Oosthuizen cruises to first major title

Golf Betting Lines

07/18/2010 - St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was little drama Sunday at the British Open Championship.

Louis Oosthuizen eagled the ninth and after a birdie on the 12th, he was eight strokes clear of the field.

The South African cruised home from there. Oosthuizen closed with a one-under 71 to finish his first major championship title at 16-under-par 272. He ended seven strokes clear of Lee Westwood

Oosthuizen became the fourth South African to win the Open Championship, joining Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els. Locke also won at St. Andrews.

The 27-year-old Oosthuizen is also the fourth active South African that is a major champion joining Els, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman.

Oosthuizen had never been here in a major championship before. The one time he had made the cut in a major before this, the 2008 PGA Championship, Oosthuizen finished in last place.

Westwood birdied the last for a two-under 70. He took second place at nine- under-par 279.

Paul Casey was briefly within three strokes of Oosthuizen's lead when the winner bogeyed the eighth, but the Englishman ran into trouble at the 12th.

The 32-year-old Casey drove into a gorse bush and that led to a double-bogey, which dropped him eight strokes back. He went on to shoot a three-over 75, which left him tied for third with Henrik Stenson (71) and first-round leader Rory McIlroy (68).

Three-time Open champion and world No. 1 Tiger Woods managed an even-par 72 on Sunday to finish at three-under-par 285. That left him tied for 23rd place.

World No. 2 Phil Mickelson stumbled to a three-over 75 to finish in a share of 48th at one-over-par 289.

MORE TO FOLLOW.

Wwwcasinofortune Golf Betting News

<< Burnett apologizes to Yankees for outburst
NEW YORK (AP) -A.J. Burnett says he has apologized to his New York Yankees teammates for a clubhouse fit that left him with cuts on both hands.Sporting a bandage on each palm, Burnett said he had no trouble playing long toss Sunday and the laceratio

<< Montanes takes Stuttgart crown
Stuttgart, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain's Alberto Montanes won the Mercedes Cup on Sunday when Gael Monfils of France retired in the second set of the final because of an ankle injury. Montanes earned a 6-2, 1-2 triumph for hi

<< Woods, Mickelson finish well back at St. Andrews
St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two players in the world were unable to make a charge Sunday at the British Open. Tiger Woods, a three-time Open champion, could only muster an even-par 72 in the final round Sunday. He fini

<< Indians recall Gomez to make ML debut on Sunday
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians recalled pitcher Jeanmar Gomez from Triple-A Columbus on Sunday to make his major league debut in a spot start against the Detroit Tigers. Gomez, who pitched a perfect game l

<< Marlins designate Lamb, recall OF Petersen
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins designated veteran infielder Mike Lamb for assignment on Sunday. The team will have 10 days to trade, waive or release Lamb. If he clears waivers, he can be outrighted to the minor leag

Toronto activates Marcum to make Sunday start >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays activated pitcher Shaun Marcum from the 15-day disabled list. Marcum went on the DL July 2 with inflammation in his throwing elbow. The right-hander started Sunday's game agai

Yankees' Pettitte leaves game with strained groin >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Andy Pettitte has left the New York Yankees' game against Tampa Bay in the third inning because of a strained left groin.Making his first start since pitching in the All-Star game Tuesday night, the 38-year-old left-hander never appea

Heat agree to bring back James Jones >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat have reportedly agreed to bring back forward James Jones at the veteran's minimum. Miami requested waivers on the seven-year veteran in June, buying out the final three years of his previou

Yankees' Pettitte leaves Sunday's game >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte was removed his Sunday start against the Tampa Bay Rays with a strained left groin. The veteran left-hander missed with a pitch to run the count to 3-1 on Kelly Sh

Astros' Oswalt leaves start in Pittsburgh >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt was removed from Sunday's game against the Pirates after four innings with a left ankle contusion. The right-hander was struck in the left ankle by a Pedro Alvarez

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.

Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.