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01/15/2012 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Branden Grace took a three-shot lead into Sunday's final round and fired an even-par 72 to hold off Jamie Elson and win the Joburg Open.
Grace played a total of 21 holes on Sunday at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club after weather delays forced a change in schedule. He entered the day tied with Richard Finch, who had four holes remaining in the third round, but closed with two birdies to set up a significant advantage.
Finch, meanwhile, shot a one-over over the last three holes and was tied with George Coetzee after 54 holes in second at 14-under. With a three-shot lead over the pair, Grace was able to shoot an even-par down the stretch for a 17- under 270 and his first European Tour title.
Grace avoided any serious mistakes over the back nine -- all pars -- to deny Elson a miracle comeback. Elson entered the final round 10 strokes off the lead, but whittled it to one with a closing eagle at the par-five 18th. Elson waited in the clubhouse for a potential playoff, but Grace never flinched.
Elson, who tied the East Course record of nine-under 63 set by Charl Schwartzel, finished second at 16-under 271 overall. David Drysdale (67), Marc Warren (68), Jaco Van Zyl (68), Trevor Fisher, Jr. (68), Dawie Van Der Walt (70) and Michiel Bothma (71) shared third at 14-under.
Both Finch (78) and Coetzee (75) tailed off over the final 18 holes, finishing 24th and 14th, respectively. Neither was a factor in the final outcome.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
<< Quick strong in net as Kings top Flames
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Richards and Dustin Brown finished with a
goal and an assist apiece as the Los Angeles Kings topped the Calgary Flames,
4-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome.
Matt Greene and Anze Kopitar also found the back of t
<< Blues nip Wild in SO
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Shattenkirk scored the game-winning
goal in the second round of the shootout, sending the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2
win over the Minnesota Wild at Scottrade Center.
Shattenkirk skated in on Josh Har
<< Jazz beat Nets, spoil Williams' return
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams was met with a mix of
boos and cheers in his return to play the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.
And there was nothing friendly about the way the basket treated him.
Williams scored 16
<< Terry, Nowitzki shine as Mavs rout Kings
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Terry scored 21 points and Dirk Nowitzki
chipped in 14 as the Dallas Mavericks routed the Sacramento Kings, 99-60.
Jason Kidd returned to the lineup after missing the last four games with a
lower ba
Top-10 foes collide in Columbus >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of top-10 teams coming off rare losses
meet up in Columbus this afternoon, as the seventh-ranked Indiana Hoosiers and
fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes clash in a Big Ten battle at Value City
Arena.
Tha
Big East brawl pits Hoyas against Red Storm >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will head to
the Big Apple this afternoon for a Big East showdown with the St. John's Red
Storm at famed Madison Square Garden.
John Thompson III's Hoyas are an impressive 13-3
Blue Devils and Tigers tangle in ACC affair >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Duke Blue Devils continue
their run through the ACC, as the take on the Clemson Tigers in a league
affair at Littlejohn Coliseum this evening.
Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils are 14-2 on the sea
No.23 Bluejays host Salukis in MVC contest >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southern Illinois Salukis will try to halt
the 23rd-ranked Creighton Bluejays' five-game winning streak as they head to
the CenturyLink Center for Missouri Valley Conference action.
Creighton owns a 49-36 edg
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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