07/06/2008 - Bethesda, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Kim shot a five-under 65 on Sunday to squeeze past a tight field and win the AT&T National by two shots.
It was the 23-year-old American's second career PGA Tour title, the first coming just two months ago when he claimed the Wachovia Championship by five shots at tough Quail Hollow.
This week's venue was Congressional, which will host the 2011 U.S. Open, and the talented Kim finished with a 12-under 268 total.
That bettered by three strokes K.J. Choi's winning score from last season, the first year of Tiger Woods' tournament.
"Winning [on the PGA Tour] is so tough that any time you get an opportunity to be in the hunt, it feels great," said Kim. "And to capitalize on the two chances I've had of late feels wonderful."
Fredrik Jacobson strung together four consecutive birdies near the end of his round and shot a five-under 65 to finish alone in second place at 10-under 270.
Rod Pampling also shot a 65 and Jim Furyk had a 66 to lead a group of six players who shared third place at nine-under 271. They were joined by Robert Allenby (67), Dean Wilson (67), Nick O'Hern (69) and Tommy Armour III (69).
Third-round leader Tom Pernice, Jr. stumbled to a two-over 72 and fell into a tie for ninth place with Alex Cejka (66) and Jeff Overton (70) at eight-under 272.
Steve Stricker, after trailing Pernice by a shot overnight, couldn't overcome a slow start on the way to a three-over 73. He dropped into a share of 18th place at six-under 274.
U.S. Open runner-up Rocco Mediate (66) was among the players who joined Stricker at 274.
Kim joined Woods, Phil Mickelson and Kenny Perry as the only multiple winners on the PGA Tour this year. But while each of the other players is over the age of 31, Kim turned 23 just 17 days before his latest win.
Any remaining doubt that Kim is an emerging star was erased on Sunday. At least one player has already compared him to Woods.
"I think any time there's a younger guy that plays good, there's always a little bit of buzz that's created and people are looking and hoping to find the guy that's going to challenge Tiger," said Kim. "You know, right now, he's obviously injured and not going to be out here, but it's a time for the young guys to step up and make a statement.
"Hopefully other people will get to know golf besides Tiger. He's done so much for the game. But at the same time, we need to step up and I think it's going to be an around time for all the young guys."
Kim had to wiggle through a tight leaderboard to come out on top.
Beginning the day three shots behind Pernice, Kim started strong with a birdie at his first hole. But it may have been his consistency that eventually helped him the most.
Kim collected five consecutive pars before making his next birdie at the par- three seventh. He made back-to-back birdies at the ninth and 10th holes to take a two-shot lead on Hunter Mahan.
And when he rolled in a five-foot birdie putt at the 16th, Kim held a three- shot lead on six players: Furyk, Pampling, Jacobson, Wilson, O'Hern and Armour.
He would not be caught.
Kim made consecutive pars to finish the round, which was good enough to hold off Jacobson's late charge. He claimed $1.08 million for the win, moving to fifth place on both the FedEx Cup points list and the money list.
And there was the little matter of winning Woods' tournament, even if the recuperating Woods wasn't there to see it.
"To win his golf tournament is amazing," said Kim. "Because I idolized him growing up, it's so surreal for me to be in this position right now."
<< 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
<< 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
<< 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
<< 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
Orioles' LHP Loewen leaves game >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen left
Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers with discomfort in his left elbow.
The left-hander, who underwent season-ending surgery on the elbow last season,
pitched
Tampa tops Royals, run win streak to seven >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Pena went 3-for-5 with a double
and two runs batted in, as the Tampa Bay Rays extended their winning streak to
seven games with a 9-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.
James Shields (7-5) allowe
Romero claims second Champions Tour win >>
Endicott, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina's Eduardo Romero carded a three-
under 69 Sunday to pick up his second Champions Tour title at the Dick's
Sporting Goods Open.
Romero completed the event at 18-under-par 199. That tot
Astros' Berkman scratched >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman
was scratched from Sunday's series finale with the Atlanta Braves due to an
infection in his left eye.
The first baseman was scheduled to have the eye examined
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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