Stricker hangs on to win at Riviera
Golf Betting Lines
02/07/2010 - Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After entering the final round with a six-stroke lead, Steve Stricker managed a one-under 70 Sunday to win the Northern Trust Open by two strokes.
Stricker, who had led by seven late in the third round, which was completed earlier Sunday, completed his eighth PGA Tour title at 16-under-par 268.
With the victory, Stricker moved past Phil Mickelson to become the No. 2 ranked player in the world rankings.
"It feels great. I remember where I was and where I am now, you know, it doesn't get any better," said Stricker, who collected $1,152,000 for the victory. "That was hard today. I aged a lot out there today. It was a grind from the get go."
Luke Donald twice got within two of Stricker's lead, but could not get any closer. The Englishman closed with a five-under 66 at Riviera Country Club to take second at minus-14.
J.B. Holmes (67) and first-round leader Dustin Johnson (66) shared third place at 13-under-par 271.
Mickelson entered as the two-time defending champion, but never threaten on the weekend. He closed with a two-over 73 to share 45th at two-under-par 282.
Twelve players finished their third round earlier Sunday. Friday's second round was pushed into Saturday by rain causing the delay in the middle rounds.
Stricker parred the first three holes before missing the green on the par- three fourth. That led to a bogey dropping Stricker to 14-under. He led by three, but Donald was making a charge.
Donald got off to a fast start with birdies on one and three. He poured in a six-foot birdie try on the fifth to get within two at 12-under.
However, Stricker made a run in the middle of the round that gave him a four- stroke cushion. At the eighth, Stricker rolled in a birdie effort from five feet and made it two in a row with a nine-footer on the ninth.
Stricker moved to 17-under with a birdie putt from just inside 13 feet on the par-five 11th. Donald also birdied the 11th and was four back.
Both Stricker and Donald faltered to bogeys on the par-four 12th. Donald got back within three with a four-foot birdie putt on the 13th. The Englishman narrowed the gap to two with a short birdie putt on 17.
Stricker scrambled down the stretch as he missed two of five greens between 13 and 17, but got up and down for par both times. The other three holes he two- putted for par to maintain his lead.
At the last, Donald had a birdie effort from 31 feet, but came up short. Stricker had three putts for the win, but took just two as he two-putted for par for the third straight hole to seal the victory.
"I didn't make birdie on No. 1 and made bogey on No. 4 and kind of let some other players into the tournament," Stricker said. "I knew it was going to be tough today. I am not too familiar with having a six-shot lead too many times, so I knew it was going to be hard. I just tried to grind it out.
"I didn't hit it the greatest, but at times my short game saved me and my putting saved me a few times too."
Donald was denied his first win since the 2006 Honda Classic.
"I tried to keep making good swings and give myself birdie chances. Obviously, I missed a couple of chances on six and seven, but I can't really complain," Donald said. "I hit a lot of quality shots and made Steve think about it a little. There is no one more annoyed. I haven't been in the winner's circle coming up on four years now. I feel like I am good enough to be there."
Paul Goydos (65), Steve Marino (68), George McNeill (69) and Andres Romero (70) shared fifth place at 10-under-par 274. Ricky Barnes was one stroke back at minus-nine after closing with back-to-back 69s.
NOTES: Goydos led a list of five players, that also included Jason Bohn, Marc Leishman, Webb Simpson and K.J. Choi, to shoot 65 in the final round...Johnson will defend his title next week at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Chiefs guard Brian Waters was named the 2009 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in a ceremony prior to Super Bowl XLIV. Waters, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, is the fifth Chiefs player to w
<< Jernigan helps Xavier down Richmond
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dee Dee Jernigan had 15 points to help
seventh-ranked Xavier down Richmond, 67-55, at the Cintas Center.
Amber Harris had 14 points, Special Hennings added 12 points while Tyeasha
Moss had 11 points and six
<< Florida State vacates wins
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida State's athletic department
officially announced the vacating of wins relating to last year's academic
fraud violations, including 12 for football under former head coach Bobby
Bowden'
<< Bruins snap 10-game skid, blank Canadiens
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tuukka Rask posted 36 saves for his third
shutout of the season and Boston broke a 10-game losing streak, one game short
of the franchise record, with a 3-0 win over Montreal at the Bell Centre.
Boston,
<< Carter leads Magic over Boston
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter led a balanced attack with 20
points and Dwight Howard logged 16 points and 13 rebounds despite battling
foul trouble, as Orlando rallied back from an 11-point halftime deficit to
beat Bo
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning capped a 96-yard drive with a 19- yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon, giving the Indianapolis Colts a 10-0 lead over New Orleans after one quarter of Super Bowl XLIV. The Colts are off to a great
Stanford thumps USC >>
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kayla Pedersen had 18 points and 14 rebounds
as second-ranked Stanford crushed USC, 77-39.
Nnemkadi Ogwumike had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Jayne Appel added 15 points
and 13 rebounds while Rosalyn Gold-Onwude
Colts use goal-line stand, lead Saints at halftime >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Super Bowl XLIV has been a tale of two very
different quarters, but Indianapolis, vying for a second title in four years,
has managed to hold a 10-6 lead at halftime on the New Orleans Saints.
The Colts used a Pe
Indy holds slim lead going into fourth quarter >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joseph Addai's four-yard touchdown run in the
third quarter has helped the Colts grab a tenuous 17-16 lead over New Orleans
heading into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV.
Drew Brees has lit a fire for the Sa
Who Dat? Super Bowl champs! Saints rally to beat Colts >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Who Dat? Those are the Super Bowl champions -
the New Orleans Saints - for the first time in the history of a franchise and
city that has witnessed its share of tough times.
Drew Brees connected with Jeremy Shock
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.