Austin salvages Friday for Americans
Golf Betting Lines
09/28/2007 -
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Woody Austin fell in a lake trying to hit an
impossible shot on the 14th hole Friday, but may have found something under
the water.
Austin birdied the last three holes to give him and partner David Toms a halve
against the International team of Rory Sabbatini and Trevor Immelman in the
anchor match of the fourballs at the Presidents Cup.
"I really wasn't all that wet," said Austin, who did not advance the ball at
the 14th, but his momentum sent him backwards where his face submerged under
water.
That helped the Americans win only 1 1/2 points in the session, but the U.S.
still leads the competition 7-5 after two days at The Presidents Cup at Royal
Montreal.
The Internationals took 4 1/2 points to make this a competition again. The
Americans posted 5 1/2 points out of six in Thursday's foursomes, but the
Internationals flew out early on Friday.
Retief Goosen and Angel Cabrera, with three U.S. Open titles between them, won
the 18th hole to defeat Phil Mickelson and Hunter Mahan, 1-up. Cabrera, who
won this year at Oakmont, drained a 10-footer for birdie at the last to give
his side the win.
Vijay Singh and Stuart Appleby destroyed the best American team of Tiger Woods
and Jim Furyk, 5 & 4. Woods and Furyk went 1-0-1 against that International
pair last year, but could not get on track on Friday.
"It was one of those things where we were just in front," said Appleby.
"Against that format and those type of players, you have to be thinking birdie
every hole."
The third match went to the Internationals also as local hero Mike Weir and
Ernie Els toppled Masters champion Zach Johnson and Charles Howell III, 3 & 1.
The Americans finally got on the board in the fourth match with Steve Stricker
and Scott Verplank. The pair knocked off K.J. Choi and Adam Scott, 2 & 1.
Stewart Cink missed a short birdie putt to put himself and Lucas Glover 1-down
with one to play. Despite Glover, one of three American rookies, making a 10-
footer at the last, Geoff Ogilvy sank a shorter putt to give himself and Nick
O'Hern a 1-up victory.
After most players were caught on camera giggling at Austin's misfortunes at
14, the accident seemed to spur on Austin.
With Austin and Toms 2-down with three to go, Austin ran home a five-foot
birdie putt to cut the deficit in half. At the par-three 17th, all four
players had birdie looks, but Austin's 12-footer from over the flag was the
only one to fall into the hole.
Now all-square, the final match saw all four players hit the fairway at 18.
Toms came up 30 feet right of the hole with his approach, then Austin stiffed
his approach four feet over the flag.
Immelman was close to Toms with his second, but Sabbatini hit a spectacular
approach five feet short of the stick. Both Immelman and Toms missed their
birdie putts, but Sabbatini converted his for a birdie.
Austin capped off his amazing run with the birdie at the last and for Austin
this means quite a bit.
In the past, he was most known for his volatile temper (he once dented a
putter over his head) and recent remarks about Woods. At the PGA Championship,
Austin said that Woods does not intimidate him and reiterated the point at the
Players Championship.
But for two days so far in this competition, Austin's play has superceded
anything in the past.
"I've said all along, being the old guy here and being my first time, there's
nobody, nobody that wants it any worse than I do," said Austin, 43, who made a
clutch 12-footer on the 18th green Thursday to get his side a halve. "I always
have, and I always will give everything I got."
The Americans needed everything Austin had because the early matches all had
Internationals flags throughout.
Cabrera and Goosen were 2-up through 10, but a Mickelson par won the 11th and
his 40-foot eagle putt halved No. 12 as Goosen converted a four-footer for
eagle. One of Mickelson's birdies took the 14th to even the match.
Goosen missed the green at 16, but chipped in for a par. Mahan had 10 feet to
win the hole, but missed the putt to keep the match all-square. At the 17th,
Goosen and Mahan both had birdie looks and Goosen applied the pressure when
his 15-foot birdie putt fell. Mahan did not look the part of a rookie as his
10-footer to halve also rolled in the cup to keep it all-square with one to
play.
