
Indianapolis 500 was under caution at the half-way point due to a vicious
crash involving Tony Kanaan.
Dixon, the defending race winner, grabbed the lead fo
<< Murray, Verdasco among early winners at Roland Garros
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco were among
the early first round winners as the 2009 French Open got underway at Roland
Garros.
The third-seeded Murray, still seeking his first Grand Slam title, was an e
Bayern's Oddo to return to AC Milan >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich defender Massimo Oddo, who was
on loan from AC Milan in Italy, will return to the Italian club.
Oddo joined Bayern on a one-year loan, and the deal will not be extended. The
former Italian i
Rockies edge Tigers >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Helton went 2-for-5 with two runs batted
in, and Jason Hammel tossed six-plus solid innings to help Colorado top
Detroit, 3-1, in the rubber match of a three-game interleague series.
Hammel (1-3)
Bayern's Hoeness confirms interest in Gomez >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness
confirmed Sunday morning the club hopes to sign German international striker
Mario Gomez from Stuttgart this offseason.
Bayern tried to sign Gomez, 23, last s
Dunn's two homers push Nats past O's >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Dunn belted a grand slam and hit a two-
run homer to lead the Washington Nationals past the Baltimore Orioles, 8-5,
to avoid a three-game sweep at Nationals Park.
Wil Nieves went 2-for-4 with an RB
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
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