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06/16/2007 - Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Cabrera stuck his final approach shot within inches and made birdie, knocking 19 players out of the U.S. Open by himself.
Oakmont took care of the rest.
Cabrera shot a one-over 71 Friday to take the lead in what was shaping up to be one of the most difficult U.S. Opens ever, finishing his second round with a birdie on Oakmont's ninth hole to get to even-par 140 overall.
The low 60 scores and ties make the cut, as well as anyone within 10 shots of the lead. Cabrera's closing birdie meant all the players at 11-over par missed the weekend.
Phil Mickelson, at 11-over exactly, was among them.
"Carnage," he called the round after shooting a 77.
Bubba Watson had a one-over 71 and was alone in second place at one-over 141. Stephen Ames was one of just two players to shoot under par Friday, carding a one-under 69 to join Aaron Baddeley (70), Justin Rose (71) and Niclas Fasth (71) in third place at two-over 142.
If Oakmont showed its teeth Thursday, it was downright scowling Friday.
Paul Casey hit 13 of 14 fairways and shot a four-under 66 in a morning tee time for the best round of the day -- one of the best rounds of his career, the Englishman said.
But it wasn't an accurate forecast of things to come.
By 5:33 p.m. local time, when Cabrera made a five-foot bogey putt at his 12th hole, there were no players left under par. Cabrera bogeyed his 14th hole at 6:10 p.m., then got back to even-par with his closing birdie at 7:13 p.m.
So, for 63 minutes near the end of the round no one was even playing Oakmont to a push.
The scoring average soared to nearly 77.
"I'll venture to guess that 99 percent of the members can't play this golf course very well or finish in severe conditions," said world No. 3 Jim Furyk, who safely made the cut.
"But they're proud of that fact and that's what this place is about."
Tiger Woods wasn't proud of his round, but a four-over 74 was enough to keep him safe from repeating his missed cut at Winged Foot last year. He was at five-over 145 and tied for 13th place.
"You just really had to keep your patience," Woods said. "The way I hit the golf ball, I could have easily shot myself out of the tournament. But I was able to hang in there."
Cabrera was the first-round leader at the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock, his only other overnight lead at a major championship.
"This tournament really motivates you," Cabrera, an Argentine, said through a translator in a TV interview after his round. "You play with a lot of intensity out there."
Watson's posted a career-best finish at the Houston Open in April, where he was runner-up. His length helped him Friday in places like the 313-yard 17th, a par four where he almost reached the green with his tee shot.
He chipped within three feet there for his last birdie, but wasn't expecting Oakmont to get any easier Saturday -- especially with the added pressure of playing in the final group.
"It's going to be just as hard as it was today," said Watson, who missed the cut in his only other U.S. Open in 2004.
While no one avoided the "How hard was it?" question Friday, Mickelson had one of the funniest answers -- especially from someone who played the tough four- hole stretch from No. 7 at six-over par.
"It's easier than I've seen it, the greens have slowed up and I don't know what we're doing," Mickelson laughed.
Lefty had made 30 consecutive major cuts since missing the weekend at the 1999 British Open, which ranked as the longest such active streak at the four major championships.
His injured left wrist was still affecting his play, but Mickelson wasn't making any excuses.
"It's fine. It's sore, but it's fine," he said.
Furyk played with Mickelson and had a 75 to keep himself safe from the cut line six-over 146. He had back-to-back birdies on the 13th and 14th holes, from 18 and 20 feet respectively.
On the rest of the course, the 2003 U.S. Open champion made seven bogeys and nine pars.
"I don't concern myself with whether the USGA is playing fair or not anymore, I just play it and try to figure out how to get it in the hole," Furyk said of the course.
The third member of the Mickelson-Furyk group, Adam Scott, opened with a triple-bogey at No. 1 and shot an 82. Looking to shake criticism of his play in the majors, the young Australian missed the cut by a mile at 18-over par.
The scores from that trio -- the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 golfers in the world -- made Casey's morning 66 look like an anomaly.
And it was.
"That's probably one of the best rounds I've played in my professional career," said Casey, who equaled his best round at a major and was alone in seventh place at three-over 143.
It was 23 shots better than the worst score turned in Friday.
Englishman Sam Walker, who has missed the cut in nine of his last 10 European Tour starts, carded an 89 in a round that included just four pars and no birdies.
Mickelson and Scott weren't the only big names to miss the cut.
That list also included Justin Leonard, Luke Donald, Trevor Immelman, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia, Davis Love III, Henrik Stenson, Colin Montgomerie and two-time U.S. Open winner Retief Goosen.
"The tournament starts on Saturday," Cabrera said. "Everyone who makes the cut has a chance. You just have to see what happens."
<< Yankees' Damon scratched from lineup
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees designated hitter Johnny Damon
was scratched from the team's lineup Friday against the New York Mets with an
abdominal strain.
Damon was set to leadoff for the Yankees.
Center fielder Melk
<< Bruins axe Lewis
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After just one season behind the bench, the
Boston Bruins fired head coach Dave Lewis on Friday.
The Bruins also relieved associate coach Marc Habscheid of his duties. Both
are expected to be reassigned
<< Rice erases six-run deficit, blasts past Louisville
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Luna went 2-for-4, homered, drove in three
runs and scored three as the Rice Owls came back from deficits of five and
six runs to top the Louisville Cardinals, 15-10, in the opener of the College
World Series
<< Saints release Lewis, Whitehead
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints released wide
receiver Michael Lewis and defensive lineman Willie Whitehead on Friday.
Lewis is the team's all-time leader in kickoff returns (243 for 5,903 yards)
and punt r
Delsing leads by one in Minnesota >>
Byron, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time Nationwide Tour winner Jay Delsing
posted a four-under 68 Friday to move one stroke clear of the field after two
rounds of the Showdown at Somerby.
Delsing, who was one of five first-round lead
107th U.S. Open Second Round News and Notes >>
Oakmont, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Mickelson finished off a 77, then told
everyone what he'd be doing for the next several hours.
"Go watch the carnage on TV," Mickelson said.
Lefty was one of the players swallowed up by Oakmont
Ninth-inning rally helps Braves down Indians >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yunel Escobar hit a two-run double off C.C.
Sabathia in the ninth inning as the Atlanta Braves rallied for a 5-4 victory
over the Cleveland Indians in the opener of a three-game interleague set.
Casey Bl
Blue Jays bash Nationals >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Troy Glaus homered and finished with three RBI
to guide the Toronto Blue Jays past the Washington Nationals, 7-2, in the
opener of a three-game interleague set at Rogers Centre.
Adam Lind added a two-ru
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While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
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