Mickelson was the only player to miss the fairway, then he landed in a
greenside bunker. Mahan came up 22 feet short with his approach, but both
Internationals were inside 10 feet.
Mickelson's blast ran by and Mahan's putt never threatened the hole. Cabrera
calmly sank his birdie putt to give the Internationals a full point.
"Sixteen, 17 and 18 was quite exciting," said Goosen. "When I didn't birdie
14, I knew it was going to come down to the last hole."
In the second match, the U.S. team, ranked first and third in the world, lost
the first hole when Singh holed out from a bunker. Singh holed out again, this
time for eagle from in front of the green at six and the Internationals were
2-up.
"I was very comfortable with the shot. I wasn't worried about it," said Singh,
referring to the eagle at six. "It went in and that was unbelievable."
Appleby made an eight-foot birdie putt to win the seventh, but Furyk answered
with a 20-foot birdie putt to win the eighth. Singh birdied the 10th to win
that hole, but Appleby eagled the 12th to put the Internationals 4-up.
Singh birdied the 13th from 12 feet and the match was over when Woods and
Singh both birdied 14.
The third match remained all-square through the first six holes until Weir won
seven with a conceded birdie. The team took the eighth and 11th holes to go 3-
up.
The U.S. team won only one hole, a four-foot birdie by Howell at 16, and the
Internationals took the match one hole later.
Stricker won the first for his side and the team built a 2-up advantage. The
match was all-square as late as 13, but Verplank birdied 14 and Scott missed
from nine feet to give the U.S. the lead.
Stricker rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt to win the 16th and the match was
over when Choi went in the water at 17 and Scott missed his birdie try.
Stricker made a tricky four-footer to go 2-0 in his first Presidents Cup in 11
years.
The penultimate match was tight late. Cink had three feet to halve the hole at
17 and lipped out.
"I came very close to giving it to him, but the greens got bumpy," said
O'Hern.
The Internationals were 1-up, but Glover made it interesting at 18. He drained
a 12-footer for birdie, but Ogilvy kicked in his four-footer to halve the hole
and give the Internationals a full point.
Then Austin's heroics kept it from being a one-point lead with Saturday's
foursomes and fourballs and Sundays singles to play.
<< Vikings' Jackson questionable for Green Bay game
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris
Jackson had limited participation in Friday's practice with a groin injury.
Jackson has taken limited snaps all week and if he is unable to play, Kelly
Holcomb
<< Browns' Winslow questionable
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Browns starting tight end Kellen
Winslow is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Baltimore
Ravens because of a slight dislocation of his left shoulder.
Winslow suffered the
<< Broncos' WR Walker questionable for Sunday
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Broncos wide receiver Javon Walker is
listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts with a
knee injury.
Walker has some swelling in his surgically repaired right knee. He t
<< Mavericks name Elie assistant coach
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks hired Mario Elie as an
assistant coach on Friday. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not
disclosed.
An 11-year NBA veteran, Elie averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 a
<< Baltimore's Ogden could play Sunday
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Jonathan
Ogden is being listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cleveland
Browns, according to the team's injury report.
Ogden, who has been nursing a toe
Chicago's Briggs questionable, Urlacher probable >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs did
not participate in practice again Friday, and is listed as questionable for
Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions.
Briggs has been nursing a hamstring injury
Texans' Green questionable for Sunday >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Texans running back Ahman Green is
listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons because
of a knee injury.
Green injured his left knee on September 16 against Carolina,
Steelers' Ward ruled out for Arizona game >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward
has been downgraded to out for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals due
to a sprained right knee.
Ward suffered the injury in the third quarter of Pittsbur
Bills' Losman out with knee injury >>
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills starting quarterback J.P.
Losman will not play Sunday against the New York Jets.
Losman suffered a sprained left knee in the opening quarter of last week's
38-7 loss at New England.
Dolphins' Thomas questionable >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas is listed
as questionable for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders as he is still
feeling the effects of a concussion.
Thomas took part in limited practice time al
NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25
NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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