90th PGA Championship Preview

Golf Betting Lines

08/04/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "I am glad I brought this course, this monster, to its knees."

Ben Hogan famously said that statement after the 1951 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills, site of this week's 90th PGA Championship.

Fifty-seven years ago, there were only two rounds under par, including Hogan's 67 on Sunday. He won the event and put the legend of Oakland Hills into golf immortality.

The South Course at Oakland Hills could still be fresh in the players' minds. It hosted the 2004 Ryder Cup and the 1996 U.S. Open, but renovations by Rees Jones two years ago could make "The Monster" even more terrifying.

Oakland Hills will play to 7,395 yards this week thanks to added length at 15 holes. Fairways were narrowed, both fairway and greenside bunkers were changed and even the ponds at Nos. 7 and 16 bring water into play.

One thing Jones didn't tinker with was the greens at Oakland Hills. Possibly considered the most treacherous putting surfaces in the U.S., Jones did not mess with the greens where even three-footers make players sweat.

Think back to four years ago. Without the top international players, the European team put on a clinic, especially on the greens, winning the event by a staggering nine points. Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood were outstanding that early fall weekend, but the Americans' best player was Tiger Woods.

The world No. 1 and defending champion is obviously not on hand this week, recovering from knee surgery. Last month, we endured our first Tiger-less major and it didn't disappoint.

Unfortunately, Greg Norman won't be at Oakland Hills to bring buzz like he did at the British Open. Norman declined the PGA of America's invitation, but the field is certainly not devoid of intrigue.

Phil Mickelson decided to switch clubs the week before the '04 Ryder Cup and struggled badly. He has not driven the ball well all year, but has two wins and played well at Firestone last week, tying for fourth after entering the final round tied for the lead.

Westwood shared the 54-hole lead at the Bridgestone Invitational and missed the epic Woods/Mediate U.S. Open playoff by a stroke. He's trimmed down, gotten his game in world-class shape and could be ready for a big breakthrough.

Vijay Singh was the third third-round leader and is a two-time PGA Champion. Like Mickelson, he's struggled some with the big club, but when the course requires precision and length, Singh is a hard guy to argue with. Now that he won last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, he is the guy at Oakland Hills.

Garcia was lights out four years ago, but that was the Ryder Cup. He's been great at all four of those he's been in, so can he rekindle the magic without wearing the Euro uniform? Hard to say.

Garcia is probably the best driver in the world. He is not close to the top in putting and with these surfaces, the Spaniard could be in some trouble. However, imagination is required at Oakland Hills and Garcia excels when creativity is needed.

Obviously, Ryder Cuppers and 54-hole leaders from the week prior are not the only contenders worth watching.

Ernie Els and Jim Furyk tied for fifth in the '96 U.S. Open. Both are highly- ranked stars with major pedigrees and both posted top-10 finishes at Royal Birkdale.

Then there is Padraig Harrington. He's certainly in good form with his amazing back nine on Sunday at the British Open Championship and the Irishman played well in 2004 in the Ryder Cup.

Harrington went into the Open Championship with zero expectations due to a wrist injury. All he did was relax, play steady and hoist the claret jug for the second year in a row.

Not everyone has the luxury of a bum wrist. Expectations soar for some players in the absence of Woods. Mickelson, Els, Singh and Harrington can all take one step closer to being one of the game's all-time greats.

Garcia, Westwood, Adam Scott and even Kenny Perry can finally secure that elusive first major championship. Guys from both sides of the pond are fighting for Ryder Cup spots and all tour players are gearing up for a run in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

With so much at stake at the PGA Championship, no one will tame "The Monster." Scores won't be under par this week, so look for the grinders. It's safe to say there will be more than two rounds under par, but maybe not many more.

"The greatest test of golf I have ever played, and the toughest course." - Hogan.

The toughest course, and it's lengthened?

Really is a "Monster."

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FOOTBALL BETTING LINES

NFL Football Sports Betting

Two playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.

New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.

His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.

HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.

The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.

RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.

First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.

The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.

These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.

New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.

You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines .
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Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

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Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

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