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07/21/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cast in the shadow of the Open Championship which finished this past weekend at St. Andrews, the 2010 installment of the RBC Canadian Open is all set to tee off at the historic St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto, ON from July 22 - 25, 2010.
The renowned Stanley Thompson-designed course, which first opened in 1929, has been the host of the Canadian Open on four occasions, but none since 1968. St. George's has also been the host of the LPGA Classic on five occasions and most recently the du Maurier Champions, also known as the Canadian Senior Open.
Well regarded as a course that demands accurate ball striking, spectators will be treated to an exciting finish across the club's signature final four holes. The 2010 PGA season has been an unpredictable journey to say the least, deemed by many as the start of the Tiger Woods post-scandal era. With Tiger yet to play up to the standard he's repeatedly set for himself since first joining the PGA back in 1996, more and more tour pros are getting a taste of being the last man standing come Sunday. In 2010, there have been 10 first-time winners on the PGA Tour, most notably Graeme McDowell at the U.S. Open, and last weekend Louis Oosthuizen at the Open Championship.
This growing shift in power from one player to the rest of the field offers inspiring hope to the Canadian contingent vying for Canada's top golfing trophy and a tournament purse worth $5.1 million USD. With only four players out of the top 20 in the World Golf Rankings playing this week, the trophy is very much up for grabs which bodes well for the deep Canadian team.
Led by the recently inducted Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Mike Weir, Canada's hopes rest with a mix of young guns and proven veterans who make up fourteen of the 156 total competitors in this year's Championship.
TEAM CANADA
2003 Masters Champion Mike Weir has had a rough year so far posting only one top-10 finish this year, coming at the Bob Hope Classic. Considered a long shot to win, Weir has struggled this year due to his poor ball-striking, ranking 189th of 190 players on tour. Since losing in a playoff to Vijay Singh at the 2004 Bell Canadian Open, Weir has yet to contend on a Sunday for his nation's most coveted golfing prize. Meanwhile, if there is one player in the field not to discount before teeing it up on Thursday, it's Weir. As he has done so many times in the past, Weir will be carrying the weight of a nation as the most popular and successful Canadian golfer of his generation.
Canada's second most well-known golfer, 2009 Players Champion Stephen Ames, has experienced an up and down season thus far recording only one top-10 and six top-25 finishes. Ames, an outspoken fan of St. George's, likes the chances of a Canadian contending come Sunday based on Canadian players' familiarity of the tight layout. It may be Ames who likes his own chances best on a course that rewards players who can hit a high percentage of greens in regulation and follow with a birdie putt. These are coincidentally his two best statistical categories on tour this year.
The future of Canadian golf has emerged during the 2010 season and his name is Graham DaLaet. The 28-year-old PGA Tour rookie is coming off the round of his career last Saturday at the Reno-Tahoe Open after carding a bogey-free 62 that tied the course record. DaLaet has enjoyed a consistent season boasting nine made cuts and a third place finish at the Shell Houston Open making him the logical pick for the low Canuck this week at St. George's.
Joining DaLaet in competition are six other Canadian golfers under the age of 30.
"They are among the best young golfers in the world and we are certain to see exciting play from them as they compete with the PGA TOUR's biggest and best names at St. George's in July," said Scott Simmons, Golf Canada's Executive Director and CEO, in a recent press release.
The standout of this promising group is Canada's best amateur golfer - Nick Taylor. The 2007 Canadian Amateur Champion and recent recipient of the 2010 Ben Hogan award as the nation's top collegiate golfer, is expected by many to capture multiple Canadian championships before his career is out. The University of Washington senior will be turning pro after the U.S. Amateur in August, and will offer us a glimpse of what to expect for many years to come.
Other notable Canadians competing in the 2010 RBC Canadian Open: Ted Brown, Ben Boudreau, Dave Bunker, Cam Burke, Matt Hill, Barrett Jarosch, Eugene Wong, Stephen Ames, Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Jon Mills, Nick Taylor and Mike Weir
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(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP
With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.
There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.
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