This Week in Golf -- February 2nd through February 5th
Golf Betting Lines
01/30/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN - TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona - The biggest party on the PGA Tour is this week in Arizona.
Hundreds of thousands of fans will make their way to the desert this week for the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The raucous par-three 16th will have between 20,000-30,000 fans encircling the hole per day.
The 16th had been one of the loudest holes on tour, but it jumped to a different level in 1997 when Tiger Woods showed up. Woods aced the par-three and sent the crowd into a frenzy rarely seen on a golf course.
The hole has groups of fans that travel every year to this event and lead the crowd in chants and cheers that include everything from college fight songs of the players on the tee to players' pets names.
The event is played annually on Super Bowl weekend so the large crowds tend to dwindle late in the final round.
Those who left last year missed some extra golf, as did many others. Frost delays earlier in the week pushed the event back and forced a Monday finish.
Mark Wilson and Jason Dufner were among those who returned to the TPC Scottsdale on Monday to finish their rounds. Dufner polished off a 66, while Wilson capped a 69. The duo ended at 18-under, two clear of Vijay Singh and Martin Laird.
Wilson and Dufner headed to extra holes, and they matched pars on the first playoff hole. They shifted to the 10th, where Wilson closed out the event.
Dufner had some 60 feet for birdie, but left that putt around six feet from the hole. Wilson rendered Dufner's putt useless as he ran in his seven-footer for birdie.
The victory was Wilson's fourth on the PGA Tour and came a day after his beloved Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl.
Wilson is one of nine former champions in the field and is one of three players competing this week who has already won this season. Reigning PGA Champion Keegan Bradley is one of 10 major champions scheduled to play.
Last year's playoff was the third in the last four years after 11 consecutive years without an extra session.
Golf Channel will broadcast the first two rounds before CBS takes over on the weekend.
Tiger Woods will make his first PGA Tour start of the year next week as the tour returns to California for the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
D.A. Points closed with a 67 last year to win that event, and he also won the Pro-Am portion with comedian Bill Murray. It was a Cinderella story indeed, as Murray won for the first time in his 20 years playing the event.
EUROPEAN TOUR
COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS - Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar - The European Tour is in the middle of a three-week swing through the Persian Gulf region and this week's stop is the Qatar Masters.
A strong field will be on hand as Thomas Bjorn defends his title. Bjorn snapped a four-year winless drought in 2010, and carried the momentum into 2011. This was his first of three wins last year.
After struggling to a two-over 74 in the opening round, Bjorn went 65-66 in the middle two rounds, before closing with a 69 to earn a four-stroke win at Doha Golf Club.
Bjorn ended four clear of Alvaro Quiros, who also had a poor opening round. The Spaniard started with a 75, but rallied to take second place.
The field this week includes five of the top 15 players in the world and 10 of the top 40 overall. Among that group is Quiros, the 2009 winner, and 2010 champ Robert Karlsson.
Golf Channel will carry the action all four rounds.
The European Tour wraps up its Gulf swing next week as Quiros defends his title at that Dubai Desert Classic.
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Using a 'huge' sample size of three combined events, what can we make of the starts by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson? Woods teed it up on the European Tour this week instead of playing the Farmers Insura
<< Union releases Mondragon
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Union and goalkeeper Faryd
Mondragon agreed to part ways on Monday, allowing the Colombian to return to
his native country to play for Deportivo Cali.
Mondragon began his professional c
<< Ljubicic wins Zagreb opener
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Croatian tennis hero Ivan Ljubicic
was a hard-fought opening-round winner Monday at the Zagreb Indoors tennis
event.
The top-seeded Ljubicic slammed 16 aces and held off Slovak Karol Beck 7
<< Pat Burrell retiring after 12 seasons
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pat Burrell is retiring after a 12-year major league
career, according to multiple reports.
Burrell spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, who
selected him with the No. 1 overall pick
<< Stampeders re-sign LB Calixte
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Stampeders re-signed their
longest-serving player, nine-year non-import veteran linebacker Marc Calixte,
on Monday.
Per club policy, terms of the agreement were not released,
"I'm prou
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ron Washington, the only manager in franchise history to win a postseason series, has signed a two-year contract extension with the Texas Rangers. The deal, announced Monday, runs through the 2014 season. F
Charleston Southern sets 2012 schedule >>
Charleston, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charleston Southern football will kick off
its 2012 season at crosstown rival The Citadel and make a trip to the
University of Illinois as part of an 11-game schedule announced on Monday.
The Buccaneers, fro
Godin helps Atletico hold off Osasuna >>
Navarra, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid climbed to seventh in La
Liga on Monday after Diego Godin's first-half goal handed Atletico a 1-0 win
at Osasuna.
The goal arrived five minutes before halftime when a corner ki
Porto stunned at Gil Vicente >>
Lisbon, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Porto fell five points back of league-
leaders Benfica on Sunday after sustaining a surprising 3-1 defeat at Gil
Vicente.
The home side brought a five-match winless streak into the contest against
Orioles invite P Galarraga, others to spring training >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles signed and invited 14
non-roster players to spring training. Among those with previous major league
experience are pitchers Armando Galarraga and Pat Neshek and catcher Ronny
Paulino
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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