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07/22/2007 - Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Padraig Harrington got a second chance and defeated Sergio Garcia in a playoff on Sunday to earn his first major at the British Open Championship at Carnoustie.
Harrington took the aggregate, four-hole playoff 15-16.
This was the first major championship for Harrington, who became the first European to win a major since Paul Lawrie titled here in 1999.
"That's going to take a long time to sink in," said Harrington. "I've come a long way. I haven't proved anything, but I came a long way. I'm going to enjoy it."
Harrington made a disastrous double-bogey on the 72nd hole in regulation, but Garcia followed him with a bogey at 18 to force the four-hole playoff to decide the title.
"I felt like I had a second chance when I went to the playoff," acknowledged Harrington. "I really felt I'd have a good chance."
Harrington took a commanding lead right away in the playoff. At the first, he hit his approach to eight feet, while Garcia drove into the right rough, then found the front bunker.
Garcia blasted out to 12 feet and missed the putt. Harrington sank his birdie try to lead, 3-5. Both parred the par-three 16th to allow Harrington to maintain his two-shot lead.
Harrington continued his fine form at the 17th. He found the fairway off the tee then hit a sensational approach to six feet. Garcia also landed in the short grass, but his second stopped 30 feet left of the stick.
Garcia narrowly missed his birdie effort, opening the door for Harrington to take a huge lead. But the Irishman came up short with his birdie try and the lead was still two shots on the 18th tee.
Harrington, who hit a driver into the burn en route to a double-bogey at 18 in regulation, pulled out a hybrid-club in the playoff and found the fairway. His ball did not get much roll, leaving him a long second shot.
Garcia hit driver and ended up in the left rough. Harrington laid up before Garcia's second rolled to 28 feet. Harrington's third fell outside of Garcia to about 30 feet, giving the Spaniard some hope.
Garcia just missed his birdie putt, and his par chance was farther than Harrington's bogey putt. Garcia made his, then Harrington followed him for the claret jug.
"I'm thrilled," said Harrington, who became the first Irishman from either side of the border to win this event since Northern Ireland's Fred Daly in 1947. "I know a major means so much to Sergio. His time will come."
For Garcia, his first major title eluded him again. He held sole possession of the lead after the first three rounds, and for the second year in a row, played in the final pairing on Sunday.
But Garcia extended his majorless streak in perhaps his best chance to date.
"I hit some good shots coming in," said Garcia. "It is what it is."
The conclusion to regulation conjured up the ghost of Jean van de Velde from 1999.
The last time Carnoustie hosted the Open Championship, Van de Velde squandered a three-shot lead on the 18th hole. He lost to Paul Lawrie in a playoff -- and both competitors in this year's extra session made a mess of 18 as well.
Harrington came to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead over Garcia, but his drive bounced twice on a bridge and fell into the burn. After a drop, Harrington hit his third into the burn short of the green on the left to drop another shot.
Harrington hit his fifth shot four feet past the hole and sank the double- bogey putt to post a seven-under-par total.
Garcia, now with a one-shot lead, hit an iron down the fairway at 18 after a long delay from Harrington's miscues two groups ahead. He waited several more minutes as the raker tended to the traps that both Chris DiMarco and Paul McGinley found in the group ahead.
"I had to wait 15 minutes in the fairway, which doesn't help when you're trying to win the British Open," admitted Garcia.
Garcia's second found a bunker short and left. He blasted out to six feet and had that putt to win his first major championship.
Garcia missed the putt and then headed with Harrington to the four-hole playoff, tied at seven-under-par 277.
Harrington fired a four-under 67 on Sunday, while Garcia managed a two-over 73.
Harrington earned his 12th European Tour win and his third PGA Tour victory.
Andres Romero held a two-shot lead on the back nine Sunday, but double-bogeyed 17 and bogeyed 18. Over his final 11 holes, Romero collected seven birdies, two double-bogeys, and two bogeys and finished alone in third place in only his third major at minus-six.
Richard Green matched the Open Championship record at Carnoustie with a seven- under 64 on Sunday. He tied for fourth with 2002 winner Ernie Els, who shot a two-under 69, at five-under-par 279.
Tiger Woods never mounted a charge on Sunday. He shot a one-under 70 and tied for 12th place in his bid to become the first player to win three straight claret jugs since Peter Thomson from 1954-56.
"The golf course, it kicked my butt this week," said Woods. "I wasn't as sharp as I needed to be all week. I thought I was putting great, but I couldn't get myself close enough all week."
The back nine on Sunday was a wild scene. Three different players traded the lead, and on some holes there were four-shot swings.
Garcia began the final round with a three-shot lead over Steve Stricker.
Garcia let everyone back into the mix, though, starting with a bogey at the fifth. He had a five-foot birdie look at the sixth, but blew that putt four feet past. Garcia made that putt, but Stricker missed a birdie try from three feet to try and close the gap. That failed attempt was similar to the third when Stricker failed to capitalize from a similar length.
