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Stricker six clear after three rounds at RivieraGolf Betting Lines02/07/2010 - Pacific Palisades, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Stricker polished off a five- under 66 Sunday and stretched his lead to six strokes after three rounds of the Northern Trust Open. Stricker, who led by five entering the day, carded a pair of birdies and a bogey to wrap up his third round. Twelve players completed their third rounds Sunday morning after play was suspended on Saturday by darkness. The tournament had weather problems on Friday that delayed the end of the second round until Saturday. The forecast for the remainder of Sunday is good so action is expected to be completed as scheduled around 6:00 p.m. (et). Luke Donald, who also shot 66 in round three, and J.B. Holmes (67) had completed their third rounds on Saturday. They share second place at nine- under-par 204 with Andres Romero, who polished off his 70 on Sunday morning at Riviera Country Club. Stricker returned to the course Sunday morning and had a 37-foot birdie putt on the par-four 15th. He poured that putt in and made it two in a row as he also birdied the par-three 16th. After making par on the par-five 17th, Stricker missed a 14-foot par putt at the last as his lead dipped from seven to six entering the final round. This is the ninth time Stricker has owned a piece of the lead entering the final round. Stricker won just three of those previous eight events. Kevin Stadler (69), George McNeill (66) and Dustin Johnson (74) share fifth place at eight-under-par 205. Steve Marino (69), Ricky Barnes (69), Anthony Kim (69) and Alex Prugh (66) are one stroke back at minus-seven. NOTES: There was a second cut that reduced the final-round field to 72 players...Nine players -- Bob Estes, Nick O'Hern, Fredrik Jacobson, David Duval, Rory Sabbatini, Ryan Moore, Bill Lunde, Cameron Beckman and Richard S. Johnson -- made the cut, but will not play the final round.
<< England draws Wales in EURO 2012 qualifying
Warsaw, Poland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England will take on Wales in qualifying after the two nations were placed in the same Euro 2012 group. Switzerland, Bulgaria and Montenegro were also drawn in Group G alongside England and Wales ah
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Italy tops Ukraine in Fed Cup quarters >>
Kharkiv, Ukraine (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Francesca Schiavone rallied from a set down to beat Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine and help defending champion Italy secure a spot in the Fed Cup semifinals. Schiavone defeated Kateryna Bondarenko 2
Czechs win doubles match to advance in Fed Cup >>
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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. |
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