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08/05/2007 - St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This time there would be no meltdown, no miraculous shot from another player, no doubt about it.
Lorena Ochoa has her first major championship.
The Mexican star closed with a one-over 74 in the final round Sunday to win the Women's British Open by four shots, ending her 0-fer in major championships with a weekend of steady golf on the Scottish coast while all the pressure of dubious past performances in the majors rested on her slight frame.
She seemed to handle it with ease, protecting her first-round 67 with three scores of 74 or better to finally gain that last bit of validation for her now-unassailable No. 1 ranking.
No one -- not Annika Sorenstam, not previous foil Karrie Webb -- could stop Ochoa this time. Her stunning 16-month run to the top of the women's game has its climax.
"It was a great day," she said.
Ochoa finished at five-under 287. She led after each of the four rounds, a fine achievement in the first professional women's tournament ever hosted by storied St. Andrews.
Tiger Woods also went wire-to-wire for his second win at St. Andrews in 2005.
"It's really hard to describe and I think it's not going to be easy to realize what just happened," Ochoa said, responding to her status as the first woman to win on the course.
Several players took stabs at Ochoa's lead early on, but there were only three other survivors to par when all was said and done. Jee Young Lee and Maria Hjorth had matching 71s in the final round to finish at one-under 291.
Reilley Rankin also shot a 71 and was alone in fourth place at even-par.
Sorenstam, who was within five shots of Ochoa after six holes, went five-over par on her last 12 holes and tumbled all the way into a tie for 16th place at four-over 296.
Looking for a jolt to her middling play, Sorenstam didn't come close to getting it. She closed with rounds of 77 and 76 on the weekend.
"I'm swinging as good as I can. I'm putting as well as I can, but it is just not coming together," Sorenstam said. "It was just one of those weeks."
The 25-year-old Ochoa had never won a major before Sunday, but she didn't lack opportunities.
She squandered a seven-shot lead in the final round of last year's Kraft Nabisco Championship and was beaten in a playoff by Webb. It was a record- tying meltdown at the modern women's majors, one that almost felled her in regulation.
Many remember Webb's miraculous hole-out eagle from the fairway at the 18th hole that Sunday, and for good reason. But lost in the mix was Ochoa's own eagle moments later, set up by a gutsy five-wood into the 18th green at Mission Hills.
Ochoa was in the mix until the last hole of the 2005 U.S. Women's Open, then suffered a case of the shanks. She closed with a quadruple-bogey when a par could have gotten her into a playoff with Birdie Kim.
The '06 Kraft Nabisco was the only other time Ochoa held the 54-hole lead at a major. Sunday, she improved to 7-6 all-time with the third-round lead, and 3-3 this season.
It was her 13th career win, her 10th in the last 16 months, her fourth this season.
And it was never in doubt.
The high winds that hounded players and sent scores soaring on Saturday had died down by Sunday morning -- it did rain, however -- and Mhairi McKay and Miki Saiki posted early 67s to prove there were good numbers to be had on the Old Course.
As it turned out, Ochoa didn't need one of them.
Several players made early runs at her lead while Ochoa opened with four consecutive pars, including Sorenstam, who made birdies at the third and sixth holes to pull within five shots.
Ochoa responded with back-to-back birdies from the fifth, shaking off any early jitters she may have had. The birdies put Ochoa at eight-under, giving her a seven-shot lead.
She gave a stroke back with a bogey at the eighth, and her lead was trimmed to five shots after Lee made a birdie ahead at the ninth.
But Ochoa made the turn with the same six-shot lead she held overnight after rolling in an 18-foot birdie putt at the ninth. When she lipped out a 10-foot par putt at the 11th, her advantage was five again.
Further bogeys at the 15th and 17th only served to trim her final margin of victory.
"I believed that I would win the tournament Monday when I first started practicing," Ochoa said, laughing. "But the 18th tee shot (Sunday) is when we did it.
"After we hit that tee shot and put it in the middle of the fairway ... I was walking with my caddie just saying that, you know, we did it and it was a great feeling."
And a long time coming.
<< Beason ends holdout; signs with Panthers
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Panthers reportedly signed their
first-round draft choice, linebacker Jon Beason, on Sunday.
According to the Charlotte Observer, Beason, the 25th overall pick, ended an
eight-day holdout by
<< Glavine takes aim at No. 300 against Cubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Glavine will once again shoot for career win No. 300
when he leads the New York Mets in the finale of a three-game series this
evening against the Chicago Cubs at historic Wrigley Field.
Glavine owns 299 career
<< Arroyo, Gorzelanny highlight Reds/Bucs finale
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Young left-hander Tom Gorzelanny makes his fourth attempt
at his 10th victory of the season today when the Pittsburgh Pirates host the
Cincinnati Reds to close out a three-game National League Central division
series
<< Astros send Albers against Olsen, Marlins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Matt Albers gets his ninth start of the season
today when the Houston Astros complete a three-game weekend series with the
Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.
A 24-year-old Houston native, Albers has mad
Padres demote Hensley after giving up historic homer >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A day after becoming part of baseball
history, Clay Hensley is headed back to the minors. The San Diego Padres
optioned the 27-year-old right-hander to Triple-A Portland on Sunday.
Hensley surr
Keep talking! Woods wins by eight at Firestone >>
Akron, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rory Sabbatini said earlier this year at the
Wachovia Championship that he wanted Tiger Woods in the final round.
He got what he asked for then and Tiger gave him more of the same on Sunday at
the WGC-Bridge
McGowan, Stairs lead Toronto to sweep of Texas >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dustin McGowan pitched into the ninth inning
and Matt Stairs hit two RBI doubles as the Toronto Blue Jays topped the Texas
Rangers, 4-1, to sweep a three-game series at Rogers Centre.
McGowan (8-5) scatter
Floyd leads ChiSox over slumping Tigers >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gavin Floyd hurled six-plus shutout innings as
Chicago finished its first three-game sweep of the season by besting Detroit,
3-1.
Floyd (1-1) scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter, while striking out
New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.
The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.
MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.
Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.
| Ottawa Senators Detroit Red Wings Carolina Hurricanes San Jose Sharks Anaheim Ducks Philadelphia Flyers Calgary Flames New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Dallas Stars New York Rangers Nashville Predators Vancouver Canucks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Tampa Bay Lightning Boston Bruins Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Atlanta Thrashers Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Los Angeles Kings New York Islanders Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals Chicago Blackhawks |
7-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 80-1 80-1 100-1 100-1 |
NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games
| Team Ottawa Senators Anaheim Ducks Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators San Jose Sharks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers New Jersey Devils Buffalo Sabres Carolina Hurricanes Dallas Stars New York Rangers Minnesota Wild Atlanta Thrashers Montreal Canadiens Team Los Angeles Kings Tampa Bay Lightening Vancouver Canucks Boston Bruins Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Phoenix Coyotes Toronto Maple Leafs Florida Panthers Columbus Blue Jackets New York Islanders Chicago Blackhawks St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins |
Over/Under 108.5 106.5 104.5 104.5 103.5 101.5 100.5 99.5 97.5 97.5 97.5 95.5 94.5 93.5 92.5 Over/Under 91.5 91.5 91.5 89.5 89.5 88.5 88.5 86.5 84.5 82.5 80.5 72.5 72.5 72.5 71.5 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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