Garcia's second at seven went through the green, and the Spaniard did not hit his chip hard enough. He left himself with 12 feet for par and missed that putt to drop to minus-eight for the championship.
Romero holed out from a bunker at 11 to get to minus-seven. Garcia's tee ball at the par-three eighth missed right and he chipped to eight feet. The leader after each of the first three rounds, Garcia missed that putt to fall into a tie with Romero at seven-under par.
Romero might have felt some pressure being in a tie for the lead at that point. His second at the 12th went well right of target and landed in a gorse bush. Romero took an unplayable and made double-bogey to fall two back.
Harrington only trailed by two at that point and rolled in a 12-foot birdie putt at nine to get to minus-six. He stuffed his approach to three feet to set up a birdie at 11 that tied him with Garcia at seven-under par.
Romero atoned for his error at 12 with a 10-foot birdie putt at the 13th and was within one of the lead. Garcia knocked his approach to four feet to set up birdie at 10, but left the putt short.
Romero continued his rebound with a seven-foot birdie putt at 14 to join Harrington and Garcia in the lead.
Harrington's 25-foot birdie try for the lead at 12 horseshoed out of the hole.
The amazing run of Romero continued at 15, where he drained a 15-foot birdie putt to take the lead at minus-eight. At the par-three 16th, Romero hit a spectacular three-iron 20 feet short of the stick and converted that birdie putt to reach nine-under par and go two clear.
The next turn of events in the crazy final round came when Romero made a horrible decision to hit a two-iron out of the rough on 16. His ball went out of bounds, and he walked off with a double-bogey to drop to minus-seven.
Harrington's second at 14 headed left, but bounced to 20 feet. He sank the eagle putt to move to nine-under par, one clear of Garcia. The Spaniard answered with a nine-footer for birdie at 14 and the pair was knotted at minus-nine.
Romero fell out of the race with a double-bogey at 17 and a bogey at 18, essentially making it a two-player race.
Harrington hit a spectacular tee shot to the 250-yard, par-three 16th, however his six-footer stayed above ground. Garcia could not save par at the 15th when he hit an iron off the tee and left himself 268 yards to the flag at the par- four hole.
Garcia fell one back and hit an indifferent shot into the 16th green. His ball stopped short and left and he putted up to two feet. Garcia made par, but had a stroke to make up on the final two holes.
That's when both fell apart on 18.
"I don't think I was the player destined to win," said Harrington. "I'm a worker. I never had the emotional high of winning until I holed that (last) putt."
Stewart Cink (70) and Hunter Mahan (65) shared sixth at minus-four.
Ben Curtis, the 2003 champion, posted a six-under 65 and tied for eighth place with Mike Weir (70), K.J. Choi (71) and the player who began the final round in second, Steve Stricker (74). That group came in at minus-three.
<< Garcia and Harrington headed to British Open playoff
Carnoustie, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington
are headed to a four-hole playoff to decide the British Open Championship at
Carnoustie.
The duo, who finished regulation at seven-under-par 277, will play the
<< Marlins' Ramirez leaves game with shoulder injury
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez left
the team's game against the Cincinnati Reds Sunday with an apparent left
shoulder injury.
Ramirez injured himself while swinging and missing at a pitch
<< Darcis wins first ATP final at Dutch Open
Amersfoort, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Belgian qualifier Steve Darcis
upended unseeded Werner Eschauer of Austria in straight sets Sunday to win the
Dutch Open title.
It was the first career ATP championship for Darcis who came fr
<< Miyazato, Lee to battle for Match Play title
New Rochelle, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato cruised to a 3 & 2 win over
Maria Hjorth on Sunday to advance to the final at the HSBC Women's World Match
Play Championship.
Miyazato, the 12th seed, moves on to face 22nd-seed Seon Hwa Le
Dixon wins third straight race >>
Lexington, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Dixon captured Sunday's inaugural
The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio road course and in the process collected his third
consecutive victory. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver crossed the
finish line
Williams, Astros blank Pirates >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luke Scott singled home the only run of the
game and Woody Williams pitched eight innings of five-hit ball, as the Houston
Astros earned a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the rubber match of
a three
Marlins topple Reds again >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dan Uggla finished 4-for-5 with a two-run homer
and a run-scoring double as Florida bested Cincinnati, 9-3, in the finale of a
four-game set at Dolphin Stadium.
Mike Jacobs also hit a two-run homer for the Mar
Nats blank Rockies again >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austin Kearns broke open a scoreless game
with a three-run homer in the eighth and four Washington pitchers combined on
a second consecutive shutout of the Colorado Rockies in the Nationals' 3-0 win
in the
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.
NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.
Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.
Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.
Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6
For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com
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