Wind blows away Oosthuizen's challengers

Golf Betting Lines

07/16/2010 - St. Andrews, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louis Oosthuizen got the luck of the draw on Friday at the British Open Championship.

The South African fired a five-under 67 despite intermittent rain and gusty winds to take a five-stroke lead with the second round of the season's third major suspended due to darkness.

Oosthuizen completed two rounds at 12-under-par 132, which matched the low 36- hole score for the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Nick Faldo and Greg Norman both posted 132 in 1990.

"Everyone plays to play in a major and the final round on Sunday. I'm just really glad the way I dealt with my nerves around the course," Oosthuizen said. "We started in the rain and the first nine was not that easy, but it got a bit better from 14 on."

After Oosthuizen finished, there was a 66-minute weather delay because of strong winds that were blowing golf balls around several greens.

The second round is slated to resume at 6:30 a.m. local time Saturday (1:30 a.m. et). Once the round is complete, there will be approximately a one-hour break before the third round starts.

Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 Open champion at Royal Troon, also carded a 67 to move into second place at seven-under-par 137.

Englishmen Paul Casey and Lee Westwood are tied for third place in the clubhouse at minus-six. Casey overcame a triple-bogey on the Road Hole, No. 17, to post his second straight 69, while Westwood had a steady round with 17 pars and a single birdie on the par-five fifth for a 71.

All four finished their rounds before the stoppage in play.

Stephen Tiley, who was in the last group out off the first tee, also stands at minus-six. He has completed 10 holes of round two.

Three-time Open champion Tiger Woods birdied the 18th hole Friday to finish off a one-over 73. He shares 15th place at four-under-par 140.

First-round leader Rory McIlory stumbled to an eight-over 80 and tumbled into a share of 38th at one-under-par 143. McIlroy opened with a 63 on Thursday, matching the lowest score in major championship history.

MORE TO FOLLOW.

Wwwskybook Golf Betting News

<< Top seed Pennetta reaches Palermo semis
Palermo, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Flavia Pennetta defeated Spanish qualifier Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-4, 6-2 in the quarterfinals at the $220,000 Palermo International tennis tournament. Pennetta of Italy will next battle eighth

<< Ramirez's homer lifts Cubs over Phils
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aramis Ramirez continued his hot streak with a game-winning solo home run in the eighth inning, and the Chicago Cubs edged the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-3, in the second of four games at Wrigley Field. Ramir

<< Mandzukic joins Wolfsburg
Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolfsburg have wrapped up the signing of Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic on a four-year contract from Dinamo Zagreb. The 24-year-old joins the Bundesliga club as a potential replacement for Edin Dzeko,

<< Wizards want more magic against Rapids
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City Wizards forward Teal Bunbury called Wednesday's 1-0 victory at the Columbus Crew "huge," and hopes the team can build on the result Saturday night at the Colorado Rapids. K.C. (4-8-3) won for

<< Galaxy aims to overcome "12th man" at United
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Galaxy head coach Bruce Arena has plenty of fond memories from RFK Stadium, where he brings his team to face D.C. United on Sunday. Arena guided United to three successive MLS Cup final appear

Kim, McDaniel to meet in Publinx final >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lion Kim and David McDaniel will meet in the final of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship after both players squeezed out a pair of 1-up victories on Friday. Indeed, all six matches contested

Volquez to make season debut for Reds on Saturday >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez is scheduled to make his season debut on Saturday against the Rockies. Volquez, who has been out because of both Tommy John surgery and a 50-game suspension for

Blues extend Hensick's contract >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have signed forward T.J. Hensick to a one-year contract extension. Hensick was picked up in a trade with Colorado in June and saw time in just seven NHL contests in 2009-10, not

Tampa re-signs C Thompson >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed center Nate Thompson to a one-year contract on Friday, a move that allowed the club to avoid arbitration with the player. The 25-year-old played in 32 games and tallied

Brewers' Davis shelved by elbow tendinitis >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have placed lefty Doug Davis on the 15-day disabled list with tendinitis in his left elbow. Davis was scheduled to pitch Monday to open a four-game series in Pittsburgh. He missed the

MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines

New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.

"The World Series is the biggest baseball event in the sports betting world and MySportsbook.com is excited that we are first to market with betting lines on every team," says Tim Dalton, Marketing Director, MySportsbook.com. "We are getting things ready for a great baseball season and our members are looking forward to our Player Payback Bonuses, as well as Dime Lines, all season long."

Going in to this weekend, MySportsbook.com's favorites to win the World Series are the New York Yankees at 7-2 and last year’s winners the Chicago White Sox at 9-2.

"These betting lines are ripe for the picking," Dalton added, "baseball fans know that the season is long and many factors, including players staying healthy, will affect these Future odds as the baseball season progresses. Betting on your favorite team in the beginning of the season could prove quite lucrative. We are seeing examples of this right now in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament with a lucky few that placed pre-season bets on George Mason to win it all. Anything can happen."

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

About www.MySportsbook.com
MySportsbook.com is the foremost online sportsbook offering Internet wagering to its worldwide customers. Fully licensed and regulated in St. John’s, Antigua since 1997, MySportsbook.com offers a complete range of online casino games, sports betting lines, poker tournaments and horse racing offtrack betting daily through its portfolio of companies and managed services. With over 7 years of experience, MySportsbook.com has become one of the most respected companies in the gaming industry by providing unparalleled 24/7 customer support and timely payouts. MySportsbook.com is part of the SportingBet PLC group of companies that is publicly-traded on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE ) under the symbol SBT.L. MySportsbook.com provides a secure environment for sports and casino wagering and has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MAXIM Magazine, Cigar Aficionado, and CNN’s Paula Zahn Now among others.

Horse Betting

(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.