This Week in Golf - August 19th through August 22nd

Golf Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - JELD-WEN TRADITION, Crosswater Club at Sunriver, Sunriver, Oregon - The major championship season continues this week with the JELD-WEN Tradition.

The Tradition is the fourth of five majors on the Champions Tour.

Mike Reid needed an extra hole last year to defeat John Cook, who bogeyed the final hole of regulation to force the playoff. Reid won his second major title on the senior circuit to go along with the 2005 Senior PGA Championship.

Reid and Cook finished at 16-under par, two clear of Brad Bryant. The two returned to the 18th tee for the extra hole, where Reid sank a 10-foot birdie putt to claim the title.

The Champions Tour majors have been dominated by Bernhard Langer and Fred Couples. Couples was a playoff loser to Tom Lehman at the Senior PGA and finished three strokes behind Langer at the U.S. Senior Open.

Langer has won each of the last two majors on the Champions Tour. At the Senior British Open, the German closed with a one-over 72 to fend off U.S. Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin by a single stroke.

Langer out-dueled Couples the following week for the U.S. Senior Open crown to become the first man to win back-to-back majors on the Champions Tour since Tom Watson turned the trick in 2003.

The final major will be played the second weekend in October when Jay Haas defends his title at the Senior Players Championship.

Golf Channel has coverage the first two rounds before NBC takes over on the weekend.

The Champions Tour remains on the west coast next week for the Boeing Classic, where Loren Roberts is the defending champion.

PGA TOUR

WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina - Ryan Moore needed three extra holes last year to collect his first PGA Tour title.

Moore parred the first two extra holes, then birdied the third to defeat Kevin Stadler and Jason Bohn.

Stadler parred the first two holes, then tripped to a bogey on the third to lose the title. Bohn bogeyed the first extra hole to drop out of the playoff.

There is plenty on the line this week as everyone is fighting to get inside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup points list to qualify for the playoffs that start next week.

Some players, like Anthony Kim and Lucas Glover, are also vying to become a captain's pick for the U.S. Ryder Cup team

Including Moore, the field includes five former champions and six players that have won this season. Only one player ranked between 126 and 150 on the FedEx points list is not in the field this week.

That player is Matt Every, who was reportedly suspended for three months by the PGA Tour.

There is plenty of history at this event. Sam Snead won this title eight times, the PGA Tour record for most wins at a single event.

Golf Channel has three hours of coverage the first two days. CBS has three hours of action starting at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday

The FedEx Cup playoffs start next week with The Barclays, where Heath Slocum is expected to defend his title.

EUROPEAN TOUR

CZECH OPEN 2010, Prosper Golf Resort, Celadna, Czech Republic - One week after the season's final major, you would expect the field to be a little watered down as players recover from the stress of the PGA Championship.

However, there is a strong field set for the Czech Open since this is one of the last two events to automatically qualify for the European Ryder Cup team.

Miguel Angel Jimenez headlines the field as he tries to gain a spot on the European Ryder Cup for the fourth time. Four other players -- Simon Dyson, Ross McGowan, Peter Hanson and Oliver Wilson -- are also looking for high finishes to earn their way on the Ryder Cup team.

Last year, Oskar Henningsson closed with back-to-back rounds of five-under 67 to collect a two-stroke win over Steve Webster and Sam Little. The victory was Henningsson's first on the European Tour.

Henningsson has struggled this year as he has missed nine cuts and has just one finish inside the top 40 all year and that was at the Open de Espana.

Golf Channel will have three hours of action all four days, starting at 9 a.m. the first two days and 8:30 a.m. the final two days.

Next week is the final event to automatically qualify for the European Ryder Cup team, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, where Peter Hedblom won last year.

LPGA TOUR

SAFEWAY CLASSIC, Pumpkin Ridge Golf Course (Ghost Creek Golf Course), North Plains, Oregon - Another event that needed a playoff last year, the Safeway Classic was won by M.J. Hur.

The Korean closed with a seven-under 65 to get into the extra session, then birdied the second playoff hole to defeat Suzann Pettersen and Michele Redman.

It was the first LPGA Tour victory for Hur. She has just two top-10 finishes this year and both were in New Jersey.

The first came at the Sybase Match Play Championship, where she lost in the third round, and the other came at the ShopRite LPGA Classic, where she finished two strokes behind winner Ai Miyazato.

This is the first event back in the United States in just over one month, as the tour visited France for the Evian Masters and England for the Women's British Open.

A very busy Golf Channel will have two hours of action early on Friday, then coverage from 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (et) on Saturday and Sunday.

The LPGA Tour heads out of the country next week as Pettersen is expected to defend her title at the CN Canadian Women's Open.

CANADIAN TOUR

SEAFORTH COUNTRY CLASSIC, Seaforth Golf Club, Seaforth, Ontario, Canada - Brian Unk caught fire at Seaforth Golf Club last year and never settled down.

He closed with a seven-under 64 to pick up a three-stroke win at 28-under 256. Unk set the Canadian Tour record for lowest total score and lowest score in relation to par

The victory was Unk's second on the Canadian Tour. He has played in just three tour events this season, as well as one on the Nationwide Tour, but will be on hand to defend his title.

The Canadian Tour Championship is next week. James Love was a playoff winner there last year.

Worldcupwagering Golf Betting News

<< Aaron Schobel to retire
Pittsford, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel has decided he will retire. Schobel, who was released by the Bills earlier this month, told the team's website that he decided Friday he will retire

<< Miller, Campbell build strong rapport for Raiders
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) -With the Oakland Raiders in a 2-minute drill needing a touchdown at the end of practice, Jason Campbell got the offense started with two quick passes to tight end Zach Miller.Then with the Raiders near the goal line and only se

<< QB Rodgers not among Packers' preseason issues
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -The Green Bay Packers' preseason-opening loss to the Cleveland Browns might have given their fans cause for concern in several areas, but the most important player seemed to be in midseason form: quarterback Aaron Rodgers.While

<< Syracuse goal: keep improving
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -Doug Marrone instilled a measure of toughness in his rookie year as head coach at Syracuse. The transformation of the Orange from Big East doormat to contender is a long road, though.``Changing the culture and trying to create t

<< Angels come to terms with first-round pick Cowart
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim announced Monday they have agreed to terms with Kaleb Cowart, the first of the team's three first-round picks in the 2010 draft. The Angels selected Cowart 18t

2009 champ Villanova tops Top 25 preseason poll >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Voters in The Sportsbook Betting Lines/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 have chosen 2009 national champion Villanova first in the 2010 preseason poll. The Wildcats, who won the Football Championship Subdivision title for the

Marlins extend development contracts >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins announced Monday they have extended their player development contracts with New Orleans, Jacksonville and Greensboro through the 2012 season. New Orleans and Jacksonville

Tigers bring up LHP Schlereth >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers added depth to their bullpen Monday by calling up left-hander Daniel Schlereth from Triple-A Toledo. To make room on the roster, outfielder Jeff Frazier was optioned back to Toledo.

Birmingham snaps up Derbyshire on loan >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birmingham have confirmed the capture of Olympiakos striker Matt Derbyshire on a one-year loan deal on Monday. The 24-year-old Derbyshire could join Birmingham in time to face his former club, Bla

Kaymer up to No. 5 in the world >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Martin Kaymer was a playoff winner at the PGA Championship on Sunday and that helped him jump eight spots to a career- high rank of No. 5 in the latest world golf rankings. Kaymer won his first major ch

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.