Rhoden vs. Romo at American Century

Golf Betting Lines

06/09/2010 - Stateline, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eight-time American Century Celebrity Championship winner Rick Rhoden looks to become the first golfer to win three straight titles when he hits the links from July 16-18 in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Rhoden, who barely defeated Dan Quinn in '08 by one point, came right back to dominate a field of 90 golfers last year, winning by three as the 9-5 favorite. Tony Romo finished second at 3-1 odds, while Quinn hit the board once again, tying Billy Joe Tolliver for third place. Both Quinn and Tolliver went off at 5-1.

This year, Rhoden remains the 9-5 favorite, but Romo has inched slightly closer at 5-2. The Dallas quarterback, playing for just the fourth time in this tournament, has improved each and every season.

Back in his initial try in '07, Romo finished 11th, 24 points behind Chris Chandler. The following year he ended up in a third-place tie with Grant Fuhr, and then finished second in last year's tournament.

Romo did have the lead after the first day in '09, but Rhoden fired back with a 31 on day two, tying Fuhr for the top spot heading into the final day.

Rhoden was not on his game that Sunday, picking up just 18 points, his worst score since all the way back in 2005. However, Grant Fuhr completed his tourney with an 11 and Rhoden's eighth title in 20 years was in the bag.

The point totals for the 54-hole tournament are based on a modified Stableford format, where the higher the total the better. Players receive 10 points for a double-eagle, eight for a hole-in-one, six for an eagle, three for a birdie, and one for par. Golfers also get zero points for a bogey, minus two for a double-bogey and minus three for anything worse.

Since not being invited to participate in 2006 for having "playing privileges" on the Champions Tour, Rhoden has returned with a second-place finish and then back-to-back victories. He not only is the lone celebrity golfer to win the event more than five times, but he's also the only one to bankroll over one million dollars.

Others to watch this year are a pair of hockey players -- Jeremy Roenick and Jamie Langenbrunner.

Roenick, who is tied with Chandler for sixth choice at 7-1, garnered $11,004 in purse money two years ago when he finished ninth, 11 points behind Rhoden. Last year, he improved to fifth, only five in back of Rhoden. If the former Blackhawk and Flyer can rebound from his 2010 Stanley Cup commentating commitments and concentrate on his golf game, he could be a player to keep an eye on.

Langenbrunner will be making his first appearance at the American Century Celebrity Championships and the current captain of the New Jersey Devils might be overlooked. He's currently listed at 12-1 and is the longshot play of the tournament. The two-time Stanley Cup winner won the Cloquet Invitational at Cloquet Country Club in Minnesota last year and is one of the better active NHL golfers

Other newcomers to the field include NBA players Chris Paul and Stephen Curry, football's Matt Cassel, Jared Allen, Todd Haley, Brian Kelly and Rodney Harrison, former Major League pitchers Greg Maddux and Mark Mulder, and professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler.

Another golfer to watch out for this year is the 2006 champion, Jack Wagner. The soap opera actor recently won the Cox Celebrity Championship hosted by Drew Brees. Rhoden finished a shot behind with Quinn and Mickey Tettleton four back. Also of note, Roenick finished five off the pace, Romo eight back and Fuhr 12 shots behind the winner.

Wagner, the only non-professional athlete to have ever won the American Century Championship, is listed at 8-1 in the wagering.

Who will win the 2010 title? Certainly not Ray Romano or Charles Barkley. Despite their instruction from Hank Haney, Romano is listed as 300-1 and Barkley 500-1.

It's tough to go against Rhoden, even at 9-5 odds. He's clearly the best amateur golfer in the game today, with eight wins and five second-place finishes in the tournament's 20-year history.

Wwwbetgameday Golf Betting News

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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