07/06/2008 - Ash, England (Golf Betting) - Ross Fisher's biggest challenge came from the rain, not the field, as he closed with a four-under 68 on Sunday to win the European Open by seven shots.
Fisher played most of the round in a pesky rain, but finished in the sunshine with a hole-out birdie from a bunker beside the 18th green for a runaway victory over world No. 8 Sergio Garcia.
It was the 27-year-old Englishman's second European Tour win and first since last year's KLM Open. He claimed it in wire-to-wire fashion after opening with a course-record 63 at London Golf Club on Thursday, finishing at 20-under-par 268.
"Delighted," Fisher said afterward, his victory having long been locked up.
On a day when several of the top contenders posted big numbers in wet conditions, Garcia went low to emerge as Fisher's closest challenger. The talented Spaniard fired a six-under 66 to move up from a tie for seventh place overnight into solo second at 13-under 275.
Only two more players finished within 10 shots of Fisher.
Graeme McDowell, playing with Fisher in the final pairing after trailing him by three strokes overnight, posted a one-over 73 and took third place at 12- under 276.
David Frost managed a modest one-under 71 and finished alone in fourth place at 11-under 277. Soren Hansen (73) ended four shots further back at seven- under 281.
Colin Montgomerie, the eight-time Order of Merit champion and last year's European Open winner, sputtered to a 77 in the final round and fell 19 shots off Fisher's pace at one-under 287. He tied for 24th place.
Reigning British Open champion Padraig Harrington fared a little better, posting a 75 to end tied for 17th place at two-under 286.
But the round, and the tournament, belonged to Fisher.
He could hardly be blamed for his only bogey on Sunday, which came in the driving rain at the par-four second. Fisher joined many of the players and spectators in carrying an umbrella and wearing a rain jacket in the worst of the conditions.
"It was just a very tricky day," Fisher said.
He bounced back from his lone bogey in a big way, making an eagle at the par- five fifth to stretch his lead to eight shots. Seven consecutive pars followed until Fisher made a birdie at the 13th.
Fisher also birdied the 15th, then looked like he could do no better than an up-and-down par at the 18th. But his ball was sitting up in the bunker, and he holed a perfect sand shot for the closing birdie.
It was the ideal ending to a week that began with a trip to Wimbledon with his wife -- and no practice round.
"Pretty awesome," Fisher said. "I was just a great week."
<< Marlins bring up top prospect Volstad
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins selected the contract of
top pitching prospect Chris Volstad from Double-A Carolina on Sunday.
Volstad, a 6-foot-7 right-hander, was the 16th overall pick by the Marlins in
the 2005 dra
<< Brewers go for sweep of Pirates at Miller Park
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers shoot for a three-game sweep of the
Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon at Miller Park.
The Brewers have won two straight and four of five games, including Saturday's
2-1 victory over the Bucos. Pri
<< Volquez leads Reds vs. Nationals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals will wrap up a
four-game series this afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
The Reds have won the first three tests of this series, including Saturday's
3-2 victory. Jerry Ha
<< Dodgers take on Giants in finale by the bay
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers will try to stay within striking
distance of the top spot in the NL West division today, when they conclude a
three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.
Los Angeles h
Cards activate SS Izturis from DL, recall OF Mather >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals activated shortstop
Cesar Izturis from the 15-day disabled list Sunday and recalled outfielder Joe
Mather from Triple-A Memphis.
Izturis left a June 20, 5-4 Cardinals victory over
Rain again stops men's final at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The rain has returned to the All England
Club and the men's Wimbledon final between five-time champion Roger Federer
and Rafael Nadal is being delayed in the fifth set.
The match is even at 2-2, 40-40
Nadal ends Roger's reign at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal has ended the five-year
reign of Roger Federer at Wimbledon, capturing his first men's singles title
at the All England Club with a thrilling 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7
triumph
All-Star rosters revealed >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball has announced the
rosters for the 2008 All-Star Game, and the squads are filled with familiar
names as well as seven first-time starters.
The 79th Mid-Summer Classic will be p
Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.
The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.
Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.
NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.
"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.
The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.
But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.
The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"
When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.
Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.
The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.
The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.
The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.
Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.
Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."
Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.
"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."
Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.
It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.
"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."
Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.
"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."
At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.
According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.
Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.
Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.
When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.
He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.
Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.
Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.
Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.
While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.
"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.
Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.
Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your VISA Sportsbook needs.
American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Sports Betting News: Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting