Woods rebounds nicely with a 65

Golf Betting Lines

09/04/2010 - Norton, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods shot a five-under 65 in the second round of the Deutsche Bank Championship on Saturday, matching his lowest round of the season.

More importantly? Woods played well enough to ensure he makes the 36-hole cut, rebounding nicely from an opening-round 72 that threatened his chances of advancing to the next round of the playoffs.

Woods was tied for 29th place at five-under 137 when he finished in the middle of the day. The cut line hovered around one-under par with the last groups about to start the round.

A poor start Friday had Woods in danger of being knocked out of next week's BMW Championship, which he won last year by eight shots on the way to capturing his second FedEx Cup in three years.

The third event in the PGA Tour playoffs is reserved for only the top 70 players in FedEx Cup points and Woods entered this week No. 65 in the standings.

Woods' bogey-free 65 on Saturday marked just the third time in his last 17 rounds that he broke 70. It matched the 65 he shot in the first round of last week's Barclays as his lowest score of the season.

Wwwworldwidegamble Golf Betting News

<< Eagles acquire DE Barnes from Ravens
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles acquired defensive end Antwan Barnes from Baltimore in exchange for an undisclosed draft pick. Barnes has spent his entire three-year career with the Ravens, appearing in 38 games.

<< Jimenez keeps three-shot lead in Switzerland
Crans Montana, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miguel Angel Jimenez protected his three-shot lead at the European Masters Saturday with a three-under 68 in the third round. Jimenez appeared to have shot a 67 after rolling in a long birdie

<< Mariners, Indians to go at it again in Emerald City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- The Seattle Mariners will attempt to build off an impressive pitching performance when the American League West cellar-dwellers take on the Cleveland Indians tonight in the continuation of a four-game series between last-pla

<< Dodgers hoping to further cripple Giants' playoff hopes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Cain tries to make it two straight wins against the club that has given him more trouble than any other team in his young career when the San Francisco Giants continue their three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers

<< D-Backs host Astros, shoot for fifth straight win
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Recent trade acquisition Joe Saunders tries to make it two wins in a row for the first time since arriving in Arizona tonight, when the Diamondbacks meet the Houston Astros in the middle matchup of a three-game weekend series

Soderling reaches fourth round in Flushing >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time French Open runner-up Robin Soderling was an easy third-round winner Saturday at the U.S. Open. The fifth-seeded Soderling whipped Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 on Day 6 at the US

Serbia edges Croatia to reach World Championship quarters >>
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aleksandar Rasic's free throw with one second left gave Serbia a 73-72 victory over Croatia and berth in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Championship. The Serbs led by seven during the fou

Jankovic exits U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former runner-up Jelena Jankovic was a third-round upset victim Saturday at the U.S. Open. Wimbledon quarterfinalist Kaia Kanepi stunned the former world No. 1 Jankovic 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) at the USTA Bil

Wozniacki, Sharapova roll; Jankovic exits U.S. Open >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded 2009 runner-up Caroline Wozniacki and former champion Maria Sharapova were easy third-round winners, while former finalist Jelena Jankovic went by way of the upset Saturday at the U.S. Open.

Falcons get to 53; CB Jackson among cuts >>
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons have released 21 players as part of their Saturday "cut-down-day" maneuvers. Atlanta waived or released tight end Robbie Agnone, wide receiver Troy Bergeron, safety Eric Brock, wide r

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.